Skip to main content

Should You Buy or Upgrade to MOHO 13? *Spoiler* Yes. Yes You Should!

MOHO 13's New Character Set.
Smith Micro released MOHO 13, their all in one, 2D animation studio, this week. The question is should you buy or upgrade to the latest version? Obviously I've already spoiled this in the title, so the actual question is why do I think you should buy or upgrade?

To be clear, I'm only talking about MOHO 13 Pro. If you're considering MOHO 13 Debut be aware that you're missing out on some of the new features, and a lot of existing features that are only available in the Pro version. Debut is fine if the budget doesn't stretch to Pro, but, if you never want to be disappointed about not having a feature, it's Pro or nothing!

The other thing I need to be transparent about is I'm not, by any stretch, a frequent MOHO user/animator. However I took the time to learn MOHO 12 Pro fairly extensively, blogging about my process and sorting out 104 free MOHO training videos into a logical viewing order in the process. I think I have more than enough insight to let you know if the upgrade is worth it.



MOHO 13 Pro has three core new features that Smith Micro is promoting.

  1. Bitmap Freehand Drawing Tools, Frame by Frame Capabilities (not all bitmap features available in Debut).
  2. Enhanced 3D Object Light Manipulation and Materials support (not available in Debut).
  3.  New 'Actions' Window Interface (not available in Debut).
(That list right there is reason enough to buy Pro over Debut if you can).

I'll talk about these from least to most interesting to me, beginning with number two, Enhanced 3D Object Light Manipulation and Materials support. For me Object Light Manipulation is a great inclusion. MOHO has a true 3D camera and can import 3D objects. It makes sense to add more control to how things are lit. If you like to create 3D environments that you render to look 2D like your characters this will be extremely useful.

That's not the only 3D new feature. You also get 3D Object Materials Support. If you know what that sentence means (and I do), I'm very excited for you if that's something you need.

Item three, the new 'Actions' Window is essentially a more organised UI specifically for creating a searchable library of reusable saved actions for whatever characters you're rigging. From what I can see from the demonstration video each character rig has its own Actions Window. That is, if you select a character rig and open the Action Window, only the actions for that character will be shown (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong).

Whether it shows just the actions for the selected character (or maybe it can show all actions in the current scene if no character is selected) it's definitely a welcome addition that will save you time.

For me, the number one reason you should buy or upgrade to MOHO 13 Pro is item one on the list, Bitmap Freehand Drawing Tools, Frame by Frame Capabilities. Previously MOHO has been almost entirely Vector based drawing, which is terrible for sketching characters and ideas.



Essentially this means you can literally create frame by frame, hand drawn animation right inside MOHO 13. In my view that truly makes MOHO 13 Pro worthy of the title, the All-In-One 2D Animation Software for Professionals.

You can pretty much do every type of 2D animation in MOHO 13 Pro from Traditional to 3D enhanced, 2D animation. The only way it could be more inclusive would be if you could actually build your 3D models in the studio as well.

Bitmap drawing support is what was missing from previous versions of MOHO. You even get support for freehand bitmap brushes. Previously if you wanted to do any kind of rough sketching you'd have to fire up a third party drawing app and import your images into MOHO. Now you can sketch and rough out ideas, create animatics, draw frame by frame animation, and use those bitmaps as a base for your vector drawings as well.

If MOHO 12 Pro had bitmap support I feel I may have stuck with it more simply because I'd be able to sketch ideas right in the studio itself.



To sum up. If you're completely new to digital animation MOHO 13 may not be the easiest place to start but persevere. If Smith Micro's history is anything to go by you'll still need those 104 free videos to learn the software completely (noting that some of those tutorials go as far back as MOHO 11 and were rebranded and sold in a combo video training course for MOHO 12 by Smith Micro - I know because I bought that combo course). Stick with it and you'll become a formidable (and probably very employable) animator.

If you're already in deep with MOHO 12 Pro, it really depends on how much you want these new features? The only thing stopping me upgrading right away - and I've continuously upgraded since version 11 despite not using the app all that much - is that I feel I'm in too deep with another animation app now, that better suits my needs, to warrant the upgrade this time.

An animation of my original Alvin Owl
character that I did learning MOHO 12.
However, in an animation studio that has always had vector drawing tools (at least for as long as I've known about it), bitmap drawing tools are really an essential companion. The ability to sketch in bitmap and 'ink' in vector all in the one app is reason enough for me to upgrade if MOHO was my main animation app.

That's what it comes down to for me. Ever since I bought version 11 (then known as Anime Studio 11 Pro) I've maintained that MOHO is a really good animation studio, capable of quality animation. It's a steep learning curve because it is so feature packed, not because it's hard to learn. It's one of those studios that'll grow with you as you gain confidence with it.

 That's why I think you should buy or Upgrade to MOHO 13 Pro if it is something that you're looking at as your next investment in your animation journey.

