CompuServe Thread

#Strange LensFX

5 messages in this thread
#192217From: Digimation – David AvgikSep 23, 1995 9:44 AM
James, There is a peculiar situation in 3D Studio that may be causing your problems. It seems that if you rerender the same frame of your animation that 3D Studio will sometimes fail to send object coordinate data to Video Post entries. Since LenZFX relies heavily on this data, if it is not found the effect will fail to render. This can happen if you are rendering any type of flare (which keys off of a light's position) or AURA or STARLIGHT – BY OBJECT – (which keys off of an object's position. Once again, the problem crops up if you render a frame (say frame 10), make a few changes, rerender frame 10, make some changes, rerender frame 10 and so on. The work around is very easy. Go to the Keyframer and jump to frame 9 then back to 10. Doing anything in the Keyframer seems to reset things somehow. This is a problem in 3D Studio – not LenZFX – which has been confirmed by Tom Hudson of the Yost Group. (I only mention that because it seems that 'some people' are being to quick to cry 'bug' in LenZFX.) I hope this solves your problem. If not your best course of action is to call us directly (504) 468-7898 and let us assist you over the phone. David – Digimation
#192255From: Tim Krego, [pro.image]Sep 23, 1995 8:18 PM
>has been confirmed by Tom Hudson of the Yost Group. (I only mention that because it seems that 'some people' are being to quick to cry 'bug' in LenZFX.)< After the field-rendering absense you can't blame people for jumping the gun to blame LenZFX for other problems. It would be nice to see that mentioned in the manuals.
#192335From: Digimation – David AvgikSep 24, 1995 2:16 PM
Hi Tim, >After the field-rendering absense you can't blame people for jumping the gun to blame LenZFX for other problems. It would be nice to see that mentioned in the manuals.< This is another example of what I mean about crying 'bug'. The way field rendering was done in the old LenZFX was not a bug either. It was a decision to process the actual effect in a frame mode to overcome certain limitations in IPAS. Fortunately, LenZFX 2 deals with the problem in another way and field rendering the effect is supported now. BTW, that abnormality in Video Post was discovered AFTER LenZFX shipped so some early manuals did not mention it but several months ago a tech support doc that explained this was posted here on the forum and added to the manuals. David – Digimation
#192430From: Mike KelleySep 25, 1995 12:07 PM
David, Just a quick line to let you know I think you've handled the complaints about LensFX just fine — I think just your presence on the forum answering questions (and announcing shipping dates for upgrades) does a lot to make me feel great about Digimation and all the products I buy from you guys (I get so confused, but I do know I got WB and LensFX from you — did I not get Refraction Mapping and Bones Pro as well?). Anyway, keep up the communication — and I can't wait for Inferno and the WB upgrade!
#192922From: Matthew P. SamiaSep 27, 1995 10:13 PM
Well, folks, I guess I was a bit hasty in crying "Bug!!!". I don't know if others are also included in the "some people" reference, or if I'm the only one. Sorry. Having said that, I wonder if you might be able to help us get around the situation. The problem is that when rendering using "Aura" and selecting the object that is to glow, sometimes it glows and sometimes it doesn't. This is really apparent in flics, where the object will glow on some frames, but not on others. Any ideas on how to work around this? Also, regarding the intensity setting: I haven't had any luck getting this to cue off the luminosity of the light that is selected. I may very well be doing something stupid, but, just in case, is there a trick to doing that? What seems to happen is that a light with all sliders at "0" (which would be preety much off) will still get a glow, even though the "L" button is pressed. Any suggestions? Can this effect be animated over time, to cue off a light's luminosity as it changes color? Thanks for the help. Matthew Samia