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Dylly - all messages by user

2012/4/6 7:31:15
Cannot find it in the videos now...So how do I... You need Dreeko's tutorial on invisible ground planes.



Hope this helps
edited by Dylly on 06/04/2012
2012/4/4 22:00:50
What is Muvizu? I was trying to explain to someone the other day exactly what Muvizu is and the reason behind my fascination with this software, and to be honest it was a struggle. This was for two reasons the first of which is that I still have problems with my worms...I mean words. The second was that Muvizu is so much more than animation software. When the time comes, and come it will, that Muvizu becomes a commercial tool I can’t see exactly how they are going to get it into a box.

What I’m getting at is that there is a whole lot more to Muvizu than allowing anyone to make an animation. The process of making a film covers so many processes and involves so many skills, I mean, is it really possible that one piece of kit can help you realise an animation project? I suppose the answer to this is yes...oh... and no.

Muvizu enabled me to realise an ambition and make my first animation. I could create characters, animate them, make them walk, talk, direct my vision of what a film should be. On that first film I learned to record voices, write a script, plot a story board, light a set and edit a film. The film was crap! Not through any fault with the software I hasten to add. I realised that like many people I can talk a bloody good film, but when it comes to putting it into practise...

This is exactly where Muvizu differs from any other animation software. My film received comments from other Muvizu users...and get this...they were all constructive and encouraging! What’s more as my interest in animation grew and took on other aspects of 3D, such as modelling props, help and support were at hand from not only Muvizu users, but it’s team of Dev’s and testers. There are very few products out there where the manufacturer will step up with practical advice and tips (no matter how many times I ask Dyson to do my cleaning). Muvizu goes further still. Muvizu users are more than willing to collaborate on projects. From voice overs, to making props, to help with animating...I can see a time coming in the not too distant future when features will be made collaboratively with Muvizu and Muvizu users. I wouldn’t mind betting that if we put our collective minds and talents together it would be possible for us to do it now. Imagine the press coverage once they got hold of it! In fact if anyone has a good script I ‘dibs’ on making the sets!

As a tool I use Muvizu not only in making animation, but also in my digital artwork. Gone are the days when I would sit for hours waiting for a render to finish. These days I just import the props into my Muvizu scene and take a screenshot...and import straight into Gimp or Photoshop, a kind of ready render if you will! Recently I used Muvizu to help my daughter out with her school drama coursework. It’s so much easier to build a set and actually move the camera around and show the kids instead of explaining.

More than anything else I use Muvizu to keep my brain ticking over. My last stroke gave me a bit of a kicking, but Muvizu has been the best therapy I could have found. Talking, typing, drawing, thinking and above all learning, has helped me on the road to recovery more than any of the ‘pists’ on offer from the quacks (I’m talking occupational theraPISTS and speech theraPISTS).
The British film industry, well let’s call it what it really is, the World film industry (I have more interaction with people of different nationality through Muvizu than I ever did on the Costa del Cleethorpes, in fact Google Translate is now on my toolbar) is indeed alive, well and kicking in the Muvizu forums. So can Muvizu help anyone to make an animation...yes! Can it help them make an oscar winning animation...weeellll...yes BUT...

If you could box movie success then Disney’s John Carter would have ‘made with Muvizu’ in the opening titles and would have made a mint at the box office, I just wish Ralph Bakshi had access to Muvizu before they let him butcher The Lord of the Rings. Will we make an Aardman-like feature with Muvizu? Oh I think so!
2012/4/4 11:44:59
Object movement This is a communication from the Ministry of Daft Questions!

Just a couple of daft ones...for the minute...

1) How would we go about handling 'stretch and squash' whilst animating the ball?

2) The gravity effect of dropping the ball is intriguing...so how would I go about getting the ball to hit a wall of bricks and then getting the bricks to fall? Is it still a case of animating each brick to start it moving?
2012/4/4 11:35:10
Sketchup to Muvizu Thanks for the input guys! I've completed the first two floors of the staircase and double skinned it so that it can be imported into Muvizu as a separate model. I will make a universal id map for it so that it can be textured up in Photoshop or Gimp to suit whatever set it's being used in.

I've started work on the second level proper now, just detailing in the windows. A quick point here about scales in SketchUp, I've settled on a temporary scale for walls of 4m high and depth of 15cm for buildings. This is still very approximate, and the models scale will be altered in 3ds Max before I make the .ase file for import. Everything is still very much..by eye...when it comes to scale...I'm just not clever enough to calibrate SketchUp & 3ds Max to match Muvizu. I just know I'm going to have to endure the ridicule and ask the father in law to work it out for me!

