SteelShark
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Posts posted by SteelShark
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I've created a material that basically replicates the segments of an antenna. It was created by using a spherical combiner set to repeat the layers in the Z axis. The antenna lays along the Z axis, so it all works out, no problem.
Now, I need to move the antenna and place it on the head. I'm having the darndest time trying to figure out how to keep the material running down the length of the antenna. If I just move the antenna, the material, of course, is still aligned with the z axis, ruining the segment look.
So I tried to do a model import of the antenna model into the rest of the model, but the material won't go with it. And I'm not sure that the material would have been locked anyway.
I'd really like to do it with a material vice decal, but...
Any suggestions?
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I almost gagged when I saw the amunt of splines. Is this an import? You might want to think about pruning her down (spline wise). Otherwise, animating will not be fun...
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You guys are reading my mind!
Right now, I'm trying to get organized. I thought about writing an access database to track everything. But shortly after starting, I realized I would have spent precious time writing a database to organize when I should be animating! So I scrapped it and went back to simplicity.
What do I use?
I'm using excel to organize the main story line for my animation, as well as all the side stories, the interpersonal relationships, the actor changes throughout the script, and the props needed. It's broken down by scene. I may break it down further by shot, but I'm pretty much leaving that to the storyboard phase.
I have a shareware script and storyboard program. I love the script program, but have avoided the storyboard portions since the boards aren't exportable. This makes it tough to bring into a non-linear editor for roughing out the animation against a soundtrack.
These take a lot of retyping if you know what I mean. Excel doesn't link very well, definitely not like a database, but it is simple.
I'm not at the level where I need anything web based, but this would definitely make collaboration easier in the future. So keep coming with the ideas! By the time I'm ready, you guys will be done with the program, right?
As far as contributing, I have a degree in project management, and have got a lot of tools under my belt. I still have all my reference books, so if you need some theoretical methods, I can dig them out. I also have quite a bit of experience organizing people and projects (although not in the animation field). So, for what it's worth, I'll contribute any way I can to any collaborative project. I'd really like to see this project finished. (For selfish reasons, of course...)
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I lived in San Diego last year and had a chance to go. Absolutely loved it! I actually got two free tickets, so I took my 8 year old son to the animation festival portion. He couldn't go on the floor where all the products are demo'd, but he fell in love with the movies. ('Course he's a budding artist already, so this just added fuel!)
Anyone can go, but it can get pricey, especially if you want to sit in on some of the professional lectures or workshops. It's $50 for the Exhibits Plus, $240 for Conference Select, and $825 for Full Conference. If you can't afford that, at least go to the animation festival and floor shows (the $50 option). You'll get a huge boost to your creative energy.
Go here: http://www.siggraph.org/s2004/
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From the help page on the UV feature, there is a little clue on how they may have done it:
"Many new features were added to the Decal view editor in Version 11. These features consist of grouping, translate, scale, rotate, magnet mode, and you can use the Ctrl key to split patches."
I believe they used the Ctrl key to split, then spread out the patches. I tried to do this to make one nice, neat decal for my newest creation, but it was much too complex of a mesh for me to make heads or tails of where to split with the CTRL key. I ended up just splitting up the decals and using alpha channels with the standard flatten technique.
The Zandoria tutorial is a good start, but like he said, it doesn't cover the new V11 features, including this CTRL splitting feature.
Perhaps if we all whine loud enough, Hash will make it into a video tutorial...
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I was first interested in animation after seeing The Hobbit. I thought, that would awesome if I could do that!
My first animations were created in 1989 using DeluxePaint Animation on a Franklin computer (Apple IIC compatible). I actually made "3D" animation using this 2D program by changing the size and orientation of the sprites so it looked like you were moving in a 3D world.
In 1995, while in college, I found POVRAY, but the programming was pretty daunting (even for a computer engineer). I rightly thought it would take forever to animate this way. Then I found A:M! The realism of "Killer Tools" sold me. I bought the program right away.
I still just tinker away, coming back to animation every so often. Of course, I've got my story that I want to animate, but the military life has kept me really too busy to do much.
So my dream job would be to turn all my project management, leadership, and interpersonal skills from the military into a production job at a 3D company. No, my story will probably never get done, but at least I could be a part of the next Pixar!
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This is exactly the same area I had problems. It's the intersection of three surfaces. Ran into it in two spots on my model.
I ended up with some not-so-good-looking 5-point patches, which also don't like 3 surface intersections due to the patch trying to match 3 curvatures vice the typical 2 curvatures. (makes 'em think too hard) So I got artifacts on these spots, but at least they're legal patches. Luckily, I'm decaling!
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Hmmm... Still no luck. Anyone else?
