camera: character goes to a table

[painterX]

hey,
i have a question about the camera. if i want to move a character(who is going) from A to B(or to a table), have i make it with the multiplane camera, or the keyframer? The character should go to a table, that mean, that the table comes from right(behind the scene) to left.I want do this with a camera.
Normaly i create a new layer and give him the effect "camera".in the planes i put the character. in the view i move him with keys from A to B. But what have i to do with the table, because i understand, that the table itself is not moving. he is just standing on the ground.but the table should appear in the scene from right to left just like i would move the ground. i think its easy, but i dont understand the principle, although i have read the manual.

[Paul Fierlinger]

Create an oblong background and both draw and animate everything on this elongated scene. Then with the simple camera tool follow your character to the table.

Hint: When setting up the camera, click on the word Parameters at the bottom and make sure the width and height and frame rate match your scene because that will be the view of the camera you will follow your character with.

Tip: Click on the Time Profile, oblong icon, which will bring the Profile: Camera Time/Position out in the open. Drag this panel over your Layer Panel and stretch its length over the entire timeline. Change the shape of the curve to create the timing of your camera move. If you keep the beginning of the curve flat, you will make the camera stay still for that length (this is why you should have the curve stretched over the length of your timeline). As the curve climbs to the top; the camera follows that speed: at first slowly, then faster and at the end it slows down again. This is called Ease into the move and Ease out of the move, or Ease In & Ease Out for short. It makes for a natural camera move. If you create a flat spot at the very end, your camera will stop and stay still for that length.

[painterX]

thanks for the explanation but it doesnt work. i dont know, what i have to do with the two layer in the camera tool. because the first layer have to move and the second layer have to stay just on the ground. but the second layer is behind the scene and unseen and then should come in the scene. should i make two planes for the two layers or not?

[Paul Fierlinger]

This is too complicated for me to figure out for you without seeing your layout. It now sounds like something you need to do with the KeyFramer. Can you upload a sketch that would help better to understand what you need done?

[painterX]

ok, how can i upload an image from my desktop?

[Paul Fierlinger]

Use ScreenPrint and Edit>ClipBoard>Get Brush From ClipBoard.
Paste Brush on a frame, cut out the portion you want to export.
Using Export As.. (under File) export as JPEG onto your Hard Drive.
Go online, open TVPaint Forum, Open "REPLY" and below the Post a Reply screen see "Upload Attachment" and follow instructions.

[ZigOtto]

post a reply / upload attachement / Browse ... (pick your image on your desktop) "Open", then submit your reply.

edit : too slow the Zig ...!

[painterX]

thanks. i havent see it.

before tvpaint i have work in toon boom. there was the camera effect different. i always had to move the background and when things are standing on the background, they move too(with the background). for the character i have use a motion tween, like the keyframer. so i think tvpaint has a different principle.
i hope the image is understandable

character & table.jpg (56.01 KiB) Viewed 20220 times

[Paul Fierlinger]

Well, it's just as I thought you want it from the beginning. This is very simple. Think of the project window as the shape of the room with the table and the character -- a long room. Your camera viewfinder has a smaller and different shape, not as long as the room. You follow the character with the camera and as the character gets closer to the table, the table begins to appear (slide) in the camera's view. So all you need to do is start with a wider format "stage" with the table on the right and the character on the left. Use the simple camera tool to follow the character to the table.

[painterX]

i will try it. that mean, that the character get a keyframer. he walk a little bit to the right. the table layer get a multiplane camera. (with the plane: table) in the view i change the x axis and make keys.

[D.T. Nethery]

Think of the project window as the shape of the room with the table and the character -- a long room.

Your camera viewfinder has a smaller and different shape, not as long as the room.

You follow the character with the camera and as the character gets closer to the table, the table begins to appear (slide) in the camera's view. So all you need to do is start with a wider format "stage" with the table on the right and the character on the left. Use the simple camera tool to follow the character to the table.

To add to Paul's instructions:

Always keep in mind: the BG layer which will move behind the character should be created as a separate TVP project . You can have two projects open at the same time :

TVP Project 1.) "Character Layer" project and TVP Project 2.) "BG with Table Layer" project .

