If you're new to Character Animator, this course is perfect for you. We'll start by setting up your camera and microphone, and then use them to animate a performance capture character in real time using your own face and voice. After that, we'll explore different aspects of the app such as the trig...
Intro To Adobe Character Animator
If you're new to Character Animator, this tutorial is perfect for you. We'll start by
setting up your camera and microphone, and then use them to animate a
performance capture character in real time using your own face and voice. After
that, we'll explore different aspects of the app such as the triggers panel, timeline,
project panel behaviors, and rig mode. We'll also cover recording performances
and editing them later. Finally, we'll learn how to export videos and integrate
character animations into other Adobe apps like Premiere Pro and After Effects.
By the end of this tutorial, you'll have a comprehensive understanding of what
Character Animator can do. Let's get started!
Setting up Your Project
When you first open Character Animator, you'll be taken to the home screen where
you can access various resources and tutorials. To create a new project, click on
the "New Project" button on the left side of the screen. You can choose a name and
location for your project, or stick with the default settings. Once you've created the
project, you'll see a blank workspace with your face in the webcam feed at the
upper right corner. Make sure the webcam and microphone icons are turned on and
blue. If you're not seeing your face or the audio meter isn't moving, close any other
programs that may be using the webcam and check your recording settings.
Importing a Character
To bring a character into your project, go back to the home screen by clicking the
home icon in the upper left corner. In Character Animator, a puppet f ile is a file
with a puppet extension that contains the original artwork and rigging information.
There are multiple ways to import puppets, such as selecting from the provided
examples or importing your own files. You can also use the Puppet Maker featur e
to create custom characters quickly. For this tutorial, we'll start with a pre -made
character called Chloe. Simply click on Chloe in the list of example puppets, and
she will appear in the record mode, mirroring your movements. Before you start
animating, make sure to calibrate your character by looking directly at it and
clicking the "Calibrate" button under the webcam. This will reset the character's
position to its default state.
What about the arms? There are a few options with a character like Chloe. The first
option is to use the mouse or fingers on a touch-enabled device to move and drag
the arms around. This allows for precise positioning but can only be done one arm
at a time when using a mouse. Another option is body tracking, which is available
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, if the character has a body behavior. Body tracking allows for gestures and
movements to be mirrored by the character. To calibrate body tracking, it is
recommended to have enough room, remove the chair, and position arms out. Body
tracking can be a fun option, especially for live streams. Some characters have full
body tracking capabilities. If body tracking is not desired, it can be turned off. Now
that we have a basic character set up, let's explore the rest of the interface.
Interface Overview
The interface consists of different workspaces such as Home, Record, and Rig
Mode. For this tutorial, we will primarily focus on the Record workspace. The
Project panel displays imported assets such as puppet files, audio files, and
background art. It is recommended to save files locally rather than a cloud-backed
drive to avoid syncing issues. Additional assets can be added through the File menu
or by double-clicking in a blank space. The Project panel currently shows a puppet
file and a scene.
Stream Mode
Stream Mode is a special version optimized for live streaming. Character Animator
allows for live streaming on platforms such as Twitch, YouTube, Instagram, and
TikTok. Stream Mode simplifies the interface by removing the timeline and
focusing on the character and essential controls. More information on live
streaming can be found in dedicated tutorials.
If a square is filled in, it means it's a latch trigger. Pressing it once will keep the
hand in the flipped position until pressed again. On the other hand, if it's not filled
in, pressing it will only trigger the action while the key is held down. You can
change the trigger by selecting any of them and checking or unchecking the latch
option. Quick triggers usually don't use latch, while longer triggers do.
Below the triggers, there is the timeline line where recorded actions are displayed.
Currently, it's empty, but we can add a background by clicking the color square
and selecting a color. However, if we export it as a video, the background will
appear black. To add an image, go to the project panel, import the file, and drag it
into the scene panel. You can have multiple elements in the timeline, such as
characters and backgrounds, and adjust their position, scale, and rotation using the
transform behavior. You can also add secondary animations to characters using the
physics behavior.
The red dot next to a behavior indicates that it's armed and ready to record live
data. You can turn on or off individual behaviors, such as face tracking or lip sync,
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