Synfig/C3/Plant-animation/English

Title of script: Create Plant animation

Author: Shital

Keywords: Draw and animate shape, Insert item, Mark active point On/off option

Split tangent, Create a Plant animation

Visual cue	Narration
Opening Slide	Welcome to the Spoken Tutorial on “Create a Plant animation” using Synfig.
Learning Objectives (Slide)	In this tutorial, we will familiarize ourselves with animating shapes in Synfig. We will learn to- Draw shapes and group layers Add a vertex by using Insert item Split tangent option and Mark active point off option and Animate the shapes Here we will create a Plant animation.
System requirements (Slide)	To record this tutorial, I am using- Ubuntu Linux 14.04 OS Synfig version 1.0.2
Go to Dash home >>“Synfig”	Go to Dash home and type Synfig.
Click on Synfig logo	Open Synfig by clicking on the logo.
Slide Plant animation.	Now let us start creating the Plant animation.
Synfig interface	We need to first create the graphics in Synfig. We will create a plant with a flower.
	Let us save our synfig file.
Go to File >>Click on Save Select the folder to save. Type filename as Plant-animation >> click on Save.	Go to File and click on Save. Select the folder in which to save. Type the filename as Plant-animation and click on the Save button.
Tool box >>Spline tool >>Colour palette choose the colour>>Fill tool	Draw a white background layer before you draw any other shape. Change the name of a layer as a Background. Go to toolbox. Select Spline tool. Make sure that only "Create Region Layer" is checked. In the toolbox, set the fill colour to green.
Draw a triangle: Tool box >>Spline tool	Now, draw a triangle with the Spline tool as demonstrated here.
Canvas >>Loop spline >> Make Spline.	We should close this shape after drawing the 3 vertices. To do so, right-click on the first vertex and choose "Loop Spline". Then click on Make Spline. This will trace a green triangle shape.
	To make a rounder triangle, we have to tweak the tangent handles a bit.
Toolbox >> Transform tool >> Right click on vertex >> Split tangents	Click on Transform tool and then right-click on each vertex. Select Split tangents so that the tangent handles of each vertex can be moved separately.
Layers panel >>Click on layer >>press Enter	Observe the Layers panel. A new layer is formed. Let’s name it as Stem.
Save the file.	Press Ctrl and S keys to save the file.
Click on Turn on animating mode	Now we will learn to animate the shape of the stem. Click on Turn on animate editing mode icon.
Layers panel >>Click the layer	Select the shape by clicking on the Stem layer.
Point to Toggle tangent handles	Make sure the Toggle tangent handles option is ON at the top of the canvas.
Time track panel >>Place the cursor on 24th frame	Then, go to the Time track panel and place the Time cursor on the 24th frame.
Toolbar>>Spline tool>> Canvas >>Use Tangent handles	Select the Transform tool. Click on the top vertex of the stem and drag it upwards on the canvas, as demonstrated. You can use + and - sign for zoom in and zoom out canvas respectively.
Ruler >> canvas >>Guidelines Drag guidelines from horizontal ruler on canvas	Next, go to the Ruler. Drag five Guidelines onto the canvas, as shown. <<Pause>>
Save the file.	Press Ctrl and S keys to save the file.
Toolbar >> Click on Transform tool >>Canvas >> Right click on shape>> Insert item and keep shape	On the Toolbar, click on the Transform tool. On the canvas, right-click on the shape. Then click on Insert item and keep shape.
Add 10 other nodes on the canvas	Add 10 more nodes on the Guidelines as done here. Do this by clicking on Insert item and keep shape.
Right-click >> select Split tangents.	Now, right-click on each vertex. Select Split tangents so that the tangent handles of each vertex can be moved separately.
Time track panel >>Place the cursor on 23th frame >>Parameter panel select the added node>>	Then go to the Time track panel and place the Time cursor on the 23rd frame. Go to parameter panel. Click on the triangle icon of Vertices to open the group.
	Check the newly added Vertices. We have to make them inactive on this 23rd frame.
