Referencing an .anme file and having it update?

JubbaTheHott · Post by **JubbaTheHott** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 7:13 pm

Is there a way to import or reference multiple .anme files into a single scene so that they get updated within the scene when the individual files are adjusted?

This would be like referencing in a program like Maya.
Thanks, this would really help in a production situation.

funksmaname · Post by **funksmaname** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 9:17 pm

Dont think so... once imported the data becomes part of your current file and effectively becomes a new, unrelated file completely. I'm not sure how useful this would be though, as if they were linked making potentially harmful changes would be constantly updated between other versions of your character - not sure i like that idea?

hayasidist · Post by **hayasidist** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 8:31 am

it's not *that* much different from including an image or audio (that's by file reference rather than data isn't it?). (and compositing software that I use works only by reference - not inclusion - so if (when!!

) I change something that puts video and/or sound tracks out of sync that's down to my mismanagement - and, after I've kicked myself for being dumb / not planning properly, I knuckle down and sort it out!)
I can see the value in both "include by reference" and "include by copy".
For sure you screw can up big time by making a change to a library item that badly impacts another project that references the same item, but that's a problem I'd be prepared to manage in order to have a way to keep the use of a rig and the rig separately! So there might need to be limitations - such as having to name things that you want to animate in this way (maybe even down to the point level!?) and only being able to work with named items in this way; and the naming system might need to be expanded so that you can name a group that is (say) "bone plus explictly bound points". But I'd type a few labels in preference to the other options for propagating changes...

JubbaTheHott · Post by **JubbaTheHott** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 4:29 pm

one of the main uses I can think of is as follows:
let's say there are a bunch of animators working on many scenes, all containing a common character.
for whatever reason, a new mouth shape is made for the character and put into a switch layer in the main rig.
now, once they reopen their file, every animator working on all those different scenes immediately has the updated mouth shape in their characters and can keep on working

something this simple would be a great tool to have
as it stands, it looks like the only option is for each animator to manually insert this new mouth shape into each of their scenes one at a time. not very efficient, unfortunately.

jahnocli · Post by **jahnocli** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 5:17 pm

JubbaTheHott wrote:...let's say there are a bunch of animators working on many scenes, all containing a common character...

Anime Studio isn't designed for these environments. Perhaps just as well, or it would be a damn sight more expensive.

JubbaTheHott · Post by **JubbaTheHott** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 5:26 pm

jahnocli wrote:
JubbaTheHott wrote:...let's say there are a bunch of animators working on many scenes, all containing a common character...
Anime Studio isn't designed for these environments. Perhaps just as well, or it would be a damn sight more expensive.

ok...let's say i have my single character in several already-animated scenes and i want to make a change to the character...it requires me making that change in each file/scene.

it'd be nice if you could at least point a layer to a master file and say "sync layer with file" or something like that to at least speed up the changes

funksmaname · Post by **funksmaname** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 10:06 pm

I dont think it could work in practice as point motion is based on referenced points - if you add points to different scenes you will always have to reanimate (at least the extra points) which will in turn create more work anyway... it should work with only bone movement, IF you only 'flexi-bind' but still...

by the nature of still images still being 'flat' they suit this sort of instant replacement, but an AS character just wouldn't work like this

JubbaTheHott · Post by **JubbaTheHott** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 10:13 pm

sorry, i should have specified that i'm specifically working with photo-based character puppets in this case

adding a new mouth shape for me is just adding a new photo to the mouth's Switch Layer.

i can see how referencing vector- and point-based material could get messy, though adjusting CVs in a Maya reference, for example, can be done if done correctly

anyway, thanks for the feedback.