CompuServe Thread

My Reel

40 messages in this thread
#31244From: Peter GreciJun 8, 1993 4:04 PM
Hi Nate, I sent you my reel Today via First Class US Snail. I anxiously await yours. Later Dude
#31332From: Nathan WahlJun 9, 1993 8:59 PM
I have faithfully reciprocated your kindness. Coming soon to a home theater really near you. … Nate, Emerald Video. I Animate – because – I am a Nate!
#31352From: Erik FlomJun 10, 1993 12:29 AM
Hey, Nate! I've been meaning to tell you, . . . I got your tape. Nice stuff! You have a good sense for color. So did you get some CAD versions of those gears, or did you model them yourself? In either case . . . Very nice! (I wish I had a client who needed stuff like that! Flying logos get boring real fast. :^) More Later, Keep On Toastin' Erik Flom
#31424From: Nathan WahlJun 11, 1993 5:33 AM
Erik, Glad you liked it! I was wondering what people would think of my wierd color background fills. Stuff like your museum look real cool, but I can't sit still long enough for whole screens to render. Impatient. What's a CAD? Confession time. Gears is easy! Just make a centered Z disk with an even multiple of 4 points. Select alternate pairs of points (two on, two off, etc.), and stretch to about 0.85 in the Y and X directions. Viola', instant gear. Select every other point (ins and outs), and Z rotate to make the gear tips smaller, about 3 degrees. Grab every other every other point (the ones you didn't do before,) and rotate them the same amount the other direction. Better gear. Add as much detail as you want; if the side is to be beveled, make darned sure that your polygons are flat. I can't wait to get LW 3 or whatever, so I can just cut out the holes and depressions. Your assignment is to make the square splines in the center for the shaft…. <I wish I had a client who…> I wish I had a client. :^) Email me a critique so I can get some? Keep those cards and letters comin' in, folks. Later. … Nate, Emerald Video. I Animate – because – I am a Nate!
#31470From: Erik FlomJun 11, 1993 9:52 PM
The colors looked nice overall. My client's like lotsa' bright, saturated colors which don't hold up after too many generations. I'll have to take a look at the tape this evening. The first viewing was in the daytime, and I was a bit distracted at the time. I just figured the gears were ported over from some Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) system used by the company you did the animation for. I can see as to how your job would be much easier with LW3.0. Good work. Did I send you a copy of my rate card? Keep On Toastin' Erik Flom
#31494From: Vance SchowalterJun 12, 1993 10:54 AM
You can send ME a rate card! heh heh heh *8) -= Vance =- Image Master using Black Belt Systems' Imagemaster!
#31511From: Erik FlomJun 12, 1993 12:59 PM
Sure, send ME $2 bucks and I'll send you one. :^) (It costs me $1.34 in mat'ls for each rate card I send out.) (If you've got a Fax machine, I can Fax you a copy rendered out using ProPage. . .B/W 200DPI, but alot cheaper.) Keep On Toastin' Erik Flom
#31529From: Vance SchowalterJun 12, 1993 2:49 PM
Geez, there's gotta be a better way. *8( I thought perhaps CMail? Hmmm? *8) Yup, I'm cheap, but mostly I'm poor and married… a triple whammy! When I scrape together the pocket change, I'll get it to you somehow. *8D -= Vance =- Image Master using Black Belt Systems' Imagemaster!
#31532From: Nathan WahlJun 12, 1993 5:30 PM
Erik, Got the card, thanks for the kudos. Got Peter and Paul G.'s demo's today, and so I'm a little depressed right now, but to busy to notice! Boy, they're good! See 'Ya! … Nate, Emerald Video. I Animate – because – I am a Nate!
#31609From: Peter GreciJun 14, 1993 5:53 PM
Thank you kindly for the Kudos. I got yer tape today tho I've yet to view it. Will let ya know my thoughts. BTW all this Praise is swelling my Head, I may need that PD Brain after all to fill my Enlarged Cranium.
#31617From: Margaret CopelandJun 14, 1993 6:36 PM
It is on the way, no need to wait any longer. You can do the cranium.
#31646From: Peter GreciJun 15, 1993 4:37 PM
Thank yee kindly.
#31506From: Peter GreciJun 12, 1993 12:33 PM
You want the Square splines in the ID of the Gear? Should be Easy Via a Boolean Punch thru no? Make a solid Tube and do yer Gear Teeth Voodoo then use this to punch thru yer Gear. I know I could do this in Imagine via the SLICE feature. I see no reason ya can't do it in Lightwave. If you are unabl to do it, Email me the Gear and I'll Punch the Splines in.
#31524From: jeff HolinskiJun 12, 1993 1:42 PM
Using booleans is kind of flakey sometimes. When I make a gear with a hole in it I use a little different method. First, I assume you use a circle to make a template for the gear to extrude. I usually start with a tube (no ends) and scale one end smaller. Then I scale the lenth of the tube down to nothing to end up with a small circle inside a bigger circle joined by faces. I modify the outer circle into a gear template and either leave the inner circle round or put teeth in it too. Then when you extrude it you get a gear with a hole in it with the minimum number of points. Since your template has faces between the inner and outer circles the end faces of the gear also come out OK.
