Simple Head Turn Animation Using Anime Studio Pro 6

In keeping with the whole tutorial theme of late, I thought I'd put together this truly simple little head turn animation.

Now, I'm not the best artist in the world, so a 2d character turning its head is a little tricky for me. There are several ways to animate the movement. The one I'm using is a switch layer technique.

All one need do is make a few different drawings of a character's pose. The layers the drawings are in are then dragged into a switch layer. That's where the magic happens. The switch layer. (*.-)

By advancing the timeline, and selecting different images in the switch layer along the way, the character comes alive.

It's good to have this stuff documented. I have a tendency to forget how to use some of my favorite software. Maybe these tutorials will keep me focused! Ha!

Binding Points to Bones Part1: Placing Bones

Here it is, as promised. After two BSoD events and numerous other interruptions, I've managed to patch together this tutorial. Well, part 1, at least.



Basically, I've just drawn a shape, created a bone layer, put the shape in it, then placed some bones over the shape. Because the shape has points in it, I'll later be able to assign those points to any particular bone. The bones can then be moved to create movement in the shape.

The main thing to know about placing the bones, is that they are in the proper sequence. If you get one wonky and out of place, the whole animation will foul up. Still, with a little experimentation, you may choose to create a little oddness in your animation by "misplacing" the bone order. Or, even add bones outside of the image and manipulate it in other ways.

That's about it for this one. I'll get part 2 finished as soon as possible, lest the dreaded Blue Screen gets me!

The music for this vid is "Wallpaper" by Kevin MacLeod of incompetech.com.

Bones Layer Test- Anime Studio Pro 6

Recently, I revisited some old software that had been languishing on my laptop, Anime Studio Pro 6.

Now, I love this software, it's by far one of my favorite software purchases. But, I just haven't had much time to experiment with it. Still, every now and again, I revisit it and sort of re-learn it. Haha! I have to, since I can't retain the knowledge, for some reason. (O.o)

My latest lesson to myself has been using the bone layer function. With the bone layer, you can place a "skeleton" of sorts over an image you've drawn. Then by binding certain points in the drawing to the bones, you can animate the thing.

Pretty cool, huh?

I couldn't wait to give it a go, so I hurriedly scratched together a pic or two, admittedly they are out-of-proportion humanoids, but still. Then, I created a bone layer and drag a pic into it. I put some bones in there, and bound them up to parts of the picture using the "bind points" feature.

Here's the result of my quick work:


I particularly liked the light dancer in this one. I think I'll do a little more with that idea a bit later. The music was fun, too. The music, by Kevin MacLeod of incompetech.com, is called, "Cut and Run". He's got loads of nice stuff.

This little lesson seems ripe for a tutorial, so I'd better get busy making one.
(^.^)d

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Pleasant Chaos--A-Kon 22

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It has been little more than a week since A-Kon 22 and already the dates are set for A-Kon 23.

Where to begin?

First, in honor of the event, I'm listening to Ephixa's Lost Woods Dubstep Remix. I can not tell you how many times I heard this at the convention. And so, it has found a sunny place in my mind.

There, the mood is set.

What is A-Kon? It is a 3-day event of mad fun! Where you will find loads of anime-related information. You can meet people in the gaming industry. Artists. There are educational panels on a variety of anime topics. One can play games. Many people cosplay favorite characters. If you like, you can be in a cosplay skit. Also, you'll find loads of anime-based merch. There are rave dances, an abundance of glow! And the concerts... my favorite! This year two Japanese bands! That alone is worth the cost of registration. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

One might say our family had been preparing for the convention for nearly a year. Costumes were planned. We pre-registered months in advance. It's much cheaper that way. And we reserved our hotel room well in advance. Rooms go fast!

And so, off we went early Friday, the first day. Truck packed with food, frocks and full of excitement.

When we arrived, parking was close to impossible. And a touch pricey. It was to be expected. A-Kon is a huge event. And well, it is Dallas.

After finding a place, far, far away..... We managed to get the hotel room and make the trek to the infamous pre-reg line. A very long maze-like line that encircled the entire room. And that room is very large. Though, because we brought our young children with us, A-Kon staff took pity on us and placed us near the very front of the line. Nice! This occurred more than once throughout the convention, I might add. Benefits. Haha! Also, it is worth noting, small children are very much welcome at the event. There are very few exceptions regarding this.

We received our pre-reg badges and moved on to the madness.

