Generating trees in AM (Mac)

[rekh]

Greetings AM'ers,

 

 

Before asking this, I did a search on the forums and found a tutorial on generating trees in AM, but I didn't find the Treez plug-in in AM; at least not on the mac.

 

I have an old version of carrara on the HD. It generates trees. I rendered a tree with an alpha channel, and imported the image into AM. I moved them around, scaled them, etc.

 

Anyway, I think this will work for now ... my plan is to use AM to do comics; with other software naturally. But sooner or later, I may want to get into animation, and may need characters to interact with trees.

 

For you Mac-heads, how do YOU generate trees in AM?

[mtpeak2]

http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?act=a...st&id=33834

 

Here's a link to treez plugin tut by Holmes Bryant, with project file.

[Gerry]

Haven't done trees myself. Sorry!

[robcat2075]

I think the Treeez plugin has been included since v16. If you have an old version of A:M it might not be avaiable.

 

edit: I see you have v17. You should be set.

[rekh]

http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?act=a...st&id=33834

 

Here's a link to treez plugin tut by Holmes Bryant, with project file.

 

 

Yup ... that did it. Thanks, mtpeak2. Looks like I'll build a few trees in AM, an add "2d" trees as fill-in. Thanks for the link!

[rekh]

I think the Treeez plugin has been included since v16. If you have an old version of A:M it might not be avaiable.

 

edit: I see you have v17. You should be set.

 

Yes, Sir!

 

This app has a ton of power. Is there a thread or tut that helps rookies like me understand the relationship of the interconnectivness of the windows. In doing the above tut, it really dawned on me how little I understand how these windows work with each other.

 

Anyway, thanks again guys. Still need to do some practice on building different trees, but it's nice to know that I have another cool option in AM.

[robcat2075]

This app has a ton of power. Is there a thread or tut that helps rookies like me understand the relationship of the interconnectivness of the windows. In doing the above tut, it really dawned on me how little I understand how these windows work with each other.

 

A tut? I'm not sure.

 

I'd have to know more about what you mean, but the core info-center in A:M is that Project Workspace with its outline view on the left and its timeline on the right.

 

It is a total view of everything currently in your project.

 

The other windows like Properties and Poses and "Timeline" are more context sensitive. They generally just tell you about what you have selected right now.

[NancyGormezano]

Is there a thread or tut that helps rookies like me understand the relationship of the interconnectivness of the windows. In doing the above tut, it really dawned on me how little I understand how these windows work with each other.

 

The treez tutorial also causes me to have MORE questions about the interconnectness of actions and models, and what manipulations in the action window will cause changes to the model itself.

 

It is not always clear what will or will not actually change model data/structure when working in an action window. We more commonly think of actions as being reusable in a chor (eg walk cycle, etc), not as a means to modify a model.

 

Besides making reusable actions, the normal things that one can do in an action window which will cause a change to a model without exporting to a new model (ones that I know about) are: one can decal a model in an action window, and one defines relationships/poses for a model in an action window. And as mentioned before, one can export from the action window a new model.

 

From what I can tell tho, the Treez wizard seems to be a special case in how it uses the "A:M windows/modes". It seems to go way beyond the above. But I suspect it does this only because it was designed that way, and that it has gone rogue. I don't think it follows any standard philosophy of what you can do in a action window versus model window.

[robcat2075]

It does seem a bit of a outlier. I'm not sure why that has to be done in an Action. Consider that the Extrude Wizard does something roughly analogous, but does it all in the modeling window.

[NancyGormezano]

It does seem a bit of a outlier. I'm not sure why that has to be done in an Action. Consider that the Extrude Wizard does something roughly analogous, but does it all in the modeling window.

 

My guess is that it was done in an action because of the special way it uses sliders to determine the Treez special properties: Thickness, branch length, locality and regularity. See page 6 of the pdf for more explanation. Clever.

 

It could have been done differently of course, but probably Marcel wanted to make use of some functionality that already existed in A:M, ie accessing pose sliders via an action. The pose sliders, defined by the user, for those 4 properties, can be used to refine and give more variation for the shape of the tree trunks, branches. However, it is not necessary to define these sliders, if you want to stick with the default or more automatic way the trees get created.

[rekh]

I guess what threw me for a loop, was as I worked my way through the tut, I thought I was going to have to build the spiral for the tree in the choreography window, but low-and-behold, it was already there.

 

****

 

Back when I was doing the tuts from TAOAM, I remember making a note to myself about the windows. I think this "note" came about when I added a material to a model in the model window and rendered it. I remember how slow it rendered. Then it dawned on me, I had been spending so much time in the model window, I nearly forgot about the choreography window, and how much faster things render in the choreography window ... I know, goofy.

 

So the action, model, and material windows are different labs to build and modify models. What we do to the model in said windows, changes the model/character in the choreography window in real time?

 

I've followed the tuts, but what makes me laugh, is that as I learn the surface of this program, I can't help but think, "okay, do I move this to this or that window."

 

Anyway, sorrying for boring you folks...

[Rodney]

Windows in A:M are like unto a reality show... (a good one worth watching I hope)

 

Think of all the various windows on a house and you are walking around outside the house.

You can look in any one of the windows and see what activity is going on but that is the only view you get.

People do certain things in the kitchen, the living room, bathroom, bedroom, etc.

 

Since you have only one set of eyes and can only see into one window at a time you can set up cameras at the various windows and have them all display in front of you on different televisions sets. The number of views you can watch at the same time is limited only by the space available in which to place your TV sets.

