Skip to main content

Diving Back Into Crazy Talk Animator 2 Character Creation (Part 4)

JAC
Last time I posted about the creation of my first CrazyTalk Animator 2 G2 character, Happy Cat JAC, it was just a progress report to say I'd completed a second view of the character in my DrawPlus X8 template and a commitment to say progress had accelerated to daily work on the project.

If you'd like to catch up on previous posts before continuing, here are the links for Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

I'm happy to say I've stuck to the daily progress commitment and can report that today I finished the last of all seven views in my DrawPlus template. Which you can see below.



Seven views of JAC finished.
DrawPlus G2 Character Template.

If you look closely at the 180 view (2nd from the top left) you'll see that view includes a tail. CrazyTalk Animator G1 characters have provision for a tail made up of nine segments. Although the tail is not part of the official DrawPlus G2 character template, CrazyTalk Animator 2 still retains the tail in the character composer - as seen in the image below.

Tail Segments still shown on G2 Characters.

The trouble is, I don't know what the tail segments should be named in the template for them to import correctly, as the names aren't given in the list of part names Reallusion supplies with their template. So I'm having to guess, based off the part naming structure within the template. Until I can figure out what it is, I'm not going to add a tail to the other views.

I actually suspect the whole tail thing is just there for G1 character compatibility but if I can get it to work that would be great.

Once you finish a G2 character template, the first thing to do is to import it into CrazyTalk Animator 2, so you can see everything that you've done wrong, along with what doesn't work. If you have the Pipeline version of CTA2 that means exporting your template as a flash file, then importing it into the Dummy Saul Character (seen in the Tail Segment image above) using the dedicated 'SWF' import button in the character composer. This replaces all of Saul's body parts with your characters (all going to plan).

The video below is a demonstration of my character immediately after import into CTA2 with no changes or corrections made. The character is rotating in space so you can see all the various body parts in action, along with all the problems.



Things to notice:

  • Some body parts have inverted colors - a bug relating to them being flipped objects in DrawPlus.
     
  • Some body parts are missing on some angles - noticeably both ears on one particular view.
     
  • Body parts facing the wrong direction - Feet in the bottom view, which I know is a result of incorrectly positioned pivot points.
     
  • Body Parts in the wrong position - most of these issues relate to incorrectly located pivot points and layer order. A real noticeable one is the nose in the top view which is positioned in the middle of the character's head.
     
  • No tail in back view - guess I got the names wrong.

I'll keep working on this over the next few days to see if I can solve all the problems. Then I have to get back to why I started creating this character in the first place... to see if I could make a four legged character in CTA2. I have posed the character in a four legged stance and it initially looks promising but I'll show you more when I've fixed the other issues.

At this point I'm just happy to have made it this far because, as I've said previously, this is a lot of work just for one character.

Topics:

Comments

  1. DrDuvalSeptember 18, 2015 at 1:08:00 AM GMT+9:30

    For those interested in drawing CTA2 avatars, Google " Youtube Ibis Fenanadez", he has developed software to make the drawing process easier, and a coloring tool to enhanced skin tones.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TET (David Arandle)September 18, 2015 at 7:36:00 AM GMT+9:30

      Yes, his Puppet Producer software is excellent. Pity it's a Flash Plug in and not a stand alone product though.

      Delete
  2. John CaballeroMay 14, 2016 at 1:11:00 PM GMT+9:30

    Hello. Great work! I just have a question. If you draw eyes, noses, hair for sprites in what format do you export from DrawPlus or Flash? Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TET (David Arandle)May 14, 2016 at 3:24:00 PM GMT+9:30

      Usually you'd export them as flash files (.swf) but in certain cases you might also use transparent PNG files (e.g. if your character is made up of bitmap/photographic elements rather than flash illustrations).

      Delete
  3. KiziJune 29, 2016 at 4:01:00 AM GMT+9:30

    Very usefull tutorial even for making games,thanks David

    ReplyDelete
  4. sleemSeptember 22, 2020 at 2:31:00 AM GMT+9:30

    good woork
    plz io wante g2 chracter template for drawplus

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TET (David Arandle)September 22, 2020 at 12:25:00 PM GMT+9:30

      If you have the Pipeline version of CTA3 or CA4 then you'll find it in the Download section for the product, on the registration page of your Reallusion Member account. If you don't see it you need to contact Reallusion support directly to obtain a copy. I can't send you it because it is a commercial product that isn't mine to give away for free.

      Delete
    2. sleemSeptember 22, 2020 at 5:44:00 PM GMT+9:30

      thank you a lot

      Delete

Post a Comment

This blog is monitored by a real human. Generic or unrelated spam comments with links to sites of dubious relativity may be DELETED.

I welcome, read, and respond to genuine comments relating to each post. If your comment isn't that save me some time by not posting it.

Popular posts from this blog

Inochi2D - Free Open Source 2D VTuber Avatar Rigging and Puppeteering Software (Part 1)

Inochi2D Creator - Free Open Source VTuber Software. If you've been looking for a way to live perform as a 2D cartoon avatar on camera, whether it be for a live stream or for pre-recorded content like educational videos, then VTuber software is a low cost (or even no cost) option worth looking into. In my previous post, How to Become a VTuber - 2D and 3D Software for Creating and Controlling Your Avatar , I took a brief look at the relatively new but completely free and open source Inochi2D  which I thought showed great potential for my own needs of creating a live performance character rig for my own TET Avatar that I use for all my promotional materials. While it is possible to live perform my character using Cartoon Animator itself, Reallusion's MotionLive2D capture system isn't great - with lip sync in particular. More importantly though, I can't exactly teach people how to use Cartoon Animator if I'm using Cartoon Animator to control my Avatar. What is Inochi2D
Post a Comment
Continue Reading »

