Moho
Developer(s)Lost Marble LLC
Stable release
Win: 14 / Mac: 14 / September 12, 2023 (2023-09-12)
Written inC++, Lua
Operating systemMicrosoft Windows, Mac OS X
TypeAnimation software
LicenseProprietary, Trialware
Websitemohoanimation.com

Moho (previously marketed as Anime Studio) is a proprietary vector-based 2D animation application distributed by Lost Marble LLC. It has two distinct packages: Moho Pro and Moho Debut. Moho Debut is similar to the pro version, but with restricted features.[1]

History

The software was originally developed under the name "Moho" in 1999 by Mike Clifton at Lost Marble. The software was distributed by E Frontier until 2007, when it was acquired by Smith Micro[1] and renamed Anime Studio.

In 2010, Smith Micro released Anime Studio 7, which added features such as Physics, 3D creation and an improved interface.

In 2011, Anime Studio 8 added features such as the Character Wizard, layered Photoshop import, and real-time media connection. Version 8.1 also supported the new Poser 9 SDK and integrated the Wacom multi-touch API, allowing it to work natively with Wacom's Bamboo and Intuos tablets.

In 2012, Smith Micro released Anime Studio 9, with new features including Smart Bones, Editable Motion Graphs, and Bézier handles, as well as enhancements to the timeline, key frames, and onionskins.

In 2014, Anime Studio 10 contained upgraded features and new mechanics to its predecessor.

In 2015, Anime Studio 11 added frame-by-frame animation, layer referencing, animated shape ordering, enhanced tools and brushes, JSON file format support, and other features.

In 2016, Anime Studio was rebranded as its original name Moho by Smith Micro Software to reflect the software's ability to create more animated content than anime.[2]

In 2016, Moho 12 was released with Pin Bones, optimized Bézier handles, improved free hand tools, Smart Warp, real motion blur, and more.[3] Moho Pro 12 was released in August 2016. In October 2016, Moho became available for the Microsoft Surface Studio. Smith Micro worked with Microsoft to develop Moho functionality for the Surface Dial peripheral. This feature set enabled users to create animations more quickly and easily through functions such as a new overlay timeline, rigged characters, rotating canvases and frame-by-frame animation.

In June 2019, Moho 13 introduced new bitmap tools, including bitmap frame to frame capabilities, and re-engineered 3D objects support.[4]

On 22 December 2020, it was announced that the Moho 2D animation software had been acquired by Lost Marble LLC, a company founded by Mike Clifton, the original creator of Moho, and Victor Paredes, Supervisor of Moho animation at Cartoon Saloon and former Moho Product Manager.[5]

On 26 April 2021, Lost Marble LLC released Moho 13.5, with new features including Vitruvian Bones, Wind Dynamics and Quad meshes, as well as a slightly refreshed User Interface.

On 12 September 2023, Lost Marble LLC released Moho 14, with new features including New Graphics Engine, Improved Drawing and Frame-by-frame Tools, Liquid Shapes, Curvers, New Freehand Styles, Smart Line Boil, Easier Follow Through and Overlapping with Dynamics, Delayed Constraints, Updated Scripting Interface, Better Timeline and Frame-by-frame animation, Improved SVG Import and Improvements to the User Interface.

