Smart-Bones🦴 Addon for Blender! - Great for Grease Pencil Workflow!
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- čas přidán 26. 07. 2024
- In this tutorial, I demonstrate how to use my own free Blender addon to simplify the process of using action constraints in order to rig a character's head turn. My addon automates the process of adding action constraints to individual bones, saving time and allowing for a similar efficient workflow as 2D cutout animation software.
This tutorial covers the basics of using the addon, as well as more advanced techniques and a discussion of the problem the addon was designed to solve. I also provide tips on how to achieve better results with the mixed actions and explain the difference between global, local, and custom space.
Smart-Bone Addon: github.com/sketchy-squirrel/s...
If you want to be taken directly to the python file, right click and download this link:
github.com/sketchy-squirrel/s...
Let me know if you want to see the full, unedited process of making the character (The girl in the blue dress) seen in this video.
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:10 Quick start guide
00:57 Why smart bones?
02:05 Preparation
02:28 Control mechanism
03:15 Installation
03:27 Smart-bone panel
04:09 Finished
04:44 Corrective actions
05:31 Global and local space
06:04 Custom space
06:15 Create corrections
06:58 Custom object
07:34 Custom space smart-bones
08:07 Repeat for other angles
08:46 Finished (really)
09:05 Outro
ToonBoom Harmony demonstrations by Elvis Wairia: • Juan - Toon Boom Harmo... Original character design by Juan Pedro Arroyo Molina.
#blender #b2d #b3d #greasepencil #addon #python #pythonprogramming - Krátké a kreslené filmy
The fact that you are releasing this for free is a blessing. You are amazing! Thank you so much!
Thank you. It's really important to me that tools like this are free and open source. Hopefully this addon plays a small part in bringing more people to Blender 😊
so amzing!!!@@SketchySquirrel
@@SketchySquirrel You're a real time saver! You're doing a wonderful thing!
@@SketchySquirrel you are a great person
Thank you sir✨
I've been starving for someone to make something like this for GP, it's been the biggest missing piece for 2D animation in Blender. Really impressive work!
I always felt the same way. I'm so glad to see so many other people feel that too, so thank you for your kind comment 😊
I don't want to be rude but, YOU'RE MY FUCKING HERO.
No more after effects rigging, animating, crashing, melting my computer induced headaches.
I guess this means bye bye adobe.
I hate having a cluttered PC with so many programs because each is good at one thing. Sure, theoretically they could do other things as well. But is it time consuming, not straightforward and has an unsurprising lack of online answers for that very specific thing that keeps going wrong? Yes lmao.
This is a huge step for 2d animation.
Thanks for being a pioneer!
Thank you for helping bring 2D rigged animation in Blender further to a more mature level.
I think that there is a LOT of potential in Blender of 2D rigged animation and having these kinds of scripts and add-ons that help ease the setup process are a huge help for new artists.
I've tried head rigs on Toonboom before and this feels like it could be a replacement of the master controller which makes me very exicted.
I also think that the smart bones could be used for 3D rigs, where in Maya or Cinema you sometimes get control panels with advanced rigs you could use this to set up those kinds of control panels for 3D rigs in Blender as well.
Thank you for your kind comment. It makes me so glad to see so many people finding this tool so helpful. Regarding it's use in 3D, yes it does work. It's fairly common practice to use action constraints, for blink actions, or other facial movements, that use a lot of controls, and would be tedious without a 'master control', and this addon speeds it up, just as it does for 2D! It's very exciting to me!
This is the biggest improvement in 2D in blender . Very impressive 😮
thankyou for making this addon this is the best solution for many headache your the best.
Thank you. This is amazing. You are beyond kind.
I will give it a try! Thanks!
What a community! Thank you, Mr. Squirrel for your addon. I'll have to learn how to rig a character in Blender first of course. It's easy enough to do in After Effects, but this here Grease Pencil is on the list.
Honestly, this is so kind of you to share your knowledge. As an aspiring animation director, I need to understand and practice animation, even though I don't want to be an animator in itself. Free programs like Blender are life-saving, and you sharing solutions for its use is very generous. Like, I understood all of your explanations and for real, because of people like you, I could make it in the future, even though it's hard. Again, thanks. Be proud and satisfied of you at the end of the day
Wow, thank you so much for your kind comment :D it means a lot to me
this is what i have been waiting forrrr
Great job mate!