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I think you might have a bad link. The picture wouldn't open.
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Yes, noticed the same thing. The eyes are already fixed to be sloped to the side. And the intersection between the two sides of the head need some work, but after I hook them together. The picture above is two head halves unconnected. Still not bad though.
I've already trawled through the forum and asked some questions about multi-segments and decaling. So I've got it figured out. Now I just need to lock myself away from the wife and kids, and skip my day job, to have some serious time with it. Yea, that's gonna happen....
Thanks for the comments though. Keep 'em coming!
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And here's my artistic interpretation so far. Pending your comments (hint, hint), I'm pretty much done with the main head part. Now I need to work on the mouth. The antenna will be easy. And then decaling....
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Here's the WIP I promised in another post.
This is my example picture. Pretty daunting, huh? (BTW, this is from a D&D book, so don't publish w/o permission.)
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OK,
A:M or windows did something incredibly weird, but it proves that God loves animators! A copy of the file was saved to the desktop with no .mdl extension. Just a file of no type. I added the extension of .mdl, and it worked. It's back!
Normally, I would edit a message like this and just delete it. But there's an important lesson here:
Backup, backup, backup.
(And the fact that if you curse at your machine enough, it *can* be scared into submission!)
BTW, did I mention backup, backup, backup?
[Guess I have to post a WIP of it now, huh?]
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Well, the model I've been working on for two weeks now is gone...
I took it back to 10.5 during the extrude crashing, and had to embed the mdl for it to work. But with beta 5 back, I thought I would take it back into v11.
So I set embed to OFF, and saved. It should have overrode the old linked model. I open up v11, and it asks for the location of the unembedded file. This makes me suspicious, but I go ahead and pick the file where it's supposed to be. It comes up with the two week old model.
I think it's a mistake, so I CTRL-ALT-DEL out of A:M so I don't inadvertantly mess it up royally. Too late. I open the project in V10.5, and again, it asks for the location of the file............
Desperately, I file search for it anywhere on my hard drive... You can guess the rest of the story.....
Needless to say, I've just become a big believer in multiple copies. But still, when you save, it should be saved right?
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Actually I was thinking of applying a particle generator at each point, then applying the caustic over the porcelain throne. Finally I'd hit the "make dragon" button. Think it will work?
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Jack,
I think with your solution, I'll get some serious artifacting.
Homeslice,
I'll probably use your solution, but dang! You've got 3 five point patches coming out of this one!
I knew there were some ugly solutions, but I really wanted to avoid this situation all together. Guess, you're right! Just keep modeling.....
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Ok here's a link:
(Don't laugh at the cheesy standard website. I made it just to get this picture posted. Too busy animating!)
Ok, so in this case, where would you put a spline that didn't cause all sorts of artifacts?
I'll be able to fix it, but more importantly, how do I avoid such situations in the future?
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Twice now in my current modeling project, I've run into situations where I've got a six point patch left over. Now each of the six splines are pretty important to keep the topology, but I've had to do some serious spline rearranging to make it work. I ended up with two 5 point patches over some seriously bending curves. This was outrageously ugly, so I separated the five point patches with 4 point patches, but it's still not incredibly pretty when rendered. Luckily I'll be decaling.
So now I've hit my second 6 point patch. I am seriously loathing the splinage manipulations I'm about to embark on.
My question is: Does anyone else run into these when working on complex models? And if so, what have you done (in general) to avoid them?
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Thanks! Guess I'll use TSM for my humanoid creatures, and learn rigging on my ice wyrm! Can't wait....
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Yea,
The beta 4 extrude crash was holding me up too! I took it back to 10.5, but then had to embed it in a 10.5 for extrude to work. Try that!
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Hi,
I don't own TSM yet (still evaluating), but I did read through the pdf. I'm a little confused on the order of setting up the rig.
The pdf said to do all your smartskin before running the rig. If you are already boning the character, doing the smartskin, and checking joints, what is the actual TSM step for? Does it just get rid of the extra control bones? I guess I'm a little confused about what the setup step does.
(Note this is coming from someone who is still modeling and hasen't tried a rig yet. Hence the interest in the program!)
Also, How does the rig handle centipede type creatures? My creature has about 40 segments, each with two legs. It needs to flex, and also I'd like to not have to animate every single leg pair by hand, yet have the flexibility to do this for some of the front segment's legs.
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If you click on purchase, it tells you $25 by paypal. Does anyone use the program?
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You can't just post something fantastic like this and not give us some insight as to how it was done! Drop some crumbs to the masses please!
(and don't just say "dynamics"!)
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Thanks! I'll post results when I get there.
UV Editor
in (2003-2004)
Posted
I studied your last one, and it helped immensely. Eagerly awaiting your next one...