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Shelton

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  • *A:M User*

I want to compliment David Simmons, Mark Skodacek, Mack Chappelle, Holmes Bryant and anyone else that has created a rig for our use. Working on just a small face rig for my characters I have found that a lot of work and planning have gone into all the rigs. I also want to say thank you!!

 

David I have so many questions on the face rig. I have answered a lot by digging into your face interface or by trial and error. If you have time you can email me at steves at desdyninc dot biz. I am trying to create the rig based on face poses and activate those poses with the nulls, and thank you for excellent instructions, plus bone movement. There are some other areas that I need help on to finish up this process. I can see this will be a ongoing process as I have found that I think I am about done and then I want to add one more thing ......

 

Steve

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I want to compliment David Simmons, Mark Skodacek, Mack Chappelle, Holmes Bryant and anyone else that has created a rig for our use.

 

Hear! Hear! I don't think they realize just how appreciated they are!

 

I am trying to create the rig based on face poses and activate those poses with the nulls,

 

That is an excellent idea and a great way forward.

Some don't care for Libraries but if those libraries could be accessed more directly via character/object settings/interface they might appreciate those more as well.

 

I am reminded of ToaA:M's tiny write up on 'Talent Pools' and it applies to real people just as much as it does the labor they produce.

If animation is hard it is mostly because of the many obstacles that must me overcome before animation can begin.

 

I have found that I think I am about done and then I want to add one more thing ......

 

While it doesn't always see us getting to our destination I suppose that is the fun of taking the journey... there will always be one more thing.

 

Thank YOU Steve for sharing your experience. :)

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  • *A:M User*

Thank you Rodney for the kind words.

What David has done with the squetch rig, in regards to the face rig is incredible. Really for the whole rig is incredible. What Mark demonstrated with his face rig was, well, wow! Holmes' face rig was totally cool as you were in control to add to it.

What i have found is no matter how much i wanted to get away from bones in the face, there is nothing better to give the beautiful motion as the bones do. That being said, the poses created with muscle mode and smart skin in combination with a bone is pretty awesome too. So some of the poses are bone based and some are strictly muscle mode poses. what i am doing is installing the rig in laurie with the poses already created. I will then create a smart skin based on a bone and then transfer the relationship into laurie. On the stand alone face i am creating a rig with a bone and a null with all the poses in place and with the relationship created. Hopefully this will work. Then actually move the mesh or the bone according to to the relationship. I have window for a couple weeks as Chris will be out of pocket for a few days.

 

I did a quick render here and wanted to show that I put a rotate around the head on the face cam of the face rig. I positioned the base at 0 and that allows the face cam to rotate around the head to give different angles rather than move a camera in or add another camera for the angle shots. Others may have done this and it might be old news but I thought it was cool.

facecam0.jpg

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I positioned the base at 0 and that allows the face cam to rotate around the head to give different angles rather than move a camera in or add another camera for the angle shots. Others may have done this and it might be old news but I thought it was cool.

 

Yessir, the Squetch Rig has that as well.

 

I sent you an e-mail, but I'm not sure if it got through, Steve.

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  • *A:M User*

The face rig is finally taking shape. On the left of the head will be the phonems. Still working on linking the poses and bones to the nulls and make sure the limits are correct.

 

I never said this I don't think to the forum, but it is amazing what this program can do. There are so many features that I have not even touch until now.

 

Steve

 

laurieface.jpg

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  • *A:M User*

Well AM acting up I lost everything on the tree. project, models, leaves, bark etc...

 

Noticed AM stated temp file at the top of the menu bar. i knew I was in trouble.

 

 

Then blue screen and then rebooted and the file was gone.

 

Steve

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  • *A:M User*

Hi Gerald

 

I had several AM opened as I was working on several projects (5). The blue screen happened when I was making a copy of a branch in the model. When I moved the branch AM crashed, all projects, along with PS and several other things I had opened. Shortly after that the computer went to a blue screen.

 

I have tested the memory and everything appears to be ok no errors were returned.

 

This is what I was working on and applies to the feathers as well. I am trying to make a leaf for the tree. I have a pic I am going by. I changed the the settings time based. But not getting what I need.

