Diagnose THIS!

[danf]

I made it, but feel free to rip it, I think there are plenty of problems.

 

http://homepage.mac.com/somniac/.Pictures/s08what2.mov

 

Here are a few problems I notice, and I wonder what the solution might be:

 

-the depth of field antialiasing is falling along a LINE!!! That's no depth of field to me.

 

-Weird butt-shadows! What's up with that? I should note:

 

-I have a "fill light" since in the video I've already established the sun is to this character's back. What I'd ideally have is a sort of ambient dome-lighting, like what the blue sky actually does. Is there such a method?

 

-Slightly jerky step? I think my character's motion is mostly timed right, has the right personality, but there tends to have this hip rigidity. Any ideas what makes this look so abrupt?

[danf]

Oh haha! I just noticed ONE problem, somehow my badly-texture-mapped ground came back. I'll fix that now.

[robcat2075]

I think my character's motion is mostly timed right, has the right personality, but there tends to have this hip rigidity. Any ideas what makes this look so abrupt?

 

Because it is abrupt. the motion takes off with no anticipation or even a slight easing into it. It's like a machine part that has been activated. Then it stops the same way. Suddenly. Like it hit an invisible backstop.

 

It's also very linear. It moves directly from point A to point B. My first gambit in any hip move is to dip it in the middle. That usually works well. If it doesn't I try something else. But it usually works.

 

and then, his other body parts are moving in lock step with the hips. For example his right arm moves rigidly with the torso which moves rigidly with the hips. Typically these things would lag a bit then catch up.

 

This whole step-and-turn move is an advanced topic involving many "fundamentals" working in concert at once. So don't feel bad that it isn't perfect the first time out. That you recognize it isn't perfect is good.

[danf]

Thanks for your points. It's funny how having your nose buried in a motion can blind you to some of the obvious things!

[robcat2075]

an example of three characters stepping and turning and anticipating and dipping their hips while they do it.

 

post #26

[John Bigboote]

Is that multipass DOF or non-MP...? They are entirely different. The non-multipass is good in a pinch, but for the best DOF effect turn MP ON and use 9-16 passes.(It gets better and better with more passes...)

[danf]

Yeah, it's non-MP... I was told it's comparable 16 pass, but I can see how it might fall short.

 

Any thoughts on the shadows? His face and butt look seriously wrongly shadowed.

 

Is there a way to create a sky-wide ambient light, or should I just apply a glow value to all surfaces to soften the shadows from my single sun light?

[danf]

Brilliant, robcat! I think I understand the mechanic far better than before... The dip exists largely to transfer the weight to the foot giving the leverage for the turn.

 

This heavily exaggerated dip however looks a little cartoonish for me, and while my guy is a cartoon, I also want him to at least believe he's a normal person. After doing the action a few times myself, I find rather than dipping, I often use the leverage foot to boost my center of balance nearly over the straight leg, in sort of a parabola, while I pivot around the leverage foot and then drop it down where I was throwing the parabola. Taking a step in this way would be kindof like throwing a ball, you lean over to heave up the stationary foot, and give enough momentum and the right trajectory to your hip to land where you want, (take a dexterity roll for this, eh?) A clumsy character might not land it perfectly.

[robcat2075]

Yeah, it's non-MP... I was told it's comparable 16 pass,

 

That's for anti-aliasing. For other effects you may have to do MP.

 

the lighting and the flickering textures do look seriously weird, but that's another battle.

[Gerry]

Is there a way to create a sky-wide ambient light, or should I just apply a glow value to all surfaces to soften the shadows from my single sun light?

 

Do a search for skylight rig. Someone posted a link to it just a couple of weeks ago so I could download but I don't recall what forum it might have been in. But I think that's definitely the kind of lighting you're looking for.

 

Oh, and for lightening elements in a scene, don't use glow. turn on the ambience a little, maybe 20%, and it will lighten the model very nicely.