#31610From: Peter GreciJun 14, 1993 5:53 PM
Thanx for the idea, Sounds easy too. Yer right tho the Booleans of Imagine are pretty Flakey sometimes.
#31685From: Nathan WahlJun 16, 1993 2:56 PM
Jeff. Great idea on how to get the gear sides!! I was making two circles, cutting and pasting the points, and making them into four polygons by hand. Thanks for the tip. … Nate, Emerald Video. I Animate – because – I am a Nate!
#31384From: Peter GreciJun 10, 1993 1:25 PM
oooooooerr, <coming soon to a Home Theatre near you> ???? Do I need a THX decoder to Truly enjoy your Demo Reel??? I hope you like Latin Music. Thats whut's on the tape I sent you.
#31425From: Nathan WahlJun 11, 1993 5:33 AM
Peter, As you'll soon see (hear?), music isn't my strong suit. I wrote the first song, but had to play it by hand (MIDI broke). Gerry kindly pointed out that better use of the selection of buyout music I've got (1 tape) might be called for there. I love positive feedback! Me gusta el musico latino un poco, gracias. See ya. … Nate, Emerald Video. I Animate – because – I am a Nate!
#31507From: Peter GreciJun 12, 1993 12:33 PM
MIDI, I haven't used any of my midi equipment since getting rid of my Atari Mega 2 ST. One of these days I'll pick up Superjam and do some Music.
#31481From: Nathan WahlJun 12, 1993 4:28 AM
Peter, Got It!!! What do you use for the morphs; they look very smooth, and I need to learn to do that? Are those spaceships yours? I assume you're using VistaPro for the terrains, which look *VERY* nice. Is it as easy to use as it sounds? Looks like you'd get to see the insides of the mountains if you weren't careful with the camera path. Those faces anybody we know? I especially liked the use and mixing of 3D stuff with the 2D titles near the end, and the music was pretty good too! Thanks! … Nate, Emerald Video. I Animate – because – I am a Nate!
#31522From: Peter GreciJun 12, 1993 1:22 PM
Glad you enjoyed my Tape. For the Morph's I used Ben's Imagemaster Software, it's quite easy to do. Nope if yer thinking that the Poor Fella that's being Morphed into an Ed Grimley look alike is me, it's not, thats my Cousin Dominic who FOOLISHLY allowed me to shoot his picture with my Canon Xapshot. He will STAR in my Film "The Dominator" IF I ever get off my Butt ad start filming. Nope the Guy in the Picture with the Woman is ALSO Not me, thats my Cousin Mark and his Wife Daphne. YES Vistapro is Incredibly EASY to use but a bit slooooow. 3D Stuff with 2D titles?????? Hmmmmm are you refferring to the footage I did for the Atlantic Anime Alliance???? A Couple of the Ships on there are mine, if I remember right tho there's some Converted from PD Atari CAD 3D objects(USS Mirage) that I Tweaked and recolored etc, then there's some by a friend of mine named Earl "Cybermaster" Hinsen also from Atari converted with Syndesis Interchange Plus. Now that I think about it, I think the only ship of mine on there is the NCC1701D-05 Galileo Shuttle that lands on the Red Cliff and flys around other scenes and also my DEltawing ship is on their also. Both those Models are Here for DL in area 10 of Amigaarts. Glad you enjoyed the tape and I look forward to seeing your's and the other 3D Fiends here.
#31560From: Black Belt SystemsJun 13, 1993 5:05 PM
Peter… If you've used IM to morph to tape, any possibility that we could buy a copy to show around the office (not for ads, just to show the people here)? –Ben …via AutoPilot
#31611From: Peter GreciJun 14, 1993 5:53 PM
I've used IM to Morph a bit and have put it on Video Via DCTV. Actually why not ask Jerry Hatchett if he'll make YET ANOTHER dub of the "Great CI$ Animation Celebration" that he is compiling using Work from a load of us here. It contains the few morphs I've done as well as ALOT of other footage from me, Paul Toal,Paul Gerhardt,Jerry himself, Erik Flom and a couple of others who I'm Sorry to say I'm forgetting. I believe he was asking $8.75 for a copy. If Jerry is unable to Facilitate you I'm sure I could whip something together for you. Ask Jerry and let me know the outcome. I believe he's getting SWAMPED with requests tho so HURRY.
#31631From: Black Belt SystemsJun 15, 1993 6:42 AM
Ok – Jerry, wherever you are, please send me a copy of the 8.75 video… I'd be very interested to see that critter! <grin> –Ben …via AutoPilot
#31647From: Peter GreciJun 15, 1993 4:37 PM
Sorry Bout that. The Blokes name is Jerry Hatchett.
