Anime Studio
Encyclopedia
Anime Studio is a proprietary vector
-based 2D
animation
software for animators originally distributed by LostMarble, later by e frontier
. Since November 2007, Smith Micro Software
has distributed Anime Studio. The software comes in two different versions, named Anime Studio Debut and Anime Studio Pro, the first being restricted in terms of possible length and image size, as well as not having all the functions of the Pro version. Anime Studio is available for the Windows and Macintosh operating systems; as well as the English, French and German languages. Anime Studio Pro is available for Linux.
The software was originally developed under the name "Moho" since 1999 by Mike Clifton at LostMarble, the last Moho version 5.4 was identical with the first release of Anime Studio Pro. Current release version is 8.0. LostMarble is still the home of Papagayo
, a free lip sync software which works with Anime Studio.
Anime Studio is also capable of other styles of animation. It can export its animations as flash cartoon
s, create cutout-style animation
, and, within its restrictions, mimic some pencil-drawn animation. Since it features some basic 3D functionality, it can be seen as a 2½D program. Short films, especially those which tell their story in one scene, can be produced relatively quickly compared to other programs, because of the usage of vector morphing instead of frame-by-frame animation.
On Wed Jun 09, 2010, Smith Micro released Anime Studio 7, which adds features such as Physics, 3D creation, and improved interface.
Most recently the technology has been adapted to work on the iPhone and iPad in the form of an application called Sock Puppets. See link below. While the functionality is similar in that the objects on screen can lip-synch and can be animated through changes in screen position and resizing, the core of the Anime Studio functionality i.e. the "Bones" is not implemented. This is however an expansion of the application into yet more areas and styles of animation.
Vector graphics
Vector graphics is the use of geometrical primitives such as points, lines, curves, and shapes or polygon, which are all based on mathematical expressions, to represent images in computer graphics...
-based 2D
2D computer graphics
2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models and by techniques specific to them...
animation
Computer animation
Computer animation is the process used for generating animated images by using computer graphics. The more general term computer generated imagery encompasses both static scenes and dynamic images, while computer animation only refers to moving images....
software for animators originally distributed by LostMarble, later by e frontier
E Frontier
was founded in 1999 and is a major developer and publisher of graphic design and consumer entertainment titles. E Frontier is based in Tokyo, Japan. E Frontier develops Shade 3D, a modeling, rendering and animation software on Windows and Mac OS X....
. Since November 2007, Smith Micro Software
Smith Micro Software
Smith Micro Software, Inc. , founded in 1983 by William W. Smith, Jr., is a diversified developer and marketer of both enterprise and consumer-level software solutions and services...
has distributed Anime Studio. The software comes in two different versions, named Anime Studio Debut and Anime Studio Pro, the first being restricted in terms of possible length and image size, as well as not having all the functions of the Pro version. Anime Studio is available for the Windows and Macintosh operating systems; as well as the English, French and German languages. Anime Studio Pro is available for Linux.
The software was originally developed under the name "Moho" since 1999 by Mike Clifton at LostMarble, the last Moho version 5.4 was identical with the first release of Anime Studio Pro. Current release version is 8.0. LostMarble is still the home of Papagayo
Papagayo (software)
Papagayo is a free Lip-syncing software made in Python for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. It works by importing an audio file, as well as writing the text for the audio and placing it accordingly. The program then uses a built-in dictionary to select the appropriate mouth for the spoken...
, a free lip sync software which works with Anime Studio.
Anime Studio is also capable of other styles of animation. It can export its animations as flash cartoon
Flash cartoon
A Flash animation or Flash cartoon is an animated film which is created using Adobe Flash or similar animation software and often distributed in the .swf file format. The term Flash animation not only refers to the file format but to a certain kind of movement and visual style which, in many...
s, create cutout-style animation
Cutout animation
Cutout animation is a technique for producing animations using flat characters, props and backgrounds cut from materials such as paper, card, stiff fabric or even photographs...
, and, within its restrictions, mimic some pencil-drawn animation. Since it features some basic 3D functionality, it can be seen as a 2½D program. Short films, especially those which tell their story in one scene, can be produced relatively quickly compared to other programs, because of the usage of vector morphing instead of frame-by-frame animation.
On Wed Jun 09, 2010, Smith Micro released Anime Studio 7, which adds features such as Physics, 3D creation, and improved interface.
Most recently the technology has been adapted to work on the iPhone and iPad in the form of an application called Sock Puppets. See link below. While the functionality is similar in that the objects on screen can lip-synch and can be animated through changes in screen position and resizing, the core of the Anime Studio functionality i.e. the "Bones" is not implemented. This is however an expansion of the application into yet more areas and styles of animation.
Features
- Anime Studio features layers of different types for artwork as well as for grouping and switching assets. Layers can be animated in perspective.
- Layer ordering can be animated (since v5.6)
- Camera movements.
- Pressure-sensitive tablets in combination with brush shapes can be used to create natural-looking strokes. Artwork created in Anime Studio is resolution-independent.
- The animator can create a skeleton of Bones to which pieces of artwork are attached. The skeleton works with inverseInverse kinematicsInverse kinematics is a subdomain of kinematics, which is of particular interest in robotics and computer animation. In contrast to forward kinematics, which calculates the position of a body after a series of motions, inverse kinematics calculates the motions necessary to achieve a desired...
and forward kinematicsForward kinematicsForward kinematics is computation of the position and orientation of robot's end effector as a function of its joint angles. It is widely used in robotics, computer games, and animation. The reverse process is known as inverse kinematics....
and makes it easier to animate characters. - Tweening of all layer, vector shapes, and bone animation.
- Physics Now has a physics engine.
- Styles for outlines and fills.
- Masks are possible.
- Anime Studio has some 3D abilities, useful for multiplane cameraMultiplane cameraThe multiplane camera is a special motion picture camera used in the traditional animation process that moves a number of pieces of artwork past the camera at various speeds and at various distances from one another...
effects and even complex set building. - Anime Studio supports several file formats to import pictures and video. Alpha channels of PNG and video files are recognised.
- Multiple soundtracks can be added. In combination with PapagayoPapagayo (software)Papagayo is a free Lip-syncing software made in Python for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. It works by importing an audio file, as well as writing the text for the audio and placing it accordingly. The program then uses a built-in dictionary to select the appropriate mouth for the spoken...
Anime Studio provides automatic lip sync. - Anime Studio exports films to .swf, but without certain effects which are not part of the .swf file format. Export to video or image includes everything and can be done in any resolution. Videos can be rendered with an alpha channel.
- Most tools are completely scriptable (in Lua (programming language)).
See also
- Express AnimatorExpress AnimatorAwesome Animator is a software program for making animations, primarily Flash animations for websites. It is similar to Adobe's Flash MX software but has additional features such as skeletal animation and exporting to Silverlight and Canvas HTML5 for the iPad. The latest version supports...
- ToufeeToufeeToufee is flash movie creating/editing software that is distributed online. It is an online software which runs inside the browser, so it is compatible with Windows, GNU/Linux and Macintosh operating systems. It contains features such as text effects, image transitions, audio/video support, and...
- Toon Boom AnimationToon Boom AnimationToon Boom Animation Inc. is a Canadian software company that specializes in animation production software. Founded in 1994 and based in Montreal, Quebec, Toon Boom develops animation and storyboarding software for film, television, web animation, games, mobile devices, and training applications...
- List of 2D animation software