Forum - Feedback - v0.16b Feedback

Forum - Feedback - v0.16b Feedback - Messages http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic1166-v016b-feedback.aspx Forum - Feedback - v0.16b Feedback - Messages en-us http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Jitbit AspNetForum Wed, 27 Jul 2011 11:08:23 GMT Wed, 27 Jul 2011 11:08:23 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic1166-v016b-feedback.aspx Message from Neil Luscan wrote:

Neil's not (quite) gotten to that point yet. :P

You haven't seen Jim for a while, have you? Just sayin'.]]> Wed, 27 Jul 2011 11:08:23 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic1166-v016b-feedback.aspx Message from Luscan ukBerty wrote:

So to sum up are demands are......

1) Turn off collision option
2) Way-points (cameras first)
3) More consistent shadows
4) And for me, an undo button that undoes / or a lock button that locks / or percent boxes on the sliders - any of these would stop the devastation that occurs when you try to build a complex set (actually "no collisions" would also do the job).

.....and I'm not coming down from the roof until I get them.

I think the word is 'requests'. It's only demands if you have hostages and I Neil's not (quite) gotten to that point yet. :P]]> Wed, 27 Jul 2011 10:14:00 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic1166-v016b-feedback.aspx Message from ukBerty
1) Turn off collision option
2) Way-points (cameras first)
3) More consistent shadows
4) And for me, an undo button that undoes / or a lock button that locks / or percent boxes on the sliders - any of these would stop the devastation that occurs when you try to build a complex set (actually "no collisions" would also do the job).

.....and I'm not coming down from the roof until I get them.]]> Wed, 27 Jul 2011 07:13:56 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic1166-v016b-feedback.aspx Message from Dreeko ( nothing to do with cameras incidentally) how come objects have such a problem intersecting (backdrops etc) but characters seem to have zero collision and can pass through anything that has the option "can be stood on" deselected
I can put characters in a vehicle but when I try and do the floating ground plane trick to raise them into position the plane cannot penetrate due to the collision properties of the vehicle object.
Is there no way that a future version of Muvizu could have the ability to select an object and turn off it's collision to the same degree as the characters seem to have?]]> Tue, 26 Jul 2011 17:26:57 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic1166-v016b-feedback.aspx Message from CrazyDave Dreeko wrote:

I do sympathise with ziggy when it comes to the shadows being cast through objects.

Oh yeah, so do I! It's a pain. It does just seem to be the way Unreal dynamic shadows work though... I have had no success getting it to be different without using static "pre-baked" shadows... and we can't use them because our scenes can be changed at any time by moving objects and so the shadows have to be dynamic too

]]> Tue, 26 Jul 2011 16:38:19 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic1166-v016b-feedback.aspx Message from Dreeko I have a fire engine cab with ladders placed on top which cast a shadow of the ladders inside the cab through the roof!?

Still trying to get the little characters inside the bloody thing incidentally grrr!

D]]> Tue, 26 Jul 2011 16:35:13 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic1166-v016b-feedback.aspx Message from CrazyDave ziggy72 wrote:

I shone a spot through them, they cast shadows across the room as you'd expect, all good. Now, however, there are no shadows cast by the blinds. None at all, regardless of light setting or shadow intensity.

None of us here have heard of a situation where an object does not cast a shadow at all. I suspect it's something to do with it being a SketchUp model rather than an original Muvizu prop but I can't tell without looking at it. Could you send the set file to david@muvizu.com?

ziggy72 wrote:

For example, why do objects sitting on top of other objects cast shadows THROUGH the shadow of the object they're sitting on?! It looks terrible. I think maybe I'll have to reinstall the older version of Muvizu, just so I can have working shadows again.

I just installed the 0.12b release of Muvizu and it has exactly the same issue: this hasn't been introduced with recent upgrades to Muvizu. The way that Unreal calculates shadows is done per-object and is additive so shadows often overlap in an unrealistic way, unless the shadows are "blown out" or at maximum intensity, as used to be the case for the old individual shadows. It's something we will probably look at in the future.

ziggy72 wrote:

And don't get me started on the Individual Shadows option - all it does is render your scene useless by putting crazy shadows in all directions with no relation to where the light source actually is.

