How to add artwork to limbs using Limber for After Effects

[@animatabledotco]

You no longer need to copy and paste the Three Circles limb like I did with the pink panther, since Limber v1.7.x. The Three Circles limb is now included in the main panel dropdown so you can just Rig & Pose straight into a limb with just three circles for the joints and your own artwork inbetween. Or you can create Three Circles limbs with the New button and then rig your artwork in to them at a later stage.

[@filipsmolarczyk6427]

"Or you can create Three Circles limbs with the New button and then rig your artwork in to them at a later stage" - Would love it if you could explain it how to do that

[@animatabledotco]

@@filipsmolarczyk6427 It's pretty simple - select Three Circles in the type dropdown. Click New. Move your limb and / or artwork so they're in the right place. Select your Upper Art layer, Lower Art layer, and Limb Layer (in that order) and click Rig & Pose. Then you should be good to click OK in the dialog that pops up, and get your art embedded in your limb (with perfectly rotating joints and stretchy artwork).

[@s.k.fantoni4640]

This has improved so much, I'm going back to my current project and redesigning the whole character now that I know I can add art like that! So excited to see what I can do with these new features!

[@leomazzei2176]

Loved it

[@gizmogrem988]

Thanks for the tutorial! Do you guys have any good suggestions on how to better solve foot and leg rigging so that it can contain foot roll control? Basically, I would like that those of the foot can be included in the IK system. That way I can pose my character much more precisely in walks, runs, jumps, etc. Thanks once again.

[@MutantWorm]

14:09 Set Matte effect? Brilliant! I feel like such a doofus... Cool stuff!

[@animatabledotco]

Just watch out if you're precomping into another comp! Set Matte can go weird if you collapse transformations. I switch to track mattes if I need to scale the precomp.

[@nikyabodigital]

Is there a way to pull out guide layers outside the composition like how joystick and slider can pull out slider inside comp to be outside the comp?

[@neail5466]

Thank you, I had problems understanding the function properly, For anyone looking for a summary - actually limber never allows the original artwork from Illustrator to morph, it sticks the artwork on the limber-generated shape for graphical details and in the same way, endcaps could be adjusted for terminal details.

[@animatabledotco]

Original artwork from Illustrator DOES stretch once it's rigged into a limb, any time the limb changes length. Artwork doesn't 'morph' in the way it does with the puppet tool or a mesh distortion, no. But it isn't simply rigid like with some other IK tools.

[@ARStudios2000]

@@animatabledotco I did notice that while the artwork will stretch and adjust with lengths, changing the size of each of the circles/ends of tapers or what not does not affect the rigged artworks size. Why is it like that?

[@daafvapor3930]

Amazing tutorial. Thanks for taking the time to make it. I appreciate it. BTW: Are you from Liverpool? Your voice sounds a bit like Ringo Starr's. :)

[@animatabledotco]

Ha! No, I'm not from anywhere near Liverpool but I will remember to sing Act Naturally next time I'm up for Karaoke.

[@PalomaMcClain]

Hi! Is there any way to add a clothing seam on pants that goes all the way down the leg? When I try to do it there's always a gap where the knee is. Is it possible to even have a seamless funky pattern on the pants without awkward gaps?

[@aescripts]

Please go here for assistance: aescripts.com/contact/

[@Jakevx1k]

Probably a ridiculous idea but if there was some was to be able to add effects to artwork that is applied to a limb could you almost simulate 2D dynamic clothing?

[@aescripts]

Please go here for assistance: aescripts.com/contact/

[@dixieechann]

Hello, can you do a tutorial on what the "copy" and "paste" functions are?

[@animatabledotco]

Copy and Paste are pretty simple. They're covered here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/foecn6uKpNylZtE They just allow you to copy a limb's style / appearance and paste it into another limb. If you hold Alt / Option when you click on the Paste button, it'll paste the limb layer but retain the properties (Lengths, Colors etc) that you had in the destination limb.

[@vemariska]

Hi! Is there a way to use Limber for existing artwork, that's not a two part limb? I have an arm, that's in 1 piece and it's not possible to set it up in two parts. I want it to be a noodly limb. The only way I succeeded in making the limb work, is to set the arm layer as 'Upper Art Layer' (in 'Rig & Pose'), but I'm not able to bend the arm, since there's no elbow... :( Can you help me with this?

[@vemariska]

@@animatabledotco Hi! Thanks for your reply! Yes, that's what I mean :) So, too bad that isn't an option :( I tried different things, but didn't seem to work. I'll create a support ticket and add my project, thanks in advance!

