Moho Forum

ErikAtMapache wrote:A simple one -- control to constrain the direction layers/points are moved. That is, move only up/down or move only left/right.

If You press the shift key while moving You constraint to vertical or horizontal displacement. Also, You can move in those directions by holding ctrl + arrow keys, or ctrl/shift + arrow keys to increment by 10.

Thanks -- didn't know that.

I officially withdraw my request for a new feature and instead put forward a request to make an existing feature more obvious.

Here is something I would like to see dont know if anyone will agree. I would like to see a scene menu kind of like the layer menu but for doing different shots. So you could have shot one and set the background and characters your going to be using the switch to shot 2 and its a new timeline part of the same file. after the fact you could then set transitions between shots. I hope I explained that clearly. of course all shots would have all layers and resources available between them as you create them.

IMO the "scene transition" stuff is better handled in a video editor.

But the idea of having assets available to "many" timelines is great. My own view is that these timelines are best handled in separate AS files - so what's needed is a way to share assets in such a way that if you update an asset then all the AS files that reference that asset automatically get the updated version. this "reference" (rather than import) idea has been posted a few times in the feature request threads.

Maybe what SM might consider is a properly integrated suite of tools to support the end-to-end workflow...

I'd like to request a drawing tool that isn't point-based. I understand having the line tool (or whatever it's called) be point-based, but why the freehand tool? All it really does is cause my drawings to not color in correctly and I have to spend an extra five minutes wondering what I did wrong.

What I'm saying is, I'd like a freehand tool that works more like the brush tools of Toon Boom or Flash.

No idea if this was proposed before, but a 3D widget for building 3D scenes would make such a task tons easier.

The way I see this is simple, you select a vector layer, select the widget tool, then a sphere made of 3 arrows and 3 circles, one for each axes would appear, making it easy to rotate and position the building parts.

Just a thought!

GCharb wrote:No idea if this was proposed before, but a 3D widget for building 3D scenes would make such a task tons easier.

The way I see this is simple, you select a vector layer, select the widget tool, then a sphere made of 3 arrows and 3 circles, one for each axes would appear, making it easy to rotate and position the building parts.

Just a thought!

Thats kind of what i meant when i suggested manipulators..

You may have read it elsewhere: Adobe announces that is has no plans to develop Flash for Mobile Devices any further, instead it will concentrate on HTML5. (And they will fire 750 workers, but they seem to do that veery year.)

Now this could be an important point: if AS would be able to export to HTML5, it would grab a great deal of attention from web developers, web comic animators, and the like.

Actually html5 is a cracking idea. It's standardised pretty much and available on all good browsers including mobile.
It's really well documented and exporting to it if done properly would have a big impact for web dev. ESP if done in a way that devs had a reasonable ability to hook into the generated code. Ie. for interactions and playing parts of the timeline or firing actions.

The drawing tool (freehand): After drawing a curve, all points are visible and selected. I think, it would be better, they are not selcted (and perhaps not visible) during drawing.

The tool "Linienstärke" (brush size): It works, but I miss a option to change the size of a area of a curve directly - without selecting point for point - like the magnetic tool (Alt + lMt).

Some of the things i want in the next version of AS.
1. I'd like an improvement of the masks. It's confusing as hell and doesn't need to be, also has bugs and it's an important feature that has to be better.
2. A better fill option, it's really annoying when i have to go back all the time and erase the previously fill because i change it after i made a shape.
3. A better particle system.
4. A brush that doesn't use points and has automatic smoothing for strokes(like flash).
5. A more proffesional design/look.

I've been trying to use the AS8 UI natively, without any extra tools, for a complex job I am doing now.
Its interesting to see the useability changes in 8. I appreciate the changes and the way its becoming easier to do some tasks now.

