Moho Pro 14 (formerly Anime Studio) stands as a premier choice for 2D animation professionals who demand the flexibility of vector rigging combined with the artistic freedom of frame-by-frame drawing. Developed by Lost Marble, this software bridges the gap between traditional hand-drawn aesthetics and modern digital efficiency, making it a favorite for studios like Cartoon Saloon. With its specialized bone-rigging system, Moho allows animators to create complex characters that move naturally without the tedium of redrawing every frame.
Key Features
- Smart Bones & Vitruvian Bones: Eliminate joint distortion and manage complex character rigs by defining exactly how skin moves around joints. Vitruvian Bones allow for nested rig switching, enabling characters to change seamlessly between different angles or poses within a single skeleton.
- Liquid Shapes: Create elemental animations like fire, smoke, and water with ease. This feature treats vector objects as soft, malleable substances that can merge, subtract, and blend dynamically during playback, automating difficult fluid motion tasks.
- Unified Graphics Engine: The updated version 14.4 engine delivers real-time rendering of blurs, shadows, and particle effects directly on the canvas. This ensures what you see in the viewport matches the final export, significantly speeding up the preview process.
- Curvers & Compressible Paths: precise control over vector lines is achieved through Curvers, which let animators bend and reshape artwork organically. This tool creates smooth, rubber-hose style deformations that maintain line consistency even during extreme movement.
- Bitmap Frame-by-Frame Tools: While known for vectors, Moho supports full bitmap drawing capabilities. You can draw directly on the timeline with natural brush engines, combining the texture of raster art with the tweening power of vector layers.
- Physics & Dynamics: Automate secondary motion such as hair sway or clothing movement. The built-in physics engine calculates gravity and object collisions, allowing for realistic environmental interactions without manual keyframing.
Use Cases
Moho is the industry standard for indie filmmakers and television studios producing broadcast-quality 2D series, as seen in Oscar-nominated films like Wolfwalkers. It also serves game developers who need efficient, rigged character assets that can be easily exported for Unity or other game engines.
Unlike subscription-based alternatives, Moho offers a perpetual license model coupled with a unique rigging workflow that dramatically reduces production time for complex 2D projects.
Version 14.4 — November 2025
- Introduced glTF/GLB export functionality for seamless integration with game engines like Unity, Unreal, and Godot, as well as 3D applications such as Blender
- Added 360-degree Smart Bone feature enabling artists to precisely control artwork appearance at every rotation angle for full-turn character movements
- Enhanced particle system with curve-based source layer support, customizable interpolation intervals for timing control, and improved distribution patterns
- Implemented Create Style from Shape tool for quick modification of colors, line widths, and brushes across entire projects
- Improved freehand drawing stability with enhanced smoothing algorithms and optimized performance in complex layers
- Upgraded layer caching system to reduce redraw delays when working with vector layers influenced by bones or point animation
- Streamlined undo functionality by consolidating multiple edits from single UI controls into unified steps
- Enhanced Smart Bones conversion to Morph Targets during export, preserving facial expressions and complex deformations
- Added support for TourBox and Xencelabs Quick Keys device presets
- Refined timeline zoom persistence between sessions and improved layer selection behavior
- Fixed various issues related to particle rendering on macOS, PSD import compatibility, motion blur logic, and bone visibility in Vitruvian rigs
