Finally.....Pinhead Returns....coming Soon


https://forum.reallusion.com/Topic174029.aspx
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By duchess110 - 10 Years Ago
Although I have only entered one pinhead competition I always follow what the little chap gets up to.

So just added my 5* rating.

By duchess110 - 10 Years Ago
The dog was also taken the man comes back for him saying you pooch can keep the dirty rats at bay.
By Popeye - 10 Years Ago
If Blue had of aimed for the curtains he may have helped a disaster. Are they not on fire LOL
By Capemedia - 10 Years Ago
Looking at the project plan and seeing all that red, I think I'm screwed w00t

By Capemedia - 10 Years Ago
RB3006 (5/15/2014)
You know about the 4GB Patch for 32 Bit version?
Thats a real secret weapon and has often helped to reopen lost gone projects.
You also get a lot more content, or avatars in the project

Robert

No please tell w00t

By Capemedia - 10 Years Ago
animagic (5/15/2014)
[quote]I'm using this patch too and am able to do a lot of work in the 32-bit version. It's at http://www.ntcore.com/4gb_patch.php. Just apply and be on your merry way. I also use it for 3DXchange to be able to open larger models.

@Viking: very sorry to hear about your crash. A blue screen might have something to do with your graphics card driver. I occasionally have a black screen (no display it all), which tells me the card is working at its limits.

Thanks for the link BigGrin

By Capemedia - 10 Years Ago
Hello All,

Been having tons of problems with IE11 and the forum hence not many updates.  However looking through this thread I am way behind you all.

So I've been wanting to share the main characters with you, with Pinhead and Alura being the principle ones.  To the left are the protagonists support characters and to the right antagonists ones.

I'm waiting for some people to get back to me so I cannot release the cast yet.

Hope you like them.

Cape (aka Colin)

By Capemedia - 10 Years Ago
justaviking (5/6/2014)
@Cape (Colin),

Thanks for the screenshot.

Wow, a cast of thousands!!!  (Okay, eight, but who's counting.)

Hmm... is Pinhead on the antagonist side???  Tongue   You can't take anything for granted when Pinhead is involved.  Wink

No Pinhead is the good guy, but like in all good stories, things go from bad to worse for him Smile

By Capemedia - 10 Years Ago
animagic (5/6/2014)
So it's mainly women on the good side, and the bad guys are really guys! Makes sense...Tongue

Quite a cast! I look forward to what you come up with, Colin. I've found that while my story developed I needed additional characters...Crazy

Anyway, we try to collectively elevate the quality of iClone movies, so additional talented contributions are welcome! Wink

Thanks

I'm a fan of strong female characters, it's just the theme was set by the Pinhead committee, a bad guy kidnaps a girl.  They could have had a girl kidnap a guy or any combination.

So my story just developed this premise, the why's, the who's and the where.  These characters apart from Pinhead will be voiced.  I never wanted to take the essence of Pinhead away so I'm sticking with the text to speech.

Character development in a short time frame is very hard, but I'll do my best within the time frame required.

By Capemedia - 10 Years Ago
RB3006 (5/6/2014)
The picture with your actors is a nice idea.
But I miss the dog. Where is the dog??? BigGrin

Robert

No dog in my story, maybe in the sequel????

By Capemedia - 10 Years Ago
colour (5/9/2014)
                                               BRIAN'S DONATE THERMOMETER

..............has reached $125. The target is $150.

That's very impressive, in such a short time. Smile

I'm betting that Brian, Alley, Joe & Gerry are well-pleased Smile

Thanks again, Brian, for all of the hard work you put into maintaining Pinhead's Website. Smile

Just donated, so this should rise Wink

By Capemedia - 10 Years Ago
Hi All,

I don't have anything major to report, only the script is around 80% complete and I've cast a few people.  I'm still waiting on one or two.

I have managed to get two main roles filled by a couple of outstanding actors, one who is very close to my heart and another who is well known in the Machinima world who I've never worked with.

More when I have a full cast Wink

Thanks

Colin (aka Capemedia)

By Capemedia - 10 Years Ago
colour (5/12/2014)Would one of them be Ricky Grove, Colin?

How did you guess? w00t

By Capemedia - 10 Years Ago
animagic (5/24/2014)
Well, here you are good people, my entry for the competiton, called: "The Lost Client".

Private Eye Walter Pinhead is faced with his thoughest case yet when his client Alura Simmons is kidnapped! Who is behind it and why? Join Pinhead and his resourceful hacker friend Franciska on their quest to solve this puzzle, and, eventually, free Alura.

I hope it is to your liking!

Excellent stuff BigGrin

By Capemedia - 10 Years Ago
Rogerread sorry to hear such bad news, hope you can get everything back Smile

Anyhow here's my update:-

Cast - 100% Complete

VO - 50% Done

Character Design - 100% Complete

Set Design - 40% Done

Animation - 0% Done

Post Production - 0% Done

Music / SFX - 0% Done

Editing - 0% Done

Overall = 3% Complete

___________________

So everyone, trust me you have nothing to worry about with 26 days to go I'm the one screwed Smile LOL

Cape out!!!!

By Capemedia - 10 Years Ago
I'm pleased to announce the name of my film for the Pinhead competition as "Pinhead in Seized" and also the main voice cast members.

Thanks

Cape (aka Colin) BigGrin

By Capemedia - 10 Years Ago
colour (6/8/2014)
Good Cast & Voice Actors, Colin Smile

justaviking (6/8/2014)
@Colin,

Thanks for the great cast picture.  Very cool.  Can't wait for your video!

mark (6/9/2014)
WOW! Now that's the A team on voice casting!!!! BravoBigGrin

GrannyJ (6/9/2014)
@Capemedia

Good looking cast - can't wait to see your clip

Thanks everyone, I have been really lucky to have got these people to give up their time for my little project.

It will be completed that is certain, however if I make the competition deadline that is something else.  Either way I will finish what I started.

Thanks again for the support Smile

By Capemedia - 10 Years Ago
The Mythical Dragon (6/10/2014)
Thanks everyone, I'm glad you enjoyed it. My daughters had lots of fun recording the voices and helping me come up with the story line. It was the longest video I've ever made and seem to take forever to finish. I had fun creating it but I'm glad it is finally done.

Both my daughters have asked me to say thanks for the nice comments about them.

It's going to be very difficult selecting the best videos when this is over. All the videos so far have been amazing with really awesome story lines.

The standard just keeps getting higher BigGrin

By Capemedia - 10 Years Ago
Colour and justaviking, I have enjoyed this competition as it's pushed me like nothing else has and is testing my ability to complete a film in a tight time frame (They normally take months for me to make and hundreds of hours)

I think anybody who finishes by the end of the month needs a standing ovation and from me a big well done Smile 

This is testing because I have a very demanding full time job (Who hasn't) a family and a business to run, while trying to find time for this project.

What makes matters worse, this Thursday begins the World Cup and I need to also fit all those games into an already crowded calendar!

I will really try to complete on time but everyday goes by and it's getting harder.  I've not even started animating yet LOL

But we will see how things go over the next week or so Smile

Cape Tongue

By Capemedia - 10 Years Ago
Hello All,

Sadly and with a heavy heart I will have to pull out of the competition due to work commitments.  I am being sent to another part of the country next week and even though I have internet access, I will be away from my studio.

To say I'm gutted is an understatement, but there is nothing I can do as my day job is my bread & butter, Capemedia has to play second fiddle to it at the moment.

Even though I am not in the running I will still complete my project now possibly in July and would like to wish you all the best and to add that the standard has been amazing.

Good luck to everyone.

Colin (aka Capemedia)  

By Capemedia - 10 Years Ago
Hello All,

As you know I pulled out of the competition due to time limits but will still finish the film and release it this summer.

So I had a little time today to put a teaser together before I shoot off again tomorrow for another week away.

So what's behind the curtain?

Hope you enjoy it.

Cape Tongue

By Capemedia - 10 Years Ago
Hello All,

Joined last night and hope to bring something to the Pinhead world.

Thanks

Cape Smile
By Capemedia - 10 Years Ago
Hello All,

Can I ask a couple of questions.

1. Our WIP should we keep those located in this thread or can we start our own?
2. Do we have an exact date when this comp closes so I can plan for it?

Thanks

Cape Smile
By Capemedia - 10 Years Ago
Hi All,

Nothing major to report but I'm currently acquiring assets for my Pinhead project. I have the basis of a story and a drafted script but need all the relevant, characters, props, scenes etc.

Hopefully be able to put something up soon Smile

Cheers

Cape BigGrin
By Capemedia - 10 Years Ago
Alley (4/24/2014)
Hi everyone,

I have spoken with the committee. As to Granny J's question of can you re-submit....answer is yes.

New Deadline...due to commitments by many of us, we have decided that we are prepared to extend the deadline to June 30. I know it's a long extension, but two of us have commitments covering the last part of May...and well, there is some momentum going now.

Are you all basically okay with this, or please let us know if this causes issues for anyone.


Well this is a surprise I know the deadline was close and so I had prepared for such. However this will allow me and the people I'm working with a little more time to get everything together.

Thanks to those responsible for the extension, I will make the most of it. But like those who have already submitted, if you've finish then submit, why wait.

Regards

Cape BigGrin
By moviemaniac - 10 Years Ago
finally ........ but I cant upload it
By moviemaniac - 10 Years Ago
L am so sorry guys . it'S ABOUT MY COMPUTER I KEEPS OVERHEATING . I WILL UPLOAD IT AS SOON THAT I HAVE CHANCE TO TRANSFER MY HARD DRIVE TO A NEW COMPUTER . GOOD LUCK TO ALLL THE PARTICIPANT .I WAS BZ WITH MY JOB AND NEVER HAVE CHANCE TO WATCH THE ENTRIES YET .
By wires - 10 Years Ago
Why do we always have to extend published deadlines for the contest? Nobody else seems to get pestered into doing it.
By wires - 10 Years Ago
It is quite obvious to me now that my comments were completely out of place regarding extensions. I unreservedly withdraw those comments and apologise to all that have found them offensive.
By wires - 10 Years Ago
I'm also not angry, but somewhat frustrated when it appears, rightly or wrongly, that we are responsible for placing others under pressure to meet a deadline.

This, like all the other projects, has once again been interesting and fun - and I want it to stay that way. Smile Cool

By wires - 10 Years Ago
[b]justaviking (8/1/2014)[/b

I can say with confidence, "Somewhere between five and six million."

(Not to be confused with, "Somewhere between five million and six million."  Tongue )

Quite true with that estimate.

Due to the huge turnout Brian asked the rest of us if we could afford to get him assistance from the State of California Electoral Office for the counting. w00t

We told him that if he didn't use his mouse while reading the votes then he would have an extra 5 fingers free to count with. Tongue

By wires - 10 Years Ago
Wow, 12 clips on the contest page.Cool This is really going to be a very difficult contest to judge.w00t The quality is just amazing.Hehe

I've really enjoyed viewing the entries, and now look forward to going through them again with pen and paper at hand.Smile

A very early thank you to one and all for taking the time out to have some fun with our friend Pinhead.

To those who weren't able to get to the deadline for one reason or another, don't give up. You can always submit your clips at anytime for others to enjoy.SmileRolleyesSatisfied

By wires - 10 Years Ago
@Viking,

Dennis, your clip being blocked in Germany has nothing to do with copyright. It has to do with a very long running conflict between YouTube and GEMA, a performance rights organisation in Germany, over how much money YouTube should pay for every song click.

There are quite a few videos that have been posted by users on the forum that can't be viewed here.Crazy

By wires - 10 Years Ago
Excellent teaser Colin, can't wait for the film.
By wires - 10 Years Ago
Excellent Roger. I'm glad that you got it finished despite all of your difficulties.

Nice shot of your entrance hall. SmileCool

By wires - 10 Years Ago
justaviking (6/28/2014)

.....How many days left?  I might have lost count.  Tongue

Days???

My dear Dennis we are approaching the point where only hours are left to be counted. w00t

By wires - 10 Years Ago
For those of you counting time, you have about 18 days - or approx. 482 hours left. w00t

Just sayin' Smile

On another note, I'm having fun counting the number of Rodents appearing in the clips. HeheTongue

By wires - 10 Years Ago
Did you by any chance spend the week-end in Leipzig Robert?Smile
By wires - 10 Years Ago
I mean yesterday and Saturday - Gotik-Treffen Leipzig: Schwitzen in Schwarz. SmileCool
By wires - 10 Years Ago
I have to say that the quality of the videos submitted so far for our contest has been absolutely amazing. The story lines, sets, audio, lighting and the just super little surprizes that pop up once in a while are a treat to watch.Wow

I have watched all of the present entries several times, and still don't get bored.Cool

It's really a joy to see what a one-man/woman production company can put together within such a short time.Smile

I'm looking forward to seeing just what the veterans have up their sleeves for us.Smile

It's a pity that Pete and Roger got hit with their PC problems - but there's still time for even a "mini" clip. Satisfied 

By wires - 10 Years Ago
This is terrible news Roger, and as always such disasters occur just when one thinks that things are looking up.

Your pain is shared. 

By wires - 10 Years Ago
Glad to see you back and typing. Smile

.....and I am surviving on little more than paracetamol sandwiches!

I find that the sandwiches are most effective if washed down with a glass of undiluted, 12 year old, single highland spring water. BigGrin Tongue

Keep up the recovery.

By wires - 10 Years Ago
Amazing clip Arie, and in such a short time. You've set the bar very high for the hard-core vets.SmileBigGrinHehe
By wires - 10 Years Ago
Another wonderful clip. Look's like Pinhead still hasn't lost a bad habit that he picked up in one of his first adventures (the famous "borrowed" boat). BigGrin Smile
By wires - 10 Years Ago
Present?

What present?

Can I have one?

Anyway, maybe the mystery male is a recruiter for the navy and the good lady is now cooking for 20+ crew members on board the HMS Victory museum. Smile

By wires - 10 Years Ago
Just to add to some of what Alley said. The project teaser was really fun to do, and couldn't have come at a better time for me.

Early January I was in Belfast when I got the first mail with a script for the project, my Dad had just died and I was there for the funeral - I'd actually managed to get there just before his death. About a week later, I was in Dublin airport waiting for my flight back to Frankfurt, I got a mail with the final script and the request to do scene 2.

Back home I was glad to have a sense of purpose in my daily routine, and got stuck into the project. Getting back up to speed on SketchUp, iClone, Audacity and Media Composer kept me busy.

My special thanks go to mark and Warlord for their great tutorials on using dummies. As Alley said, I had the project full of them. Reach At, Look At, Follow, you name it I used it. I had props attached and linked to them, music and SFX associated with them. I even had them attached, linked and looking at each other and other items and paths.

I'm very grateful to my fellow committee friends for their support and understanding during the whole project, and I'm really looking forward to viewing the entries during the next few months.

I know that there is a lot of talent available and wish you all the very best in getting your creative cells in gear.

By wires - 10 Years Ago
The plot thickens. Smoking can be hazardous to your, and others, wellbeing.

By wires - 10 Years Ago
@GrannyJ,

Doing the fade in post is probably the quickest and best way. Below is a clip from a "quick & dirty" attempt with a semi-transparent plane between the 2 Pinheads.

I added and positioned both avatars at the start of the project and set up the transparent plane. The Pinhead behind the plane had the visibility turned off in the modify window at frame 1 and the scene was rendered out.

In the second render I waited 3 seconds before turning the visibility of PH 2 on and then rendered this scene out. Both scenes were the same length - in my case 9 secs.

In post I loaded the first clip and cut it at 3 secs. I then trimmed 3 secs from the second scene before adding it to the timeline. Next I placed a 2 second dissolve starting at the beginning of the second scene to have PH fade in.

The semi-transparent plane was present for the duration of both scenes. Here's the short clip:

By wires - 10 Years Ago
I'm working on trying to get a DL link setup for the clip. However, due to Time zones it may take a while.
By wires - 10 Years Ago
justaviking (3/26/2014)
THANK YOU for making the Project Opener video available for download.  I think that is a very nice touch.

We aim to have happy Pinheads. SmileWinkHehe

By wires - 10 Years Ago
Such sad news. My condolences to Roger and his family.
By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Prize Updates -

SmartSound was mailed out last week.

Pinnacle Studios were all mailed today via AirMail.

Serif has been in contact with the winner.

So....just waiting on Reallusion - I'll follow up tonight or tomorrow.

By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Holy cow, I can't believe it got to you in 3 days. The three in the U.S. will probably take 2 weeks...anyway, glad it got there safely.

Also have one going to Singapore and UK...will be interesting to hear when those arrive.

Thanks for letting me know!!! Smile

Nice to see Edwin there....I am working on some more characters and agree he needs a woman! w00t

***I have written to Reallusion again, it's the North American rep who is looking after this and I know he has been at Siggraph (not sure if that's over yet or not) - but I know he'll get to it soon - sorry for the delay.
By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Colour, that is good news. So that leaves Singapore and the three in the United States. Smile

I just dropped another reminder note to Reallusion.w00t
By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Hi,

An update for the Reallusion product winners.....

On Tuesday, I was asked to provide all of your emails and prizes again (I guess the original emails got lost Doze ) - in any case, I provided them with that info Tuesday afternoon.

Hopefully the links will come by tomorrow. Smile

Has anyone heard if 3dStory received his Pinnacle Studio Ultimate?

By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Oh, new UPDATE!!!!!!

I've sent emails now to all winners of RL with links and keys. The email just came in. Congratulations to all of you again.

Now....hopefully 3dStory gets his okay and then we're all done for this one. Smile
By Alley - 10 Years Ago
That was awesome Rog!!  Funny with the magic spell words - hehe.  Thanks for making that! Smile
By Alley - 9 Years Ago
Nice work colour!! Thanks for persevering and posting the clip.

I can confirm that "talks are well in progress" for next project. My only hint is that it's going to be very different. That's all I can say at the moment. BigGrin
By Alley - 10 Years Ago
The final video was 602 MB and was rendered as MP4 1080 or 720p, can't remember. That's a rather big download.

Any suggestions as to a format I could re-render to make the size more manageable?

ADDED - Trying a "Good Quality" render, it says it will be about 125 MB.

2nd ADD - Ok, it's not bad and 102 MB.  Will pass to Longcross to put on the website and make available for download.

By Alley - 10 Years Ago
That is a total bummer, so sorry to hear that.Crying
By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Hi All,

Regarding the question of Allura and the Bad Guy....they are not mandatory, but in order to continue the story, I don't know how you would pull it off without using them but if you can, you are not required to use them. Perhaps you have a storyline where they are simply referred to...not sure. So if you have a creative way to continue this story without them, it's fine. But Pinhead of course has to be in the story.

Also....to confirm....we will have a Poster Competition. It will be for a Golden Pinhead. So please keep them coming.

