Animate2D: Cutout Animation Tool for Game Developers

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6 comments, last by Animate2D 11 years, 5 months ago
Update: A free version of the app Animate2D Lite is available on google play. The Lite version will not allow you to save, but it will allow you to test drive the app before deciding whether or it's for you.

Hey fellow game dev'er and artists. Would be nice to do animations for games on the fly right? Whether on a toilet, long road trip, or lunch break at work. There is a tool that will allow you to create character game loops intended primarily for game developers and import that content into a mobile platform. Animate2D available today in google play. And runs pretty sweet on my g nex.

After having a few casual users evaluate the debug build prerelease, I realized I dipped heavily into the technical aspects of animation transformations a bit too far for the average guy. But in the same sense I feel a few more advanced tools will be necessary to complete the app and some tools that overlap both user groups. And they will come soon but I need a break and need to see if there is a market of such a tool to make it worth going forward.

Please let me know what you think of it. You can read more from the blog: http://animate2d.blogspot.com
I'm going on a two week vacation. After getting back I will work on tuning it for the apple review board.

Features include:

  • Onion Skinning
  • Pinch Zoom
  • Angle transformations
  • Anchor transformations
  • Angle Pinning
  • Position Pinning
  • Rotate about node
  • Rotate self
  • Position self
  • Rotate self and children
  • Position self and children
  • Flip X
  • Flip Y
  • Flip Distance Node Normal
  • Z Order Switching
  • Xray mode
  • Frame Viewer for Navigation
  • Propagate Delta Forward - to transform across frames
  • Propagate Delta Backward - to transform across frames
  • Undo Single Step
  • Insert Frame Forward
  • Insert Frame Backward
  • Step Forward
  • Step Backward
  • Slow Down
  • Speed/Up
  • Play/Pause
  • Cue First Frame
  • Cue Last Frame
  • Save
  • Animation Collection Explorer - with copy paste trash can functionality
  • Cutout Hierarchy Editor
  • PNG Import from /sdcard/Download provided PNGs are 90K or less in size.

Development APIs in game usage currently available in WiEngine, more coming soon

Enjoy.
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I've created a new documentation tab on my blog. I've also raised the price in google play to three and a half new york city pub beers on tap.
Moved to Your Announcements, where it belongs.

Tristam MacDonald. Ex-BigTech Software Engineer. Future farmer. [https://trist.am]

Well great then, visibility is diminished. When this is a tool suited for beginners not old salts with 10,000 dollars worth of art production software. Thank you kind moderator.

Well great then, visibility is diminished.

Regardless, this is where it belongs, as per the forum rules.

Honestly, your visibility is probably slightly better here, given that it won't be buried under an avalanche of For Beginners posts.

When this is a tool suited for beginners not old salts with 10,000 dollars worth of art production software.[/quote]
This forum isn't meant for AAA studios. Look around the other posts - it's mostly indie games and tools.

Tristam MacDonald. Ex-BigTech Software Engineer. Future farmer. [https://trist.am]

Yea you are probably right.

The funny thing is i'm a beginner myself atleast in this area of programming. I wrote this tool to assist me in my 2D game and want to share it with others to make it better. I'm going the 2D route becaused thats all i think i can reasonably handle and deliver something. As my game needs grow past needing character animation assets, there will be other tools in the suite for scene and compositing on a scene/level. Physics binding for collisions etc.

There is more i want to add to this one. For one state trees for animation transitions. Smoothing tools to get rid of wiggle, and maybe a tweening tool but not the kind that will allow you to create a fake walk from four key frames.

With the tools in place i can reskin the game with a different theme and levels. Or make it part of a continuous adventure of sorts.
For those who would like to test drive the app before committing, "Animate2D Lite" will be available for free. The free version will have save disabled. As of this posting the build is not yet available on goole play. Animate2D has also been reduced in price hoping that the Lite version will help gain exposure for the paid version.
Well that was fast. Animate2D Lite is now available for free without ads on google play.

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