A taste of my new character

Genete · Post by **Genete** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 12:35 am

Here I present to you the character for my second animation.
It is like Mr Potato style. I've been working a few days to make him turn and here is the result.
The main feature is that I can make some animation while it is turning because switch layers have bones also. Bones are translated manually with linear interpolation. Character setup is a little complex but mainly is like:

Group
-Main Switch
-Bones 1
--Switch 1 Left Arm
--Switch 2 Right Arm
--Group 3 Body-head
---Switch 1 Eyes
---Switch 2 Nose
---Switch 3 Mouth-Lips and Tonge
---Switch 4 Head
-Bones 2
.. ............same structure
etc.

I hope you enjoy it.
As soon as he turns 90º I will post it.
It is projected to turn 360º.

-Genete

http://es.geocities.com/genetita/moho/donempinado5.mov
http://media.putfile.com/Second-attempt-of-Don-empinado

UPDATED: New update for "Don Empinado". See Below

Click here to watch Turning-and-moving-DON-EMPINADO

Mikdog · Post by **Mikdog** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 8:23 am

Nice.

His tongue is freaky man!

Genete · Post by **Genete** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 11:01 am

Thanks Mik,

His tongue is freaky man!

Hehe. It is only for a demo propouse. This guy will be "for all audience"

Post by **Víctor Paredes** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 1:25 pm

i saw your character.
qué hago, mejor te digo en español. bueno, vi el test y tengo una pequeña duda con pequeña solución.
cuando giras el cuerpo completo tienes mucho cuidado de que la boca no se salga de la cara, cierto?
o sea, es feo ver una boca que esté por afuera del rostro.
si es que le achunté, te tengo una solución: masking.
lo has probado? échale una mirada al tutorial 2.6

un ejemplo rapidito.
http://www.freewebs.com/tazatriste/mohos/masking.anme

Genete · Post by **Genete** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 2:43 pm

Hola selgin,
estoy en ello. La animación tenía previsto girarse hasta 90º pero me he parado antes de que la boca y el ojo lleguen al borde. Con el ojo no hay problemas ya he probado el masking y va bien (bueno hace la mascara pero el efecto 3D es regular). Lo malo es la boca. Resulta que para ocultar la lengua, ésta esta situada detras de un shape con los bordes ocultos y color azul como la cara. Cuando giro la boca hacia la derecha resulta que los labios van bien pero la "máscara" de la lengua (que forma parte del labio superior) hace de las suyas y me vuelve azul el contorno de la cabeza donde toca al salirse del contorno de éste. Tengo que darle otra solución antes de pasar al giro a 90º y continuar hasta 180º. Intentaré enmascarar la lengua de alguna forma en lugar de ocultarla con un shape del mismo color que el fondo. Jeje la "frikilengua"

Por cierto no se si te has fijado en el brazo que está a la derecha (el izquierdo del muñeco) que se oculta bruscamente cuando hago el switch de mi personaje del inicial al que tiene dicho brazo detras de la cabeza-cuerpo. ¿Cómo evito este salto cuando lo que se oculta puede estar en cualquier posición permitida? En general, ¿como se gira un objeto que tiene partes móviles cuando unas veces dicha parte móvil cae delante o detras del cuerpo principal de lo que gira?
Otra cuestión ¿Cómo parpadear mientras giro? ¿Le pongo huesos a los ojos para moverlos?

¡¡Qué dificil es esto amigo!!

--------------------
I don't know if you have notice that the left arm of the character is hidden roughtly due to it is in any position at the moment when I make the switch between front and 15º turn characters. ¿How to avoid it?
On the other hand, ¿How can I make him close and open eyes during turning cycle? ¿Must I use bones to that simple eye?
Thanks

idragosani · Post by **idragosani** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 2:44 pm

Pretty neat! You should put a little more head movement (like a slight dip down or up) when he turns his face (or is it her?), otherwise the features slide across the face.. unless that is the effect you were going for.

Post by **Víctor Paredes** » Sat Nov 04, 2006 8:43 pm

can you upload the .anme file?
with this, help you would be easier.

Genete · Post by **Genete** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 9:44 am

Ahi lo tienes selgin.

La complejidad de capas se debe a que esta preparado para llevar cosas, cambiar la expresión etc.
De todas formas viendo por ahi las animaciones de los profesionales, veo que un giro con tantos fotogramas es como irreal. Hay que hacer los giros un poco más bruscos pero más expresivos. De todas formas lo que he dibujado me vale.
Gracias por tu interes. No te compliques mucho con el fichero. Si ves que la ocultación del brazo que queda detrás no tiene solución fácil, pues lo olvidas. Me conformo con que la historia salga bien.