As far as I can tell, the individual shadow option gives shadows in a more accurate direction than the non -individual shadows (which themselves tend to cast the shadows unnaturally downwards due to combining with the scene's ambient environmental light). If I make a block and a light and move my point of view to be the same position as the light, then look at the block, I see that the shadow is cast accurately: the area behind the block from my point of view is shadowed. Please let me know if I'm missing a point here.]]> Tue, 26 Jul 2011 11:36:54 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic1166-v016b-feedback.aspx Message from ziggy72
Anyway, that's not what I'm posting about - I've just been reusing an old set of mine (Matt's flat from The Dumped Stories). It had, as a feature, blinds I got from Sketchup. I shone a spot through them, they cast shadows across the room as you'd expect, all good. Now, however, there are no shadows cast by the blinds. None at all, regardless of light setting or shadow intensity. I thought at first the lighting looked bad because I just wasn't used to the subtleties of the new engine, but now I find it just doesn't work. This doesn't feel like progress.

For example, why do objects sitting on top of other objects cast shadows THROUGH the shadow of the object they're sitting on?! It looks terrible. I think maybe I'll have to reinstall the older version of Muvizu, just so I can have working shadows again. There seems to be something fundamentally broke with the lighting system of the upgraded Unreal engine - an object can cast a shadow from a light source on the other side of an object that should be completely blocking that light - huh? Surely that's just plain wrong in any 3d environment. And don't get me started on the Individual Shadows option - all it does is render your scene useless by putting crazy shadows in all directions with no relation to where the light source actually is. And how can a WALL cast a shadow of itself inside a room?! Don't walls block light usually? Whaaaaa?

Please please fix this. I can't animate in Muvizu without using lights and shadows - it's fundamental. The old way the lighting was handled wasn't perfect, but at least it was predictable. And it cast shadows in a realistic way.

Other than that, all's good!

]]> Mon, 25 Jul 2011 22:07:33 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic1166-v016b-feedback.aspx Message from Danimal
Again, probably something I'm doing...]]> Sun, 24 Jul 2011 01:04:11 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic1166-v016b-feedback.aspx Message from simonheffer http://min.us/meEWSPt]]> Sat, 23 Jul 2011 09:25:26 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic1166-v016b-feedback.aspx Message from mysto RightURKen wrote:

Does this update fix the problem in the 64 bit version not working right with a lot of characters with motion? I had to switch to the 32 bit version because of this. Can I try the 64 bit again?

From what I have experienced so far the newest release of the 64bit version seems to be working fine with several characters in motion. I too had the same issues with the previous release of the 64bit version and went back to the 32bit version to do my animation. The newest 64bit release is working great for me with many characters. Give it a go and let us know how things are working out for you.]]> Sat, 23 Jul 2011 07:37:06 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic1166-v016b-feedback.aspx Message from ukBerty RightURKen wrote:

Does this update fix the problem in the 64 bit version not working right with a lot of characters with motion? I had to switch to the 32 bit version because of this. Can I try the 64 bit again?

I think it has - I loaded up the set which I had the issue with and it works fine (mind you, as this was their test set they may have only fixed it for this one !)

Remember you can have multiple copies of Muvizu on your PC at the same time. I have 3, although the oldest one should now be redundant as the shadow slider has removed the need for it.

So load on the 64 bit, but install it in a different directory to the 32 bit (I think it should do that anyway). It will overwrite the desktop icon, but you can always create a new shortcut to the 32 bit version if the 64 bit still proves a problem.

