Anim8or Community

General Category => General Anim8or Forum => Topic started by: fromsoysauce on December 01, 2011, 05:24:02 pm

Title: Effects?
Post by: fromsoysauce on December 01, 2011, 05:24:02 pm
I was wondering if there were any effective ways to add detail effects, like smoke trails coming out of missiles, or explosions. On that note I wanted to ask if there were any practical means of handling particles.

Finally I wanted to ask if there it is possible to have a material change the texture during mid animation when rendering an animated scene. A way other than having to manually change the material every frame that is. I figured it would be a cheap way to make things like fire.
Title: Re: Effects?
Post by: davdud101 on December 01, 2011, 05:43:24 pm
Nope. Not yet, at least, and not built directly into Anim8or. I believe there's a way you can do particle using Terranim8or, but I have yet to use or even need those, since most of my stuff goes through an effects program or photo editor in Post-Production.
Title: Re: Effects?
Post by: dwsel on December 01, 2011, 06:42:19 pm
davdud101 is right: compositing effects in postpro is good solution. Check this example:
(particle footage recorded from particleView tracked with DebugMode Wax).
If you need real 3d particle system you can use Terranim8tor (feature list and tutorial http://biederman.net/leslie/terranim8or/terranim8or.htm ) or program/script particle system you need by yourself, like in this tutorial: http://www.biederman.net/leslie/tutorials/Particle%20Animation/particle_animation_1.htm

Terranim8or supports animated textures, but for fire I'd simply model several objects and would turn on/off their visibility in semi-cyclic manner or use morphing for flames.

Title: Re: Effects?
Post by: davdud101 on December 01, 2011, 07:27:44 pm
I've tried Wax, hit it up a couple hours before reading this post, just for nostalgia... It's definetly not the best, and you'll probably have to mess around for a while to figure it out, but as long as it' does what you need, you'll be good. A real particle system may be the choice in this case, all considered that it would be a little tougher to actually generate good results in post pro if you don't know what you're doing.
Title: Re: Effects?
Post by: dwsel on December 02, 2011, 06:01:06 am
I've tried Wax, hit it up a couple hours before reading this post, just for nostalgia... It's definetly not the best, and you'll probably have to mess around for a while to figure it out, but as long as it' does what you need, you'll be good.

Its true power lies in ability to use VirtualDub and FreeFrame plugins, with them it becomes fully featured (and free) compositing app. I have sometimes stability issues, but when you use it carefully and save often it's not that bad as it seems when you first look at it after installing it.

Also I'm not sure if I'm allowed to say that but Blender has quite capable particle system and node-based compositing system. When you deal with the UI it can be also a good idea to use it.
Title: Re: Effects?
Post by: CoriDavis on December 02, 2011, 04:16:10 pm
whoah! You can do this stuff in VirtualDub? I should do more research on it. All I've done with it is convert codecs and make animated GIFs
Title: Re: Effects?
Post by: dwsel on December 03, 2011, 08:32:29 am
whoah! You can do this stuff in VirtualDub? I should do more research on it. All I've done with it is convert codecs and make animated GIFs

Check this example:
(particle footage recorded from particleView tracked with DebugMode Wax)

AFAIK, there's no 'import video' plugin for VirtualDub. You can only overlay static image with 'logo' plugin. VirtualDub is for cropping, merging with soundtrack, changing framerate, colour tweaking, adding bloom etc. but when you need to put together some layers other tools are needed. I might not have been clear enough... This video was made in Wax with VirtualDub effect PLUGINS and FreeFrame PLUGINS in processing chain. It combines using additive blending mode static image (as a background) with animated particles on black background (that one attached below) having some effects on the layer.
Title: Re: Effects?
Post by: neirao on December 03, 2011, 10:48:21 am
if Help..

my particles TRAILS made in Terrani8or and anim8or

Rocket with Fire - Anim8or 3D



 :)

Title: Re: Effects?
Post by: headwax on January 08, 2012, 03:16:31 am
two from me

not so good as neirao's thou ;)