Motion Graphics Node Structure

I am extremely new to Fusion, and am trying to get an understanding of the node-based paradigm and workflow. I'm interested in doing some simple motion graphics where I have vectors (brought in as SVG) of type that has been converted to outlines, and I want each letter to be separately animatable.

I found that I can optimize the structure of the initial node setup by how I have my outline shapes grouped in my original working file. The white foreground and black background on each (see images) are set up as parallel branches which are merged (if I had everything in one group in the original file I built the vectors in, then they were stacked really arbitrarily). But to get what I think I need for animating - each letter with its fore/back grouped for animation, then I still need to do a lot of tedious restructuring. I realize that I'm new, and I will speed up with time, but this kind of setup seems like it will always be slow going.

Is there a better way to approach this, or is this the only way?

Are motion graphics of this sort just not as suited to node-based work?

Now I'm no expert yet either, but is your SVG a modified font for a logo. Does it have to be an imported vector? Could you use the text tool that is in Fusion?

I am guessing you can't use the text tool because of the font. But if you could use it, then that is the way to go with this project. As far as what I would do, I would do basically what you did on the top example.

Merge the shadow and the letter. Each of these merges will control each letter. Merge all the letters and that merge will move the word. If you are using the studio version of Fusion you can get several plugins that ease the pain of motion graphics in Fusion. (one good plugin is called Kosgrove or something).

I do all my vfx in fusion and about 50% of my motion graphics work the rest is done in after effects. Slowly as I get better at scripting that percentage will grow.

Good luck and I would enjoy seeing your animation when done.

Thanks for the replies. For some reason, I don't seem to have received email notifications of them, though.

The art is pre-existing, having been designed elsewhere, so reconstruction isn't really an option.

Bob: There are plugins that only work in the paid version of Fusion? I'd really like to ditch AE as much as possible, but as things are currently, it feels like I'm swimming upstream. The lack of tutorials on stuff like this is a difficulty as well. Of the tuts I have seen, one was a guy doing a circular wipe that's dead simple and common in AE, but he went to 3D to pull it off in Fusion (?!)

Does anyone know if this mograph market is something BMD wants to aggressively go after in future updates?

Thanks for the replies. For some reason, I don't seem to have received email notifications of them, though.

The art is pre-existing, having been designed elsewhere, so reconstruction isn't really an option.

Bob: There are plugins that only work in the paid version of Fusion? I'd really like to ditch AE as much as possible, but as things are currently, it feels like I'm swimming upstream. The lack of tutorials on stuff like this is a difficulty as well. Of the tuts I have seen, one was a guy doing a circular wipe that's dead simple and common in AE, but he went to 3D to pull it off in Fusion (?!)

Does anyone know if this mograph market is something BMD wants to aggressively go after in future updates?

plugins work ONLY in the paid Fusion Studio version, no plugins in the free one.

Mograph is (IMO) in most cases easier to do in a layer based approach, but fusion is very capable in doing it. the layer based approach "hides" some steps you need to do in a node based app.
for example: every time you add a new layer in AE would mean you need a new merge in Fusion and connect the inputs.
if you use the transform settings of a layer in AE would mean to add a transform node in fusion for the element

but on the other side: if you need to put something in a precomp in AE is most likley just draging a new connection in Fusion

Dunn Lewis is one of the most capable MoGrapher in Fusion, he has an amazing vimeo with a lot of examples (you can even download most of them)

Another issue in Fusion is that you cannot select an element by clicking over it in the viewer. You must select its respective transform or merge node in the flow.

I believe that this is due to the fact that the "layer" and the "transform" operators in Fusion are different entities. You can even have several transform operators in chain, here including merge and tracker nodes.

So a click over a pixel on the viewer does not have enough information to select a specific operator you want.

I think, though, that could be some sort of "smart selection" in Fusion. When you click over a pixel in the viewer, Fusion could search upstream in the flow and find which transform node is right after the "owner" of that pixel.

I leave as a suggestion to the BMD's development team