Simon Edmondson

Robert Thank you. I tried that, and retained it thereafter but, still got the twitching. A puzzle indeed. I wonder if it was a by product of the Toon render ? regards simon

Robert Are you doing that in V18 ? I'm puzzled. I've got a version with no jitter now, but had to substitute a .mdl file for the layer and use the jpg as a decal at the appropriate scale. Each time I thought I'd 'cracked it' I rendered a test and got jitter. How did you do it ? regards simon heres a test with no layer and a mdl plane. NHF S sixB2.mov

Robert I've found a solution to the difficulty ( possibly) but not an answer to the problem causing it. I've deleted the layer and replaced it with a new backdrop on the same scale using the same decal. If it works I' get it composited and posted later smon

Robert Thank you for your help. Much appreciated. I tried the hold, with mixed results. This is a version using 5 render passes. Theres a pop at the very beginning but only a short one, NHF S06B.mov I then tried the same chor but with multi pass and motion blur turned off. No twitching. NHF S06B2.mov I will try a render without multi pass thrn composite the bike and rider in afterwards and see what happens? regards simon update Just tried a full size 1080 and the problem remains. off to try a different option

NHF S06B.cho S6B set.mdl Robert Thank you for your kind offer to look at the problem. The problem occurs when the backdrop on the S6B set. mdl is hidden, leaving just the verge and road surface, and the layer is visible behind it. If I render it like that, the section on the left side of the layer "shimmers", by moving slightly in each frame. That happens whether a single render pass or a multiple render pass is used. It only seems to affect that part of the layer, the rest of it is stable. I've tried rendering it as single frames with no motion blur but, when compiled into a mov the glitch remains. Using either toon or non toon settings. S06 Layer.mov regards simon

What aspect of it do you mean? Robert Thank You for your reply. The bit I liked in the screen grab was the expanding ripple behind the figure which, I'm guessing, comes from QT interpolating between two separate frames. When I tried to render the separate frames the result was not as dramatic. The first go was done with 9 render passes per frame. I've redone it, with 16 passes and it gives a more fluid result but, not quite as dramatic. I'll stick with the 16 I think. The woodblock print Style may be my memory playing tricks. It was set in a Japanese city , done ( I think) with a toon render and the style of the buildings were the sort from the Ukiyo-eh period, Hokusai, Hiroshige, Utamaro, but the story was something else again. I don't recall the narrative very well ( if at all ) but I do remember being very impressed by the visuals and the fact that it was all the work of one person. Although I may have got that all wrong. I know it got a lot of justified attention and acclaim at the time. regards simon

Tests for next part of scene six This is a screen grab of a QT file, its close to what I'd like but, the rendered individual frames don't come out that way ( yet ) Will post the Mov files tomorrow. simon

Robert Thank you for your feedback. Much appreciated Something I hadn't noticed, until working at 1000% magnification in TVP, was that the wheels of the bike go through the pavement at turns 1 & 2. The figure is so small in the frame at that point, I'm going to modify the pavement later and will adjust the banked turn then too. Do you know the japanese fim I mean in AM films ? I wondered if there was a link to it anywhere else? regards simon

Test towards Grandma in motion. She's on the way to a party to celebrate her 50th wedding anniversary. Quite like the idea not 100% with this version ( there are 8 others not as good ), working on others. simon NHF S 06H.mov NHF S 06K.mov

Starting to get the process refined ( wish I'd thought of this 10 months ago) Apologies once again for large file size. Any critical feedback very welcome. On a different subject. where has AM films gone to ? I was looking for the Japanese one, done with toon render, all the work of one person, in the style of japanese woodblock print ? simon Departure Toon 264.mov

There are details that need adjusting with the cp weighting and the animation is not finished but, these are the two visual styles I was thinking of using for the grand parents in the project. The scene will be rendered non toon but the characters done in different stylings. Should add that the armchairs will be non toon in the final. These were a mistake on my part Apologies for the large file sizes I couldn't get them smaller without losing the quality B Scene 002B.mov uses Flat rendered figures with a tonal overlay then composited over the scene. C Uses a toon render with Ambient occlusion and a narrow tonal range on the render Scene 002C.mov My personal preference is for C but I would be interested to hear any feedback you may have as to your preferences and why ? Thank you for your time simon

