Digital Art Community Forum for Artists & Creators

Username: Sable
Post Date: 2026-02-11 14:16:57

Hello! I recently started using Rebelle and I absolutely love it. The way the paint mixes is really something else. I'd love to be able to make frame-by-frame animations in a painterly style. It is not something that I've seen done all that often due to the physical limitations imposed by oil, so I think it'd stand out. Would it be possible to add very basic support for animation timelines in some future version? Basically, instead of having a single column of layers, you'd have a two-dimension array, so you can quickly flip between displaying one set of layers and another. I think that's all it would really take to make it feasible, though it would of course be nice to be able to play the frames in the program, or display a transparent copy of the previous frame under the current frame (onion skinning). As is, I need to sketch in another program, then import the sketches to Rebelle and paint over them, which is rather inconvenient haha. That said, I recognize that this feature would be very niche, so I'll understand if it's just not worth the effort on your part. Figured I'd make the suggestion anyway. Thanks for hearing me out.

Username: 2dpainter
Post Date: 2026-02-11 22:27:24

[QUOTE="Sable, post: 31751, member: 274173"] Hello! I recently started using Rebelle and I absolutely love it. The way the paint mixes is really something else. I'd love to be able to make frame-by-frame animations in a painterly style. It is not something that I've seen done all that often due to the physical limitations imposed by oil, so I think it'd stand out. Would it be possible to add very basic support for animation timelines in some future version? Basically, instead of having a single column of layers, you'd have a two-dimension array, so you can quickly flip between displaying one set of layers and another. I think that's all it would really take to make it feasible, though it would of course be nice to be able to play the frames in the program, or display a transparent copy of the previous frame under the current frame (onion skinning). As is, I need to sketch in another program, then import the sketches to Rebelle and paint over them, which is rather inconvenient haha. That said, I recognize that this feature would be very niche, so I'll understand if it's just not worth the effort on your part. Figured I'd make the suggestion anyway. Thanks for hearing me out. [/QUOTE] Nothings against your Wish/Request i have no problem if Escape Motion would add a animation feature. Its actually possible to create animations right now. All that would be needed is a number of individual frames and a program to combine them into an animation. The individual frames can be created in Rebelle. The animation can be assembled in Krita (free, open source). Stencils and paths in Rebelle may be helpful for the characters and backgrounds and as a onion skinning workaround Just a few thoughts from mine.

Username: flowdee
Post Date: 2026-03-23 15:41:23

[QUOTE="Sable, post: 31751, member: 274173"] I'd love to be able to make frame-by-frame animations in a painterly style. [/QUOTE] This is already possible with [URL='https://www.escapemotions.com/products/rebelle/motionio']Rebelle 8 Motion IO[/URL] - see the docs for it [URL='https://www.escapemotions.com/products/rebelle/motionio_doc/']here[/URL]. The only challenge is that you have to generate the Motion IO events yourself, but I am currently developing a Blender add-on that eliminates the need for JSON event scripting. In addition to the Blender add-on, there will be a Motion IO Hub app (cross-platform for Windows & MacOS) that allows users to collect papers, brush presets, and color palettes from their own Rebelle 8 library, as well as create their own assets for use in the Blender add-on, such as pigment-like color gradients. This hub app (the screenshot below shows a precursor) also allows Motion IO to be used in a "low level" way, in a kind of puzzle form, and thus explored playfully. The Blender Addon, on the other hand, requires no knowledge of Motion IO - it generates the necessary data, which is then translated by the Hub App into Motion IO Events and can then be painted either via JSON file with Rebelle 8 Motion IO or via WebSockets in a running Rebelle 8 Pro instance. Currently, the WebSocket API of Rebelle 8 Pro still has some limitations, so that reliable painting is currently only possible with Rebelle 8 Motion IO. The following is a Motion IO puzzle that paints 2 brushstrokes with the default flat watercolor brush and simply repeats this for 10 frames - but the upload GIF shows only 5 frames, due to upload limitations. [ATTACH type="full"]2821[/ATTACH] [ATTACH type="full"]2820[/ATTACH] The resulting visual variation arises in this case solely from the deliberately random behavior of the brush preset - this can be achieved through various parameters depending on the brush preset, such as Grain -> Random Start Offset e.g. This means that with Motion IO you can not only paint classic animation in a horizontal time sequence, but also vary one and the same artwork virtually in the "vertical time axis". Vertical in the sense that: every painted artwork (= Motion IO frame) is different, but the brushstrokes themselves do not move, although the random aspects of the brush preset do - and this can create wonderful discoveries, especially in abstract artworks.. It's as if the picture is from a parallel universe at the same time, where things are only slightly different ;-) But the Blender add-on will also make classic animations usable for Motion IO and, above all, enable new painting techniques.

