Quick Summary

1. Click Start > Wacom Tablet > Wacom Tablet Preference File Utility
2. Under ‘All User Preferences,’ click Remove.
3. Enjoy pressure sensitivity in Animate!

Reflections

A while back, I received a brand new Wacom Intuos 4 from StudentDiscounts for around AU$500. As ecstatic as I was with it, after a day or so, I soon discovered that my pressure sensitivity in Animate had disappeared. It was fine when I first used it but not thereafter. Since I was hastily incorporating the new tool into my already-established workflow, I let it slide, thinking my settings would return to normal as soon as I rebooted. I was wrong. A couple days later, after various reboots and troubleshooting, I was still without any pressure sensitivity in Animate.

I searched Toon Boom’s FAQs and Support sections on their website, but they weren’t too helpful. I suppose they might have been more helpful if I had emailed them but, in terms of what was readily available, their knowledge base didn’t provide a working solution for my problem. So, pressed for time, and looking for a quick fix, I started applying some of my own “logical” solutions. I thought back to what might have possibly caused the loss of sensitivity, and realized it was when I had changed some settings for my Expression Keys (to work in Animate).

At first, I tried Toon Boom’s solution, but that bore no fruit. So, the next thing I did, was check out Wacom’s provided utility tools and discovered the Wacom Tablet Preference File Utility. This opened up a dialog box, which allowed to me decide whether or not I wanted to delete saved preferences, or erase all (pretty much start anew).

I first deleted my user file preferences but, when I went back into Animate to test my pen out, I still had no pressure sensitivity. I was on the verge of uninstalling all the drivers, and then re-installing them again, but I decided to take a risk and just ‘delete all preferences.’ After I did this, my screens flickered once or twice, and… wallah! He’s aliiiiive… he’s alliiive! Pressure sensitivity was revived in Animate.

So, there you have it, how to fix pressure sensitivity in Animate (if you ever, somehow, manage to lose it like I did). In summary, this is what was done (assuming you have the latest Windows Wacom Tablet drivers):

*Please note that this brief tutorial is based on my own, personal experience with Flash CS4. If you have any questions or comments, write them below this post.

UPDATE: Before reading on, please make sure that you have upgraded your Flash version with the latest hotfix: http://bit.ly/iiXm0.

As I looked across the web, I realized there weren’t any real good tutorials on how to export linear, Flash-based animations in quicktime – and properly – for Flash CS4. So, after a lot of rummaging and trial-and-error, I came up with the “correct” settings.

File > Export > Export Movie… > Save > Quicktime Settings

Under “Video”
Compression: Animation
Depth: Millions of Colors+
Quality: Best
Frame rate: current
Key frame rate: (whatever your frame rate is)
Dimensions: current

These settings will help you render out video that will be easily editable in other video-editing and compositing apps (i.e. After Effects, Final Cut Pro, etc.). One thing to look out for though (if you are still experiencing slow or choppy renders) is the use of filters.

In my experience with Flash CS4, if you use more than one filter on a movieclip, quicktime will almost break itself and produce a video twice in length, with a slower framerate. For now, though, use the above settings for best output when dealing with linear-based Flash animations.

As I was browsing through the web over the weekend, I came across some sites that spoke a good lot about game design and how to go about becoming a game designer. The fruits of my labor are listed below:

• Wikipedia – Game_designer
• A Digital Dream – How To Become A Videogame Designer
• Gamespot Advice on Game Designers
  
• Advice from Sloperama
  
• Education of a Game Designer – this one has some rather “hard-hitting” advice but great nonetheless

If you have any other good articles you know of, please share them! It would be of great help. Hope these few links help you get started if you want to become a game designer.

Ever wonder where the inspiration for certain game beauties came from? Here are some from Metal Gear Solid 4.

Laughing Octopus based on Lyndall Jarvis

Raging Raven based on Yumi Kikuchi

Crying Wolf based on Mieko Rye

All four of the models together