Simon Edmondson

Thank you Robert, much appreciated. This isn't the final version, it goes from colour to white light ( probably ) but it does give the idea. regards simon CnE 013.mov

Robert Thank you once again for your help. I got it to work as I wanted by, as you suggested, turning off the alpha and making the camera background black. Boosted the volumetric level to 1000% and rendered with 16 passes. Here is the result. While it works as a process. I think it needs some revision to make the H and W more legible in the sequence? I'm using V18g on the same Mac mini as previously, running OSX 10.85. regards simon 013.mov

Robert Thank you very much once again. It is as needed, except for the absence of volumetric lighting? At risk of sounding a bit pretentious, its the prelude to a 'Big Bang' sequence. Not the TV show but a sort of spoof on the moment of creation. The centre of the O is actually an egg. Its part of the Chicken and Egg project I've been working on. Is it the jpg format that is allowing it to work ? regards simon

Hello. I have mainly moved over to trying to use drawn and stop frame processes for projects. However, wanted to use volumetrics for a particular shot and returned to the fold for that. Unfortunately I'm having a lot of bother getting a consistent result. The shot was set up and tested using quick renders to check progress. All seemed well until I tried to render it out as a QT file. This is a screenshot of what was supposed to happen and this is the QT file. Clearly very different. When rendered as a single frame jpg it refuses to save the file, as apng it does not parse the file into readable form, this is a tga converted in PS. Here is an embedded copy of the prj Can anyone kindly point me to the errors of my ways ? thank you simon CNE 013 SH 000.mov Chickens 002.prj

When I first went to art college ( a very long time ago ) I learned about 'Moire Patterns', which was basically a major influence on the "Op Art" work of the 60's. These were variations on that effect. Very simple to do, just a bit un nerving to view. Regards simon

With apologies for file size. This is first assembly edit of project. Any critical feedback very welcome indeed. I've spotted somethings that will need to be altered but would be very keen to hear about any you may have noticed ? regards simon BEWARE !!! The sound is very grating Sequence 1.mov

Version B. Same file, different camera angle. Which revealed that... I need to address some problems with the splines around the arms on the Mum's back, and some follow through animation on the baby after he's moved the piano lid. Simon TLC S4B.mov

Robert. Thank you for the feedback. He bobs up and down twice, but only gets to it the second time. I could change the camera angle to show it more readily, I liked that one because it was markedly different from the others and, the photos on the top of the piano give a wider context to the scene. (Although, they are not of course visible in this clip). I'll try a version with a reduced reaction and a different camera angle. regards Simon

Penultimate shot of the Learning Curve. The fingers go through the piano lid slightly in places, which I will try to ease out later. At the moment, its the overall animation I'm concerned about but, any critical feedback very welcome indeed. When I get this bit right will go for a full render, with the rest of the piano and the room included. simon TLC S4 .mov

With a very BIG thank you to Robert for all his help. Here is a version of scene thrree, or at least the action part of it. As always, any critical feedback very welcome. simon TLC S3 Baby G.mov

Thank you. Its getting very windy here so lots of photo ops and an escape from the computer while it renders. regards simon

Robert. Thank you. Thats what the first part is, the same model, action and render settings but no material. I'm just trying a test with an earlier iteration of the model, and no flickering on the face. Unfortunately that model doesn't have all the smartskin and CP weighting that caused so much frustration yesterday,. I feel a trip to the seaside coming on. regards simon

With a big thank you to Robert for his help in resolving the bones problem, may I ask another question Is there another way to smooth a mesh without using Porcelain material ? This is a short clip, using the same files and models but with the absence of porcelain as part of the skin group in the first part. On the second part, porcelain is there, giving the smooth skin effect required but, as the render goes through, a visible flicker occurs on the right cheek by the nose. As everything else is the same my guess is that it is caused by the presence of the material ? thank you. simon Porcelain.mov

Robert. Thank you very much indeed for your help. After yesterday I was preparing for a long holiday. Such a frustrating day. regards Simon

Robert, Thank you for your reply. Sorry. I'm a bit tired, its been a very frustrating day. What I'd like to do is remove the disorientation of the R4 bones in the action file, so I can then go through and redo the poses for that finger. The rest needs adjusting but that is proving difficult to trace. If I actually adjust the positions of the bones at the start of the action, it then distorts in different directions later in the sequence. Have tried several options I can think off but to no avail. Hoping a good nights sleep will help. regards simon

