Multiple Characters on the same screen

[orlandop98057891]

I am having problems working with multiple characters on the same screen. Characters and backgrounds jump around when selections are made. Are their any tutorials for working with multiple characters in one screen.

[Derek S.]

You will want to look at the keyframing tutorials on OK Samuri. While I have done this in AC, I found for my purposes, AE to be a more prerferable tool to composite multiple characters. The key being creating a master audio file. separating the vocals of each character, and rigging them as separate puppets then combining them in AE.

[orlandop98057891]

Thanks for replying. After being frustrated in CH for a couple days now I believe your approach is best. Thanks for the link. I will check it ou now.

[alank99101739]

What could be helpful is a bit more information of what you are doing. For those more proficient with AE, that may be the best way to go. Personally I do most of my scenes with multiple characters in CH without problem. If you could record your screen or provide a bit more information of exactly what you are doing that would be a big help to give advice.

My best guess is you have puppets armed, you change the values, then you select a different puppet which loses the values for the armed behaviors. This is how CH works - if armed, you have to start a recording. If not armed, then you change the default for the puppet.

[orlandop98057891]

Thanks for replying.

Because I'm new to the software I have trouble with the jargon. Sorry about that. It will get better soon. I would like to have one puppet on screen narrating and the other puppets walk out as I introduce them. When I record  the walk behavior first and then I would like to record the dragger for the arms while the puppet is walking from the previous recording I have a lot of trouble with this. If I unarm the walk behavior and arm the dragger the puppet starts walking before I press the record button. If I press record while walk and dragger is armed the puppet wont walk so I can record the dragger. I'm confused.

[alank99101739 · Accepted solution]

For timing, I start with the talk track. You don't want long periods of time with no talking normally. So I record all the talking first, putting each one into a separate audio file. I then drag them into the scene in rough the right place.

I then start animating the first character. I use the transform behavior with key frames to change X and Y position of the character. Sometimes i rough in the positions for all the characters so i know where they are up to. I do NOT use the Dragger to move the character myself. Note, i put the default character positions all next to each other on the screen if they are all going to move around a lot. Then i key frame record Position X and Y the real positions. If you turn off the eyeball for the transform take, the character will return to the default position.

I then start adding arm movements, body movements, face expressions etc, adding the recording layer by layer.

Not that recording a new dragger hides previous recordings. This makes lining up recordings for say left and right hand harder. There is a trick here - you can add two draggers and enable them separately. Eg use one to record left arm, different one for right arm. Arming the right arm dragger then will not disable the left arm, making alignment easier.

If arm movements get too fancy, i use key frames to have precise timing controls over positions, sometimes blending from freeform movements to transforms. This takes a bit of fiddling. no single right way

But disabling takes (using eyeball) and having multiple dragger behaviors you can reduce the jumping around etc.

[orlandop98057891]

If you are using keyframes to walk you are not showing the bottom half of your character right? I would like each of the characters to come walking in. I would like to show legs.  I have synced the timing with the audio. Im not sure I understand everything you said but it gives me new things to try. Thanks. I'm diving back in!!!

[alank99101739 · Accepted solution]

I was talking about using Transform to move the character between two points on the scene. You can use the walk behavior instead of transform if you prefer to move the body, but I find that harder to edit and get timing right. So I instead set the body speed to zero (walk behavior property) and use the transform to actually move the body. (Note: I don't use the walk behavior very often!!) You do need to fiddle to make it look good (so character is not ice skating). You just need to choose the approach that suits you more.

The walk behavior used to now allow you to scrub through the scene and get the body position correct. This is because the walk behavior is kinda like physics - you can bump into things. So it is too hard to predict your current position. So scrubbing you dont' know where the puppet is exactly. Setting the walk behavior body speed to zero and using a Transform instead means you have perfect control over where the puppet moves (including on diagonals etc). You just need to get the transform duration right to avoid the character looking like its ice skating.

[orlandop98057891]

BooYa, It finally sunk in. I understand now. I will get a lot done today Thank you soooo much. You help to make this forum a valuable resource.