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slowtiger wrote:It's actually simple: just name the drawings while scanning like "a1, a2, a3, b1, b2, b3" and so on. TVP will import all a drawings into one layer, then all b drawings into another layer, and so on.

I find it works better to name the scanned image sequence of drawings with a prefix and underscore _ or dash - (A_ , B_ , C_ , etc.) and a three or four digit number starting at 001 or 0001 :

A_0001.jpg , A_0002.jpg , A_0003.jpg , A_0004.jpg , A_0005, jpg , etc.


B_0001.jpg , B_0002.jpg , B_0003.jpg , B_0004.jpg , B_0005, jpg , etc.

and so forth ...

The prefix can be specific to a character or prop in the scene , so let's say you're animating a character named Norman and he picks up a Box ... two layers :

NORM_0001.jpg , NORM_0002.jpg , NORM_0003.jpg , NORM_0004.jpg , NORM_0005, jpg , etc.

and box :

BX_0001.jpg , BX_0002.jpg , BX_0003.jpg , BX_0004.jpg , BX_0005, jpg , etc.

Import each scanned image sequence in one at a time and TVPaint will place them each on it's own layer.

It's helpful to have the actual drawing numbers (as on the X-sheet) clearly written on the drawings so the drawing numbers show up on the scans . That makes it easy to adjust the exposure of each instance (frame) on the TVPaint timeline to match the exposures on your X-sheet.

See this tutorial I made for my animation students:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1O0r ... XYIQLgqno/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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D.T., thank you! I checked out your tutorial and it's great! It's going to be very helpful to getting the importing part worked out.
Have you, by chance, done a tutorial on using the exposure sheets function? The TVP site has a place for one to be posted, but nothing is up yet, and the Elephorm tutorials don't cover it at all.

Can I ask, where do you teach?

Thanks!

-Bruce

Hi Bruce

Elodie told me that you can find information about the X sheet in TVPaint 10 manual :
http://static.tvpaint.com/downloads/man ... sson08.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

She also recorded this video for someone to show the how the x sheet works..
https://www.dropbox.com/s/4zdyrj5x3xj6p ... t.mp4?dl=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Both are super useful.

Joanna

BruceM wrote:D.T., thank you! I checked out your tutorial and it's great! It's going to be very helpful to getting the importing part worked out.
Have you, by chance, done a tutorial on using the exposure sheets function? The TVP site has a place for one to be posted, but nothing is up yet, and the Elephorm tutorials don't cover it at all.

Can I ask, where do you teach?

Thanks!

-Bruce

Hi, Bruce -

I rarely , if ever , use the X-sheet tab in TVPaint. (although I actually do still PLAN my timing on paper X-sheets , which I keep alongside of my Cintiq , just like for traditional pencil on paper animation) . In TVPaint I use the Timeline for organizing and timing my layers (and use the Timeline Notes section above the timeline to transfer my timing notes from the "Action" column on the traditional X-sheet and/or to make dialogue notations . For me the current state of the X-sheet in TVPaint is too complicated compared to the relative ease of using the Timeline. I came from traditional animation , so I missed having a vertical X-sheet format, but honestly I don't miss it anymore now that I've become accustomed to using the horizontal Timeline . There has been quite a bit of discussion in the past about improving the function of the X-sheet ( viewtopic.php?f=21&t=8116" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ) and I think it's still on the developers "to-do" list for a future version of TVPaint , but it won't be changed in the current engine (TVPaint 11) .

Can I ask, where do you teach?

I teach for the Academy of Art University (online dept.)

Hi there,

Don't forget to look here : http://forum.tvpaint.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=9663" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I think Thierry should post the last version of the script with some updated informations. That would be cool for the community.


And here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqn1r-gRgD4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; for some explanations (in Japanese, sorry)

Fabrice wrote:Hi there,

Don't forget to look here : http://forum.tvpaint.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=9663" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I think Thierry should post the last version of the script with some updated informations. That would be cool for the community.

And here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqn1r-gRgD4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; for some explanations (in Japanese, sorry)

It's an interesting development and I need to make time to sit down and learn how it works , but it's still not a conventional "Western/Hollywood" style animation X-sheet. (I don't quite understand the Japanese method ... I understand this is how they wanted it for Japanese production pipeline , but it's not what most animators in North America or Europe are accustomed to ... and I don't think it is necessarily a universal format in Japan, because looking at the X-sheet in the recently released OpenToonz software it has a conventional X-sheet with column labeling and numbering that anyone with training in traditional animation would understand immediately .)

Is it possible to script it so the frame count at the left starts at frame 1 and shows all frame numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 , 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 , and instead of the circled 0's and the black dots representing images , it would be the actual drawing numbers shown in the columns (as on the Timeline) , so for example a sequence ON 2's shows the numbering as : 1 , 3 , 5 , 7 , 9 , 11, 13 , 15 , 17 , 19 , 21 , etc. , then if it goes to 1's it would be like this:

1 , 3 , 5 , 7 , 9 , 11, 13 , 15 , 17 , 19 , 21 , (then goes to 1's) 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 , (then animation resumes ON 2's) 33 , 35, 37, 39, 41, 45, 47, etc. as on a conventional X-sheet ?

*EDIT: ok, carefully reading the topic again (here: http://forum.tvpaint.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=9663" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ) I see that it is noted:

Known issues :

Instances names aren't correctly written : it's only a "0", circled in red.

Maybe this can be fixed in the next version. (but even if it is fixed so the instance numbers are shown correctly , I would still request that the frame count at the left side of the columns be a continuous frame count starting at frame 1 and ending at the last frame of the scene .

here is the current version - My suggestions - I think the columns should be wider to allow for three and four digit numbers.




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Joanna, D.T., and Fabrice,
I've been struggling with learning TVP for some time, and now realize that I should have been asking questions on this forum from the very start.Thank you so much for your responses. You have all been incredibly helpful!

-Bruce

Yes this forum is amazing! I've learnt so much from all the advice given to me and also reading answers to other people's questions. The people here are very knowledgable and very generous with that knowledge.

Fabrice wrote:I think Thierry should post the last version of the script with some updated informations. That would be cool for the community.

Which is now done !