I think typically we all start to buckle down with our productions in the last month so we are still looking forward to quite a few entries this time.

And Lynn, no you don't have to sign up to be part of the project. And if you do, and you don't finish a clip in time, that's fine also. We mostly just like to have a handle on how many are participating. We are thrilled at the amount of interest for this project.

As for a deadline date...mid May is May 15. But frankly, we'll see how everyone is doing closer to that time and then we will nail down the final. It won't go past the end of May and at most, could be extended by a week. I'll talk to the gang and get their thoughts.
By Alley - 10 Years Ago
These are all looking great and will be a lot of fun for sure.

Regarding Pinhead's voice....you can ask someone to generate the lines for you if you like, or you can create your own version of Pinhead's voice. It doesn't matter.

As far as Allura....if anyone wants me to record some lines, just send me an email to alley@iclonealley.com. Or you can do her voice anyway you like.

As for the villain, you will have to come up with your own voice for that.



By Alley - 10 Years Ago
If I may interject, the clip Dennis is referring to was by Yvonne.  And it was shot with real video amongst her real family of a gazillion kids (seriously) and was extremely creative and funny.  Liz did take paper cutouts of Pinhead on her vacation as well.

My family and I took several versions of the paper cutout to the CN Tower.  My kids are 18 and 17 now, and I you watch that clip you will see just how long ago this all started.  I still have my paper cutouts but I have to run some errands now.  When I get back, I'll snap a picture of them and post here.  Imagine the funny looks we got from people in downtown Toronto carrying around these silly cutouts.

Pinhead has really evolved from the original drawings that my husband so kindly sketched for me back then, from a vague description of the type of character we wanted Pinhead to be.  While my family scratch their head and laugh at my crazy hobby at times, at least they have accepted that Pinhead is and probably always will be a part of our family. BigGrin

By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Sorry for late reply...just heard from Brian.

Poster Section is View Clips/Project Posters (I haven't actually double checked this).

Yes....we will do a Poster competition. In fact, one prize donater sent extra prizes....so maybe we will even have a prize for this, just let me speak to the rest of the crew. Smile
By Alley - 10 Years Ago
As Colour pointed out, Brian has revamped the website now.

So, the menu is across the top.  If you Select Project Info, the drop down menu shows a selection called Project Posters.  This is where current project posters can be found.

Now, there is another selection from the same Project Info drop down, and it is "Past Projects".  If you select that, You can then Select Project 7, Pinhead's Wish.  From there you can view the posters from that project.

Prior to Project 7, we did not have the poster competition.

www.pinheadhq.com

By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Well we can supply the characters as 2d pngs...or you can substitute your own...it doesn't matter. We will try to accomodate everyone. Smile
By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Ok, I should add that the stories are still starring Pinhead. The other characters will figure in of course...how big of a part they play will be based on your storyline.

Do you want just front views standing arms at side looking straight ahead?
By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Hi, I have attached several png angles of the girl, the man and the dog. Hope there are enough for you. Smile
By Alley - 10 Years Ago
It's okay Colour, the same person likely gave my Freebies thread a lousy rating. The rating system is stupid anyway...but as I've said before, anyone who rates a thread poorly, particularly when it is full of camaraderie, enthusiasm and fun and a lot of people's sense of community....is a sure indication that they are not part of the community spirit. It's a childish and immature.

In any case, I must be under someone's skin enough to cause them to go to so much trouble. Tongue Me....I can't be bothered with childish games.

Attention: Poor Rater....your ratings are all stored in your profile. Should you ever decide to grow up, you can reverse them like a big person.Wink
By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Is there anyone in the group that is not working in iClone 5?....I can easily release the cigarette smoking salesman of cigarettes who's going to die but not from the cigarettes as an iClone 4 character...if someone really needs it...he is based on G3.

The girl....I would have to rebuild her on Jana. I will if someone needs it....just say the word.
By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Winter blahs getting you down?  Need a diversion?  With a little luck, a new Pinhead project will be launching soon.  We can't say exactly when....but it's coming.. Smile
By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Okay, time for some Teaser Photos.  If you have read the blog, you know we will be introducing two new characters for this project.  They will be made available for download and are all based on default.

There will be prizes....to be announced later.

That's all I got right now. Smile

By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Remember, you have til mid-May.  That's 3-1/2 months. Smile  And Pinhead always gives you a chance to try something new and learn.  I was terrified at how the opening would turn out as I don't animate that often, at least not to tell a story.

The challenges I had were how to make it look like he opened the mailbox with his hand, but it actually opened with perform.  and when he picked up and answered the phone...I tried to follow warlord's tutorial with dummies and it "sort of" worked, and I know I was doing something not quite right, but I had a deadline so relied on changing up the angle of the camera - lol.

Then I wanted headlights on the fire truck to look like it pulled up...that sort of worked.  But the things you realize later that could make it better...should have had a flashing light on the fire truck top....oh, if I had time the fireman would be shooting out water spray from the hose, there would be more swat (altho Swat was not in the script).  Brian asked why SWAT were there and I said because a bomb went off.  He said how did SWAT know it was a bomb and not just a gas leak.  I said I had SWAT characters handy, I didn't have gas leak characters BigGrin.

Oh, and the script called for Ford to be on a leash.  Well....I wasn't even going to attempt hat one.

One thing I tried at the end when he was listening on the phone...I had an invisible sphere and had the character look at sphere so that I could move it back and forth thinking his eyeballs might move, but I guess they don't, only the head moves - so I had to keep that subtle or else I was interfering with the dummy prop and instruction to hold the phone.

Joe was the brains behind the silhouettes.  I did the animations in iclone and lit them to be black, and he used After Effects to get them looking like they were behind the windows.  Joe was also responsible for Pinhead's hair on fire.

I bought the Cloud Props by Quantum Theory so I could have dark moving clouds in the opening.  But for some reason they looked terrible, all the faces of the model were showing so I scrapped that, until I realized that I had Ambient Occlusion on, and for some reason, that makes the clouds look bad.  So once I turned that off, they were great and I added them back in.

In Wire's scene, because he sent me the project, I was very impressed and the dummies he used to bring it all together.  because Pinhead had to hold the controller and look natural and then he had to answer the phone....so there were a number of dummy props used to achieve that.  Also...the game video on the tv was created by him to avoid running into any copyright issues by using a real game and I thought it looked great!  He also modelled the Playbox 5.

All in all, it was a collaborative effort.  I am thankful that Brian realizes we can't 100% pull off the story according to the script due to the limits of iClone (and us), but I think we were all happy with the outcome.

I also wanted to thank Olaf Barbosa for voicing the villain.  He is a "much in demand" actor in the TMU world, so I was grateful that he was willing to play the part, and I think he was perfect.  I played the girl to avoid bothering anyone else and also because we knew we would have to ad-lib a little to make it come together.

I didn't intend the guy to swat her on the back of the head so hard (for sure that's going to leave a mark) but I used the motions I had there.

Anyway....it was lots of fun and I might even attempt to do a video myself of what the outcome might be..it will be interesting to see how many different scenarios we end up with.

By Alley - 10 Years Ago
LOL...looks great!

Yes, MovieStorm is very welcome to participate...we look forward to seeing what people do with their imaginations and available software.

Great job!!

By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Here is a link to the house by Stevano

http://city.reallusion.com/ContentPreview.aspx?i=JIC260edecd5f9ce6127

And I've attached the characters.  I know the file for download is an .exe which some systems and anti-virus don't like.  I have Windows 8 and I tested it...it gave me all kinds of warnings but I ran it anyway and it did install.   Anyway, they are here in a zip file.

I'll check on the link to Stevano's house.

By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Hello All,

Glad you guys are reading the blog.  It is lots of fun, but also challenging to put together our ideas and openings when you consider Wires is in Germany, Brian in California, Joe in Chicago.  In any case, things are shaping up nicely and everyone has done a great job.  We are very close....

Summary of Prizes in no Particular Order

Reallusion -    1 iClone 5 Pro

                      1 CTA-2 Pro

                      1 - Avatar Toolkit plus ToonMaker

                      1 - Choice of any City Elements Pack 

Pinnacle         2 - Pinnacle 17 Ultimate (video editing package)

                      2 - Pinnacle 17 Plus (video editing package)

Smartsound    1 - Sonicfire Pro 5.8 along with Core Evolution Album

Serif               2 - Winners choose from WebPlus, PagePlus, DrawPlus, MoviePlus or PhotoPlus

By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Pinhead Project 8 has now officially launched.

Pinhead Project 8 - Video Here

By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Here is Arie's clip.
By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Here is the 2nd entry.

By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Oh Colour, that is hilarious....wonder if Mythical's running water would work there - hahahaTongue
By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Well done!  I enjoyed that.  I can say no more, you all have to watch. Smile
By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Hi everyone,

The Pinhead website has been paid for and maintained by the committee since 2006 so that probably makes it 8 years now. We always renew it year to year and we just renewed it to June 2015.

The cost has gone up considerably since the inception. We have to take deluxe hosting in order to archive all the videos from all projects. Additionally, there are some prizes that we have to ship out, and we have always covered the cost.

We have debated doing this before, but today we added a Donate button. We only want people to donate if they can spare and we would be grateful for $5.00 or $2.00 or anything. If we get too much money, we'll remove the button. We figured most of you guys would love to help out and we don't want big donations. And it will be kept confidential.

We love doing this and that there is so much interest in Pinhead and the projects. Thanks to all for being so supportive.

The Pinhead Committee Smile

By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Hi everyone,

I have spoken with the committee. As to Granny J's question of can you re-submit....answer is yes.

New Deadline...due to commitments by many of us, we have decided that we are prepared to extend the deadline to June 30. I know it's a long extension, but two of us have commitments covering the last part of May...and well, there is some momentum going now.

Are you all basically okay with this, or please let us know if this causes issues for anyone.
By Alley - 10 Years Ago
So sorry to hear about this Rog if you are able to read this. Boy, you have had your fair share of troubles the past few years. Anyway, I wish you a speedy and full recovery. Pinhead misses you, as do we all. Please get well soon and get in touch as soon as you are able. Thanks to Colour for checking up on Rog and letting us all know.
By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Roger,

Welcome back and glad to hear you are home. I hope you have a full and speedy recovery with your arm....using your opposite hand must be very challenging. But you have always had such a cheerful and positive spirit about life. Even if you can't submit a Pinhead entry, please stick around and keep us updated on your progress.
By Alley - 10 Years Ago
I just wanted to tell you all how thrilled and tickled we are at the great variety of submissions and how much work you all put into them. They have all been extremely fun to watch and it is so evident that you all enjoyed the process. The quality of them all makes this feel so worth while to those of us behind the scenes. So thank you to all of you!!Smile

Obviously it's going to take some time to watch them all again and come up some sort of standing - it will be very hard to do with such wonderful entries. I'll keep you posted on the progress and we will, as usual, have the regular on-line vote for the Golden Pinheads. Longcross will put that together as soon as he possibly can.

Again, thanks to all of you for making this project so fun and successful.
By Alley - 10 Years Ago
5th Place - Please PM me your choice - Smile  Green and bold are taken.

1) Iclone 5 Pro
2) CTA2 Pro
3) CT7
4) Avatar Toolkit and Toon Pack
5) Choice of City Element Pack
6) Pinnacle Studio 17 Ultimate
7) Pinnacle Studio 17 Ultimate
8) Pinnacle Studio 17 Plus
9) Pinnacle Studio 17 Plus
10) Pinnacle Studio
11) Pinnacle Studio
12) Smartsound Sonic Fire Pro (latest version) plus one album
13) Choice of Serif Software Package



 

By Alley - 10 Years Ago
I've sent emails to Smartsound, Reallusion and Serif with the prize winners info.  So, the ball is now in their court to get prizes out.

I have the Pinnacle prizes here and will get them ready for the Post Office in the next day or two - I'll advise once they are mailed.  They are boxed software.  Depending on the postage, I might have to remove them from the box, but we shall see.  Thanks to all of you with your donations, we have some money for postage. Smile  I do know that U.S. mail could take 2 weeks and anything overseas from here could take up to 6 weeks.

Another possible option is for people to download trials and I give them the serial numbers...not sure if this would work or not - I'll have to check into that.

By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Prize Update -

Reallusion advise that they will have download links and keys by Monday.

Serif has not replied to two emails so far...I'll keep trying.

Pinnacle...I am going to the Post Office today and will advise shipping times after.

Smartsound....they have acknowledged and have taken care of it.
By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Hi all and congratulations to everyone. Here is a recap of the prizes, including the new ones unannounced before.

1) Iclone 5 Pro
2) CTA2 Pro
3) CT7
4) Avatar Toolkit and Toon Pack
5) Choice of City Element Pack
6) Pinnacle Studio 17 Ultimate
7) Pinnacle Studio 17 Ultimate
8) Pinnacle Studio 17 Plus
9) Pinnacle Studio 17 Plus
10) Pinnacle Studio
11) Pinnacle Studio
12) Smartsound Sonic Fire Pro (latest version) plus one album
13) Choice of Serif Software Package

So as not to give things away, could the first place winner contact me via email or PM and let me know your preference. Then I will update the list, etc.
By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Ok, 2nd place can now choose - Bolded and in Green prizes are taken.  Please send me a PM with your choice.

1) Iclone 5 Pro
2) CTA2 Pro
3) CT7
4) Avatar Toolkit and Toon Pack
5) Choice of City Element Pack
6) Pinnacle Studio 17 Ultimate
7) Pinnacle Studio 17 Ultimate
8) Pinnacle Studio 17 Plus
9) Pinnacle Studio 17 Plus
10) Pinnacle Studio
11) Pinnacle Studio
12) Smartsound Sonic Fire Pro (latest version) plus one album
13) Choice of Serif Software Package

By Alley - 10 Years Ago
3rd Place can choose now - please PM me.

Bolded and in Green prizes are taken. 

1) Iclone 5 Pro
2) CTA2 Pro
3) CT7
4) Avatar Toolkit and Toon Pack
5) Choice of City Element Pack
6) Pinnacle Studio 17 Ultimate
7) Pinnacle Studio 17 Ultimate
8) Pinnacle Studio 17 Plus
9) Pinnacle Studio 17 Plus
10) Pinnacle Studio
11) Pinnacle Studio
12) Smartsound Sonic Fire Pro (latest version) plus one album
13) Choice of Serif Software Package

Alley

By Alley - 10 Years Ago
5th Place - Please send me your choice.

Winners of Pinnacle Prizes - I am mailing them to you as I have them - so please send me an email with your mailing address once you have chosen.  Email alley@iclonealley.com.

Winners of Reallusion - please email me the email you use for your reallusion account and your full name.

Serif winner and Smartsound - please email me full name, email address and mailing address in case they want that info.  I believe Smartsound will ship a hard copy, but Serif will be a download.

1) Iclone 5 Pro
2) CTA2 Pro
3) CT7
4) Avatar Toolkit and Toon Pack
5) Choice of City Element Pack
6) Pinnacle Studio 17 Ultimate
7) Pinnacle Studio 17 Ultimate
8) Pinnacle Studio 17 Plus
9) Pinnacle Studio 17 Plus
10) Pinnacle Studio
11) Pinnacle Studio
12) Smartsound Sonic Fire Pro (latest version) plus one album
13) Choice of Serif Software Package

By Alley - 10 Years Ago
6th Place - Please PM me your choice - Bold and green are taken.

1) Iclone 5 Pro
2) CTA2 Pro
3) CT7
4) Avatar Toolkit and Toon Pack
5) Choice of City Element Pack
6) Pinnacle Studio 17 Ultimate
7) Pinnacle Studio 17 Ultimate

8) Pinnacle Studio 17 Plus
9) Pinnacle Studio 17 Plus
10) Pinnacle Studio
11) Pinnacle Studio
12) Smartsound Sonic Fire Pro (latest version) plus one album
13) Choice of Serif Software Package


By Alley - 10 Years Ago
7th, please choose.  Bold and Green taken.

1) Iclone 5 Pro
2) CTA2 Pro
3) CT7
4) Avatar Toolkit and Toon Pack
5) Choice of City Element Pack
6) Pinnacle Studio 17 Ultimate
7) Pinnacle Studio 17 Ultimate

8) Pinnacle Studio 17 Plus
9) Pinnacle Studio 17 Plus
10) Pinnacle Studio
11) Pinnacle Studio
12) Smartsound Sonic Fire Pro (latest version) plus one album
13) Choice of Serif Software Package

By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Ok, runners up were drawn and placed in order of draw.

8th choice - Colour

9th choice - Rog

10th choice - Pinguintje

11th choice - Granny J

12th choice - Ahroo

13th choice - Lynn

So, 8th - please choose.  Green in bold taken.

1) Iclone 5 Pro
2) CTA2 Pro
3) CT7
4) Avatar Toolkit and Toon Pack
5) Choice of City Element Pack
6) Pinnacle Studio 17 Ultimate
7) Pinnacle Studio 17 Ultimate

8) Pinnacle Studio 17 Plus
9) Pinnacle Studio 17 Plus
10) Pinnacle Studio
11) Pinnacle Studio
12) Smartsound Sonic Fire Pro (latest version) plus one album
13) Choice of Serif Software Package

By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Okay - Rog, your up.

1) Iclone 5 Pro
2) CTA2 Pro
3) CT7
4) Avatar Toolkit and Toon Pack
5) Choice of City Element Pack
6) Pinnacle Studio 17 Ultimate
7) Pinnacle Studio 17 Ultimate

8) Pinnacle Studio 17 Plus
9) Pinnacle Studio 17 Plus
10) Pinnacle Studio
11) Pinnacle Studio
12) Smartsound Sonic Fire Pro (latest version) plus one album
13) Choice of Serif Software Package

By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Pinquintje....go...Smile

1) Iclone 5 Pro
2) CTA2 Pro
3) CT7
4) Avatar Toolkit and Toon Pack

5) Choice of City Element Pack
6) Pinnacle Studio 17 Ultimate
7) Pinnacle Studio 17 Ultimate

8) Pinnacle Studio 17 Plus
9) Pinnacle Studio 17 Plus
10) Pinnacle Studio
11) Pinnacle Studio
12) Smartsound Sonic Fire Pro (latest version) plus one album
13) Choice of Serif Software Package


By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Ok,  GrannyJ - your turn. Smile

 

1) Iclone 5 Pro
2) CTA2 Pro
3) CT7
4) Avatar Toolkit and Toon Pack

5) Choice of City Element Pack
6) Pinnacle Studio 17 Ultimate
7) Pinnacle Studio 17 Ultimate

8) Pinnacle Studio 17 Plus
9) Pinnacle Studio 17 Plus
10) Pinnacle Studio
11) Pinnacle Studio
12) Smartsound Sonic Fire Pro (latest version) plus one album
13) Choice of Serif Software Package

By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Ahroo - your turn...

