Speaker A
This is Youn Sung Won. The new year of 2025 has already dawned. It feels like it’s been a really long time since I’ve been on video. I’m back with a work-in-progress video. Originally, this was supposed to be a Christmas special.
Animator Youn Sung Won shares his Moho Pro 14.3 rigging and animating process, exploring new features and AI tools for 2025 animation projects.
Key Takeaways
- Moho Pro 14.3 introduces powerful new features like Color Drift for richer visual effects.
- Using the Freehand tool requires careful point reduction to optimize performance and maintain a hand-drawn feel.
- AI tools are valuable for generating references but require practice and skillful prompting to achieve desired results.
- Rigging with Smart Bones and layer optimization can streamline animation workflows in Moho.
- Consistent use and integration of AI and scripting tools will likely become mainstream in animation production.
Summary
- Youn Sung Won presents a work-in-progress animation initially planned as a Christmas special but completed as a New Year's project.
- He uses AI-generated reference images and experiments with Moho Pro 14.3's new features, including the Color Drift effect.
- The video details the vectorization process using the Freehand tool and discusses its pros and cons, especially regarding lag and point optimization.
- Youn explains his rigging workflow using Smart Bone actions and layer optimization techniques to reduce complexity.
- He shares insights on integrating AI tools like Midjourney for image generation and the importance of mastering AI prompt language.
- The animator mentions customizing Moho with scripts and toolbars, planning to share these resources publicly.
- Particle systems in Moho are used to create snow effects, combined with 3D camera layers for depth.
- He discusses the challenges and potential of AI in animation and the evolving role of these tools in creative workflows.
- The video includes tips on managing lag through layer composition and toggling layers during animation.
- Youn concludes by encouraging viewers to animate together in 2025 and hints at future content on scripts and full acting footage.
Chapters
- 00:00Introduction and Project Overview
- 00:39Using AI Reference Images and Moho 14.3 Features
- 01:21Vectorization with Freehand Tool
- 02:00Performance Challenges and Optimization
- 02:40Concept Development and AI Prompting Insights
- 03:25Rigging Process with Smart Bones
- 04:59Scripts, Customization, and Future Plans
- 06:25Particle System and 3D Layer Depth Effects
- 07:04Color Drift Feature and Visual Enhancements
- 07:46Animation Workflow and Layer Composition
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker A
I prepared it like this. But the work took a bit longer than expected. So it ended up rolling over into the new year. It’s become a New Year’s special. Now that it’s 2025, you’ve probably made your plans. And some of you may already be
Speaker A
putting those plans into action. To get that year-end, New Year vibe, I wanted to do something full of Christmas spirit. So I prepared this piece. Also, it’s been a while since I used AI. So I made reference images
Speaker A
and based on those images, I set them up for animating and tried some acting. Right at that perfect timing, Moho 14.3 version was updated. I wanted to try out those features as well. But in this work-in-progress video, I couldn’t show much of that functionality.
Speaker A
Only a small part is included. As always, with my work-in-progress videos, I finish editing the video first, then record my commentary all at once. The process is always the same. I first vectorize based on an image, then rig it and do the acting.
Speaker A
For the acting footage this time, I plan to edit a full version and upload it separately later. I’m not sure where it’ll be posted. Maybe I’ll post it to membership first, or perhaps make it public. I’m not sure yet.
Speaker A
Once the footage is ready, I’ll try to upload it quickly. You can see me diligently vectorizing here. In the past, I would’ve used “Add Point” and traced the paths from scratch, using the mouse to draw the paths. But now you can see I’m drawing with the Freehand tool.
Speaker A
This time I wanted to give it a try using the Freehand tool, just to see what it would look like. Definitely trying out different approaches helped me realize a lot of things, like the lag?
Speaker A
Of course, the Freehand tool has an option to reduce the number of points, but I didn’t reduce it. I set it to zero and worked that way. So there are a huge number of points in these images. That’s why
Speaker A
I could see that this is a meaningful amount of lag. I definitely felt it. If you look now, there are so many red points. While doing this project, I realized that if I ever work with the Freehand tool again,
Speaker A
I should reduce the points to optimize as I work. That way, I can preserve the feeling of a vector while still giving it a hand-drawn look. So using the Freehand tool is pretty nice. And the algorithm that reduces points
Speaker A
seems to nicely preserve the curves of the original image while cutting them down. So it’s quite usable, in my opinion. Also, while working on this, I gained a lot of insights. One of them is that I’d like to try using Moho purely for drawing.
Speaker A
That’s a thought that came to mind. As for the snowman, it’s something I originally conceptualized. It sneaks from behind and moves subtly, then looks at you—that was the concept. So I started generating reference images
Speaker A
for that concept. If you already have a layout or concept, it’s easier to produce images. I used Midjourney. But whether it’s image generation or prompts, you really need to use them to get familiar. Just like any software, the more you use it, the more know-how you gain, and you can produce much better results.
