Frame by Frame Graphics

Stretch

Hey guys
I need some tips for frame by frame animation.
I use adobe Illustrator to draw out game characters and such for games. I'm pretty new so i'm not exactly sure on how to create different frames to make the players look alive and react. Am I supposed to redraw the different frames on adobe illustrator? OR is there an easier way that is much less time consuming? I appreciate the help

colander

I draw all my stuff in Inkscape frame by frame. I only draw what is needed like a running man might only be 5 frames looped but can run technically forever. There maybe a better but I haven't heard about it.

fiorentin

If you got Adobe After Effects i would say thats what you should use. Simply import your Illustrator file in AE, apply some puppet pins and animate. Dont forget to set your fps to something lower than 25/30 if you want fewer images in your exports/ work flow.

SpriteAttack

You can do it in different layers - keeping a bounding box underneath to set the size (make it without fill and turn the stroke off when exporting).
I wrote a tutorial using inkscape - it's pretty much the same process in illustrator.

http://2dgameartforprogrammers.blogspot.de/2011/11/character-animation.html

Have fun!

richcoy

I use Flash and export individual images. Flash is designed for animation and includes things like onion skinning to make it easier.