CompuServe Thread

>> By using material morphing in the Keyframer, it _is_ available at the object level, just like move, rotate and scale (using all the same spline tools in the KeyInfo dialog). – G << Yipes! You got me on that one, Gary. Hold please, while I wipe off the egg on my face… OK, I'm back. But, I'm greedy, so let me put a real-life scenario on the table, as I try to sway you to my line-of-thought. In a scene that I'm building I have a detailed Sphinx (30,000 Polys and 10 surfaces), a temple, misc bulidings, and 3 pyramids (total 20,000 polys and 30 surfaces). There are two versions of each, one just constructed (5000 yrs ago) and one delapitated version of circa 1900's. Total polys approximately 100,000 and about 60 surfaces. Also have ground and background objects (5,000 polys and 5 surfaces). Now at various times in the animation I would like to dissolve out objects to nothing. At other times I may dissolve between the different versions. There is lots of CAMERA movement, shadows, and elements which do not change. I have determined that VP is not an option with out lots of work due to some crossing objects and interaction within the scene (Transparent objects and such…). So this is how I figure I would have to do it in the current 3DS. Oh yes, stripping down the complexity is not an option in this scenario. The objects will waver in and out from solid to NOTHING and would not be a linear DISSOLVE. Let's say the Sphinx is SOLID at frame 100, 40% trans@ frame 125, 75% trans@135, 60% trans@150 and 100% trans@165. Next I clone the Sphinx 4 times to morph at frames 100, 125, 135, 150, 165. Then I modify and copy all Sphinx element materials and make 40%, 75%, 60%, and 100% transparent versions (possibly using vary.IPX or just change TRANS and SPECULAR values for each. I now apply all the materials and then get a Miller cause I'm real tired now, and have about 150,000 polys and 50 sufaces in the Sphinx models alone!! Now someone might say, hey, David, use a flic file that goes from black to grays to white and use in TRANS and SPECULAR. That works if I nail it right the first time, but what about changing keyframes, time lengths and intensities? I would be making new flics or TGA's till the cows came home, and this is far from interactive here. Now the above is just for the first Sphinx object. Remember that I have two Sphinx objects! Adjusting the MORPH key timing is easy, but if the intensities are wrong I need to change LOTS of surface values. If the wavering pattern is not right then I have to perhaps add more MORPH targets and more surfaces. Adjusting the timing of the dissolve OUT object with the dissolve IN object requires LOTS of work to get it just right. Multiply the above by all the other objects in the scene which will be dissoling at various times are you end up with a HUGH (500,000+ polys) scene requiring a road map to navigate, slow rendering, more than the maximum of 128 surfaces, and one heck of a lot of work to make the whole thing work. If I have missed an easy solution for this PLEASE let me know. If you haven't, please read my message #142864 which explains how Lightwave does this same process. No MORPH copies. No multiple surfaces. Easily changable dissolve envelopes with I can copy and modify for other objects to use. Low poly count. Low surface count. And, most important – MINIMAL work to setup and adjust! Now I have taken some flak lately since I refer to Lightwave as a comparison model quite often. I do this not to point out weakness in 3DS, but to point out some good stuff that other software does that would really enhance 3DS. So, here's what I would LOVE to see in future versions of 3DS. Change the HIDE keyframe code to DISSOLVE. Instead of just ON/OFF (1/0) make it 1 to 0 and any value inbetween (i.e. .5 is 50% dissolve). It should then effect all polygons, including all surfaces in the object EQUALLY. Shadows should fade out if they are switched ON. With this, my NIGHTMARE scene would be a piece-of-cake. By the way, this DISSOLVE stuff is REALLY great with flying logo stuff and can really open up some very simple but cool effects. Thanks a lot Gary, and have a grand New Year! David.

Hi Martin, thanks for the morph materials dissolve tip. I used it an animation the next day. I do have a problem with it as a solution to the problem Dr.S had: while it does alow you to dissolve the object up from transparent, the object still casts a shadow at 100% transparency. This may work when going from a non-shadow-casting object to a non-shadow-casting object, but not when going to a shadow-casting object. My own solution was to have my "transparent" object actually have a map of the same texture as the background, but this wouldn't work for most apps. Am I missing some trick in the shadow settings? thanks, Scott