|
Yo Chipp, the only thing that's actually annoying is you apologising w every post for posting. It's only so many times we can say "nah it's cool" duder! EDIT: Well that was a lovely way to start off a new page. Here have some Street Fighter pixel art courtesy of the Super Time force Dude. They're cute as heck. high on life and meth fucked around with this message at 12:22 on Jun 27, 2014 |
#
?
Jun 27, 2014 12:20
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 27, 2024 23:30 |
|
|
This one is much better, but the spear kind of looks like spaghetti for a few frames; like he steps back then it bends more. edit:  I changed the delay in a couple of places: the pull back is faster (0.06?) and the frame where the spear is fully extended at 0.20. I think that makes it look more impactful, but you might not be able to work with different speeds like that? Cut out a frame in the hop back, second to last frame has him with feet together to step back slightly in the last frame, which I think stops some of the glide. One last thing that I only noticed when zoomed in, shouldn't the leg closest to the viewer be the one that steps forward as he stabs? Pretty sure the opposite arm and leg should move together (& might be contributing to the glide atm)
|
|
#
?
Jun 27, 2014 12:53
|
|
|
Exclamation Marx posted:This one is much better, but the spear kind of looks like spaghetti for a few frames; like he steps back then it bends more.  Hopefully the spear doesn't look so much like spaghetti. Also took your advice to alter the speed of the frames you mentioned and deleted the frame you mentioned as well.
|
|
#
?
Jun 27, 2014 15:11
|
|
|
Chipp Zanuff posted:
Looks pretty good, something about the back hop is bothering me. Maybe leave his legs spread apart when he jumps, it looks kinda awkward bringing them so close like he's standing and then he just hops in place back a bit. The back leg is a bit too far forward, pull it back some as he steps backwards and then the hop should look more natural. Maybe even have him slide a pixel or two after landing the hop?
|
|
#
?
Jun 27, 2014 15:46
|
|
|
Depending on how sperg you want to be about it, speaking as someone who lunges and recovers frequently, the two things that stand out to me are: * The back leg should be more planted than it is. The recovery's all in the push off the front leg. * The hop is a lunge in reverse: push off with one leg, reach out back with the other. Edit: although not strictly applicable, watching fencers lunge and recover might be educational. Check out FIEvideo for some good footage. dupersaurus fucked around with this message at 16:17 on Jun 27, 2014 |
|
#
?
Jun 27, 2014 16:14
|
|
|
Neowyrm posted:No, man, please don't! I was being serious when I said it was really cool watching your progress. This. The fact that you keep on trying to improve is inspiring. It's rare. Also, the progress you've made in such a small amount of time is astounding.
|
|
#
?
Jun 27, 2014 17:26
|
|
|
Chipp Zanuff posted:
I'd suggest maybe starting from scratch with a simpler model. Make a mannequin, no real texture to it (beyond separation of limbs and such, shading to show depth), holding a stick with no texture to it as well, and without looking at your old animation frames, recreate it. While doing this, add an extra line of pixels at the bottom, in which you do this: If a leg is holding weight (eg. the back leg when he's thrusting, the front leg when he's jumping back, preparation for the two, etc) draw red pixels underneath every pixel of the foot. If it's not, don't draw anything under it. The red pixels should never (in 'realistic' animation) move at all. They might disappear, appear, or possibly become smaller (if he's leaning on the ball of his foot, 4 pixels might become the front two pixels, for example), but even in that case the disappearance should only happen on one side of the line. So maybe the back of the foot is lifted (sitting on the ball of that foot) in which case the leftmost two pixels disappear, or the front of the foot is lifted in which case the rightmost two pixels disappear. Also consider that the only time no leg is the support is when he's started jumping (after he's lifted both feet), even if he'd move the front leg back to be the back leg, the initially back leg would become the support for the entire movement right up until the end. e: My explanation is probably convoluted as hell. Basically, if the leg is lifted off the ground, draw nothing under it. If it's on the ground and he's 'leaning' on it (or them; he can lean on both, in the idle stance for instance) draw red pixels under every pixel of the foot and make sure the red pixels never MOVE, only disappear or appear. Starting from scratch will let you focus specifically on this, and I think will help immensely. Gaspy Conana posted:This. The fact that you keep on trying to improve is inspiring. It's rare. Also, the progress you've made in such a small amount of time is astounding. Thoroughly agree. There aren't many people who will keep coming back and asking for tips and applying them. You've got a great attitude, and it's the sort of thing this thread is for, I feel.
|
|
#
?
