I Just Discovered Stop Motion

[3deeguy]

I've had this app for years but it never occurred to me to try animating an image sequence. I took a series of screenshots from a video and made a smartbone action from them.
Stop motion is one possibility but I've been stuck on 'head turns' for a very long time.
What I plan to do is take photos of a 'mannequin head' rotated incrementally then trace those images to create a more convincing vector head turn.

[mmmaarten]

What I plan to do is take photos of a 'mannequin head' rotated incrementally then trace those images to create a more convincing vector head turn.

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to take anything away your enthusiasm and if you like that workflow who am I to dissagree, but two tips:

Another way could be to learn 3D software and create or import an exising head/manequin and rotate that around in front of the camera to your liking and render it to an image sequence you import into moho (or import the 3d object directly into moho). It takes some time to learn 3d software, but in the end you can do everything with it and you don't need to have a manequin doll (and whatever you might need in the future as a reference, and different light conditions etc.) AND you can also animate in 3d as a bonus. Blender is free. Also knowing blender is benificial to be able to load 2d animations created in Moho into 3d space.

Also there are reference videos (and 3d models) of all kinds online (some of them paid, but still cheaper than a manequin doll).

[3deeguy]

Blender is a great idea. I'll download it.
I love MOHO so I'll use Blender only as an aid to accomplish what I want to do in MOHO.

[mmmaarten]

Blender is a great idea. I'll download it.
I love MOHO so I'll use Blender only as an aid to accomplish what I want to do in MOHO.

Nice to read! I love MOHO too, as well as I love Blender and other software depending on the task. It's definitely no shame to use different types of animation software together. It's not one or the other. Many animators do that and mix and match these. And it makes sense when using specialistic software like Moho. One software package could never be good at everything. Every software has its strengths and points of focus and together they are even more fire and efficient at their tasks than using one or the other. Have fun creating and experiencing!

[3deeguy]

One software package could never be good at everything.

I agree. GIMP is a part of my workflow. I will add Blender to my routine.
I settled on MOHO because this is where I learned to animate and I like the look of vector art. I'm a big fan of this forum.
My main interest is creating animated vlogs. For that reason I rigged a reusable character who just talks into the camera. I'm trying gradually to add functionality to make that character more lifelike.

[Greenlaw]

Yeah, controlling image sequences is a handy trick!

Years ago, I did something like this for Trolls using a turntable animation I created of photoreal 'troll hair' and made the image sequence part of a head turn in Moho. I used a 3D program to create the image sequence, but it could have been done just as well with a clump of styled yarn fibers and shot with an iPhone.

[3deeguy]

I used a 3D program to create the image sequence...

I watched your 2019 demo reel again. I remember watching it a few years back. This time I focused on your 3D animation. Wow...

[Greenlaw]

Thanks!

The 'Big Guy' Moho rig near the end of that reel has an example of the 3D 'hair turntable' image sequences I described above. But the bending and growing bits are all Moho.

[3deeguy]

I experimented with a front view and side view of a 3D head model that was blocked out in flat shapes. I will try to refine it with curves and soft edges. I wanted to share my progress with the forum.