A big thanks to David who is helping us with creating video tutorials for the community!
This first one is a beginner tutorial about character handling. It covers:
- Adding characters to the stage
- Moving them around and resizing them
- Adding actions and facial expressions
GoTips: Character Handling from Nicolas Lassus on Vimeo.
Let us know your comments or questions here or on the forum.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
etourist shares his animation tricks
You may wonder how to improve your animations... how to grow your viewership and get loads of fans... well, wonder no more! Etourist (famous for sending Kate, our bikini-wearing character, to war) is sharing some animation tricks on how to make your animations more dynamic and entertaining.
His first tip is about the "Cut" special effect and how it can make conversations less dull.
Thanks etourist for sharing and for this great educational animation!
His first tip is about the "Cut" special effect and how it can make conversations less dull.
Thanks etourist for sharing and for this great educational animation!
Friday, November 7, 2008
What's New: November 6th, 2008 (yesterday)
There were two big updates yesterday! It's actually so big that it would deserve more than just a blog post... but hey! that's all I have time for, so here they are!
Underdog on GoAnimate
We have finally ended our testing period to make sure everything works well with our new Underdog theme (called Saturday Morning TV as we will add to it later on). Now, when you launch the studio, you can choose between creating an animation using both Underdog and GoAnimate characters, and creating an animation using only the GoAnimate themes. So, go to the Saturday Morning TV Channel page right now to learn more about the characters.
As this was raised by some users already, I thought I would mention it here. When you select the Underdog theme for your animation, you may have realized that some of the GoAnimate characters are not available as a result. This concerns mostly political characters as our little superhero prefers not to be mixed with those... how can we blame him for that!?! There are also a few props and backgrounds that are inaccessible. So if you want to create a political satire or use say weapons, you can use the GoAnimate only themes.
GoPoints and GoBucks!
That one is another big update. Now as we release new characters, a small portion of these will be made premium characters. We will keep the bulk of characters free so that anybody can tell stories using our themes, and at the same time we will have special characters that can either be acquired using your GoPoints or your GoBucks.
The GoPoints have been released for a while now. GoPoints increase with your movie views. Now you can use them to get premium characters (one for now...) and don't worry, using your GoPoints will not decrease your level on the platform at all. GoBucks on the other hand have just been released. They are the official currency on GoAnimate. You can purchase different packages using a PayPal account and then spend them on characters as well (only one for now... but not for long).
So, let me introduce our first two premium characters!
Simon Bar Sinister: Simon is the wickedest man in the world, and it is his ambition to rule the world, but each time, Underdog defeats him. We'll see if that last fact holds on GoAnimate... (Get him for 100 GoPoints)
Cad Lackey: He is Simon's henchman. Though generally dull-witted, he is occasionally capable of pointing out flaws in his boss's plans. A precious ally to have in your team of bad guys. (Get him for 250 GoBucks)
Underdog on GoAnimate
We have finally ended our testing period to make sure everything works well with our new Underdog theme (called Saturday Morning TV as we will add to it later on). Now, when you launch the studio, you can choose between creating an animation using both Underdog and GoAnimate characters, and creating an animation using only the GoAnimate themes. So, go to the Saturday Morning TV Channel page right now to learn more about the characters.
As this was raised by some users already, I thought I would mention it here. When you select the Underdog theme for your animation, you may have realized that some of the GoAnimate characters are not available as a result. This concerns mostly political characters as our little superhero prefers not to be mixed with those... how can we blame him for that!?! There are also a few props and backgrounds that are inaccessible. So if you want to create a political satire or use say weapons, you can use the GoAnimate only themes.
GoPoints and GoBucks!
That one is another big update. Now as we release new characters, a small portion of these will be made premium characters. We will keep the bulk of characters free so that anybody can tell stories using our themes, and at the same time we will have special characters that can either be acquired using your GoPoints or your GoBucks.
The GoPoints have been released for a while now. GoPoints increase with your movie views. Now you can use them to get premium characters (one for now...) and don't worry, using your GoPoints will not decrease your level on the platform at all. GoBucks on the other hand have just been released. They are the official currency on GoAnimate. You can purchase different packages using a PayPal account and then spend them on characters as well (only one for now... but not for long).
Simon Bar Sinister: Simon is the wickedest man in the world, and it is his ambition to rule the world, but each time, Underdog defeats him. We'll see if that last fact holds on GoAnimate... (Get him for 100 GoPoints)
Cad Lackey: He is Simon's henchman. Though generally dull-witted, he is occasionally capable of pointing out flaws in his boss's plans. A precious ally to have in your team of bad guys. (Get him for 250 GoBucks)
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
GoTips: Get dad to bed!
I just read a comment left on Super Rica & Rashy - episode 2 by Scratchie about getting "Dad" to lay in bed. There is a simple sequence of actions needed to do that in our studio and I thought I would explain how it works here. So, here is a GoTip about getting Dad to go to bed.
