2d/vector/cartoon style asset workflow

[kneeride]

Hi guys,

I don't have much experience with digital drawing tools so I'm wondering if anyone can point me in the right direction or offer me some suggestions.

What I want to do is create a workflow for drawing 2d vector assets.

The following are some preferences regarding the drawing:
- draw using a stylus instead of a mouse
- use a tablet so that I'm drawing directly onto the screen (instead of some PC setups where the drawing surface seperate from the screen)
- touch sensitivity is not required. ie i just want to draw lines of the same thickness.

The following are some drawing requirements:
- vector lines
- fill shapes with colour
- layer support
- key frame animation support (the ghost view of the previous frame would be handy)
- vector graphics so i can rescale to difference resolutions

This is what I'm thinking of doing atm:
- get an ipad
- get a stylus. eg wacom bamboo
- get a drawing app which supports vectors, layers, key frame animation (any suggestions?)
- create the assets using these tools and export them to my PC so i can use in my ogre project!.

What do you guys think?

Does anyone know the professionals go about this? I figure my requiremens would be pretty common for 2d/cartoon style game studios - eg Zombieville USA, and castle crashers?

thanks heaps

[Kojack]

- get an ipad
- get a stylus. eg wacom bamboo

The wacom bamboo stylus for ipad is not a wacom digitiser pen (it's unrelated to the full wacom bamboo). It's just a rubber tipped tube that isn't much better than just using your finger (I haven't used one, just read about it on the net).
For actual fine precision drawing there's a few options:
- wacom cintiq (massively expensive lcd monitor/tablet that plugs into a pc (can't run stand alone, it's just a monitor you put flat on a table)
- samsung galaxy note 10.1
- microsoft surface pro
All three of these use a full wacom digitiser and are compatible with wacom pens, so they have things like hover support and high precision. Using an ipad stylus (even the wacom) is like a thick crayon in comparison.
(don't know if the surface pro has hover, since it's not out yet. Don't get it confused with the surface rt, which is out now, sucks and doesn't have a pen)

Panasonic are going to release a 20" tablet with an anoto pen digitiser, but I can't find any info on what the pen can do compared to a wacom digitiser.

I've got a Galaxy Note 2, the pen input is the best I've used (it's not my first pen based device), the note 10.1 should be similar (I've never used it though).


I don't know of any vector art package with animation support besides Flash.
I use Inkscape for non animated vector art, pretty powerful and free.

A google check shows Synfig Studio is an open source vector animation package. I've never heard of it though, so no idea if it's good. (It's also not on android or ipad, so you'd want the cintiq or surface pro to run it)

[kneeride]

Thanks for the advice Kojak.

Yes, I'm aware the ipad doesn't support sensitivity with the stylus. I however want to avoid drawing with my finger because I think drawing with a pen with a stylus will be more accurate. ye the wacom bamboo for ipad does look thick like a crayon - is it this thick because pens for the ipad need to be?

I did come across this ipad app (dolnk) which seems to have everything i need re keyframe animation with vector graphics:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02PgKHg_2YY

btw the galaxy note 2 but i think i'll need a larger drawing surface.

[Kojack]

Yep, I mentioned the galaxy note 2 just to say that I've actually used it's stylus and like it, not to offer it as an option for this.
The Note 10.1 is a similar size to the ipad and uses the same stylus system as the Note 2.

Normal wacom pens use electro magnetic resonance, which can detect the position of a pen even when it's not touching the screen (great for hovering actions like getting tooltips).
Most modern devices that have finger based touch use capacitive sensors. It detects blobs, which is fine for finger control.

The wacom bamboo stylus for ipad emulates the properties of a finger, so capacitive screens can detect it.
The samsung note devices and ms surface pro have a capacitive screen for touch input, but also an electromagnetic resonance sensor for picking up EMR based wacom pens. They will disable the capacitive screen while the pen is near, so the rest of your hand can rest on the screen while drawing. On a normal device like the ipad using a capacitive stylus, letting the rest of your hand touch the screen acts like a multitouch, it will probably start zooming or rotating stuff.
EMR based pens can have more functions too, like double ended (one end is drawing, one is erasing, or a button for right clicking), while capacitive styluses don't.

The ipad way might be fine for what you need, especially if you'd like to own an ipad anyway, I'd just be hesitant to buy a device like that for a specific purpose without testing just how well a stylus works on it. (I tried a friend's Note 2 before buying mine)

(For full disclosure, I dislike all things apple and much prefer android based devices, so I may be a little biased here)

[kneeride]

great advice Kojak. thanks.

I'm also not an apple fan either. I'll have a look into the other options (ie android). I'm a bit hesitant to look into win 8/surface tablets at this stage. This is a shame since i use windows on my PC. MS seem to be really clumsy at competing in this arena.

btw, on youtube i saw someone use a garden glove with their ipad so their hand didn't trigger touch events. the things you have to do hey?

maybe i'll just stick with my PC and scan pencil drawings - old school style. ...or test out one of those drawing pads for the pc