4/27/2005 09:41:57 PM|||jason|||So I had a bit of time today and I updated my greasePencil script.. it's a pretty fun hack for Maya which lets you "sketch" your animation before you actually animate it.
It's a total hack.. but it's good fun... you can add "sketch" frames and then draw with the mouse.. then go to another frame.. add another "sketch" plane.. draw some more, and the previous frame gets templated..
you can totally block out your animation with the tool. I'll try and get some images up soon, but in the meantime, here's where you get it:
http://jonhandhisdog.com/melScripts/js_greasePencil_2.mel
Some new features since the old one:
- Ability to change timing with new user interface
- Remembers the camera you were working with
- Can toggle visibility
- Can toggle ghosting
- Can "store" frames so they last through the entire animation.. let's you do a quick layout frame, and then still animate.
- Limited ability to translate and scale the plane
- snap to current frame by clicking in the interface
it's still pretty rough, so let me know if you have any problems or questions!
|||111466331731996067|||js_greasePencil_2.mel4/28/2005 10:30 AM||||||FYI I love the jsGrease pencil scripts. I use the first one extensivly. It has replaced the need to use a erasable marker directly on the screen, cause now I can make a view full screen and plot the points and return to a multi view layout. You defenitly can't do that with a dry erase marker directly on the screen. Thanks so much for these!4/28/2005 10:53 AM|||Ethan|||AWESOME, I loved the Grease Pencil, I'm sure I'll love the sequel!
One trick I use, I duplicate the camera that I work with, and call the new camera PencilTestCam. I then keep all my Grease Pencil drawings on that camera. That way if I want to switch the drawings on and off, I just switch cameras. I guess you could hide the drawings just as easily, but I find this works for me.4/28/2005 10:54 AM|||jason|||aha! now you don't have to do that.. you can just toggle the visibility. :)4/29/2005 2:57 AM|||David M|||It seems that is not working for me.
I tried to execute the script typing:
js_greasePencil_2
It opens to me a window. Then if I try to add a camera the whole maya crashes and closes. I get several errors if i don't create and try directly to say that i want to draw in my viewport
:(
I think that ur tool is awesome but i really want to have it working. What can I do Jason?4/29/2005 3:05 AM|||David M|||Some more info:
I'm using Maya 6.5 and i'm using a laptop P4 3.4Ghz, 1 Gb RAM.
:S4/29/2005 4:11 AM|||Anonymous|||Hello Jason!! I also absolutely love your tool, mainly because I come from classical animation background and this makes my work in 3d much more enjoyable!.I use one trick that´s awesome when I want to move or transform my drawings:I go to the Outliner and select the actual curves on the gp_Group.That´s also pretty useful when I want to add some interpolation in my sketches so I can pre visualize moving holds or even squash and stretch just like I would do in Flash.I wonder If it could be possible to do the same thing in the interface when you select a frame , also select the actual shape, so you can animate it like a normal object.
Thanks!!4/29/2005 7:35 AM|||jason|||heya david! make sure you're not on frame -1.. you have to be on frame 1 or above for it to work!
in the next version, I'll put a check in there to make sure.. :)
anonymous: great idea! I can certainly add a select button!4/29/2005 10:11 PM||||||Unbelievably great tool!4/30/2005 2:22 PM|||David M|||Great!!
Now is working well. Awesome Script! Thanks Jason!
;)5/05/2005 11:48 AM|||Anonymous|||Hi Jason,
This is Issam from Animation Mentor...I know, ur probably asking yourself "who the hell is Issam?? " lol...anyway, AWESOME tool man, can't thank you enough for it!
Issam.