Let us know how you get on.]]> Sat, 23 Jul 2011 07:21:03 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic1166-v016b-feedback.aspx Message from RightURKen Sat, 23 Jul 2011 01:56:26 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic1166-v016b-feedback.aspx Message from mysto edited by mysto on 22/07/2011]]> Fri, 22 Jul 2011 22:02:29 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic1166-v016b-feedback.aspx Message from ziggy72
Address = 0x823f65e7 (filename not found)

It continues on like this, with different addresses, for another 25 lines or so, before ending with

Address = 0xf3b0ce7 (filename not found)

...and then Muvizu crashes (no more messages, nothing left behind in memory).

I start Muvizu again, and all's well with the set. Which is nice.

Ideas? And would you like me to post you the set?]]> Fri, 22 Jul 2011 21:37:18 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic1166-v016b-feedback.aspx Message from Danimal Wed, 20 Jul 2011 16:26:35 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic1166-v016b-feedback.aspx Message from CrazyDave Danimal wrote:

When doing short movements, the character still steps to the edge of the movement circle rather than the center where I stop the arrow.

Yeah, short paths can be a bit of a problem as with the current system, the character has to play a full "walk/run start" animation, followed by a full step forwards followed by full "walk/run stop" animation. This can carry the character further than the user has requested with the locomotion guide, even with the new code that tries to stop him in the centre of the guide. I think it will probably be looked at in the future in terms of minimising the smallest distance that can be walked or ran.]]> Wed, 20 Jul 2011 16:10:29 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic1166-v016b-feedback.aspx Message from Danimal mcmillan-ra wrote:

The movement system works in the same way, but it should now stop where you'd expect it to, rather than over shooting the point you'd walked to.

This was not my experience. There was still a bit of a stop and slide. And when doing short movements, the character still steps to the edge of the movement circle rather than the center where I stop the arrow. Since this is how it's always worked for me, no complaints.

I also still get the Windows popup asking me if I'm sure I want to run Muvizu when I start it. Not even an issue anymore since I've gotten so used to it.
edited by Danimal on 19/07/2011]]> Tue, 19 Jul 2011 12:34:43 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic1166-v016b-feedback.aspx Message from mcmillan-ra Danimal wrote:

I didn't notice any difference in the movement system, but I only gave a quick run though.

The movement system works in the same way, but it should now stop where you'd expect it to, rather than over shooting the point you'd walked to. We're looking at some other improvements for it too.]]> Tue, 19 Jul 2011 08:05:52 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic1166-v016b-feedback.aspx Message from penman Tue, 19 Jul 2011 05:27:34 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic1166-v016b-feedback.aspx Message from Danimal ziggy72 wrote:

Not sure I want to tackle the Skeleton map just yet

It's pretty simple. Just use good ol' trial and error. I was able to mock up a suit coat and a tattoo on a character's arm. And yes, the feature we've all wanted: the yellow belt, red underwear and blue legs of Superman. And if you leave parts of the UV map transparent, the core character shows through.

This is such a great feature!]]> Tue, 19 Jul 2011 02:11:12 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic1166-v016b-feedback.aspx Message from ziggy72 We got textured people!

Putting the UV maps up was a great idea - we didn't even have to ask! Not sure I want to tackle the Skeleton map just yet... Whaaaaa?

Think I'll start with the Blob and work my way up.

Muvizu - we salute you worship

]]> Tue, 19 Jul 2011 00:21:18 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic1166-v016b-feedback.aspx Message from Danimal
And mappable textures for the characters? How sweet is THAT? This is going to make getting away from the program fairly difficult.

I didn't notice any difference in the movement system, but I only gave a quick run though.]]> Mon, 18 Jul 2011 23:45:18 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic1166-v016b-feedback.aspx Message from Dimension_five No sleep tonight though.
D5]]> Mon, 18 Jul 2011 18:33:58 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic1166-v016b-feedback.aspx Message from ukBerty
64 bit version - now seems same speed as 32 bit - great (notice I now have a memory usage in the scene window - 6% !!! Time to import some more objects)

Can't remember what else there was but that's double thumbs up from me so far.]]> Mon, 18 Jul 2011 18:27:44 GMT