Re: animating cycles with nozzles - how to control them?

Try the following:

1. Load your walk nozzle and adjust the nozzle scale to
the percentage you need.

2. Go to the following Brush Controls palettes:

3. General - set Expression to None. This ensures you
don't have opacity issues. Set Grain to 100% and
Expression to None.

4. Size - set Expression to None. Manually adjust the
variant's size to suit the movie frame.

5. Spacing - Adjust the nozzle elements using the Spacing
slider. Set Min Spacing to 0%.

6. Angle - Set Squeeze to 100%. Set Expression to None.
Set Angle, Ang Range, and Ang Step to 0 degrees.

7. Image Hose - Set Rank 1 to Sequential. Rank's 2 and 3
to None.

8. Go to the Brush Selector bar and choose Save Variant.
Name the variant Walking Cycle.

9. Return to the Brush Selector and choose Restore Default
Variant.

Choose the new Image Hose variant and test it before
trying it in your movie.

Let us know how it goes.

Richard


> This basically makes your walkcycles reusable - in theory. In practice I 
> find they get messed up chronologically. I would like to know if there is 
> a way to control how the images in a nozzle get applied chronologically so

> I can create reliable walk cycles across the page/monitor without having 
> to worry that the frames come out in a wobbly order.

Hi there,

I am following a courseware pdf-file in order to learn 2D animation with 
Painter IX.5 (on WinXP).

In there, there's a method introduced for saving cycled animations in 
nozzles to record strokes and apply these strokes on movies via 
Movie->apply stroke to movie.

This basically makes your walkcycles reusable - in theory. In practice I 
find they get messed up chronologically. I would like to know if there 
is a way to control how the images in a nozzle get applied 
chronologically so I can create reliable walk cycles across the 
page/monitor without having to worry that the frames come out in a 
wobbly order.

Can anyone spread the light of knowledge on that...? :D

thanks for reading
Mu

Use the Checkout Nozzle command to see precisley
the order of the individual image element layers.The
numerical order appears to be out of sequence.

I would create the nozzle again and start with # 1 at the
bottom, with # 2 above that. Continue until # 8 is at the
top of the hierarchy. Group and save the nozzle. Create
a second nozzle but reverse the layer hierarchy before
you save the group. Test them from left to right and
right to left.

Don't forget to alter the spacing so you can see the
individual elements.

I can't think of another way to get the sequence in
order. Anyone else have an idea?

Richard

>
> two problems, though:
>
> - the sequence starts at seven, which is neither the end nor the beginning

> layer. Is there a way to have it start at the extremes?
>
> - it proceeds downwards to one. Can I switch the chronology to backwards? 
> Or would I have to shift the chronology of the layers I created the nozzle

> from?
>
> I could also create a mirrored walk cycle file, I guess? I am a bit 
> confused about the results right now, I confess, but it looks like I am 
> much closer to getting this to work which I am already grateful for!
>
> thanks for reading
> Mu

Hi Richard,

thanks for your answer. I did not know that there is a sequence priority 
in the nozzle parameters and I initially thought that would solve the 
problem for sure, but it didn't completely.

I adjusted the nozzle variant in the way you described.

For testing purposes, I created a nozzle with numbers 1 to 8 by adding 
the numbers on one layer  each (8 at the top layer, 1 on the bottommost) 
and chose "create nozzle from layer group".
Then I saved the nozzle.
When I then use the newly created nozzle variant and do a stroke from 
right to left, this is what happens:

http://www.muratkayi.de/downloads/nozzlescreenie.gif

now, if my character walked in from the left, I guess it would already 
look pretty good...:D thanks!

two problems, though:

- the sequence starts at seven, which is neither the end nor the 
beginning layer. Is there a way to have it start at the extremes?

- it proceeds downwards to one. Can I switch the chronology to 
backwards? Or would I have to shift the chronology of the layers I 
created the nozzle from?

I could also create a mirrored walk cycle file, I guess? I am a bit 
confused about the results right now, I confess, but it looks like I am 
much closer to getting this to work which I am already grateful for!

thanks for reading
Mu

Richard schrieb:
> Try the following:
> 
> 1. Load your walk nozzle and adjust the nozzle scale to
> the percentage you need.
> 
> 2. Go to the following Brush Controls palettes:
> 
> 3. General - set Expression to None. This ensures you
> don't have opacity issues. Set Grain to 100% and
> Expression to None.
> 
> 4. Size - set Expression to None. Manually adjust the
> variant's size to suit the movie frame.
> 
> 5. Spacing - Adjust the nozzle elements using the Spacing
> slider. Set Min Spacing to 0%.
> 
> 6. Angle - Set Squeeze to 100%. Set Expression to None.
> Set Angle, Ang Range, and Ang Step to 0 degrees.
> 
> 7. Image Hose - Set Rank 1 to Sequential. Rank's 2 and 3
> to None.
> 
> 8. Go to the Brush Selector bar and choose Save Variant.
> Name the variant Walking Cycle.
> 
> 9. Return to the Brush Selector and choose Restore Default
> Variant.
> 
> Choose the new Image Hose variant and test it before
> trying it in your movie.
> 
> Let us know how it goes.
> 
> Richard
> 
> 
>> This basically makes your walkcycles reusable - in theory. In practice
I 
>> find they get messed up chronologically. I would like to know if there
is 
>> a way to control how the images in a nozzle get applied chronologically
so 
>> I can create reliable walk cycles across the page/monitor without
having 
>> to worry that the frames come out in a wobbly order.
> 
> 
> 
> 

Hi Richard,

just very quickly, before I try your new tips again...

I did create the nozzle with 1 at the bottom and 8 at the top. But now I 
am off to do more tests the way you suggested.

thanks very much for your help so far!

regards
Mu


Richard schrieb:

> I would create the nozzle again and start with # 1 at the
> bottom, with # 2 above that. Continue until # 8 is at the
> top of the hierarchy. Group and save the nozzle. Create
> a second nozzle but reverse the layer hierarchy before
> you save the group. Test them from left to right and
> right to left.
> 
> Don't forget to alter the spacing so you can see the
> individual elements.
> 
> I can't think of another way to get the sequence in
> order. Anyone else have an idea?
> 
> Richard
> 
>> two problems, though:
>>
>> - the sequence starts at seven, which is neither the end nor the
beginning 
>> layer. Is there a way to have it start at the extremes?
>>
>> - it proceeds downwards to one. Can I switch the chronology to
backwards? 
>> Or would I have to shift the chronology of the layers I created the
nozzle 
>> from?
>>
>> I could also create a mirrored walk cycle file, I guess? I am a bit 
>> confused about the results right now, I confess, but it looks like I am

>> much closer to getting this to work which I am already grateful for!
>>
>> thanks for reading
>> Mu
> 
> 
> 
>