I assumed that the last keyframe pose one one action didn't have to match the keyframe pose on the next. Was I wrong?

For example, If I have my robot standing with his gun, and then he aims it at someone, it doesn't animate from one pose to another?

Doesn't that mean I have to continually make tons of transisiton actions to get any use out of reusable motion?

Turn "Transition to next action" ON in the properites for the first action and make sure there are several frames beween the end of one and the start of the next. It will be a very basic transition. For the most realism you would animate a transition by hand.

Hi,

Robcat is right on both counts, but maybe I can offer a little explanation that helped me get this. "Transition to Next Action" will give you a very basic transition, but you can also turn the "Blend" option on with your layered Action Objects (I assume that "stand with gun" is one Action, and "aim at target"is another) Then over a series of however many frames (say 6 if this is to be a fast-ish action, but you'll have to play the sequence and tweak, and that's assuming you're animating based on 30) you would set the blend ratio of the uppermost action in the timeline to ease in a linear way from 100% to 0% and the lower action in the timeline (probably the aiming one) to ease up from 0 to 100%. In some cases you can overlap the transitions, and it's nice and smooth. Generally, I have learned that "Blend" works best with Action objects (saved out as reusable .act files) and Add works best with Choreography actions, which are generally actions that you keyframe by hand in the Chor that don't tend to be cyclical because you want to introduce some variation. For example, maybe your character shoots at someone (Action Object, does this often as repeats, set to Blend) but at one point your character makes a disappointed/angry/rude gesture because he missed (Chor Action, set to Add), then he tears off after his target in a run (also an Action object if a long run, set to Blend). There's quite a lot in the AM manual about these topics as well.

You'll find "Add" and "Blend" in the properties window, same as "Transition to next action" The default is "Replace."

These topic threads might be helpful, they helped me when I was getting the hang of it.

http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showt...l=transitioning?

http://www3.telus.net/imagestreamstudio/tu...nblend_tut.html (The QT movie in the latter might not play, but the images are fine, or update your QT. I didn't need the movie.)

Although some of them involve Paths, transitions between actions don't need Paths, your character can be standing in one spot, or on a Path with the ease set to a certain point so they aren't moving.

And, if you really can't get a good blend between, you can create a short transitional Chor action that will make the other two actions look less abrupt, and may give some anticipation. Or, perhaps the ultimate cheat: jump cut to another camera angle (if appropriate for the sequence -- use sparingly, can create tension or confusion almost equally). I hope between this and "Transition to next action" you get the effect you want.

best of luck,

S.

That's not a cheat, that's directing.

-robot with gun
-target's surprised face
-robot pointing gun

Mission accomplished!

And robcat, despite my limitless respect for your wisdom, what you've just described.. that's hackneyed.

But, then again, no one has ever been shot at in any of my films so perhaps I lack that sensibility.

But in any case, at least prometheus will have options.. BTW, prometheus, a rather metaphorically loaded moniker, no?

And, in stop motion, a jump cut is often a cheat --like something on the stage moved when you didn't mean it to. It may be a fortuitous cheat, but it's an "artistic accident precipating a revelation" nonetheless. I read that somewhere, I reckoned it was artspeak for "Oooops... now what?"

Have fun,

S.

At the risk of being jumped on myself . . .

"Jump Cut - Basically, two similar shots cut together with a jump in continuity, camera position or time."

http://homepage.newschool.edu/~schlemoj/fi...s/glossary.html

It's a bad thing usually, but has its place.


Now, back to our regularly scheduled program.

I'd rather not have to rely on a jump cut and only use it when the scene calls for it. There's going to be a lot of shooting in my cartoons anyway, it would get confusing. But it does look like I've got a lot of options. I plan to use a lot of reusable motion in my toons so I have no doubt I will let the chor make lots of transitions for me. And I wasn't aware I could animate a transition type action in the chor.

I went ahead and changed the actions with the assumption that I couldn't make transitions in the chor and it turned out okay. Ive got actions for making the gun appear and disapear in a flash of light, standing with the gun and without the gun, taking aim, shooting, and transitioning to simply standing with the gun.

About my name: I'm an atheist and political radical who hates being told what to do. So I like the prometheus legend quit a bit because it involves defiance of authority in general and the Gods in particular. I don't care for the end though.

jump cut:


not a jump cut:

Technically, that's a continuity error. It's only a jump cut if the camera angle/distance doesn't change sufficiently between the two shots.

What sbk is describing would generally be called a 'cutaway,' a sub-category of which is the venerable 'reaction shot.'

Actually, just to make myself clearer once and for all, I did mean a jump in the "not enough distance to give new information" sense, cheaper still even then a cutaway since I don't know how prometheus has his scene set up (is there really a target, does the Chor just go off into infinity on the opposite side, etc.). And probably the weakest of my ideas, especially since some sort of blend seems to have worked. Excellent!

I'm with prometheus, I avoid jumps. I have only every resorted to a jump in a stop motion piece where sth. moved and I couldn't reframe accurately enough without a reshoot. It was a tense bit and I covered it with the sound so it was ok.

Robcat brought in the cutaway idea. By then, I was commenting on the scenario content. Poor subject transition on my part.

I like your name, for all the darkness and light that comes with the myth. Despite the almost (never)- ending he triumphs because the Powers couldn't take back what he stole, so good for you.

Anyways, hope you are happy with your results.

S.

No, a "continuity error" is some unexplained change in the scene such as hero has green tie at beginning of scene but for no known reason has red tie at the end, regardless of the camera angles that show us the tie.

This is a jump cut: