Carousel Project

[Technodandy]

Hi All,

 

This is the start of a work in progress. I have been posting in the wrong forum, so I am putting those links here to start.

 

The Carousel House I am making

 

http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=20719

 

Subproject to Carousel "Light bulbs"

 

http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=20799

 

 

Technodandy

[arkaos]

About your lights:

 

From your last post, all you really need to do is set the "Glow" property for the glass surface along with the ambient intensity. You may need to set the ambient to a fairly low value, since the effect is additive with the glow. Also, in the chor, play with the glow radius attribute of the choreography object. These combined can give some pretty good effects. Also, you can refine the look further by tweaking the transparency attribute of the glass as well. When you get a look you want, you can create an On/Off Pose to set the necessary attribute to switch the light on and off.

 

In this pic.....

 

Bulb

Ambient Intensity = 100%

Transparency = 60%

Glow = "ON"

 

Chor Object

Glow Radius = 30

Glow Intensity = 175%

[MattWBradbury]

Mark, there is something strange going on with the shadow of the light bulb. There's not light in the lightbulb either, which is also making it look odd. Glow is a good idea, and you can also try a bulb light with volumetrics that do not cast shadows, diffuse, or specular.

[arkaos]

Mark, there is something strange going on with the shadow of the light bulb. There's not light in the lightbulb either, which is also making it look odd. Glow is a good idea, and you can also try a bulb light with volumetrics that do not cast shadows, diffuse, or specular.

 

Matt, I'm not trying to replicate a lightbulb here. Just a quick demonstration of how he can use the different surface properties to tweak the look of the bulb. It's just a model with no frills for that purpose alone, put in a default chor with default lights. A quick example.

[Technodandy]

Rodney,

 

Sorry I just got around to reading your last post on this subject from the New User's forum.

This clears up a lot of questions of mine when you answered this question.

 

"Can anyone tell me if I made several copys of a group and want to fix a flaw in the original does AM have a option that will pass the change to all the copies?"

 

You said:

 

Only if you are building your model in a Choreography window.

Try this and you'll see what I mean:

 

- Create a simple model

- Save the model

- Drag and drop the model from the Project Workspace listing to a new Choreography window

- Drag and drop the model a few more times in the Chor to create more instances of the same model

- Arrange them as you see fit

- Now... edit the original model.

 

You will observe that the change you make in the original effects all instances of the model in the choreography. Some people like to build their complex models in Choreographies just for such reasons as this.

 

When you get the model as you like it you can export the Choreography to a model by Right Clicking and Save As Model.

 

Hope that makes sense.

 

Thanks it does make sense.

 

Technodandy

[Technodandy]

I am experimenting with this model to see if I can make a light bulb glow in a glass globe.

 

The first image is the real objects I am trying to imitate.

 

[attachmentid=15597]

 

The second image I am trying to make is a night scene with light bulbs in the globe the only light sourse.

 

[attachmentid=15596]

 

I have plenty of light but maybe the bulbs have to glow more.

 

Also I like to be able to see the light bulbs in ambient light when the lights are turned off in daylight conditions. I do not want to swap the Lamp bulps with another bulb model without a light in it. I want the same model to show proper surface in both on and off conditions.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions?

[Technodandy]

Maybe I can decrease the transparency when the Light bone is on and raise it Light bone object is off so you cand see the glass of the bulb. It seems to me it will be a little work like having two faders bring up and down the properties of both states.

 

Am I thinking on the right track?

 

I thinking it will be a long render also. I will have more that 24 lights per rib and there will be 13 of those.

 

thats ninety-six Light bulbs.

[ddustin]

TD,

It has been really interesting to watch you progress in your A:M usage.

 

Good work and ideas.

David

[Technodandy]

TD,

It has been really interesting to watch you progress in your A:M usage.

 

Good work and ideas.

David

 

 

Thanks David, I will be posting my progress.

[Technodandy]

Hi all

 

I have a lot of time on my hands again so I can start where I left off. I am trying something a little different.

 

I been thinking about these colored light bulbs I want to use on this project and I think this is the right look I want.

 

I put each in a glass globe in the Choreography window.

 

I can adjust the intensity of the light object in Project work space. "Hierarchical lights" tied to colored light bulb objects.

 

With light bones in bulb mode I tied them inside of the bulb objectd. The surfaces are diffused to the color red, yellow or white, the colors I want to work with. The bulb object act like color glass with a surface transparency of 50%. Beyond that the bulb disappears to nothing or at zero transparency it cut the light off. I adjust the surface translucency give the bulb a more uniform look.

 

It will need a little tweeking though.

[attachmentid=20695]

 

Technodandy

[Technodandy]

Hi Everybody,

 

I am glad I have time to get back into this so I can learn more about A:M.

