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Character Animator Behavior Guide

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
17 views2 pages

Character Animator Behavior Guide

Uploaded by

Crystal
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

A D O B E C R E A TI V E C L O U D U N I T

Puppet Rig Cheatsheet


Character Animator “talks” to various parts of your artwork via “Tags.” Below you will find all of the tag options that you can
designate in the Rig view, as well as the available Behaviors you can add to different parts of your puppet. To understand what
each behavior does, flip this guide over.

VISEMES Motion Triggers


At Rest - In Transition - Moving Down -
Moving Left - Moving Right - Moving
Character Animator uses Up
the camera to analyze the
first three visemes. The
bottom eleven visemes are Physics
determined by audio. Collide - Dangle - Dynamic - Magnet

Modifiers
Draggable - Fixed - Motion Lines

Misc.
Breathe - Cycle Pause - Transform

BEHAVIORS
Arm IK
Auto Blink
Breathe
Cycle Layers
Dragger
Eye Gaze
Face
Fader
Handle Fixer
Head Turner
Layer Picker
Lip Sync
Magnets
Motion Lines
Motion Trigger
Nutcracker Jaw
Particles
Physics
Transform
Walk
Wiggler

[Link]
EFFECTIVE TECHNOLOGY FOR TEACHERS @MsZentech
© 2019 MsZentech. All rights reserved. Do not duplicate without permission.
A D O B E C R E A TI V E C L O U D U N I T

CHARACTER ANIMATOR BEHAVIORS


Arm IK - Keeps arms from stretching or bending in an unrealistic way
Auto Blink - Allows you to randomize when your character blinks
Breathe - Can be attached to a layer to scale the chest to simulate breathing
Cycle Layers - Displays layers in order; can be used to create animations within
animations or display alternate layers (ex. Hand pointing, fist, normal)
Dragger - Allows you to manual move part of your puppet by dragging with the
mosue
Eye Gaze - Allows precise pupil control with either the camera, mouse, arrow keys, or
other touch input devices
Face - Control your puppet from the webcam (default)
Fader - Allows you to fade a group in or out via trigger (think ghost!)
Handle Fixer - Restrict movement in a bendable puppet. (Also available as a pin)
Head Turner - Switch between head groups to show profiles, etc. (Add the Head
Turner behavior to the group)
Layer Picker - Choose a layer to show or trigger. (Not common)
Lip Sync - Control the puppet’s mouth with your voice (default)
Magnets - Creates an attachment of objects when a character gets close (How to
keep stuff in your characters hand)
Motion Lines - Creates a motion trail to emphasize dynamic movement
Motion Trigger - Switch between artwork groups based on which way the puppet is
moving (Ex. Puppet moves left, left profile group is activated).
Nutcracker Jaw - Just like it sounds. Quick, easy, and primitive way to animate.
Particles - Allows you to control objects using physics (Ex. snowflakes, rain, sparks,
etc.)
Physics - Simulate object movement and deformations. (Ex. Dangly bits, hair
movement, etc.))
Transform - Translate, scale, and rotate the handles of a puppet. This is best used
when animating a recorded scene within a timeline.
Walk - Initiates the walk cycle; plays layers in a loop to simulate walking
Wiggler - Only works with Illustrator artwork - makes the vector artwork wiggle
automatically

[Link]
EFFECTIVE TECHNOLOGY FOR TEACHERS @MsZentech
© 2019 MsZentech. All rights reserved. Do not duplicate without permission.

Common questions

Powered by AI

The 'Physics' and 'Particles' behaviors work together to create highly dynamic and realistic simulations in animations. 'Physics' simulates natural object movements and deformations, such as the sway of hair or clothing, using gravitational and collision effects. Meanwhile, 'Particles' allow these simulated objects to respond to environmental factors like wind and motion, representing elements such as falling snow or rain. Together, these behaviors collectively enhance the visual narrative by integrating complex environmental interactions and naturalistic movement patterns into character animations .

Motion Triggers enhance the dynamism and responsiveness of animated characters by allowing different artwork groups to activate based on the puppet's movement. For instance, when a puppet moves left, the left profile activates. This adaptability enables dynamic character presentations that are aligned with expected real-world physics and perspectives, vastly improving the realism and fluidity of animations and ensuring characters react appropriately to directional changes .

The 'Lip Sync' behavior enhances interactive and real-time character animations by synchronizing the puppet's mouth movements with the user's voice. This feature allows for real-time vocal input to directly control the character's mouth, greatly improving the interactivity and immediacy of animations, essential for live performances and dynamic storytelling .

The 'Arm IK' (Inverse Kinematics) behavior in Adobe Character Animator assists in producing realistic animations by preventing the arms from stretching or bending in an unnatural manner. By applying the principle of inverse kinematics, it maintains the natural position of the joints, ensuring that movements are more lifelike and constrained to realistic physical boundaries .

'Auto Blink' differentiates itself from other techniques by automating the timing of character blinks, simulating natural eye movement without manual intervention. This behavior adds subtlety and realism to character animations, as blinking can be unpredictable and context-dependent. Automating blinks saves animators time, ensures consistency, and enhances character life-likeness, contributing to more natural and engaging character performances, particularly in interactive and live animation settings .

The 'Face' behavior significantly enhances automated animation control by utilizing the webcam to capture the user's facial expressions and translate them directly onto the character in real-time. This automation drastically reduces the need for manual keyframing, thus speeding up the animation process while maintaining expressive, dynamic character movements. Manual control methods, while precise, are more time-consuming and less adaptive to spontaneous performance demands .

The 'Check Out' behavior, although not explicitly named, refers to behaviors such as 'Head Turner,' which allow animators to switch between different head or body part groups to simulate perspective shifts. This capability is instrumental in preparing animation puppets to exhibit more realistic viewing angles and movements, thus enhancing the immersion and character performance realism in animations .

The 'Cycle Layers' behavior is crucial for developing complex animations because it allows the sequential display of layers, enabling animations within animations or variations of a character's position or actions. This technique is particularly useful for creating detailed actions like hand movements (e.g., a hand pointing, closing into a fist, or in a neutral position) without redrawing each frame, thus saving time and resources while enhancing storytelling depth in animations .

The 'Wiggler' behavior in Adobe Character Animator, specifically applicable to Illustrator artwork, introduces an automatic oscillation to vector artwork, making elements 'wiggle.' This can creatively be applied to bring a playful or exaggerated animation style to elements, such as making trees sway in the wind, adding character to clothing or hair, or creating whimsical movements in background elements. Such effects can contribute to a more dynamic and engaging scene, especially in animations targeted at children or stylistic storytelling .

The 'Transform' behavior facilitates the animation process by allowing animators to translate, scale, and rotate the handles of a puppet. This capability is particularly useful when animating a recorded scene within a timeline, providing animators the flexibility to adjust the puppet’s positioning post-recording. By enabling these transformations, animators can adjust the dynamics of the scene quickly, providing a method for refining animations without altering the original scene setup .

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