Can't animate a PSD "character face" layer

[coinman]

Hello all. New to learning Moho.

Off to a good start, with a nice cartoon intro with music, but hit a wall when I went to animate my PSD-created character's face. The character is rigged well with bones.

I am trying to animate a face layer that is like a circle with cut outs for eyes. The eyes are a separate group/layer behind the face. I just want to make the eyelids open and close. What I tried to do is create a new vector layer, and then added points all around the eye holes (on top of the edges of the eyelids). And then I grouped that with the face layer (in a group FOLDER - is this not right?). I can manipulate the vector layer on the timeline, but it does not make the image layer move. I have to highlight the vector layer to ever see the points. I wish I could just combine the vector layer points to the image layer! Or just add vector points to the image layer, but neither of those ideas are working for me.

I do have the group masked, but don't think this is where the issue lies. Probably something super simple, but just can't crack it. Cracking this should enable significant progress, so looking forward to getting past it.


Todd

[Greenlaw]

I'd have to see your project to answer any questions with certainty, but here are some tips for using mesh warping techniques in Moho...

Are you testing the warp on frame 0 or a later frame? If you're testing on frame 0, that's why nothing is happening. Frame 0 is the setup frame, and to see the affect of the mesh warp you need to be on an animation frame (1 and higher.)

Try moving to a later frame and use the Magnet tool (or your Smart Bone if you set one up,) to test the warp.

If that's not the problem, make sure the artwork layers you want to warp have the mesh warp applied. You do this from the artwork layer's Layer Settings > Image tab, and you apply the mesh layer at the bottom.

Which version of Moho are you using and what type of Mesh Warping are you using? In 13.5.5, we have the new Create Smart Warp Layer, which works well for many situations. Moho 13.5..5 also supports quad for Perspective Warping and regular warping and the traditional triangulated mesh we had in 12.5. A Quad mesh is cleaner and nicer to work with, but if you run into a problem with flipping polygons you may need to fall back on Triangulated mesh.

If you're using Moho 12.5, you cannot use Quad meshes...the meshes will need to be triangulated to work as a Mesh warp in this version of Moho.

Hope this helps.

[RoderickTaylor]

Hello all. New to learning Moho.

Off to a good start, with a nice cartoon intro with music, but hit a wall when I went to animate my PSD-created character's face. The character is rigged well with bones.

I am trying to animate a face layer that is like a circle with cut outs for eyes. The eyes are a separate group/layer behind the face. I just want to make the eyelids open and close. What I tried to do is create a new vector layer, and then added points all around the eye holes (on top of the edges of the eyelids). And then I grouped that with the face layer (in a group FOLDER - is this not right?). I can manipulate the vector layer on the timeline, but it does not make the image layer move. I have to highlight the vector layer to ever see the points. I wish I could just combine the vector layer points to the image layer! Or just add vector points to the image layer, but neither of those ideas are working for me.

I do have the group masked, but don't think this is where the issue lies. Probably something super simple, but just can't crack it. Cracking this should enable significant progress, so looking forward to getting past it.


Todd

Make sure the vector layer is attached to the bone: If you haven't already done so, try attaching the vector layer to the bone that controls the movement of the image layer. This should allow the vector layer to control the movement of the image layer when you manipulate the points on the vector layer.

Use the Mesh Warp tool: Moho has a Mesh Warp tool that allows you to create a mesh of points over your image layer and manipulate it to create different deformations. You can use this tool to create a mesh over your character's face and eyelids, and then manipulate the points on the mesh to create the opening and closing of the eyelids.

Try using the Switch layer: Another option is to use the Switch layer feature in Moho. This allows you to create multiple versions of a layer, and then switch between them at different points in your animation. You could create one version of your image layer with the eyelids open and another with the eyelids closed, and then use the Switch layer feature to switch between them.

Check the layer order: Make sure that the vector layer is above the image layer in the layer order. This will ensure that the vector layer controls the movement of the image layer.

[coinman]

Thank you! Response greatly appreciated.

[coinman]

Thank you very much. This is very helpful.