Re: December update

Yeah like that cut out animation thing...man I wish I had known about that program before...I could have used that instead of programming a new behavior

Yeah like that cut out animation thing...man I wish I had known about that program before...I could have used that instead of programming a new behavior

Anime Studio? The free version is pretty much completely worthless, so I'm glad you programmed a new behavior.

Yeah like that cut out animation thing...man I wish I had known about that program before...I could have used that instead of programming a new behavior

Nah, don't say that. Anime Studio is nothing like the behavior you're making. It's just a program that makes (typically simple and rather primitive looking) cartoons using cardboard cutouts.

Here's a typical example of an animation it can make:

Here's a not so typical example video using the pro version (this person really put time into this one):

Anyway, it can't really be used for anything that would be usable in an actual game. Unless, of coarse, you wanted to make a cutscene with it.

Now the bone movement behavior you mentioned in the update, man, that's something else. I'm already envisioning making a 2D version of Toribash with it or even some ragdoll physics. Would that be possible with the new behavior? If so, that is amazing. Or sounds amazing anyway, I can't wait to try it out and see what it can do.

It's just a program that makes (typically simple and rather primitive looking) cartoons using cardboard cutouts.

Anime Studio is just a tool like any other. The work you get out of it pretty much equals the work you put in. The examples you posted are proof of that, not of Anime Studio's capabilities.

Anyway, it can't really be used for anything that would be usable in an actual game.

You could make sprites with it

edited for protection

You could make sprites with it

Well, yeah. But then it would no longer be bone based, it would just be a sprite. A rigid sprite with no controllable bones at all, just prerendered frames of animation (which kinda defeats the whole purpose).

I know, I was just saying you could

Yes but creating each individual part, and skinning the bones, is no different than doing the same in some tweening program, then importing the animation. Your still going to have to set up what you want to happen before you get any results. The bones system just keeps you from having to use expensive software.

There's really only two differences between the two. Using an animation package you can adjust each individual image from within the software, then using the bones you can make adjustments to the motions from within the software.

I know, I was just saying you could

Yes but creating each individual part, and skinning the bones, is no different than doing the same in some tweening program, then importing the animation.

There's more to it than that. You can dynamically tween between any stage in any animation to any other animation. That's prohibitively difficult with frame by frame animations. Also, the bone animation is perfectly smooth at any V-synced framerate, because it uses TimeDelta - again, using framed animations, it is nearly impossible to get a perfectly smooth display. Finally, you can timescale and the animation stays absolutely perfectly smooth, even at very slow timescales, again thanks to TimeDelta. That's simply impossible with framed animations, you'd end up with noticable jumps as it switched frames at long intervals.

In short, using the built in bone movement will have better display quality, and be able to do more (assuming it matches the features of what you want to do).

Yes but creating each individual part, and skinning the bones, is no different than doing the same in some tweening program, then importing the animation. Your still going to have to set up what you want to happen before you get any results. The bones system just keeps you from having to use expensive software.

There's really only two differences between the two. Using an animation package you can adjust each individual image from within the software, then using the bones you can make adjustments to the motions from within the software.

In the update, it's introduced as a "new bone movement behavior," keyword being behavior. As in, something that can be controlled and manipulated in real time.

Now, if this were just a feature included into Construct's picture editor, then yes, there would be no different than importing an animation from some animation package like Anime Studio.

But this isn't precanned animation. These are bones controlled via a behavior which can be manipulated in real time. With this, I imagine being able to create 2D ragdoll physics in Construct and even procedural animation, or even just less static, smoother looking animation in general than what using a precanned sprite animation allows.

The thought of anything with a retarded name like 'anime studios' would be able to produce anything decent surprises the hell out of me. That second one looks great though.

I already figure the bone stuff will be able to to do big, puppetted enemies, but how will the implementation effect say, the animation of the specific parts and different views of the parts?

Say like a punch. Just standing with a straight, profile torso is fine, but someone like me would want the punch to have more life to it. Will I be able to have sprites for say, different positions of the torso so it can twist with things? I imagine I could do this one way or another, but will it be implemented to be done easily in the editor?

I'm very interested in hearing how far this system can be pushed!

Say like a punch. Just standing with a straight, profile torso is fine, but someone like me would want the punch to have more life to it. Will I be able to have sprites for say, different positions of the torso so it can twist with things? I imagine I could do this one way or another, but will it be implemented to be done easily in the editor?

I asked Rich this very question (sort of) and he assured me that yes, you can do that. Not in the editor, but at runtime (changing a body-part's animation frame or whatever). At least that's what he said.

Okay thanks, that sounds good. The only problem I have with that (and there may be solutions already in place!) is that it seems as if it would be difficult to design an animation that you can only see correctly at runtime. Did he say anything else about that?

I assume this awesome bone stuff is really only feasible in platform and top down games?