The final scene with the fish was fairly complex and involved lots of individually moving elements. After many hours of experimentation, I just did not like the effect and could see no advantage over simply using the vector brushes in Solo. I had hoped to create a fancy animation for the algae in the old Painter program, now owned by Corel, which allows bit-mapped animation with paint-like pens. In retrospect, I could have just used a standard pen with a reduced alpha channel. The texture pen was used to show the approaching algae. I did use a texture pen, but this often suffers from a serious technical problem where the program slows to a crawl. I did not use a lot of shading to create the shadows typically seen in feature animation films. Many of Solo’s features were not used in this animation. Later, however, Solo’s NETWORK view proved absolutely critical when the animation became extremely complex. Could I have done the same project in Toon Boom’s Studio program? Since I did not use a lot of special effects, which make Solo so valuable, theoretically, Studio would have sufficed. This project was no exception and the program proved very useful. I do about 95% of my animation in Toon Boom’s Solo. The process seemed so brief, obvious, and easy, that I could easily underestimate the value of the critical storyboarding process and the program. When I was finished with my storyboard, I immediately knew how the animation should flow. The program’s learning curve is not steep and the short videos teach you almost every aspect of the program. Also, features such as onion skinning, which are not present in the cheaper version, are hugely helpful in the Pro version.Īnyway, I decided to create a formal storyboard for the project. The program, however, is more handy and helpful than you might think. I was very uncertain about my investment in the first few weeks of this program’s ownership. There is a cheaper version now available, also. I also was baffled at creating a rapid transition midway through the animation that would take the viewer from land to water.Ībout this time, I had invested in Toon Boom’s Storyboard Pro. I got stuck, however, at trying to time a lot of the events in the animation. Typically, this comprises all of the “planning” or “storyboarding” that I need for a project. You simply need to be able to layer the sounds in a somewhat reversible manner. Soundtrack editing programs are all fairly generic. The project had sharp limitations: Less than 30-seconds, factual accuracy, and convey the message in a memorable manner.Īs usual, I completed the soundtrack first. Often, this serves as a useful time to step back and reflect on what went right and wrong, as well as the tools used to complete the job. Another animation has, finally, been completed.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |