This is the twelfth and final part of a series of articles over 12 weeks span that covered my research and learning about the 2D animation program Cartoon Animator 5 created by Reallusion. I shared my learning journey including any problems or issues that occur. My end goal is to help you understand what you can do with Cartoon Animator 5 and perhaps try it out yourself. You can read the first week's article here.
Last week, I finally got the hang of bone rigging for my custom character, Jack, and started creating the first scene. In this final article, I share a fascinating discovery of a workflow you can use in CTA 5 to create a motion comic. Thanks to Reallusion mentor, Gary Pye. Also, I sum up my experience over the last 12 weeks using/learning CTA 5.
Thank you, Gary Pye!
After last week, I started production on the first scene of an action comic, Jack's Trip. Initially, I was loading all of the pieces of my scene into CTA 5 and then continuing production there. But while looking up something, I came across Gary Pye's very detailed workflow tutorial, How To Create Motion Comics With Cartoon Animator. I was bowled over. My whole idea of how to work with CTA was out in left field somewhere. Now, thanks to Gary, I know how to work effectively in CTA.
The process he shares is not all that complex. Essentially, it boils down to creating your layered scene as a .psd file, creating your rigged actor as a separate file, and bringing them both into CTA. The scene file is imported as a, you guessed it, scene file. And the character is a "free bone" actor (in my case). The advantage of this setup is that each .psd is already layered inside of CTA which makes workflow much easier. I also learned that if you are rigging a custom actor that has not been broken down into separate parts, you can up the density of the mesh in order to avoid awkward arm or leg joints.
Pre-visualization and Ideas for Subtle Motion
I took the time to create a pre-viz and shot list for Scene 1 of Jack's Trip. I don't draw very well, so excuse the quality. I plan on using Mid-Journey for all of the background shots. A quick note on the story: Jack arrives at the train station. See's a fortune-telling machine. inserts a nickel and gets the fortune, 'Your luck is about to change'.
All scenes will be created in Procreate (along with a few special effects like smoke) in layers and then brought into CTA 5 as a set/background. Gary Pye shows how you can use a layer in the scene to create subtle motion. I plan on doing this using a smoke brush in Procreate Jack's animation will be simple, too. I'll also add a specific color grade to the final scenes inside my preferred video editor, Da Vinci Resolve 18.5.
The key is to make the animation of the set and of Jack as subtle as possible. This also makes it easier for me as I don't have great animation skills.
Summing Up the Journey
Over the last 12 weeks, I've learned the basics of animation and scene creation inside of Cartoon Animator 5. This only real slowdown I had was on the rigging, but then again I think most people struggle with the process. Not because of CTA, but because it is so detailed. One mistake and nothing works. But I got beyond the rigging and moved into production. The discovery of Gary Pye's video on motion comics was a revelation and has gotten me excited about creating my short animated film. Originally, I wanted to do a Monty Python-style animation, but I found this too difficult to achieve, so I switched to a motion comic. I only wish I had another month to finish the scene so you all could see the result.
Why You Should Use Cartoon Animator
Customer service was excellent at Reallusion. I think this is important in evaluating a program as every system is different and if have problems, you need professional, timely help in how to solve them. The program itself is easy to use, but will also allow you to dive deep if you want advanced functions like rigging and camera work. The Reallusion marketplace has a lot of content to choose from, not to mention that you get a ton of stuff for free when you buy the program outright.
Although I didn't cover this over the 12 weeks, the rendering system in CTA is very good. You are given a wide array of choices as to format and the render speed on PC with a medium-level PC is fast. Plus, you can tinker with the render settings to create your own unique style. And I haven't even begun to explore the new additions to CTA 5 such as "spring bones" and SVG editing. That's what makes this program so great - it grows with you as you learn.
The timeline in CTA takes a bit of getting used to, but once you understand how it works, it's very effective in helping you to animate anything in your scene. Reallusion has put a lot of thought into CTA, so there are all kinds of shortcuts and custom features that make your workflow fast and easy. And perhaps one of the biggest selling points of CTA 5 is how it fits in with the other applications in the Reallusion stable. For example, you can use Character Creator to create a unique character and import it into CTA easily. Same with animation from iClone. The 3D to 2D animation process is so cool in CTA.
Finally, I'd like to thank Reallusion for allowing me to work with CTA 5 for 3 months. I have enjoyed it very much. I plan on making CTA a permanent part of my toolset. And I'm eager to continue working on the Jack's Trip short film in CTA. Perhaps I can share an update in a few months.
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