#Lightning how to?
16 messages in this thread
I really need some advice with lightning. I've got the chance to get a prett
decent job that's dependent on me coming up with a few samples by Tuesday. The
client wants to have a logo revealed by a lightning strike. The lightning needs
to be controlled for the initial strike – it has to hit in the right spot.
There will actually be two bolts intially. Right now, I'm thinking painting
these in AniPro would be the best way the letting LenZFX do a nice glow. The
hard part (I think) will be actually revealing the logo. Ideally, I'd like to
have the lightning strike and then do an effect like the movies when someone's
electrified. Like have the little bolts going all over them – in their mouth
etc. That would be really cool if the little bolst would trace out the logo and
then the logo could fade in as this was happening. I have Plasma.axp but I lost
my manual. I really did lose it. Honest. 🙂 Would plasma do it for the logo? I
really would like this to be schmoozy so any great ideas would be really
appreciated. Thanks
DM
Hi Dave,
<<..plasma and lightning..>>
I'm not sure about plasma but I've seen good lightning come out of..
File Info for FX10.EXE
Section: IPAS Usage Contributor: 73362,466 Size: 681638
Submitted: 5/27/94 Type: Binary Accesses: 232
Title: Imagine FX "convertible demo" IPAS – AXP's
Keys: IPAS AXP EXPLODE COMET LIGHTNING
Imagine FX "convertible demo" of six powerful AXP routines for 3D Studio
Release 3.
This package includes Lightning, Explode volume, Comet, Rings, Particle Cloud,
and
Starburst. The demo fully operates each routine, but does
not allow you access to the routines comprehensive dialog controls. Converts
over the
telephone to the full working system with a password from Schreiber
Instruments, Inc.,
Denver CO, (303) 759-1024.
Dave,
Using Lightning from Schreiber's Imagine FX will do most of what you want.
You should be able to fiddle around with the lightning parameters (thickness, #
of bolts, etc.) and aim the .axp box to hit where you want. Conversely, you
might be able to have multiple bolts strike one single area by rendering
backwards with the .axp box "upside down," so that the forks converge instead
of spreading out.
As far as having the lightning linger and hug an object, it would be
pretty difficult to simulate it with Imagine FX. You would probably need a
very large number of .axp boxes, and it would take forever to tweak. Good
luck!
Paul S.
Thanks for the tips Paul. I got Imagine FX and it just doesn't do what I want.
The lightning just doesn't do it for me. It's too fake looking. Especially up
close. I could see using it for background strikes but that's about it. I've
decided to hand paint the effect and have gotten great results doing it that
way. Pretty easy to make it hug an object also.
DM
Dave,
I'm not terribly impressed with *any* of the Imagine FX routines. I
believe they were created for Release 2.
Good luck with your hand painting the strikes!
Paul S.
Dave,
we've tried all the different types of lightning and were most happy with hand
painted/animated ones. Do them in animator pro (or you favourite 2d animation
package) and composite them in your 3d animation or put them on 2d "cards" with
tex/op mapping material.
another way that would allow good control would be to create geometric strikes
using the shaper and lofter. You could easily draw the paths around the logo
using the freehand tool in the 2d shaper while viewing the 3d logo object. Loft
a simple shape with mapping co-ordinates on. Add branches to the fork
seperately. Use an animated opacity map to reveal the lighting – use the same
map for self-illumination and use glow or lenzFX as a post-process.
for an instant lighting strike with controllable geometry you could make a
deciduous tree (winter setting for no leaves) in Silicon Garden (if you own it)
and turn it upside down and use the same kind of material and technique as
above. The inverted branches might make a quick and tweakable lighting fork.
Use animated lights in your 3d scene to give the flickering lightining effect.
Turning them on and off very rapidly (strobe effect) might give you the
opportunity to have the logo appear during one of the lights off moments. Very
spooky <g>.
