We all know stickman. And it’s great for generic human figures. But to expand stickmans skeleton or to create non human templates is hard. For example to add two extra hands in the stickman template it may take hours and it requires some math understanding behind it.
From the time python plugins where possible (0.64) I cannot stop thinking that it would be great if we had a plugin that will do the work for us. A plug in that will get some splines and convert them to a stickman like template.
So the idea it’s like that: Draw lines, separate the hierarchy with group layes and then convert this to a stickman like template.
Well… it gave me some headaches and killed all my free time this past week but it’s almost done.
To use it you must name the Group layer that holds the lines, stickfig with a _ and the name of the character.
For example: srickfig_Goro
Enough words. Download it place the stickfig folder in synfig’s plugin folder and restart synfig.
Load the example file goro.sif and observe the stickfig_goro group layer to understand how to build your own. Then run the StickFig plugin and see the result.
Right now I haven’t implemented the stretch layers that you can find in the stickman template.
Very interesting indeed!
We’re on our way to a rudimentary skeleton system!
What if we could keep the skeleton in a folder/layer hierarchy of it’s own and have the character layer setup separate and link the two together? We wouldn’t be restriced to placing everything within he quite complicated setup that is the template then.
That’s something I just recently found. Yep, it’s 2D, and yep it’s a “puppet rigging system” that allows you to create 2D models in a few minutes flat.
And yep, it’s available on Linux too (though a bit complicated to install).
Just sayin’: our developers might just be inspired by its workings.
I totally agree with you.
I am just trying to find a solution for the current state of synfig. Can you give a report about the state of the skeleton system?
About the setup, connecting the sticks with a curve wrap layer looks promising. Check out the bone.zip file.
The python script is open source GNU or what ever open free license the community wands. I have no idea how those things are done. In the end it’s just some python code. Nothing special to bother with license. The result it produces it’s yours for what ever license you wand. bone.zip (5.68 KB)
Holy Moly and gosh and dang! Quite incredible! Oh, how I wish it wasn’t half past twelve and bedtime a long time ago just now! I really need to explore this!
I made some tests and I created a boned arm with fixed bone length and not. Check the file. I think this can be tested and with 0.63.05 version too.
What I tried to do was to get an offset for the curve wrap so the arm will rotate around the shoulder. The limitations that I found out are that If you use the curve wrap your drawing and bones must be in line with the curve wrap start_point and end_point.
I think that it is a very good alternative to use as we wait synfig’s bone system.
I have to fix the original stickfig plugin and then create another plugin to create templates for “wrapped sticked characters”. boned_arm.zip (8.15 KB)
Just found out where I was wrong in the script. Now everything runs ok. At least with my tests.
Keep in mind that in reality this is forward kinematic.
boned_arm.zip / fixxxxed lenght screen shot
it work well …
even if my screenshot show that a little bug at upper joint of elbow can appear playing with hand_pt_1_t
Hi,
Boned_arm works in windows version 0.63.05. including the distortion caused by the curve wrap on the elbow, but the original stickman also had gaps you had to fix so you can work around that.
Greetz!
Thanks Zelgadis. Your approval is highly appreciated.
zmeyk I will need some more information. Do you have installed python 3.0? Is the stickfig_name layer in the root of the layers? Do you have the problem also with the example file?
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