Username: loraxman
Post Date: 2026-03-28 19:16:05

I would love to test out your Blender add on. When do you think you will be ready for that? It is a great idea. So you must be using the Blender Python API to capture the brush down , move, other events?

Username: loraxman
Post Date: 2026-03-29 14:33:07

After having a think, I realized I could create something similar to create animations in MotionIO based on reading the Krita logs! Stay tuned for updates

Username: flowdee
Post Date: 2026-03-29 22:26:48

[USER=130150]@loraxman[/USER] thank you for your joyful interest - I'm glad that you want to try my Blender Addon. A release date has not yet been set, and when a pre-release / beta version can be tested depends on a few factors, including ... [B](1) [/B]When will the fundamental bugs of Motion IO on Escape Motions' side be fixed, both in Rebelle 8 Motion IO and in Rebelle 8 Pro? I've been told that the priorities of the relevant tasks have been increased, but I don't know their time targets. 
You can find a recent example here : [URL='https://www.escapemotions.com/community/forum/t/45267/flow-of-brush-stamps-is-pixelated-rasterized/']low of brush stamps is pixelated / rasterized[/URL]. This pixelation effect is not serious in itself, but depending on what you actually want to do with the Blender add-on or Motion IO in general, it can be very annoying. I am also working on features for Rebelle Brush Preset Design in the Blender Addon, and for this I need coherent painting behavior from Motion IO that corresponds to that of Rebelle 8 Pro. Ultimately, I think it's only a matter of time before these bugs in Rebelle are fixed by Escape Motions - but when that will be is completely unclear to me. [B](2) [/B]In my Blender add-on, I use native Blender workflows, which I extend with the Python API, among other things. Over time, I will also publish special tutorials via Patreon (or a similar service) to give artists or Rebelle users who have no prior experience with Blender an easy introduction to the elements and workflows of Blender that are essential for the Blender Motion IO Addon. Blender is a good-natured feature monster… good-natured, but complex… and you have to know how to really “handle” it … you can do it like a lion tamer or creatively expressively like a conductor – I prefer the latter ;-). I will also provide starter templates and optimized Blender workspace configurations to lower the barrier to entry. What should be clear is that these tools are not yet available for early testing, and you need sufficient knowledge of Blender to be able to work creatively with the add-on. [B] (3) [/B]Releasing beta versions can also have negative side effects for the developer (such as the loss of development know-how to a competitor), therefore what is technically feasible is not always what makes creative and commercial sense. This Blender add-on and Motion IO Hub app is the culmination of a long and very elaborate research and development period, and it is a labor of love that I am happy to continuously expand and contribute more and more to my livelihood. Therefore, I need to carefully consider when and how I will handle pre-release versions. However, if someone on the other side tests this "Addon & App Tandem" in a pre-release version, and I'm on the same creative wavelength with them (which art form or style isn't the crucial point – it's the way the creative mind works ;-), this not only has the potential to optimize creative workflows (or even invent new ones through dialogue), but can also generate a lot of joy, creative impulses, and art during that time. The above just a preliminary thought / brainstorm ;-) … perhaps we should discuss outside of this forum whether testing and creative exploration with a pre-release version makes sense for both of us. If you're interested, I can create a small online form so we can get in touch (exchange our email address), since my Patreon (or similar) account isn't set up yet, this forum unfortunately doesn't support private messages (or at least I did not came across it), and I don't publish my email address in public forums to protect against bots and spam … I hope you get my point.

Username: aelte
Post Date: 2026-09-10 21:16:13

[QUOTE="flowdee, post: 32193, member: 73073"] If you're interested, I can create a small online form so we can get in touch (exchange our email address), since my Patreon (or similar) account isn't set up yet, this forum unfortunately doesn't support private messages (or at least I did not came across it), and I don't publish my email address in public forums to protect against bots and spam … I hope you get my point. [/QUOTE] That's a wonderful idea. Looking forward to the moment we can test out / purchase your addon.