Jun 27, 2014 17:37
|
|
|
Hello everybody! I was gonna start working on a project and I wanted to do some Prince of Persia style pixel animation and I was wondering if anyone one here had any tips on doing a rotoscope style of animation?
|
|
#
?
Jun 27, 2014 18:17
|
|
|
I appreciate it guys. I've decided to try to create a base for the attack animation of other units (at least those using swords, maces, axes, staffs etc):  Not as refined as my other animation, but it's a start.
|
|
#
?
Jun 27, 2014 21:29
|
|
|
Grab a long stick or broom and try to swing it with your left hand as the guy in the animation is doing. Just do it and then come back and read the spoiler below: what did you do with your right arm? Did it hang limply, flail backward, or did you pull it in front of your body and move it with the swing of your other hand?
|
|
#
?
Jun 27, 2014 21:32
|
|
|
djwetmouse posted:Hello everybody! My artist buddy is using rotoscoping and the results are pretty slick, although its taking forever. I'm not sure its worth it, haha  Chipp Zanuff posted:I appreciate it guys. The legs are just all over the place, looks like they actually tie themselves up at one point. The upper body moves pretty slick though and has good impact. Like systran said the offhand is too limp, needs some counter rotation or something.
|
|
#
?
Jun 27, 2014 21:34
|
|
|
Zaphod42 posted:The legs are just all over the place, looks like they actually tie themselves up at one point. The upper body moves pretty slick though and has good impact. Like systran said the offhand is too limp, needs some counter rotation or something. Thanks for the tips both of you! I feel sort of stupid, since these things are so obvious. Hopefully this looks less limp. Ideally the arm would be hid behind a shield, but it's good to know more about how the arms will move.  Not sure how i can fix the legs, but i'll keep looking up movement and i will keep reading the Animator's Survival guide and other tutorials on movement.
|
|
#
?
Jun 27, 2014 22:03
|
|
|
Chipp Zanuff posted:Not sure how i can fix the legs, but i'll keep looking up movement and i will keep reading the Animator's Survival guide and other tutorials on movement. I'd really recommend trying what I said earlier. I can try to draw up an example if it wasn't clear what I was suggesting.
|
|
#
?
Jun 27, 2014 22:06
|
|
|
Red Mike posted:I'd really recommend trying what I said earlier. I can try to draw up an example if it wasn't clear what I was suggesting. Sort of like what i did with the legs? (Shading them in two different colors to easily differentiate them)
|
|
#
?
Jun 27, 2014 22:07
|
|
|
arms look way way better. in your earlier stuff with a shield you were still facing this issue though. if you were holding a shield i'm pretty sure that during the swing, it would pull in front of your body rather than flailing backward, so in the animation you would see it rotate to like one pixel wide since the edge of it would be facing directly into the camera more or less.
|
|
#
?
Jun 27, 2014 22:27
|
|
|
Chipp Zanuff posted:Sort of like what i did with the legs? (Shading them in two different colors to easily differentiate them) ..No, the bit with the black line and the red pixels. I went ahead and exploded your gif into frames, added the bar I meant, and did it for the first few frames to point it out. (Ignore the off colours, it was a rush job)  The numbers underneath are the number of pixels to the edge of the screen. Tick or cross means correct or incorrect. One of the legs is marked with red on the black bar, the other with blue. (Except for the first frame, meh.) To break it down further:
Start an animation just like this. Have a black bar like the one I used, and highlight the foot positions as I did whenever the man is leaning on one leg, the other or both. Neither of the legs can move left or right (in the frame) while they are being highlighted, and can only move by disappearing from the bar for at least one frame (by being lifted or otherwise not sustaining the body's weight). I didn't do the jump as well, but similarly, both legs will disappear from the bar for at least one frame. Then, one will land first, or if they both land between frames one will take more of the weight of the man than the other, and that leg is now immobile, and the other leg will move relative to that static leg. If he's jumping back, the back leg will be that pivot. e: wow this looks like such an effortpost, I'm ashamed now
|
|
#
?
