ANIMATION/VIDEOS – Learning Moho Pro 12 Tutorial 1.5 Animation
This is the last of the tutorials. It’s on using Moho to actually animate.
Man, did I struggle with this one. There’s some animating clouds which is another way of animating vector points while they move across the screen.
Then there’s animating the rigged character so he jumps up and down. I’m used to animating everything by hand and moving characters with bones, isn’t as easy as I would like.
It should be but it isn’t. I need to get used to it. In any case, I make it through the last part of the tutorial and I’m ready to try tackling more.
When I do another video of this kind, I’ll probably be working on more advanced things.
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ANIMATION/VIDEOS – Learning Moho Pro 12: Tutorial 1.4 Bone Setup
The unique thing about most modern animation programs like Moho Pro 12 is their ability to “rig” a drawing for animation. By “rig” I mean, you attach bones to your drawing so that you can warp and move your drawing. This way, you don’t have to redraw as much as you would traditionally.
In this week’s video I learn the Moho Pro 12 process of adding bones to a character so that it can be animated. It’s really very simple…at least in theory. Once you need to get into a more complicated rig, things get a bit more involved. Fortunately, I don’t deal with any of that in this video.
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When it comes to animation, creating great looking characters and having them move around, is what it’s all about. So far I’ve seen how to create simple shapes and add gradients. But what about more complicated designs?
Well that’s what I look at this in this tutorial. We find out the best method to use when building characters in Moho.
I say “building” and not “drawing” because, well drawing is not putting vector points on a screen. It feels nothing like drawing. It feels more like playing with Legos. So yeah, “building.”
In the tutorial, I build clouds and trees using the program. Have a look.
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Recently having bought Moho Pro 12, I realized I didn’t know anything about the interface and what I need to do to get anything done. So I decided to follow along with the pdf tutorial that came with the program.
This video is all about following along with the 1.2 part of that tutorial. In this video I’ll draw clouds and trees using the vector points.
This seems to be the best way to build images using Moho Studio.
Notice I said “build images” and not “draw things.” This is because, when using vector points, you’re not really drawing anything. You’re building it out of the vector points.
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VIDEO/ANIMATION – Learning Moho Pro 12: Tutorial 1.1 A Quick Run-Through
I’ve picked up a copy of Moho Pro 12. I have absolutely have no idea how to use it at all.
I’ve got so many other things I have to do, like make how to draw Youtube videos that I had no idea when I would have the time to learn the program.
Well…the animation program and learning to draw are complementary subjects, so I thought I’d teach myself the program using the tutorial that comes with the program and record my progress.
This video serves three purposes:
Helps me learn the program,
Helps YOU learn the program,
Show’s you what the program is all about.
So join me as we learn to use Moho Pro 12.
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If you liked this video and would like me to discuss something you think I might know about…
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ANIMATION/SUPERHEROES – 3 Reasons to Watch Justice League Gods and Monsters
As you may already know, I love watching superhero animated movies. Especially DC ones. I must admit though, when I heard that Bruce Timm was doing a much “darker,” Justice League animated movie for Warner Brothers called Justice League: Gods and Monsters I wasn’t thrilled.
I really didn’t see the point of making the Justice League grittier. When I read the interviews with Bruce Timm around the internet, I still didn’t know if I liked what I heard. I think, deep down, what I was hearing from these interviews was the whole notion that was done to death in the 90s of “EXTREME!” superheroes.
“These aren’t your ordinary, wimpy heroes, they kill the bad guys because they’re EXTREME!”
Then the Machinima website helped produced some shorts that gave you a taste of what this very different Justice League was like. If you haven’t seen them, here they are below:
https://youtu.be/tpu6yPAFHrs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYSxN4ezhO4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOWLqnjFN64
Okay so I was intrigued after watching the shorts, but they are exactly what I thought they would be, it’s Justice League EXTREME.
That said, it still made me want to watch the movie, not because these characters crossed moral lines but simply because they were so very different from what I was used to.
Having watched Justice League: Gods and Monsters, I can say that I was blown away. I’m so very glad I bought it. It’s a fantastic movie.
Yes, it’s very much in that EXTREME superhero genre, but it’s actually really well done in spite of that. Here’s three reasons why you should give this movie a go:
The Story
The promotional material I saw for this movie mainly focused on the how the world and the characters where different. Going in, I really didn’t have any idea what this movie was going to be about.
This was great because when I finally watched it, I was intrigued all the way through. There’s so many fun revelations and twists through out the movie.
The best part, is how it all comes together in the end. I was very impressed. The fact that the characters where so different from what you’re familiar with really created a great tension through out the movie.
I was really satisfied. It was very well written.
It’s Unexpected
You simply don’t know what’s going to happen next or how these Justice League characters will react. The fact that they’re blank slates and you’re getting to know them means you don’t know what to expect.
You’re also constantly discovering what this world’s version of other traditional characters are like. This makes watching the movie really fun. Full of unexpected cameos and surprising revelations.
The Characters
Which brings me to the characters themselves. I honestly didn’t think I’d like them as much as I did.
As Bruce Timm says in an interview, the fact that these characters are not Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince, makes it easier to accept the actions the characters take. He was right.
In spite of the killing, they came across as very relatable. They are flawed but they’re trying to do good. And because they weren’t the tradition characters, I was more willing to let them have their flaws.
Once the movie was over, I couldn’t help but want to read or watch more stories with them.
Final Thoughts
If you’re on the fence about Justice League: Gods and Monsters, don’t be. It’s absolutely worth watching. It’s also absolutely not for kids.
It’s a fun movie. You’ll have a really good time watching it. Now that I’ve written so much about it, I think I’ll watch it again tonight.
Have you seen the movie? What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below.
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I now have my answer but before I can give it, I have to go through the pros and cons that make up the show.
I need to judge it on it’s own merits. There’s a lot to like about the show and there’s a few things that could be better.
This is tricky thing to write for me since I met and have become acquainted with the character designers of the show. They’re a bunch of great hard working guys.
Saying any cons can be taken as an insult. I don’t meant it this way at all.
I’ll try to be as objective and even handed as I can be about the show. I’m going to begin with the cons and then move on to the pros in order to end this in a positive note.
After that I’ll answer the question. I will say this before I begin though, I did enjoy watching this show.
Cons
Inconsistency
I think perhaps the worst thing about the show is it’s inconsistency. I’m not sure exactly who this show is for.
On the one hand, the look of the show is such that it seems like a serious comic books show.
On the other hand, it’s often really goofy, silly and comical. Sometimes at very inappropriate times in the story. This causes moments of peril in the show to lose their drama, taking away all tension, causing me to lose engagement.
So is this a serious show with comedic moments or a silly show with occasional dramatic moments? Well, neither, because is doesn’t do any of those thing very well.
Once in a while a comedic moment is truly funny and I laugh, but most of the time it just seems forced. Like they HAVE to add humor.
Yet, I haven’t watched an episode that really pulled my emotional heart strings. I can tell it wants to but it fails to do so.
And there are episodes that are really great to watch, and then there’s other’s that are simply just there and don’t do anything for me.
There’s an occasional episode where the story attempts something unique and deep. Then there are the episodes where the moral is so obvious, heavy handed and preachy that the characters literally say something like, “Today I learned that I shouldn’t lie.”
So is this a show for kids? Then why does it look like it’s a more serious show? Wouldn’t it be better if it was more cartoony looking so it would appeal to them?
And if it’s for teenagers or older, why is it written so heavy handed and preachy?
It looks similar to animated shows like Young Justice and The Legend of Korra , but the feel of some episodes come across like an episode of Super Hero Squad . Sure, I’m exaggerating. It’s not THAT bad. I’m only saying it to make a point.
The bad guys where inconsistent too. When new bad guys are introduced, they would take out the team single handed, but then they join The Red Skull and suddenly they can be taken on by one or two heroes.
It’s just really inconsistent.
The Characters
Okay, this shouldn’t be a con. I mean, it’s got Ironman, Captain America, Thor, The Hulk, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and Falcon. They’re great characters, but, I can’t really say I cared much about them.
In the first few episodes of the show, none of the characters had a unique personality. They where all the same. Their dialogue could have been interchangeable.
Every character was snarky. Including Captain America. Every bit of dialogue was a quip. It was meant to show wit but what it did was make everyone unlikeable.
Around the fourth episode, this stopped and the characters started to come into their own. I ended up liking them a bit more. By the time the season ended, they where much better.
Still, the character I like least on the show is Ironman. I find him really unappealing.
The relationships between the characters never seemed genuine. It always felt superficial. Thor and Hulk always tried to prove who was stronger and Hawkeye and Hulk always fought over cookies. Ironman and Captain America argued about technology, and Falcon felt like the new guy.
That’s it.
The show never really got deeper than that. All the relationships where shallow. I couldn’t help wishing for more depth. More drama, more…of a soap opera. The best superhero stories are soap operas.
Oh, and I’m sorry but some of the characters in the villain group The Circus of Crime in episode “Crime and Circuses” were just dumb. I’m looking at you Human Cannonball.
Pros
All those cons may make you think I don’t like the show. Truth is, I did enjoy it. The problems I’ve pointed out above are said because I like the show and want it to be even better.
So here are the pros…
The Designs
I like the designs of the show. As I’ve stated above, I’ve met the designers and Jeff Wasmester is an acquaintance of mine. I love it when I see a drawing on the show that is obviously his. He’s such ridiculously good artist.
My favorite design is Ironman. He just looks darn cool.
The show just has a good feel to it.
I congratulate the design team on the look of the show. It’s tough to work in that heroic animated style without making the characters designs look dull.
Avengers Assemble doesn’t have that problem.
Fun Stories
As many cons as there may have, the stories in this series are actually really fun to watch. There’s some really good stuff in here.
Some of my favorites kinda run the gamut between fairly serious and comedic.
They are:
Hyperion – The Avengers basically fight Superman. Good stuff. Hyperion is so awesome. Too bad he’s never this powerful again on in other episodes.
Depth Charge – The Avengers fight Attuma, the master of the ocean (why not Submariner?). Attuma is pretty powerful in this episode, he’s never this powerful in any other episode again.
Doomstroyer – Oh man, this one is over the top, crazy powerful Doctor Doom. A lot of fun.
Hulk’s Day Out – Probably the best of the lighthearted comedic episodes. One of the few. Good character based episode as well.
Planet Doom – Great alternate earth story of a world taken over by Doctor Doom. Some of the coolest character designs on the show too.
Mojo World – Hulk and Hawkeye end up in War World….uh, no that’s DC,…I mean “Mojo World.” There’s a touch of Planet Hulk in this episode.
The Ambassador – Probably the best episode in the series. I loved this one. Capt. America has to protect Doctor Doom from the other super villains. Great stuff.
All-Fathers-Day – This one is just a good comic book fight story. Odin show up and lots of fighting occurs. But the fighting is very cool. Another good character based story.
So yeah, there’s a some fun stories worth watching in this show.
Better Than Avengers: Earth’s Mightest Heroes?
Now, there’s the elephant in the room to address.
Having watched both Avenger: Earth’s Mightest Heroes and Avengers: Assemble, is Assembled better than or as good as Earth’s Mightiest?
But it’s definitely better than Ultimate Spider-man and Wolverine and the X-Men. I’d consider it the third best Marvel animated TV series. Which is pretty good.
Still, it’s very odd because there’s a scene in the episode “Molecule Kid” where they do a flashback and the character designs look like they did in Earth’s Mightest Heroes. So are they implying that Avengers: Assemble is a continuation of the Earth’s Mightest? Because they absolutely feel like completely different shows.
It’s confusing.
Worth Your Time?
Is this show worth watching?
I say yes.
I liked it. I really wanted it to be as good as Earth’s Mightest but it’s not. It’s its own thing. That’s okay. What’s here is worth while. I can’t wait to see next season.
You should give it a try and make up your own mind.
Today I’m writing about the best computer generated animated movies that have come out in recent years.
This type of animated film is relatively new, but it’s really taken animated storytelling and managed to broaden it greatly. Especially in the eyes of mainstream audiences.
You’d think this list would be dominated only by Pixar and Dreamworks films. Well, you’d almost be right, but I decided to clump some of the Pixar and Dreamworks CG films into series. This frees up the list to allow other great CG films to get put on the list.
So let’s get started.
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There have been many directors who have attempted to make motion capture movies that look right. Beowulf,Polar Express, A Christmas Carol, all have gone into the “uncanny valley” territory, that happens when the you rely too heavily on the computer to do all the work.
This has made these movies, not only ugly, but not worth watching.
Along came Tin Tin. A motion capture CG movie done right.
Tin Tin does away with the attempt of making it’s characters super realistic. Also, when watching Tin Tin, it becomes obvious that the animators enhanced and touched up the motion capture until it looked just right.
I’m pretty sure they added and took away from the performances to make it all work. THIS is how motion capture is done well. When motion capture and animators work together in harmony to make something animate look right.
On top of that, the movie was directed by none other than Steven Spielberg. The movie comes across like an adventure movie in the same vain as his best Indiana Jones movies. It’s so much fun.
More animated movies should be in this genre. I’m looking forward to the sequel.
