One hundred years of tradition in an artform should not be thrown out the window when new technology comes along. In recent times the tools used to create animation have changed dramatically, but the principles of the art haven't. Animators still care about the same things: Poses, Timing, Arcs, and Spacing. This is why Reflex was designed with the traditional animation workflow in mind. The technology may have changed, but the need for fast interaction, visual simplicity, worry-free experimentation, and flexible collaboration hasn't.
Get Real-Time Feedback
Traditional animators flip drawings between their fingers to get a "feel" for the movement as they create poses. Why shouldn’t computer animators be allowed that same instant feedback? Reflex utilizes patent-pending technology that guarantees real-time frame rates and quick playback without the need to wait for a recorded "playblast".
Rough it out with Drawing Planes
Creating poses can be time-consuming. Ever wish you could draw a rough pose right over your model to give you a quick sense of whether or not your planned action will work? Now you can! Drawing Planes work just like 2D animation. Draw a pose, move on to another frame, and draw a new pose. Onionskin poses if you'd like to see where you're coming from and where you're going.
Quickly Select and Manipulate Poses
Interacting with objects is what you do most of the day, so object selection and manipulation have to be quick and intuitive. Reflex simplifies direct manipulation by allowing you to click and drag wherever you like on the model, or you can press 'Tab' to quickly shuffle through the manipulation handles supported by the selected object.
See Your Arcs with Motion Paths
One of the most important aspects of good character animation is the Arc of motion through space for a given part of the character. Reflex allows you to see your Arcs with Motion Paths. Just click on any part of your character and Reflex instantly draws a path showing you how that part moves through space.
Adjust the Spacing Visually
Another powerful aspect of Motion Paths is the ability to see and change the Spacing. Typically slow ins and outs need to be adjusted using a curve editor, but with Reflex you just select a path "bead" and group the spacing near a knot. Gaps in the spacing that would cause a glitch in the animation are easy to spot and fix.
Experiment with Layers
Use Layers in Reflex much as you would use layers in a common graphics editor. Layer movements to create the primary action, add secondary actions on top, try something new you're unsure of in a new Layer, or switch between two or more versions of the same movement to decide which you like better. You can cycle animation on individual layers, as well. Want to increase or decrease the amplitude of a movement? Layer envelopes work similar to Layer "opacity" in graphics editors but the envelope values can vary over time.
Collaborate with Layers
Let your director go over your animation in a new Layer to give you feedback. Or if you have an assistant, lock your layers so your blocking won't be destroyed by another artist. Locking layers is also a smart way of protecting work going from one department to another in a production pipeline.
Onionskin with Ghosts
One of the keys to creating good character animation in traditional animation is comparing the pose you're working on to neighboring poses, easily done by stacking the right poses and turning on the light table. DigitalFish hasn't forgotten about this important feature often overlooked by 3D software. Our Ghosts provide a 3D equivalent to traditional onionskinning.
Attach Anywhere, Anytime
Constraining one object to another is typically prone to error, not to mention opaque to the animator. With Reflex "Attaches", you can constrain one object to another on the fly, detach, or reattach, all without worrying about seeing a "pop" when the model jumps from one coordinate space to another. Attach creation is easy. Just select the object you want to attach "from", choose an attach type, and select the object you want to attach "to".
The Reflex UI
A clean interface goes a long way in speeding up the animator’s workflow. Reflex provides you with only the tools an animator needs to get the job done.
Manipulation Handles
Select the model and quickly see what manipulations it supports.
FK/IK Buttons
On the toolbar, simply select which mode you would like for your character’s limbs.
Drawing Palette
At the click of a button, switch to drawing mode to quickly sketch out a pose.
Layers Menu
Pull down this menu to instantly change to a new Layer. Click the Solo button to see the current Layer by itself.
