controlling swap sets manually

[isadus]

hi, i need to control and edit swaps from swap sets manually, by setting up key frames along the timeline - without recording, and without using keyboard controls. how can i do this in Character animator? thanks! /isa

[alank99101739]

Could you explain in a bit more detail what you are trying to do? I think you are asking about editing a recording but without doing a recording? After a “take” is created, you can edit triggers in that recording. (Try using right click next to previous recordings in the blank area to add new triggers, drag edges of existing recordings etc.) But I am not sure I understand what you are trying to achieve and why.

[isadus]

hi!

i want to animate without recording.

instead, i'd like to set up my puppet in different key poses at different key frames on the timeline.

i've made a puppet in photoshop with several sets of body parts (that i think of as swap sets), so that i have all that i need for the keyframes.

i think of my workflow as traditional digital cut out-- had first planned to animate in AE but if Ch does the job then it's all fine for me! the question is: do the existing functions in Ch match my needs or do i need to work in AE?

and if AE, do i need plugins such as DUIK or does AE allow for swaps in an easy manner?

thanks!

[DanTull]

Character Animator does not yet have keyframes the way that Ae does, but the workflow you are trying to accomplish here is possible.

If you set your dragger behaviors to hold in place, you can pose the character and use the commands in the Timeline menu to record takes that are 1 or 2 frames long or the length of the work area bar. You can then use the handles on the edges of the take bar (or the menu items in the Timeline > Blend menu) to blend those poses into each other.

These commands record the state of all armed behaviors that have input (face, eye gaze, etc) as well.

Similarly, for triggered animations, you can either make selections in the triggers panel and use the 1,2, and work area take commands to insert them into the timeline or (if your trigger keys are not 1, 2, or 3) hold down the trigger keys and invoke those commands via keyboard shortcuts. It can also work to check the "latched" option on the triggers so you don't have to hold the keys.

Another feature that may be of interest is the scene snapshot command (in the scene menu). If you take a snapshot just before invoking the command to create the take, you can use it as a reference when choosing the next pose.

The other thing to be aware of when performing a workflow like this is that the behavior you're recording will need to be armed. However, this means that the just recorded take will not be visible while playback is stopped (this is intended so you can record another take without the prior performance in the way, but can be a little weird when doing a stop motion type workflow). Disarming the behavior (turning off the red dot by clicking it) will let you see that behavior's performance even when stopped. You can also get a quick glimpse when scrubbing the time needle.

Anyway, this is probably a lot of info at once (I should probably just make a video to demonstrate the above), but hopefully it helps.

Let me know if you have further questions! The workflow takes a bit of getting used to, but can work pretty well.

DT

[DanTull]

Oh, one other thing: Once you get used to making poses and blending, you may find you want to re-use those poses.

If you select the blended takes for a pose (might be several draggers and other takes for face, eye positions, or triggers for different hands, expressions, or cycle animations), you can right click and there are options to create replays and triggers so that you can bind those complex poses to a single key to re-use them easily.

If you build up a set of pose replays, it can really speed up the workflow over time.

A quick tour of replays is here: Replays (Adobe Character Animator Tutorial) - YouTube

DT