In the studio, let's select the Super Rica & Rashy theme. Choose a background (the yoga room), drag the bed from the props, and drag "Dad" on stage as well.
Now, there are two things to do. We need to get Dad to look like he is sleeping. And then we need to put him in a horizontal position. Let's start with the later. Click on Dad, the red control box appears. We will first flip him and then click and drag the "green" dot attached to the control box. This will allow us to rotate the character.
Once dad is horizontal, we can drag him onto the bed. Finally, we click again on him and in the menu look for "facial expression". Using this sub-menu you can change the head of characters only, without changing their body movement. This is a great way to create new actions for characters by combining body movements (let's say excited) with a new facial expression (let's say angry) to create new emotions. In this case, we can just select "Sleep" from the menu. We can then add the final touch by dragging the blanket from the props to make sure Dad does not catch a cold...
Here you are! Dad is laying down on the bed sleeping... And now for the reward! Watch dad in action in Super Rica & Rashy episode 2!
In the studio, let's select the Super Rica & Rashy theme. Choose a background (the yoga room), drag the bed from the props, and drag "Dad" on stage as well.
Now, there are two things to do. We need to get Dad to look like he is sleeping. And then we need to put him in a horizontal position. Let's start with the later. Click on Dad, the red control box appears. We will first flip him and then click and drag the "green" dot attached to the control box. This will allow us to rotate the character.
Once dad is horizontal, we can drag him onto the bed. Finally, we click again on him and in the menu look for "facial expression". Using this sub-menu you can change the head of characters only, without changing their body movement. This is a great way to create new actions for characters by combining body movements (let's say excited) with a new facial expression (let's say angry) to create new emotions. In this case, we can just select "Sleep" from the menu. We can then add the final touch by dragging the blanket from the props to make sure Dad does not catch a cold...
Here you are! Dad is laying down on the bed sleeping... And now for the reward! Watch dad in action in Super Rica & Rashy episode 2!
Friday, October 31, 2008
What's New: October 31st, 2008
Hope everyone had time to prepare animations and greeting cards for Halloween! On our side, no time to do any! We were too busy working on new features. New this week...
UnderdogTM Channel
The UnderdogTM theme is still in beta version for some more testing, but we released its associated channel "Saturday Morning TV" to everyone today. So, still not possible to create your own UnderdogTM animations, but you can watch the few that are being created already as our testing goes on.
Control sound volume
As you import sounds in the studio, it is hard to control the volume you want that sound to have before you mix the whole thing together. So now, it is possible to decrease or increase the volume of the sound and music you add to your animations.
Simply click on the sound you want, mouse over "Volume" and select the percentage you need. Then you can go to "preview" your animation to see how the whole thing works together.
Embed bug fixed
With the release of Flash Player 10, Adobe did some security updates that conflicted with our player, leading to all our embedded movies crashing. With this week's update the bug is fixed and all embeds should work again. No need to do anything on your side.
Progressive loading of animations
One update we already made last week, but again I forgot to mention it. Now when you edit your animations, they load progressively showing you the scenes being loaded. We thought that would make it nicer than just staring at that "loading clock" all the time wondering what is happening.
A warning though: If your animation has many scenes, don't stare too much at your screen! It may do some damages to your brain!
That's it for this week. HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYBODY!
UnderdogTM Channel
The UnderdogTM theme is still in beta version for some more testing, but we released its associated channel "Saturday Morning TV" to everyone today. So, still not possible to create your own UnderdogTM animations, but you can watch the few that are being created already as our testing goes on.
Control sound volume
As you import sounds in the studio, it is hard to control the volume you want that sound to have before you mix the whole thing together. So now, it is possible to decrease or increase the volume of the sound and music you add to your animations.
Simply click on the sound you want, mouse over "Volume" and select the percentage you need. Then you can go to "preview" your animation to see how the whole thing works together.
Embed bug fixed
With the release of Flash Player 10, Adobe did some security updates that conflicted with our player, leading to all our embedded movies crashing. With this week's update the bug is fixed and all embeds should work again. No need to do anything on your side.
Progressive loading of animations
One update we already made last week, but again I forgot to mention it. Now when you edit your animations, they load progressively showing you the scenes being loaded. We thought that would make it nicer than just staring at that "loading clock" all the time wondering what is happening.
A warning though: If your animation has many scenes, don't stare too much at your screen! It may do some damages to your brain!
That's it for this week. HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYBODY!
Friday, October 24, 2008
What's New: October 24th, 2008
There is some pretty big stuff brewing at GoAnimate! You can already get a glimpse of what is to come this week.
Channels
The first big change that is available this week already is a new section called Channels. There are three channels so far that correspond to three GoAnimate themes: Monsters Mayhem, Politics & Celebrities and Cartoon Classics.