Canvas Right click on node >> Mark active point as a off	Right-click on the newly added vertices. Click on Mark active point as off.
	Do likewise for all the newly added vertices.
Save the file.	Press Ctrl and S keys to save the file.
Time track panel >>Place the cursor on 30th frame >>	Once again, go to the Time track panel and place the Time cursor on the 30th frame.
canvas >>Move the nodes for starting part of leaves	Come back to the canvas. Move the vertices to create the starting part of the leaves, as demonstrated.
Time track panel >>Place the cursor on 37th frame >> canvas >>Move the nodes for leaves as demonstrated.	Again, go to the Time track panel and place the Time cursor on the 37th frame.
canvas >>Move the nodes for starting part of leaves	Let’s come back to the canvas. Move the vertices to create the leaves, like this. Remember mark a active point off for newly added vertices only.
Time track panel >>Place the cursor on 45th frame>> Move the top node as demonstrated.	Back to the Time track panel. Place the Time cursor on the 45th frame and move the top node, as shown here.
	In the same way, we will add two more leaves in the Stem layer itself.
Time track panel >>Place the cursor on 80th frame>> Move the nodes as demonstrated.	Go to the Time track panel and place the Time cursor on the 80th frame. Move the vertices of the stem, to form the green coloured sepals around the bud. <<PAUSE>>
Save the file.	Press Ctrl and S keys to save the file.
Create a new layer >> name it as Bud	In the Layers panel, create a new layer and name it as Bud.
Time track panel>>Time cursor on 90 th frame>> Keyframes >>Add new keyframe	Once again, go to the Time track panel and place the Time cursor on the 90th frame. Then go to Keyframes and add a new keyframe.
Tool box >>Spline tool >>Colour palatte choose the colour >> Fill tool	Now, click on the Spline tool. Make sure that only "Create Region Layer" is checked. In the toolbox, set the fill colour to pink.
Draw as shown.	Then draw a bud with the Spline tool, as demonstrated.
	Remember to close this shape after drawing the 3 vertices.
Tool box >>Spline tool >> canvas >>Loop spline	To do so, right-click on the first vertex and choose "Loop Spline". Note that the trace of the form is now closed. Adjust the vertices and create and create bud shape. Change the layer name as a Bud. Place the Bud layer below the Stem layer.
Time track panel >>Place the cursor on 99th frame>> Move the nodes as demonstrated.	Again, go to the Time track panel and place the Time cursor on the 99th frame. Move the top node of the bud, as done here.
Save the file.	Press Ctrl and S keys to save the file.
Layers panel >> Select Stem layer>> Move the nodes as demonstrated.	Now, go to the Layers panel and select the Stem layer.
Toolbar >> Click on Spline tool	Then go to the Toolbar and click on the Spline tool.
>>Canvas >> Right click on shape>> Insert item and keep shape	After this, come back to the canvas and right-click on the stem shape. Add a vertex by clicking on Insert item and keep shape.
	Likewise, we have to add 4 more vertices. Place the time cursor on 98th frame and Mark the active point off for these vertices.
Canvas	Move the vertices as demonstrated, so that we get a shape like this.
Save the file.	Press Ctrl and S keys to save the file. It’s a good habit to save our work frequently. As we proceed ahead, I won’t mention this explicitly. Pls do so yourself at regular time intervals.
Time track panel >>Place the cursor on 100th frame>> Layers panel >> Select the bud layer>>	Go back to the Time track panel and place the Time cursor on the 100th frame. Go to the Layers panel and select the Bud layer.
Click on Duplicate	Click on Duplicate twice. Name the layers as petal_1 and petal_2.
Time track panel >>Place the cursor on 108th frame>> Move the nodes as demonstrated.	Back on the Time track panel, place the Time cursor on the 108th frame. Move the nodes of the petals, as demonstrated.
Time track panel >>Place the cursor on 115th frame>>	Go back to the Time track panel and place the Time cursor on the 115th frame.
Layers panel >> Select the petal_1 and petal_2 layers	Go to the Layers panel and select both the petal_1 and petal_2 layers.
>> Click on Duplicate	Click on Duplicate. Name the new layers as petal_3 and petal_4.