1) Iclone 5 Pro
2) CTA2 Pro
3) CT7
4) Avatar Toolkit and Toon Pack

5) Choice of City Element Pack
6) Pinnacle Studio 17 Ultimate
7) Pinnacle Studio 17 Ultimate

8) Pinnacle Studio 17 Plus
9) Pinnacle Studio 17 Plus
10) Pinnacle Studio
11) Pinnacle Studio
12) Smartsound Sonic Fire Pro (latest version) plus one album
13) Choice of Serif Software Package

By Alley - 10 Years Ago
OK, last but certainly not least - is Lynn3d.

I guess you get iClone 5 Pro.  Please send me a PM.

Thanks and now I'll try to get everything sent out to you all.

Pinnacle Studio's are being mailed from here, so they may take a while to some destinations.  The rest will be downloads I think.  I'll let you all know when I hear back.

1) Iclone 5 Pro
2) CTA2 Pro
3) CT7
4) Avatar Toolkit and Toon Pack

5) Choice of City Element Pack
6) Pinnacle Studio 17 Ultimate
7) Pinnacle Studio 17 Ultimate

8) Pinnacle Studio 17 Plus
9) Pinnacle Studio 17 Plus
10) Pinnacle Studio
11) Pinnacle Studio

12) Smartsound Sonic Fire Pro (latest version) plus one album
13) Choice of Serif Software Package

By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Hi all,

Please do not have any concerns if your name is not on the sign-up page. Brian is aware now and may have already fixed that, but it had no impact on anything - sorry about that.

The awards show is very close to completion. Smile



By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Brian has not taken down the vote yet so there is still time.  As he is in California, and I don't usually see him on line til about noon my time, I can ask him to extend it - what would be a reasonable extension?
By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Generally, I am not in agreement with extending deadlines for things like contests. It's not fair to the people that worked hard to get theirs done and submitted by the deadline. But here is the honest truth. Often when we as the Pinhead committee set a deadline, it's grabbed out of the air. The original date of May 15th was intended to finish the project off by summer, as there is a fair amount of work required after the closing date to get the voting up and the ceremony done. And everyone on the committee has to do this in their spare time of which I personally have very little these days.

It was my decision to extend to the end of June frankly, because I knew a lot of you could use the time, but also because I was busy and it was actually more convenient to me to to put it off a while. I think of this contest of being less "stiff" than others with everyone being supportive of one another and looking at it as something fun, rather then a high pressure project.

As for the vote....that deadline also pulled out of thin air. I apologize if the deadline was not clear, but as I mentioned...as of this morning the vote was still active and I sent a not to Brian asking if it could remain active til Wednesday.

By Alley - 10 Years Ago
OH, we are talking about the deadline for the vote, not the contest.
By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Just a reminder that the vote closes tonight, I presume midnight California time. Smile

Thanks to all who voted and if you haven't, you've got a few more hours.

By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Well, it appears that the vote is up for the Golden Pinhead Awards.  So, if you go to www.pinheadhq.com and there is a link near the top left where you click to vote.

Please note that not all the questions are mandatory to move on.  There are 16 questions total and it will indicate whether it is a mandatory question in red. 

Please help us by voting.  It will be available til the end of next weekend but we'll keep you posted.

By Alley - 10 Years Ago
Hello everyone,

The online vote is almost ready. As we don't have expensive sophisticated software (okay so we use free stuff - Tongue) sometimes things don't always co-operate but longcross has been working hard getting it ready.
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago

I´m sorry, we tried our best

By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
. and what was yesterday? BigGrin BigGrin BigGrin
But I think "Hol" will win.
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
Arie,
thats really a very nice gif. BigGrin

Robert
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago

What time is it?

Robert

..

By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago

Can someone tell me what's so funny?

w00t

Robert

..

By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
@Arie,
I should have known this. I'm sorry, my mistake BigGrin

@Peter,
if my is impounded .... can I have yours? BigGrin

Robert
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
Arie,
I can´t find my price in your picture? w00t
what is going wrong there? Wink

Robert
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
YouTube and Warner Music Group have come to an agreement which allows for this so you should be able to use TSO music in your videos on YouTube without encountering any problems!

Dennis,
but YT has no agreement with german Gema.
YT don´t want pay to german Gema and thats the problem und the reason, why you can´t see your clip in germany.
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
@ jlittle

please forgive me, but I admit I'm not a big fan CTA. Blush But this clip is really great.
I really like it BigGrin
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
@Dennis,
wow, a epic work. It´s the first clip that I saw from you, so i don´t knew what expect me.
I´m absolute surprised BigGrin ... a "Rock Opera" I have never seen something like yours made with iClone. What a fantastic idea. w00t
By the way, this video is blocked in Germany. (music you use)
fortunately I found last week a plug in for firefox. So it´s no problem
If anybody needs...
http://www.computerbild.de/download/YouTube-Unblocker-fuer-Firefox-8090560.html
(It`s a german website)
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
Dennis, your clip being blocked in Germany has nothing to do with copyright.


wires, sorry wenn I not agree. GEMA is the protector of the very strictly copyright in germany. It´s completly different to american law. In germany, every radio or tv station, every concert or event organizer must pay to Gema if he uses music. The money will be disbursed in part to the composer or rights owner.
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
@ 3DStory,
great movie with great moments in it.
Great work..
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
Peter,
great clip, great rides, but don´t give "Boo" so much to drink BigGrin
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
No Problem, main thing the dog nothing happens... Tongue
Otherwise Waltraud is very angry

by the way .... one day left !!!

By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
@Viking
It looks very comfortable! But I miss a wardrobe.
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago

Hope you sleep well

  BigGrin

Robert

By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
to all slow coaches ...
do not worry ... in a few minutes you can hear the ultimate motivation song. w00t
Then everything goes as saying. Wink
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
ok, here is the ultimate "slow coaches" motivation song. BigGrin
It´s a quick shoot, I know, there are errors inside ... but I feel you need this song Wink
The text is kept simple, so you can sing along with him during you animate your clip. BigGrin



Hope it´s helpful and you like it ...
Go Go Go ...
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
Reminder to all latecomers ...
don´t forget to make a nice poster too BigGrin BigGrin BigGrin Wink

Robert
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago

GO - COACHES - GO

Robert

By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago

Ladies & Gentlemen

ohoh BigGrin

By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
@3DStory
I hope, the pic is from your movie. Looks very good. That makes me really curious .. w00t
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
The Welcome Comitee is waiting for slow coaches ...BigGrin

Hope, the Girls can  motivate you

By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
Do Gretchen's friends have names?

sure ... thats Traudel & Rosi, both come from ancient bavarian noble families, both are very traditional names in bavaria .. like Gretchen (Gretel) ... ok, formerly ...60 years ago
BigGrinBigGrinBigGrin
where does this similarity with Pinhead? w00t I can't tell. No idea.
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
Houston ..... we have a Problem w00t

uuups

By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago

I also want to give a progress report. Smile
12 Min 30 and Alura rescue is imminent. But like ever I work without any script and who knows what will happen? w00t
One thing is certain ...It´s my longest movie ever

Robert
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
The picture with your actors is a nice idea.
But I miss the dog. Where is the dog??? BigGrin

Robert





By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
I think, on the poster are some not unproblematic things .

1:  The dog is dead!

No, I don´t think he is stoned and sleeps. Look at its paws. These are not the paws of a sleeping dog  = big big Problem BigGrin

2.  The woman on the poster is not Mrs. Pinhead.  =  bigger Problem  BigGrin

 

This is Mrs. Pinhead

 

 

(or is it his sister?) BigGrin

 

Robert

By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
It´s a Long time to deadline, so I had time to tinker. Now my billiard set is a physic working billiard set. Smile ... and oh wonder, it works. So the crooks can pass the time until then. BigGrin

 

 

 

Robert

By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
A small Wip regarding the Billiard Set. I also made a billiard -Motion for this. The hardest thing is to get power in the stroke . Also it needs time, to found the right physic settings. The video shows a advanced version of "Low Power Billard" BigGrin



Robert
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
@colour ..... you know .... life without toads is possible, but senseless BigGrin
and no ... no toads in the Pinhead clip.

@viking .... to pass the time, good old school criminals play billiard. BigGrin
So it was important to tinker this.
But I´ve joyful hope, to create the last 2 Minutes of the clip in the next 6 weeks.

@peterblood ... at billiards physics you never know what's coming.
I personally prefer the black 8 Tongue

Robert




By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
@animagic
Thanks for your help ... BigGrin

Robert
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
Noooooooo!
Last night I suffered from my first-ever HARD CRASH with iClone.

Viking, I can feel with you.
After short tests with iClone 64 Bit I changed quickly back to 32 Bit version. I don´t like the video export codecs (30 frames slows down my videoeditor) and in my opinion it runs more stable.
You know about the 4GB Patch for 32 Bit version?
Thats a real secret weapon and has often helped to reopen lost gone projects.
You also get a lot more content, or avatars in the project

Robert
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
"animagic (5/22/2014)
Still working on the final touches...

Meanwhile, here is "portrait" of the main cast. I tried to have them pose properly, but they wouldn't listen..

I love cast Pics, so I also will add  one.

Ready ... (almost)  18:20 without intro and credits

Is there a price for the longest Clip ??? Hehe

I´m curious if anyone will watch this until end. w00t

finally, now I must find music for the clip ... hard job

 

By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
uuups ... w00t

Photos of shame surfaced !!!





What happened in the shooting break ???


Is Pinhead still acceptable?
Will he resign?

By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
@Robert - Nice scene, is Pinhead taking time out to gamble? I was very lucky with the music this time, I found what I wanted within 5min!

Your a lucky one.
But I think, today it will be settled....

Another nice girl ???

By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
Yes,
Your name betrays you Tongue
How long you life in Amerika?
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
Wait a minute, Robert, how come she's suddenly grown a beard?...

It´s an allusion to the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest BigGrin
This year won this guy from Austria. (see pic)

 

You know the Eurovision Song Contest? After winning this, ABBA startet their great career..

Robert

By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
better ...... look this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRUIava4WRM

Robert

By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
@RB3006
I'm wondering, what is the issue you are having with hair & clothing???

I´m not sure, what issue you mean?
What you mean exactly ?

Robert
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
A really great Movie with a interesting story, good sound and nice sets.
Most I like the fantastic technical equipment. w00t

Robert
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
@ 3DStory,
the Pic looks great, the girl remembers me to Julia Roberts. BigGrin


Currently
I struggle with the film music. It's hard for me to find something suitable, but since yesterday it going forward here.
Yesterday I also enhanced a Szene for 2 Girls. Looks equal much better. BigGrin

Robert

By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
it looks like there are many interesting movies to watch. w00t
On this occasion .... cast pics are great...

Is it possible to bring forward the deadline again? (Mai. 30) BigGrinBigGrinBigGrin
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
Granny,
your German is wundervoll. BigGrin
I´m afraid, my English is not good as your German.
Danke für dein Lob (thanks for your praise)

Robert
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
Vielen Dank Arie,

hätte ich gewusst, das hier so viele Leute Deutsch verstehen, hätte ich den Clip auf Deutsch gemacht BigGrin

Thanks a lot Arie,
if I had known that so many people understand German, I would have made the clip on German BigGrin

Robert
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
rampa,
vielen Dank BigGrin

That´s a a difficult task that you give to me. w00t
There is nothing special I do.
Perhaps one thing. I don't use the included walking motions in the personas. The motion is good, motionstop is good (no sliding feet), but on start you got a starting pose and thats is not helpful for a good stringing.
Same at "perform" motions. Most of them start and stop with a "standard pose". Want I add (stringing) two "perform" motions consecutively, I cut away the beginning part (start pose) from the second motion and make a long overlapping crossfade.

How said, thats a difficult question Unsure

Robert
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
I think Gretchen looks very good .... very gracefully.
That would already be a role in your movie worth

Robert
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
After so much bad news and worst case (I really can feel with you) I hope, this is a good news....
I have finished ! BigGrinTongueBigGrin
If I still wait longer , I rebuild the whole clip and make it better and better (that remembers me to RL BigGrin ) orrrrr worsen. So I release it now. It´s my longest clip I have ever made...
I hope you like and can enjoy it.



Robert
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
Thanks, BigGrinBigGrinBigGrin
for all your many many praising words for the clip.
Somehow I feel sad, that the clip is finished. It was a lot of fun to work on it.
Special joy has given me that you can understood my jokes in English (I know my english is not the best).
Hard work it was to find the right music. But ultimately, I'm quite happy with it. Also I have tried to breathe a little life into the voices. So I stretch some syllables and words or make it faster. At some passages this was successful.
@ Peter
Next I will working for a poster and make the upload ..

update: done BigGrin

Robert
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
Mark,

It is actually a shame that my english is not so good Blush , because I worked as a musician and sound engineer also often with English and Dutch People.
Problem... most of them spoke German Tongue

Robert
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
 
I mean yesterday and Saturday - Gotik-Treffen Leipzig: Schwitzen in Schwarz. [Smile] [Cool]

Gerry

aah, you mean the Gothic Festival.... No, I like the outfits (for my avatars BigGrin ), but to wear this in real life? No, it´s not my real my style. 

I'm more of a representative of the long hair, Rock & Heavy Metal Department. That was 25 years my Job. Blush

Robert

By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
Did you by any chance spend the week-end in Leipzig Robert? [Smile]

Gerry


You mean 14 -15 June?

Robert
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago

While waiting for the "slow coaches"  BigGrin  , Pinhead  is looking for a new appartment

Robert

By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
I join with previous speakers BigGrin

Robert
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
ROBERT'S "THE ONE MILLION DOLLAR MAN" POSTER

Now Uploaded; http://www.pinheadhq.com/Proj8_Posters.php. Expand Pic to view.

Unfortunately it has the wrong Tag @ the moment, with Gerskey's Pinhead's Wish Project Poster Tag.

Another darned-good Poster, Robert, to go with your Clip. [Smile]

Many thanks from us all & Pinhead, for your enthusiasm for joining-in & supporting the Project [Smile]


Thanks Peter,

I see, the "Tag" problem was managed ... or should I upload it with other "TAG" ?

Robert
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
Hello,

first 5 minutes of my Pinhead movie are filmed. (guaranteed without toadsBigGrin ) Tonight I have sign in to the Project.

I´m very optimistic to win the price for the best german movie  BigGrin BigGrin BigGrin

Robert

By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
a nice clip, I really like it BigGrin
Robert
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
Thanks Alley,
I received your mail & the link

Now I´m happy too BigGrin

Pinhead proudly shows some of the new props w00t

Robert

......

By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
Open a Marketplace Store selling bunches of Roses & you'll make a fortune.


Peter,
Great idea. Such stuff is currently full in trend BigGrin BigGrin BigGrin

Robert
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
One week later .... NO LINK .... Blush

nevertheless.....
Alley, thank you for your efforts

Robert
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
Denis,
this is a clear statement. There are no questions left unanswered! BigGrinBigGrinBigGrin

Robert
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
You lucky one. I´m still waiting for my link. Crying
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago

it's like always .. No link from RL
The good point
At least that is reliable



Robert
..
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
Peter,
then I think your prize is faster than my w00t
... RL must send me a link..... I´m afraid that takes a while Doze
Robert

By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago

Also from me a big thanks to the Pinhead Committee for this great, fantastic done Certificate.
It will get an honorary place.

 

Robert

.......

By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
colour (10/10/2014) PINHEAD HALLOWEEN CLIPS

Halloween isn't Halloween without a Pinhead Clip. [Wink]

Anyone going to join me in doing one?

Just started mine. Will be a very short one, due to time constraints.

Anything'll do folks. Just a bit of Pinhead Fun [BigGrin]


Good idea, Peter.
I hope I find enough time to make a clip. Helloween is already coming soon

Robert
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
Ok, a little late, but he makes it.
Pinhead makes the ice bucket challenge. For this he visited the Ice Bucket Challenge Show. BigGrin
Very refreshing .. w00t



Robert
By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
Thanks ,,,

Good News ... Pinhead is in best hands and on the mend  Wow

Robert

By RB3006 - 10 Years Ago
Sad to hear. My condolences.
By rogerread - 10 Years Ago
To all my Pinhead friends.

As many of you know, my wife, Fay, passed away three weeks ago. Following a broken hip because of a fall, she survived the subsequent surgery, but, after a short period of recovery, suffered total liver failure, and deteriorated fast. She has been severely disabled for the last five years, with little quality of life, and dependent on me for just about everything. In many ways, then, her passing was a mercy, both for her, as, if she had survived, she would have been totally incapacitated, but also for me as her carer. Nevertheless, her passing has left a huge void in my heart and in my life after almost fifty years of happy marriage. However, much of my grief has been eased by the wishes of so many friends.

I have been overwhelmed and touched by all the messages of sympathy, condolence and prayer posted here over the last few days. It is gratifying to discover that I have so many friends to support me. Friends that I have never met, but whom I have got to know through this forum, and, before that, in the Video Friends Forum.

And so, to you all, my grateful thanks for your support in this sad time, and, with the knowledge that I am not alone, I feel that I can face life again.
By rogerread - 10 Years Ago
Only two days late, and still a bit rough in places, here is my Halloween Pinhead clip.
Hope you enjoy it!

Pinhead's Coven Pt 3
By rogerread - 10 Years Ago
Thanks for your comments, Guys.

FYI the previous two parts of "Pinhead's Coven" can be found in the Fun Clips section of Pinhead HQ
By rogerread - 10 Years Ago
Only two weeks left to Halloween! I have a story in mind for Halloween Pinhead. Just hope I have enough time to get it made.
By rogerread - 10 Years Ago
I reckon the HDD is dead, dead, dead. However, thanks to your suggestions, backed up by similar ones Googled, it is now sitting in disgrace in a corner of the refrigerator. A new drive should be arriving tomorrow or Friday, thanks to ebay. Meanwhile, I have already started reloading some of my software onto a new partition on one of my other drives.

Thanks to you all for your sympathy and suggestions. I will try not to let you down, but will produce something for this project.
By gizmo - 10 Years Ago
I do not think I've ever seen 101 pages in a thread before so I thought I would add to the 'history' by saying Good Luck to all the entries.
By colour - 10 Years Ago
"moviemaniac (7/6/2014)
L am so sorry guys . it'S ABOUT MY COMPUTER I KEEPS OVERHEATING . I WILL UPLOAD IT AS SOON THAT I HAVE CHANCE TO TRANSFER MY HARD DRIVE TO A NEW COMPUTER . GOOD LUCK TO ALLL THE PARTICIPANT .I WAS BZ WITH MY JOB AND NEVER HAVE CHANCE TO WATCH THE ENTRIES YET ."

