#Real 3D and MetaReyes
5 messages in this thread
Still more questions:
I notice one of your chapters concerns the use of MetaBalls and Real 3D. Was I
imagining things or did it say MetaReyes? (I'm at work and can't look at my
downloads). Can you give me an idea just what you're talking about here?
One of my biggest wishes about MetaReyes (which I own — hell, I think I own
every IPAS known to mankind) is to be able to use Deform/Fit and then somehow
have the resultant mesh filled with MetaBalls. I've racked my limited brains
trying to figure a script out that would do this, but the 3D math is far beyond
me (if only the collision detection routine didn't work on the bounding box.
Sigh). I know it's too much to hope for that Real 3D (which is not even a 3DS
add on) would have this possibility, but I'd sure like to know what MetaBalls,
3DS and Real 3D have in common.
<< I notice one of your chapters concerns the use of MetaBalls and Real 3D.
Was I imagining things or did it say MetaReyes? (I'm at work and can't look at
my downloads). Can you give me an idea just what you're talking about here? >>
Briefly….one of the tedious things with metball modeling is getting all those
spheres "strung together" so to speak, with the proper scaling & spacing to
form (yes, once again) contour lines in the model. Using Snapshot in 3DS can
help.
In R3D, you can take a primitive sphere and a freeform open control curve as a
path. Then you place that under what is called a Creation Method. With "normal"
animation, the sphere will transverse the path over X keyframes. With Creation,
a sphere is CREATED at every position for every keyframe along the path,
producing a "string of beads" if you will. By varying the number of keyframes,
you can have the spheres strung together with the spacing you desire. By
varying the way the curve is evaluated over time, you get more control. By
using more complex methods with multiple control curves, youi can create the
string of spheres with control over total count, spacing & scale, etc.. Then
export to 3DS.
<< One of my biggest wishes about MetaReyes (which I own — hell, I think I own
every IPAS known to mankind) is to be able to use Deform/Fit and then somehow
have the resultant mesh filled with MetaBalls. >>
Well, there's a couple of other functions better suited precisely for that:
Particle skeletons & particle volumes. You define an enclosed volume with
conventional tools, then you can cause n by n particles (spheres in this case)
to either "fill the volume", or to be snapped to the surface's CV's. Then
export to 3DS.
Regards,
BILL
Bill,
( lots of ambient crowd noise, and the the fading resonance of a
bell… )
" Good round kid good round!!! He had you on the ropes there for a minute but
you slugged your way out of that. Now remember Combinations! I want to see
Combinations ! He's bleeding from the left eye. I want you to go after that eye
! Open him up ! Open him up ! Don't let him catch his breath .. I want
Lefts Lefts Lefts !…………….."
Jeesee ! tough forum <B.G.>
Brendan G.
>You define an enclosed volume with conventional tools, then you can cause n by
>n particles (spheres in this case) to either "fill the volume", or to be
snapped to >the surface's CV's. Then export to 3DS.
This is worth the price of admission, if I understand it correctly. Does
"define an enclosed volume" essentially mean model a thingee? Or, in other
words, assuming I can use the modeling functions, I create the model (any way I
can in R3D) and then I can run the "fill er up" function?
If so, then it sounds like MetaReyes, 3DS, and R3D belong on EVERYONE'S shelf
(at least those of us interested in character animation). And is it too much
to hope that I could define a model in 3DS, import it into R3D, and fill er up
there?
<< Does "define an enclosed volume" essentially mean model a thingee? >>
What in the he** is a thingee ??? <g>
<< I create the model (any way I can in R3D) and then I can run the "fill er
up" function? >>
Yes.
<< If so, then it sounds like MetaReyes, 3DS, and R3D belong on EVERYONE'S
shelf >>
Uh…I think that's what I've been trying to get across.
<< And is it too much to hope that I could define a model in 3DS, import it
into R3D, and fill er up there? >>
I believe you can. But, similar to Renderman (but a raytracer), R3D is
optimized to render surfaces. So feeding it a bunch of triangles isn't a great
idea. At least I don't think so. 3DS has one of the best looking & fastest
renderers I've ever seen, so I've really never fooled around with it much in
that direction.