Jun 27, 2014 23:33
|
|
|
Red Mike posted:..No, the bit with the black line and the red pixels. I went ahead and exploded your gif into frames, added the bar I meant, and did it for the first few frames to point it out. (Ignore the off colours, it was a rush job) Thanks, I really appreciate this effort post and the explanation. I'm definitely going to start using this from now on, and i see what you mean now by the sliding in the third frame. I'm going to try to address the switching of the legs in frame 5 as well in a future edit, and will add it to the other animation when i get it down.
|
|
#
?
Jun 27, 2014 23:51
|
|
|
Chipp, I think at least part of what's going on is that you're animating based on how you think the human body moves, instead of how it actually moves. (Please don't take this as talking down - this is a really common problem for beginning artists and animators, and it's really hard to get rid of, especially if you don't know it's happening. My suggestion is to take a break from the pixel work and put the book down, and go spend some time - at least an hour, preferably a few - watching clips of Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone fencing. Pay a lot of attention to their footwork and how their bodies move. (I'm suggesting cinematic fencing rather than actual fencing because it's more dramatic and exaggerated - closer to animation than to sport - and will be easier for you to successfully mimic.) Once you've done this, pick a one-second clip that's got some decent action in it - preferably an attack extension seen from left to right, like the ones you've been animating - and animate it in your style, using the number of frames you've been giving to your sprites. (Use your sprite base if you like.) Match the film movements as closely as you can without tracing/rotoscoping. This isn't quite as good as, say, turning a drawing upside-down to replicate it, but it should give you a better idea of what's actually going on.
|
|
#
?
Jun 27, 2014 23:55
|
|
|
Has anyone played with this little HTML5 app yet? http://www.piskelapp.com/  It's really nice, and the autoanimation, and spritesheet export is kinda handy.
|
|
#
?
Jun 28, 2014 03:23
|
|
|
Besesoth posted:Once you've done this, pick a one-second clip that's got some decent action in it - preferably an attack extension seen from left to right, like the ones you've been animating - and animate it in your style, using the number of frames you've been giving to your sprites. (Use your sprite base if you like.) Match the film movements as closely as you can without tracing/rotoscoping. This is a good idea. The internet has free video of any earthly movement you could want to animate, and looking at the real thing will help you get how it works in terms of mass and momentum. There's nothing wrong with asking the forums for help but you'll learn faster the more initiative you take to figure stuff out on your own.
|
|
#
?
Jun 28, 2014 03:45
|
|
|
SystemLogoff posted:Has anyone played with this little HTML5 app yet? http://www.piskelapp.com/ Ohhh spritesheet export.. I might check it out, even if it's only for that!
|
|
#
?
Jun 28, 2014 11:06
|
|
|
I've been whittling away at some random stuff lately to pass the time. Some talk sprites. Bomb collars!    Those go along with some super old stuff:   
|
|
#
?
Jun 28, 2014 12:46
|
|
|
So for the past month I've been working on a game with Poemdexter and Sharpened Spoon I think we're finishing up tomorrow.       
|
|
#
?
Jun 28, 2014 13:30
|
|
|
Dang those are some fine animations. I especially like the facial expressions in the first one.
|
|
#
?
Jun 28, 2014 14:20
|
|
|
I love how smooth the animation feels! I've tried to update the walking animation and I'll eventually apply it to the both of the previous animations, but i felt in order to get a better understanding i should not only look at the references people previously mentioned but also try to do a complete one (albeit rough version):  I know the body should be more animated as well, but at this point i am focusing solely on the legs. It's currently 14 frames, although it could obviously be limited to 8. Here's the swordsman with the updated walk animation:  Had to extend the number of frames so he could fully rotate his legs without running into the leg-flipping problem. I'm hoping the animation doesn't suffer for it. Also increased speed of certain frames (most noticeably when he's raising his sword)but if it takes away from it, i'll put them back to their original speed. Also im aware the hop looks weird/impossible. Im not sure what to do with it atm. Edit: I was also thinking of maybe delaying the actual attack until he's further across the screen. Like so:  I am worried it might lose it's momentum and look slow now however. Ash Crimson fucked around with this message at 16:13 on Jun 28, 2014 |
|
#
?
