How to make cartoons using Flash MX?

[Chris Jumonville]

To make this short and simple I am a very good free hand artist and I love
to draw cartoons. I would like to start to make my own cartoons using Flash
MX. I am wondering if anyone knows of any good books or websites that have
tutorials for learning to do this. I don't want to make simple stick figure
cartoons I want to make real cartoons like you would see on Cartoon Network
or Nickalodeon. Most of the tutorials I have found are geared mostly
towards web appplications and actions script. Any help would be greatly
appreciated!

Thanks!
Chris Jumonville

[brokenButton]

If you can sketch quite well, I suggest you invest in a good graphics
tablet. The best way to start is to get really used to the timeline and
keyframes and teach yourself.

Flashkit has a lot of tutorials: www.flashkit.com
And there's a few here that you'd probably find useful:
http://animation.about.com/library/weekly/mprev00.htm

"Chris Jumonville" <ch...@vorspann.net> wrote in message
news:ch0aq0$2h6$1...@forums.macromedia.com...

[phatkow]

http://www.macromedia.com/devnet/mx/flash/articles/animate_character.html

[abeall]

Hey phatkow, i've always meant to ask you(since you obviously know your stuff
with character animation in Flash):

Is there an affective way to create hierarchical linking? example: moving the
shoulder moves the top part of the arm(bicep), the forarm, the hand &
fingers(all seperate joints). Ect. ect. Using the edit pivot point creates a
joint niceley in Flash, but once you rotate a intermediate joint, say bicep,
you have to *move* the rest of the arm to match the new position. Doing it by
hand isn't a million hour process or anything, but was wondering if you had any
tips or shortcuts you use? Even if there's a way to snap joints where they
should hinge, so the moving process is more precise. You characters always have
such a smooth limb motion it, the little I've tried the joints move slightly
from keyframe to keyframe... I guess I *could* do more perfecting. :-)

Hopefully what I'm talking about makes sense. Think a Flash simplifed 2D
version of traditional FK(not IK) 3D character animation, if you've done any
of that.

I could also make a visual representation of it in Flash if you just can't get
what I'm saying. I'm an artist not a speaker :-)

TIA

[phatkow]

hey beally
i'm sure there's a way via AS but in terms of IK (Inverse Kinetics for those
reading this unfamiliar) Flash can't do it - I wish I could nest some symbols,
assign the center point appropriately and then just move the parent symbol and
all child symbols would follow along. But alas - for now it has to be done
manually.

I love the "FK" idea - wouldn't have to be pure 3D, just a way to assign a
parent child linkage relationship in the flash authoring environment. would be
cool.
I dont have enough 3D experience - i play with Swift a lot and a long time ago
played with soft image - starting to learn Max but don't have the program. all
my time is spent doing 2D for clients.

Snapping joints should be possible though - lemee play around with that
idea.....

:)

[phatkow]

beally:
the easiest way to *snap* hinged objects is to not use the Free Transform tool
to edit the center point - rather, edit the symbol itself so that the actual
graphic is positioned to the center point in the symbol itself. Then back on
the stage turn on "Snap to Objects" and away you go (helps to zoom in a bit).

i attached a sample.

[abeall]

nice, figured something like would work, but never got around to testing it,
thanks for testing it out :-)

also thot about embedding MCs within each other to simulate hirarchy, but you
say that doesn't work? what happens? I haven't tested that either of course.

sounds like there could be a successful plugin to do this, wonder how big the
market is? the offical Flash character animater, could be neat. does Toon Titan
have anything that aids animation, or just creating cartoony characters/fills?
might be a thing to suggest to them.

OF COURSE i suppose theres a certain organic/fluid? aspect to cartoon char
anim and not quite so rigid as typical 3D characters, so shouldnt be too
precise. :-) if you can't tell I don't know anything about professional cartoon
animation(Flash or otherwise) :-)

Thanks for the tips!
cheers

[Yoye]

I made a playlist on youtube for flash mx 2004
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLR4VU59r0TPSBWm5Q-Dw-9vgDlwissamP