[@animatabledotco]

Hi Maris. There's no simple way to align artwork to a curved bone, if that's what you mean. If possible, send me your AEP via an aescripts support ticket and I'll take a look and see if I can help you. There may be another way.

[@johnrussellbarrientos6324]

What if my character is wearing a long sleeve how do i animate the sleeve that follow the curve of the limb?

[@aescripts]

Please go here for assistance: aescripts.com/contact/

[@animatabledotco]

Kinda depends on exactly what you mean. You can still alter and animate any shapes that you add to a limb using Rig & Pose, so perhaps you can animate your sleeve that way?

[@BOTG_Adventures]

So confusing. It dosnt work for me. the knee never bends. I tried 100 times, feel like giving up. i get the 3 red circles to join, but my art work dosnt move one the rigged shape.

[@aescripts]

Please go here for assistance: aescripts.com/contact/

[@essencecartoon]

Does this work with Stoke characters?

[@essencecartoon]

@@animatabledotco a character with a stroke

[@animatabledotco]

Yes, you can use Limber with strokes and stroked characters.

[@BoboMedia007]

Where do we get the files from the import library?

[@aescripts]

Please go here for assistance: aescripts.com/contact/

[@animatabledotco]

Hi Brian - the Limb Library is included in the download.

[@mj_nooker]

Great! But what about possibility to rig not just vector artwork, but precomps/raster artwork? Because textures, ummmm ;)

[@aescripts]

Please go here for assistance: aescripts.com/contact/

[@mj_nooker]

@@aescripts thanks!

[@mj_nooker]

@@animatabledotco thnx for answer! I fall in love with Limber for its possibility for forearm shortening when animate whole arm+forearm+hand moving from "opened" position (let's say for right arm) to "closed"("hugging") position when forearm changing it's perspective view from full length, then shortened, then again full (when in final "hugging" position). So, I understood about rotation of connected artwork layers, but seems to me it will not scale down the forearm artwork (connected to end of the arm). Ok, will try and will see.

[@mj_nooker]

@@animatabledotco Thank you for explanation!

[@animatabledotco]

Limber is currently vector-only (and proud of it). You can parent raster layers to our controllers (set to auto-rotate) and use matting and blending modes if you need moving textures.

[@shalaerblin]

Please update limber for After Effects 2023

[@aescripts]

It works in 2023. If you are having a specific issue please open a support ticket for assistance here: aescripts.com/contact/?direct=1

[@CryptoFeeders]

can u make quick tut on animating a simple chr imported from illustrator using limber? plz

[@animatabledotco]

Check this out: kzbin.info/www/bejne/foecn6uKpNylZtE

[@alejojuvencio6724]

18:24

[@filipsmolarczyk6427]

Confusing and chaotic tutorial. Uses weird and complicated character and starts off with lots of layers already there.

[@animatabledotco]

Thanks for the feedback! Try watching this one first so you get the idea of how to use a layered file in AE. kzbin.info/www/bejne/foecn6uKpNylZtEfeature=shared

[@viral.moments.subscribe]

Whoever made this script should be embarrassed. I have learned word, power point, ps, ill, ae, android studio, unity, c4d, live2d and others, all to some decent degree and this script has 30 minute tutorial for basic rigging? Rigging should not take as much time as making the illustration. Import circles? wtf? Changing the pink panther animation should not require importing circles and making sure they have the same settings, this is ridiculous! :))

[@viral.moments.subscribe]

@@animatabledotco Dude it's not a criticism on your video! It's great! It's a criticism on the software, I think it's to complicated for what it need to do and can be simplified. I continued my research and found a few simpler software that do the same thing.

[@vanessamonsun]

@@viral.moments.subscribe I agree limber is annoying af, i regret to buy it

[@animatabledotco]

@@vanessamonsun I'd be very happy to find out what you don't like about it, and/or give you a full refund. But you'll need to talk to me for the first part, and open a support ticket at aescripts for the refund.

[@vanessamonsun]

@@animatabledotco I had some time ago a conversation with client service and they refused refund and proposed me to change limber to other plugin but currently i dont see any plugin i want to have

[@animatabledotco]

@@vanessamonsun All support tickets flagged with our products come directly to me before anyone at aescripts sees them, and I have final say on refunds. Open a new ticket and flag it with Limber and your original order number and we’ll get this sorted.