Rango was a unexpected surprise. A great western told with animals.
The unique look and feel of this movie was fascinating. It was odd, quirky, and fun.
Watching Rango, I wasn’t expecting much of anything, but it was a great surprise. Fun story, interesting characters, a unique genre. It really blew me away.
It became one of my favorite CG movies. A must watch for anyone who’s a fan of CG animated movies and westerns.
I have to admit, I’m a little bias about this one. I went to Sony animation studio to visit a friend when this movie was in development. I had lunch with the concept artists and I was blown away by the concept art for this movie.
This movie is totally fun and completely underrated. Mostly because it has been overshadowed another movie with singing and dancing penguins, whose name we will not mention.
Surf’s Up is nothing like that other movie.
So much of the dialogue is improvised by the actors. It’s funny, and that art direction is beautiful. The character designs are fantastic, the animation acting it awesome.
Also the water effects are pretty spectacular.
This movie is great. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it.
Oh boy, this movie rocks. One of the funniest CG animated movies ever.
It also doesn’t actually look like a typical CG movie. It actually looks like the movie was animated using Legos
It’s a surprisingly deeper movie than it seems at first.
It was written and directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the guys who brought us Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. A movie that also belongs on this list (only if it was on this list Tin Tin would be knocked off so I’m mentioning it here.)
This movie is super awesome. It’s about Legos and who doesn’t love Legos?
I had to put at least one Disney movie in this list. Tangled made my list for a few reasons. It’s a typical Disney formula princes movie that actually works well.
The art direction is beautiful. I love the colors.
I like the character designs of the protagonists a lot.
And it’s the last Disney movie Glen Keane worked on before he left Disney.
If you were to watch a CG Disney movie, this is the one I’d recommend. Yes, I like it more than Frozen.
Again, I’m clumping all the movies together here for the same reason I clumped the Toy Story movies.
I love Kung Fu, and I love animated action movies. These movies combine the things I love and makes them work really well in an action comedy environment.
These movies where a great idea, well executed.
Great action, great story, great designs, fantastic animated acting. You can’t go wrong.
It’s tough for a CG movie to beat this movie for me. It has superheroes in it, great look, a great setting, fantastic characters, amazing action, and exciting and moving story, and it’s so relateable.
The acting is amazing, it’s funny…it’s got a great director…I mean, it’s just so good.
It’s absolutely the best CG movie made so far. It’s a tough movie to beat.
What are Your Thoughts?
Did I miss your favorite? Have you seen all these movies? Do you think I’m missing anything?
If you want the best of the best, read that post. I won’t be writing about any of those movies in this list. Instead I’ll be writing about all the other movies that didn’t make that list.
The first of the DC animated movies. This one still holds up. It’s a great story, although it’s a tad predictable and Bruce Wayne seem a little out of character.
The character designs look a bit dated compared to the much more sleek designs in later movies.
The uncut version of this is pretty darn awesome. By far one of the best of the animated superhero movies. Sleek designs, a cool story with an incredible dramatic twist.
The portrayal of the Joker in this movie is one of the darkest. It’s a very intense movie and the hand drawn special effect are worth studying.
Alright, so this movie is really bad. It just isn’t very good. It’s the story of how Doomsday kills Superman.
The problem is that this story was done so much better in the Superman Animated Series. It had so much more resonance and pathos than this movie had and it was produced by the same people.
All that said, it’s a guilty pleasure because it’s got some of the best superhero fighting in an animated superhero movie.
People who think that the destruction of Metropolis in the live action Man of Steel was excessive, obviously haven’t seen this movie.
The movie looks great, and there’s some really good acting moments in it. Especially in the character of Lois Lane.
Is it worth watching?
Only if you watch it to see some great fights. Otherwise, pass.
Based on the comic by Darwin Cooke that, I’m ashamed to say, I haven’t read yet. It made me curious about how much better the comic might be.
I thought this movie was okay but it wasn’t as good I heard the comic was. Thing is, I think the movie spoiled the comic for me and I didn’t much like the story here.
Batman’s voice was weird and the story was a bit upsetting somehow.
I loved the designs and the era this movie took place in. It’s visually a fantastic movie.
Is it worth watching?
Sort of. It’s not the best thing out there but it’s neat.
Batman goes anime in this anthology. This is basically a Japanese retelling of the Batman Animated Series episode Legends of the Dark Knight.
It’s also following in the footsteps of the Animatrix animated anthology. It allows Japanese animation directors to tell their version of a Batman story.
