#bones with smooth
27 messages in this thread
I just got bones and Im having fun playing with it . Smooth is a nice suprise
thats very helpful in modeling. I havnt used Lightwave but It sounds like
Smooth might approximate metaform. Anyway good work!
Ed
Thanks Ed,
I think the combination of Bones Pro and LenZFX add up to a great
"Lightwave Terminator" package.
They take two of Lightwaves best features, improve them, and bring them
over to 3D Studio.
David – Digimation
>I think the combination of Bones Pro and LenZFX add up to a great
>"Lightwave Terminator" package.
>They take two of Lightwaves best features, improve them, and bring them
>over to 3D Studio.
I have Bones, David, and I'm very impressed with it. I booted up the demo of
LenZFX and the interface looks interesting, although I can't really tell too
much what it will do.
My question: I know that Gary says LenZFX is better than Disk #1, but I own
every Boutique IPAS disk already. Will I profit much by getting LenZFX? It
doesn't look from the interface that I gain much more than an easier way of
doing the same things I can do from Disk #1.
I'd like your biased opinion.
LenZFX is an order of magnitude more powerful than Disk1. In addition to
offering z-buffer-based depth of field (which disk1 doesn't do at all), the
flare system goes beyond the photoshop-style lens flare (this is what LW
copied, and is the current "standard" in flares) in terms of both flexibility
and quality. The glows and hilights are all time envelopable, and I could go
on and on and on.
– G
>>bones and modeling…
Hi Mr. -G,
In playing with some of these new toys, I have a wishlist item for your Skin
routine: a way for Skin to create a hard mesh for manipulation in the editor.
With the Bones/IK way of moving things and the Smooth way of fixing joints, an
editable mesh option would allow cutting holes, face editing, etc, for complete
mesh control.
JKJ
I would like that, myself! <g>
Noted,
– G
Gary,
re: skin to polygon export capability wish
I'll second that. I'm doing some heads with skin now and would love that
capability.
Hi John,
Try the Bones SHAREWARE routine – it creates morph meshes.
Bye Michael
>>try Bones shareware
Do you mean you can make a hard mesh from a Skinned object using the Bones
shareware? That would be useful.
JKJ
Hoops, sorry, missed this one.
Thought you had a hard mesh deformed by Bones Pro….
Sorry
Michael
Hi Mike,
Glad you like Bones Pro. Here, as you requested, is my biased opinion about
LenZFX. Yost #1 was a great package
when it was released but since then the Yost guys have added a ton of new IPAS
functionality that we exploit in
LenZFX. Here is a brief synopsis of the benefits of LenZFX over Yost#1
Blurring based on distance instead of hue or color. This provides you with
realistic depth of field effects without
the need to composite images.
Glow and hilight by object.
Color and shape of each glow and hilight is user definable. In Yost #1 if you
glow a green pixel you get a green
glow. In LenZFX you select the pixels to glow and you set the color of the
glow.
Lens flares look extremely realistic.
Lens flares key off of scene lights.
Comes packed with 2 dozen different lens flares or create your own from
scratch.
24 bit color, animated preview interface.
Every setting, glow size, number of rays in hilight, etc. are all animatable
over time via spline envelopes.
Faster rendering times.
Glows, hilights and lens flares can diminish in size and intensity based on
distance from the camera.
Masks can be used with glow, hilight and focus to apply the effect only where
needed.
Actually a lot more things as well. It really is an incredible package.
David – Digimation
Thanks, David (and you too, Gary). Okay, I'm not a hard sell, I want to buy
it. There's something on my demo disk (when I try to run it) about getting
something to unlock the disk. Is this the best way to do, or do I just order
the whole package from you guys?
Hi Mike,
Just order from us. You get the latest version – docs – cool registration card
– the works.
>>unlocking LenZFX…
JFYI, a guy from Digimation told me the demo disk was the same as the release
disk. The difference: full version requires a hardware lock to run. Here we
go again…
JKJ
>The difference: full version requires a hardware lock to run
Does this mean that on my network machines I would not be able to run the
routine? (I know, you're not the one to ask, but perhaps David will jump in
here).
If that's the case, then I'm going to forget it for now — I can't believe a
company like Digimation (which released Bones Pro without protection) would
agree to a routine that requires a hardware lock. Besides — one more lock and
my computer won't fit against the way it lives on now.
>>LenZFX hardware lock…
You're right, I have no idea about the network implications. I agree with your
sentiments on hardware locks. (I think I was one of the last LiquidSpeed
holdouts, refusing to buy, but graciously accepting it as a present from a good
friend. <g>) I was in the process of buying the BonesPro and was considering
the LenZFX until this news came over the phone. I'll "make do" with the Yost
routines, thank you very much.
You might want to call Digimation Monday (800-854-4496) and get the scoop on
this for yourself.
JKJ
PS: I know, lets wait and see if Don Landis buys it. <g>
As far as network rendering goes you have two options.
1) purchase a full version of LFX for each slave machine.
2) buy the new and much more expensive LFX Pro, which will work fully on one
workstation and render on all your slave machines.
We too were suprised to find that LFX required a dongle when it arrived. We
were downright outraged to find we couldn't network render with it. David at
Digimation has been great about the whole thing, considering his hands are
tied. It seems LFX was developed by an outside programmer who insisted on the
hardware lock (poo poo). Bones Pro was produced in-house so it follows
Digimations policy of no copy protection (spiffy!).
Mitch
>>LenZFX dongle…
I told the guy at Digimation that he might do well to mention the hardware lock
in advertisement and to prospective customers BEFORE they buy. Some of us hate
that kind of surprise. I'd hate to see their reputation suffer as it will if
people get mad.
