To (tell (in total) yet) telescope how I have coped with some of the unsublime <<plum(b-line) glum>> frustrations and impediments of the last lost weak week, I managed to get a snatchet of well-set six-boat footage from one of the iClone projects, that would “Play” but wouldn’t “play” (in that expert Exports of any kind – from the PAL DVD-sized output (that I have used for everything until now) down to smaller framed stills were not inclined to happen), by using the excellent ***FREE*** CamStudio screen capture software that you could (and probably should) NAB RIGHT NOW from :
Although the current Beta is up to Version 2.5, I selected the older 2.0 build because I believe it provides easier audio options.
Hurrah ! On-screen previews squished, this tool provided me with my first SECOND of divine done-ness. The second second was an aerial “Armarda” formation shot – with shadows that took a LOT of coaxing to retain and are notably absent in Scene Three which had to be cobbled together with 12 sets of individually green-screened craft. I was able to chug these out at 640×480 15fps but have since re-done and replaced them all at twice that frame rate.
My reason for doing that was to try to counter the disgusting blurry quality that Premiere was rendering. So FOUL after I’d settled on beats and bobbings…..all ships wrecked by horrendous horizontals that no messin’ with Field Hold could check.
I’ve since found that Premiere Projects can be loaded into After Effects for tweaking and that the latter program’s SEPARATE “Color Key” works far, far better than anything I’ve done with Premiere’s “Green Screen Key” which the Compositer doesn’t acknowledge.
Running ahead of myself, I RTFM for the 3DXchange 2.0 Trial and learned (the MOST through mistakes ; ripping rippling sauce from a Salsa Saucer to a Silver Salver was excitement following ACCIDENT) what an indespensible converter this is for any iClone user.
We’d got off on a bad footing when I decided this elaborate model :
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=7e4c6563bbb675b885f7a3de54751f1b&prevstart=0
should be its first guest only to find THAT boat 100% barred admittance then its chum :
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=379fa7ba7c753376619ef21bc094a137&prevstart=0
jarred the (Spanish ?) Main Program – in all manner of reprehensibly incomprehensibly inconsistent ways.
However, introducing simpler examples has been a REAL revelation (and I’m glad I had a moment to return before my 15 Days expired). I no longer need to speculate about what “specularity” is. I like it. I want it and the surrealist possibilities are hugely cheering.
Modelled up some rough ideas with boats in dishes. Today’s bump in the road has been my on-going obtuseness with iClone and its array of Timelines. Rotating an irregularly shaped object results in a correspondingly irregularly shaped rotation…… unless you use a “Trained Prop”.
~ Have no Fear of the Sphere m’ Dear ~
Hopefully, I’m getting there and will have some WINNING spinning soon.