Here is just a glimpse of us and some of what we saw.

Yes, I dressed up as something. Though the only photo I have of the ensemble is blurry! This, because everyone was in a tremendous hurry to hit the convention floors. I snapped the photo with kids under foot, their way out the door. Did I mention it was hot?! Whew!

My costume, in the beginning, was to resemble Riese, from the steampunk series of that name. It wound up being a mish-mash of pieces, though still very much steampunk. I even made my own aged-look brassy-like goggles. I do have the exact ammo belt Riese has. I'm very proud of that. Actually, in our household, we have two! Husband sported one of them, complete with snacks, cellphone and cash. Mine contained a brass nautical compass. Handy, no doubt.

The eldest daughter and her friend dressed as popular anime characters and had many photos taken of them. My little man chose to be a ninja. Little daughter, opted for Sailor Moon. Her ensemble was a last minute decision and put together rather quickly out of what was on hand. She received many compliments and relished it every bit.

And so, we went with the flow. The huge crowd, like a river winding through large rooms and small corridors.

The big event on Friday, the concert. Two Japanese bands. Blood Stain Child and D for the first time in the U.S. What a privilege it was to see them!

And now, I have learned what visual kei is. Men dressed in feminine clothing with a full face of makeup can be very appealing and oddly quite masculine.

The interesting thing is they are indeed beautiful to look at, though their music is very metal and hard. A fascinating contradiction. I was transfixed and instantly a fan of both groups. Though D is particularly seductive.

The voices of Blood Stain Child clash, but in a vibrant harmonious way. The harshness of Ryo's voice is the edge. The beautiful Sophia's sweet melodious voice is like light winding through the rubble.

Then there is D. The visually stunning D. Their performance took my breath away. They instantly commanded the stage and my attention was fixed. And though the songs are sung in Japanese language I do not know, the beautiful voice of Asagi is so full of emotion, I was pulled into understanding. I could go on and on. But, I'll spare you the gush and keep the sweet memory to myself. Let's just say, the audience was very much a part of the journey. And it was lovely.

My only regret, the one thing I'm very sad about missing was the autograph sessions with both bands. We may never see the groups again, I realize. Every opportunity to savor the experience must be taken. And I missed it! Never again, I vow. Next year will be different.

As for the rest of the convention...
The rave, my second favorite thing to attend. I've always loved dance music. And glow sticks! The two combined, well, it is almost a heaven.

There were so many events. To be sure, I missed many of them. And, as the year before, I have learned what I overlooked and pledge to not miss so much!

In a nutshell, that is my experience. I suppose one can never get too old for such random fun. \(^.^)/

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Lowery FC Sinfonia Orchestra Pre-UIL Concert

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My eldest daughter has been playing violin in school orchestra for quite some time. Over the years, the group has grown to play beautifully.

Recently, the Lowery Freshman Center Sinfonia Orchestra presented a Pre-UIL concert. I recorded the concert in HD video, though the audio I recorded separately for better sound. This was the third and final piece of their performance~~

Select 720p HD for best quality.

Enjoy!

the biz

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Whilst I'm not a big fan of American Idol, I do absolutely love music. New performers are interesting and exciting. Especially the good ones!

It isn't that I don't like AI. It's just, I don't watch much television so don't follow the show.

Though, after hearing a bit of hub-bub surrounding the latest American Idol winner and "runner-up", if you will, I decided to give 'em a listen.

I must say, Adam Lambert caught my attention.



It wasn't until I heard him perform with one of my all-time favorites, Queen, that I knew this guy was really on to something.

I'd expect to see this fellow do quite well in the future. ;O)



Vid creds:
Adam Lambert-Mad World myentertainmentchann
Adam Lambert & Kris Allen with Queen-We Are the Champions sukitezy4eva

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reminiscing: the nutcracker ballet

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Tonight, I happened across the annual PBS showing of The Nutcracker. I found myself mesmerized by the dancers' fluid motions. And though I've seen The Nutcracker performed many times over the years, I could not help but watch the entire thing.

I suppose I'm remembering a time when I'd taken a serious interest in learning ballet. Something about seeing prima ballerina, Gelsey Kirkland, and Mikhail Baryshnikov, in the 1977 version of the ballet, inspired a desire to learn how to float and fly.

Pure magic, those two.


Thank you briciolakatia for sharing this vid.


To be sure, Baryshnikov...one of the best ever!

Thank you BruninhaEB for sharing this vid.

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