This is for the stickman groupies...

[RUSHVision]

Okay so I really shouldn't have taken the time to do this, but there has been a lot of questions lately about how to create stickmen with Swift3D. Here is a stickman that I made in Swift3D with a Matrix style camera animation.

Here is a link to the .zip with the .t3d file if you want to download it and take a look at it.

[dmb_87]

Nice stickman, but its not what i had in mind, here have a look at this: http://www.hodgers.com/xiaoxiao/xiaoxiao7.swf it appears as if his stickmen are drawed in flash and only the scenery was done in swift3d. I just want to make something like at the part where he walks up those stairs after throwing the knife the camera is on front view then it changes to side view while he kicks that guy. Any ideas?

[gerbick]

exactly. they are drawn in flash, and done frame by frame. there are NO fast ways of doing it. but the questions, as Rush answered, are all in the 3D sections. the file he's providing will answer the matrix scene and stick figures rotation.

thanks Rush for providing a good example

[dmb_87]

hehe i know how to rotate the camera and stuff its just, how did he manage to make his stickman stay in that position while the camera rotated around him thats what i like to know cause i know how to make a stickman in swift 3d and rotate around that its just the stickman looks better in flash then in swift hehe.

[gerbick]

ok. think the scene out. the animation of the character and the animation of the room (honestly, the camera). with that in mind... animate the person. have some keyframes where there are absolutely no motion/animation in the character. that's when you will animate the room in the matrix spin movement. continue the animation of the person when you have finished the camera move.

besides reading the user's guide, I would suggest also looking up a bit of information on how they do the "matrix" style stop animation online as well. as you will find out, it's a series of camera's that "swoop" around the object or character, and then continue on the last camera...

just a thought.

[MCMaloy]

How Do i Draw In Swift 3D v.2.00?
Im New And i Don't know any thing.

[gerbick]

MCMaloy, what do you want to draw? Also, have you read the user guide yet?

[dmb_87]

ok well i read the users guide and stuff and i know swift 3D off the back of my head its just so weird how he did that hehe. Do u think u could build something like that but basic like guy in flash and spin the scene in swift?

[MCMaloy]

Noooo, and i don't want to it makes me more confuzed.

[gerbick]

Originally posted by MCMaloy
Noooo, and i don't want to it makes me more confuzed.

well, hate to sound rude; however, if you don't know the tools or the layout of the program, then you won't be able to follow any instructions. Sorta like not reading how to drive a stick shift car, and then wanting a passenger to ride in the passenger seat and tell you how to drive.

you will learn, but it's quicker if you familiarize yourself to the toolset first.

besides, how can you not want to read an user guide that introduces itself as Nick?

As far as tutorials, the example files that came with the program, and the files that you tutorial files that you can obtain when you go to the customer only site would be a great visual way for you to get started.

good luck.

[dmb_87]

do u think u could make a flash stick man( in flash) walk front say a front view then rotate it to the side view while that stickman still walks in his same direction? cause thats pretty much what i want to do. i know both programs quite well just can't seem to get this together watch that video of xiao xiao after he walks up those stairs that a perfect example except without that kick. Thats exactly what i want to do.

heres the link once more hehe i love this movie

http://www.hodgers.com/xiaoxiao/xiaoxiao7.swf

[gerbick]

dmb_87, what programs do you have? do you have an animation of a man walking?

[gerbick]

in fact... I'm gonna ask another question. have you even looked at Rushvision's example? It fits the "xiaoxiao" example you're flashing around.

maybe if you just play around with that, a source file, you can see the technique to accomplish what you are trying to do.

maybe I'm just missing something?

[dmb_87]

i have flash 5 and swift 3d v2. and yes i can make a man walking in flash 5 frame by frame on a scene created in swift 3d i can even rotate the camera while he walks i just can't keep him walking in that same direction while turning my camera. o by the way gerbick i added u too my icq ok i just need ur authentication if thats ok with u .
[Edited by dmb_87 on 02-27-2002 at 02:30 AM]

[gerbick]

let's see an example.