Wow! It's incredible that you're offering this add-on and the characters for free. And it's a great tutorial video. I'm extremely grateful! Thank you! 🙏
I'm so glad that you like it. It's really important to me that tools like this remain free and open source, and I hope that this plays even a small part in convincing people to choose Blender and open source tools for their 2D animations 😊
This is so crazy: I expected to pay like 5 to 15 dollars on Gumroad for this addon. You're an absolute saint
Thank you, it's important to me that tools like this are free and open source, and hopefully it brings more people to Blender 😊
Отлично! Выглядит как 3d и 2d одновременно ❤👍👍
this is absolutely huge ! thank you for your effort and dedication
Much appreciated! I'm so glad you like it
It was just about time! Thank you Joel. Usability of Grease Pencil for 2D animation just doubled (IMHO) ;-)
very cool tool, thanks for sharing
Thanks! That means a lot coming from you :)
Awesome man! Thank you for making this❤
Hey Dantti! Thanks for your kind comment :) Hope it will it will be helpful.
I'll have to try this. I made some rigs based on your grease pencil set up, and being able to speed up the process sounds amazing.
Shame less plugs: czcams.com/video/xwQOFeVTaRY/video.html and czcams.com/video/pO43fx_DiZs/video.html
Thanks!
Wow! Thank you so much for your generosity! You are the first person to donate to my work, and I want you to know that it is truly appreciated, and very encouraging. Thank you again❤
It's a magic addon but I feel the limiting factor is that the user requires a rig with a head turn. I love your rigs though, they are so smooth, you should sell those too if you're not already!
This is brilliant!
this is EXACTLY what i've been needing 😭
I love this! 👏🏻👏🏻
You are the best as always
Thanks for this. It is very helpfull..❤️
Man, again... You saved my life ❤
Thank you very much for your kindness, this is of tremendous help
Keep well
Thank you very much 🌹
This looks really, really helpful. I had been looking for a "Blender equivalent" to the third-party script for After Effects known as Joysticks n' Sliders, and this appears to be it. I do have questions about the rigging after watching this, but it's been some time since I watched your original head-turn rig series, so I'm hopeful a rewatch will help me.
I do hope it fulfills everything you need it for. I encourage you to re-watch the head turn series if you feel that it would help, but don't hesitate to ask any questions 😊
This is amazing! I’ve been through soooo many animation programs looking for something like this! I primarily do all my work in blender for 3D animation. But, recently transitioned into the world of 2D. I was considering buying Moho Pro for this exact reason! But wanted to hold off just in case something else comes around like their smart bones but for blender or another software. You’re amazing! Great work and creation!
I'm so glad that you will find this tool helpful, and though moho is a great tool, I'm glad that I could save you upto $400 usd 😂 Let me know if you have any questions about 2D rigs etc!
You are amazing! This was exactly what I've been thinking that Blender was lacking for 2D animation! You're awesome man, your willingness to teach others and provide tools to help others create things is inspiring! I would definitely love to see the whole process of you building out the blue dress girl it looks like a great character design and rig system!
Thank you so much for your kind comment, it really means a lot to me. I'm working on putting together the full process video now, and it should come out in a few weeks! so stay tuned! 😊
@@SketchySquirrel Sounds awesome!
Good job ❤
Wow! Thank you so much! 🦊
thank you so much buddy...
Thanks for the addon!
360 tutorial next?
ISTO É FANTÁSTICO!!! GRATO POR COMPARTILHAR!!!
woooooow! Greeeaaaat maaaan!
It is a very intriguing tool and I bet it is much fun to play with it. A big update for 2D Animators.
I personally can Imagine that this can come in handy to create some Character Sprites for my Godot Projects, at least reducing future amount of work creating those in many rotation-states. Of course only if I manage to understand the steps to take in blender. Blender is still very overwhelming to me.
Seeing this smooth animations, I wish I would have an Idea how to export this for Godot or how to implement it for a game.
It is nonetheless an absolute awesome addon, and I am thankful that people like you exist!
Hey thank you so much, your comment is so encouraging! Blender can be overwhelming, but it get easier the more you use it. I don't got to in depth but here's a video where I use Blender to create sprites for Godot, czcams.com/video/wSoW3AQFsSo/video.htmlsi=Ey1ehdlcSnjxnwSV
Let me know if it is helpful :D
Thanks again for your kindness
please make a full video from scratch dedicated to smart bone feature
Nice !
