is it possible to make good walk cycle of any good character in toon boom without using grahic tablet ?
is it the only way to create walk cyle by sketching all frames , does toon boom help us to make walk cyle like animations ?
how can we make a character by placing its parts in different drawing element , is it not difficult ? i really need a tutorial which teach me that how a character be composed into several part so one can easily anmate its parts by peg things !
thanks !
Yes, you can draw using the mouse. It is possible although most people prefer using a tablet. You can also draw on paper and scan and import your art.
No, there are many other ways including using cut out characters as digital puppets. See my next answer to learn more:
Watch these tutorial videos they will help you understand the concepts. CUT OUT TUTORIALS Hope this helps -JK
thank u so much JK - TGRS , i really appreciate it 
i downloaded all video clips what i basically understand is that we have to sketch our character one time seperately on each drawing element then we will do cut out animation with the help of toon boom studio , right ?
sir i hv another very simple question …how can we make a loop for any element , like when we do in flash with go to frames …just like that i want to make loop of certain frames in my animation …for example if i want to make this kind of movie clip http://www.toonboom.com/showcase/index.php?type=mov&id=cellphone&Solo_Customer_Productions=& , then i think i must make a background of trees , plants along each side of the road …which is repeatedly played after certain period of time …
so is there any solution for that problem in TBS ?
thanks
Here are two possible solutions to your question:
Read up in the help guide on the following topics (1) Looping a Peg (2) Creating a Cycle. These are two very useful techniques.
Also, there are almost no techniques that can be done in Flash that can’t be done in TBS except for action script programming. TBS uses a different metaphor for many aspects of how it works and you will have to learn those differences but eventually you will find that for pure animation work TBS is more animator friendly and capable of assisting you in creating great results. The first rule of moving from Flash to TBS is: “Don’t try to do things like you are working in Flash and start thinking in terms of how you do things in TBS” otherwise you will limit your creativity and drive yourself crazy. -JK
sorry JK …this time i m so much confused …i read all help files provided by studio …what i found about looping peg is that they r nested …they r child of their pegs according to given example that a character is walking and a bird is flying around it so bird’s peg is a child peg of parent character’s peg …
now come to my situation i want to make loop of road environment so that i would make again n again trees , plants etc… now how should i apply a looping peg w.rt. that example …i tried a lot to do this kind of experiment by using that looping approch …but i failed …
creating cycle is all about reuse of ur drawing elements so that ur final flash size wouldn’t be greater …i dont think creating cycle is helpful for my this trouble …
thanks for ur reply JK but i need further explanation or any tutorial to solve my problem …please !
A cycle is a repetition of a sequence of frames. Yes, cycles are used to reduce the amount of drawing that is needed in an animation by allowing you to reuse drawings but a cycle is also a way to repeat an action over and over.
Now the visual effect that you have indicated where a background is seen moving, like the one with the car going down the road, can be produced by using a cycle or possibly several cycles running together at different repeating frequencies. Your elements need to be animated over time in these cycles so you will need to attach them to pegs and I believe that by creatively looping these pegs at different rates you can produce a less uniform looking cycle (ie) rocks moving in one pattern, trees moving in a different pattern, signs and other objects moving in a different pattern all creating a cycling background that makes it appear that your car or whatever is driving down a road.
Remember that if you are doing this as a front on shot that you will need to have your objects become smaller as they get farther from the viewer, this is done by using keyframes and non-constant segments (tweening) on each elements parent peg. In your loop the object will enter the scene from behind the camera and then move off into the distance (getting smaller toward the horizon) this cycle of action is repeated over and over for each object that the car is passing down the road.
By having each different object moving at different cycle rates you can produce a more random looking series of objects that the car passes. So not only do the objects have an intital visual spacing but the different cycles adds an additional non-uniform spacing visually. This is not a novice effect to produce and you will learn a lot by figuring it out, so start small and keep adding more objects to the shot as you gain experience.
I’m sorry but I don’t have the time to produce a tutorial for this at the moment but I have pointed you in the right direction by telling you to study up on looping pegs and creating cycles. And you will also have to understand using keyframes and non-constannt segments (tweening). -JK
ok i hv done that thing with creating several loops of cycles …i just made about 10 sketches n repeated them by cycles command …although its not a good approach as my surrounding environmnet is not animated very smoothly as i wanted to do that by just 1 sketch n looping that sketch again n again which i couldn’t understand that how it could be done by pegs …
anyway i want to ask some questions …they r about drawing …
1.how can i flip horizontally or vertically a single component of my drawing element …yeah i know there is a command of flipping on menu …but whenever i try to do …it flips my whole canvas i dont know where i m doing mistake …!
2.similarly whenever i try to export my animation to my local library each time only first frame of my animated element is transferred where as other frames do not transfer into the library…therefore i used to transfer each frame of my animation manually …which i think is not a good approch !