 

Steve

 

oak.jpg

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Not that you need the leaf with alpha channel but just in case you do... here is the leaf w/ alpha in exr, png and tga format.

For changing of season/color one could adjust the ambiance color and intensity and get pretty much any color.

Edit: For the heck of it I added an altered color (dying leaf of autumn) version.

leaf0000.exr

leaf0000.png

leaf0000.tga

leaf 2 0000.PNG

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Steve, you asked about bark material...

 

There are two bark materials in the Materials Library (there should be four... not sure what became of the other two... but the other two are variations on one of the two so that might be why they aren't there).

(They are rather understated so will likely need adjustment and/or another version of the material overlaid as displacement or bump). The two materials are the first two materials in the Wood category. (See attached image)

 

I see Jeetman (George Dugas) uploaded a tree model with a more pronounced bark in this topic (as an assist to Gene in one of his projects):

 

https://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=35480&page=1&do=findComment&comment=303290

bark in library.jpg

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I hadn't used Darktree in so long I thought I should run through the process again and here's a quick render of the results.

Because materials tend to stick to objects in less than ideal angles it can help to first apply the material and then reshape the object to get more ideal results.

For instance, the pattern of of the bark on the roots of a tree shouldn't be of the same angle as that of the trunk.

I didn't take time to resolve any of that in this render.

 

 

barkj tree0.png

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For those that want to see how many of these materials look on basic shapes/objects the pixelburg materials test site is still operational:

 

http://www.pixelburg.com/am_materialtest/darktrees_repository/index.html

 

http://www.pixelburg.com/am_materialtest/darktrees_repository/display_tx_Wood_Wood_Bark.html

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  • *A:M User*

I installed 18j and after doing quick render I get this. Also, I have a couple of items with transparency on the model and they are rendering without the transparency settings. Anyone else have this before I put a bug report

quick.jpg

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  • *A:M User*

Thanks Douglas!

 

I am at a decision point on skin and other rendering issues.

 

I am happy with the SSS settings on her, the hair is almost there, now I have applied SSAO and getting soft renders that I like. Once the face rig is in place I will apply her make up. I have a few smudges on the render that what I believe is the transparent apron. I will test my theory later.

 

Steve

 

hands0.jpg

handstwo0.jpg

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  • 1 month later...
  • *A:M User*

As we begin rendering scenes we are having issues with net render. All the buildings and props are set as action objects, the ability to turn on and off the objects with a pose. The objects render fine in AM but when we send the project to the netrender farm none of the objects render. We also notice that the time to load the files on the net render slaves are way to fast for the size of the project.

 

This is a huge problem. As soon as net render is involved then no rendering of the set is possible.

 

 

Steve

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Did you write a bug report about it?

The alternative is to open A:M several times on the computer and use for instance the step-property. (means: render every n-frame of the file) or you just divide your rendering into several ranges and render those each...

it is less comfortable, but it will work.

 

See you

*Fuchur*

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This is now ticket #6617. I created a simple project and attached it to that ticket. Here is the sample project rendered from within A:M and from within NR. The ears are attached as action objects within a pose; they are inactive in the pose=OFF setting, and active in the pose=ON setting, as I was doing in the tutorial video I'd posted previously here.

In A:M:

AMPoseAction0000.png

In NetRender:

NRPoseAction0000.png

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  • *A:M User*

While we are looking at the set and issues with netrender, I have been going through the models the last couple of nights and getting them ready for the street scene or the end scene. There is a "lot" of things to do!!

 

Here is a shot of Tony with his hot dog cart and will be on the sidewalk.

 

Steve

 

tony1.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • *A:M User*

Clean up has begun on all the characters.

 

Stone has received arm and hand rebuild as well as the leg area reworked

Conner has received arm and shoulder rebuild

Angie has received hand sizing and body sizing

Laurie will receive new hair as each new version of her I have to redo the action pose of her hair. I am going to remove her pose hair and groom hair into place.

 

Alot of rendering issues. One character render fine in one setting but all the other characters will have issue. I will change settings and bring one or two into workable renders and then the others will have issues.

 

Rigging continues. Getting ready to install three rigs this week and next. I will be on vacation in a couple of weeks and hope to use some of that time to complete these four.

stone0.jpg

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