About Form Animation (FA)

Updated: 09/09/2019

This page is for Cubism version 4.2 or earlier. Click here for the latest version.

This page describes the Form Animation (FA) function.

What is Form Animation?

Form animation is a convenient function for video production that allows you to directly edit the model form on the animation editing timeline without using parameters.

You can freely transform the object without affecting the model data.
You can operate objects directly on the timeline to set keyframes in Form Animations.
It is also possible to fine-tune the timing with the time remapping function.

TIPS

Since Form Animation is a function dedicated to the target “video,” its data cannot be exported to the SDK.
Be careful when creating data for embedding.
(The contents of the form edit are not reflected even when checking the movement in the physics calculation / scene blend setting.)

Open Form Animation View

Load the can3 file and click the [Start Form Editing] button on the model track.

The Form Animation View opens.

Form Animation Screen Layout

NumberNameDetails
(1)Form Animation ViewView dedicated to Form Animation editing
You can select the object for which you want to edit the form.
(2)Show/hide labelsUses labels to show objects for which form editing has been set.
(3)Label (blue)Labels for objects edited in Adjustment Mode 2
(4)Label (red)Labels for objects edited in Adjustment Mode 1
(5)Label (green)Labels for objects edited in both Adjustment Modes 1 and 2
(6)Animation previewShows the Animation View as a guide image.
NumberNameDetails
(7)Form edit start buttonOpens the Form Animation View and starts form editing.
(8)Form Edit property groupProperty group for form editing
Form-edited objects are displayed.
(9)Adjustment Mode switchingSwitches between Adjustment Mode 1 and Adjustment Mode 2.
(10)On/Off Form AnimationTurns off form animation application on Animation View.
(11)Show/hide partsHides only parts.
(12)Reset form editingResets the shape of the form and sets keys with default values.
(13)ShyShy can be set under various conditions.

Save Form Animation Editing Data

The edited data of the form animation is saved in can3 format.
If you accidentally close the Form Animation View, the data will be preserved if you open the Animation View.
(If you press the Start Form Edit button again, the Form Animation View will open and the key will be displayed.)

However, changing the display state or lock state of the part affects the model data, so if you want to keep those changes in the Form Animation View, you need to save the model data as well.

Notes when Editing Model Data

Change the structure of an object

Changing the structure of the model data to which the form animation is applied may affect the form.

After making the change, recovery will be performed automatically, but since the structure will change, the shape may be slightly different; therefore, check the changed part.
(Please note that you will not be able to undo the previous operation of the animation at that time.)

  Before the change After the change
Mesh condition
Movement

Model data will be automatically recovered when changes are made in the following cases.

  • Mesh reorganization of ArtMesh
  • Change in the number of divisions in the warp deformer conversion
  • ArtPath control points, etc.

Change the parent-child hierarchy of the deformer

Basically, it is recommended that you do not change the parent-child hierarchy of the deformer after editing the form. If you need to modify the model data, please note the following points.

When editing the form for the object (A) with the parent deformer (D1), if the model data is modified and the parent deformer of the object (A) is changed to (D2), the form will collapse.
This problem occurs only in [Adjustment Mode 1].

To avoid this problem, if the direct parent deformer is changed, the following warning is displayed and the form edit information is discarded.
(Please note that you will not be able to undo the previous operation of the animation at that time.)

This problem does not occur unless the direct parent deformer of the object to which the form edit is applied has been replaced.

Example of form collapse:

When adding a warp deformer to an ArtMesh to which the form edit is applied

 No collapse  Collapse
 If a warp deformer is set for the direct parent, the form will not collapse even if the warp deformer is set for the parent above it.  If a new warp deformer is set between the warp deformer of the direct parent and the parent above it and, consequently, the parent of the ArtMesh changes, the form will collapse.
TIPS

The above is an example of the warp deformer of the direct parent of ArtMesh. The same is true for the deformer’s direct parent deformer.

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