[dmb_87]

ok il make u one later im going to bed now tho ok hehe thanks for your help and il post it when i wake up. il show u what happens exactly when i rotate camera

[dmb_87]

Changed my mind. heres something i put together in 2minutes to show u ok.

http://www.escalix.com/freepage/dextersshack/walk.swf

i created the stick man in flash made him walk while rotating the camera but doesn't come close to the one of xxiao's 7th movie hehe. rush's stick man was created in swift but xioas stick man when the camera turned it was still flash. his whole movie is flash when the camera turns its all swift with flash objects now u get wha im trying to say heh
[Edited by dmb_87 on 02-27-2002 at 03:18 AM]

[RUSHVision]

gerbick ~ my virtual hat goes off to you, my friend. You display the patience of a saint.

dmb_87 ~ I think I have found your problem. You need to change the foundation of the way you are thinking. You have all the tools you need to do what you describe...Swift3D and Flash. There is one other that you are neglecting, however, and it can be one of the most difficult to find amongst all the others that are housed in your computer. This is because it is not in your computer at all. Bear with me here, because this is going to get a little deep...

It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that there is a piece of software that will create art for you. There are literally thousands of programs out there that will allow you to create the individual elements that make up a piece of art. There is not one, however, that will actually create art. It is you who has to put the pieces together in such a way that it conveys the message you intend. And this is where we come to the part where we solve the mystery of the missing tool..

The last tool you need to start utilizing is your ability to visualize 3D space. It is your inner sense of motion, form and color. It is your ability to breathe life into the vision that burns in your mind's eye. This is not always an easy thing to do. It is like a muscle, perhaps one that you don't use very often and aren't even aware of until you overwork it and it begins to throb a little bit. The part of your project that you keep asking about in different ways is just like this muscle. It is a specific part of your mind that takes over once you have created your pieces (in Flash and Swift3D) and allows you to bind them together into a cohesive whole. It is a matter of visualizing the entire sequence in your head and then creating the pieces to make it happen. While simplistic in some respects, the "xiaoxiao" example required some advanced conception skills. There is a very nice flow to the action and the soundtrack is very well synced. It is also pretty impressive that the whole package is only 842k.

You have the pieces of your project that the software can provide...the scene with the camera animations created in Swift3D and Flash for drawing your stick figure. It is now you who has to adjust the lines for your stick figure in each frame in Flash to look as if it is part of the action and looks correct in respect to the camera angle as it pans around the room. This is a matter of practice and patience. There is a reason why everyone doesn't work at Disney. Animation is a skill and it must be developed like any other.

It may be helpful to you to create several stick figures in Swift3D in various poses and stages of walking or running. Each figure would be a separate file of a different pose. You could then group all the objects that make up the stick figure and give it a simple rotation. Render this out and then take it into an interface you have made in Flash that has a stop and a play button, maybe an advance and back button if you want to go crazy. I hope I am explaining this clearly enough, but what you would end up with is a number of files that you could use for visual reference when you are drawing your stick figure in Flash. When the camera pans around, you could open up the file with the appropriate pose and take it to the frame where it matches the camera angle in your movie. This would help you visualize how the figure would look from different angles.

Other than taking a class in perspective drawing, there is not much more we can help you with. You are basically asking "How do I draw?". There is just no shortcut for developing your ability to draw and animate 2D or 3D objects. First closely examine the picture in your mind of how the figure should look as the camera changes angles and then go about making the figure in Flash match the picture in your mind.

Be sure to post your work as you progress!

[98svt]

Here's one solution, drop him an email?



Mike

[soulraver187]

Hmm well i dont know if anyone is still checking this post but i hope so, im trying to make simple stick men, mabie a little matrix effects and camra spining, but basic kung-fu fighting, 2 stickmen, pretty short, iv tryed to start in flash and do frame by frame, but it took me forever just to get the guy moving, and it looked bad, im gonna try again now but anyways how do you spin the camera and make matrix effects? its in swift 3d right? oh well if no one replys ill just do what i can