July 08, 2010

Animation Line Tester

Most 2D animators know what a linetester is, but just in case you don't a linetester is a tool used to take frame by frame photos of your animation. most people, like me, use it to quickly test our rough animation to see how it's going!
a real line tester is expensive - Lightfoot sells them but the least expensive one is 900$ and it's really just a camera on a boom.(the best deal I can see is this one for $949).
The software is another story. Most people use Digicel, I used it in school, but I don't have it now. Plastic Animation paper will work I think, so long as the frames are numbered in sequence.

Anyways, I made myself a linetester! Woot!
Heres what I did.
I got a webcam - anything that will shoot still images is great
A dowel - got it from Opus for 2 bucks.
Casting Resin - I used Amazing Casting resin from Opus. additionally, I used a pre-made mold from Amazing mold putty.

I first mixed the resin and poured it in my mould. I held the dowel in place with my hand. The resin is fast setting (faster than most resins!) and heat helps the proccess, and since it was 30 degrees today, that was hot enough to make this set in less than 10 minutes.

The dowel secured in place, I cut a couple notches in the backside of the dowel on the top end, and wired my webcam facing downward. the notch helps the wire not to slip. Eventually I'll make a more permanent (and something easy to take my camera on and off the stand), but for now the wire works!

So thats it! I'll be using this for doing video tutorials, Live streams and pencil tests! It's awesome! I'm so stoked!

New: Heres a little test animation I'm doing, first chance to use my line tester :D

4 comments:

  1. I use flipbook for my line tests. ^^

    ReplyDelete
  2. Whaaa! I want it :< It's 78$.
    We used it in school, and I had it once apon a time. and I liked it but I haven't animated on paper in a while.
    I want it though. so much faster :B
    One day I will buy it.

    How do you capture your frames?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I use my webcam that I rig up on a pole to shoot down on my animation disk. ^^

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sorta like what I did! great minds :D

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...