Animation and Video Life

This background is made from a mix of props from six different content packs. One of Reallusion Cartoon Animator's selling points is that it can speed up your animation workflow with its time saving features. Among those features is the software's Content Library, a collection of premade, characters, props, scenes, motion files, and more, that either came with the application or you've added with purchases from Reallusion's Content Store or Marketplace .  If you've been following along, I've been reviewing applications I'm using in the process of creating my latest animated short featuring my original characters, Mia and the Tourist (and their replica, sentient, R2-D2 droid). Previously I wrote the script with KIT Scenarist , and drafted a storyboard using Wonder Unit's Storyboarder . In this post I'll show you how I designed my backgrounds for my animation using my extensive Content Library collection. I'll give you tips for making your own sc...

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...

KIT Scenarist Script Writing Software's Mascot, Alexander Cat. While you can write a script in any word processing app, if you're writing stories (screenplays) that feature characters and dialogue, a dedicated script writing app can save a lot of time formatting, letting you focus more on the actual story. Script writing apps are also very useful if you plan to send your screenplays out to production companies, or if you're collaborating with actors and other production people, who are used to scripts being in a particular standard format.  [Note: In case you're wondering there are reasons scripts follow a standard format and are always written in Courier (typewriter) font, including but not limited to; being easy to read by actors, plenty of space for notes, and the general rule that one page of a script (in this format) equals approximately one minute of screen time.] KIT Scenarist , in my opinion, is one of the best script writing apps out there for ease of use, simp...

Phungus & Mowld One Sheet with Creator Kilian Muster. Photo: @kilianmuster Readers of this blog will know I swear by Reallusion's Cartoon Animator as the best animation tool for teams of just one person but Moho, by Lost Marble , is easily a contender and, for many, a superior tool feature for feature. Recently Lost Marble hosted a free, behind the scenes, one hour webinar with independent animator, and one person team, Killian Muster , creator of the Moho animated TV Series Phungus & Mowld , a Sci-fi comedy influenced by shows like Rick & Morty and Family Guy .  Below is both a preview of what to expect from the series, and the good news that Moho was reacquired by it's original creators back in 2020 (definitely great news that was worth celebrating with an animation). Killian first started using Moho back in 2001 to create an animated TV commercial, and then for smaller side jobs. He had put his interest in film, storytelling, and animation on the backburner fo...

Last month I reviewed Plask , a free, browser based app that allows you to create 3D motion capture files for animation from a webcam or prerecorded video footage. At the time my hope was that Plask could be used to create 3D motion capture files for Cartoon Animator 4. Unfortunately my knowledge of how to export 3D animation motion files between applications is fairly basic and I wasn't able to figure it out. However, thanks to 3D animation enthusiast and game developer, Freedom (of the YouTube Channel Freedom Arts ), who published a tutorial on how to use Plask with iClone7 characters (in my review I wasn't able to work that out either) there is now a workflow from Plask, via Reallusion's  3DXchange , to Cartoon Animator that is relatively easy to follow and works well. Note: If you want to try this out, 3DXchange is available as a free 30 day trial download if you don't have it. Creating Your 3D Motion Capture File in Plask I'm not going to do a detailed run ...

Tiny World Effect - LunaPic. There are many different, free, graphic and photo image editors out there, I particularly recommend Krita as an all in one, free graphics tool. However if you want something online, browser based, and connected to a bunch of sites you probably use that can apply a wide range of filters, artistic, and animation effects with one click, LunaPic is well worth looking into. It's two key features, in my opinion, are: So many different effects, filters, and animations, I kept getting distracted from writing this article trying many of them out. I lost hours of time and still barely scratched the surface. There is everything from automatic background removal to templates for turning your images into motivational posters. Not to mention a good selection of animation effects too, from converting an MP4 file to an animated GIF file, through to adding animated water effects to an image.   Quite a number of the effects are one click to apply, with a single slider ...

Plask lets you motion capture full body movement with only a webcam. Companies that produce 2D and 3D animation software seem to be very focused on using motion capture right now to speed up the animation process.  Unfortunately full body motion capture equipment, while very effective, is still quite expensive for someone like me who doesn't have a budget for such equipment. So, when I heard about Plask , a free, browser based, app that can capture full body motion capture data from an imported video or webcam, it was only natural that I would want to give it a try. I was hopeful that I would be able to use it with my Reallusion apps, iClone7 or Cartoon Animator 4 , both of which support motion capture data in their workflows. Plask's creators claim their app is easy to learn, while I generally would agree, it took me a while to locate their video tutorials.  For some reason they're listed under the 'Help' section of the manual. I would highly recommend they be put...