MOHO 13 is available in both Windows and Mac versions. #NotSponsored


Related Udemy Affiliate Links

Comments

  1. i've never done any animation, drawing or anything like that in my life.

    but yeah moho 13 is definitely worth it its what i bought other night, and only in one day i can draw (if not crude) basic characters/representations of a humanoid character at least xD can animate eyes, the eyeball moving, eyelids, i know masking, i created a character and dressed her up nice in a skirt, i can animate the characters have them walk and other objects follow a trajectory, lip sync.

    i think it's a great tool for newbies as long as they watch the tutorials in order :)
    you're 100% right about it not being hard because its difficult its hard because its just overwhelming packed with features at first and you've no idea what to do with any of them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's good to know, that once you do get the tutorials in the right order, you can actually power through them and be up and running quite quickly. Thanks for sharing your experience. Will no doubt give others confidence in buying MOHO.

      Delete
  2. Does Moho 12 Pro work with SVGs though or only Moho 13 Pro. I would like for example throw some SVGs from Vecteezy for example. Will Moho 12 Pro recognise them and be able to manipulate in a point-to-point fashion-animation?

    Thanks in adavance!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Generally yes, what you want to do is possible in MOHO 12 since SVG support was introduced in MOHO 12. Here's a link to the appropriate tutorial explaining the process: SVG Export/Import

      Delete
  3. Excellent article. I was ready to upgrade from 11 to 12 based on lack of clear information as to what was new in 13. Thinking it was incremental features I thought the discounted price for 12 was the better buy...
    Many thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you found the information useful. I would definitely upgrade to 13, if you can, if bitmap drawing tools are something you need or would find extremely useful.

      You can work around it in MOHO 12 if you use something like Photoshop for any bitmap work but having those tools right in MOHO 13 will streamline your workflow and allow you to focus more on the creative work.

      Delete
  4. I am on the fence between moho pro 13 and cartoon animator 4 pipline. I am new to this. I would like to create content for an online course and maby an app. I am student for a few weeks and want to make use of my educational discount abibilities. I think moho has this mesh thing, which cta 4 lacks? Can anyeone give me some pointers, which one is better to use? I do not want to draw a lot, but use the same charakters.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Without knowing what the 'mesh thing' is the question is do you need it to do what you want to do? If not then CTA4 is likely the better option for someone who does not wish to draw a lot. It has a bigger content store and marketplace where you can purchase all the assets you need for use in personal and commercial projects. Plus you can link CTA4 to your favorite graphics editor (well the most common ones at least) if you do want to create anything from your own drawings.

      Beyond that you'll be up and animating faster with CTA4 as its production pipeline is easier to grasp initially.

      On the other hand MOHO is more powerful than CTA4 on a feature for feature comparison. It has numerous features not available in CTA4 (a physics engine for 2D animation being a major one as well as some support for 3D assets.) With all the power comes a steeper learning curve... and I mean steeper by a lot.

      Personally I like CTA4. It's still very powerful as you'll discover the further you dive into it. Unless you're doing something particularly advanced it'll probably do what you need in much less time.

      But I can't discount MOHO either. It can actually do almost everything CTA4 can plus a lot more. It'll just take you longer to get up and running.

      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

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

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

The Ultimate Independent Animator's App and Resource List 2019-2023 - Animation and Video Life

Image created with Cartoon Animator 4. Being an independent animator is not like a studio animation job. There's so much more to do that is indirectly related to the actual task of animating. Over the years I've sought out many apps, tools, and services that can help me achieve that one single task, expressing myself through animation. Below is my Ultimate Independent Animator's Resource List for 2019-2022. It started out as a list of free or low cost apps that could help you in every stage of producing either 2D or 3D animation, and then just kind of grew from there. You may not have been looking for a Time Management App as much as you needed something to get you started in 3D animation but when those commissioned projects start coming in you'll have a head start on maximizing your time. All the apps and services on this list had to meet two main criteria: They had to be useful and relevant to an Indy Animator/artist. The base app/service had to be US$

Artbreeder - Using AI created Character and Background Content in your Animations

A selection of User/AI generated images from Artbreeder. If you're looking for an endless supply of 2D character and background images for your animations then Artbreeder , an online Artificial Intelligence (AI) that generates image mash-ups you can tweak as much as you like, could be the ultimate content library. What is Artbreeder? Artbreeder is free to use though there are various paid plans, that give you additional features, such as higher resolution download images or more settings to play with. All images created on the site are Public Domain (CC0 License) and can be used in commercial projects. Using Artbreeder's online app you can generate head shot portraits, full body characters, landscapes, and other scenes simply by choosing two or more existing images to mash together then, using a series of sliders, to select which traits from each image you wish to lean toward in the final image. Photo Comparison - Top is my original uploaded photo. Bottom is Artbreeder's ap

2D Animation Side Hustle - Deciding What to Sell in the Reallusion 2D Marketplace, Your USP, and Keeping Customers Coming Back

I n part three of my 2D Animation Side Hustle series on selling in the Reallusion 2D Marketplace I look at deciding what to sell, your unique selling proposition (USP), and look at a key strategy to keep people coming back to your store. If you missed part one on  Starting Your Side Hustle  and whether you can earn real money, or part two on  Niches and how to find ones in demand , I highly recommend you read them for a more complete picture of selling in the Reallusion 2D Marketplace. Deciding What To Sell The Reallusion 2D Marketplace is divided into four broad categories; Actors, Scenes, Motions, and Special FX. Each of these are also divided into further sub categories. Interestingly in the Marketplace Menu it lists how many items are available for each category, making it easy to see which may be under served and could present an opportunity. Reallusion 2D Marketplace Category Menu shows how many items are available in each category and could be a clue to what is being under serv

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