Be sure you are in drawing mode, that you have selected a drawing object, and that you use the command Tool>Transform>Flip Vertical / (Horizontal) not the one on the transform command that is under the Element menu.
If you select the track for an element in the time line panel and drag that to your global library you will get all the frames present in the time line for that element. If you want to get multiple elements then the process is to attach all of them to a single master peg, collapse that peg and then drag the collapsed peg to your global library. Don’t forget to collapse the peg before you drag it. Some people don’t realize that collapsing a peg is more than just a way to change the visual display of the tracks on the time line. Collapsing a peg directly effects the connection between the peg and its children and it is important to understand how this works.
When you collapse the parent peg in a hierarchy of elements, all changes you make to the timing of the parent peg are applied to the elements beneath it, including peg, drawing and image elements. You can collapse a parent peg and its attached elements by either clicking on the arrow next to the peg name in the track title so that it points sideways or by clicking on the “green” button next to the arrow so that it becomes “red”.
When the button is green and the arrow is pointing down to display the child elements, changes you make to the timing of the parent peg are not applied to image and drawing elements that are attached to it. So collapsing a peg does a lot more than just changing the way things are displayed. -JK
thank u so much for ur reply JK
i really like to read ur post…
will u explain me more briefly what exactly is the difference between drawing view n camera view …because in the beginning i was using drawing view then i switched to camera there i feel more confortable …i think u can draw very well in camera view too !
The seperation between drawing view and camera view originates in traditional handdrawn animation. Animators work at a rotating disc to draw the action and originally they filled out an exposure sheet to communicate to others how the animation would be shot on a camera stand. Camera view or scene planning is related to the work originally performed on an animation camera stand to photograph the animation drawings.
So TBS mirrors that work flow conceptually. Recently TBS was enhanced to permit drawing to also be done while in camera view. This is useful for making adjustments quickly when doing things in scene planning. It is still probably a good idea to perform your animation planning and drawing with the exposure sheet and in drawing mode, then switch to camera view to composite and layout your scenes. But it is a matter of personal preference.
The most important aspect of creating animated content is to spend the time up front to think through and plan what you are going to do and how you are going to do it. Many people try to approach animation in a just “jump right in and see where it goes” fashion. It is sort of like the way you might write a document in a word processor. The add, edit, cut and paste approach without a real detailed plan. Although this approach is not impossible, the results will never be as good as when you follow a more thoughtful planned approach. Learning and following traditional animation methods is well worth the time and will show in your results. TBS reinforces those methods in its design, which is a major benefit. -JK
thank u Jk again
today im facing a simple problem …yeah its very simple for u not for mine 
ok i am inserting key frames in parent charcter’s peg manually on timeline …somrtimes it happens when i want to edit my character’s any elemement after inserting new key frame …when i try to manipulate my element with transform tool …toon boom automatically bring me back to previous key frame …where am i doing mistake , please help me !
I am not sure I fully understood your question, but I will try to help.
First be sure that you are aware that there are multiple types of key frames that can possibly be set for each exposure frame (location,skew,rotation,scale). The type of key frame set is determined by which scene planning tool you have selected when you are setting the key frame. The transform tool can be used to set multiple types of key frames concurrently.
Now key frames can only be set when in scene planning mode, camera view, not in drawing view. If you are in drawing view and you are using the transform tool that is applied with the selection arrow, that transform tool is an object transform tool and not the same thing as the scene planning transform tool. The object transform tool can not be used to set key frames only the scene planning transform tool will work for that purpose and it can only be applied if you are in scene planning mode.
I realize the two tools look the same on the display but they aren’t the same tool. It is possible, because drawing can also be done in scene planning mode, to mistakenly use the object transform tool instead of the scene planning transform tool and yes they look identical on the display but aren’t. So always be sure you are in scene planning mode and that you have selected the scene planning transform tool from the scene planning tool pallette when you are trying to set key frames. -JK
thank u again JK !
i got it !
yesterday i was trying to make end credits of a mini clip , similarly i was thinking that how can i make a blurr kind of effect in the beginning or ending of any scene …then i found the tint dailog box but its not working for my drawing elements …so is it any possible solution for that kind of situation
Here are some thoughts on doing what I think you are asking about. This technique can be applied creatively different ways but the general technique is created pretty much the same way each time.
We are going to be producing an effect over time so we need to use a color transform effect. We want to be in “camera view” as this is a scene planning effect. From the menu you use Element>Add>Color Transform Effect.
This adds a track to the time line panel for our effect. Now for this particular effect which will be a “fade to black” we need to have a black matte element. So add a new drawing element to your time line call it “black matte” and set it’s exposure to what ever duration of frames you want for this effect. Also set the element type to foreground in the properties panel. For this element you want to create a rectangular shape and fill it with “black”. The shape needs to be larger than the red camera view rectangle so that it will cover everything the camera “sees”. Drag the “black matte” element on top of the color transform effect you previously added just like you would to attach an element to a peg.