Eric W. Schwartz: Cartoonist, Animator and Amiga Die Hard

July 1992 Edition, CU Amiga Featuring Amy the Squirrel. American Cartoonist, Eric W. Schwartz , (whose unofficial Amiga Icon, Amy the Squirrel, is pictured on the July 92 edition of CU Amiga cover on the right) is my only real animation hero. Sure there are the big names like Disney , Chuck Jones , Tex Avery and even Preston Blair whose influences can all be seen in my own cartoons but Eric did what none of the others could. He showed that really great 2D computer animation was within my reach with little more than an Amiga Computer , a copy of Deluxe Paint and Moviesetter . This was at a time when computer based animation was in its infancy (outside of computer game animation) and Flash was something that lights did. There were many great Amiga artists but Eric was really the only one consistently making very funny, traditional style animations. His humor and drawing style is heavily influenced by classic Warner Brothers and Disney cartoons but he managed to build on this,
8 comments
Continue Reading »

Wonder Unit Storyboarder - Free Storyboarding Software for People Who Can (or Can't) Draw

Wonder Unit Storyboarder.  As an independent and solo animator I'm always tempted to try and skip storyboarding my animated shorts because they're usually only single scene sketch comedy type jokes. As a result I have many unfinished projects that kind of petered out due to having no clear finishing line. Storyboarding your productions, no matter how small, gives you a step by step guide of every shot that needs to be completed (no planning shots as you animate). It also allows you to create an animatic that gives you a rough preview of the finished production. In short, you shouldn't skip storyboards as they, generally, increase the chance of the project being completed. Disclaimer - I'm Not a Fan of Storyboarder Upfront, Wonder Unit's Storyboarder  is not my preferred storyboarding software. However it's completely free, has a number of very compelling featu
Post a Comment
Continue Reading »

Can You Learn Reallusion's Cartoon Animator 5 for Free Using Their 137 Official YouTube Video Tutorials Sorted Into a Logical Learning Order?

Or you could just buy The Lazy Animator Beginner's Guide to Cartoon Animator . While Reallusion's Cartoon Animator is one of the easiest 2D animation studios to get up and running with quickly, learning it from all of the official, free, video tutorials can be more overwhelming than helpful. With more than 137 videos totaling more than 28 and a half hours of tutorials, spread across three generations of the software (Cartoon Animator 3 through 5) it's hard to know if what you're learning is a current or legacy feature that you either need to know or can be skipped. Many of the official tutorials only teach specific features of the software and don't relate at all to previous or later tutorials. As a result there are many features either not mentioned or are hard to find. To make your learning easier, on this page, I've collected together all of the essential, official, free video tutorials and sorted them into a learning order that makes sense. Simply start at
Post a Comment
Continue Reading »

Creating an AI Digital Avatar and Voice Clone of Myself with Free and Low Cost AI Tools

O ver the years I've looked at various ways of creating and animating a digital avatar, from simply creating a character for Cartoon Animator and voicing and animating it myself, to creating a  live motion capture ready Vtuber avatar puppeted and voiced by me in real-time. In the last year or so, making photographic images talk, using AI and AI voice cloning has really progressed. To the point where I wondered if I could create a photographic AI avatar of myself, complete with my cloned voice, that I might use on some of my videos? Creating My Avatar: Artflow To create my avatar image, as far as I'm concerned,  Artflow.ai is the best value AI site for creating consistent digital characters (or 'actors' as Artflow calls them). That's pretty much their entire focus. Artflow's actor model training user interface. You get your first actor for free, 100 free credits per month (which equates to 100 still images per month - get an additional 50 credits if you sign
Post a Comment
Continue Reading »

Dollars Mocap: Full Body Webcam Motion Capture (Including Hands and Fingers) For iClone and Cartoon Animator

Even though I should be further away from the camera Dollars Mocap MONO still does a good job of  tracking my arms, hands and fingers. Ever since I wrote my series on becoming a VTuber , discovering it was possible to do full body motion capture, including hands and fingers, with just software and a webcam, I've been on the look out for any motion capture software that can bring that functionality to Cartoon Animator. Dollars Mocap is a low cost motion capture application with a free trial that I learned about through the YouTube Channel Digital Puppets  and their test video . It can record full body, upper body, arms and hands, and facial mocap from a live video source or pre-recorded video. Investigating further, I discovered not only does Dollars Mocap have a free iClone7, iClone8 character profile file download (look for it at the bottom of the main program download page), so you can use the saved motions with iClone8, they've also got a demo video for how to convert your
Post a Comment
Continue Reading »

Moho 14 Released - Still the Best 2D Animation Software for Indy Animators on a Budget

Moho 14 Released. Regular readers know I am a Reallusion, Cartoon Animator advocate through and through. Hands down I would recommend Cartoon Animator 5 first over Lost Marble's Moho 14 to anyone who is just starting in 2D animation, is a team of one, or just needs to animate as quickly as possible. However, feature for feature, Moho is, arguably, the best 2D animation software for the rest of us who can't justify a Toon Boom Harmony , or Adobe Creative Cloud subscription (and even with their applications Moho is very competitive on features). You can get started with Moho Debut for just USD$59.99 which is a cut down version of Moho Pro but it still has the most essential features needed for 2D animation. While Moho Pro is a whopping USD$399.99 (Cartoon Animator, which only has one version, is just USD$149.00) upgrades to new version numbers come down to a quarter of the price at USD$99.00. Even though Reallusion just released features like Motion Pilot Puppet Animation and
Post a Comment
Continue Reading »