On these pages you can learn more about the characters present on GoAnimate. And you can browse animations that were created using the corresponding themes. This way, if you are a fan of a specific theme, this is the place to hang out and reach your audience more effectively.
To make this work when you save your movie we now automatically assign it to a channel based on the characters and assets you used. If you used a lot of Monsters, the animation will be displayed on the Monsters Mayhem channel for example.
Profile Description
That's one thing I forgot to mention last week... and as I saw, this week quite a number of people found out about this feature themselves. If you go to edit your profile, you can now add a little description that will appear on top of your user page right under your nick name. It's very simple for now and we intend to add more profile options in the future.
Underdog under testing
Okay. That one is still under testing, but I mention it as you will see animations including Underdog characters this week appearing bit by bit on the platform. We are about to launch an Underdog theme on the platform and are in the testing stage (those on GoAnimate for some time know that this has been under preparation for a while now). As of this week you can enjoy watching the very first animations created and soon you will be able to create your own stories using Underdog.
Hope you enjoy the new features!
Channels
The first big change that is available this week already is a new section called Channels. There are three channels so far that correspond to three GoAnimate themes: Monsters Mayhem, Politics & Celebrities and Cartoon Classics.
On these pages you can learn more about the characters present on GoAnimate. And you can browse animations that were created using the corresponding themes. This way, if you are a fan of a specific theme, this is the place to hang out and reach your audience more effectively.
To make this work when you save your movie we now automatically assign it to a channel based on the characters and assets you used. If you used a lot of Monsters, the animation will be displayed on the Monsters Mayhem channel for example.
Profile Description
That's one thing I forgot to mention last week... and as I saw, this week quite a number of people found out about this feature themselves. If you go to edit your profile, you can now add a little description that will appear on top of your user page right under your nick name. It's very simple for now and we intend to add more profile options in the future.
Underdog under testing
Okay. That one is still under testing, but I mention it as you will see animations including Underdog characters this week appearing bit by bit on the platform. We are about to launch an Underdog theme on the platform and are in the testing stage (those on GoAnimate for some time know that this has been under preparation for a while now). As of this week you can enjoy watching the very first animations created and soon you will be able to create your own stories using Underdog.
Hope you enjoy the new features!
Earn more GoPoints...
Last week we have released GoPoints and levels on the platform. And we are guessing not many people go and read the FAQs. So, we thought we would write a post on how this little feature works and on how as a user you can earn GoPoints faster and thus gain levels more quickly.
GoPoints are an indication of how popular you are on the platform. To represent that we thought the best was to use movie views as a metric. So, as you get movie views you earn GoPoints. To be more specific every 5 movie views you get, we give you 1 GoPoint. And this counter is updated on a daily basis. From your user page, you can access a history of all the GoPoints you earned by clicking the "Details" link.
But there is more to it. There are ways to increase your GoPoints faster. The first way is to invite friends to join GoAnimate. If you share a movie with somebody and they then create an account on GoAnimate, we will consider that you referred them to us. As a result, every 25 movie views they get, we give you 1 extra GoPoint. The more users you refer to us, the more GoPoints you earn!
The other way to earn extra GoPoints is by embedding either your animations or other users' animations in your own website or blog. In this case, every 10 movie views on an embedded movie will give you 1 GoPoint.
For now, that's all there is to know about GoPoints, but in the very near future, we will release premium assets on GoAnimate that you will be able to get only by using your GoPoints. And don't worry, using your GoPoints will not decrease your level! So don't hesitate to get premium characters.
Any questions or comments on the way this works? Leave us comments.
And thanks for the users who already posted comments on the forum on how we could develop this feature.
GoPoints are an indication of how popular you are on the platform. To represent that we thought the best was to use movie views as a metric. So, as you get movie views you earn GoPoints. To be more specific every 5 movie views you get, we give you 1 GoPoint. And this counter is updated on a daily basis. From your user page, you can access a history of all the GoPoints you earned by clicking the "Details" link.
But there is more to it. There are ways to increase your GoPoints faster. The first way is to invite friends to join GoAnimate. If you share a movie with somebody and they then create an account on GoAnimate, we will consider that you referred them to us. As a result, every 25 movie views they get, we give you 1 extra GoPoint. The more users you refer to us, the more GoPoints you earn!
The other way to earn extra GoPoints is by embedding either your animations or other users' animations in your own website or blog. In this case, every 10 movie views on an embedded movie will give you 1 GoPoint.
For now, that's all there is to know about GoPoints, but in the very near future, we will release premium assets on GoAnimate that you will be able to get only by using your GoPoints. And don't worry, using your GoPoints will not decrease your level! So don't hesitate to get premium characters.
Any questions or comments on the way this works? Leave us comments.
And thanks for the users who already posted comments on the forum on how we could develop this feature.
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