#31403From: Paul GerhardtJun 10, 1993 9:35 PM
Nate, Watch the mail. I sent out my tape yesterday. …AutoPilot Engaged… -Paul-
#31426From: Nathan WahlJun 11, 1993 5:33 AM
Paul, Great. I'll get mine out 'real soon now'. I had to tear my system down for the week, and will make it as soon as I can figure out where all of these silly wires go again. If your copy looks phase shifted or something, let me know and I'll rent a scope again. Double thanks. … Nate, Emerald Video. I Animate – because – I am a Nate!
#31452From: Paul GerhardtJun 11, 1993 8:15 PM
Nate, >If your copy looks phase shifted or something, let me know and I'll rent a scope again. Are you kidding! Please don't worry, the copy you are getting is a third generation VHS tape! It is just very interesting to share our work. I find it inspiring. I just DLed Eric's Humpback whale. It is GREAT! Now I HAVE to model and render some sort of marine creature! It is like those old time tap dance challenges. One dancer will do a fancy step, then the others try to top it. The result is they ALL get better. …AutoPilot Engaged… -Paul-
#31523From: Peter GreciJun 12, 1993 1:22 PM
Erik's Whale is online? Model or Rendering? Thanx Paul.
#31546From: Paul GerhardtJun 12, 1993 10:03 PM
Peter, There are 2 jpegs of Eric's whale online. It is great! Eric, If you are listening, was the whale done in Imagine or Lightwave? …AutoPilot Engaged… -Paul-
#31556From: Erik FlomJun 13, 1993 3:53 PM
Oh, please! Imagine? You're kidding, right? :^) No, it was made in LightWave, though I've heard Imagine has a better modeler than LW. Keep On Toastin' Erik Flom P.S. Thanks for the compliments. :^) I'm not really _that_ snobbish when it comes to using Imagine – I just don't have a copy. :^)
#31559From: Vance SchowalterJun 13, 1993 4:57 PM
Imagine 2.0 does have a better modeler, since I've used both, but I believe the Lightwave modeler has been greatly addressed for the 3.0 release. No modeler is perfect. I can think of many ways things could be made simpler for modelling in Imagine, but I can easily live with what I have. How far are you from getting your new system? Are you keeping the older card and A3000? -= Vance =- Image Master using Black Belt Systems' Imagemaster!
#31570From: Erik FlomJun 13, 1993 10:13 PM
Thanks for asking. I will probably order the new 4000 in the middle of next week from Tenex. (They support the power-Up deal, so they've got a good price.) I've been pestering NewTek, but I guess getting printed in 5 different magazines doesn't make me any more special than everyone else (Grrr), so I don't know when the T4000 will be showing up. I was originally planning on selling the 3000 w/ new Toaster software, but I've decided that I can get more benefit overall if I bite the bullet and keep the 3000-040 as a rendering station. (I doubt I'd get more than $3K for the entire system, including the 6-month old, $1K accelerator. :^( (Until I actually get all this hdw in my hot little hands, I'm gonna be a nervous wreck.) (I hate going even _deeper_ into debt! :^) Keep On Toastin' Erik Flom P.S. FWIW, the whale was done in LW 2.0 Modeler.
#31585From: Vance SchowalterJun 14, 1993 9:44 AM
And a nice job you did of the whale, too! *8) Glad to know you'll be keeping the old hardware. It should help out quite a bit with productivity. -= Vance =- Image Master using Black Belt Systems' Imagemaster!
#31561From: James GreenJun 13, 1993 6:05 PM
<<…though I've heard Imagine has a better modeler than LW.>> Holy understatements, Batman! …And it's going to be even better! :^) Alan Henry – Digital Plastic F100-PW-200 Inside
#31571From: Erik FlomJun 13, 1993 10:13 PM
I talked to some guy who's been using Real3D 2.0, and that sound like it'll be the second 3-D program of choice for me. (The real-world physical modeling sounds pretty cool!) I WILL still check out the next version of Imagine, assuming they don't dump the Amiga version in favor of the greener pastures of the Win world. Keep On Toastin' Erik Flom
#31563From: Paul GerhardtJun 13, 1993 9:01 PM
Ok, Ok, now I feel challenged! 😉 I've needed a reason to dive into Imagine's "#%@&^%" forms editor. So stand by. . . Actually I would love to get my hands on Lightwave, but I just can't justify the expense of that dongle. Now if I ever made any money at this I would spring for a toaster. On the other hand I COULD do some great things with my students. Na, I already spend too much of my own money trying to drag my school system into the 90s! …AutoPilot Engaged… -Paul-
#31572From: Erik FlomJun 13, 1993 10:13 PM
Waiting to hear your tales of whale construction in Imagine. (The proverbial 'Big fish' story. :^) Keep On (er) Imaginin' Erik Flom
#31612From: Peter GreciJun 14, 1993 5:53 PM
Thanx Paul. Dying to see yer footae as well as the rst of the folks on the "Great CI$ Animation Reel" I'll try to DL Erik's Whale tonight.
#31480From: Nathan WahlJun 12, 1993 4:28 AM
Paul, Mine'll be out soon. Kinda swamped right now, but my GVM project will be ready for dubs Wednesday (IhopeIhopeIhope). … Nate, Emerald Video. I Animate – because – I am a Nate!