Hi, Jean

So sorry to hear of your PC problems.

I thoroughly enjoyed your "Pinhead's Wish" entry. It's a terrible shame that after all of your hard work, you were unable to meet the deadline. 

We are all looking forward to seeing your Clip Uploaded in the Fun section.

I've Copied this Post in an e-mail to Brian & Alley.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
Jean (Moviemaniac) & Sharon

I've replied to Jean's Post in this Thread & also sent a PM, for clarification.

Jean was logged-in yesterday, but no response. It would be awful if someone's spent weeks/months on their Clip, but unable to Upload for whatever reason.

Sharon has Posted WIP Pics in this Thread, but no news from her since then. So, I've sent her a "just checking -in" PM. But no response yet.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"pinguintje (7/7/2014)
I have watched all entries now. They are really great!Smile

Gold for all these masterpieces.

Best Regards,

Arie"

Love it, Arie Smile

"THE PINHEAD WORLD CUP" Wink

Golden Pinhead Award winners should be on a 1st, 2nd & 3rd rostrum, with you presenting each of them with your Golden Pinhead Award, Arie Wink

By colour - 10 Years Ago
                                                 THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH

The Pinhead Annual Community Projects.

Done in a rush. Gerry's dancing is out of sync. Well - He is IrishWink

Click on HD Icon, to view in HD.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"pinguintje (7/9/2014)
@RB3006

Yesterday:

"

 

BigGrinBigGrinBigGrinBigGrin

Brilliant, Arie.Smile

Thanks for keeping us entertained while we wait for the On-line Voting details to be Posted on PHHQ.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"pinguintje (7/10/2014)

The last soccer image.....

Best Regards,

Arie"

BigGrinBigGrinBigGrinBigGrin

Another good one, Arie Smile

Thanks for entertaining us troops, Arie & Robert Smile

All we want now is Vera Lynn & Gracie Fields BigGrin

By colour - 10 Years Ago
I've Downloaded all but 2 Clips to my HDD, in anticipation of the On-Line vote, to give them the proper evaluation they deserve.

I haven't had time to Post my appreciation for all Clips yet, but will do-so after the Vote.

Maybe we could start a "How did you do that"? Thread, like we did for "Pinhead's Wish Project" in Video Friends Forum Pinhead Thread. Now more-or-less defunct, I'm very sad to say.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"theschemer (7/11/2014)
Alley,
No wonder I couldn't find it. BigGrin Another question. Does this link need some fixing?

http://www.pinheadhq.com/Kidnapped_pro8jinfo.php

Doesn't work for me with Firefox or Internet Exploder.

Thanks,
TS"

I'm getting a 404 Error Message with that Link with IE10. Could be due to Brian setting-up the On-Line Vote.

Try just www.pinheadhq.com & Select the Tabs

Many thanks for your interest in voting.Smile Hoping many others will follow your example.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"Alley (7/11/2014)
Hello everyone,

The online vote is almost ready. As we don't have expensive sophisticated software (okay so we use free stuff - Tongue) sometimes things don't always co-operate but longcross has been working hard getting it ready."

Various categories now Posted here; http://www.pinheadhq.com/GPAs/gpa_Kidnapped.php

But not the actual vote, yet

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"pinguintje (7/23/2014)

Best Regards,

Arie"

BigGrinBigGrinBigGrinBigGrinBigGrin

That's hilarious, Arie & very cleverly-done BigGrin

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"wires (7/21/2014)
Why do we always have to extend published deadlines for the contest? Nobody else seems to get pestered into doing it."

Just a "Light-hearted" Reply, Gerry.Smile

Having participated in all Pinhead Community Projects since Project 1, together with Dennis & Laura, if my memory serves me correctly, there have been extensions for all of those Projects & On-line voting.

If by extending deadlines we get more submissions & voters, then I'm all for it. 

All of those extensions have either been initiated by the Committee or Participants & by mutual agreement. No "Pestering" that I'm aware of.

Of course those of us (including me) who just manage to meet the extended Deadlines appreciate that those who meet the original deadline "might" think that we have an advantage.

Prizes & Golden Pinhead Awards are the icing on the cake. Participation is the most important factor for me. For which we each receive a beautifully designed Certificate Of Participation.

Maybe we should put our heads together re; how to go about completing a Pinhead Clip within a stated deadline, factoring-in unforeseeable mishaps.

I personally feel pretty bad about Jean (Moviemaniac) who's probably spent several weeks in completing his Submission, but unable to Upload, due to PC technical problems.

Many thanks again to Brian for producing a "Professional" On-Line VoteSmile

We all now look forward to the Awards Show with anticipation, as to who's won whatSmile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"wires (7/22/2014)
It is quite obvious to me now that my comments were completely out of place regarding extensions. I unreservedly withdraw those comments and apologise to all that have found them offensive."

No worries, GerrySmile

No-one offended. Just a misunderstanding between ourselves, as sometimes happens re; Forum Posts.

We're most grateful for the time & trouble you've personally spent over the years, in Producing & Adjudicating the Pinhead Community Projects.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
                            GOLDEN PINHEAD AWARDS CEREMONY NOSTALGIA.

Video of the 3RD GPA Awards Ceremony now showing; www.pinheadhq.com Home Page.

Watch it while we await the Committee's announcement re; this Year's Awards show.

Thanks for the memories, BrianSmile All part of the Pinhead Community Projects Experience.Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"Alley (7/13/2014)
Well, it appears that the vote is up for the Golden Pinhead Awards.  So, if you go to www.pinheadhq.com and there is a link near the top left where you click to vote.

Please note that not all the questions are mandatory to move on.  There are 16 questions total and it will indicate whether it is a mandatory question in red. 

Please help us by voting.  It will be available til the end of next weekend but we'll keep you posted."

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"colour (7/14/2014)
"Alley (7/13/2014)
Well, it appears that the vote is up for the Golden Pinhead Awards.  So, if you go to www.pinheadhq.com and there is a link near the top left where you click to vote.

Please note that not all the questions are mandatory to move on.  There are 16 questions total and it will indicate whether it is a mandatory question in red. 

Please help us by voting.  It will be available til the end of next weekend but we'll keep you posted."

"

Bump Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"theschemer (7/12/2014)
I have watched all of the videos. Good stuff, tough decision. Lots of hard work. Great job everybody, some day I will be good enough to make an entry too. BigGrin Learning as fast as I can. Cool
TS"

Many thanks for taking time-out to watch. Much appreciated. Smile

Hope you're going to vote.

If you purchased iClone yesterday, you're good enough to submit an entry.

The Pinhead Annual Community Projects are for everyone; "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly" (That's me Ermm )

No "Elitism", here. Wink

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"justaviking (7/18/2014)
Alley (7/13/2014)
Well, it appears that the vote is up for the Golden Pinhead Awards.  So, if you go to www.pinheadhq.com and there is a link near the top left where you click to vote.

Please note that not all the questions are mandatory to move on.  There are 16 questions total and it will indicate whether it is a mandatory question in red. 

Please help us by voting.  It will be available til the end of next weekend but we'll keep you posted.

Does anyone have a list of all 16 questions?  I saw a list once of about 8 or 10 categories, but not all 16 questions (which includes the optional ones).

I plan to vote on Saturday, most likely.  Maybe tonight if I get overly ambitious.

And it's open to EVERYONE, right?  You don't have to be a participant.  You only have to be a Pinhead fan."

Dennis;

1) Anyone can vote - "Me And You And A Dog Named Boo"

2) Website states that this W/E is the "Minimum" time to vote.

3) Further announcement with final vote end date (Depending upon number of voters).

4) There was a guide list, which I'll copy for reference when going through Clips, here, before going to the Voting Booth.

Here's hoping for as many voters as poss.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"RB3006 (8/5/2014)
Arie,
I can´t find my price in your picture? w00t
what is going wrong there? Wink

Robert"

It was discovered to contain "Waccy Baccy", Robert & has been impounded BigGrin 

By colour - 10 Years Ago
......................and - Alley's in Canada. Brian & Joe are in the US. Gerry's in Germany. All different time zones. No mean achievement to:

1) Maintain & update Pinhead's Website.

2) Produce the Community Projects introductory Video & Awards Show.

3) Produce the On-line Vote & Certificates of Participation

4) Source & distribute prizes.

5) Etc, etc...

All of the above & more, done in their valuable spare time, for no reward..................

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"RB3006 (8/6/2014)
@Arie,
I should have known this. I'm sorry, my mistake BigGrin

@Peter,
if my is impounded .... can I have yours? BigGrin

Robert"

You'll have to wait upto 6 weeks, Robert. Ermm No "Waccy Baccy" Ermm - Still want it? Wink

By colour - 10 Years Ago
                                                   CERTIFICATES OF APPRECIATION

Personalised & sent to all Participants.

I've Posted an Image of mine, to show non-participants it's beautiful design by Committee Member, Joe. All part of the Pinhead Community Projects total package & experience.

.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
                                           ANOTHER TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE:

The first Awards Show now showing; http://www.pinheadhq.com/welcome.php

No iClone then. It was created using Pinhead's original 2D Image, CrazyTalk & AnimationFactory Characters. 

Thanks for the memory, Brian. I remember it like yesterday. Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"longcross (7/23/2014)
Just a friendly reminder that the vote ends tonight, midnight Pacific. Everyone did a great job. When are you all coming to my place to give lessons?"

We've hired a hot air balloon, Brian. Pinhead's the Pilot. Could end-up in Timbuktoo! Ermm

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"Finished reading the Beano. Now waiting to see who has won a prize for putting me through the most agony" Ermm

By colour - 10 Years Ago
Aaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"jlittle (7/29/2014)
Hmm, I just happened to look at the Pinhead Project Signup page (for Kidnapped) but don't see my name there. Angry
I guess because I signed up at the last minute and the list never got updated. Crying
"

No worries, Jeff.Smile

Brian usually eventually updates & completes the Signup Page with all names & submissions.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"Alley (7/30/2014)
Hi all,

Please do not have any concerns if your name is not on the sign-up page. Brian is aware now and may have already fixed that, but it had no impact on anything - sorry about that.

The awards show is very close to completion. Smile"

Buckets of popcorn at the ready, then Wink

Or crates of beer, if you're that way inclined.

Pilsner for Robert, Guinness for Gerry.............



"

By colour - 10 Years Ago
A great & professionally-done Golden Pinhead Awards show, as usual. Smile

I can see I'm going to have to change my G2 Pinhead Committee Avatars Wink. Loved Gerry's waggly ears & Alley's waggly eyebrows. BigGrin

A really democratic Merit Prize-winner voting process. Everyone's a winner thanks to the various Sponsors' generosity - Yippee! Smile

It's nice to see new Pinhead Community Projects participants this year in the Merit Prizes & 2D making a come-back. Smile 

Thanks again to the Committee for their hard work & fitting-in in their busy daily lives, for producing the best Community Annual Animation Competition on the Net Smile

Thanks to my colleagues, for the many hours you've put into making Project 8 a great success.Smile

Thanks to those of the 50,000 or-so Forum viewers (40,000 are Dennis's Wink ),  who've shown an interest & those who've helped with technical advice. Smile

Pinhead's new friend (In addition to Dobbin) a Dog Named Boo, is very proud to receive his Golden Pinhead Award for his acting & thanks everyone for voting for him. Smile 

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"RB3006 (6/14/2014)
The Welcome Comitee is waiting for slow coaches ...BigGrin

Hope, the Girls can  motivate you"

If they're presenting the Awards at the Awards Ceremony, I'm glad I'm not in the running for one, Robert BigGrin

By colour - 10 Years Ago
 NEW CLIP POSTED:

                                                          "PERDU IS MISSING"

                                                            By Laura (Ahroo)

                                 http://www.pinheadhq.com/Film_Library/vclips_Proj_8.php

By colour - 10 Years Ago
Camera Switcher Timeline Screenshot:

1) You can highlight each Camera Switch.

2) Delete it & replace with another Camera.

3) Reduce/Extend it's duration by Dragging.

4) Any Preview Camera Edits are automatically reflected in the Camera Switcher.

BTW - Considering the amount if time I've spent, you would reasonably expect something as good a quality as the Clips already Posted. It won't be. It's an experiment & entirely different from those already Posted.

The above being said, I've always advocated that everyone whatever their skill levels are should have a go & don't be afraid to produce a Clip that isn't upto the quality if iClone Storyline Power Users, of whom there are very few. 

The majority of iClone Storyline Clips produced each year are Pinhead Community Projects.

We need far more iClone Storyline Clips. IMO, what we need now is to spend less time on the detail & getting that right & more time in devising a simplified way of actually using iClone to put together a Storyline Clip. Neither the User Manual or Video Tutorials address that.

Screenshot:

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"Capemedia (6/21/2014)
Hello All,

Sadly and with a heavy heart I will have to pull out of the competition due to work commitments.  I am being sent to another part of the country next week and even though I have internet access, I will be away from my studio.

To say I'm gutted is an understatement, but there is nothing I can do as my day job is my bread & butter, Capemedia has to play second fiddle to it at the moment.

Even though I am not in the running I will still complete my project now possibly in July and would like to wish you all the best and to add that the standard has been amazing.

Good luck to everyone.

Colin (aka Capemedia)  "

So sorry to hear that Colin. My sentiments are the same as Dennis & Job's.

FWIW - There are quite a few prizes awarded by the Committee for various categories (Not me, BTW) & everyone's in the running for one of those, plus a coveted Golden Pinhead Award, via an On-Line vote, whatever their skill level.

Unfortunately there have been a number of participants who have either dropped-out or are having difficulty in making the extended deadline, for whatever reasons. I think we're looking at very high quality without the quantity this year. Hopefully there'll be a bums rush of entries next week.

Storyline Clips aren't easy to do, compounded by the fact that iClone doesn't always function as it should. That being said, the Pinhead Community Projects have always been a challenge to learn new Animation skills & improve on those we already have. Forum Guru Mark has Posted that the Clips Posted so far are the best he's seen from those Contributors. 

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"RB3006 (6/15/2014)
Houston ..... we have a Problem w00t

uuups"

I think Robert's hinting that Riga Mortis is beginning to set-in, for us slowcoaches Unsure

By colour - 10 Years Ago
Working on Dodgems Ride Scene Animation at the mo. Hiding stuff & moving Path control points to prevent cars from disappearing into each other. First time I'll be using Camera Switch, which is easier than I thought. Switching Cameras is a useful way of masking the cars colliding, except when intended.

 

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"RB3006 (6/23/2014)

GO - COACHES - GO

Robert"

Great Pic, RobertSmile

Many thanks to you & Arie for doing a Vera Lynn job, in keeping the troops entertained.Smile

"Slow Boat To Chine", here.

Too many Characters that change position when applying any Motion or Transform.

Neither Collect Clip or Motion Plus Saves, work. So

Had to delete one ride that I spent far too long in attempting to animate, without success.

No time to learn & apply the Cameras & Lighting I wanted to do.

The above being said, taken overall, the Clip should be entertaining in a typical Pinhead buffoonish way.

Also - A case of; "Never perform with animals, since they steal the limelight". Pinhead has temporarily usurped Dobbin, for a new friend.

Back to the grindstone. Clip Posted prob on last day.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"pinguintje (6/20/2014)
No rest for our Pinhead......

Best regards,

Arie"

BigGrinBigGrinBigGrinBigGrin

Thanks again, Arie, for keeping everyone entertained, while waiting for us slowcoaches Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"3DStory (6/23/2014)

7 DAYS LEFT!!!!!!

 

."

Curses!

By colour - 10 Years Ago
I'm counting on US time being behind UK time. So with a lot of luck, I'll just make the deadline. But no time for a poster, I'm afraid Ermm
By colour - 10 Years Ago
OK - Submitted my Poster.

Just a Frame Grab from my Clip Intro, due to time constraints & that's pretty amateurish - Like the rest of the Clip.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"rogread (6/29/2014)
Yay! I'm finished, in the nick of time, as I have to be away for the next couple of days.

Uploaded to [url=https://vimeo.com/99423485][/url], and also to the Pinhead site.

Look forward to watching all the entries when I get home again."

Great Clip, Rog. Smile Produced under very trying circumstances.

Nice bit of nostalgia. Smile

I'm so pleased you keep the original Pinhead 2D Images for 2D Productions.

More later, since I've still to finish my Project.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
Doug's Poster now showing here; http://www.pinheadhq.com/Proj8_Posters.php
By colour - 10 Years Ago
My Clip. Click on the HD Icon, to view in HD.
By colour - 10 Years Ago
Daniel & Jeff's Clips now uploaded to PHHQ showing here;

http://www.pinheadhq.com/Film_Library/vclips_Proj_8.php 

as well as in this Thread.

Still waiting on Dennis & Jean's Uploads. Brian says Dennis's will probably be in his "In Box" or whatever, in the morning.

Jean has problems with Uploading. His Post replied to here. I've notified Brian. I'll also send Jean a PM.

So - 14 Clips @ the moment.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"moviemaniac (7/1/2014)
finally ........ but I cant upload it"

Hi Jean,

If you're using one of Pinhead Website's Uploaders, you can enter your Clip's Embed Code instead, if it's on Youtube or Vimeo..

Or Posting the Youtube/Vimeo Link & Brian can get the Embed Code from the Video.

I'll e-mail Brian that you're having problems.

Looking forward to watching your Clip. Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"jlittle (7/1/2014)
Well, I made my first Pinhead submittal. I mostly use CTA 2 so it will be one of the few 2D clips.
It really isn't done since I ran out of time. Too much work and not enough play time. Angry
There are several scenes I had to leave out to get something completed.
There is still a lot of post processing and effects yet to do plus just general cleanup and review.
Even then I think I was 5 minutes late submitting due to slow uploads.
Even if it is not considered for the contest I hope everyone enjoys it. It was fun to work on and hopefully I will get started earlier on the next Pinhead project that comes along.
If I only had another 2 weeks ... where have I heard that before. Tongue

Jeff"

Hi Jeff

What a nice surprise. Smile

I've seen you sniffing-around the Thread for some time & was hoping you'd submit a 2D Clip.

Looking forward to watching it.Smile

ADDED - Your embedded Clip wasn't showing before I Posted.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
Remiss of me for not commenting on recent clips yet, for which I apologise.

More concerned @ the mo, waiting for Jean's (Moviemaniac) response re; his Upload.

Also a bit worried about Sharon, who's Posted her WIP & was @ an advanced stage.

All part of the Pinhead "Experience", IMO. We all chip in to help in times of trouble. 

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"rogread (6/4/2014)
DISASTER!