VersionRelease DatePublisherImprovements/features
1.01999LostMarbleInitial release
5.62006LostMarbleIntroduction of lip-synching; Flash output; improved text, Illustrator import, vector drawing tools
6.0June 9th, 2009Smith MicroBuilt-in lip-syncing and sequencer; improved interface
6.1September 22nd, 2009Smith MicroUpload to Facebook; French and German versions; ability to enter non-English characters in text fields.
7.0June 9th 2010Smith MicroImprovements to physics, 3D creation, and interface
7.1October 13th 2010Smith MicroContains several fixes including switch layer fix
8.0June 8th, 2011Smith MicroCharacter wizard, layered Photoshop import, and real-time media connection; support for Poser 9 SDK; integrated Wacom Multi-touch API
8.1July 7th, 2011Smith MicroFixes to the Library window, mouse focus, window-location memory, stroke construction when welding curves closed, some layer masking issues, auto-save issues that cause bone rigs to occasionally reset themselves
9.0September 10th, 2012Smith MicroFeatures include smart bones, editable motion graphs, Bézier handles, enhancements to the timeline, key frames, and onionskins
9.1October 22nd, 2012Smith MicroFixed a problem where deleting a style could sometimes lead to a crash; fixed issue related to specifying a user-content location on first launch; rendered RLE AVI now imports properly into AS; revamped script management
9.2January 9th, 2013Smith MicroUpdated the English manuals for both Debut and Pro; changes can be applied to multiple layers; added buttons to reveal source images and audio; fixed Lua DLL module loading
9.5August 12th, 2013Smith MicroSmart Bones enhancements; nested Layer controls with more hierarchical control over rigs; flexi-binding isolate tshe influence of bones; depth shifting helps preserve the size of objects; viewing of real-time changes on the canvas; switch layer enhancements
10.0March 6th, 2014Smith MicroUpdated content library with free characters, props, scenes, enhanced drawing tools, multiple document support, combined bone tools, combined point tools, point hiding, edit multiple Layers simultaneously, and automatic updates
10.1July 25th, 2014Smith MicroThe application now runs in English, German, or Spanish; fixed over 200 bugs; layers can be copied and pasted between documents; added an image layer cropping tool
10.2October 13th, 2014Smith MicroSeveral bug fixes (no blog post to specify exact features or fixes)
10.3March 25th, 2014Smith MicroSeveral bug fixes (no blog post to specify exact features or fixes)
11.0June 3rd, 2015Smith MicroVector-based draw, paint and fill tools, bone rigging, animation timeline, audio recording, sound effects, and improved lip-syncing
11.1July 15th, 2015Smith MicroSeveral bug fixes (no blog post to specify exact features or fixes)
11.2January 4th, 2016Smith MicroAdded a tool to sketch bones; added additive cycles; many bug fixes
12.0August 4th, 2016Smith MicroBone-rigging, timeline, enhanced drawing tools, improved audio recording, sound effects, automatic lip-synching, beginner's mode, character wizard, automatic image tracing, path tool, motion tracking, multi-touch support, multiple document support
12.1October 18th, 2016Smith MicroNew 4K ultra HD and 4K digital cinema dimension presets; improved smoothing for freehand strokes; many bug fixes
12.2November 15th, 2016Smith MicroAdded support for Microsoft Surface Studio and Surface Dial, new Layer Comps window, fixed bug where sometimes PSD layers were lost, fixed bug where a duplicated vector layers didn’t show Bezier handles
12.3September 10th, 2017Smith MicroAbility to paste images from the clipboard to create new image layers, new document preferences and bug fixes
12.4November 23rd, 2017Smith MicroSwitch layer interpolation now works on nested layers (group and switch); re-sync all channels; triangulated mesh layers now have a distinct layer icon for easy distinction; several bug fixes
12.5October 4th, 2018Smith MicroMany bug fixes (no blog post to specify exact features or fixes)
12.5.1November 14th, 2018Smith MicroBug fix release for Mac only to support changes in macOS 10.10 and above
13.0June 25th, 2019Smith MicroIntroduced improved bitmap tools including bitmap brushes and frame by frame support, as well as improved handling of 3D objects
13.0.1August 20th, 2019Smith MicroMultiple bug fixes[6]
13.0.2September 26th, 2019Smith MicroBug fixes and usability improvements[7]
13.5April 26th, 2021Lost Marble LLCIntroduced Vitruvian Bones, Wind Dynamics, Quad meshes, UI refresh, bug fixes and usability improvements. The 13.5 release was based on an upgrade from Moho 12.5, and thus regressed some of the new incomplete features (Bitmap tools, enhanced Actions, new 3D object engine) introduced in the earlier Moho 13 release.[8]
13.5.1June 25th, 2021Lost Marble LLCNew options to create masks. New Blending modes “Soft Light" and "Color Dodge" to improve the compatibility with Adobe Photoshop, Clip Studio Paint, and other graphic software. Bug fixes.
13.5.2November 9th, 2021Lost Marble LLCImproved Photoshop PSD file handling - faster, more stable, and more flexible than ever with support for layer masks. Enhanced video and audio media import and export. Live Mesh creation and Auto-triangulation. Deep Frame Copy/Paste. New 13.5 Characters added to the Library. Bug fixes and other usability improvements.
14.0September 12th, 2023Lost Marble LLCIntroduced New Graphics Engine, Improved Drawing and Frame-by-frame Tools, Liquid Shapes, Curvers, New Freehand Styles, Smart Line Boil, Easier Follow Through and Overlapping with Dynamics, Delayed Constraints, Updated Scripting Interface, Better Timeline and Frame-by-frame animation, Improved SVG Import and Improvements to the User Interface.[9]

Notable uses

Feature films

Short films, TV and Web series

  • Club Baboo (Frame Order)
  • Puffin Rock (Cartoon Saloon) - 2015
  • Pete the Cat (Amazon Studios) - 2018
  • Jay’s Life on YouTube (Kartoon Management)
  • Barry Tales on YouTube (Kartoon Management)
  • Lil’ Ron Ron on YouTube (Cartoon Connect)
  • Phungus & Mowld on Amazon Prime Video (Pixelblast Animation) - 2020

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Smith Micro Software Signs Definitive Agreement Acquiring E Frontier's 3D Graphic and Animation Software Solutions | CreativePro Network". 19 November 2007. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  2. "Smith Micro Releases Moho 12, Formerly Known as Anime Studio". Animation World Network. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  3. "Moho Pro vs Debut Feature Comparison List".
  4. "Moho 13 Released With Bitmap Frame By Frame Animation and More".
  5. "Smith Micro Announces Sale of Moho® 2D Animation Software".
  6. "Moho 13.0.1 ReadMe".
  7. "Moho 13.0.2 ReadMe".
  8. "Moho 13.5 Features".
  9. "Moho 14 Features".
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