Time track panel >>Place the cursor on 120th frame>> Move the nodes as demonstrated.	Let’s come back to the Time track panel. Place the Time cursor on the 120th frame. Move the vertices of the 3rd and 4th petals, as demonstrated.
Layers panel >> Select the Petal_3 and petal_4 layers	Go to Layers panel and select both the petal _3 and petal_4 layers.
>> Click on Duplicate	Click on Duplicate. Name the new layers as petal_5 and petal_6.
Time track panel >>Place the cursor on 140th frame>> Move the nodes as demonstrated.	Back on the Time track panel, place the Time cursor on the 140th frame. Move the vertices of the 5th and 6th petals, as demonstrated.
Time track panel >>Place the cursor on 108th frame >>	Again, go to the Time track panel and place the Time cursor on the108th frame.
Toolbar >>Transform tool	Then go to the Toolbar and click on the Transform tool.
Select the stem >> move the nodes of the sepals	Select the stem part of the drawing. And move the vertices of green sepals of the bud, as shown here.
Time track panel >>Place the cursor on 128th frame	Back on the Time track panel, place the Time cursor on the 128th frame. Move the vertices of green green sepals of the bud, as demonstrated.
Time track panel >> Layers panel>> Parameter panel	Place the cursor on 0th frame. Select Bud layer. Go to Parameter panel. Change the Amount 0. Similarly do for petal’s layers. Similarly do 89th frame.
Canvas >>Click on Turn on animate editing mode	Click on Turn on animate editing mode icon.
Click on Seek to begin >>Click on Play	Click on Seek to begin at the bottom of the canvas. Play the animation by clicking Play icon.
Layers panel>>Toolbox>>Canvas	Now let's add a gradient in background layer.. Select Background layer. Click on gradient. Set the outline colour brown and fill colour blue. Drag gradient on Background as demonstrated.
Ctrl + S	Let us now save our file.
	Now we will check the preview.
File >> Click on Preview >>Preview option	Go to File and then click on Preview.
Quality >>FPS	Set the Quality as 0.5 and FPS as 24.
Preview button >>Play	Click on the Preview button and then click on the Play button. We can see a preview of the animation on the screen.
Close Preview window.	Close the Preview window. <<PAUSE>>
	Now let us render the animation.
File >>Render >>Render setting window >> Choose >> Save render as window	To do that, click on File and then on Render. Go to Render setting window. Click on Choose and open the Save render as window.
Desktop >> Plant animation folder >> TYpe a Name >> Click on Ok	Click on the location where you want to save the rendered file. Change the name to plant-animation.avi
Click on Target >> Select ffmpeg	Click on Target drop down menu and select the extension as ffmpeg.
Click on Time >> Click on End time >> Click on Render	Next, click on the Time tab and change the End time to 150. Then click on Render.
	Let us check our animation.
Desktop>> Double Click on Plant animation folder >> Select plant-animation.avi	Go to Desktop. Open the folder in which we saved our file. Now select plant-animation. avi.
	Right-click and play the animation using Firefox web browser. <<PAUSE>>
	With this we have come to the end of this tutorial.
Summary (Slide)	Let us summarize. In this tutorial we learnt to animate a plant in Synfig. We also learnt to Draw shapes with Spline tool Add a node by using Insert item Split tangent option Mark active point off option Animate the shape
Assignment (Slide)	* Draw simple cartoon face with long hair filled with different colors Animate the hairs.
Completed assignment	* Cartoon face with animated long hair
About Slide	The video at the following link summarizes the Spoken Tutorial project. Pls watch it.
Workshop slide	We conduct workshops using Spoken Tutorials. And give certificates. Please contact us.
Spoken Tutorial Forum slide	Please post your timed queries in this forum.
Acknowledgment Slide	Spoken Tutorial project is funded by NMEICT, MHRD, Government of India.
	This is Shital along with the Spoken Tutorial Animation Team from IIT Bombay, signing off. Thanks for joining.

Contributors and Content Editors

Arthi, Nancyvarkey, PoojaMoolya, Shital-joshi