NancyGormezano

here's my views: Birdseye, backview in the chor - note that only 1 side of the prop appears transparent. Also in the model window view of the prop, one of the eyes changes from visible to not visible as I navigate around the model EDIT: I have old drivers, only puny 256MB RAM on card, so I could expect my system to not be right...but Pixelpucker has new drivers and a big new whoopdedoo graphics card

There is the ability to export a chor as a model...but I'm not sure how you pick a frame of the chor (other than zero). There is also the ability to export an action as a model - but again - I'm not sure how you pick a frame other than zero.

My understanding is that Direct X is not the same as Direct3D. Does your card support Direct3D? I experience the same transparency problem with PROPS and transparency that you do, when trying to see the patches of A:M models thru the PROP. I have not tried Direct3D yet with 32 bit ver17. However I just don't get this retopo stuff...Whenever I select patches in the chor of the model I am trying to create using an .obj prop as a 3D template - and I select "snap to surface" - I invariably get CPs that jump to the wrong surface. Some are correct - others are wrong. I must be doing something wrong, or not understanding the process at all.

Maybe even more cartooney representation of lightning? (google lightning cartoon)

Hmmm. Now I definitely prefer it with the ceiling (either black or whatever color the 1st image is). The one without the ceiling and the way you currently have the light aimed, produces a weird illumination of the thickness at the top of the wall.

I also think either works. And probably prefer the ceiling removed as well since the light leak with the wall doesn't show. This shot is being taken out of context, is very short, and won't be examined in the same excruciating detail in the final short, as we have been doing. I take this as an exercise to figure out what is happening as mainly for learning more about how to control A:M, and being able to get what you want out of it. (light leak will more than likely go unnoticed in final short). If you want to remove any lingering doubts about window versus mirror, something outside the window, like lightning bolts (good idea!), or trees, landscape, then it being a window, will be more convincing. As for versions, I do believe that Mac users have reported significant speed ups in rendering in ver 16b & 17 versus results in version 15. I can't verify my suspicions. I am curious: removing the ceiling works of course, but why didn't making the ceiling black work? It should have looked the same. No? If you made the color something other than 0,0,0 then it would probably still show up. EDIT: hmmm...just tried to imagine why black ceiling would look different from removing ceiling - now I think I know why

Looks absolutely great!... Why is the grass scintillating? Does it have a dynamic system?

I don't think you need to make a light list for this case. I believe you can get away with just making your ceiling black. I tried your config - put the klieg outside the room (made it 300%), and made the floor surface color black (0,0,0) so that it would be excluded from the reflection, ie it would not be illuminated. For your case, you could make your ceiling black, if you decide you don't want it to show in the reflection. You do not need to fool with ambiant intensity of the ceiling (wrong advice on my part), nor the reflectivity falloff of the window probably. Not sure why your renders are taking so long, but I have found that doing final, multipass off, is usually quicker than FINAL 5 pass. You definitely don't need 64 passes! That's overkill for that kind of low detail models, textures. And yes each pass does change and seem to darken, but eventually I find that additional passes makes no real difference. My renders (640 x480) are taking 20-30 secs at final multipass off. It may be different for Macs (or your particular mac), it may be a A:M version difference as well as to why you are taking 20 minutes/frame. It may be some other setting that isn't obvious yet. In addition to tooooo many passes, Soft reflections will add time and # reflectivity levels? and what are allllll those lights!!!! doing in your chor?