U deserve millions of subscribers❤
Thank you! You're very kind
Impressive!
Oh...Moho for Blender. Love it.
free?? wauww... you are AMAZING.. thank you very much..
Thank you!
Thank you so mush ❤
You are awesome!!!
Thank you for your teaching.(and sorry for my poor english)
oh, thank you so much, this is so close to moho , let check old video and see what i could get
thank u for this so much. ❤
No problem! 😄
Jesus, ur a wizard!
Let me know if you want to see the full, unedited process of making the character (The girl in the blue dress) seen in this video. yes
Awesome !!!!!!
I need more of grease pencil. please more rigging on grease pencil
thank you very much.
I hope this becomes part of default Blender. Thanks!
OMG DUDE I LOVE THIS THANK YOU SO MUCH 😭🥹
Great video, i love it so much! Please can you tell me how you animated her hair? the simulation is So cool
This is fantastic and will make it much easier for those who want to do cutout and rigging animation with Blender's Grease Pencil without going through Blender's lengthy and time-consuming process of doing cutout and rigging animation with Blender's current tools.
Question: Are there any plans to update the addon to include features it currently lacks, such as adding full "360 Degree Turns" similar to what you can do in Toon Boom Harmony and Mojo Pro? Blender's Grease Pencil desperately needs improved 2D rigging and cutout animation tools identical to those found in Toon Boom and Moho. Blender does have those tools and is functional, but they could be improved significantly.
I apologize for asking since I know you are very busy.
Thnx
This is so cool! I'm just getting into rigged 2D animation but I haven't tried it in Blender before. Would you recommend this workflow over Moho's smartbone workflow? Thanks!
Hi there, I'm so glad that you like it! Moho and Blender are both awesome tools, and which one you should use totaly depends on your goals and values. If you want to make quick easy animations, without a huge learning curve, Moho is the better tool. If you're willing to put in a little more effort, inorder to have acess to a more flexable tool then I would recommend Blender.
Personally, I am a supporter of the Open Source business model, and that also attracts me to Blender. I hope that this is helpful :D
Awesome!!! Joel big help ❤ I wanna ask can i add it directly on rigify or do I need to change something
Hi there, it should work find with a rigify rig, but you do need to create the actions that you want to control, and add the control bones, but other than that, it should just work. Let me know if you run into any problems, and I'll try to help! 😊
Can you just make video on how to deal with profile view of character I mean do I need create another GP object for that or can I adjust it in first one? Plz
Inspired by Moho smart bones??? Either way, great work, and thanks for sharing!!!
This is absolutely lovely! While I'm not at the level to take real advantage of this tool, I can't help but to be fascinated by this! I do have one very "uninitiated" question: I see you use GreasePencil for drawing. Could I use this tool (and general workflow) for artwork done outside of blender? (i.e. Photoshop or other raster-based software). Once again thank you for sharing!!
Hi there, I'm so glad to see your interest. To answer your question, yes! I even have a video on how to do it: czcams.com/video/ChqSqDGCTRA/video.html
In addition to this, I would look into COA tools, which is a set of add-ons that might help speed up the process that I demonstrate in that video. I hope you find this helpful :D
I think in order to put Blender to the next level is to somehow have a feature to keyframe individual grease pencil points or an auto interpolate feature. Imagine combining it with the sculpt tool.
Yes, Moho's ability to edit and animate the various vector layers that makes up a rig was one thing that made it very powerful and easy to use. I don't know how this would be integrated in Blender. Perhaps it's better to keep the deformation and animation in armatures, but perhaps some features could be added to make rigging grease pencil objects more flexible, and easier to implements,similar to how ToonBom Harmony rigs are set up to have some really detailed control over the drawings. Thanks for the comment :D
wow.. more tuto on this
Hi there, I'm not going to release a tutorial on this character, but I just released a real-time, unedited process video, so I hope you can find that helpful. czcams.com/video/G9jfVdTImRA/video.html
Shut up and take my money. This is great.
👏
This addon is awesome! But, I'm wondering, is there a way I can turn off interpolation with the smart bones?
This is amazing! Do you think it would be possible to make a rig that allows for full 360 degree turn around for 2d characters?