 

Well I was going along fine the past week building this model in the modeling window. Everything seem to be working out.

 

[attachmentid=20957]

 

As you can see in this rendered image, the building has repeatable sections. So to save time I just built one section then copied, pasted and I translated the center of the object to the center of the round building and rotated the copy and then did another iteration.

 

By the time I got to my third panel rotation I noticed the process was slowing down as I increase the number of panels.

 

Now I have a half circle of identical copies and the computer slows down so much that I can not even make a control point in the modeling window without waiting ten minutes for my computer to let me do the next thing.

 

The funny thing is, when I render this model in the modeling window, the rendering process is still quite fast.

 

When I am building in default mode it is very slow, too. I must be doing something wrong.

 

The building process is way slower then the rendering process now.

 

Can someone help me with this?

 

Technodandy

[Bruce Del Porte]

What is the patch count?

 

Have to tried switching to wireframe mode?

[Technodandy]

What is the patch count?

 

Have to tried switching to wireframe mode?

 

 

Yes I have tried in wireframe mode. I can manipulate the model a little faster but it still seems slow when I copy or paste anything in or out of the model. When I added the roof to this building I had to build it in another model window and paste a copy in the building's window. I had to wait 5 minutes for it to finished pasting in. But still it only took 30 seconds to render each of these images.

 

 

[attachmentid=20962] [attachmentid=20963]

 

Can anyone tell me more?

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Technodandy

[Technodandy]

I just hit me, I can't wait to try it when I get home. Someone tell me if I am wrong.

 

What if I make each section of the building a seperate model keep the model static where it is not required to animate or embellish. Then assemble in the Choreograph window.

 

Would the speed up the above operation?

 

Technodandy

[Technodandy]

The total patches to this model section is 2595. If I copy and paste in the same model window I start to slow down big time as I add a new section and rotate it to the next position. Even with wireframe mode it goes down to a crawl. This does not seem to effect my rendering speed.

 

[attachmentid=20979]

 

What to do?

 

I am wondering if I should make a seperate model for each section and assemble them all in the choreography window.

 

Maybe I can use the Action window but replicate a section at a different angle.

 

Technodandy

[Technodandy]

Hi All,

 

Will anyone comment or answer some of the questions in my last posts.

 

Technodandy

[trajcedrv]

I seem to have missed this cool project:

 

Easiest way to make this project is:

 

1. use one cross section as the separate model (put bone in the middle of the caroussel facing upwards or downwards)...

 

2. Import as many cross sections (models as necessary)

 

3. Rotate the bone by the exact ammount (under properties, z rotate (I think, from the top of my mind))

 

4. When everything fits into place, export choreography as model (don't forget to erase the lights, the camera and the ground plane)

 

5. That's it

 

Alternative: save choreography and then import it where needed (that way you will not have one extra complicated uber model, but several smaller which can be organized into their separate folder)

 

Hope that this helps!

 

keep us posted!

 

Drvarceto

[Technodandy]

Hi Trajcedrv,

 

You mean import into a Action Window right. I did do something like that in a model window but the computer slowed down to a crawl after about three copies and rotations were made.

 

Technodandy

[trajcedrv]

nononono! I mean import into choreography window! from choreography you can rightclick- export choreography as model!

[Technodandy]

Trajce,

 

Thanks for the help. I drag dropped the Cross section into the choreography window and it works. I was able to move each section around freely without copy and paste being necessary. I just throwed this together quickly to see it work.

 

[attachmentid=20992]

 

Now I can concentrate on the one cross section.

 

By the way, I did not have to add a bone to the cross section. There was one already with the model. I just transverse it from the origin and placed it at the pivot point on the Cross section model.

 

Now I am going to plug in the lights.

 

Technodandy

[case]

dude this is awesome great detial what are you plaing on using this for by the way???

[Technodandy]

dude this is awesome great detial what are you plaing on using this for by the way???

 

Case,

 

This building use to house a merry go round, long gone in Asbury Park NJ. I went there resently and it was all boarded up and in disrepair. It was part of a larger complex call "The Casino". It is a historical land mark. I am trying to restore it, sort of speak, on the computer.

 

Technodandy

[Technodandy]

Hi All,

 

I am running into another snag. I was able to make a light bulb and turn it on and off in the choreography window. My light bulb works with a "Light bone" I can turn it on and off from the Project Work Space. But my project need scores of lights as you can see in my image:

 

 

[attachmentid=21022]

 

 

I can add them one by one to a bulb model in the choreography window and it works but it takes a long time. I can not find a way to copy the same the light bulb model without loosing the light bone function. I tried copying and pasting and made many bulbs quicky but can not find a way to pass along the light bone. I have also saved a Light bulb model and then I imported it back. I can see the Light bone as a sub object in the Project work space but I does not work as it did before.

