MMZ_TimeLord

ME ME ME ME ME ME !!!!

I used an actual model of the sun as well as placing a light source slightly larger than the sphere in the same position. I also turned on lens flare to make sure it showed up properly. If you want an un-flared light source you will probably have to place a light source and model and make sure the model is 100% ambiance intensity with whatever color you want it to be. Here's a quick render I did just now... you can always adjust the lens flare to your own taste. Hope that helps... cheers!

Good job... Are we going to see him in action?

All I can say is ... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!

I'm in... where do I send my money?

John, Basically, yes. But, to qualify that statement, remember that there were FOUR threads or nodes running. So if you multiply that 1:16 by 4, you still end up with over 5 minutes a frame. BUT, by dividing the workload, you can reduce the overall render time of the entire sequence. Example: 120 frames rendered in A:M or with only one Node at 4 minutes a frame is (4x120=480 minutes) 8 hours. Where if you have four nodes running and each frame takes 5 minutes in each node, you get (5*120 / 4 = 150 minutes) 2 hours 30 minutes. This reduces the overall render time by 5 hours and 30 minutes. Again, your mileage may vary as well as your RAM usage. If the frames have a LOT of texture maps, then you will have to be very conscious of the RAM usage per node. With 16GB available, I could run upwards of 2 or 3 GB per node before there would be issues.

Well, I re-rendered this evening for giggles. On A:M V16.0b (64 bit) - Render time 04:18. I had a browser open and a bit under 3.4 GB of RAM used. CPU Usage was 18-20% during the course of the render. Here are the screenshots of the render in A:M and of my CPU meter during the render. . On NetRender (64 bit) with a single node - Render time 04:30 Same browser open and same pages. A bit under 3.5GB of RAM used. CPU Usage was 18-20% during the course of the render. Here are the screenshots of the completed NetRender and the CPU meter during the render. . So the rule seems to be - One frame = One core's worth of Processing with A:M. BUT even with NetRender it was distributed. I had not forced an affinity on each node for a specific core. For fun, I ran the same test with frame 0-11 rendered with NetRender (64 bit) and four nodes (64 bit) (my limit). This should give a better average render number per frame. Total Time = 15:06 ... Average time per frame = (15:06 *60 / 12 /60) = 01:15.5 Same browser open and same pages. RAM usage went up to a bit under 3.6GB. CPU Usage jumped to a 68%-70% level during the course of the render. Here are the screenshots of the completed NetRender and the CPU meter during the render. . Granted this was with a four node limit. Imagine the possibilities with, say, twenty nodes across four or five machines.

Oooooo.... Ahhhhhh... Purdy...

Yup, can't wait to see more... Great Job!!! Keep going!

Looks like a good start to me. Don't forget to back stuff up in more than one location. Dual-Layer DVDs are wonderful for directory or project backups. Cheers!

What Nancy showed there is pretty much how I've organized my stuff. Here's my main "My Animation Master" directory. I've also given the models directory structure for reference. Actions Choreographies Examples HDRI Image - Rendered Frames Images - Displacement Images - Foliage Masks Images - Other Masks Images - Signage Images - Skys & Backgrounds Images - Space Backgrounds Images - Textures Images - Water Libraries Materials Models Actors AM Bootcamp Animals Backgrounds Bridges and Highways Buildings Dinosaurs Planets Plants polygon models Primitives Props Tools TSM_characters TWO Project Vehicles Post Effects Projects Reference Material Render Pools Rigs Skylights Sound Effects Tutorials

Make them swing from their iPod ear buds... LoL

Nicely done Serg! I love the toon shading as well as the overall effect. Great Job!

itsjustme, Not sure if it would help or hurt, but in the project I posted, there is a ball rig that really helped me. I made it, I admit, and it's probably limited. It did however let me rotate the ball while keeping the squetch direction constant. i.e. - the ball could be squetched a certain direction WHILE it was spinning. Hope it comes in handy for someone.

I have to agree with robcat in that a lot of animators fail to see or grasp the significance of "weight" or "mass" in a character's motion. They may have a very technically correct motion, but no feeling of mass, flexibility (joints) and inertia of other parts of the character. When someone gets hit in the stomach with a fast moving cannon ball, they don't just fly backwards. The torso bends in response to the impact, dragging the other two halves of the body with it as it is pushed away. When a heavy character walks vs. a skinny character. Lumbering vs. lithe and limber. Bouncing balls give a VERY basic tool to understanding mass. I can animate two balls exactly the same size, texture and color. If I then change the way they are both animated, you SHOULD be able to tell which one is more flexible, light and bouncy vs. the one that is more stiff, heavy and resistant to bouncing. I struggled with the "non-living" example I posted earlier for quite a while before I began to 'get it'. It's very basic, simple and an excellent starting lesson for anyone who is beginning animation. You don't just put a beginning driver behind the wheel and hand them the keys. They need basic concepts and rules before ever starting that engine.

William, Since the original IP is yours, I would suggest that any additions to your resources are sent to you for approval. Sort of like a set director approval, etc. Once approved, then the resource could be put into the 'Bible' and others can utilize the same resources for their part of the story or side story. This will benefit those creating with you as well as you as the originator of the IP. Do you plan on keeping license of all the IP resources, yours and contributed? I would have no problem at all agreeing to that as you are offering a base for people to work in. Thoughts? By the way, I too am interested in helping with your story and props. I'm on Skype under mmz_timelord.

Happy Birthday Mark!

Happy Birthday John!!!

I found my AM Bootcamp Project while looking for something else last night... Here are my two favorite results from that project. One is a two, non-alive, ball bounce against a perpendicular surface. TwoBallsBounce.mp4 Next is a two, alive, ball interaction sequence. TwoBallsInteract.mp4 If anyone wants the project I've included it here. Some of the results, to me, could still use lots of polish. AM_Bootcamp_Level1_v16_.prj Enjoy!

Well, I bumped into this when I was about ready to use A:M to render out an image sequence as a rotoscope in a new choreography. Import your image sequence by right clicking the images section of the project work space and select Import... -> Animation or Image Sequence. Browse to your rendered frames from NetRender or A:M and select the lowest numbered one. i.e. - testrender000.png Then when they are all imported, right click the image and select "Save Animation as..." In the Save Animation As window click the button with the three dots in it to choose your path and file type. (...) I chose AVI as my output with uncompressed frames. (Changed in with the "Compression" button) After it saved, I used Handbrake to compress it with H.264. (You could probably do this all with QuickTime Pro, but i don't have it) Let me know if this is clear as mud... and I'll update it. Sample animation below... HoverTaxiTest001.mp4

Nicely done... any more? or is it just a test?

As far as I know A:M can only use one thread/renderer per frame. A:M itself or NetRender can NOT break down a single frame into multiple parts as far as I know.

Excellent work! Your research seems very complete. I was and still am a big fan of the original series as well as a few of the newer ones. This is looking better all the time!

Better... I think the Hammer's head swinging back and forth could be a bit slower and in time with his steps, kind of like a person bobbing their head back and forth as they step. The best of the two Screwdrivers is the Phillips. His head swings in time with his hopping motions. The Flat Head Screwdriver is about twice as fast with the head swinging as with his steps... looks all wrong. Think of how people in a sack race hop. My 2 pennies...

Okay, another update. I'm done with checking the books for reference on the hexagons that were mentioned. Now I'm just painting random on my own. Hope to start on the Northern hemisphere tomorrow, then start blending and making it all a bit more organic. Enjoy!