If the BG must move from East to West (right to left) or West to East (left to right) behind the character layer then the BG layer will necessarily have wider dimensions than the main project dimensions. For example: if your normal project size (character layer) is 1280 w x 720 h and you want a BG layer to move behind the character then your BG layer might be 2, 3, or 4 times as wide as the normal project size (or even wider if it's a really long pan move) . In traditional animation the set up would look something like this:



Simply think of the "Regular 12 Field" paper shown above as your main TVP project window camera view (the height x width of your frame) which is the space your character is contained in, and the "Wide Pan Paper" which has the Background drawn on it which will move underneath the character layer is the second TVP Project which is drawn to wider dimensions than the main project window aspect ratio (height x width) .

For example, let's say that if your main project is 1280 x 720 , then the BG layer which moves behind your character layer will be 3 x wide =
3840 w x 720 h .

So you have your BG drawn in a separate TVP project size 3840 w x 720 h . You also have your character animation TVP project (size 1280 x 720) open . Create a new layer underneath the character animation layer in this project. The new layer should be the same number of frames (blank frames) as the character animation layer above it. The new layer under the character layer is where your BG will go.

Now go to FX Stack --- Motion ---- Keyframer . In the Keyframer go to the Render tab --- Source --- Project List --- select the "BG Layer" project as the source. Now go back to Keyframer --- Position and you will use the X position coordinates to set the start position and end position for the move on the BG layer. This can take some trial and error ; you can see what the move will look like by selecting the frames you want the move to apply to and hitting the Play button in the TVP project window. It will show you a Preview of what the move will look like (if you have Preview selected in the lower right corner of the FX Stack window) . When you are satisfied with the coordinates for the move select all the frames in the new BG layer underneath the character animation layer (right-click on the layer and "Select All frames" or keyboard short Ctrl A to select all) and hit "Apply FX Stack" .
This will apply the move coordinates from the Keyframer to the BG layer .

Now close out of the Keyframer and play back the project. If for some reason it doesn't look right to you then simply Undo and return to the FX Stack --- Motion ---- Keyframer and repeat the steps above , making any adjustments needed on the move coordinates and then reapply.

What I have described is a simple East/West (right to left) or West/East (left to right) panning move . You can get into much more complicated moves which also utilize the Y and Z coordinates. The moves can be linear or splined . You can add ease-ins and ease-outs to the move so it's not all evenly spaced . The subject of using the Keyframer is covered in the TVP manual, but it's complicated to understand at first. If I recall the User Manual doesn't really show examples using the typical sort of moving backgrounds that we are discussing here (such as : a character walks across a room to a table , the table pans in on a separate BG layer) . The easiest way to get your head around the Keyframer is to experiment with it a lot. Try many different tests to see what it does.

[Paul Fierlinger]

Follow the man with a camera to the table

Follow the Man.jpg (25.19 KiB) Viewed 20207 times

No, no... You are making it sound complicated, unless the table is supposed to move, but I don't think so.

[D.T. Nethery]

Follow the Man.jpg

No, no... You are making it sound complicated, unless the table is supposed to move, but I don't think so.

Perhaps I am making it too complicated. I understood the intention was to animate the character in place (walking left to right) arriving at the table at the end of the shot. So the BG layer with the room and table are keyframed under the character animated in place so that the table pans in from screen right .

Is what you are proposing that the TVP project size will be wider to begin with (say triple width 3840 x 720) and that the simple Camera View tool will be used to compose the shot to follow the character as it animates progressively across the wide BG to arrive at the table ?

[Paul Fierlinger]

David, I was speaking to painterX and your post appeared before I was done.
When I think of man walking over to a table I never think in walk cycles so I didn't realize that this is what painterX wants to do. In that case, yes, it is better to use the KeyFramer and move the long BKG under the man cycling in place.

Painter, if cycling is what you want you are going to get poor results. First, the walk is going to be very mechanical and your man will limp if you aren't careful. Secondly, he will not only limp but skate if you are not double double careful. Thirdly, for the time it will take you to set this all up you would be done just animating him crossing the long format. Fourthly, the walk will look much better, the steps will be accurate and the exercise will help you become a better artist and animator.

[ZigOtto]

"happy" ending, ... the little man reached the divine bottle and got drunk to death ...

HIC.png (39.41 KiB) Viewed 20188 times

more seriously, in this case, I would probably go with the keyframer way,
for one reason : walking in 2's + camera moving in one's => that's a big risk to get a walking man "jaggy"...