jakerupert

I just tried to work with the uv-editor and created a blank 800x600 tga which I imported and applied it cylindrical to a head mesh, then stared the uv-editor and expected to see the headmesh in order to be able to push the CP`s like in the Zandoria-Tut, but instead I only get red dots see picture attatched. What can I possibly be doing wrong?

> ;>) Jake

Further work on this scene, pushed the mainlights to 120%, maybe a bit too bright now and only the sunlight from the left is casting raytraced shadows now with level 5. Now I am tinkering with the red brake carlights. Its volumetric, the right 2000% the left the left 3000% for testing purposes. Does anybody know, how to avoid this kind of "cut off shape" ? Is volumetric the best for this purpose anyhow? Any hints and critics highly welcome. And merry christmas and a happy new year 2008 everybody! ;>) Jake Sc05CrossroadTest211207.mov

The sign has a back with correct normals. (maybe the shadow is washed away by the sunlight?) Especially the carshadow bothers me. Does it matter that my scene has a very big scale? I heard maybe I would need some skydome to correctly illuminate this?

Please have a look at this carscene. I have some questions: I have a sunlight directed from the left and a klieglight from the right enligthening the sign and cast shadows on, but the shadows are not like I would expect them. Under the car it looks as if only the axles and tyres cast shadow but not the body of the car, also there is no shadow under the bridge and the sign is casting no shadow as well ( I would expect like see my painting.) Second, is there a way to avoid decals showing from the backside. Any help? Thank you Jake

I would like to insert some headlights, brakelights, turninglights into my carmodell. I tried some on/off pose with a glow, but cant see it in the chor. Is this the poper way anyhow? I guess I could insert some lights directly into the modell, but dont Know, how this is done, especially with the blinking or on/off function. Any hints or any examples I could take a look at? Thank you Jake

You are right, thank you, that did the trick! ;>) Jake

Hi all, Is it necessary to apply the constraints first and then the action for the actions to work? I have some difficulty to get a working propeller rotation action to function again after i have applied a translate to and orient like constraint to the plane, then the propeller is no longer rotating... Jake?

Some hints from the experts here please! I need to achieve a look similar to this picture. What would be the best way to come near. Painted textures? special shaders ( I heard I would need fresnellshader for this??) ? What kind of lighting? Post production? Any advises how to start experimenting? Thank you Jake

Hi folks, I am having some difficulty in using an .mov-file as rotoscope or layer. I can see it working as a sequence in the imagefolder but cant set the range in the chor somehow. Whenever I write some bigger values in there it jumps back to a one frame range. What can I be possibly missing here? Thanks for your help.

Hi Epoch >jakerupert - I think that method may not work. Seeing as how ZBrush takes models to the gigapoly level it would be insane (and quite unnecessary) for A:M to try and import a file with so many polys... Which is one reason why the splines are a bit better for the organic modeling in not needing so many patches. I think for the extra detail it would probably be better to take just the displacement map onto the mesh to 'simulate' the extra details than having to bulk it up with more patches. So long as the basic model is near what you'd like in A:M the displacement maps and/or normal maps should really take the model a step further without all of the unnecessary model exporting/importing headaches. Z brush would only alter the mesh in a form like pushing the existing "cps" around and not adding any, so when you export that obj togehter with the displacement-map and reimport that obj mesh into AM it would have exactly the same patchcount as the original mesh with just the cps being in a different for this model better suited position. Maybe this discussion here can shed a bit more light on this?

Yes, sounds very interesting. What I would like to test also one day is to have a quite generic human mesh (maybe something like Sqeutchy Sam) export the obj to Z-brush an work it out quite heavily with the displacement sulpting tools and then reimport the displacement map AND the obj. file back into AM. ( this because Z-brush ALSO ALTERS the mesh of the obj when doing heavy deformation with the sculpting tools ) If this would work, one would be able to create quite complex models out of rather simple meshes quite easily and animate them within AM. ;>) Jake

You should experiment with a modell with five point patches and hooks. That used to be the zones were problems with the uv coordinates could occur. I wanted to try this with z-brush for quite a while now, but simply couldn`t find the time. ;>) Jake

You just animated the horses legs and neck but the body will also have to move up and down a bit. Up when it propells from the ground, down before it touches the ground..

I heard there`s something new about how the diplacementmap is handled. Where can I find something about it? Maybe Tut, examplesß Thank you Jake

Further work on the walkloop. Forgot to zeroslope at the end so hands are still twitching. Why the forefood is still slipping escapes me though... Put a scene together with it and I guess its heading towards some complications with a stucked door! Tried AO for the first time and I really looks nice Though it takes nights rendering on my computer. A friend told me something about baking and loading into the diffusechannel and so rendering much faster in his software. Is it the same in AM? Any links to a brief AO tutorial? ;>) Jake LadywalkBigSony_070907.mov LadyDoorstuck080907.mov

Hi Robcat, I worked on this walkcycle here with the key-filters and : Found that I couldn`t paste mirror all the bones-keys and the muscle-keys, that I put on the dress allthough I had every keyfilter pressed. Any idea, what I can be still doing wrong here? ( Also couldn´t key the muscle movement later on, that`s why the little twitching in the dress ) Hope you can give me some more advice. Thank you Steven for your kind words.... Ladywalk14_050907.mov

Okay, still getting everybody on the nerves with my walkloop. Got some advice about the slipping and that the COG was wrong. So I changed that for the much better now I think, Still some slipping though. Found that I couldn`t paste mirror all the bones-keys and the muscle-keys allthough I had every keyfilter pressed. Any idea anybody, what I can be doing wrong here? ( Also couldn´t key the muscle movement later on, that`s why the little twitching in the dress ) But have no fear: I`LL BE BACK !! Ladywalk14_050907.mov

Great model Dhar! I like your style!! ;>) Jake

Maybe some of the experts could take a look at my lady-walkaction, why stride lenght is still not working correctly? ( I did it the same way as with the rabbit and that looks nice....) Jake? Ladywalkaction.zip

oop s, seems I can`t upload acrion files somehow. Isn`t this a bit strange for a hash-forum?

walkaction

Hi Dhar, I started the Goodbody-loop from scratch with may newly won knowledge and think it looks quite allright now. Only thing its still slipping a bit. Posted the action file.... Ladywalk14_040907.mov

I reworked the Shaggyloop for Rabbit quite a bit and I think now it looks quite good, doesn`t it? Rabbitwalkwalk14_040907.mov

>2-turn on the single bone filter ("Key Bone", not "Key Branch", not "Key Model"). Turn on the channel filters you want; for most animation that will be just translate, rotate and maybe scale. How do I : turn on the channel filter I want? Have I to move this all manually as well? Sorry , if dumb question ;>/ Jake