Votes
6
Product:
CrazyTalk Animator 3
Version:
3.3
Status:
Assigned
Issue 5395
SWFs don't always work properly in CTA3
Hi, I'm having trouble getting SWF files to work reliably *inside* CTA3 as animated props.
Sometimes they work great, sometimes with glitches, and sometimes not at all.

Also, when dragging them into a scene in CTA3, we don't get an option to use them as an image layer, background or character.
They just automatically convert to props.

Summary of my Situation:
=====================
I have a PC so I don't use Adobe suite (just an old photoshop that I purchased years ago)... so I can't make SWFs in Adobe. We can't make SWFs in CTA any more either (to save for future use in CTA3 as animated sprites or to export for website or powerpoint purposes). So instead, I make SWF files using either Moho Debut 12, Drawplus6 or reaConverter using PNG sequences that I render from various animation programs.

NOTE: reaConverter is BEST BY FAR because it can convert unlimited pngs with clear backgrounds in HD in only a few clicks and with many options. The SWFs that I make in reaConverter work fine in Windows Media Player etc, but they don't work at all in CTA3 for some reason, even though the developer, Alexander Korostelev is certain that they should be compatible with CTA3.

Moho works every time (so far), but the conversion process from png to SWF for CTA3 is time consuming.
Drawplus6 was purchased from Reallusion Store and its SWFs sometimes work in CTA3, but it is also cumbersome for conversion.

Summary of glitches in CTA3 with SWFs from various sources:
==================
1) SWFs that were made in Adobe or MOHO seem to work fine.
2) SWFs from Drawplus6 or from unknown origin are sometimes glitchy
3) SWFs from reaConverter work everywhere else *except* CTA3.

YET ALL SWFs from all sources work flawlessly in Windows Media Converter & Powerpoint... just not in CTA3.

A free trial of reaConverter - which is the best and most efficient method I've found for converting SWFs for CTA3 - can be found here;
https://www.reaconverter.com/purchase/

Instructions on how to make an SWF using the Free Trial of reaConverter is here;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FODBUQEi8OI ...
and the only difference I do is switching quality up from 80% to 100% for HD.


+ Sample Test SWF's from VARIOUS OTHER SOURCES for test purposes:
============
1) From http://www.free-flash-animations.com some work in CTA3 and some don't.
eg This biology animation does work; http://www.free-flash-animations.com/free-flash-animations.php?gameid=20068&gamename=Biology

but this Earth Scene SWF does not; http://www.free-flash-animations.com/free-flash-animations.php?gameid=20065&gamename=Earth

even though they both give the same warning re: "unsupported tags"

2) From LECONCOMBRE.Com some are glitchy, like this "Calm Bay", where the sun and clouds are animated smoothly enough but the ocean waves are glitchy and the sky is missing; http://www.leconcombre.com/board/dl/us/calmbay1us.html


So I suspect there is at least one, possibly 2 bug/s in CTA3.
OS: Windows 8.1
  •  4
  •  2413
BugPipeline (PSD, SWF)
Submitted byTarampa Studios
1
COMMENTS (4)
Tarampa Studios 
BUTTT... the SWfs that I make all use png's that are rendered in iClone or CTA3 in the first place, and Reallusion PNGs have always been compatible with CTA3... 

so I can't see why an SWF made with RL rendered PNGs would not be (reliably) compatible with CTA3.

Also, that manual seems to be outdated, because it shows how and why SWFs can work seemlessly in adobe for 180 frames, but can't work past 60 frames in CTA... 

Yet I have an SWF with over 500 frames (524) that works seemlessly in CTA3. It just takes a few seconds to load.
Ibis Fernandez 
No bugs here. Its been documented in the manual since CTA1, what is supported and what is not. 

CTA does not support scripted effects or scripted animation, or text. The earth animation contains a text item that is a FONT that looks like the planets. Unless this font is flattened, it will not import into CTA. it also has scripted elements to perform the mask.

The biology one is more static in nature. Its a series of movie clips with several nested frames and no tweening just direct frame by frame animation. Therefore it works fine.

This is not a bug, you are just expecting everything to work simply because its ''swf''. 

Best way to ensure SWF's work is to make them yourself and keep the specifications in mind as to what is supported and what is not so you can avoid it.

https://www.reallusion.com/crazytalk/Animator/help/animator/Whitepaper/03_Rules_for_Vector_Actor/The_List_of_Compatible_Flash_Features.htm

The calm bay 1 animation has two major issues. 
1. it has been copy protected so it has additional data that protects it from importing into any software. at least the way its supposed to. 

2. I also suspect the waves will yield glitches since they are obviously most likely animated using shape tweens or ''morph shapes". They would have to be converted into a frame by frame sequence for them to properly show up in CTA. I think some of those clouds are also using animated morph shapes.

Anyhee... I see no bug there, not with CTA anyway. Find a way to edit the source files and convert accordingly and stick to features supported by CTA for best results.
vepop 
I am having the same issue. 
An SWF file of a bird flying is having glitches when it plays in CTA3.
Tarampa Studios 
Note: Forgot to mention: 
When I make SWFs in reaConverter they drag into CTA3 as animated props without ANY error warning or pop-up... so it *LOOKS* like they are compatible.  
But they are blank - empty/transparent - in CTA3, even though they work perfectly in Windows Media Player.
1