Jun 28, 2014 15:42
|
|
|
This is looking way better. But while having a walk cycle nailed down is a good tool, it's not the problem you're encountering in these animations. This guy: quote:doesn't look like he's attacking; it looks like he's fooling around with a sword while he's walking along. quote:Also im aware the hop looks weird/impossible. Im not sure what to do with it atm. Here's the thing: you don't need it. I know it feels like this is conflicting advice, but now your guy's moving too far forward. Set aside the walk cycle and animate this sequence; I'll try to describe it as best I can. When I say "left" and "right", I mean your swordsman's left and right (he's holding his sword in his left hand, etc.). 1: Swordsman (SM) is standing ready (your current frame 1). His left and right feet are planted. The ball and toe of his left foot will never move throughout the entire cycle. Put a red line under those pixels so you can be sure. 2: SM leans forward, putting his weight on his left (forward) foot, and raises his right (back) foot to move it forward. He also raises his sword in preparation to attack. 3: SM moves forward. All of his weight is on his left foot. His right foot is moving forward, knee bent. His sword is above his head in preparation for the attack. 4: SM plants his right foot a full stride forward - not a step, but a stride, about two and a half body widths. His weight is now on his right foot; his right knee is bent and his left leg is fully extended. (Be careful not to over-extend him! His legs should never change length, just bend.) The heel of his left foot is off the ground, but the ball and toe are still planted exactly where they were in frame 1. His sword is coming down for the attack. 5: SM's feet don't move. His sword comes fully down and finishes the attack. 6: SM pushes back with his right foot and starts moving back, pushing the left heel back down to the ground. The left toe is still exactly where it was in frame 1. His sword is pulled back as well. 7: SM returns his weight to his left foot, pulling his body and right foot back and pulling the hilt of the sword back to his waist. 8: SM plants his right foot and sword back where they were at the start, legs slightly bent and body slightly lowered to stabilize himself. This leads smoothly back into frame 1. Also: are you working at 64x34? That's really difficult. Try increasing your sprite size to 256x132; it should be much easier to work with, and since that's a multiple of your desired size it's easy to shrink it down to production size.
|
|
#
?
Jun 28, 2014 17:58
|
|
|
Besesoth posted:This is looking way better. But while having a walk cycle nailed down is a good tool, it's not the problem you're encountering in these animations. This guy: Thanks for the instructions! I tried to animate it as you specified, but i might have got it wrong, any case here's the result:  Hopefully i haven't read into what you said too literally. And yes, I'm currently using 64x34. I'll give what you said a go! Ash Crimson fucked around with this message at 19:00 on Jun 28, 2014 |
|
#
?
Jun 28, 2014 18:56
|
|
|
Chipp Zanuff posted:Thanks for the instructions! I tried to animate it as you specified, but i might have got it wrong, any case here's the result: I feel like his entire body should end up a pixel or two lower down at full extension with his leg forward than when he started, with his forward leg in a bit of a crouch rather than straight down. That'll compensate for his back leg being longer diagonally than when it's vertical at the start. MikeJF fucked around with this message at 19:03 on Jun 28, 2014 |
|
#
?
Jun 28, 2014 19:00
|
|
|
MikeJF posted:I feel like his entire body should end up a pixel or two lower down at full extension with his leg forward than when he started, with his forward leg in a bit of a crouch rather than straight down. That'll compensate for his back leg being longer diagonally than when it's vertical at the start. Done! It's probably difficult to tell at such a small/low level but i took your advice and added it to this edit:  Also added another blur-trail in the follow-up just before the attack. I was just wondering; does it still have the impact it had whilst he was walking? I'm also considering doing this with the spear guy, but i'll await further feedback incase there's anything else i need to correct/address.
|
|
#
?
Jun 28, 2014 23:53
|
|
|
Yes! This is excellent. Four tiny adjustments, but you're absolutely on the right track: 1: Lift his left heel (but not toe) off the ground while his body's in front of that foot. 2: His right foot (and the rest of his body) could go a little farther forward, but it's okay where it is. 3: You're lifting his body when he steps; bring it back down as his foot lands. 4: Make sure he's got follow-through with his sword; the tip of the sword should point at the ground in the last attack frame. (Right now it's angled up.) e: To see why I'm giving these notes, grab a stick (or, hey, a sword if you've got one) and try that movement. You'll feel your back heel come off the ground as you press forward (it's actually kind of hard to keep your heel on the ground in that position!); your body will drop to give power to the swing; and the follow-through means more weight in the swing (because you're not holding any back). Your spearman's going to have a slightly different step; it's the same basic motion, but he'll be pushing off his right foot instead (because he's stabbing, not slicing) and moving his left foot. SneezeOfTheDecade fucked around with this message at 00:40 on Jun 29, 2014 |
|
#
?