I was getting on so well with Pinhead, when the drive with ALL my Pinhead files made a nasty and expensive clicking and grating noise and stopped. Everything lost. Why, oh why didn't I make a back-up? Not just Pinhead, but most of my other video files have gone, and many of my video and sound editing software.

Having seen the incredible standard of clips so far, I am contemplating withdrawing from this project. Any clip I do now will be rushed and very amateurish - that's assuming I can finish it by the deadline. It's going to take me ages to set up a new drive, reload the software and restart Pinhead from scratch.

Boo-hoo. Why me???

It will be a challenge, but I will NOT be beaten. Stand by for some sort of clip from me!"

Wrapping HDD in newspaper & putting in fridge (not freezer) for 24 hours can sometimes fix it, Rog. Then immediately Backup to another drive. Private e-mail sent to you.

ADDED - Didn't see Dennis' Post above before I Posted.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"RB3006 (6/5/2014)
After so much bad news and worst case (I really can feel with you) I hope, this is a good news....
I have finished ! BigGrinTongueBigGrin
If I still wait longer , I rebuild the whole clip and make it better and better (that remembers me to RL BigGrin ) orrrrr worsen. So I release it now. It´s my longest clip I have ever made...
I hope you like and can enjoy it.



Robert"

WOW!

A really outstanding Clip, Robert Smile

Great Storyline, Highly detailed Sets, Characters, Lighting & Animation etc..............

Loved your usual tongue in cheek "Waccy Baccy" humour, especially Pinhead in his vegetation camouflage BigGrinBigGrinBigGrinBigGrin

Your best iClone Production, keeping the bar raised very high for this year's Pinhead Community Project.

BTW - Have you Uploaded your Clip to Pinhead's Website & are you going to submit a Poster?

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"pinguintje (6/8/2014)
Pinhead has a day off to see his children.

Best regards,

Arie"

BigGrinBigGrinBigGrinBigGrin

I've always wondered where Pinhead gets all his money from, Arie.

Now I know - He gets it from his Child Benefit BigGrin

Thank you so much, Arie, for keeping everyone entertained while waiting  for us slow coaches to submit our Clips.

A great Pinhead Fan & supporter. Smile

 

 

 

 

 

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"GrannyJ (6/9/2014)
My version of Pinhead's sister, Gretchen Pinhead, who will make an appearance in my reworked clip, if I get it done in time

"

Like the Pinhead Family P on her bodice, Granny Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"Capemedia (6/8/2014)
I'm pleased to announce the name of my film for the Pinhead competition as "Pinhead in Seized" and also the main voice cast members.

Thanks

Cape (aka Colin) BigGrin"

Good Cast & Voice Actors, Colin Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
ROBERT'S CLIP

Now Posted: http://www.pinheadhq.com/Film_Library/vclips_Proj_8.php

By colour - 10 Years Ago
HELP!

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"justaviking (6/10/2014)
colour (6/10/2014)

The standard just keeps getting higher BigGrin"

It'll drop dramatically with mine. Ermm

LOL... I was thinking about saying the exact same thing (about MY video, of course).

Mine will become famous as an example of how quality suffers when you bite off more than you can chew.  But I'm still (mostly) having fun working on it."

Looks like I'll have company, then, Dennis Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
                               ROBERT'S "THE ONE MILLION DOLLAR MAN" POSTER

Now Uploaded; http://www.pinheadhq.com/Proj8_Posters.php. Expand Pic to view.

Unfortunately it has the wrong Tag @ the moment, with Gerskey's Pinhead's Wish Project Poster Tag.

Another darned-good Poster, Robert, to go with your Clip. Smile

Many thanks from us all & Pinhead, for your enthusiasm for joining-in & supporting the Project Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"3DStory (6/12/2014)
"Has anyone kept track of HOW MANY HOURS you put into your project?"

I have thought about doing this from time to time, but decided that I didn't really want to know Smile

Nevertheless, last night I spent 3hours for a 5 second initial draft of a complicated custom animation sequence. "Initial draft" means it is just OK to release, but not to the level I am happy with. I expect it will take another 3 hours to polish nicely.

"Initial draft" also includes rendering and adding to the footage in AE so I can check how it fits into the movie. Then when I update the sequence I can just reload the footage and keep any post processing. In this way I can do an iterative approach to making the entire film plus at least will have something to submit. Smile

"

I'm amazed @ the quality of your & others' Clips who have day time jobs, Daniel Smile

As far as my Clip's concerned; as you know it's an experiment with taking apart Google SKP Models & re-building them, so that they animate. So there's been a dis-proportionate time spent doing that & very little time spent on Camera & lighting etc, I'm afraid.

All Clips Posted so-far are of the highest quality & are amongst the best ever produced in iClone, IMO.

That being-said, the Pinhead Community Projects are a great opportunity to experiment & hone your iClone skills & nobody expects Pixar quality Productions from all participants.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"Capemedia (6/10/2014)
The Mythical Dragon (6/10/2014)
Thanks everyone, I'm glad you enjoyed it. My daughters had lots of fun recording the voices and helping me come up with the story line. It was the longest video I've ever made and seem to take forever to finish. I had fun creating it but I'm glad it is finally done.

Both my daughters have asked me to say thanks for the nice comments about them.

It's going to be very difficult selecting the best videos when this is over. All the videos so far have been amazing with really awesome story lines.

The standard just keeps getting higher BigGrin"

It'll drop dramatically with mine. Ermm

If you enjoy watching things going round in circles (& possibly falling to bits) - My Clip's for you. If you don't - Tough luck! BigGrin

I/we're hoping that those who've signed-up but haven't Posted in the Thread are still going to submit a Clip & any others who haven't signed-up. Smile

ALL Clips, whatever your skill-level, are greatly appreciated by us all. Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
@ Doug

A very brief appraisal until after close date. Running-out of time, here. 

1) Great voice acting from the Family, especially 2 Daughters.

2) Close-up facial animations very very realistic & lifelike. The best I've seen.

3) .Great Lighting & your special effects.

Now back to attempt to get Pinhead to create mayhem on the Dodgems Fair Ground Ride.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"RB3006 (6/9/2014)

While waiting for the "slow coaches"  BigGrin  , Pinhead  is looking for a new appartment

Robert"

Don't blame him. Look who's behind him -The Brides Of Dracula. BigGrin

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"animagic (5/24/2014)
Well, here you are good people, my entry for the competiton, called: "The Lost Client".

Private Eye Walter Pinhead is faced with his thoughest case yet when his client Alura Simmons is kidnapped! Who is behind it and why? Join Pinhead and his resourceful hacker friend Franciska on their quest to solve this puzzle, and, eventually, free Alura.

I hope it is to your liking!"

What the others said, Job. Your usual star quality Smile

Watched it briefly in the early hours this am. Fuller appreciation after I've Uploaded my Clip. Don't know when. Won't be Posting much until done. ,.   

By colour - 10 Years Ago
@ Job

Sorry to read that you're a bit under the weather. Hope you recover quickly.

@ Daniel & Robert.

Great WIP Pics

Laura never Posts much. But she'll be working on her AnimeStudio 2D Clip.

I'm betting that Roger will submit if he's physically able.

No recent news on MovieStorm Forum re; the 2 MovieStorm Clips.

Just small bits of progress here, adding bits as I think of them.

Hoping that silence from those who've joined but not Posted in Thread, means they are beavering-away at their Clips.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
@ Job (Animagic)

Have you also Uploaded your Clip or entered the Embed Code at Pinhead HQ, Job?

Only trying to assist Brian & Alley, since I have their Personal e-mail Addresses & can notify them re; Forum Posts if they miss them.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
                                                         WEBSITE  UPDATE

1) Job's Clip now Posted

2) Daniel's Join-up & Poster now Posted.

Great "Waccy Baccy" WIP Pics, Robert BigGrinBigGrin

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"justaviking (6/2/2014)
@Colour,

Wow!!!

I have a feeling you and I are both undertaking some Herculean project tasks, but in different ways.

The modeling you're doing for the carnival has got to be a huge amount of work.  It looks great, though.  I can't wait to see it all in action.  w00t"

I think iC6 will have a new & better Realtime Render Engine, that'll accommodate this sort of stuff & adding more of iC's Features to a Scene without having to go through many time-consuming hoops, to prevent iC from Hanging. 

As previously Posted, I haven't the slightest idea how my Clip will turn-out until the final cut.

Done a lot of tests along the way to see what each scene looks like with simple night-time lighting & the various Fairground rides organ music, to keep me motivated.

Beauty of Pinhead Community Projects is the variety of Clips Posted. We love 'em all. "The Good, The Bad & The Ugly" & hang the quality. 

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"justaviking (5/31/2014)
@Animagic,

Thank you for motivating me to look at this again.

I took a moment and ran Pinhead through 3DXchange.  Pretty painless, since I wasn't trying to do much there.

The bounding box automatically fixed itself.

I was able to find a "2-sided" check box for the face in 3DXchange.

It helped.  It's not perfect, exactly as you said, but it helps.  At least I won't be seeing things like green grass or white vehicles through his mouth.

 

Interesting things in his mouth, like the red "box" and stuff.  I'm not criticizing.  It's just interesting what you find when you dissect an avatar (either on purpose or by accident).

I think I'll apply him to some scenes, and it should magically work just fine.


@Colour...

You said, "The quality won't be on a par with others Posted so-far & WIP Posted. "

I've seen your screen shots.  They're very pretty.

But mine?  Hah!  Much of my movie currently has the same refinement of the screenshots I just posted.  Start a new project, add a terrain, add Pinhead... what you see then is what most of my movie looks like.  I'm still hoping that will change in the next three weeks."

Do your own thing Dennis & don't worry about the result. Something that we all emphasize re: Pinhead Projects.

All submissions are excellent. Only wish there were Prizes & Golden Pinhead Awards for everyone.

All contributors should be proud of their submissions. I know that the Committee all other contributors are  more than grateful for all submissions.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"Colour - How is it going for you? Are your characters riding the rides correctly?"

Big Scenes with lot of Characters & Animation. Just take shorts stabs @ it EG; Add a voice File. Close. Defragment . Record & add the next one. Defragment. etc.

Just a Clip with Pinhead being Pinhead, with his new friend; "A Dog Named Boo".

The Fair Ground rides & the Fair Ground Organ music are authentic & the real thing.

An experiment with a bit of nostalgia.

Keeping the Lighting constant problematical. Getting Cameras inside Rides to get best effect also problematical.

Final Edit in S12/16 & Export needs more experimentation. Looks like Export from iClone to Uncompressed RAW AVI & Export from S12/16 to MP4 1280 x 720p @ 6000kps, at the moment.

The quality won't be on a par with others Posted so-far & WIP Posted. 

We need non-storyline Editors to get stuck in, by doing a Pinhead Clip, whatever their skill levels & hang the quality. That only comes with experience & practise. You get that by doing a Pinhead Clip.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"justaviking (6/2/2014)
How was everyone's weekend?  Two days since the last post?  I hope that means you were all busy working on your clips (except for those few exceptional people who actually finished already).

I spent a bit too much time cleaning up existing footage.  I can't believe it, but I think I actually enjoying key framing animations.  But I have bigger issues than how well a hand grips a prop, or if a motion looks slightly unnatural.  I do like the results, though.  Hopefully you'll be able to notice where I put time into some of that refinement.

I added my first special effect!!!  Some sparks!

I also assembled more of my iClone output into my video editor (NLE).  And I put in a bit of background music and a sample of some ambient sound.  It's amazing what a difference that makes.

Sadly, my "cleanup" time keeps shrinking and shrinking.  But at least I still expect to finish all the footage I need to tell my story, which makes me happy.

But enough about me.  How about YOU???

 ."

Finally managed to rebuild the rotating bit from one of the rides that fell to bits, so that it rotates in one piece.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"RB3006 (5/23/2014)
"animagic (5/22/2014)
Still working on the final touches...

Meanwhile, here is "portrait" of the main cast. I tried to have them pose properly, but they wouldn't listen..

I love cast Pics, so I also will add  one.

Ready ... (almost)  18:20 without intro and credits

Is there a price for the longest Clip ??? Hehe

I´m curious if anyone will watch this until end. w00t

finally, now I must find music for the clip ... hard job

 "

BigGrinBigGrinBigGrin

Is that Pinhead's "Punk" Sister on the right, Robert? BigGrin

By colour - 10 Years Ago
Here's my Cast - I win Wink

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"3DStory (5/22/2014)
Hey Job,

Your Pinhead looks unusually big in that pic, did you stretch him or is it just the perspective?

"

Pinhead's seen an Osteopth & had his spine stretched after your "Pinhead Wishes He Was Taller" Clip, Daniel BigGrin

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"animagic (5/22/2014)
Still working on the final touches...

Meanwhile, here is "portrait" of the main cast. I tried to have them pose properly, but they wouldn't listen..

The background is just to have a backdrop, it's not part of the movie."

"A cast of thousands"

Looking very nice, Job Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"animagic (5/22/2014)
I just found something out about shadows that may be helpful.

I was looking at the same shadow with two different cameras. It looked OK with the camera I used for rendering, but horrible with the Preview camera. Turned out that I used a 20 mm lens for the Preview, which resulted in the feared ragged shadows (when using blur). With 35 mm or more the problem is gone.

So if you have issues with shadows, try another lens. Weird, but what can you do...Unsure"

Thanks for the heads-up, JobSmile

................and a 20mm Lens will distort the image if you use a Sky Dome. 

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"GrannyJ (5/21/2014)
GrannyJ (5/21/2014)
colour (5/20/2014)

One ride disintegrates when animated. Had to Re-attach a load of back faces to front faces  & work-out which part should rotate & then attach Front Faces to that. Might be a bit missing. Need to check original SKP Model.

Would it be easier to use some of my amusement park rides (the animation is built in, you just have to link your character to the component)?  If so, send me your iClone email address to granny@grannyjsplace.com and I will gif you whatever rides you might need for your movie.....

DUH....Guess I should have provided the link so you could look at the rides. Just go to my storefront on the marketplace here http://city.reallusion.com/store/GrannyJs3DAttic and scroll down to the "AMUSEMENT PARK ESSENTIALS" section....

If there's something there that will help you out, just let me know...."

Many thanks for your vey generous offer, Granny Smile

However all rides are SKP Models of actual Rides. This ride (See Pic 1) needs to be in keeping with the rest.

See Pic 2, where the rotating bit isn't a flat one piece disk. (Seems there might be a piece missing. Howerer, I need to re-check Attachments. Too complex to Post) 

Pic 1

Pic 2

By colour - 10 Years Ago
No planning, here. Just chucking it together & hoping it turns-out ok on the night. Unsure

One ride disintegrates when animated. Had to Re-attach a load of back faces to front faces  & work-out which part should rotate & then attach Front Faces to that. Might be a bit missing. Need to check original SKP Model.

Worried we haven't heard yet from other sign-ups. Hope they submit & others who haven't signed-up.

That being said, the quality of those clips submitted & WIP, is outstanding. As it always is in Pinhead Community Projects Wink

By colour - 10 Years Ago
Nice Pic, Daniel Smile

................and - If you're a dog, this is what Postboxes are for. (Click on the HD Icon, to view in HD).

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"justaviking (5/15/2014)
colour (5/15/2014)
"Last night I suffered from my first-ever HARD CRASH with iClone. 

The project won't even open anymore"

Have you tried Opening it in Quickshader Mode, Dennis ?

No, I have not.

I don't remember the exact error message, but it was something like, "If this is a .fbx file, please try opening it with blah blah blah."  Not that, exactly, but something along those lines.  It cannot read the file.

I was thinking about trying it with 32-bit instead of 64-bit iClone.

If that doesn't work, I'll try your suggestion.  I'm not optimistic, since the BSOD crash was timed with the file Save.

Hopefully it doesn't take more than two hours to re-create my two hours of lost work.  Unsure"

"VNS File", Dennis.

That Error Message has been around since @ least iC4.

No standard Fix, it depends upon the File you're Opening. Eg; iAvatar, Project etc.

Always do this:

1) Open Projects in Quick Shader Mode. Edit in Pixel Shader Mode if necessary & then Exit in Quick Shader Mode.

2) Check your HDD for Fragmentation either after or before Exiting/Launching iClone. iClone Project Files get very quickly Fragmented proportional to the number of Edits, here.

I have Diskeeper 3RD Party De-fragmentation Program. Suggest you Google it for info & get it.

3) Delete iClone Temp File after or before Exiting/ Launching iClone. The Temp File size can build-up, possibly interfering with the Edit process, like Pinnacle Studio Temp Render Filkes do unless you Manually Delete the Render Folder.  

I have jvcPowerTools Program that does that automatically each time I run it on a daily basis. Also Google that for info & get it.

As previously Posted I'm regularly Opening & Editing a 1.5 Million Face Count Project, because I practise PC Good Housekeeping with the Tools to do it. iClone very seldom Hangs here.

I Run Diskeeper & jvcPowerTools & Disk Image Backup my Editing HDD to a Disconnected External HJDD, Daily

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"3DStory (5/13/2014)
@Dennis - nice shoving by Pinhead...looks like Pinhead is a little excited in a lot of Project 8 themes Smile
@Peter - 1.5 million face count is pushing it a bit!

Now for my progress report: Have spend the last 4 days straight on the project to catch up...

- Completed script, scenes ~80%
- Avatars mostly complete
- no animation, bare lighting and camera work etc.

Here are a couple of non-violent shots:

"

Looks like top one might end-up being censored, Daniel, if it gets any hotter BigGrin 

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"The Mythical Dragon (5/13/2014)
I think I need to get back on the band wagon. I've had one little girl falling off a 5 ft high wall and breaking her arm and another older but still little girl sick with a very nasty sinus infection. Between the two I've had little to no sleep. I'm also trying to prepare for a week long camping trip into another state after their school lets out and my youngest gets out of her cast. Unfortunately Pinhead has been sitting on the back burner. Thank goodness for the extension. I would never have made it by the middle of May.

Great updates, I can't wait to see all the final films.

"

Sorry to read of your Brood's mishaps, Doug.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"Last night I suffered from my first-ever HARD CRASH with iClone. 

The project won't even open anymore"

Have you tried Opening it in Quickshader Mode, Dennis ?

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"RB3006 (5/17/2014)
A small Wip regarding the Billiard Set. I also made a billiard -Motion for this. The hardest thing is to get power in the stroke . Also it needs time, to found the right physic settings. The video shows a advanced version of "Low Power Billard" BigGrin



Robert"

I just knew you couldn't resist including the toads, Robert BigGrin

Do they appear in your Pinhead Clip? I hope so BigGrin 

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"RB3006 (5/7/2014)
I think, on the poster are some not unproblematic things .

1:  The dog is dead!