I'm looking forward very much to the Dev's taking a look at the import functions with regard to opacity and luminescence... animated glass doors and lights that shine!

2012/4/3 17:21:18
Sketchup to Muvizu I'm in a bit of a quandary guys and I'm hoping you will share your opinions. I'm currently on the final rebuild of my High Bridge Cafe set. Below is the reference material I'm working from and some shots of where I'm up to in Max, I've hidden the back walls so we can get a better look. As I'm building I'm trying to split the set into a batch of separate models so we can get the most use out of them, so I've double skinned the walls so that we can use the interiors as well as exteriors for sets.

Now the first question is this...are the stairwells useful to Muvizu users, if so I will carry on and make the collision meshes for them? And the second question...is there any way at all to put glass in the doors and still have the doors animate?

2012/4/3 12:20:22
Too many colours in Sketchup Hi Berty

I'm just hazarding a guess here, but it does sound as though there are some faces reversed in there somewhere. Now to reduce those colours...have you exploded the model so that it is one complete model before colouring?

Sketchucation.com have some free material plugins for SketchUp which will remove all materials from either model or selection of model. I use these alot. Once you have exploded a model and then recoloured it...black on the inside(reverse faces)...any colour you want on the outside..the colours should reduce.
2012/4/2 13:12:10
can be stood on Io vedo qual è il problema qui, è la maglia di collisione del modello scale si sta utilizzando. Si sia bisogno di fare una nuova mesh di collisione per il modello conSketchUp o si può disattivare 'può essere posizionata su' e creare una forma a cuneodalle forme Muvizu. Effettuare la forma a cuneo invisibile cambiare la trama forme a 'none' e assicurarsi che il cuneo è più o meno la stessa dimensione come l'insieme deipassi sulla scala. Il personaggio poi a piedi fino al cuneo invisibile.


I see what the problem is here, it's the collision mesh of the stairs model you are using. You either need to make a new collision mesh for the model using SketchUp or you could turn off 'can be stood on' and create a wedge shape from the Muvizu shapes. Make the wedge shape invisible by changing the shapes texture to 'none' and make sure the wedge is roughly the same size as the set of steps on the staircase. The character will then walk up the invisible wedge.
edited by Dylly on 02/04/2012
2012/3/31 8:42:37
The Spirit of Muvizu One of the aspects of Muvizu that keeps me hooked is the innovation that Muvizu brings out in Muvizu directors. Pushing Muvizu to it's 'current' limit and then looking for a work around to get it that little step further, I find fascinating. I found this clip from BBC Click just as interesting for it's innovative work arounds very much in the spirit of Muvizu....now will some of those apps work on Muvizu hmmmm I wonder? If I just fiddled with this shot..and then and...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/click_online/9710004.stm
2012/3/31 4:58:45
The Project Vortex Brilliant idea brilliantly executed!
2012/3/29 21:19:37
Voice actors? We need em. jihane26 wrote:
i have seen the videos of audacity
and it seems that you can change your voice with this program (which is free) so i am going to test it tonight and ill tell you.



Changes in pitch etc are quite effective with audacity...timbre (male or female) is something I've not managed to crack yet...but I'm sure there must be a plug in for it somewhere.
2012/3/29 18:08:53
can we import sims objects in muvizu? Not sure about sims objects as...well to be honest I dunno what the sims is (I'm old)...but the best way to import other props is to use props made with google sketchup. There are plenty of ready made props in sketchup if you don't want to make them yourself, and there are quite a number of threads in this forum covering the subject as well as tutorials in the how to section.

Hope this helps.
2012/3/29 18:05:36
how do i use a favourite character in a new scene The character that you saved, did it have a custom texture added to it? if so then the character wouldn't have saved, you have to remove a custom texture and then save the character.
2012/3/28 2:56:16
24 hr Noob at Muvizu Looking forward to your first Muvizu animation...and when it comes to joining the community...well to be honest....it's a bit like a junior school when all the brainy kids have gone off to do the 11+..leaving all the asthmatics, kids with glasses and those voted most likely to get a lego brick stuck up their nose alone with the scissors and glue...we'll take anybody!Whaaaaa?

Don't forget to ask for your complimentary jam jar to keep your loose screws in, although I keep my teeth in mine as I like the rattling sound!
edited by Dylly on 28/03/2012
2012/3/27 22:07:59
Just to say Hi Welcome...as Dreeko says there will be tongue out moments...not just that...one day you will realize you have just spent several hours starring into space pondering the technicalities behind floating a giant laser toting death sandwich through a tunnel....it will happen...oh yes it will...7.30 this evening it happened to me! Fun though!
2012/3/27 10:36:48
Sketchup to Muvizu Now that's a great idea artpen! If I make them as separate props it will make the whole thing more adaptable!
2012/3/27 1:08:23
Sketchup to Muvizu I've been a bit quiet...so I think you all know what that means...yes I've been modelling the exterior sets for the High Bridge Cafe.

