TVPaint Animation 11 : ask all your questions here !

[Elodie]

Lukas, your "problem" is relevant when you have 3 images.

When you have to paint 200 hundred frames in 4K with a dozen of different colors, using paning tool on a whole sequence can be hazardous (very long calculation time, using all your CPU's power). That's why this function has been deactivated.

Once your sequence is colored, if you finally notice your character should be moved, you can render colors from CTG layer as an Anim layer. And then, the move is nearly instant (at least, much more instant than recalculating everything).

[Peter Wassink]

CTG_.png

I understand what you're suggesting and it's a nice feature, but it has little to do with the issue I posted and doesn't solve the problem I described with the screencapture at all.

if you want to make changes after coloring you have the option to extract the colors and then apply the pan/transform on both line and color layer.
The thought is perhaps that commonly you wouldn't start coloring until after the animation is done.
But i think this is a good feature request.

#edit
ah so the thought was with your poor processor

[Sewie]

In the new online documentation, at the bottom of the 'Library' page it says this:

You can leave the Library panel always open if you wish. It will not prevent you from draw, animate or accessing other features. You can also drag it in the Drawers .

What is this 'Drawers'? The sidebars with the menu's?

I haven't tested this new library function yet but I don't like the idea of another huge open window/panel on an interface that is already very crowded.

[Fabrice]

It was called left and right "bin" in the previous versions. Now it's called "drawers", according to the users and beta testers feedbacks.

[Sewie]

Thanks.
Though the sudden name change is confusing, I can see why you would rather call them ''Drawers' since they can slide open and closed like real ones.

[Fabrice]

I haven't tested this new library function yet but I don't like the idea of another huge open window/panel on an interface that is already very crowded.

The aim is not to keep it open all the time.
It could just be used to keep your image guides (model sheet mostly) within a .tvpp file or to call a specific source image in the FX stack (like when using the Keyframer).
Also you can combine it with the new deformation tool, so you have less issues with multiple deformations.

[Sewie]

...
Also you can combine it with the new deformation tool, so you have less issues with multiple deformations.

Which new deformation tool is that? The new Warp Tool?

[Fabrice]

Sorry yes, I meant the new Warp tool.

[Sewie]

Guys, please please standardize your terminology.
Else I fear it's going to get very confusing.

[Fabrice]

Guys, please please standardize your terminology.
Else I fear it's going to get very confusing.

We do our best. Right now we receive about 1 email every 5 minutes about upgrades, questions, etc ... so I keep switching between french/english/japanese it's confusing ...
Deformation (french) = Warp (english)

[Sewie]

I see.
And I understand.

[Paul Fierlinger]

Sewie, you are bringing out a valid point, which is that I actually love the functionality of the Library just because I can bring in so many images that I need for the type of work I do, which is to draw and animate with an eye towards the ways of the real world and further from classical cartooning. I am always using a multitude of reference photographs from the internet and the library gives me the opportunity to stretch these across a monitor dedicated just to this purpose.

As an example, I needed to draw and animate a closeup of a hand twisting an instrument in such a way that the hand itself became twisted in an unusual way and drawing this hand was giving me a hard time. To get it right I had Sandra videotape my own hand and for the first time ever, I could select a row of photographs (think Eadweard Muybridge) across an entire screen placed on top of my drawing screen and study the sequence of steps that creates the motion.
On top of that I make use of the Library's ability to manage multitudes of imagery within individual folders.

Sandra uses the Library in a similar way since she works with large amounts of color palettes which cover all her monitors. Now she can still keep these colors spread out in clear view but better organized within individual folders. So yes, the Library needs space for itself while at the same time it has become a huge space saver. Today, the number of people using multitudes of monitors is steadily growing. Just another example is the way storyboard artists require space for large collections of references to their own work; stacks of background sketches etc.

Large studios use entire collections of model sheets to keep all artists involved on model and the Library is embedded into each project and travels with it from desktop to desktop. Model sheets also serve as traveling color palettes and these have a tendency to take up space, so here again, organizing models into folders while spread across an entire screen actually functions as a huge space saver.

[Lukas]

Lukas, your "problem" is relevant when you have 3 images.

When you have to paint 200 hundred frames in 4K with a dozen of different colors, using paning tool on a whole sequence can be hazardous (very long calculation time, using all your CPU's power). That's why this function has been deactivated.

Once your sequence is colored, if you finally notice your character should be moved, you can render colors from CTG layer as an Anim layer. And then, the move is nearly instant (at least, much more instant than recalculating everything).

Thanks for the reply.

Rendering a CTG to anim layer works in a linear workflow, but in a non-linear workflow you lose the ability to change your colors afterwards and all other CTG features. Which would be a shame.
Moving line+color animation together should be a simple action to perform, even if it takes calculation time on bigger projects. You'd expect it to be possible, because it feels like such a basic thing.

[Sewie]

Yes, Paul, but in my experience stretching the TVP interface over two monitors (I have the Cintiq and a 27'' monitor mounted above it for reference) is just not practical. And TVPaint isn't really built for it because the intrface will obscure any other program window that's open when you stretch it out over more windows.

I use IrfanView for my reference pictures on the 27'' monitor so that I have the Cintiq for the just the TVP interface -drawing area and menus (bins/drawers)- and I can't have that cluttered because, like I said, it is already very crowded with all the (custom)panels. And my reference windows are just as often an internet browser or a media player with video. Now I just have to look up and not switch the interface of both monitors entirely before I can see my reference.

I expect that I can't place the Library panel outside of the TVP interface on the second monitor so as a reference window it won't work for me.

Another thing is this, more and more work is being done on location on small tablet computers, (dragging around extra monitors defeats the purpose here) I have TVPaint on one and just the one (rather small) screen of the tablet to work on. So again, I can't have any clutter on that. A huge open Library panel will obscure my drawing area, layer panel and menu's. It's one of the reasons why I don't like (I should actually say hate) this trend towards more and more panels and windows within the TVPaint interface.

[schwarzgrau]

Rendering a CTG to anim layer works in a linear workflow, but in a non-linear workflow you lose the ability to change your colors afterwards and all other CTG features. Which would be a shame.
Moving line+color animation together should be a simple action to perform, even if it takes calculation time on bigger projects. You'd expect it to be possible, because it feels like such a basic thing.

+1

And I would like to join what Sewie said. It's nice that there is this library and that you can integrate it in the project, but to be really useful it needs to be useable as extra window.