locking a light on a model?

[LIGHTBEING]

how do i lock a light on a model??

im making the starship enterprise, i want to put lights on it to shine on the letters: uss enterprise 1701-a

then animate the ship, flying.

thx

[MMZ_TimeLord]

In bones mode, add a 'light' instead of a bone. It acts like a bone, but works just like a light in the choreography.

 

Hope that helps.

[the_black_mage]

right click the light click add constrint then click aim at...after that should be obvious...

[LIGHTBEING]

mmm i aimed my light to the model to attach it and it doesnt seem to work :s it seems it will only attach on the bone but it wont

when i move the model around, the light still stays in the same place. what am i doing wrong?

thx paul:)

[Rodney]

What type of a light is it?

I think you will want to change it to a Klieg.

Look for the setting in the Light's properties.

[heyvern]

Man it's like... some kind of mind meld in here today... "lights in models" is in the air...

 

I suppose there would be two ways to do this and that might be the confusion since both have been suggested.

 

You could add the klieg light to the model and rotate it into position to point exactly where you want it. Or you could have a klieg light in the choreography, rotate it into position and use a "Translate to" constraint to "lock" it in place (be sure to click the "Compensate mode" button when assigning the constraint).

 

If the light is in the model and you move the model in the chor the light just goes along for the ride without needing to do anything else in the choreography.

 

If the light is in the chor you will need to use the "Translate to" constraint aimed at the model to keep it attached.

 

I am assuming this is a "functional" light that is part of the ship, like on Star Trek. The Enterprise had a light above the call letters... like a license plate light on your car.

 

p.s. Did you hear they lost Scotty's ashes? He went for a ride in space and they lost the capsule when it landed. Luckily he had his communicator with him so they can track it (it has a locater signal... thingie). I thought they were going to leave the ashes up there. Apparently it is just a ride.

 

-vern

[LIGHTBEING]

wow thx thats helps alot!

im in the action window, i have set the light where i want it over the dome to shine on the letters,

but a still cant seem to lock the light any where on the model.

im trying to figure it out but its takeing me too long :s how do i attach the light on the model in tha action window or do i have to do it in the choreography ?

[heyvern]

You want to add the light in the model window not the action window. the light doesn't need to be "locked". It should just stay where it is in the model window.

 

If you place the light in an action it won't be attached to the model. You could put a constraint on the light in the action (same as you would in a choreography). It would be simpler to just add the light in the MODEL window.

 

Also if you are creating an action for the ship/light model you need to add a "parent" bone and assign the mesh of your ship to it in the model. Then make the light bone a child of the parent bone.

 

If you are only creating the action in the choreography this parent bone isn't needed.

 

p.s. Uh... you did do the tutorials right?

 

-vern

[LIGHTBEING]

ummm, yes i did the tutorials, but maybe i missed something.

i have a parent bone for the ship, i added a light bone also, the problem is...im to touch the parent bone to make it blink then make the lightbone to be the child, but it doesnt blink :s "i cant seem to assign the light bone to any control points. "which tutorial tells me how to do this ? thx

[mtpeak2]

You don't assign cps to the light bone (it's a light) Once it is a child of the parent bone, moving the parent bone or model bone in the choreography, the light just moves with it.

[heyvern]

Look at the PWS (Project Work Space). Expand the model triangle and the bones triangle... There is a "light" bone. It should be a light icon listed as a bone. Drag the light to the parent bone until the parent bone highlights and then let go. The light "bone" will now be indented to the right underneath the parent bone. It is now a child of the parent bone.

 

You may want to review the tutorials and help files again.

 

---------------

 

Here is what I started to do a long time ago...

 

Create a new project in AM and just... play. There is no goal, no final image to create.

 

Don't create anything serious. Just... play. Add bones... drag the bones around in the PWS... change the hierarchy... rotate and move bones around... create an action and test every single constraint... fiddle and experiment. Add action objects and see what they do and how they react. You would be amazed how much you can learn by doing this. Reading about it can only go so far. It is the hands on experience that locks it in your brain.

 

Look at the help files. If you see something you didn't know... open AM and try it. If you have trouble with something and learn the solution DO IT 10 TIMES IN A ROW! Do it over and over till you could do it with your eyes shut. Especially something you have trouble with.

 

This process would be the same as if you were using AM to do "real" work on many projects or doing a bunch of tutorials over a long period of time... instead you are sort of... focusing and speeding up the memorization process.

 

I use to be frustrated using the mesh flattening feature. So one day I just did it over and over and over... changed the variables till I understood EXACTLY what was going on. Now I can do it with my eyes shut... well.. not quite shut... I can squint my eyes really tight and still do it.

