Questions about TVPaints usability, and other questions.

[beethoven73]

when I test one of my animations with the 'playback review' button, it plays back VERY pixellated. Is that just how it is with the preview, or is there any way to preview it at a higher quality?

how closer to 'best' quality when previewing, is mainly dependent on your hardware.
first of all, go to the menu Windows > Custom Panels, you should see a Preview Quality panel that you can bring up. This allows you flexibility in preview.
Secondly, you can try setting the Preview setting in the preview panel to 'Proxy' and then play with different bitrate setting, which directly affects the quality at which the animation is rendered to the cache/disk.

Ah! Thanks man... I found the 'preview settings' box, set it to 'no prozy', and the animation is now smooth! Cool... thanks. Try it out slowtiger... you have the same system (I believe) as me, so it should work for you as well.

[Fabrice]

just my two cent

I'm on a PPC G5 1.8Ghz also.

OS 10.4.7 is required to start TVP Animation.

Paul, Does that mean your movie is done?

You can see a few works from Paul in our online gallery here:
TVP Animation gallery

NB : An interview of Paul will be published in the website user-story section (probably next week). It will be in both french/english languages.
There will be a link in the next coming newsletter, stay tuned.

[Paul Fierlinger]

Yes, it's done; all my obligations to the producers have been fulfilled and delivered on an external HD -- the equivalent of "in the can".

[Fabrice]

Please tell us once you know the cinema screen release date

[Paul Fierlinger]

I will, but as far as I know now, it won't be before October 2009 and the opening will be first in London, then in November in New York and early 2010 in Paris and rest of Europe.

[User 767]

congratulations Paul. Is the next show in full swing now?

About Animo: Expect $10.000 or more. It's not a retail sort of software. They intend it for production, so there are support packages available, discounts for multiple licenses, extra modules, etc. You're not just buying software, you're buying a working lifestyle. You don't need to use the scan module. You can draw digitally as well.

Retas is $1,000 (and up, depending) http://animationsoftware.stores.yahoo.net/product.html

This is all academic. If TVP works for you the way you like, that may as well be what you use. If you don't like it, then you try other things. You can use more than one piece of software too, you know. Anime Studio (per Slowtiger's suggestion) could be a nice addition (or not):http://my.smithmicro.com/mac/animepro/index.html forum: http://www.lostmarble.com/forum/ Oh, Toon Boom's discussion forums are usually pretty bad-though you will get answers to questions, it's not as active as here. Same goes for most of the other hi-end software.

Since you're doing a music show, I'd suggest you include the audio in your tests of software. The way TVP scrubs audio is annoying to me. Some people like it though. That could be a big part of your usage, so it counts, and should be considered up front.

[Paul Fierlinger]

congratulations Paul. Is the next show in full swing now?

I'm working on the next one but I wouldn't call it full swing yet. Right now it's pay as you go for the producers who don't have the entire budget in place yet. I have complete trust in their intentions and ability to raise the money though, so I am not worried.

One thing we are careful of this time and that is to make the story more general audiences appealing. I had no idea how much the audiences had changed since I stopped going to the movies around the age of 35. I thought I was just about the only one but now I have learned that it was me and everyone else who became intolerant of the juvenile antics of the younger audience. Now, with the onset of cell phones and i-Pods I understand that those theaters (world-wide no less) have become zoos. My next film will be zoo fodder, albeit of the deli brand.

[slowtiger]

Over there in the AS forum somebody mentioned today that they want to migrate away from Animo because it seems to be discontinued (at least that's what I understood). Please investigate yourself, I just repeat this as a rumour.

[User 767]

Over there in the AS forum somebody mentioned today that they want to migrate away from Animo because it seems to be discontinued (at least that's what I understood). Please investigate yourself, I just repeat this as a rumour.

FYI Animo is not discontinued. You can still purchase it, and support. It's not in heavy development (cel-based animation, after all), it's stable. All this per the folks at Cambridge Animation (the folks who make it).

[slowtiger]

I'm glad to hear that. When I was there to learn the program, aeons ago, they were a fine bunch of folks. Just round the corner from the office was the pub where Crick and Watson imagined the idea of the DNA double helix, and the Animo guys proudly showed me the memorial tablet on the wall.

[D.T. Nethery]

http://www.toonboom.com/pdf/pressReleas ... n20092.pdf

Press Release, Jan. 8, 2009
Toon Boom Acquires Cambridge Animation

As part of its growth strategy, Toon Boom Animation Inc. acquires Cambridge
Animation Systems and strengthens its market leadership as a prime animation
technology partner.

Montreal (January 8, 2009) –Toon Boom Animation Inc. today announced it has closed a
definitive agreement with Cambridge Animation Systems, to acquire all of the Intellectual
Property of Cambridge and the Animo product line. This acquisition furthers Toon Boom’s
market consolidation strategy in the global animation industry and reinforces its leadership
in the media, entertainment and educational arenas.

"We welcome Animo customers to Toon Boom," said Joan Vogelesang, President and
Chief Executive Officer at Toon Boom. "Toon Boom caters to the needs of the animation
community at large and will continue to remain on the leading edge of technology,
efficiency and creative freedom. As a proponent of digital pipelines, media convergence
and 2D/3D integration, this acquisition is expected to accelerate Toon Boom's objective in
delivering powerful animation solutions," concluded Joan Vogelesang.
With Cambridge Animation Systems’ presence in Europe and Asia, Toon Boom continues
to strengthen its leading market position as the primary technology partner for animation
projects globally. "Toon Boom was the natural partner to pass on the torch and see the
global animation industry benefit from this market and technology consolidation," stated
Cormac Slevin, at Cambridge.

[User 767]

Wow. It's like Toon Boom is trying to take over the world, or something. I wonder where this will all lead to? Maybe some bit-mapped competition to TVP? Like they didn't have enough products? It will be interesting to see.

[slowtiger]

Ugh. Looks ugly to me. It's the same situation as the purchase of Macromedia by Adobe: Freehand swallowed by its competitor Illustrator. Buy it, promise unlimited support, then let it dry out and hope to catch the last loyal users.

[Fabrice]

Thanks for posting that news David.

It was the same with Pegs a few years ago ... but TVP is still here and alive.

[Elodie]

but TVP is still here and alive.

and will be here forever *puts hands on her hip and looks at the sky, with blowing wind in her hair*