You can even set up your own special cameras inside the house; disguise one as a light for instance.

Regardless of what you are seeing it's all different views on what is occurring in the house.

 

The folks that spend their time in the house usually cook in the kitchen but they can cook in the bathroom if they want to. They'll just find the cooking more difficult. The kitchen has been optimized for food preparation and the dining room usually best for eating that stuff.

 

Now 'disappear' the ceiling.

Now remove the walls.

Now transform the house into anything you want.

 

A:M is like unto a virtual reality factory...

 

Each windows in A:M is a context sensitive view on what is going on in virtual space.

The programmers have defined the context under the paradigms of Subject (Model), Verb (Action), Adjective (Properties) and depending on the view we set we see differ views on our Subject.

 

Each window iin A:M is a different perspective in a Theatre...

Some views echo that of the audience.

Some focus on stagecraft.

Some on Direction.

Some on Acting.

Some of Costumes.

Some on Lighting.

 

A:M's windows (interface) is like a programming language where the user doesn't even know they are programming with the language...

[robcat2075]

I guess what threw me for a loop, was as I worked my way through the tut, I thought I was going to have to build the spiral for the tree in the choreography window, but low-and-behold, it was already there.

 

You are allowed to make a new spiral for different effects. I'm not sure it even has to be a spiral.

 

****

 

 

 

So the action, model, and material windows are different labs to build and modify models. What we do to the model in said windows, changes the model/character in the choreography window in real time?

 

The Treeez wizard is a rare case of doing something in an Action that changes the actual model and you need to resave the model to keep the change.

 

Actions are usually bits of animation that get used with a model but don't change the original model file.

 

Doing something in the model window, of course, changes the model and will change the copy of the model (notice that the chor calls it "shortcut to...") in the chor. On rare occasion (ex: adding a constraint) you may need to force a save to get the change to go through to the chor.

 

If, in the Material window, you edit a material that is on a model, the appearance of the mode in the Chor will change also.

 

If you edit the material's parameters in its shortcut in the model those changes override the original material parameters in that particular model only (and this will show up in the chor). The original Material is unchanged.

 

If you edit the material's parameters in its shortcut in the model in the chor those changes override the original material parameters in that particular model only in that particular chor only. The original Material is unchanged and the original model is unchanged.

[mtpeak2]

It does seem a bit of a outlier. I'm not sure why that has to be done in an Action. Consider that the Extrude Wizard does something roughly analogous, but does it all in the modeling window.

 

My guess is that it was done in an action because of the special way it uses sliders to determine the Treez special properties: Thickness, branch length, locality and regularity. See page 6 of the pdf for more explanation. Clever.

 

It could have been done differently of course, but probably Marcel wanted to make use of some functionality that already existed in A:M, ie accessing pose sliders via an action. The pose sliders, defined by the user, for those 4 properties, can be used to refine and give more variation for the shape of the tree trunks, branches. However, it is not necessary to define these sliders, if you want to stick with the default or more automatic way the trees get created.

Don't forget that you can also animated the canopy target over time so the tree grow in that direction, without using a path target. Also, the canopy can be rotated on the Z axis to form a spiraled tree.

[NancyGormezano]

Don't forget that you can also animated the canopy target over time so the tree grow in that direction, without using a path target. Also, the canopy can be rotated on the Z axis to form a spiraled tree.

 

Ooooo...that sounds interesting...me guste.

[Shelton]

This topic is great. I emailed Mark a couple of weeks ago and wass saying my next thing to learn was treez. Keep it up this is helping

 

Steve

[NancyGormezano]

(yes I know this started as a treez thread)

 

Just thought of 2 other things that can be done in action window that can change the model data: CP weighting, smart skinning.

 

There must be more.

[rekh]

... A:M's windows (interface) is like a programming language where the user doesn't even know they are programming with the language...

 

Great stuff, Rodney!

 

Thanks.

[rekh]

You guys are awesome!!! Thanks for having patience with the newb.

 

I explore the forums every chance I get, and have read mention of a new AM manual in development? The wealth of knowledge on this thread alone begs for a new TAOAM.

 

Again, thanks for the science.

[Rodney]

Just thought of 2 other things that can be done in action window that can change the model data: CP weighting, smart skinning.

 

There must be more.

 

I haven't investigated very deeply either but somewhere along the line where Hash Inc added smartskin and relationships/poses that allowed the model files to store that data. My brain wants to say that was in the v8 timeframe but that is where my journey with A:M began. It may be that circa v9 (versions prior) that A:M only stored CP data via smarskin and that was expanded to encompass 'relationships' of a greater variety. In other words, whereas before that data was limited to smartskin it is now a relationship that is user defined. This is significant in that we don't yet know the extent of what we can define.

 

Marcel Bricman's Treez plugin is an excellent example of how A:M's function set can be extended (as are plugins like Emilio's Sweeper). Like the duplicator wizard these take advantage of manipulating model data over time. I'd say the reason that Actions are used with Treez is that there is something in the approach to generating and manipulating the splines that could not effectively be accomplished in a pose/relationship but could in an Action. I suspect this might be as simple as an SDK call that is available in an Action window but that is not available in a Model.

 

I once exclaimed to Heath at Hash Inc that A:M's interface was like a visual object oriented programming language. He accepted the compliment with great humility but I could sense that he thought I was nuts.

 

The basic elements are there all there. Create or Modify the Object. Define or Redefine an Action. Alter Attributes. Run/View the Results. Smile or Frown. Rinse and Repeat the Process.