No, I don´t think he is stoned and sleeps. Look at its paws. These are not the paws of a sleeping dog  = big big Problem BigGrin

2.  The woman on the poster is not Mrs. Pinhead.  =  bigger Problem  BigGrin

 

This is Mrs. Pinhead

 

 

(or is it his sister?) BigGrin

 

Robert"

It's Pinhead's Mother & he's "in the dog house" for something he's just done, judging by the expression on her face, Robert Ermm

Hang on a minute - Pinhead doesn't have a Mother. He was born out of a box of Pinnacle Studio 10 NLE Program, aged about 30, in 2006 - It must be his sister BigGrin

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"3DStory (5/7/2014)
I wouldn't dream of it...here is my poster!!

"

You're just going to have to give the dog the kiss of life, Daniel Sick If you want my vote.Wink

However, I'll excuse you if it has Rabies BigGrin

Nice Poster (Apart from the dead dog Wink ) Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"animagic (5/7/2014)
I do have a dog in my story, and he's alive. For some reason he's not associated with Alura, so I'm not certain if it's the same dog... I make a cameo appearance (that's only way for me to get in a movie) and I have a dog with me. 

Alura is all dressed up. The dog is scratching hmiself. I look worried, because I'm trying to finish a movie. The man walking by is just walking by."

Doing a Hitchcock, Job? Wink

You wouldn't want a Cameo appearance of me,  Ermm

I've had an initial attempt at getting the dog to scratch - Simple minds think alike Wink

I like the Pastel Film-look in that Clip. 

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"animagic (5/6/2014)
Capemedia (5/6/2014)
RB3006 (5/6/2014)
The picture with your actors is a nice idea.
But I miss the dog. Where is the dog??? BigGrin

Robert

No dog in my story, maybe in the sequel????

Neither in mine. I thought the dog was no good. He/she just let the kidnapping kind of happen...Crazy"

Don't worry, Robert.

The dog (who has a new name, BTW) stars alongside Pinhead, in my Clip Wink  

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"justaviking (5/6/2014)
colour (5/6/2014)

"animagic (5/6/2014)

Neither in mine. I thought the dog was no good. He/she just let the kidnapping kind of happen...Crazy"

The dog (who has a new name, BTW) stars alongside Pinhead, in my Clip Wink  

 

Yeah, no offense to the committee who created the original clip, but that K-9 sure is worthless as a guard dog.

Colour, I hope you gave him some good training."

He certainly needs "House Training", Dennis BigGrin

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"3DStory (5/7/2014)
The dog features in my story in the opening scene...let's just say that I take "care" of him in a way that will save me a LOT of dog animation...Wink"

Don't you dare, Daniel Sad

If you do, I'll set my dog on you Wink 

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"animagic (5/4/2014)
I've ALMOST all my scenes, which means I can start fine-tuning. Of course there are setbacks: the timeline seems to crash a bit more.

One issue I ran into is that when iClone plays a video (as texture) there may be slight deviations in the timing. I needed a camera switch to occur synchronous with a cut in the video and I found this can't be relied on. So I rendered all cameras out separately and put everything together in Vegas. 

I'm working on a newscast about things that have been happening (the kidnapping and such) that Pinhead is watching near the end of the movie, together with his hacker fried Franciska. This is kind of the self-referencing idea that Viking talked about many posts ago, because at some point Pinhead is watching himself.

I needed to create clips for the newscast that didn't exist yet and in some cases I needed to create new environments. I have a lot of premade stuff fortunately but it was still quite a bit of work. In a way the newscast is a film in itself. My wife likes it, so it must be quite good actually...

The set for the news anchor is existing content from Reallusion that I retextured to make it look at bit more together:

And so we plod along...

By the way, there is a Real News network. I found the name fitting."

Looking & sounding reeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllll nice, Job Smile

A bit worrying that there are a few Sign-ups who we haven't heard from, although I've PMed them re; extension. Ermm

Hopefully, there will be a "Bums Rush" of last entries  at Cut-off Date (err- mine included). Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"Capemedia (5/12/2014)
Hi All,

I don't have anything major to report, only the script is around 80% complete and I've cast a few people.  I'm still waiting on one or two.

I have managed to get two main roles filled by a couple of outstanding actors, one who is very close to my heart and another who is well known in the Machinima world who I've never worked with.

More when I have a full cast Wink

Thanks

Colin (aka Capemedia)"

Would one of them be Ricky Grove, Colin?

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"pinguintje (5/12/2014)
Pinhead is sent to prison.
  • He sleeps with a minor teddy bear (page 57)
  • He hit Alura (WIP update yesterday justaviking)

His hair was cut in GrannyJs Hair Saloon.

Best Regards,

Arie"

BigGrinBigGrinBigGrin Love it, Arie

Many thanks for your humo(u)rous Thread intermissions. Smile

Do we take it you're going to also submit a CTA Clip, then?

I'm sorry those who've already submitted Clips are going to wait so long for us slow-coaches. However the extension does give an opportunity for anyone who'd like to get started on a Clip, to do-so.

All Clips are equally appreciated by all of us. Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago

"@Roger - Great to hear that you are better and might be able to submit a clip...I think you would be the only 2D clip this time around (assuming you still favour 2D - any other confirmed 2D clips this time)?"

2D - Laura (Ahroo); AnimeStudio, Daniel.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
The extra time has enabled me to make my intro scene more entertaining. So the Dog Named ....(Not telling Wink ) disgraces himself 3 times (Already passed by Alley as suitable viewing BigGrin )

Scene 2 Animations completed.

Scene 3 Fair Ground overview would be nice to have all of rides animating, but I'm at over 1.5 million face count.

All further Scenes are the individual rides. None of which have all Animations completed.

Penultimate Scene is Alura's rescue.

Ultimate Scene will be Pinhead, the dog & Committee on the Carousel Ride, with Credits overlay.

Finish date - End of June.

Only one way to do this Project & that is in job Wink lots. Eg; Animate Rides / Position Characters on Rides / Transition Curve/Time Warp Animations / Add Cameras / Add Lighting etc.

Expect a lot of glitches Unsure & to feel giddy & sick. Sick

BTW - Job (If you read this Post), I think the Carousel Ride's Rotate judder could be due to not initially using Physics By Frame.

In short - My Project's a complete incoherent mess at the moment & will be until final Edit in my NLE. My Personal Project Containing Folder, Sub-Folders & Files, is huge.    

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"colour (5/11/2014)
                                                  PROJECT JOIN US /SIGN-UP PAGE

                                                   http://www.pinheadhq.com/joinus.php

Looks like some of the Usernames have been screwed-up. Some are quite funny BigGrin

No wonder Job does wonders with his Clips - He's a Magician - Apparently.BigGrin

Maybe the last 3 Names aren't in fact Ad Bots ?"

Brian's now updated with the correct Usernames Smile

Thanks, Brian Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"RogRead8 (5/10/2014)
Hi to all my Pinhead friends.

I am overwhelmed by all the messages of sympathy and good wishes you posted on this forum after my accident. It is really heart-warming to know that there are so many who care about me. Thank you all. It has really raised my spirits.

I am well on the mend now, though there is still some way to go, and I am surviving on little more than paracetamol sandwiches! (I believe that is Tylenol sandwiches over the Pond).

The quantity and quality of posts on this forum are amazing, and it will take me a while to catch up. Thanks to the extension, I might even have time to submit a short PH clip, though working the mouse with my left hand is taking a bit of practice. I will post again once I have had the opportunity to catch up and view the posted clips."

Great to hear you're back home & on the mend, Rog Smile

Thanks for letting us all know. It's been an anxious wait.

BTW - Paracetamol sarnies taste better with a liberal amount of Tomato Catsup Sick Wink

By colour - 10 Years Ago
                                                  PROJECT JOIN US /SIGN-UP PAGE

                                                   http://www.pinheadhq.com/joinus.php

Looks like some of the Usernames have been screwed-up. Some are quite funny BigGrin

No wonder Job does wonders with his Clips - He's a Magician - Apparently.BigGrin

Maybe the last 3 Names aren't in fact Ad Bots ?

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"colour (5/9/2014)
                                               BRIAN'S DONATE THERMOMETER

..............has reached $125. The target is $150.

That's very impressive, in such a short time. Smile

I'm betting that Brian, Alley, Joe & Gerry are well-pleased Smile

Thanks again, Brian, for all of the hard work you put into maintaining Pinhead's Website. Smile"

                                                               UPDATE

Looks like the Target has now been reached since the last donations & Donate Button removed. Smile

Many thanks from me to my fellow Pinhead Fans, for helping with the costs of keeping Pinhead's Website going & Prizes distribution to various parts of the World.

ADDED - Also announced in the News Room; http://www.pinheadhq.com/news.php

I see from my e-mail that either Roger or his Daughter have viewed the Easter e-card I sent Roger. So - Hopefully he's back home now & will be in touch when he can..  

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"3DStory (5/8/2014)
Maybe my dog is just drugged…perhaps with some sort of paralytic agent, hence his stiff looking paws…either way, my film pays homage to the dog in scene 1…so stay tuned…

Oh, and you want to see a scary Pinhead wife? Remember this ‘babe’ from “The Pinhead Paradox” hehe

"

Yes -That was your first Pinhead Project, Daniel. A darned-good clip Smile

Pinhead's short-sighted & isn't wearing his glasses. Fortunately he can't see his Wife BigGrin

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"animagic (5/8/2014)
@Viking, thanks for that. I believe we can learn from film-making and cinematographic techniques. We're trying to make movies after all.

Your quote rang especially true after my struggle to create my newscast. After my initial optimism following Mark's advice there were still issues... and solving those took most of the week. You then just hope that your audience will appreciate the effort...Unsure

You sure do need a certain tenacity for this kind of work, despite the "EZ" buttons!"

"EZ" Buttons don't always work, Job Ermm

See Screenshot for Saved Motion Plus (Discussed else-where).

Pinhead in "Theory" should be at Move Z Axis Postion 0.0.

I've managed to add further Edit Motion Layers, but adding further Transforms & Motion Templates without Deleting & Re-Importing Pinhead as an additional Project for that Scene, is impossible.

What should have taken me a couple if days, has taken me a week, so far Ermm 

I & others are encountering Applying Character Motion Template Problems, including Collect Clip & Motion Plus, in many areas of iC5.

IMO, iC4 was a more stable Program, here. Ermm

Screenshot:

 

By colour - 10 Years Ago
                                               BRIAN'S DONATE THERMOMETER

..............has reached $125. The target is $150.

That's very impressive, in such a short time. Smile

I'm betting that Brian, Alley, Joe & Gerry are well-pleased Smile

Thanks again, Brian, for all of the hard work you put into maintaining Pinhead's Website. Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"justaviking (4/2/2014)
I just noticed we have another participant on the list:
  • Kamal, from India

Welcome to the project and to the Pinhead family.  Smile

(See the "Join Project Page" in Colour's signature.)"

I've already Posted that, Dennis. A few Posts-back.

Wake-up at the back Ermm Wink

By colour - 10 Years Ago
BigGrinBigGrinBigGrinBigGrin

LMAO, Greg,BigGrin

Pinhead's version of "The Keystone Kops" 

Great Storyline with a well-crafted twist.

More appraisal after end of Project.

So glad that you & Arie joined the Project this year, as newcomers.

2 Wonderful Clips so-far.Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
WOW! - Arie's (pinguintje) early bird Wink Clip;

http://www.pinheadhq.com/Film_Library/vclips_Proj_8.php

has raised the bar very high Smile

Great "James Bond" style Pinhead adventure Clip, Arie. Smile

......................and:

WELCOME to Kamal from India, who's just joined. Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"maxae (4/2/2014)
like heroes before him, collateral damage was never a big issue..w00t
"

I see Pinhead's eating his greens (spinach),maxae BigGrin

....................and don't miss Arie's Project Clip, Posted above, Folks.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
BigGrinBigGrinBigGrinBigGrin, Lynn

Pinhead launches an ice cream Exocet Missile BigGrin

Another Keystone Kops caper, with brilliant Scenes & Animations.

So glad you could make it Lynn & thanks for making everyone's day. Smile

BTW - Are you submitting a Poster in the Poster Competition?

3 Brilliant Clips by 3 new Pinhead Fans, demonstrating iClone's capabilities to the full.

.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
Couldn't resist Posting this WIP Clip BigGrin

Click on the HD Icon, to view in HD.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
@ Alley

I had thought of that - Now you've suggested it................BigGrin

@ Viking

 I'm also wondering how it's going to fit together. Ermm BigGrin

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"pinguintje (3/30/2014)
Yesterday I saw a strange owl with a Pinhead hair-dress in the park.

Maybe good to inform you........

Arie"

A Pinhead Owl BigGrin

The Moon & mist are very effective.

Love it, Arie Smile

I'm really enjoying this Thread. All part of the Pinhead Community Projects Experience.

Remember Folks - This is a Community Project to be enjoyed by all.

All WIP Pics/Clips & Posts greatly appreciated.

..............and - It doesn't matter "2 Hoots" Wink if you've just started-out with iClone, CrazyTalk, or CrazyTalk Animator.  

By colour - 10 Years Ago
@ Viking

BigGrinBigGrinBigGrin:BigGrin

Comments in your other Thread.

@ Doug

Pinhead's fastidious about his personal hygiene BigGrin

I hope it isn't a replication of that "Other" Shower Scene Ermm Wink

I came across Pinhead's hair disappearing with Particle Effects, while he was standing in a pile pig manure with stream rising, in my "Pinhead Stinks" Project, a while-back BigGrin

Hope your recurring cold clears-up quickly & that you'll feel better. Smile

Spent the last couple of days in getting an Animation of Pinhead getting his backside bitten by the dog, reasonably right BigGrin

By colour - 10 Years Ago
WELCOME TO STUDECK Smile

From France, who's just joined the Project.

Looking forward to your Clip, Studeck. Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"justaviking (3/28/2014)
colour (3/28/2014)
WELCOME TO STUDECK Smile

From France, who's just joined the Project.

Looking forward to your Clip, Studeck. Smile


WELCOME, Studeck!

I love that the Pinhead projects are a global phenomenon. Thank you for joining. Smile"

My apologies for misnaming studek as stude(c)k Blush

Here's one of studek's iClone Clips:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPUKACbAnE0 BigGrin 

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"animagic (4/11/2014)
Since we are into showing (off) our WIPs, I like to present a clip in which Pinhead's hacker friend Franciska is trying to hack into the cellphone given to Pinhead by the kidnappers.

I had no less than four computer screens to deal with. For one I had a video, for the others I used YouTube and a site called hackertyper.net. An ordinary PC will not do for today's hacker, so Franciska has a server in the living room! w00t

So this is all getting very involved for just about 30 seconds."

Amazing attention to detail, Job Smile

I've noticed something new each time I've watched it.

Yes - I'm guilty of advocating everyone showing-off their WIP, irrespective of their expertise. Wink 

We need the incentive to keep going & meet deadlines. The support of our Peers helps to achieve  that, IMO.

Just to reaffirm that the Clips & WIP Posted so-far, are from experienced Animators & shouldn't deter less-experienced Animators who want to create a Storyline Film, from joining-in. Smile

If I had the time, which I haven't & it would take approx. 9 months to do-so, I'm thinking along the lines of a completely different approach to learn the very basics of iClone. like Stuckon3D's Boot camp, which he tried to get off the ground in the now defunct CoolClones Forum, but didn't due to the lack of participation. But that was only for those who had paid for his Webinar Tuts or Downloaded  Videos of those Webinars.

I suggested something similar more recently with Gabe taking the lead. But, again, lack of interest. 

No point in laying-out all that cash if you aren't prepared to make the effort to produce Storyline Films, IMO. Unsure

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"Alley (4/11/2014)
Hi everyone,

The Pinhead website has been paid for and maintained by the committee since 2006 so that probably makes it 8 years now. We always renew it year to year and we just renewed it to June 2015.

The cost has gone up considerably since the inception. We have to take deluxe hosting in order to archive all the videos from all projects. Additionally, there are some prizes that we have to ship out, and we have always covered the cost.

We have debated doing this before, but today we added a Donate button. We only want people to donate if they can spare and we would be grateful for $5.00 or $2.00 or anything. If we get too much money, we'll remove the button. We figured most of you guys would love to help out and we don't want big donations. And it will be kept confidential.

We love doing this and that there is so much interest in Pinhead and the projects. Thanks to all for being so supportive.

The Pinhead Committee Smile "

Great news that Pinhead hasn't been evicted & will remain in his home for another year, Alley Smile

I'm sure we can all rustle something-up, to keep Pinhead & Dobbin in the manner to which they've become accustomed Wink

Annual subscription for Pinhead's Beano & Dobbin's hay & carrots BigGrin

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"Capemedia (4/12/2014)
Hello All,

Joined last night and hope to bring something to the Pinhead world.

Thanks

Cape Smile"

Great news & welcome to Pinhead's World-wide Adventures, Colin Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
A new Pinhead Fan; Doug (DougFuest), has just joined the Project.

Welcome Doug. We're so glad you could join us Smile

20 Sign-ups so far, Folks Smile 

Here's hoping we can all submit a Clip in time, plus anyone-else.

A reminder:

1) Nice Merit Prizes awarded by the Committee.

2) Prestigious Golden Pinhead Awards, awarded by an On-Line Vote.

3) Beautiful Participation Certificates, for all who submit a Clip.

Prizes & Golden Pinhead Awards, presented in the Golden Pinhead Awards Show.

.............and - Don't forget the Poster Competition. Wink 3 Great Posters already Submitted. Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"animagic (4/8/2014)
I think I'm in the same trap too. I have a general idea of the story, but I'm building it up little by little.

Like, I really wanted to see if I could have my character open a door and then walk on through the door opening. It may be only 10 seconds in the movie, but it was a challenge I set myself. And there are many challenges for me in this film. But it is rewarding to me if I actually succeed.

I do go back to scenes to make small changes or corrections, but each scene is pretty much the way I want it. If I had the story all down I might do the whole thing first with just the locations and the characters saying their lines. However, right now it's just scene by scene.

I would like to finish the project, though.

The biggest challenge often is for me to stay interested."

My sentiments exactly, Job Unsure

The reason why we all need each other's encouragement to keep the impetus going Smile

Fortunately I live on my Jack Jones & there's no-one to see me unshaven, unwashed (including the dishes) & my pit in a general state of chaos Ermm Bit like my Pinhead Clip BigGrin

Keep going Folks. It'll be alright on the night Wink

Some of the best iClone Clips produced have been Pinhead Project Clips. We, You & a dog named Boo, should be very proud of ourselves. Smile 

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"mark (4/8/2014)
Have some more of them..."Funeral-Cakes" that'll keep ya goin' !!!!TongueTongueTongueTongueTongueTongue"

Download via 3DXChange:

 

By colour - 10 Years Ago
Copied from another Thread, but also relevant here.