Thanks for the great tips Martin. Yep, hand painting is the way I've decided to
go. Much more controllable and actually fairly easy – just time consuming. I
took a look at Schreibers but it's way too fake looking for what I want to
accomplish. I'm actually just bidding on the job right now and put together
three frames of hand painted lightning and gave them to the client printed out
dye-sub. I think he was pretty impressed, so I hope I'll get the job. If I do
I'll ul a .flc of the piece here. Anyway, thanks again. I hope things are still
going good at Metrolight.
DM
Dave,
>> hand painting is the way I've decided to go. Much more controllable and
actually fairly easy – just time consuming. <<
that's what we did on our last commercial, too. Hope you get the project.
>> I hope things are still going good at Metrolight. <<
things are going very well. I'm working hard on another commercial for a
Japanese client. Most of MetroLight's commercials for far eastern clients these
days – they have the big budgets and they like our work.
>> Hope you get the project.
Got it! Just found out this afternoon. Very cool, they must have liked the
screen shots. Plus – I gave notice at my job yesterday and they told me they'd
use me exclusively for animation projects. So, I'm working out of my home
office starting Monday. Hopefully everything will go smoothly. Unfortunately, I
still have to pay my bills. ;<(
Great news on all the commercial work. Big budgets are nice _especially_ when
you can produce that level of work. Do you have reel? I'd really like to see
it. (I'll show ya mine if …..) Ha Ha Ha! Couldn't resist.
DM
Dave,
congrats on being awarded the project 🙂 yay!
>> Do you have reel? <<
We probably won't have a seperate reel from the SGI department. It all goes in
together. Also, WRT most of the projects we've worked – we haven't received
releases yet to include them in our reel. Shucks.
WinImages From BlackBelt has a cool lightning effect that is animatable. They
are somewhere here on the CIS
wait, 800 852 6442
check it out. there is only an onscreen manual which is pretty incoherent but
their tech support guy Dave is really cool ie; helpful.
will
Thanks Will. I'm going to take a look at WinFX based on the recommendations
from you and Jeffrey Lerer. Sounds like it would be a very useful tool.
DM
Dave,
I'm getting a copy of Black Belt Systems' WinImages. It is actually two
programs (Win Images F/X and Win Images Morph) bundled together for one price.
Someone mentioned that
they liked the program for effects like lightning and glows. I downloaded a
copy from
Animation Vendors A Forum and I am impressed. It does great effects over time.
you can give
it a path in frame 1 and select colors, width, branches, etc… The effect
will be animated
following your specified variation (via editable splines) very impressive!
Especially for $99
list. The effects can be done with alpha. The number of selectable effects
(all time based)
is pretty impressive. I'll be placing my order as soon as I find a mail order
house that
carries it. The pointer I have is for Safe Harbor, just have to find their
phone number. I haven't look at the morph software yet but if it is anywhere as
powerful as F/X it should be well worth the money. You can order the NT version
for 495 list (295 mail order from Safe Harbor).
It took me around 5 minutes to overlay nice (NICE being the key word here)
lightning on top of an image that varied over time. The effects are every bit
as configurable as the Lens F/X effects.
-Matt (Active Media Graphics)
Y 50 /g fM/
Matt, you are so right when you praise WinFx. An amazing program. However,
stear clear of the WinMorph. Yicks is it buggy. All sorts of quirks and
foibles, and delivers up unpleasant surprises in repeated sessions. Elastic
Reality is the monster morpher of my choice. I laughed at your sentence
regarding the incomprehensible on-line help 🙂 too true. But WinFX is so
straight ahead and well designed, it didn't matter. JEffrey
Jeffrey,
When I was looking at the demo, I didn't even look at Morph. I already have
Elastic Reality and if Morph was worthwhile it would complement ER not replace
it. But F/X looks great just what I need for F/X.
-Matt (Active Media Graphics)
Y 50 /g fM/
Matt, thought I might save you some time and frustration re: WinMorph. Since
you're already running ER and WinFX, you've got a great POST platform. I really
hope the programers can get ANim-Studio running well. Having a complete 2-D
anim set-up is essential. Hav'n soooo much fun, right here on Monkey Island
(NY,NY) Jeffrey