This may get to be a problem – here we have this fantastic open architecture
with the potential of HUNDREDS of IPAS add-ons to customize it to suit. Can
you imagine HUNDREDS of hardware locks sticking out the back of each computer
on your network, one for each paraniod or egotistical software developer? Sort
of quenches the magic.
Well, since no one asked us for our opinions, we'll have to vote with our
dollars. If anyone else writes equivalent undongled routines, I'll buy.
JKJ
<<This may get to be a problem – here we have this fantastic open architecture
with the potential of HUNDREDS of IPAS add-ons to customize it to suit. Can
you imagine HUNDREDS of hardware locks sticking out the back of each computer
on your network, one for each paraniod or egotistical software developer? Sort
of quenches the magic.>>
Your attitude also sort of quenches the magic.
The 3DS plug in architecture is a wonderful part of the package, but many other
3D packages already have similar interfaces or are incorporating them. And if
the 3D Studio market isn't going to stop bellyaching long enough to discover
the utility of what's out there, you're going to get left behind.
The quality of plug-ins over the last few months has increased at least
ten-fold. Look at Pennello, Bones Pro, HSC's products, LenZFX. They are heads
and shoulders above what used to be available. But 3D Studio user's interest
in plugins hasn't increased ten fold, in fact, it hasn't increased at ALL.
Entire teams of developers can now spend months perfecting a single plug in,
and at best it will be received with a smug and indifferent attitude. That is,
until the pirated version is dropped in their hands.
I worked very hard on a plugin routine called Mirage, which has gotten nothing
but great reviews and user accolades (its even being used for effects on an
upcoming movie), but the sales have been marginal at best. It didn't even cover
the development costs. And then a few months later, it was being distributed
on the internet even though it has a conspicous copyright notice right on the
opening screen. Mirage was released on the honors system, with no copy
protection whatsoever.
The 3D Studio market is a narrow group of professionals, and unfortunately
because it is so narrow, you have to pay a little bit more for what you use
than say a Windows user. That's just simple economics. Just look at the
prices you have to pay for similar products on an SGI platform. And unless
you're willing to give a little, guess where all the good developers are going
to be.
<<Well, since no one asked us for our opinions, we'll have to vote with our
dollars.>>
Sounds more like a kid trying to get their parents attention by holding their
own breath. It'll end up hurting you in the long run.
Aaron
Pmfji
I couldnt agree with you more on the dongle issue. Dongles are a big factor in
my decision to hold off on Penello and LensFX.
Ed
Hi David!
I got my BonesPro yesterday and played with it some last night. WOW! This is
going to be great. I can't wait to see the character animation section of the
3DS Siggraph reel this year.
I am composing a comment/suggestion/bug list. Should I send it to you or
someone else?
JKJ
Hi John,
Glad you like Bones Pro. We're compiling a list of enhancements now, so send
yours as soon as you can to me.
Thanks,
David – Digimation
>We're compiling a list of enhancements now, so send yours as soon as you can
>to me.
It's hard to improve upon perfection, but I'd sure like to see Smooth include a
preview mode for testing various settings and parameters (then you wouldn't
have to worry about an Undo as well). Smooth is a vital component of Bones
that should be talked up more. Great stuff!
Actually, I did have one thought that sounds a little pie in the sky, but
anyone who can program Bones Pro might appreciate the challenge: since BP works
so well with IK, it's a shame that in order to get muscular expansion you have
to resize the bone. This is just some manual work (and I'm not complaining!)
that the computer ought to be able to help with (because you either have to
resize the bone back or copy a size key when the muscle contracts).
It occurs to me that BP might be able to have some sort of "flex" parameter
that, as a bone is rotated, could expand the bone (and the mesh) accordingly
(and then, of course, contract as well). You'd probably want to be able to
specify which end (or both, or the whole bone) should be resized, and by how
much.
I'm probably not explaining this well, but this is a kind of killer feature
that would make character animation dead simple. If this doesn't make sense to
you let me know and I'll try and elaborate.
David
Well, you already know my request. As you and I have found, SXPs just don't
tack to an AXP object, but they will to a morph object. Please put my idea of
an option in the Bones KXP to automatically create, assign, and hide any needed
morph targets to the list. This would be a great help if one wanted to use an
SXP on the Boned object. Creating and assigning a lot of morphs can be a real
hassle.
For those out there who don't know what I mean about Bones.AXP and SXPs, try it
and see. The texture doesn't move with the object as it deforms (Skin.AXP has
the same problem).
Mitch
>>>I think the combination of Bones Pro and LenZFX add up to a great
"Lightwave Terminator" package.
They take two of Lightwaves best features, improve them, and bring them over to
3D Studio.<<<
Except the cost as much as Lightwave will sell for on the PC. Nevermind the $3K
for 3DS.
Tim,
What I meant by the 'Lightwave Terminator' package is that Lightwave had two
really neat things about
it that 3DS didn't have. Cool character animation with bones and sexy lens
flares. On the other side of the
coin, 3D Studio has dozens and dozens of features that Lightwave doesn't. It's
a much more professional
tool right out of the box. We just added the two features that we thought were
great about Lightwave.
It's like adding a cup holder and a CD player from a Chrysler Mini Van to a
Ferrari. Nice features that would
compliment the Ferrari but still it was always a better vehicle.
David – Digimation
>>>What I meant by the 'Lightwave Terminator' package is that Lightwave had two
really neat things about it that 3DS didn't have.<<<
I kinda knew what you were saying. I used Lightwave since it came out in
October '90. I jumped to 3DS for several reasons, expandability being one of
them. With Lightwave 4.0 coming for Win/NT having bones and lens flare built-in
and listing for $995 it will be the only real competition for 3DS that I can
see. And many users would like to see a great 3D program for NT.