Speaker A
It’s the same. Practice makes perfect. Right now, there’s a noticeable gap between those who only know about AI conceptually and those who actually use it in their personal or professional work. I think there’s quite a big gap. When you listen to people who have actually worked
Speaker A
with it or use it in practice, they say it’s just a tool. From the mindset of someone who is really creating things, if I want it exactly as I envision and need a highly detailed outcome at that level,
Speaker A
it can be quite difficult. Because it’s still challenging to specify something so perfectly and in such detail to the AI, and for it to fully understand as well seems tough. But people who are used to it, those who know how to leverage it well,
Speaker A
they know exactly what to say to get the results they want. They fully understand this. In other words, they’ve developed the language skills to communicate effectively. That’s why I’ve realized I need to keep using these tools consistently. So I’m trying to incorporate them in my work, too,
Speaker A
because in the future, this approach might become the mainstream. Anyway, that was a bit of a tangent. Now, as you can see, I’m already rigging. After finishing the vectorization, I moved on to rigging. Using Smart Bone actions, first, I create the face shape
Speaker A
when it turns left and right. What I just checked is a checkbox saying that in the same vector layer, for multiple shapes, their front-to-back order will be controlled by keyframes. You can animate the stacking order even within a single vector layer
Speaker A
by applying keyframes like this. You can reduce layers and optimize your file. Since I consider both the controllers and the layer structure for optimization, I try to minimize layers wherever possible. Later, I’ll also need to keyframe the layer ordering,
Speaker A
so keeping that in mind, I do as much optimization as I can. Then, for the remaining up-down movement, I create Smart Bone actions too. And after that, I build a controller that links up-down and left-right all at once.
Speaker A
That’s also in the details. I might show it another time. It’s a simple setup, but it takes a little time, which can be a bit of a hassle. I’m thinking of making it into a script altogether. These days, I’ve been using ChatGPT
Speaker A
to work on scripts quite a bit. As you can see in this video, it looks a bit different from the default Moho 14 installation. I have different scripts and different toolbars. I customized them all. Once it’s all finished,
Speaker A
I might share it publicly. Someone left a comment asking if I could make a video introducing various scripts I find most convenient. While working, I thought that was a really good idea. So I plan to prepare that at some point.
Speaker A
Moho also provides a particle system. The particle system is surprisingly detailed and well-made. So you can set up various effects, and it’s well optimized. I haven’t tried many other particle systems, so I can’t compare directly, but there isn’t much lag.
Speaker A
Anyway, I used particles to make it snow, and then I turned the layers into 3D layers using a 3D camera to give them depth values. I adjusted them accordingly. Recently, for image depth, even if you just add a flat image or video,
Speaker A
there are many AI tools that automatically generate depth maps. They’re popping up everywhere. For instance, in After Effects, there’s a plugin called Quick Depth 2. And recently, I’ve been looking at Depth Crafter, trying to give it a go.
Speaker A
But Comfy UI is really hard. I’ve been watching different tutorials and trying things out, but anyway, that’s that. Now, this thing you’re seeing, I’m drifting off topic again, straying somewhere else. Anyway, this you see here
Speaker A
is the newly updated feature in version 14.3. It’s the Color Drift feature. This is really something else. With this update, the images you can create in Moho have increased a lot. Not just images, but also transparency, color, all of which you can keyframe, which can be used in rigging
Speaker A
to create various effects. When drawing with the Freehand tool, you can apply pressure sensitivity, and that can apply to transparency or Color Drift values, all of which can be utilized. So now, with Moho, we can achieve much richer visual expressions.
Speaker A
It’s no joke. Anyway, so now, after finishing the rigging, I move on to the animating stage. This is the full version of the acting footage I mentioned. The animation process is the same as always. This time, while working,
Speaker A
I used the Freehand tool, so there ended up being a lot of points. When I tried animating, I noticed quite a bit of lag. So to reduce the lag as much as possible, I optimized it. I turned off the layers
Speaker A
that caused the most lag, and then worked. When working this way, Moho has a feature called Layer Composition. You can save the layers you want to turn off, so you can toggle them on and off whenever you want.
Speaker A
I save one for “acting,” then later switch to “rendering” and export that versi
Speaker A
For people doing acting Or even if you’re drawing instead of animating For anyone doing various creative tasks It might give a sense of working together So I prepared a full version I’m not sure if it’ll help It’s somewhat filmed in an ASMR style
Speaker A
As you can see in the bottom right corner It’s really late at night So I was in quite a low-energy state While working It might feel a bit sluggish or droopy But if you’re bored while working You might feel like you’re not alone
Speaker A
Because I’m also working alongside you Let’s support each other When you want to feel that vibe I’m planning to make this video available for you to watch As for the acting, it’s the same as usual I mainly worked in Stepped mode
Speaker A
Because I believe Stepped is the key To achieving that 2D animation feel So I usually Work in Stepped mode And if there’s any interpolation That I need to use I try Whether it’s Moho or another program To set it to 2 or 3 frame intervals
Speaker A
Because there’s a feature for that Using that, I try To avoid full-frame linear or full-frame ease in/out I steer clear of those interpolation values This time, I didn’t have A clear plan for what actions to do So even while working, I mentioned
Speaker A
I was all over the place, Which is why it took a long time But that’s also why we ended up with about an hour-and-a-half Of “Acting With Me” footage So you’ll be able to watch it later I’ll get it ready for upload
Speaker A
After finishing the acting And moving on to the final render—initially I worked in a square ratio But for uploading later I expanded it for a Reels ratio Just elongated the vertical dimension and wrapped up Then added a few simple effects
Speaker A
To finalize the Christmas animation nicely And that’s how I finished it This was Youn Sung Won Wishing everyone a Happy New Year Let’s animate together in 2025
Topics:Moho Pro 14.3animation riggingvector animationFreehand toolSmart BoneAI in animationMidjourneyColor Driftparticle systemanimation workflow