Hi there, sorry for the long delay, in short yes. Anything is possible if you spend enough time on it, however, in practice it's just not worth doing that. It's far better to rig one angle, and if you need other angles, to rig them separately. I did something similar in this video: czcams.com/video/7GfW5RWDpnU/video.html where the character turns from a front view into a back view, these are separate rigs. I hid the transition by animating the character moving off screen, however you can also hide this transition with some clever animation, and switching rigs at just the right moment. I hope this is helpful, and I'm sorry again about the long delay in responding :D
If I ever need to break free from Adobe Animate/create new talksprites for my vids, I'll give this a go!
Amazing my man. I wonder what is the most used 2d software in the gaming industry for animation...
Hi there. As far as I'm aware, the most common tool for 2D cutout animation for games would be "Spine". For film and TV it would be "ToonBoom". Hopefully, as Blender continues to develop, it will start to be used more in both of these areas.
@@SketchySquirrel You're God!
does this mean that its possible to make a live vtube model in blender or make some sort of plugin helping with it?
(amazing video btw)
Hi there, so sorry for taking so long to respond. Essentially, it could be possible in theory, but it would be very difficult, and it would probably be better to use software designed for that. I hope this is helpful :D
Hi, I've got a question, i recently used the smart bone addon , and I've encountered a problem and wondered if anyone could help me with it, my character keeps getting distorted every time i pressed "Add Smart Bone", has anyone encountered this problem before?
Are you able to do a 360 character with this and would it export to an engine like godot?
Please how i can save movement of character like walk cycle and lip sync to import next time and thank you for your amazing videos
Thank you for you kind words. That's a great topic to cover, in the meantime, I'll try to explain the process here. In this video, I use action constraints, attached to certain actions. It's possible to follow the same workflow for a walk cycle, but I would recommend not using a control bone like this, but rather just create a walk action, and copy the keyframes into your main action when you need it. If you want a better way, that's a little more complicated, I would recommend you find a tutorial on the NLA editor, as that allows you to mix various actions together in the way you want. I hope this is helpful :D
I wish I could install this on my m1 macbook
how do i add mutplie smart bones for different angles?
Thanks for this. Seems it is time for me to quit Synfig since grease pencil is more capable and more versatile for animation.
I remember looking at synfig, before I started using Moho (as it was more convinient at the time), seems like a great tool. Go open source!
Let me know if you need any help, if you do decide to switch over.
Dude you have been using Synfig. That’s cool. I used to use synfig when I didn’t had a better pc.
Reminded me of old days. I did a couple of projects in synfig.
Do you have an animated shorts that we can watch?
As it happens, I do. I made a lot of shorts, back when I was still using Moho, which you can find here czcams.com/play/PLvrk7pBVZDRnPhR63GgFCOjCHsnioZRfX.html
However, if you're more interested in what I've don in blender, then here is some of what I've done:
1:czcams.com/video/2Da2rLNDnfc/video.html
2:czcams.com/video/2jMd6fwvI1Q/video.html
Let me know what you think 😊
@@SketchySquirrel I've watched them. All looks very amazing. Thanks for the inspiration
@@micahbell7840 Thank you for your kind words. It means a lot to me :D
hi we can do character turnaround like this?
I need this for Blender 4 please!
Hey there, when Blender 4 came out, the addon did stop working, due to the new bone collection system, but since then I have updated it on Github, so try to download it again, and see if it works now, let me know!
Thanks for this free addon, really appreciate it and it saves so much time but it doesn't seem to be working in Blender 4.0. Do you plan to update it?
I'm so glad you find it usefull. That's interesting. I haven't tried it with version 4 yet. I definetly plan to keep it up to date, and I'll let you know when I do, but in the mean time, it is open source, so if its urgent feel free to take a look and submit a pull request, if you're so inclined. Thanks again for lettingme know, and for your kind words :)
cool, like moho...
This will not add in 3.6, so another rabbit hole, could you update this? Please?
how can i use this addon for 360 rig?
I do have a question how to rig a 2d character head like yours here. Your head turn animation is with an almost bald guy and I still couldn’t ad the hair to my character. Like the long hair😕 sorry it’s probably cause I’m pretty stupid 😅
Hi there, no you're not stupid. Hair can be kind of difficult to rig. For one character, who had pig tails, rather than loose hair, I rigged it like a long chain, with some tweaking bones, to give the animator more control. The character with her hair out was a little more difficult. I chose to rig it the same way, as though it was just one thick pony tail, with a single chain of bones (with tweaking bone), then I added some more bones to the corners, to give it more fluidity. I hope that I explained it well. Both characters are available under the assets folder of the git hub page, github.com/sketchy-squirrel/smart-bones , so feel free to look at those, and reverse-engineer them. If you have any specific questions, don't hesitate to ask, and I will try to be more helpful 😊
I want the full process of making character with rigging
I hope to post the full (unedited) video of the blue character created for this video. I also have other character creation tutorials on this channel like this one czcams.com/video/hcTb07V2Zgk/video.html that might help.