The High Bridge is a medieval bridge in Lincoln's center, one of the last surviving bridges in the UK to hold buildings. Sitting astride the River Witham, the 'Glory Hole' beneath holds some fine chub, roach and large shoals of dace (now you know what I'm looking at while the Mrs is window shopping).

Anyway here's the model, still got some benches to model, as well as some railings, bollards & bits and pieces. The set will include a medieval shop frontage when it's all done. I'd welcome any suggestions or comments to improve the set.



Once I've finished shooting the animation I will upload the models so everyone can tinker, although they will not be as adaptable as the Fantasy Cottage Set. Let me know what you think anyway.

Tim
2012/3/25 21:38:12
Ambient Occlusion and UV Maps Hi gimmick
My work flow has changed quite a bit since last year (cripes time flies when you are having fun)! I experimented with Blender in the beginning but the interface was way beyond me...confusing, annoying..but then it is free.

I now do the modelling in SketchUp because it just feels intuitive to use..it's more like drawing. Once I have my basic model created in SketchUp I then import it into 3ds Max. I find Max a lot more straight forward to use than Blender, with the majority of the functions self explanatory.

I now use max for creating the final model from SketchUp components, adding collisions, UVW unwrapping, creating the id and ao maps, smoothing, scaling, applying textures and finally exporting the finished .ase model.

Textures themselves are created with Gimp, although if I have a problem texture (ie it's awkward to get wood grain going in the correct direction, or the UV map is very complicated) I will import the model into Mudbox to get the fiddly bits done.

Although I have to admit that I'm starting to learn the basic's of modelling in 3ds Max and Maya...just to learn the software. It's something I've always wanted to be able to do since I first got into 3D art, and I'm hankering to have a go at character modelling!

Tim
2012/3/22 23:20:04
Favourite ever cartoon? Ah Quorthon you have made my evening! MARINE BOY! My favorite ever animation! Piper & Boltan...I suppose I put up with Clee Clee but...Marine Boy what a guy, Saturday mornings sat in front of the TV watching static waiting for transmissions to begin...the Yorkshire TV fanfare...then joy of joys waiting for that kid to pop some gum and jump in the water! . I learned to swim under water before it ever dawned on me to stay on the top. I have to admit that even today, every time I go to the swimming baths I pride myself on the ability to swim a length under water without the aid of chewing gum...just a drag on a roll up when I get back outside!


Now for British animation...I'm a Postgate fan ...Noggin the Nog being my favourite...but I am also a huge fan of Trumpton, Chigley, Camberwick Green...hang on we could do a Muvizu remake Pugh, Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble and DREEKO!


Another of my favorites was Mary, Mungo & Midge. Now I was wondering the other week about doing a little 'where are they now' remake of this classic for the kids...but after research I found that Midge had been sold for medical experiments, Mungo was involved in a dog fighting scandal and Mary was still living in the, now run down, block of flats dependent on various substances after getting into Amway in the early 80's.
edited by Dylly on 22/03/2012
2012/3/22 23:00:27
sketchup materials on models Yup reversed faces will cause mayhem every time! Remember though that SketchUp builds in triangles so any face you make will be constructed of two triangles. The quad tools however from www.sketchucation.com (free) helps. I think part of the basic problem with SketchUp is the built in 'urge' to colour or place a material on everything as you are building.

I now purposefully do not apply any materials until the model is finished. That way its easier to spot the reversed faces, they are grey not white. When I'm satisfied there are no reversed faces I make a copy of the models skp file to colour, and I mean colour. The only material I will use is a transparent material if I'm making a glass object.

When you do come to adding colours to a SketchUp model start with the inside first. Reverse all the faces and paint them black. Now reverse the faces again and colour the correct colours. This reduces any white edges that you sometimes get peeping through at certain camera angles.

But I'm glad you've sussed it.
2012/3/22 21:00:03
sketchup materials on models When you import the texture did you right click and select 'make a new texture' and then export the textures as per Toonerama's tips in this thread?

From the image you posted it also looks as though the plane has triangulated somewhere along the import process.

I'm afraid I UVW unwrap my models in 3ds Max so I'm not to bright at textures in sketchup. Jamie is a bit nifty at it though!
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Muvizu

Muvizu is easy to use 3D animation software that allows anyone to create high quality animations quickly and easily. Muvizu’s animation engine is ideal for storytellers, animators, teachers and businesses looking to engage, enchant and delight audiences with animated content.