martin

Remove the material from the curtains. That will speed up rendering a lot (on the new CD, we've already removed that material).

Thanks, Rusty.

This is not surprising. No refraction processing is used if IOR is 1.0, but anything other than that uses refraction code. There's another possibility. There are two ways of calculating transparency: additive and multiplicative. Multiplicative transparency has the disadvantage of making things darker behind the transparent object, but it has the advantage that it produces an image that more closely approximates real life. Additive transparency is definitely what is needed for transparency maps and cookiecut maps, and for single surfaces with transparency on them. It could be that refractive objects use multiplicative transparency, otherwise additive transparency is used.

The cube on the right looks like it's taking "density" into account: the farther a light ray has to travel through a transparent material, the more of the material's color it assumes. Do larger cubes get even darker? That would be a good test.

I, for one, am ready for the screaming to begin! I WANT to see "The Battle of Wolf 359".

I reread your Porsche modeling thread, Jin, and now this thread is equally interesting. Thank you for sharing with the A:M community. BTW, if you would be so kind as to donate some models to the "A:M Extras II" CD, just attach the files in this area: http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showforum=92

I watched it - loved it. (Never saw a suitcase with breasts before.)

Hey, I was only asking! BTW, Karl, if you need a Copyright lawyer, I'm available.

Sorry Martin, but nope - I'm Mark's client for these models and I need to retain commercial rights... But his work does look great doesn't it!!?? Karl, get your value out of the props then let Mark donate them. The A:M community needs generous contributions to remain vital. Did you see what those High School kids did with the models from "Extras CD I"? Maybe there are some models in the community that you can use?

Those are nice. Maybe you could donate them to the "A:M Extras II" CD?

Those are exceptional mechanical illustrations, Dave. Can Hash show them?

Well, apparently neither does anyone else. You could be the guy who finally breaks through! Go Jeff!

Hey! What's wrong with you? You're supposed to use A:M Composite to do stuff like this.

Excellent, as always, Serg. The guy has a booming voice, and the expressions are over-the-top. Was that all AO?

Go, Kevin! I want to include that 4th movie...

Paul, send this baby in to A:M Reports. I'll have somebody look at it.

I want that mp3 player!

All of the models were provided by generous A:M users. In MOST cases, there are NO copyright issues, and you can use the models as you see fit. However, some models should not be used commercially without crediting the original modeler. You can check by reading the "Notes" section in the "File Info" on the "Properties" panel.

Render on 3s.

Apparently, Dan is not aware of ZBuffer shadow size. If your ZBuffer shadows look like those in Dan's picture, then they are too small. You can increase ZBuffer shadow size in the drop down in the shadow section of the light properties.

I think you got your "eye" in overdrive, but don't sweat it. I suggest you do a lot of experiments with Post Effects, and differing render resolutions, and different light configurations. Soon, you'll be the "expert."

You need to get your nomenclature right: Do you mean "ABuffer" rendering, or "Multipass" with 1 pass. 1 pass Multipass STILL blurs if you have "soften" on.

One man's antialiasing in another man's blurring. Indeed, when "soften" is turned on, that is a bluring stage in the multipass renderer.

Exactly. Because there can be 100,000s of hairs (sometimes millions!), there is also a complicated level of code to only allocate those that could possibly be visible (in frame, in front of other geometry).

All of the particle code is used... Random positioning, dynamics, the concept of a "system."