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Author Topic: another item on my wish list: reference videos  (Read 8114 times)

thecolclough

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another item on my wish list: reference videos
« on: April 09, 2008, 05:18:12 am »
you know we've got reference images?  well, how about reference videos?  exactly the same as a ref. image, but with a video rather than a static pic.

i know anim8or doesn't have any video playback stuff at the moment, but the fact that the renderer can handle multiple compression options, seems to suggest that steve is able to tap into the available video codecs, so i was just wondering, how much work would it be to include in-scene playback functionality?

it'd also be cool if you could make a reference image or video visible in the renders (i guess just have a boolean switch in the ref. image's properties, to set whether it renders or not), so that you could use them to create moving backgrounds, or video/computer screens in your models, etc.  example: if you were building a futuristic city, you could place a 'reference' video on the side of a building to make a giant advertising billboard, a la Blade Runner.   8)

any thoughts, peoples?

- colclough
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Tanzim

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Re: another item on my wish list: reference videos
« Reply #1 on: April 09, 2008, 06:06:59 am »
The problem is: how are you going to play it and get it to the right frame, you'd have to have the scene mode frame counter (thing at the bottom) on object mode, same applies for animated GIF's, there would have to be a lot of preferences for each video, when it starts, play speed, what to do if it has audio in it as well, it's a great idea, but it would take a long time for Steve to implement it :(
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thecolclough

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Re: another item on my wish list: reference videos
« Reply #2 on: April 09, 2008, 06:29:06 am »
okay... your main points, in order:

  • "getting to the right frame": by default, the video would advance by one frame for each frame in the anim8or scene.  you could specify to start on a particular frame in the video, if you didn't want to go from the beginning, that'd just require one numerical parameter in the properties.
  • "needing the frame counter in object mode": reference videos would only be relevant (and therefore only activated) in scene, and maybe sequence modes.
  • "you'd need tonnes of preferences": nope, only one more than what you have for a static reference image (the starting frame, as outlined above).
  • "what to do with audio": just ignore it.  ;D

but yeah, i guess it would still probably be a lot of work to implement, so i guess i'll just have to wait... :-\

- colclough
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