 

I am trying to experiment and read references to find out whats wrong but can anyone help me with this one in the meantime?

[case]

i mean for a prop in a movie?or something

[Technodandy]

i mean for a prop in a movie?or something

 

 

I do have a rough draft of something I made with Roxio Video editor using pictures as a backdrop and one of the DAZ Victoria models of something like I may want to do. But it is crude and I don't know if there would be any copyright issues because the pictures I use were not mine and is music copyrighted also. I have the Victoria model overlayed on pictures of the Carousel house. I like to post it if I can. I do not know the rules of such things.

 

Technodandy

[case]

I do have a rough draft of something I made with Roxio Video editor using pictures as a backdrop and one of the DAZ Victoria models of something like I may want to do. But it is crude and I don't know if there would be any copyright issues because the pictures I use were not mine and is music copyrighted also. I have the Victoria model overlayed on pictures of the Carousel house. I like to post it if I can. I do not know the rules of such things.

 

 

 

ok i was just wondering lol.copyright ouch that does get in your way doent it

[Technodandy]

Yea I know, but maybe I can post it if there is a way around it like a parody or something is ok. Is there a forum where I can discuse how I can post things within Copyright rules. How do some of the posted movies with Star War themes, sound effects and music get around it?

[Technodandy]

Well back to the subject of this Section Duplication. As you can see I added Lights to this section now.

 

[attachmentid=21109]

 

I am trying to export this section into a model again from the Choreography window. I want to import and rotate each section into a new Choreograpy window build the building like before with lights, but I keep getting an exception error that crashes the program when I try.

 

The only thing I think of that I am doing different; I added all these Lights to the section. What can I be doing wrong?

 

I am also wondering if it is a parent child issue should I be assigning the light as a sub group in the Hiarchy in the project work space?

 

Technodandy

[Technodandy]

Does anyone have any suggestion to this problem?

[KenH]

Sorry I'm late on this cool project.....

 

For the slow use in the model window, you might try copying and pasting the cps into a brand new model window. I sometimes find that helps. At 2000 patches it shouldn't be too slow. You may have duplicates in the code.

 

As for your latest problem. Hard to tell. What are you doing exactly when the exception occurs. You should also send these steps and the model to AM Reports.

[Technodandy]

Hi Ken,

 

Thanks for you input. I am looking in the above problem but I noticed another problem that may be contributing. The Primary bone of the Lights and the primative models are not common in the Choreography window. When I line up the models in the Choreography window the primary bones are not at the origin like in the model window. I wonder by not paying attention to that when I export the choreography into a new model that can brake some tread causing the exception error?

 

Technodandy

[Technodandy]

Hi All,

 

This issue for me is bringing this project to a halt until I can understand what is going on here.

 

What I was calling a primary bone is a base bone assigned by default when I make a model. This is what I discovered with the Base bone. If I draw a pattern model, say a base of a large building to use a templete to assign location and scale to smaller sections of it, and then build a new model from it; the base bone for that new model is still at the origin of the original pattern. When I drag that model in the choreography the base bone default assigned to the origin copied from the original pattern goes with it. I have to look at 0,0,0 to find that default bone or base bone in the choreography window. I can drag it closer to the new model CPs, the bounding box gets smaller and I can use it to rotate on, but it does not appear as a bone in the Project Work space. I can not make it a child to a root bone or assign a child to it.

 

Another thing when I make an incondesent bulb model and put a light in the model so it will have real properties of a lamp, the model of the bulb has its own default base bone as I discribed, and the Light sourse itself is its own base bone and it resides in the bone folder as a light in the PWS, but it acts like a base bone. I can not child it to the Bulbs model's base bone so I end up with two base bones one for the Bulb model and one for the light sourse.

 

I am confused about this.

 

Technodandy

 

Can anyone set me straight?

[Dhar]

If you get a bounding box of your building then you're not in Bones mode, which explains why you don't see any bones selected in your PWS nor can you make it a child of anything. Choose the Bone mode and then you'll see your Base (Root) bone.

 

As for the light, since the light and bulb are two separate models, I can see why you can't make one a child of the other. What I have done was simply constraint the light to the bulb.

 

I hope this helps.

[Technodandy]

Thanks Dhar,

 

What you are telling me put another piece in the puzzle but I am still bothered by this Base bone.

 

When I make a model away from the origin. (0,0,0) this bone is not seen easily and is not see in the PWS as reference in any case. I can see it in bone mode if I build the model at 0,0,0. But it is still not referenced in PWS when I am in the model window.