Jun 29, 2014 00:35
|
|
|
Besesoth posted:Yes! This is excellent. Four tiny adjustments, but you're absolutely on the right track: Thanks for the advice! I appreciate it immensely! Made this really quick edit with your advice in mind, hopefully the changes are noticable:  I decided to keep the sword down for the rest of the animation, as it looked more consistant with him finishing his attack.
|
|
#
?
Jun 29, 2014 00:55
|
|
|
Chipp Zanuff posted:Made this really quick edit with your advice in mind, hopefully the changes are noticable: Make the sword angle downwards at the end, and over the course of returning to his previous position, lift it back up. After this, I'd probably be happy with this animation myself. It's still slightly stiff, but that seems like part of the style rather than a flaw.
|
|
#
?
Jun 29, 2014 03:39
|
|
|
Red Mike posted:Make the sword angle downwards at the end, and over the course of returning to his previous position, lift it back up. After this, I'd probably be happy with this animation myself. It's still slightly stiff, but that seems like part of the style rather than a flaw. Like this?  I was thinking of using this as the basis of other melee attacks, would that be reasonable? Obviously there would be some changes depending on the size of the character and the weapon used. Edit: Also tried modifying the spear-guy like i said i would:  Hopefully the leg issue is addressed. Ash Crimson fucked around with this message at 10:22 on Jun 29, 2014 |
|
#
?
Jun 29, 2014 09:18
|
|
|
Chipp Zanuff posted:Like this? Way better. Plenty of impact. I'd be happy with that in a game.
|
|
#
?
Jun 29, 2014 10:22
|
|
|
Chipp Zanuff posted:Done! Hah, that's actually the opposite of what I meant - I meant to have him a pixel or two lower at his rightmost, after he finishes swinging out... but it kinda seems to work anyway right now. The bob certainly makes it a lot more dynamic.
|
|
#
?
Jun 29, 2014 10:37
|
|
|
Yeah like the whole thing should follow the energy of the motion. So on the downswing the head should also go down / slightly forward? It's looking great as is though, I'd be happy w that!
|
|
#
?
Jun 29, 2014 10:48
|
|
|
Red Mike posted:A bit too much, or too late. Either have it as angled 1 frame earlier, or have it angled less. Went with the latter:  Thanks so much for the help guys, I put my improvement down the help i have gotten from you and others on other forums and the patience you've all displayed.
|
|
#
?
Jun 29, 2014 10:59
|
|
|
Chipp Zanuff posted:Went with the latter: Lift up the heel on the back foot again, now that I noticed. It was there in an edit, but disappeared afterwards. I'd put your improvement down to the fact that you keep coming back and asking for tips, and accepting advice. Lots of people receive help on here, other forums, twitter, etc, and they quickly get defensive and stop applying what advice they receive.
|
|
#
?
Jun 29, 2014 14:32
|
|
|
Have zero experience with PA except from about 10 years ago where I made a half-assed teenage attempt at sprite editing so I could contribute to the glorious medium of Newgrounds sprite movies. Anyway, decided to dick around on Piskel; have to say I rather like the site for doing it. 
|
|
#
?
Jun 29, 2014 17:54
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 27, 2024 23:30 |
|
|
Red Mike posted:I'd put your improvement down to the fact that you keep coming back and asking for tips, and accepting advice. Lots of people receive help on here, other forums, twitter, etc, and they quickly get defensive and stop applying what advice they receive. Agreed. You're actively trying to better yourself, which is how you actually better yourself. It's been cool to see the real-time improvements, and it's helped me keep working at my own stuff. Also agreed on the "lift up the back heel" part. I've been tinkering around with an expanded palette a bit more and refined the monster I posted earlier. Mostly it's just better shading and additional details. I think it looks better than my last try, but again, I'm not sure it looks better than limited palette version (link, for reference).  I'll probably update the ground sprites once I figure out my palette.
|
|
#
?
Jun 29, 2014 21:49
|
|