"sjonesdc (4/9/2014)
Very nice!!!

Edit - Maybe you could tell this was done. After the contest of course."

@ All 

Thanks for the nice comments Folks

@ Sharon

Previous Projects have been discussed in the Pinhead Threads in Video Friends Forum. However, sadly, I've relinquished my duties of double Posting over there, due to the lack of Forum Member participation.

I think it would be nice if we could have a separate Pinhead Project discussion Thread here instead, to Post nice comments re; the individual Clips, in recognition of their Authors' hard work. To finally round-off the Project.

I think we all like to think of the Projects as a complete experience, from the Opening Intro Clip, general discussion in the Project Thread, Awards Show etc.

Something I think we should all pencil in & make time for, looking forward to it each year.

Here's hoping for a good turn-out this year.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"justaviking (4/10/2014)
Let's see now...  Three nights:
  • I built my first-ever terrain
  • Pinhead arrived at the property
  • He took a closer look

Three nights of work.  One minute and twenty seconds of video.  That's nearly 25 seconds of video per night.

If you include the two nights where I didn't spend any time with iClone, then it's 17 seconds of video per night.

And it's rough footage, too.  Not a finished product by any means, only one step above pre-vis.

I think both Pinhead and I are in over our heads.

"

Great Facial Expression, Dennis Smile

Here a very rough Test WIP of Pinhead creating mayhem (Click on the HD Icon, to view in HD) BigGrin

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"The Mythical Dragon (4/11/2014)
I finally finished a scene. This clip is one take with 6 cameras and is straight out of iClone, no post editing at all. I really like how it turned out... Pinhead might not like this scene very much though.



"

Ah! Doug's ears must have been burning with one of his special effects Wink

Another "A Team" Clip in Production Wink

Great stuff Doug Smile

Pinhead has a Stuntman double?

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"animagic (4/11/2014)
Dennis, decisions, decisions... You could always start with Pinhead as a TTS voice, and then change it later.

I can only do English with a Dutch accent, and the story doesn't call for that.

I'm staying with an all TTS cast for now, in part because of time constraints. There is only about five or six weeks left...Crazy

I once came up with a rough estimate of about a week per minute of animation (including post), but even that seems optimistic now...Unsure"

Not sure if there's a confirmed Submit-By date yet, Job - Might be calling for extra time Ermm

4 Clips submitted so-far & only 6 more that I know for certain are in Production Ermm

Me, You, Dennis, Sharon & Doug (iClone) & Laura (AnimeStudio).

No feed-back from anyone-else in this Thread, despite it's now 15.000 Views.Ermm

So - If there's anyone-else I've missed, please call home Wink

By colour - 10 Years Ago
Another fine Clip from another new Pinhead Fan - Granny J Smile

 http://www.pinheadhq.com/Film_Library/vclips_Proj_8.php

Fine Acting/Voice Acting, Special Effects & another intriguing Storyline.

So glad you managed to finish before your Vacation, Granny, to meet the deadline. Hope you enjoy/enjoyed (By the time you read this) vacation. Smile

If the bar gets raised any higher, I can get under but not, over it Ermm

So far - Pinhead's been cast as a Thief, ice cream vendor, James Bond & doppleganger from a parallel Universe BigGrin

If all who've signed-up so-far submit a Clip plus those already Posted, we'll hopefully get 20 Clips. Any more will be a bonus.

A reminder that the Pinhead Community Projects are for all Animators to have a go.

There's a competitive edge with prizes & Golden Pinhead awards, to encourage those of us with acquired Storyline Animation skills, to improve on those.

If you're new to 2D/3D Animation, it doesn't matter. Participation is the most important aspect, for which every Contributor receives a beautifully designed Participation Certificate. Something to be proud of.Smile

Still plenty of time left to get started.

If you need help, don't be shy Wink & Post in this Thread. I'm beyond helpErmm

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"I also thought about why Pinhead's house blew up. I took a different route on the plot but that action seemed important to the story to me."

Same here, Doug. Wink

It's all Pinhead's fault & he's got to pay for the damage Ermm

..............and - Yup - Lighting is the key word here, since 99% of my Clip takes place at night.

.

BTW - It would be nice to hear a few more voices from the other signups re; their progress.

Knowing that as many as possible are beavering a way at their entries is a great motivator. Smile

Since I'm a natural procrastinator. Ermm

ADDED - I see Gerard (Gersky) is viewing the Thread Smile

Hi, Gerard

How you doing, these days?

By colour - 10 Years Ago
Nice to hear from you Gerard & hope all is well in Derry Smile

We all hope you can come-up with something & look forward to seeing your return to the Pinhead Projects, having submitted outstanding Clips in the last 2 Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
Looking good, Job, with your usual attention to detail Smile

Being a PI seems to pay well, judging by Pinhead's leather coat Wink

Time-consuming? Try breaking-up SKP Models & rebuilding them, to see how they work, before Animating them. Face count in one Scene, here is 1.6 Million Ermm

Thanks for the tip re; Spotlight. Smile

4 Directional lights plus IBL/HDR for Atmosphere & 4 Point Lights for Props internal illumination. Plus 1 or 2 Spotlights for one particular Prop, here.

Hope you had a good night's kip Wink

Another reminder to all:

The Clips Posted so-far & WIP Screenshots are among the best ever produced in iClone. As one Poster in another Forum recently Posted; "The Pinhead Community Projects Clips are "Mind-bogglingly good". 

Many have acquired the skills to produce those, by joining the Projects when they were "Rookies".

"Rookies" receive the same welcome & appreciation of their Clips as the Experts. Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"animagic (4/6/2014)
Viking, I agree, Colour is much more advanced than he makes us believe compared to a few years ago. It least, it reads as if he is... throwing terms like IBL and HDR around just like that..."

"Z" & "A" Teams are an old "In Joke" , Job & I just Copy what others do. Change4 it & pass it of as my own work Wink If it wasn't there in the First place to Copy, I haven't got the nouse to work it out for myself Ermm 

WIP Scene Before & After Lighting, which is exactly the same Lighting as My Pinhead Xmas Clips with iClone 4. All Copied directly from Stuckon3D's Intro to iClone 4 Webinar Video Download Clip. Wink

Before:

By colour - 10 Years Ago
Opening garage door is a new one, Dennis & very impressive Smile

BTW - I think the Moon would look much better further away & glowing white. With Directional light 1 coming from the Moon, casting Characters Self-Cast Shadows in the cell. Having done that, you could try Image Based Lighting with HDR/ Tone Map, having turned Ambient Light to Black..

I have a white Moonlit Sky with City Elements - Suburbs In Winter Pack.

Gabe used I think a Google Warehouse Moon Prop & Edited that. Full instructions in his Project Tutorial a few years-back. I have the HTML Link & will Post it.

ADDED - Here; https://forum.reallusion.com/FindPost24858.aspx 

Is your Road in the City Elements Pack you Downloaded?

If you're going to use that, there's a way of laying those road sections out so that they Snap together correctly.

I can Post a quick Image Tut if you Like.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"animagic (4/7/2014)
Peter, your scene really gives the impression of night. That's always the problem; it's dark, but you can't have your scene too dark, otherwise nobody sees anything.

Doug, that's a very well-lit scene.

Well, it looks the bar is getting raised higher and higher...."

The Sky's the limit Wink as far as Lighting goes, Job.

..........and - It ain't over until the Fat Lady Sings Wink

Excellent Lighting, Doug, that enhances the 3D Film-look & Props'quality Smile

So far - Clips submitted & WIP Posts are all "A Team" or approaching "A Team" standard. Wink

What we'd all (Me, You & "A Dog Named Boo") like too see, is the "Z Team" or approaching "Z Team", to have a go. You'll learn your chosen Program much quicker, by Joining-in  a light-hearted Wink Community Project & Posting your WIP, than if you don't, IMO.

I've now got to check-out what a "Funnel Cake" is. Is it Related to "Upside-down Cake", Pete ? Wink 

ADDED - Mark & I Posting @ same time - The "A Team" has spoken BigGrin

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"peterblood (4/7/2014)
Here ya go Colour: Smile

You make it by taking what is essentially pancake batter and, using a cake decorator type bag, squeeze a thick string of it into hot oil overlapping it so that it forms a loose-knit pie shape. Sprinkle on some powdered sugar and away you go.

I love 'em Tongue

Cool pete"

Probably tastes better than it looks, Pete Wink

Looks like something the cat brought-up Sick

Here's one of many versions of Upside-down cake.

..............and - What has this got to do with the Pinhead Project, I hear people ask.

Well - Actually.........Nothing at all. Just part of the general mayhem that surrounds Pinhead BigGrin

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"peterblood (4/7/2014)
You're upside down cake looks great for sure. Funnel cakes are more like a donut than a cake. Smile

Cool pete"

Maybe Pinhead could drum-up a bit of extra business at the Fair Ground with Lynn's Ice Cream Cart BigGrin 

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"Capemedia (4/16/2014)
Hello All,

Can I ask a couple of questions.

1. Our WIP should we keep those located in this thread or can we start our own?
2. Do we have an exact date when this comp closes so I can plan for it?

Thanks

Cape Smile"

Glad to hear you're working on your Clip, Colin Smile

Looking forward to another "A Team" Clip Wink

1) Probably best to keep it in this Thread, then we're all on the same base.

2) Well - I think Pinhead's Website states mid-May. However, I think some of us are going to have a problem  meeting that Deadline, including me & especially recent sign-ups such as yourself, I would have thought.

I'll e-mail Alley & Brian, to see if they can extend the Deadline.

I could do with mid-June as a Final deadline.

Anyone-else going to have a problem meeting mid-May Deadline?

By colour - 10 Years Ago
4TH PROJECT POSTER SUBMITTED;

http://www.pinheadhq.com/Proj8_Posters.php (Click on it , to Open it in a new Window & then expand it, to view.)

By Lynn3D

See Pinhead launching his ice cream exocet missile BigGrin

Great Poster, Lynn & thanks for more laughs BigGrin

BTW - I think Alley Posted here that, due to more Prizes donated, there might be a Poster Prize instead of a Golden Pinhead Award or maybe both? (My question).

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"sjonesdc (4/14/2014)
Finally finished the 1st scene.  "

Looking very good, Sharon Smile

Very impressive highly-detailed Scene & sound effects Smile

BTW - What File Format are you Exporting to in iClone & your NLE Program? Your Clip Looks like SD 4:3. MP4 HD 1280 x 720 16:9 would look much better.

You can set iClone Edit Screen to same Resolution.

  

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"Capemedia (4/19/2014)
Hi All,

Nothing major to report but I'm currently acquiring assets for my Pinhead project. I have the basis of a story and a drafted script but need all the relevant, characters, props, scenes etc.

Hopefully be able to put something up soon Smile

Cheers

Cape BigGrin"

Thanks for your progress Report, Colin Smile

Looking forward to your Clip.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"animagic (4/20/2014)
I am making progress, although I've had to start following Viking's approach and simplify in the hope that things can be polished later. I am currently at 7 minutes... Now depending on the total length I'm half done or two-thirds, or...Unsure

I was away from computers and iClone for a few days enjoying nature and fresh air in Oxford; not England, but Maryland...Wink

That helped, because I got an idea on how Alura is going to be rescued. With trickery, actually, worthy of Pinhead...w00t"

Brian's Posted that the Deadline Date isn't cast in stone, Job

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"RB3006 (4/17/2014)
Hello,

first 5 minutes of my Pinhead movie are filmed. (guaranteed without toadsBigGrin ) Tonight I have sign in to the Project.

I´m very optimistic to win the price for the best german movie  BigGrin BigGrin BigGrin

Robert"

That's great news, Robert Smile

Pinhead loses the shirt off his back, playing Russian Roulette BigGrin

@ Robert - Don't know if you can Edit your Post & reduce the size of your Screenshot, which prevents the whole Thread from Word Wrapping, here ?

Thanks Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
2 New Sign-ups, but asterisked as unconfirmed e-mail (Whatever that means?):

Earle (EarleLyke) & Hermine (HermineRamael). 

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"colour (4/18/2014)
2 New Sign-ups, but asterisked as unconfirmed e-mail (Whatever that means?):

Earle (EarleLyke) & Hermine (HermineRamael). "

Hmmm.....Looks like last 3 Signups (Excluding Robert's, which hasn't registered yet) are possible Ad Bots Ermm - Shame.

I had a suspicion they "might be", due to their similarity.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"And speaking of Colour... how is your galactic-scale amusement park scene coming along?  I know you've been struggling with saved motions, avatar roots, and stuff like that."

Hopping from Scene / Project to Scene at the moment, adding stuff as I think of it, Dennis. Wink

What interests (Worries) me, is no progress reports so-far, from the others.

4 Clips Posted & only 7 more in Production that I'm aware of Ermm

But it ain't over until the fat lady sings. Guess we'll just have to see who turns-up on the night. Wink

BTW - Looks like Viking Junior will be joining us again this year Smile (With a little help from his Friends (Dad) Wink  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBDF04fQKtQ  Wink  

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"justaviking (4/20/2014)
Indeed... Viking Jr. has been hard at work on his project.  (I still have to formally add him to the sign-up list.)

Meanwhile, I continue to make progress, inch-by-inch (or millimeter-by-millimeter, if you prefer).

"Pinhead Works On A Rescue Plan."

"

Working on Pinhead rescuing Alura here, too, Dennis. Simple minds think alike.Wink

Your's looks more complex, though.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
                                        Roger (Rogread)

I've just heard from Roger's Daughter that Roger has been in hospital since last month, having been knocked-down by a car.

He has a fractured skull, broken arm & leg & expected home within 2 weeks, where he'll need full-time care but hopes to be able to be on-line when he can.

Roger has been a valued well-respected Pinhead Family Member & major supporter & contributor to the Pinhead Community Projects for many years.

I'm sure that all of us will join me in wishing Roger a speedy recovery. 

So - Here's best wishes for a speedy recovery Rog. All of your Pinhead Family friends & Pinhead are right behind you. Smile 

By colour - 10 Years Ago
Yes - Snow looks really nice Dennis Smile

No more WIP Posts from me, until the "Fat Lady sings" Wink

Time's running-out (Like for everyone-else, I guess) Ermm

.................and - I haven't a clue how it's going to turn-out, until the Final Render in my NLE (S12 or S16).Ermm

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"pinguintje (4/19/2014)
Happy Easter

Arie"

Wonderful, Arie. Smile

Pinhead & his Easter Bunny BigGrin

A Happy Easter to you, too Smile

Thank you so much for your enthusiastic Project support, which inspires those of us who've yet to submit our Clips & Posters to keep going Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
animagic (4/21/2014)
Before I go to bed, a still of one of the final scenes:

Thanks to Franciska's phone tracing skills, they have located the house where Alura is kept. It's on the corner of Seville Road and Third Street and happens to be just a few houses from where Pinhead has his office and Franciska has her "lab".

All they have to do now is to outmaneuver the bad guy, who is strong and nasty as we all know, and probably has a gun... No small feat!"

Looking good, Job Smile

I think I see a Traffic Warden lurking in the background, waiting to issue a parking ticket for the car parked on the yellow line Ermm Wink

Just heard from Laura (ahroo) that she's also struggling to meet the deadline (Which isn't cast in stone - According to Brian's Post Wink )

By colour - 10 Years Ago
@ Granny J

I've been an iClone User since Version 1.5. My first iClone Pinhead Clip was a cobbled-up clip using iC1.5, proDAD Heroglyph & Animation Factory.

.................and - FWIW - I rated Dennis' Viking Clip above, very highly in the On-Line Vote, because I liked the story & the way he put it together, using just Pinnacle Studio Consumer NLE Program.

@ Doug

Great stuff as usual from the Explosives Expert Wink & Benny has taken-on a human (although sinister) face at last Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"Also, if I rework my vid to clean it up a bit, am I allowed to resubmit prior to the deadline"

I can't see why not, Granny. Smile

Its been done before. Wink

I'll e-mail Alley & Brain for them to confirm.

Maybe lighting-up your Clip a bit?

..............and - If you Right-Click on the Jeep / Move Forward & then just click where you want the Jeep to move to, it will automatically Move to that point, with the wheels turning..

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"So the question becomes how to "brighten" the scene for rendering while still making it appear to be late at night?  Any suggestions would be helpful...."

Here's an incomplete Scene. See Screenshot.

Job (Animagic) liked the lighting. So -  it must be ok. Wink

Only Settings that are not in the Screenshot are; Stage / Atmosphere / Ambient Light Set to to Black / Select only IBL & set to between 80 & 100%

Rotate Light 1 to it's Light source. Mine is the moon. You might not need the other lights, but experiment with them, by keeping the same colo(u)r & rotating them, to get the required lighting effect. I might be changing mine, when I come to finish that Scene. Concentrating in getting Animations in rest of Scenes right, before that.  .

All light Multipliers are set to 1.25. The Default is 1.00. 

BTW - It's initially the Sky Dome that initially Sets the Darkness. If you have a Sky Dome, de-select it's shadow.

Select Stage / Light / Self-cast Shadow. You need to alter a couple of it's Setings to increase Shadow contrast & omit alialisation.

Screenshot:

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"Alley (4/24/2014)
Hi everyone,

I have spoken with the committee. As to Granny J's question of can you re-submit....answer is yes.

New Deadline...due to commitments by many of us, we have decided that we are prepared to extend the deadline to June 30. I know it's a long extension, but two of us have commitments covering the last part of May...and well, there is some momentum going now.

Are you all basically okay with this, or please let us know if this causes issues for anyone."

That's great news & thanks, Alley Smile

I'll re-Post in MovieStorm, VFF, TMU & CTA Forums & change the info in my Signature..

Also releases some extra time for me to contact those who've signed-up but who's voices are missing in this Thread  & may not be aware of  what's going on, if they don't read it on a regular basis.

The extension might attract new Pinhead Fans. Those of us who are already working on Clips are encouraged by having new Pinhead Fans join us. Any Pinhead Clip is always very-well received & appreciated by all of us. A lot of help given in this Thread.

ADDED - All done Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"justaviking (4/25/2014)
I must learn to type fewer words."

Yes BigGrin

By colour - 10 Years Ago
I'm using my favo(u)rite G3 Pinhead Character, which isn't the same as the G5 Project into Clip.

Here's my solution for lead-in Scene 1;

1) I had Pinhead Performing & speaking over a Plane with a still of the front of the house in daylight from the intro Clip.

2) I used Motion Plus for the first time, Saving Pinhead's Motion & Voice.

3) Imported the  Outdoor Stage interactive Project, used for the front of the house in the intro Clip..

4) Deleted the Image Layer & all Cameras apart from Camera 1.

5) Imported Pinhead & applied the Saved Motion Plus Template.

6) Rotated the front Door & Garage on their correct axis.