Y lo de la boca, la vedad es que no funciona la máscara de manera adecuada. Aver si se te ocurre algo.
Saludos y gracias.

http://es.geocities.com/genetita/moho/d ... g.moho.zip

Rasheed · Post by **Rasheed** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 9:56 am

Genete, please use English as a forum language. If you need to communicate to a poster in your own language, you can send them a PM.

Genete · Post by **Genete** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 10:49 am

I'm sorry. I was replying to selgin about a previous post started in spanish.
I was asking about the problem of hiding transition of the arm that's going behind the character. Also about the problem of masking the mouth in a 90 degrees turning.
I apologize for use spanish in this blog but sometimes is very difficult to me to explain a problem animation in english. So as wll as selgin understand spanish I reply him in spanish.
Here is the translation:

Ahi lo tienes selgin.

La complejidad de capas se debe a que esta preparado para llevar cosas, cambiar la expresión etc.
De todas formas viendo por ahi las animaciones de los profesionales, veo que un giro con tantos fotogramas es como irreal. Hay que hacer los giros un poco más bruscos pero más expresivos. De todas formas lo que he dibujado me vale.
Gracias por tu interes. No te compliques mucho con el fichero. Si ves que la ocultación del brazo que queda detrás no tiene solución fácil, pues lo olvidas. Me conformo con que la historia salga bien. Smile
Y lo de la boca, la vedad es que no funciona la máscara de manera adecuada. Aver si se te ocurre algo.
Saludos y gracias.

Here you have it selgin.
The layers complexity is due to it is ready to carry on things, change expresion, etc.
Anyway, watching professional animations, I can see that a turning with so many steps looks like not realistic. Turns must be a little more quick but more expressive. Anyway what I have drawn is good for me.
Thankyou for you interest. Do not complicate yourself soo much with the file. If you see that arm hidding have not solution, forget it. I only want the story works.
About the mouth, really masking does not work properly, Hope you have an idea.
Regards.

Post by **Víctor Paredes** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 2:33 pm

hi, i'm viewing fastly your file. wow, i didn't know you can put bones into switch layers! (maybe it's because i didn't read the tutorial...).
by the moment, the problem of the arm has a simply explanation: in Frente layer, the arm layer is on the head layer, and in Derecha layer the arm layer is back the head layer. so switch, amm, just switch.
i can't help you right now (i must to go out and i'm late), but during the day i will examine your file and i'll try to write.

rasheed, sorry, is just that when the spanish speakers who doesn't speak english well, like us, found each other at the forum they fell so good of just think and write, and not think think think... how can i say this... think and write.

Genete · Post by **Genete** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 5:02 pm

Dear selgin. As you can see in first window layer picture, the right arm layer(Brazo_d) is OVER the head (Cabeza) group layer due to in front (bone) layer (D.E. Frente) BOTH arms must be OVER the head (Cabeza) group layer simultaneously.
Then, considering that in some moment the right arm must go BEHIND the head-body, I decided to stop turn of front (bone) layer (D.E. Frente) where the right arm should go behind the head. Then, in that moment (called "15" in every Vector layer of sub-switch layers) I change to right (D.E. Derecha 15) bone layer in main character switch layer (called D.E.). Is in that moment when the arm changes from being AVOBE the head to be UNDER the head (see second and third window layers pictures)
My problem is that I selected "15" as the position when I have to change to the other bone layer due to in that position the right arm (extended) is easy to be hide suddenly behind the head without any big and irreal step, but when that arms is not extended (example in any other arbitrary position), it seems that is hidden behind the head, so suddenly (in an anti natural way)
Waiting for your comments.
Regards

Genete · Post by **Genete** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 12:02 am

Second try out of "Don Empinado". Now it has legs and a hat!!.

http://media.putfile.com/Second-attempt-of-Don-empinado

Feel free to check it!!!!

-Genete

artfx · Post by **artfx** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 12:13 am

In the first example to hide the switch of the arm from front to back of the head, you could move the points which are the top of the arm so the slide first to the edge of the character and then switch.

These tests on different methods of head turning are really instructive. When building a rig for reuse, it may be that there is very little need for a stand alone 3/4 view of the character, but that this could be achieved from a front front - 3/4 hybrid like you have here.

Good work Genete!

Genete · Post by **Genete** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 12:56 am

Complete turning left to right (or is right to left??) and moving arms and legs at same time.
Head-mouth, eyes, and nose are switch layers.
Arms, ans legs are switch layers also but rigged with 3 chains of bones each side - view. There are two pairs of arms to be above and under the head-body.

Hat should be improved and a second pair of legs are needed to change its visivility from rigth side to left side.

I hope you enyoy it.
Regards
Genete

Click here to watch Turning-and-moving-DON-EMPINADO