Username: Kell9
Post Date: 2026-09-11 13:18:15

[USER=73073]@flowdee[/USER]: I would also be interested in.(y)

Username: flowdee
Post Date: 2026-09-11 19:23:01

Thanks [USER=254876]@aelte[/USER] and [USER=156988]@Kell9[/USER] for your interest - perfect timing, because the implementation of the beta version is in its final phase. Since my last post, however, something fundamental has changed, and before I set up an online form for signing up to show interest and for getting in touch (as mentioned above), I'd be curious to know whether your interest hangs solely on the Blender addon or rather on being creative & painting with Rebelle Motion IO? +++ Short & sweet: I have poured the features of my Blender addon into a [B]standalone app[/B] that runs on both [B]Windows[/B] and [B]macOS[/B]. Background: this lowers the barrier to entry for working with Rebelle Motion IO - no Blender know-how needed, and above all no artificial workflows that only exist because Blender forms the execution framework. Example: time - in Blender it is a linear animation timeline. I have developed a concept in which time is folded onto 2 axes - which opens up new creative design possibilities. I experimented with Rebelle Motion IO long & extensively and evaluated various approaches for how one can make creative use of Motion IO's potential - at the end of the road it became clear: this works best in a standalone app that at the same time offers interfaces to other apps, such as the import of SVGs. The brilliant & immensely creative potential of Motion IO ultimately lies in the fact that it modularizes the painting process and thereby gives you the possibility to rethink painting with the Rebelle Paint Engine entirely: What actually is a brushstroke - what kind of intention & performance lies in a brushstroke? What is the brushstroke in its origin - merely the intention to create a fragment of a painting, to bring it onto the canvas, or is it something more? What is the brushstroke in the moment of its execution on the canvas - an exact execution of the artist's mental plan, or does something more happen in that moment? The magical thing about Motion IO: through the way the painting process was modularized by Escape Motions, from actions on the canvas (wet layer & imports) down to the brushstroke and beyond (export of various aspects of the painting), time is modularized as well. This makes Motion IO not just something for generative art: with the right concepts & features, an app can potentially capture & weave in everything that happens in the "normal painting process" too - and do so decoupled from time. Often the magic of art lies in the moment - especially when creating more abstract art ... but one can also capture these magical moments of creative inspiration and impulse "at other times" and then weave them back into the artwork "at a later time". But that is only one aspect. The app also assists with craft-oriented or everyday tasks such as brush preset design - working as a companion to Rebelle - currently in 2 ways, which are right now in the final stretches of development. But there is also a holding point: there are still "show stopper" bugs present in Motion IO - both for the JSON file workflow (using Rebelle Motion IO) and via WebSockets (using Rebelle Pro). I am in contact with Escape Motions and hope that the bugs will be resolved soon - but unfortunately I have no influence over when it happens. +++ P.S.: my own intention to create art with Rebelle Motion IO comes from the audio-visual ... for me sound & color are substantially very similar ... to bring them into a coherent artful expression is what led me to Rebelle Motion IO. Likewise, for me sound design and brush preset design are very similar craft skills - whether it's digital synthesizers or digital brushes. The digital is merely one form the craft takes; you practice the craft upon that form, yet the craft in itself - as a human & creative act - is detached from any form. Thus both are a craft, and when it comes to savoring it in its essential facets, one needs a set of tools that make this possible, so that the creative moment can unfold and is not held "in thrall" by technical barriers ;-) ... which is exactly where a companion app comes in: it lifts the restrictions of the existing workflows and UI without ever getting in the way of Rebelle itself. Thus the app also has an interface for importing MIDI files, which can contain so-called MIDI CC tracks that let you, for example, modulate aspects of a brushstroke over time. A MIDI CC that shapes the timbre of a sound over time can in the same way act on the visual expression of a brushstroke - one possible form of audio-visual coherence, a fairly direct one, but there are other ways too ;-). Perhaps the possibility of shaping aspects of an abstract painting via MIDI CC sparks your interest as well, [USER=89615]@dreamkeeper[/USER] - I'd be glad if it does.