😃👍🙋🏻♂️
I'm back. How do I download the addon? Github is difficult for me to use. Do you have instructions?
Hi there, an easy way to install the python file is to right click on this link: raw.githubusercontent.com/sketchy-squirrel/smart-bones/main/blender-smart-bones.py and choose save link as, then save it as a .py file, then you can just follow the instructions in this video
I hope this is helpful :D
@@SketchySquirrel Thanks. I had downloaded it.
in moho program we can make walk action and store it and ruse it many times in moho , how can i make that in blender
Hi there, absolutely, so in blender you would create your walk cycle action, just like in moho, but then rather than having some sort of 'master action' you would then combine any premade actions using the NLA strip editor. If you want to emulate this process, then you can use some action constraints, using this addon, and animate the control, to control the action in the main action. I hope you find this helpful :D
@@SketchySquirrel can you please make a
video explaining the steps ، Another thing I would like to talk to you about ، I watched a series of tutorials to make 2D Character in a different way, but it was professional on the Maya program. Is it possible to implement it on Blender in the same way? here : czcams.com/play/PLzxzIRP3FW-fLsNLFar2e9lpaQ0eRSFdl.html
@@SketchySquirrel If we compare the two programs Moho and Blender, what do you think? Does Blender still need more development in order to be as powerful as Moho or similar in terms of ease of use and variety of capabilities?
Hi there, that's a really good question, and from my perspective it has a kind of complex answer. I've found that it's really difficult to compare software, because every tool will have strengths and weaknesses. Blender can be difficult for beginners, and some things will take longer than they would in Moho, but on the other hand, Blender's tools tend to allow for more flexibility. In short, whatever tool you choose to use doesn't make a hug difference. It can always get better, and make things easier, but ultimately, there will be something that is a little difficult, and something else that's super easy and fun. I hope you found this answer helpful, :D
Can we use this as live2d alternative?
Hi there, to be entirely honest, I have no Idea. I have seen people use addons to drive a facial rig in blender with a webcam live in Blender, so hypothetically, yes, however, it's really not designed for that, and it would take a lot of work arounds and fiddling with addons etc.
smart bones not working python error pls explain in pthon error
Hi there, I'm sorry that you're having trouble with the smart-bone addon. I'll try to be of help. Can you let me know what blender version you are using? It should be compatible with version 2.8 and above. If you could also explain how you have your scene / rig set up, and let me know exactly what error messages come up, and hopefully I will be able to reproduce the issue, and update the code. Thanks :D
This add-on don't works in Blender 4.0.2, how i can fix it?
Thank you for point this out to me. I've taken a look, and I have a bit of work to do, but I seem to have identified the problem. In essence, the version of Blender I made this for used 'bone layers' which are currently being replaced by a more robust system of 'collections' so when my addon tries to access the layers it runs into a problem. I'll let you know when I update the GitHub page, thanks again!
No problem. I have a question. Do you think this add-on works on 3d model, i mean when you modelling 3d into 2d Grease Pencil version? @@SketchySquirrel
@@pbimagination2058 Hi there, yes, it works great with 3D. I initially developed this addon for 2D, in order to help replicate the smart bone feature in Moho, but it works anywhere that you would use an action constraint. For example, I was rigging a 3D character for my university work, and I wanted to set up a control to make the character Blink, so that I didn't need to pose the many eyelid bones, and I could do it with just one control, so I chose to use my Addon. So rather than a head turn action being driven by a control, a blink action was driven. I hope this helps!
@@SketchySquirrel Yeahh... I try something difference... Hybrid style with your add-on. Something like 3D and 2D Grease Pencil... Any issue i let's you know...
@@pbimagination2058awesome! I would love to see what you make! :D
Do we need a 3d rigged character or a 2d charater ?
Hi there, so because the rigging system in blender is the same for 2D and 3D, so the add on works either way. Hope this is helpful :D
I dont arrive to install 😭