LC Baby F.mdl TLC S3 Baby 003C.act Trying to finish The Learning Curve but, having a lot of problems. Slowly sorting out most of them but, this one is proving difficult to trace. Because it started with an old model, a the finger poses were done using skeletal mode. I know now, thats not the way to go but, not then. The scene was animated as as an action and i seemed to go ok until I checked the right hand. The fourth finger ( the pinkie ) was completely skew wif with the three bones at complete variance to each other. Went back and corrected the model, and the settings in the pose controls but, when the corrected model is used the variance is still there. Even though, when used in a new action, there is no problem with the orientation of the bones.? I have tried deleting the pose channel for R4 in the action, changing model, reimporting, all that I can think off. No joy. Might anyone be able to offera solution ? Thank you simon

Trying to finish off the Learning curve, using V18g in OSX 10.85. Made some modifications to one of the models, saved it as an iteration. Looked ok visually so tried to test it it as a render using the action window previously worked in. When I tried to do a quick render, the process seemed to stall, with the message appearing, "calculating the visible patches". That went on for some minutes and eventually aborted that render. Tried again, the render crashed the program. Opened up again, same project, same settings, same problem with calculating the visible patches. Went out to do some food shopping and leave it to get on with it. Just checked progress and, the render was going through but, instead of taking 2 seconds or less per frame to render, it was taking 20 minutes. Closed out AM, rebooted and just tried again, its back to taking 2 seconds or less per frame, and not ( touch wood) crashing out. Is this a known problem ? I've experienced it before with the extended calculation time but thought it must be an error on my part. This happened just after modifying the model but, only realtively minor mods saved after each change. regards simon

Robert Thank you for your reply and kind offer to help. I went away, had a cup of tea and calmed down, went back and found, I'd inadvertently translated the foot bone and rotated it. Must admit its getting on top of me a bit, just want to get it done and move on to something else. Next time I will ( at least hope ) to be better prepared rather than fire fight while trying to proceed. No cure for foolish. regards simon

I have no experience of rigging so, when I adapted a model from a DVD some time ago, went with the rig installed I've insterted an extra bone since then ( for the lower torso, but thats not giving problems). Have lined up the feet and the legs in the model window but, when animated in an action window a twist or distortion appears in the ankles areas. Could someone kindly suggest what the problem might be and how to correct it ? Thank you for your time. simon LC Baby C.mdl

Revised version of scene Two. Cleaner notes, colour changes.. Stray note at approx 16:9 but need to get that next. Any critical feedback on things I've missed very welcome indeed. Hope to animate scene three and final scene over next few days. Then the sound. simon TLC S2 001.mov

Robert. Thank you for you feedback. Much appreciated. It will have sound. I'm not sure what the tune is called ( "Heart and Soul" ?) but its the one that gets inflicted on many people starting to learn the piano. Tom Hanks plays it on the giant keyboard in "Big". Here is a version I was using before, but I will re record it to make it 'clang' even more. Have you ever seen the late UK comedian, Les Dawson ? He was a highly skilled piano player but, as a part of his act he would play the piano so out of tune that even the most tone deaf member of the audience could recognise the comedy of it. I'm not a keyboard player but make a racket on guitar, my understanding is that it is actually really difficult to play that badly, deliberately ? he was a master at it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nNGlaiVypU The intention with the visual notes is to make visual the awful sound of the playing( if that doesn't sound too pretentious ? ). So, the first day they are really very rough, the second will be really rough, the third day rough. The playing acts as an incentive for the baby to start walking. The final scene will reverse the saturation shift , returning to full colour, as the baby starts to walk. I'll have a luck at the lighting again this evening. Regards simon Day One.wav

Need some work on the compression but, hoping this might be the final version of scene One. Its a QT conversion of an After Effects file ( 122mb) to get it down to this size. Any critical feedback very welcome. simon TLC S1 001.mov

Redone lighting, a lot of model tweeks on the child, spotted some more things needing changes ( Drat !!! ) Kick up the backside will be more visible in final version. Any feedback on things you've spotted that need attention, very welcome. simon TLC S2C.mov

Robert. Thank you. I Adapted the model from one either on the extra's DVD or a collection that was sold some years ago ( Al's models ?) but can't remember exactly which as it was quite some time ago. I've only really just started looking very closely at the model and, as you say, there are a lot of creases in it which don't really match a face of tender years. The face is not symmetrical either, the left eye is offset compared to the right. Should have paid more attention originally. I only did this revision to test a working process ( and because I liked the idea ) and thought it would only take a short time to do. How wrong I was! Having noticed some of the problems, now wrestling with my conscience as to whether to spend lots of time ironing out the creases, and then have to redo all the muscle mode poses, or just get on with as is ? On a more positive note; reworked the lighting, including animating the darkness setting of the lights in the chor, and the skin colour of the child and will post the results tomorrow. regards simon

Following Robert's help during Live Answers ( for which thank you once again ), a reworked scene. This is a more compressed version as the original weighed in at 132Mb, it has lost some of the darkness and shifted the colour balance, all things to be addressed this afternoon. Any feedback welcome. simon TLC S2C.mov