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August 20, 2022
Question

Adobe Illustrator Puppet: Saving to Legacy format issue

  • August 20, 2022
  • 3 replies
  • 547 views

Hey guys!

I am following Daves tutorial- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JL024_E1AUk&t=35,
The problem I am having is that the character file is from 2019 and is out of date. When I go to save the Character from Illustrator, it pops up with a message "saving to a legacy format may cause some changes"; as soon as I click "okay", I go and check my Puppet in Character Animator and all of the pin tools and stick tools, as well as the Independant Layer Crown are gone! 

Is there a way to save it so these things don't disappear? Or should I just pause working on my own character and following the rigging tutorial and come back?
I'm just worried that if I follow the rigging tutorial and save my project, it may reset again.

Thanks

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3 replies

oksamurai
Community Manager
Community Manager
August 23, 2022

Thanks for the feedback! I will update the Blank character to be saved as an updated file format today. Yes, in general with CH you should always save as the most recent PS/AI version available to you. CH has been growing so fast and furious that sometimes those older videos have some parts that need updating - I appreciate you pointing it out!

August 23, 2022

Thanks so much for the efficiency 😄

I just didn't know how to save, but no I see that I had to choose "save as". Anyway, thanks heaps for fixing this up 🙂

Inspiring
August 22, 2022

It sounds like a couple things are happening here. First, with regard to the legacy format, are you following instructions that Dave gave to save as Illustrator 2019? If so, that sounds like the latest version that was available at the time, and instead, you should just save as the most recent version in the list at the top of the dialog box with the format options.

 

For the puppet that's not updating, it sounds like you're editing a different version of the Illustrator file than what's linked to in your puppet. If you go into the Project panel inside Character Animator, you can click your puppet file and at the bottom-left of the panel, there will be an Adobe Illustrator ("AI") icon. Click that and it will open the file that CH is actually referencing.

 

As for the process for complete beginners, Dave has an entire playlist just for you. Take a look at the videos here to get a nice overview of CH: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLq4LynfF_r14w2SwicfetcReq8Y0f_lg_

August 23, 2022

I did watch the beginner videos already. The next step for me was to create my own puppet from an already rigged one. I mainly wanted to know how to save the most recent version, but Dave just did it anyway 🙂

Thanks for the reply and suggestions 🙂

August 21, 2022

Update: I tried the same thing with Chloe and the same message popped up. The difference is that her body is still rigged and saving as it should.
I was also confused because when I saved it in Illustrator, it also saved the changes in Animator. But, as soon as i closed animator and reopened it, the puppet was back to its original state. I realised that every change I make on the puppet, I have to keep exporting and replacing the puppet file.

Is there a video that explains this process? It is a bit confusing for absolute beginners like me.

TheOriginalGC
Community Expert
Community Expert
August 22, 2022

Understanding rigging is key to making your own puppets in CH and it's not so hard once you understand it. If you haven't yet, check out this recent video on the subject. Intro to Rigging (Adobe Character Animator) - YouTube

August 23, 2022

Thanks for this recommendation. I have already followed this tutorial and created my own puppet rig. I just liked the idea of using Dave's blank character that was already rigged; and i wanted to learn why the changes were removing the rig/ bones.
Thanks for the comment 🙂