Help for a MMF2 noob please :)

I recently upgraded from MMF 1.5 to MMF2 and am getting used to the new layout of things. I have a few basic questions, hopefully one of you folks might have some quick answers for me for the things I can't find in the help file. These all refer to questions on the Animation editor.

1. Is it possible to still rotate just a selection, and not the entire frame? I know MMF1 could do this, I hope I'm just missing something, because that was very useful.

2. Is there a way to assign hotspot/action point locations via the numpad like in MMF1? I know there are the buttons to click on, but it was much faster to just use the numpad to fix it on multiple variously sized frames.

3. Is the lasso selection tool gone? Or am I just blind and can't find it?

4. Is there a way to drag an entire animation set into a new animation or just use copy/paste? IE: I have a walking animation, and I want the same animation to be in the running animation set as well. In MMF1 you could just drag it, and then modify the new one in its new location.

Sorry if some of these seem pretty basic, but I'm stumped trying to figure out if any of this is possible, or just changed locations or taken out entirely. Everything else however, has been superbly solid and working like a champ! Just the animation editor is giving me some difficulties in getting used to it. >.<

Thanks in advance!

I think the reason some features are gone in MMF2 is that Clickteam totally recoded the animation editor and all the features have to be recoded as well. The missing features might come back, but I don't think they are highest on the priority list, and that list is long..

As for 1,2 and 3, I think they exist in MMF2.
Number 4 still is here though. Select the animationframes and press ctrl+c to copy, and then paste it in another animation. Make sure that new animation has a direction before you try to paste to it, or right click on the direction (arrow) you want to paste to and select paste :)

The whole editor was recoded for increased stability, usability and alpha channel support (as well as to get rid of Corel code).

1. No, but you can flip.
2. No, you have to use the Quick Move buttons. But you can make a macro using third-party software I guess.
3. No, there is only TGF-style rectangular selection.
4. Yes, per Popcorn's post. You can also perform various batch operations by right-clicking on a direction square.

Excellent, thank you for the replies. Now I know I'm not going crazy and can stop looking for them! :)

The inability to rotate selections (in 90 degree interevals at least) is a bit hampering, however. Does anyone have any methods they have found that will replicate this fairly easily? Or am I best off pasting the selected area into an empty frame, rotating the entire thing, and then copying it back to the current frame to work with?

Thanks again for your replies!

Do the rotate thing in the old TGF1 and load it in MMF2. May be a hassle but it works.

It would be well worth everone's time to find a good graphics program like promotion or one of the free ones and develope the habit of prepairing all the art with them, and just loading into MMF. Specialized programs for making graphics are just going to make thigs much faster and the end results much better once you've invested the time to learn them.

While I'm greatful clickteam spent the effort to but basic editing features in MMF, it will awlays be very limited for anything but quick touch-ups or creating scratch-art to code with.

Im actually getting used to it after a while of use. I miss my ability to rotate selections and assign hotspots by numpad/arrow keys, but the other features and the stability are pretty nice :)

I do a lot of sprite editing/animating, and more often than not I just use MSPaint (just sucks the palatte doesn't save when you close/reopen). If the software gets too complex it makes it more of a hassle IMHO, I find that Photoshop works very well for my large sprites, but for animations I have a tough time of it.

I like paint shop pro

but paint.net is free and does lots of stuff.

man, I thought the mmf editor did num pad hot spot setting, but the on screen interface just looks like the num pad...


If you really wanted to, couldn't you do your grfx editing in mmf1.5 and import those from the otherwise empty app?


Dave

i could do that, yes - but the MMF1.5 editor has always done one thing that's bugged the absoute crap outta me, every now and then, more often than not, the selection tool seemed to be a bit buggy, and would crash MMF. I'd rather have stability than features. :)