Rotoscoping with Mocha for AE Part 1: Tools to Create and Export Shapes
| Adobe After Effects Tutorial at Creative COW |
 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 | | | |  | Re: Rotoscoping with Mocha for AE Part 1: Tools to Create and Export Shapes by Ross Shain 6682732 |
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
www.imagineersystems.com | | | | |
| | | |  | Re: Rotoscoping with Mocha for AE Part 1: Tools to Create and Export Shapes by Andrew Devis 6690061 |
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 ... | | | | |
| | | |  | Re: Rotoscoping with Mocha for AE Part 1: Tools to Create and Export Shapes by Cris McRae 6747464 |
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 | | | | |
| | | | 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 | | | | |
| Related Articles / Tutorials: | | | | |
Adobe After Effects
Virtual 3D Sets with After Effects Play Video Rob Mize demonstrates techniques for creating a virtual set in 3D space. He shows how you can build sophisticated, detailed environments, where your actors appear to interact with their 3 dimensional surroundings. Build the set of your dreams using nothing more than After Effects, a few textures and your creativity.
Tutorial, Video Tutorial
|
| | | | |
| | | |
Adobe After Effects
Lite Bite for After Effects: How do I create a simple Light Wrap? Play Video "Lite Bites" are short no-frills tutorials giving quick answers for busy people. In this first AE Lite Bite tutorial, Andrew Devis shows how to make a quick 'light wrap' effect for a keyed item so that the edge or alpha channel of the keyed item includes some of the pixels from the background element so that it starts to look as if the two items really belong together.
Tutorial, Video Tutorial
|
| | | | |
| | | |
Adobe After Effects
Using the Scribble & Stroke Effects Play Video The "Scribble" and the "Stroke" effects are often overlooked due to the fact that it isn't immediately obvious how they work as they won't work unless applied in a very particular way. In this in-depth tutorial, Andrew Devis explains how to apply these effects and then goes through the many options in each effect which can make them very powerful and able to produce a surprisingly large variety of results.
Tutorial, Video Tutorial
|
| | | | |
| | | |
Adobe After Effects
Adobe Creative Cloud Offers Applications, Services, Community
With Creative Cloud, Adobe is switching from a model of software as a product to Software as a Service (SaS). By early 2012, Adobe Creative Cloud is expected to include such applications as After Effects, Premiere and Photoshop. Creative Cloud includes a hub for viewing, sharing and syncing of files, and a subscription with 20GB of cloud storage.
Feature, People / Interview
|
| | | | |
| | MORE |
| |
|