Ok. Now I'm not so sure that a light list would work for you, However, one would: Drag the klieg light and drop it on top of the outside models (uh...the trees?) - A dialog should pop up - and you would select which option you'd like - usually it's to just to include the light for this model and exclude it from lighting any other models. (see first image) The light will now only illuminate those models which have it in their light list. BUT In your case - it sounds as if you have the ceiling illuminated by the klieg (perhaps aim it differently?) OR you haven't set the reflectivity falloff low enough? or some combo of the 2. I believe we are seeing the ceiling reflection in the glass. In my example the first render is with the double paned glass having a falloff of 200 cm - and we don't see a reflection of the floor. In the 2nd example, the falloff is 10000 cm and we see a reflection of the floor. (my double reflections are a result of there being 2 panes of glass, and the waviness is due to the bump map. Unfortunately the peacock, which is outside the window - doesn't seem to get wavified...whereas I thought it should....hmmmm....) EDIT: And a simpler solution for you - might be to make the ceiling a dark/black? color for this shot (only?) - and 100% ambiant if you don't want to see the reflection of it in the glass.

You may have to use a light list (that contains only the lightning lite) for the outside, if you don't want the inside of room (ceiling) to be lit up. You can use a different light for the inside of room. Show us your chor setup (PWS, top down, side, wireframe, etc), and we could help better...maybe...I'm having a hard time guessing what your setup is. What kind of light are you using for the lightning? (klieg? bulb? sun?). EDIT: Just saw your previous post: which way is your klieg pointing? and are you sure it is outside the room? _________________________________ And yes, a wireframe render will more likely have a larger compressed file size, than a shaded render when compressed, because there is more information in the imagery. The more variation in the imagery (from frame to frame), the harder it is to compress and get a smaller file size. How are you compressing your movs? The best way is to generate uncompressed image sequences of pngs or tgas (eg: image001.png...image00N.png) - and then import & compress the image sequence in QT Pro (or some other editor) with h264.

I had already done that earlier today. Was checking to see if we could narrow it down to 32bit. Thanks for testing.

Thanks Matt - That is very helpful to narrow this down to 32bit version!

yes I still crash. No matter what settings (default) I try with Fakaocpu.

Can you try it in the 32 bit version to see if you crash? I do not have 64bit. Nor do I have SSE4 (I don't think...how would I know?) Yes that aotexture moving does look weird - but I never noticed that in 16b. Could be an artifact of FAKEAO since it is based on screen space depth, and not real raytracing type. Probably never noticed it in my animations because I texture the sh..t outta things I don't like to increase sampling levels, #samples too much, makes things too slow on my machine. But yes, I can increase the gamma, as well as focal length. EDIT: I'm guessing you have waaaay more memory than me, and are using win7. Perhaps that is why there was a delayed crash for you? memory leak maybe? (me: 4GB - but only 2GB available to programs?, winxp pro sp3)

Yes I usually have my Focal length cranked to 250 (makes the effect darker for some reason) Did you test with 32 bit A:M? or 64bit? And I do not have the GPU version, only CPU version of FakeAO. I am 32bit. (weird about the peacock image - I don't have that crop up in either 16b or 17) EDIT: just looked at text file for project - and yes the reference for the peacock image is there, but it does not bring it into the project for me in either 16b or 17. I had used that image in testing at one time for testing Image based lighting with an image. Seems to be leftover garbage.

I get a crash everytime - with fakeaoCPU with ver17 32bit (most recent release), even with a simple chor (1 sphere) Anyone else getting it to work? Is it just me? EDIT: I've added a test project (created in 16b) that crashes in 17. I tried creating project from scratch in 17 - still crashes. fakeao16b.prj

Reflectivity falloff is found in surface/refelectivity/falloff The default is some big number (don't know what it is - comes up as unset?) First, try with a test case without decals to see what it does. Make something reflective, give it something to reflect. Then start decreasing the falloff (try 10cm - note that anything further than 10cm won't reflect). You must set reflectivity percent in group surface property, before those additional properties show up.

Works for me. Both this QT and the effect. A compressed 182kb QT is good enough to get a feel for what's going on. A 6.2Mb is overkill for a 2 second movie. If you don't want to see the reflection (of what I presume to be) the room in the window, you can try lowering the reflectivity falloff of the glass window so that only the man, or anything standing close to the window will be reflected. If that is supposed to be a courtyard outside the house or you want to see the reflection of the whole room, then never mind. Nice effect!