Jason Thank you for your help. Pardon my delayed redponse, a bit tied up working out a render setting. regards simon

I'm sorry to say I don't know. That the GPU post effect features only apply to Windows does sound familar and that may in fact be the case. Sorry if I led you astray with that. Rodney. No apology needed. Thank you for your help. I'm just experimenting with different render styles. There were some plugins a while back that gave you a watercolour type effect but the person who developed them had moved ( possibly to Pixar ) and i could find no instructions on how to use them. I think they may have been PC only too. I thought about getting a PC laptop for that and other aspects but ( without wanting to start an unnecessary debate ) my experience of PC reliabilty was not one to savour. My last PC ( a reputable make ) ate three Hd's in as many years, it was not a happy tech time. Regards simon Robert Thank you for your help. I was unaware of those options I shall try that with the next characters. Regards simon

I'm running OSX 10.85 on an I5, quad core, mini which Mac version should I go for ? regards simon

Rodney Thank you very much for your reply. When you mention the GPU option is that only available with windows or is it also available for Macs and is it V18 only or also available for V17 ? I have V18 but use V17 after some earlier advice ( about a year ago ). I am hoping to upgrade to V19 when it comes out ( or at least the last version of V18 ) but was a bit concerned bout the problems last time that had been caused by OSX glitches ? regards simon

Pardon me if this is waffle but, Ansell Adams invented the zone system of exposure for use with BW film photography. It made sure his work was beautifully exposed for the right quality of print. In toon mode, you can get a similar effect by choosing the range to work with, as explainedby Robert above, Is it possible to do it with non toon renders? ie you choose the range of tones you want in a render rather than go for the full range ? simon

Some render tests for the new version. The original was in monochrome but, thinking of going for colour with this one and varying the style of render for the different generations . I have a hand drawn version of yje grand parents in progress but its taking quite a long time. Any feedback greatly appreciated. simon Standard.mov Standard setting in Toon Fall Off Test.mov With Fall off Toon.mov Toon setting Test 003.mov Test 004.mov Test 005.mov

Robert Thank you for your helpful reply. I was thinking of an article about Calvin and Hobbes were Watterson had explained that he only had 16 colours to work with on the Sunday strips. My mistake. regards simon

In the toon render options there is a tonal scale which allows you to set small tags along it which appears to compress the band widths of the tones in the scale(?) Is there a way to control the tonal range into narrow, definable bands, eg 16 or 12 or is it a case of adjusting the tags until the desired result is obtained ? Thanks for your time and consideration simon

This is a line test towards a reworking of Happy Families. Hope to get it completed to the right standard this time. The figures will be hand drawn in TVpaint and composited over the AM render of the scene. It might take a while to get the drawings done. simon Sequence 1.mov

Rodney, Robert, David, Gerald Thank you very much. I have a feeling it might not be as big an achievement as it might sound, that might just be me doing the usual cautious routine but, its a good way to draw the year towards a close and end on an upbeat. Its been a fairly arduous year. I've started reworking Happy Families with a view to getting it finished to the appropriate standard this time and hope to post some updates on that soon Ska Lake would have been impossible without all the help I received here from ourselves and others. I'm very grateful to you all. Merci Tout le Monde * Simon * thats me being pretentious. My french is almost non existent. I still correspond with one of the nurses who looked after me in 91. She once told me "please write in english, its easier to understand than your french "...

Thank you Rodney. I'm currently trying to redo Happy families, using AM and TVpaint for the hand drawn parts. Hoper to test the first scene in the next week. regards simon

"Dear Simon, We want to deliver a wonderful news for you. Almost 10.000 films compete in this year competition from various festivals platforms. And your film is chosen among the shortlisted to receive the Laurel of Achievement. We congratulate you for your achievement in Cinema Grand Prix 2017. " On the "most beautiful Island in the world, Bali" Small steps Whoo Hooo !!!

Robert, Mat Thank you for your helpful replies, I shall check them out. Apologies for delayed reply, I've been a bit tied up with other things taking up time. regards simon

Thank you Robert. It does. regards simon