I have the following useability requests:

In timeline:

1. When clicking on zoom + and -
   - Please zoom around current cursor frame instead of frame zero
   - (Keeps moving me back to frame zero when I'm 4 minutes out)
2. Adding keys for some channels (e.g. Visibiility, Opacity) is difficult (you must visit each layer menu).
   - (Visibility is especially difficult to control as cursor drag selection on the timeline does not work the same as other keys. Fixed by 3 below)
   - So please add a rightclick menu to the timeline background
   • add a choice to "add a key" (choose from menu of available channels)
     - e.g. visibility, layer opacity, the complete set, ordered nicely in submenus
     - I know this was in earlier versions but the menu was too big. I like the current smaller, more minimally intrusive, UI approach.
3. Picking keys on timeline when zoomed out is very difficult
   - perhaps add a highlighting circle when a click at that position would result in selection.
   - wanting to minimise missed mouse clicks (which add keys instead of allowing you to move them - making more work).
4. Horizontal scrolling of timeline is very coarse. Please make it in smaller steps.
   - E.g. currently if zoom out one level - most of right hand side of timeline shows unused frames.
   - Add a "zoom to fit" kind of operation to use space maximally.
   - Show the scale by resizing the horizontal scrollbar widget to show relative space used.
   - (Would help with navigation on long timelines. Most of my scenes are around 300-500 frames)
   - Have both ends of the horizontal scrollbar widget be selectable and moveable - so zoom and range can be set using this widget (independently adjustable)
5. Put something useful on timeline where little black box with one red vertex is.
   - E.g. goto frame zero toggle (between current frame and frame zero)

Frame zero (construction mode)

1. Getting into and out of this mode would be helped by having a keyboard shortcut.
2. The highlighting option in the preferences should IMHO default to being on for new users. Knowing you're in this mode is critical when making changes and even now I continually forget.
   - (Resulting in having to select the new keys / copy / move to frame Zero / paste / move back / delete keys which can be painful.)
3. Even the current red border could be much thicker...(or a BG color change, similar to what you're doing in the timeline for Actions).
4. Toggling between the current timeline position and frame zero (E.g. when adding a new Vector layer) would be super helpful.
   Perhaps the above mentioned frame zero toggle button could also remember the current tineline and jump back when the toggle is released.

Actions workflow is much easier with your additions to move to frame 1 etc. Great.


I have also been making extensive notes of other requests. I will add them one at a time shortly.
Thanks.[/list]

Hey neon22,
your frame zero requests 1 and 4 are addressed by Rylander's 'two ways to frame 0' script: http://rylanderanimation.se/2008/10/01/ ... o-frame-0/

it IS very useful and could be an included feature out of the box.

The red line thicker is also quite a good suggestion imo.

funksmaname wrote:Hey neon22,
your frame zero requests 1 and 4 are addressed by Rylander's 'two ways to frame 0' script: http://rylanderanimation.se/2008/10/01/ ... o-frame-0/
it IS very useful and could be an included feature out of the box.

Yes I agree entirely.

My feedback was based on trying to use AS8 as delivered. Its a challenge but its a way I can try to see how the useability is filtering into the product and what remains to be done.
AS8 does have some useful mods to make workflow easier. I value the attempt to do so.

I see the ideal mechanism for product growth is to use the scripts that get made for workflow purposes to drive the overall design. Eventually those scripts would no longer be needed.
Of course then we would add even more scripts to enhance that - and so on.
The program improves through direct use. Always the best way IMHO.

Adding keys for some channels (e.g. Visibiility, Opacity) is difficult (you must visit each layer menu).
- (Visibility is especially difficult to control as cursor drag selection on the timeline does not work the same as other keys. Fixed by 3 below)
- So please add a rightclick menu to the timeline background

add a choice to "add a key" (choose from menu of available channels)
- e.g. visibility, layer opacity, the complete set, ordered nicely in submenus
- I know this was in earlier versions but the menu was too big. I like the current smaller, more minimally intrusive, UI approach.

The program once had this in a pop up menu on the timeline, but was taken away for the stupid logic "IT MORE HELPFUL TO HIDE ALL UNUSED CHANNELS" It sad, but those who decide what stays and what goes doesn't have a clue.

Dale