Username: Kell9
Post Date: 2026-09-11 20:49:44

[USER=73073]@flowdee[/USER]: Thank you so much for your comprehensive insights, highly appreciated! [I](Spitzenklasse!!!)[/I] I'm using midi a lot in my [B]DAW[/B] for music production, mainly for orchestral mockups and also hybrids. Some time ago, I came across a solution for an external midi controller for mobiles, to expand the possibility of my keyboard controller. I found [B][COLOR=rgb(209, 213, 216)]TouchOSC[/COLOR][/B] from Hexler. It is easy to setup and custom controllers can be build in no time but of course with all bells and whistles! Maybe, you are familiar with it, if not take a look! (It is capable of using a lot of protocols and not only midi.) Just an example: My iPhone acts as a "friction free" controller for CC1 and CC7 (modulation & expression). As you notice, it is connected with USB to my Mac. I could also use WiFi, but this way my phone is always charged. ;) The connection is rock solid stable, never experienced any hang ups. [ATTACH type="full"]3514[/ATTACH] I'm excited with what you will come up! Greetings from Germany! :)

Username: dreamkeeper
Post Date: 2026-09-11 21:40:57

[QUOTE="flowdee, post: 34412, member: 73073"] Perhaps the possibility of shaping aspects of an abstract painting via MIDI CC sparks your interest as well, @dreamkeeper - I'd be glad if it does. [/QUOTE] Absolutely! I'm always up for some nice experiments. :cool:

Username: 2dpainter
Post Date: 2026-09-11 22:50:54

A bit about MIDI: I can say that MIDI offers a very wide range of possibilities for controlling all sorts of things—not just music or keyboards. Light shows are controlled via MIDI, and dance movements can be converted into MIDI data. It reminded me a little of Hermann Hesse’s *The Glass Bead Game*, where everything can be transformed into something else. A nice Example in this context, are Imogen Heap’s “Mi.Mu Gloves”. Here a Video, switch to 13:25 for the Song. [MEDIA=youtube]VBn9MNoXgxE[/MEDIA]

Username: flowdee
Post Date: 2026-09-12 21:32:38

Awesome [USER=156988]@Kell9[/USER] , that you also "make digital music" and use a DAW - and if you fancy joining in as a beta tester, that'll surely throw off some creative sparks. The online form is already on its way, mentally at least, and I'll post it in this thread. Yes, I know touchOSC and used it intensively for a while - really good, just like their event logger protokol - it sheds light into the dark whenever performance data goes missing, so you can find out what didn't come through. The fact that you actively use touchOSC immediately called a latent feature onto my todo & task list for the app: direct recording of OSC into the app, regardless of whether that comes from touchOSC or some other Open-Sound-Control app ... and there go the beta sparks already ;). This "direct recording" (instead of / as an alternative to MIDI CC import) can have a creative value of its own, even if it's decoupled from a musical composition and from - at least my - creative goal of audio visual coherence. The why of that will become clear soon. And yes ... a shared mother tongue can be a real advantage for some creative maneuvers, and above all for "tossing the creative little ball back & forth" - it's sometimes the nuances in phrasing, or in the grammatical (deliberate dis-) order, that can spark something. It's precisely the deliberate grammatical "re-ordering" that can make a difference, because you can set special accents with it - my attempts to carry this over into English will probably just make one or two people mentally switch off ?‍?. Wordplay is an art of its own too, one where the mother tongue (native language) is a real amplifier - as long as you're not grounded in and using different dialects, because then, depending on the regional distance, you're right back to a foreign language ?.

Username: Kell9
Post Date: 2026-09-13 07:53:12

Hi forumites, please apologize a few words in my mother language: [USER=73073]@flowdee[/USER]: [I]Ich bin wirklich gespannt darauf, was du da ausbrütest – ganz ehrlich! Es freut mich auch, daß TouchOSC zum Einsatz kommen könnte. Und ja, die Semantik und Feinheiten einer jeden Sprache erleichtern die Kommunikation, sich präzise mitteilen zu können. English: [/I]I am really excited about what you will come up with – really! I'm looking forward that TouchOSC could be applied, too. And yes, the semantic and details of each language make communication easy, precisely up to the point. :)

Username: flowdee
Post Date: 2026-09-14 00:06:24

[USER=156988]@Kell9[/USER] & [USER=89615]@dreamkeeper[/USER] : I've set up a "relay E-Mail mask" in my forum profile, which I'll keep active there for a while — if you're interested and up for some creative Motion IO experiments & workflows, I'd be glad if you sent me a message at this "bots & spam proof" email address.

Username: Kell9
Post Date: 2026-09-14 09:47:02

Yeah man, you've got an email! ? :)

Username: flowdee
Post Date: 2026-09-14 13:23:21

Great, it’s arrived ? ... and I’ve already got some info lined up for my pingback ✏️.