Ditto. I haven't done the TAOAM, nor seen Zundel's tuts. I personally prefer Malo's way of thinking, modeling and he did an excellent character modeling tut, that is more intermediate to advanced. (won't point you to it now) Mikes questions are basic. Those questions can be addressed simply. I do not have time now, as I am going out, but others can address them. Part of the problem I believe, is typical when switching programs, having to unlearn the other programs conventions, habits. A:M modeling tools are not that complicated. You pretty much asked all the questions. The methods to achieve the same results, are such that one does NOT need to follow only one formula.

here's the link I haven't seen them, but many people here seem to feel these are quite good.

Nice! There's lots of character in that walk. I specifically like that the walk is asymmetric, and that he has slight "limp". Makes it feel more interesting.

I think the TAOAM is a good start, but they are not the endall. They introduce new user to one of many ways to do something, but not necessarily the only way, nor are they very deep. Just don't take them as gospel, never to be questioned. Some of the interface(s) has/have changed. Some of the models are faulty. New users run into the quirks, get frustrated. But the exercises are worth looking at, trying, and then asking questions, and moving on to other tutorials, examples. And yes it's hard to find the info here on forum doing a search. That's why questions are always good, at whatever level you're at. Hmmm...I don't have a real answer other than I too have noticed quirky behavior when switching between peaked and not peaked cps, and with extrusion. As I said before, I'm not a mechanical modeler. I do squishy characters, and am not that picky about exactness. I traditionally work only with continuous curves (not peaked). If I need something to look sharper or rounder, smoother, I will add splines, or work with bias handles (less usual). When I took your model and then hit the "curve switch" I get a very funny looking splines. When I hit the peaked switch again, I get another funny model, different from your original. Me no likee. More importantly, I also notice that if I take your left most spline that you used for extrusion, that it is NOT a continuous spline - so I will guess you peaked that original spline from which you extruded - not a good idea, I don't think. As an alternative, or something to add to toolbox, I find I have more luck with getting "protrusions" or "indents" on/in a surface when I think of the surface as a grid (after extruding with continuous spline). Outline the cross section or shape to be protruded on the grid/surface with a continuous spline ring, thus creating 3 and 5 point areas. Then select all of the inner area and move it in 3D space out or in from the surface. To refine the indented shape, or protrusion, stitch in more spline rings. Then select all those 5 point areas (when everything is happy), and green donut your way to nirvana. malomethod.mdl

Glad to see that the phantom CP has been identified, but I am really curious as to how you are getting these. There seems to be some sequence of steps you are doing (not your fault...it's probably a bug). It would be good to identify what causes this - as I remember, you had some other weird model thing going on that could only be solved by copy/paste into a new model (or at least I think it was you, maybe I'm thinking of someone else). So I'm suspecting it's something in your process. (EDIT: yes, it was you. See this post about the funny coffee cup.) I looked at your project. I wonder why you have splines that are not continuous when you are "extruding"? Are you peaking everything? (why?). Are you connecting splines using the shift key? Are you messing with biases (maybe too early in the process)? I am not a mechanical modeler, but these are very odd problems, and perhaps you are using some keying/modeling sequence that might fit for blender, but perhaps is something that showcases a bug in A:M? And don't beat yourself up about asking questions here...WE LOVE IT! It helps everyone to learn something. Even those who have been here since the last Ice Age. It helps us all to shake out bugs, learn new methods. And please try to remember - those TAOAM exercises were constructed pre-Ice Age, and the software has evolved, changed, and what worked then (for the most part, sorta), might not still be true now (less sorta).

Oooo...good one!

Oh yes! The world is longing for another animation with John in it. A dress is way better than a vintage cow suit circa 2006. http://amfilms.hash.com/video/101/Im-a-Cow Great banner Rodney! I really like your artwork, characters.