Extend or adjust the exposure duration of the color transform effect to match the exposure time of the black matte element in your time line. Rename this color transform effect track “fade to black”. Now select the “fade to black” track and go to the first frame of the transform and add a key frame. In the properties panel select the color transform tab and set the multiplicative alpha value to “0” (zero). This makes the black matte element transparent, essentually invisible.
Now on the frame of the "fade to black"transform track where you want to have the scene totally blacked out, add another key frame. In the properties panel set the multiplicative alpha to 1 (one) this makes the black matte fully visible and because it is a foreground element it is always in front of the camera. So the effect is to have the black matte slowly become less and less transparent until it is solid black and your scene has faded to black.
The use of a color transform effect to change the alpha of an element is a great way to cause something to become more or less visible depending on the order and application of the alpha values. -JK
ok thank u so much JK for these very interesting info …
once again i want to ask some few general questions to u becoz i think u r an expert of this toon field …
is it necessary for an animator to have skills of a cartoonist… i mean should animator a cartoonist as well :)…becoz i myslef facing trouble while sketching cartoon characters but i feel so comfortable while working with toon boom library drawing elements
2nd question is about animation …actually i want to know how can i edit my final movie …actually i want to make a mini song video …for this purpose i want to edit some sequences of my scene …do people use any other video or audio editting tool with toon boom OR toon boom solo is a solution for every thing …infact i want to know other compatible tools with toon boom studio …
thanks
I can’t tell you how often I get asked that question in one form or another. If by cartoonist you mean “is it required that you draw well”, then I suppose the appropriate answer falls somewhere along the lines of : animation is art presented across time and it can be done with virtually no drawing at all. If you wanted to you could create some very entertaining animation work just by using scraps from photographs cut out of magazines. With enough different poses of a “character” cut up into parts you could produce a pretty funny digital puppet. You just have to spend the research time to find a good source of photos to cut up to create your characters.
I have also seen some minimally drawn characters that are creatively used in animations too. Obviously you have to have great story telling skills to overcome the minimal usage of drawings but it is possible. The people who do Anime are masters of using the camera to animate minimal art work. And the South Park style is certainly minimal in its drawing requirements.
So no you don’t have to be great at drawing. Now believe it or not learning to draw is 90% desire and 10% talent so don’t underestimate the power of effort. Practice and persistance are the keys to being good at drawing. Animation is more about creativity than it is about drawing. The best animation is a blend of both.
The answer here is that it depends on how you plan to distribute the work. If you want to distribute the work on the web in SWF form than stay inside TBS. If you are wanting to distribute in Quicktime or Video then again it depends on what you are trying to do but most people use a compositing application like AfterEffects or Combustion and/or a non-linear editing application like Final Cut Pro or Avid or Adobe Premier etc. I can’t address the usage of Solo as I have no personal experience with it at this time. -JK
thank u so much again JK
again i m asking u 2 questions
1. i hv lost my property window …i tried alot by window->show/hide property …but couldnt get it back …even i reinstall my studio …i dont know where had i lost i on my studio canvas …please help me …so i can move forward !
2. ok u talked about getting/collecting charcaters from cartoonist work …i really want to know that how can we cut a single drawing element and paste its newly cut part in seperate layers …as i tried it with scissors tool …it cuts successfully but do not paste to any new layer as a new drawing element …therefore i m compelled to make my character seperately on each layer for cutout animation …so i want to know how can i do cut out thing to any scanned character or single layer drawing elemnent …Thanks
Window>Load Layout> Restore Default Layout should solve the problem. If not you need to ask one of the TBS support staff guys.
As to your cutout character, it sounds like you are importing a bit mapped or raster images for each body part so you can’t paste that into a drawing element you need to create an additional image element for each body part. Once you have your various body parts in image elements then you will attach them to pegs and create a heirarchy the same as if you had drawn the character’s parts. Be sure to watch the video tutorials provided on this web site to get a better understanding of cut out construction and animation. -JK
thank u so much roundbrown & JK i got it !
another question
is there is any software which can create/produce background funny voices/music like u hear in tom jerry cartoons
similarly i am also looking for a programme which can play my text into cartoonish voice
any solution exits ?
thanks!
For sfx sounds and cartoon sounds you can purchase compilation CDs from various sources, many are royalty free. Try going to Google and searching for “cartoon sounds” or “royalty free sounds” to find sites that sell these items. You can even get compilations specifically from Tom and Jerry and other Hanna Barbera cartoons or Looney Tunes. You can use any software you choose to edit these clips depending on your operating system. We use Peak and Deck on the Mac as well as Sound Track. There are similar packages available for Windows systems.
For your other question try Google and search for “Text to Voice” You may need to convert your text to voice in one of these applications and then you can use your sound editing software to manipulate the vocals to get different characterizations using shifts in pitch and various filters and other sound tools. -JK