jnord71

I started by capturing my own motion. I used that as a starting point, but then I went back over it and made many changes keyframing by hand. I like the idea of motion capture, I think once I have more experience with it my process will be faster than keyframing everything manually. However, I also don't want to only use motion capture because I feel that would take the art out of my animation. I think using the two together is a happy medium. Luckily, my friend Adam, The Toadstool in the forum, has made making our own motion capture files his priority, so he had it figured out and made that process relatively painless for me. I do have plans to extend this someday. I might add a player or two and will probably include the previous throw/drive from the concrete teepad seen at the top of the hill at the very begining. It will be the opening scene in a longer short ending with the golfer or golfers being chased by something through the wooded park, but I have worked on this for so long that I am going to set it aside for a bit and come back to it. Rodney, I hadn't noticed how much the pants stick out. It wasn't intentional and I will make an adjustment for the future. I can't stop noticing it now that you pointed it out. Thank you everyone for your comments and questions.

I borrowed the pine tree from the forum (thank you, John Bigboote), but I believe I made everything else. My friend Adam (The Toadstool) helped me with the home made Motion Capture. Thank you, Adam. To make this short I used Motion Capture, Dynamic Constraints, Forces, several Particle Systems (hair, leaves, grass/weeds), a little Newton Physics, and Cloth along with animation by hand. Animation Master, Audacity, and Photoshop were the software used. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_j5nGkfCIE

Wow. Fantastic.

Rodney, I thought I had textured it. It is true there isn't any Specularity or Roughness. Can you mix surface attributes and decals? I should know that. For some reason I didn't think you could. I have decaled the entire mantis with diffuse colors and decaled the face with bump and distortion maps. I don't think I lit the shot very well because I don't see the colors on the mantis (I did paint him lightly). I would appreciate any advice. Thank you, Robcat. I appreciate your compliments.

I meant to enter this model in the Insect contest, but I didn't make the deadline. The background picture is one I took of Mt. Hood. The flies are from one of the extras cds. I found the flies' buzzing sound somewhere online. I made the mantis model and sounds and recorded the frogs and crickets sounds myself. xhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvsD_HdDCDM

I am using it dynamically, but I have it set pretty stiff to try to get some movement out of it and yet keep its shape. I haven't moved the model around yet so I don't know if I have succeeded.

The hair was based on Doc Brown.

I plan to use it as a scientist. I may also dress it for a western.

Thank you both for your help. Setting the transparency for the hair emitter to 0 did end up being the fix. I didn't have the problem in v14. It is good to know for the future. Again, I appreciate both of your help. I spent a couple hours last night trying different things to get it to work right. jeff

I updated to AM v18 today. Before this I was using v14 so there is no doubt many changes for me. I have opened an existing project into the new version and found I can't get the hair on the model to render. When the hair is turned on I see it on the model, but it disappears when I render. I've gone through all the setting in the options and done some searching in the forum, but haven't found a solution. Does anyone have an idea what setting I have wrong? Or is it possibly a glitch? It seems unlikely to me to be a glitch so I'm hoping someone can find a setting I have wrong. I've attached the project in hopes someone can find the problem. Thank you for your help. jeff jeff_model_embedded.prj

Thanks for your help Bobby and Robcat. I've been working on Bobby's method this last week, when I haven't been sick. I've had some trouble understanding/using Chor Range, Crop Range, cycle, etc, but am getting closer/better. I also plan to try Robcat's suggestion, but wanted to make sure I thanked you before time got away from me and it was long in the past. Thanks again.

Thanks, Bobby, that looks really nice. I will definately use a dynamic constraint. Thanks for the suggestions Paul and Paradymx. If I can't get the cable itself to move i will try to fake it. I'd really like to get the cable to move around the path, though. I've been looking at and trying to do method #1 in the second entry here: http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showt...l=bicycle+chain . There used to be a project to inspect about this method in the 4th entry here - http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showt...eyor+distortion - but it doesnt exist anymore. There is further description in the 8th entry, but I haven't been able to get it to work yet. Does anyone have the project referenced in the 4th entry? Or could describe the process in better detail? If not Im going to try method #2 in that 1st link. I believe that is the alternative you suggested Paul. I haven't attempted that one and would love any additional advice. I've attached what I've attempted using Method #1. I know my shaped cable looks funny, but I'm more interested in trying to get the process to work. I'll clean it up later. Thanks again for past and future help. Jeff ski_lift_embed_all__2.prj

I have modeled a ski lift chair attached to a cable. I put in a path thinking i could constrain to it and the bones would carry the chair around the path. My problem is how to make the chair and cable move around the path. I have tried a few different relationship ideas - translate to, spin like, orient like, constraint to path - but haven't got it to work yet. I'm sure it is the wrong combination of relationships. Do i need to use cloth? I admit i don't know anything about cloth yet other than the flag waving tutorial. Here is an embedded project. Thank You. ski_lift_embed_all.prj

That's weird. But good to know. Thanks Rob, Nancy, and Alano. I appreciate the help. Jeff

I've seen posts about hair not rendering correctly in toon mode towards the top of the head. I've experienced that before myself. It didn't line the hair in that one area. I have a hunch these two problems are related. Flocks and hair both need the particle/fur turned on.