I like anime but I wasn’t very impressed with this movie. I don’t even own a copy. I though it was interesting but I’d rather watch the animated series version. It was much more fun.
Is it worth watching?
I think so, if your a Batman fan and want to see interesting takes on the character.
I love Ed McGinnis’ artwork, however, I don’t think it translates very well into animation. At least, not in the way it was translated in this movie.
I find a lot of the characters designs in this movie not to my taste. Especially Powergirl.
All that said, this is one of the more entertaining superhero animated movies DC has put out. It’s adapted from a Superman/Batman comic written by Jeph Loeb that’s just as fun to read.
Yet another adaptation of a story from the Superman/Batman comics written by Jeph Loeb.
This time the art style was an adaptation of the late Micheal Turner’s. Unfortunately, I’m not a big fan of his style.
For some reason, the first time I watched it, it really left a bad impression. I had a difficult time liking it.
However, I’ve changed my mind about it now. I really enjoy it. Especially because is has some of the best Wonder Woman fighting scenes in any animated DC product out there.
This is a Green Lantern animated anthology. It’s actually quite fun.
Nathan Fillion voices Hall Jordan and fits the part perfectly.
The character designs are fantastic, the animation is great, and the short stories are fun. However, if you’re not much of a fan of Green Lantern and the Green Lantern Corp, you might not like this.
This one is an adaptation of Mark Waid’s Tower of Babel, Justice League story line. It’s one of my all time favorite Justice League stories.
When I heard they were going to do an animated version, I was thrilled. The movie even has the same character designs as my favorite animated superhero TV show, Young Justice.
However, when I actually watched the movie, it simply wasn’t the same as the comic. They changed it just enough to make the story too different from it’s comic book counterpart, for me.
Is it worth watching?
Only if you’re a completest like me. Otherwise, pass.
This movie has cured me from ever wanting to draw gigantically buff superheroes ever again. The dudes in this movie are HUGE.
It’s an interesting story. It’s a lot of fun to watch. I read the comics this movie was adapted from and they did a great job of capturing the essence of the comics.
It has, hands down, one of the most badass versions of Aquaman in any animated anything. He’s awesome and super scary.
After watching this movie, you’ll never see Aquaman the same way again. Respect the Aquaman.
This movie is a Flash movie however. And he’s a great character to watch.
Is it worth watching?
Yeah. It basically ushers in the New 52 era of animated superhero movies.
The very different designs continues with this adaptation of the New 52 Justice League comic, written by Geoff Johns.
I was disappointed with this movie.
This is also one of the worst depictions of Wonder Woman in any of the animated movies or series. She comes across a bit dopey and her costume looks awful.
This is also the movie that introduced the Batman chin piece, that just looks weird.
There where a few laughs but…this movie just didn’t do it for me.
Is it worth watching?
Pass on this one.
EDIT 01/01/2015:
I’ve recently re-watched this movie. I also had the chance to read the comic is was based on. My thoughts have changed.
I still don’t like the designs as much, and Wonder Woman still comes across dopey. Turns out that bit is actually straight out of the comics. Yet, the second time around, I ended up enjoying this movie.
For starters, compared to the comic version, this movie is fantastic.
But, the reason I ended up changing my mind after I watched it the second time, it’s a fun beat ’em up. That’s all it really is, the Justice League fighting each other and fighting bad guys. It’s mindless and fun. If you go into it wanting more, you’ll be disappointed like I was initially.
This movie should really be called “Suicide Squad” the animated movie, but no one would have bought that, so they use Batman’s name on the title.
This is basically a Oceans 11 with DC super villains.
The Suicide Squad is a group of super villains assembled by the government to do suicide mission in exchange for pardons. Bombs are implanted in their heads so they stay in line and follow orders during the mission.
The team has made an appearance in the Smallville TV show and on the Arrow TV show. Warners is also planning a live action movie.
This particular movie takes place in the “Batman: Arkham” video game universe.
I have to say, I didn’t expect much when I put it in to watch the movie but I ended up loving it. It’s a great story. A lot of fun. Very violent, so it’s not for kids.
I like the designs on most of the characters. The take on each character is great.
The protagonist of the movie is not Batman but Deadshot. He’s the lead and he’s very cool. Batman is secondary character. This is a good thing. It makes him even more mysterious.
This is definitely one of the best animated superhero movies Warners has produced in a while.
Is it worth watching?
Absolutely
Thought?
What do you think? Which movies do you like most?
Leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts on some of these movies.