Can you use Motion 5 to make 2D vector based character animation?

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Level 1

1 points

Can you use Motion 5 to make 2D vector based character animation?

I have Affinity Designer and have some characters I'm working on. Would I be able to import them to Motion and be able to manipulate their limbs, facial expressions, etc. independently? I see a lot of tutorials for programs like After Effects where they are able to to do this but I can't seem to find any for Motion 5 which makes me think that either it's not capable of doing this or that its not a primary feature of Motion 5. Thanks for any help you can provide. :-)

Motion 5, OS X Yosemite (10.10.5)

Posted on Mar 7, 2016 8:55 AM

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Answer 1

fox_m

Level 6

13,250 points

Mar 7, 2016 7:00 PM in response to TonyTheTerp

Motion is capable but it is definitely not a *primary* feature!

Here's a *simple* example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kpGW-HtKyw

You can animate limbs somewhat fluidly with "joints" (another example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybtA3Wuwdpc). Facial expressions will be a different kind of challenge. Usually you would use a switch layer type setup. You cannot import paths into Motion from Designer, so you'll have to either work on those in Motion, or export "parts" out of Designer. If you rework the paths in Motion, then you can animate those.

The example below is an animated gif capture of both techniques. The emoji are switch layers animated via parameter in a replicator. The eye shape is an animated shape within Motion. (I left the selection on the emoji "layer"... sorry... )

As you go along, we'll be here to answer questions... it will be a journey (of sorts.)

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Answer 2

May 17, 2016 3:16 PM in response to TonyTheTerp

I'm working on a similar issue. I also use Affinity Designer.

I have a graphic with about 400 layers that I'd like to animate, revealing these layers in a sequence. I've managed (via Scott Ash's Motionize script for Illustrator) to pull groups of vector layers into Motion. You need to export as .svg in Affinity Designer (.eps and .pdf don't preserve groups and layer structures), and open in Illustrator 2015 (Illustrator 2014 or earlier has trouble with groups of layers, flattening them into one folder). Then you follow his script's instructions. This way you can preserve groups from Affinity Designer.

I'm going about now learning how to animate them and arrange them on a timeline. I get the feeling that I'm really going to have to do everything individually, but pulling vector layers in separately is certainly possible.

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Answer 3

Jun 28, 2016 5:11 AM in response to TonyTheTerp

It is definitely possible. There are no specialised tools like bones (for deformations) or inverse kinematics (for puppet-like control of limbs). So it will be more careful planning and more manual work. To get Your full geometry into Motion try exporting Your character from AD as a layered .PSD (choose preset "Final Cut Pro X") and import that to Motion as layers.

[read further only if in doubt 😉 ]

Looking further, You have a couple of software choices.

If You are willing to look at different apps You might also try "Anime Studio". It's cheaper than After Effects, but highly specialised for character animation.

I really don't know how AE ended up working for 2D character animation, but here we are 😉. If You decide to give it a try consider the cool, free plugin for inverse kinematics called "DuIK".

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