 

I did that with bone constraints... just applied and tested every single constraint (except that... motion capture constraint thingy)

 

By doing this with an "unimportant" project... one that serves no purpose... you aren't concerned with results. You are concerned with seeing how these features work together and what they do. Often during a "real" project when I have trouble I open a simple project to "practice" or learn that one thing that is giving me headaches. Once I get the hang of it I apply that to the real thing.

 

I do this with features I don't understand. I just fiddle and doodle and see what happens. I did this with composite when it was first added, and hair when I just couldn't figure it out.

 

I actually loaded a project and did all the things I suggested to you in this thread. I tested all those things so I knew what was going on.

 

Don't worry... you can't break anything.

 

p.s. I still need to fiddle with composite some more.

 

-vern

[johnl3d]

from model window choose add new light goto bones mode aim light at spot (use kleig light) add model to chor animate

 

 

lighted.mov

 

 

 

 

lighted.zip

 

 

(decal not included)

[Rodney]

You want to add the light in the model window not the action window.

 

I hesitate to add this as the old method really works well.

 

I'm not sure if this is something new in v13/14 but I've now become a fan of adding lights via Actions.

This doesn't keep you from adding them to the model of course.

 

The reason I've been moving toward Lights added via actions is that they are instantly movable, reusable and can be easily targeted and constrained. Of course as Actions they can then be simply animated and/or replaced.

 

You can then create separate setups that allow for change in lighting as you have the need.

This allows so much more flexibility than if you just add the lights directly to the model.

 

I've long been a fan of adding lights to models. Love using them that way!

As someone said they then go everywhere with the model.

I think I need to break that habit though and work with lights in actions.

Still exploring the possibilities...

 

There are no doubt reasons to use them in either way.

The situation will dicate but... consider reusability.

[heyvern]

I agree Rodney. Good idea. You can easily remove the lights as well.

 

A second "version" of that technique would be to add the lights in the model and use actions to move them around and key them on and off or change colors etc.

 

The bonus with action lights... you could change the light TYPE very easily... go from a klieg to a bulb by changing the actions... better yet just duplicate the action and change the light/action object shortcut (can you do this in an action like in a chor?).

 

Another problem I've had with lights in the model that action lights would solve is trying to view the model in shaded view in the modeling window. The model lights over ride the "generic" model light making it hard to see what you're doing.

 

I guess it's a trade off as far as effort. Lights added in an action will need to be constrained and may need additional bones in the model. Lights added directly to the model wouldn't need constraints and Since the lights ARE bones in the model not as many bones needed.

 

p.s. The specific problem here was trying to explain one technique while LIGHTBEING was trying to do something else.

 

-vern

[Rodney]

better yet just duplicate the action and change the light/action object shortcut (can you do this in an action like in a chor?).

 

If I understand you correctly... yes you can.

The objects can be exchanged via the drop down menu.

 

 

p.s. The specific problem here was trying to explain one technique while LIGHTBEING was trying to do something else.

 

Got you. I'll stop straying off track now.

Hopefully we haven't just confused you LightBeing... keep it simple.

[Walter Baker]

Hi Guys, I've been studying this light business in hope to figure how to place 3 small flashing lights into a space ship. 'heyvern' mentioned a tutorial? Which one would I need to see, I think I have been through them all but don't remember anything about this subject.

Just one more thing to ask. My ship has a lid that opens, I would like a light to turn on when it opens, project an image into the air like a hologram then turn off when the lid closes. Any ideas on how to do this. Would I need to make a small transparent grid with a decal of the image than aim the light at it at a certain keyframe of the animation?

[robcat2075]

Hi Guys, I've been studying this light business in hope to figure how to place 3 small flashing lights into a space ship. 'heyvern' mentioned a tutorial? Which one would I need to see, I think I have been through them all but don't remember anything about this subject.

 

IIRC, you can right click inthe model window and do new>light to add a light to a model. It's like a bone, so be in bones mode to see it.

 

Just one more thing to ask. My ship has a lid that opens, I would like a light to turn on when it opens,

 

keyframe it on/off in its properties when you need it on/off.

 

 

project an image into the air like a hologram then turn off when the lid closes.

make it a kleig light with volumetric ON to make a visible light beam. you could put a patch with decal on it near the end of the beam so it looked like it was being projected by the light. Make it semi-transparent

[johnl3d]

does this help

 

http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=34568

[Walter Baker]

Thanks guys, you've pulled me out of the pit once again!