How to edit the length of tweens?

[davidanthony]

Hi, 

First of all, I think it's really misleading that this software is actually only for storyboarding.
I got excited because I saw a lot of animations that people made, but to be honest, it's a pain in the but to make!
Software like shotpro can do this in seconds .
Why is it so hard to make actual previz animations with this software?

And now to my actual question:
I have made two keyframes, I have select them and selected the framerate and length, but how can I adjust the speed/length of the shot afterwards? And how can I change movement in the shot? I can't find any info about animating in Frameforge .

And another question: A lot of times when i want to move a character in a scene it snaps to chairs automatically. This is great ofcourse, but not if you don't want that to happen.

Thanks in advance.

[ChrisB]

Hi DavidAnthony,

Thanks for your comments.  I've never heard/seen/used ShotPro until now so I can't comment on what it can or can't do.  Could you elaborate some on why you think it misleading that FrameForge is only for storyboarding?  That's pretty much...ya know...it's entire purpose after all.  I'm not trying to be sarcastic but genuinely interested in your opinion: if it isn't storyboarding software, what is it?  Do you think it more of an animation suite?  It's definitely not despite having some animation functionality.  True animation software for 3D models, not 2D motion graphic software like After Effects but suites like Blender, Cinema 4D and Autodesk Maya are far, far, far more complicated to use straight out of the box.  On to your questions...

Why is it so hard to make actual previz animations with this software?
I make tweened sequences all the time.  It's great for quick little video snippets that demonstrate an envisioned camera or talent movement in a scene.  Admittedly, it's less great for producing fully animated content.

I have made two keyframes, I have select them and selected the framerate and length, but how can I adjust the speed/length of the shot afterwards?



And how can I change movement in the shot?
By changing the position/pose/location/angle/focus/ of the actor/camera/focal length in the 2nd keyframe.


I can't find any info about animating in Frameforge .
If you Google search "FrameForge tweening" the very first url returned is to our Knowledge Base article on tweening.  https://support.frameforge.com/category/22-tweening
Speaking of which, the knowledge base has multiple articles on tweening.  https://support.frameforge.com/category/22-tweening
If you look in the User Manual, starting on page 122, you will find plenty of documentation on animatics.

[davidanthony]

Hi DavidAnthony,

Thanks for your comments.  I've never heard/seen/used ShotPro until now so I can't comment on what it can or can't do.  Could you elaborate some on why you think it misleading that FrameForge is only for storyboarding?  That's pretty much...ya know...it's entire purpose after all.  I'm not trying to be sarcastic but genuinely interested in your opinion: if it isn't storyboarding software, what is it?  Do you think it more of an animation suite?  It's definitely not despite having some animation functionality.  True animation software for 3D models, not 2D motion graphic software like After Effects but suites like Blender, Cinema 4D and Autodesk Maya are far, far, far more complicated to use straight out of the box.  On to your questions...

Why is it so hard to make actual previz animations with this software?
I make tweened sequences all the time.  It's great for quick little video snippets that demonstrate an envisioned camera or talent movement in a scene.  Admittedly, it's less great for producing fully animated content.

I have made two keyframes, I have select them and selected the framerate and length, but how can I adjust the speed/length of the shot afterwards?




And how can I change movement in the shot?
By changing the position/pose/location/angle/focus/ of the actor/camera/focal length in the 2nd keyframe.


I can't find any info about animating in Frameforge .
If you Google search "FrameForge tweening" the very first url returned is to our Knowledge Base article on tweening.  https://support.frameforge.com/category/22-tweening
Speaking of which, the knowledge base has multiple articles on tweening.  https://support.frameforge.com/category/22-tweening
If you look in the User Manual, starting on page 122, you will find plenty of documentation on animatics.

- I know how to make tweens, but how can I change the length/timing of the shot after I've made the tweens? Otherwise you have to start over again.

- After I've made the tweens, and I want to change some movement in the shot, do I just change the last frame? Because if I do that, the change will only apply on the last frame and not the whole movement...

- I've have looked at the support, but there isn't any info about how you can change the camera movement and lenghth after you've created the software.

- This software would do wonders if you simply could make easy previz videos for your film. The whole tweening thing seems very cumbersome. Don't get me wrong, the software is great, but it could be so much more .
I don't want to make actual animations with this software, just previz videos for complicated movements.

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And another question: A lot of times when i want to move a character in a scene it snaps to chairs automatically. This is great ofcourse, but not if you don't want that to happen.

[ChrisB]

I know how to make tweens, but how can I change the length/timing of the shot after I've made the tweens? Otherwise you have to start over again.
In the context of FrameForge, a shot is a static image that does not change and has no 'length'.  It's unchanging in that it is either displayed or not displayed.   A sequence of shots that are displayed sequentially, on the other hand, can be considered to have a duration depending on how many shots are displayed every second.  That said, are you asking how to change the length or duration of the tweened sequences you make?  If so, yes, you'd have to recreate the tweens but that's as simple as selecting the 2 keyframes again, clicking the Create Tweens button and inputting a new duration.  For me, that's about 5 mouse/keyboard actions:
1. launch the Shot Manager <click>
2. Select the 2 keyframes <click>
3. click the Create Tweens button <click>
4. enter new duration <click>
5. click Create Tweened Frames button <click>


After I've made the tweens, and I want to change some movement in the shot, do I just change the last frame?
Yes.  Obviously, if you want your tweened sequence to reflect the movement, you have to tell FrameForge to recreate the tweened frames it created for you earlier.

Because if I do that, the change will only apply on the last frame and not the whole movement...
Correct...only in those cases where you do not recreate the tweens. Otherwise, the changes appear throughout the entire sequence.

This software would do wonders if you simply could make easy previz videos for your film. The whole tweening thing seems very cumbersome. Don't get me wrong, the software is great, but it could be so much more.
I'm sorry you find it cumbersome.  I don't but, naturally, I've been working with it for years so I have a lot of experience.  It would be impossible (I think) to create something that every person who uses it finds it perfectly easy and intuitive to use.  Regardless, someone somewhere would find it not their particular cup of tea.

I don't want to make actual animations with this software, just previz videos for complicated movements.
I'm not trying to be sarcastic or difficult but those sound like the same thing to me.  Animation of moving objects really are a truly complicated process, even more so when the moving objects are humans.  FrameForge was designed primarily for preparing film shoots, but it turns out that some users also use it to create presentations that require showing their storyboard on-screen, actively--in other words, as a sort of animation.  We refer to the results of a tweened sequence as pesuedoanimation.   It's not true animation.

And another question: A lot of times when i want to move a character in a scene it snaps to chairs automatically. This is great ofcourse, but not if you don't want that to happen.
That would be the Relationship between the Actor Object and the Chair object automatically being applied.  If you don't like it, turn it off or adjust the sensitivity.  Look under the Tools menu for the Tweak Auto-Relationships function.

[timothyferriss]

After creating the keyframes, you normally need to use the timeline or animation settings to change the speed or duration of a shot blossom word game

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[jeffreestar]

Consider using features like keyframe interpolation My Singing Monsters, time remapping, or time stretching

[linda68]

FrameForge is primarily designed for previsualization and storyboarding rather than full-fledged animation. While it does offer some basic animation tools, it may not be as feature-rich as dedicated animation software like bitlife ShotPro. For more advanced animation work, it's often better to use specialized animation software.