Rotoscoping with Mocha for AE Part 1: Create & Export Shapes

Adobe After Effects Tutorial at Creative COW

Andrew Devis

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Article Focus:
In this first of 3 tutorials on Rotoscoping with Mocha for AE, Andrew Devis introduces the tools needed to work quickly and efficiently in Mocha to create shapes and output those shapes to AE. Andrew also discusses when and why at certain points it may be better to use masks in AE rather than shapes from Mocha. This is an introductory tutorial aimed at showing the basic functions of Mocha so that you can have more confidence when using this excellent product. In the second tutorial Andrew will go on to show how to do tracking in Mocha for AE and some of the issues that may arise with that. In the last tutorial Andrew goes on to show how to create the final shapes layers that represent the areas to be rotoscoped and then shows how to link and adjust those tracks and output the final shapes to After Effects.

The footage available for download is copyright and only allowed to be used from training purposes with these particular tutorials and not for anything else. It is not allowed to be copied, sold, or given away or used in any other kind of production for any reason.

Comments

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Re: Rotoscoping with Mocha for AE Part 1: Tools to Create and Export Shapes
by Ross Shain

One of the main reasons that mocha is useful for roto is the planar tracker and the ability to link shapes to the to the tracker. In general this will allow users to roto with a lot less keyframes than manually doing the work in AE.

With some effort, you can certainly use mocha exported track data to drive AE masks, but the workflow (x-splines, variable-per point feathering, and ability to link layers to tracking) should really save a lot of time on complex roto jobs.

Lastly, if you have CS5 you can "paste mocha" data directly into the AE mask channel which will avoid the overhead introduced by the mocha shape plug-in.

Hope this helps.
-Ross

Ross Shain
Imagineer Systems
http://www.imagineersystems.com

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Re: Rotoscoping with Mocha for AE Part 1: Tools to Create and Export Shapes
by Andrew Devis

Hi Cris

I'm pleased you've found the tutorials helpful, you are right in that for the most part a mask in AE is by far the quickest way of working. However, there are times, especially when roto work is needed where Mocha seems to do a better job. You can do a similar thing natively in AE, it's just that the Mocha workflow seems to be more reliable on a day to day basis and a little more pradictable (I'm dyslexic so please ignore bad spelling).

As for linking or expressions with shape layers, that really comes down to you and your creativity. Once the data is in AE, what you do with it is up to you. To be honest, I just use the data to do things like blur a shape of some part of a scene to fake depth of field but not a great deal else. Of course it also allows you to colour correct different areas you have masked out with the shapes as well.

Enjoy using Mocha, it is a really great product.

All the best
Andrew

... because it's all about stories ...

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Re: Rotoscoping with Mocha for AE Part 1: Tools to Create and Export Shapes
by Cris McRae

Hello Andrew,
I can't see why I would use Mocha to draw a matte for a shape when I could do that directly in AE, other than the ability to individually adjust the feathering. Did I miss something or maybe it is explained in the next tutorials.

Thanks
Cris is Bliss
C.I.B. Visual Productions/K3 Films
Rough Luxury Records

•

@Cris McRae
by Cris McRae

OK, I see that by the end of the tutorial you suggest not using shapes in Mocha because of render speed.

Question: Since the Mocha Shape Data is an effect in AE is there anything creative, artistic or practical that can done by linking some kind of expressions to it.

Thanks
Cris is Bliss
C.I.B. Visual Productions/K3 Films
Rough Luxury Records

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