The starting layout.
Traditionally, animation was created by drawing frames one after another, each one slightly different from the last. Moho does not work this way - in Moho, you create artwork and then use keyframing to move parts of the object around (using either bone or point motion), and then Moho fills in all the in-between frames.
However, there is a way to do some frame-by-frame animation in Moho, and this tutorial will show you a simple example of how you can do this. Keep in mind that this isn't what Moho was designed for - if you're looking for a frame-by-frame animation program, Moho isn't the best tool for the job. But, if you just need to do a little bit of frame-by-frame animation, this technique might work for you.
Start out with a new, blank Moho project - it should just have one layer, "Layer 1". Add a new Switch layer and name it "Inchworm". Move Layer 1 into the switch layer. Finally, right-click on the switch layer and select "Layer 1" from the popup menu to make that layer active in the switch group. Finally, select the "Layer 1" layer as we're about to draw in it. Here's what the layout should look like:
The starting layout.
Now, select a fill color and a line color in the Style window for the inchworm you're about to draw. Activate the Freehand tool and draw a little worm in the editing view. When drawing the body, make sure that the Freehand tool's "Auto close", "Auto fill", and "Auto outline" options are turned on. When drawing details, make sure that only "Auto outline" is checked. You might end up with something like this (feel free to put more work into it for a prettier result):
The first inchworm frame.
Next, advance the time to frame 3. Create a new vector layer - it should be automatically named "Layer 2" and should appear just above Layer 1. When you create this new layer, it becomes the active layer in the switch group:
New layer added.
In the timeline, turn on an onionskin at frame 2. Also, in the Onionskins popup, turn on the "Relative frames" option - this will cause the onionskin to follow behind the current time by one frame. Here's what the timeline should look like:
Onionskin setup in timeline.
Now let's get back to drawing. In the editing view, you should see an outline of the first drawing you made. On top of this outline, using the Freehand tool, draw a new inchworm, slightly advanced ahead of the previous version:
Advanced inchworm.
Next, move forward two frames to frame 5. Create a new vector layer (it will appear above the previous two). You should see the onionskin outline of the previous worm - draw a new one on top of it:
Advanced inchworm.
Continue this process: advance two frames, create a new vector layer, and draw a new inchworm. Add about six more layers, causing the inchworm to scrunch up and then stretch out again, moving forward over the course of about 17 frames.
Play back your animation, and you should see each drawing appear for two frames before moving on to the next drawing. That's all it takes to do frame-by-frame animation in Moho. The key is that when you create a new layer in a switch group, that layer becomes the active layer at that frame. So, by adding a layer, drawing a figure, advancing the current time, and repeating the process, you can create frame-by-frame animation in Moho.
If you want to see a finished example of this, open the file "Tutorial 5.7", located in the "Tutorials/5 - Animation" subfolder within the main Moho folder.
The final result.