 

[attachmentid=21456]

 

When I drag it in the Choreoqrapy, it is references as "Model bone". I get it confused with other bones in the Choreograhy window because if I use a model gleened from a different model group this bone don't seek the same origin. But it does seem to bring the associated group of Control Points with it when I translate in the Choreoqraphy.

 

[attachmentid=21457]

 

There is not much info in help reference about this bone. However if I built a model centered on the origin it helps the models translate to the origin of the choreoqraphy if I lose track or want them to line up correctly I can traverse that bone to 0,0,0. I can also pivit around it in the choreography.

 

What is this Model bone for?

What is its intended use?

Is it a default Base bone that is aways the first bone referenced in bone mode?

Can it be ignored and I assign my own root bone regardless of where the source model was made?

[mtpeak2]

This is a default bone for your model, if you do not assign cp to bones that you add to your model, they are assign to this bone by default. In the choreography, this is the bone that allows you to move your model in choreography mode, if you have other bones that you added, they can be seen in skeletal mode.

[Technodandy]

Hi everyone,

 

I like to thank everyone that has help me so far, with your help I think I got the idea of bones ironed out.

• Model Bones
  

• Root bones
  

• Light bones
  

Now that I got that out of the way I have a reoccuring problem in the Choreography window when I try to make a model from a *.CHO:

 

After I remove Camera, Lights and Ground from my scene in the Chorography I want to save the assembly as one single model. I tried two ways: Save as *.CHO or [RClick] [Export] [Model] Either way I get a Exeception error #001, A:M disappears, I have to restart the application and I lose my exit save.

 

What can be causing this?

 

Technodandy

[Technodandy]

I am finding a lot groupings in my models left over I think that causing the errors. It is a bit tedious. But I am managing to find them and delete them. What I am doing now is saveing my models externally and import them back in rather than doing the same thing within the project.

 

I import a pieces of the section into the New model window, build one section. then import the section into the choreography window and translating the "model" bone to the origion (0,0,0). Then I rotate the section on the y axis 20 degrees and add another section.

 

[attachmentid=21555][attachmentid=21556]

[Technodandy]

I seem to have missed this cool project:

 

Easiest way to make this project is:

 

1. use one cross section as the separate model (put bone in the middle of the caroussel facing upwards or downwards)...

 

2. Import as many cross sections (models as necessary)

 

3. Rotate the bone by the exact ammount (under properties, z rotate (I think, from the top of my mind))

 

4. When everything fits into place, export choreography as model (don't forget to erase the lights, the camera and the ground plane)

 

5. That's it

 

Alternative: save choreography and then import it where needed (that way you will not have one extra complicated uber model, but several smaller which can be organized into their separate folder)

 

Hope that this helps!

 

keep us posted!

 

Drvarceto

 

 

Thanks Again Drvarceto

 

Your First three steps works fine except step four, it seems to be unreliable. I have not be able to export the Assembled Choreoqraphy to a model with out it crashing the program. HomeSlice pointed that out to me and I sence verified it.

 

Also there is a bone called a "Model Bone" that is automaticly assigned to the model when it is created. It is the only bone that has a bounding box with it when I import a model in the choreoqraphy window. Thank MTPeak 2 for pointing that out.

 

When I >Transform >Translate the short cut in the Choreography PWS and set x,y, z to 0,0,0, it normalizes each imported model section to the origin. Lining up all the sections to their proper relationship. HomeSlice pointed that out too.

 

Technodandy

[Technodandy]

[attachmentid=21791]

 

The Actual Building Remains

 

 

[attachmentid=21792]

 

My Progress

 

 

Hi All,

 

I am beginning to knock out this project piece by piece. I am using texture maps on most of my surfaces from photos I taken from the remains of this building. Some surface areas I used materials or adjust the properties when I did not have any. Texture maps seem to render faster. I use Corel Paint to gleen surfaces from the photos and stretch the image to remove the 3D angles.

 

However I like to understand materials better so I can do comparisons to see which would be work better. I am still on a learning curve. I am looking forward that anyone with the benefit of hindsight could give me some pointers.

 

Is there a good tutorial on how to get the pattern effect out of a Texture Map Photo?

 

Technodandy

[Technodandy]

Is there a good tutorial on how to get the pattern effect out of a Texture Map Photo?

 

Technodandy

[Technodandy]

Is there a good tutorial on how to get the pattern effect out of a Texture Map Photo?

 

Technodandy

 

 

Hi all,

 

If anyone can answer the above question please do.

 

In the meantime, I am progressing with the Asbury Park Casino.

 

[attachmentid=22339]

 

I have some questions about the rendering distortion on the bricks I will provide some close ups later.

 

Technodandy