7) Applied thick smoke particle for smoke coming out-of front door, windows & under garage door.

So - If you're stuck for a lead-in, that's one way of doing it.

BTW- You can Delete all of the Props that aren't seen, to reduce the Scene Poly count & size in Mbs. 

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"mark (4/27/2014)
Very nice Job! Those shots look great! And loved hearing about your technique to achieve them...can't wait to see the finished product!!! SmileSmile"

Ditto - Very impressive, Job Smile

Nothing as dramatic in my 1st intro Scene I'm afraid Ermm

BTW - All (I think) of those on the Join Page who haven't Posted here, have viewed the PMs I sent them re; Project extension date. Plus a couple or-so, who aren't.

So fingers crossed for 20 Participants. More would be nice. Smile 

By colour - 10 Years Ago
 "I did learn some, so it's not a total loss.  (Motion vs. MotionPlus.  I understand more now.)"

I spoke too soon re; Motion Plus in my previous Post, Dennis. Unsure

Applying the Saved Motion Plus, removed Pinhead's Attached glasses & quiff. Deposited Pinhead off-screen on the World Axis. Increased his Bounding Mesh to 10 times it's size with a Pivot Point not at the Bone Root, but somewhere up in the sky.

Result; Impossible to Link Pinhead, his glasses or quiff to anything, to get him & them back into view, apart from Hiding everything & then Moving/Rotating back into original positions.

As per Posts in other Threads, Saved Custom Motions/.Motion Plus have never worked successfully here, in all iC5 Versions, with G3 Characters.

A reminder that there have been approx. 14 iC5 Bug Fix Updates. Only for previous Fixed Bugs  to return again.

The above being-said, the quickest way to discover how your PC works is when it malfunctions & you have to fix it. That applies to iC5, IMO. 

By colour - 10 Years Ago
BRIAN's PINHEAD HQ DONATIONS THERMOMETER

I see Brian's added a Target Graphic to the Home Page. Pretty cool, Brian Smile

Target appears to be $150.

$100 Donated so-far. Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"Just a thought, if you replace the misbehaving Pinhead with a fresh one, do you have the same problem? That is, select PH in the scene and then apply a new one to it by selecting and double-clicking PH in the Content Manager."

Thanks for the suggestion, Job Smile

Already done it successfully but with the following; as per Screenshot:

1) Motion Plus Applied all within the red box apart from the original Look At Dog & Hand, which didn't show in Constraint; "Look At" but was included. I had to re-adjust & include New "Look Ats."

2) Double-Clicking on Pinhead Template, which replaced existing, also introduced a new one on the World Axis, which I Deleted - Go figure. Unsure 

3) Motion Plus added to whole Motion Timeline, preventing any further Motion Editing or any of the other Timelines. So I broke & Deleted it at the correct point plus the Viseme & Facial Animation, as per Screenshot & have continued Editing with Reach Target (Mail Box Dummy Prop)

4) 2 days to get-back to original Animations, but quicker than having to redo them

Also - Thanks to Dennis for his Motion Plus observations. Smile

Screenshot:


 

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"justaviking (4/28/2014)
.

BIG NEWS...

Pinhead thread now exceeds 20,000 views!

w00t   w00t   w00t   w00t   w00t  

."

19.000 of them are mine BigGrin

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"animagic (4/29/2014)
To make sure that we don't get complacent due to the extension here is another still:

This is Pinhead's office. It started out as a Sketchup model (not mine) that I further adorned. As you can see, Pinhead likes to emulate the glory days of the 40s and 50s private eyes. The only consession to modernity is the flatscreen TV.

The office was in a scene that I had cut, but I reintroduced it in a later scene, because I really like how the room turned out.

Pinhead likes to hang his coat, which was a bit of a challenge for me, being not very well-versed in physics or soft cloth.

Then I remembered that everyone is always talking about bones. Well, I thought, a skeleton is bones too, so I dressed one with the coat. I made the body as flat as possible.

I then used the skeleton to pose the coat, after which I made the skeleton transparent. It works quite well: in another scene I was able to drape the coat over a chair. "

Thanks for the Screenshot, Job.

I enjoyed looking at all the detail while eating my Marmite Soldiers over breakfast Smile

The Pinhead Community Projects certainly bring-out the best in iCloners Smile

No complacency here, Job. 24/7 all the way.

Don't expect too much, apart from things going round in circles. BigGrin 

As usual, quantity not quality, here. Ermm

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"Here's the problem, the scene was looking pretty cool (if I say so myself), so I saved the scene (as a project) to come back to it after dinner & when I reopened the scene, it was BLACK (I don't mean dark grey, I don't mean really dim and hard to see, I mean JET BLACK)....  what did I do wrong & how do I get my scene back to the way it was looking when I saved it?  Any clues would be deeply appreciated.... (the world is not ready for a bald Granny J from me pulling my hair out LOLOL ) "

My initial thought is that your project has become corrupted.

Or your Scene Settings have been skewed in some way when you Saved it.

1) Delete iClone Temp (Render) Folder. iClone will automatically Regenerate it.

2) Check your HDD for Fragmentation.

3) Set the Default to Quick Shader, before Opening the Project.

4) Check Scene Manager that you have the Objects in the Scene showing.

5) Uncheck all Atmosphere Selections; HDR / IBL etc, if previously Selected.

6) Ensure that Directional Light 1 is set to white. Not Black.

7) Reset Ambient light to Default light Grey, if set to Black.

8) Select Light Template 3

Doing all of the above on a "Trial & Error" basis, should lighten your Scene if the Project isn't corrupted.

IMO, Stuckon3D's Ambient Light & external night-time Atmosphere Tut is the best tut to initially follow. Lighting is an acquired skill. If you fiddle-about with it too much, you can get into a muddle.  

 

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"animagic (5/3/2014)
justaviking (5/2/2014)
@Arie,

That's a great little clip.

I can see Pinhead suddenly contemplating all sorts of dangerous occupations (bomb disposal squad, fireman, etc.) because it turns out that going to the hospital does have its perks.  Smile

Wouldn't it cause his temperature to go up????? SickSmoooothKissBlush

Cute cliplet, Arie!"

I think Pinhead's saying one of his stock phrases; "Oh my gosh!" BigGrin

Committee Member Joe created that Pinhead 2D Version. He'd love it..Smile

Also used by Roger, in his CTA Pinhead Productions.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"3DStory (5/3/2014)
Wow - it's been 53 pages since my last post...

Thanks to the long extension I have a chance to finish (ahem start) my project...and actually sign up on the official signup page!

I see a few preview posts, so I have shared the small and only footage currently in existence for my movie...

Mr & Mrs Pinhead

No tag line yet, a very thin plot in place, totally poor lighting and somewhat strange colouring, but many late nights should fix it all BigGrin

"

The Prodigal Son has returned Smile

'bout time you showed-up, Daniel Wink

Hope Allura missed Ermm

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"GrannyJ (5/2/2014)
@rampa, @animagic & @colour -

Thank you all!  I went down colour's list & when I unchecked the HDR, the scene went back to normal (what it was when I saved it)...  YIPEE!!!  Thank the heaven's for small favors BigGrin"

I think I have the cause of your problem. (See Screenshot)

Like you, I have the  House Outdoor Project as a lead-in to my Project.

The Scene alternated between as per Screenshot & Black & then finally Black.

I discovered groups of 3 Keyframes (Now Deleted) as per Screenshot Project Timeline. The 2nd Key was Black. The last group only had 2 Keys, rendering the rest of the Scene Black.

Screenshot:

 

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"pinguintje (5/2/2014)
After the explosion in his house Pinhead was in hospital for a while. You did not see it in the opening. Fortunately he is in good company.

Have a nice weekend.

Arie"

This what Pinhead usually takes to bed BigGrin

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"The Mythical Dragon (1/28/2014)
Something simple? Every time I try to do something simple it turns into the most complicated thing I've ever tried and I end up pulling my hair out.... I'm running out of hair... lol.."

There were a couple of Forum SPAM Posts for wigs, Doug Wink

They've since been deleted. You're out-of hair & luck, I'm afraid Ermm

By colour - 10 Years Ago
PROJECT 8 PRIZES

Announced in Brian's Blog;

http://www.pinheadhq.com/p8blog.php

Darned-good prizes & a lot of themSmile

Thanks to Alley for sourcing them & thanks to the Companies for providing themSmile

Looks like there's a chance for everyone who enters a Clip of winning one of them. That includes iClone/CrazyTalk Animator Beginners.

So - Join the Project. Submit a Clip, learning iClone/CrazyTalk Animator & having fun with others, at the same time.

Hopefully, Experienced iClone/CrazyTalk Animator Pinheaders will offer suggestions, direction & how-tos for those new to The Pinhead Community Projects Experience Wink 

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"The Mythical Dragon (1/29/2014)
I said this in the other thread about Pinhead, but I'll repeat it here so everyone has a chance to see it. Colour has asked experienced users to help the newbies... I do not have much experience using iClone to make movies, but I do have lots of experience creating special effects so if anyone needs a little help figuring out how to create an effect just let me know.

My brain is a jumpled mess but you are welcome to what ever you can find in there."

Thanks, Doug Smile

Looks like Pinhead's already been a victim of one of your Special Effects, judging by one of the promotional Images Wink

We await the Committee's Project Introductory Clip, together how we should complete the Storyline.

As in previous Projects - I expect suggestions for some ideas examples will be Posted on www.pinheadhq.com Project Info Page. 

I, can help with suggestions re; how to Google Images & if using 3DXChange, Searching Google Warehouse 3D Props & laying-out Scenes using the Grid in iClone.

Roger (Rogread) is the resident CrazyTalk Animator, I expect he can help with that.Wink

Hopefully, we'll be given a few months to complete our Clips. So there should be some time to spare in getting new iClone & CrazyTalk Animators off the ground into producing their first Storyline Clip Smile

ADDED - Dennis & I Posting @ same time Wink

.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
Latest news re; Project Introdution Promo Clip progress in Brian's Blog;

http://www.pinheadhq.com/p8blog.php

Other latest news, in the Posts above this one. Wink

By colour - 10 Years Ago
This Thread did have 5 Stars. It now has 3.

No doubt it's the same anti-Pinhead person(s), who gave a previous Pinhead Thread a 1 Star Rating, who've downgraded this Thread.

I "Think" we know who that person is / those persons are, who have & will continue to denigrate others' work, out of jealousy.

Maybe they should spend their time on Facebook. Not here 

By colour - 10 Years Ago
Brian's Blog:

http://www.pinheadhq.com/p8blog.php

Is getting plenty of views Smile

Good on yer, Brian...................that's my boy Wink

By colour - 10 Years Ago
Project Info Updated:

http://www.pinheadhq.com/Title8_Preview.php

By colour - 10 Years Ago
BigGrinBigGrin

Thanks for joining-in the fun, Planet Smile

Pinhead seems to have been dieting since his Festive Season indulgement. Ermm

BTW - Pinhead Character is Pinhead HQ Copyright & should only be used in  Pinhead Projects. Wink Wink

We all expect to see your name in the Join Project Page & look forward to your Clip WinkWinkWink

It's easier than you think Wink

...............and - You get a nice Certificate of Participation if you Submit a Clip. Smile

In any case, I need more "Z Team" Editors to join me BigGrin (Not implying that you're in the "Z Team". However, maybe we can beat the "A Team", with sheer weight of numbers BigGrin )

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"planetstardragon (1/25/2014)
hehehe BigGrin feel free to message me when you need help editing a project. Smile"

I'm beyond help Ermm

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"peterblood (1/26/2014)
I'll have to do something simple... Smile my skills will allow for nothing more. Tongue

Cool pete"

...................and - I'm in a bit of a corner.......Ermm

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"Alley (1/31/2014)
Here is a link to the house by Stevano

http://city.reallusion.com/ContentPreview.aspx?i=JIC260edecd5f9ce6127

And I've attached the characters.  I know the file for download is an .exe which some systems and anti-virus don't like.  I have Windows 8 and I tested it...it gave me all kinds of warnings but I ran it anyway and it did install.   Anyway, they are here in a zip file.

I'll check on the link to Stevano's house."

Thanks, Alley

Link & Zip File Download ok with IE10 & W7, here.

Smile

...................and - One for the Dog BigGrin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzQ8GDBA8Is

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"seppgirty (2/1/2014)
All i got to say is WOW he slugged the crap out of her.Crazy

This looks like a good challenge. Not only to animate but to write as well. I might have to dust off my brother to give me a hand writing."

This should get your Brother's brain in gear, Joe Wink

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"duchess110 (2/2/2014)
The dog was also taken the man comes back for him saying you pooch can keep the dirty rats at bay."

The dog's gone "Walkies" with Barbara Woodhouse, LindaWink

Her son Patrick was one of my School buddies.

One day on a car trip with Barbara driving, we had her Great Dane Juno 2 (a Movie Star), who had to be let-out for some exercise while Barbara drove alongside @ 5 MPH.

It started to rain, so Barbara drove-around frantically searching for a Telephone Box, to call her gardener to take her pet cow in-doors.

Her Husband, Patrick & his Sister lived in a fine Elizabethan Manor House in Rickmansworth, while Barbara lived in a specially built home. She living upstairs. The cow, downstairs.

She was as mad as a Hatter. BigGrin

By colour - 10 Years Ago
New Pinhead Fan; Granny J has just joined.

Welcome to Pinhead's Playhouse, Judith? BigGrin

..................and - Doug (The Mythical Dragon)

Welcome-back, DougSmile

I guess we can expect more explosions, special effects & general Pinhead mayhem ? Wink

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"Alley (1/30/2014)
Pinhead Project 8 has now officially launched.

Pinhead Project 8 - Video Here"

Great Project 8 Launch Opener.

Very well-Scripted & Produced as usual, by the Committee. Smile

Poor Pinhead. He's already been blown-up & had his hair singed, before he's even subjected to further mishaps by Project Participants. Ermm

Something for New, Medium & Advaced Editors in the Storyline to expand upon. 

It's encouraging for the Committee & diehard Pinhead Fans to know that as many others as possible are joining-in, while we beaver-away at our own Projects. Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"rampa (2/8/2014)
I've been helping a friend with some Moviestorm modding to make a Pinhead-ish character. She is doing some texturing as well. I just whipped up the glasses.

"

Thanks for that, RampaSmile

Kate Foss PMed Me. I copied that PM in an E-Mail to Alley for her approval & Reply to Kate.

Hopefully we'll get some MovieStorm entries? I think Kate expressed the desire to submit one.

You can pays yer money & make yer choice; MovieStorm/iClone & submit one yourself? Adding to the "A Team" participants already joined..

I'm hoping for some "Z Team" participants to join me Wink

By colour - 10 Years Ago

Does anyone else remember the "cardboard cutout" version of Pinhead?"

Yes. That was in fact Fun Clip by Liz, who went on vacation with a cardboard cut-out of Pinhead with a spike for fixing him to the ground. . He travelled on the top of her back pack, having his photograph taken with interested bystanders..

Liz won a Prize & Golden Pinhead Award for her first Community Project with a 2D Pinhead greenscreened over a Family Video. Pinhead ended-up being chased by chickensSmile 

By colour - 10 Years Ago
I just knew I'd find a use for Ben Tuttle's excellent Ferris Wheel Prop Smile

Ferris Wheels have a habit of stopping. Stranding passengers at the top BigGrin

By colour - 10 Years Ago
PROJECT REMINDER

Prizes are awarded by the Committee. (Not me, BTW)

Golden Pinhead's are awarded by an On-Line Vote (Anyone can Vote; "Me, You And A Dog Named Boo" Wink ) & placed in The Hall Of Fame.

Certificates Of Participation are e-mailed to all Participants. Look good framed Smile Another good reason for joining-in Wink

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"sjonesdc (1/15/2014)
animagic (1/15/2014)
It was a dark and stormy night...Sick

You took my line!!! How about:

From the shadows, he watched..... and waited....."

.............while drawing on his Lucky Strike

As Pinhead rides-by on the Committee's Company bike. BigGrin

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"3DStory (1/15/2014)
Pinhead competitions always bring out those quiet icloners reading the forum silently...oh wait, that's me!

Another Pinhead comp, Woohoo!

Count me in as usual Smile
"

Great news, Daniel Smile

I thought you'd gone AWOL Unsure

@ Everyone-else:

I've Posted in the Project Thread in Video Friends Forum that the usual Pinhead Projects humo(u)rous repartee has started & anyone whose also a Reallusion Forum Member, to join-in. 

The repartee has been an integral part of the Projects, since the first one in 2006. Love it BigGrin

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"Seeing his last chance at a comfortable life literally going up in smoke was too much for his mind to accept and it reeled off in a direction he couldn't have predicted. Pulling himself up to his full height of five foot two, he shook his fists at the dog and shouted silently so as not to alert the woman inside the house.

"I'm going to do something dramatic!" - Peter Blood" 

 

Without any Strikes to sell to his prey, he couldn't survive on two Dimes a day.
By colour - 10 Years Ago
"seppgirty (1/12/2014)
Is this another animation contest like last years Make a commercial with Pin Head?"

Yes.

Just waiting for the Committee's Project Intro Clip.

Looking forward to your participation again, this year, Joe Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"The Mythical Dragon (1/12/2014)
Looks like Pinhead had a little too much eggnog. lol. He definitely needs a good adventure.

"

Hoping you'll be able to submit a Clip again, this year, Doug.Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
Great news, Alley Smile

Looking forward to the Pinhead Community Projects Committee's announcement promo clip.Smile

Pinhead could do with a bit of exercise travelling around the World. He's been looking a bit porky lately after the Christmas & New Year festivities Ermm

By colour - 10 Years Ago
From Laura & Roger, in Pinhead Thread in Video Friends Forum;

"HOORAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

"Grand news!

I'd better open my copy of CTA and start practicing! Can't remember a thing about how to use it"

By colour - 10 Years Ago
Project 8 latest in Brian's Blog; http://www.pinheadhq.com/p8blog.php.

Looking good & exciting Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"animagic (1/14/2014)
Yep, I'm fine with dark actually. Never that good at light-hearted comedy myself."

I'm afraid of the dark Ermm

By colour - 10 Years Ago
Brian's latest Pinhead Project News Blog Posted; http://www.pinheadhq.com/p8biframe.php

Interesting stuff, Brian. Thanks Smile

Post any pre-Project Promo Clip questions you have, in this Thread.

Anyone can join the Project. "Me You And A Dog Named Boo" Wink (That's Beginners, Intermediate & Experienced)

All Clips accepted; "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly" Wink 

BTW - Pinhead's Guestbook could do with some more entries if anyone has the time? Thanks Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"animagic (1/17/2014)
I just signed up as well. I have no idea what I will be getting myself into...Unsure"

Deep water with the Missus, Job ? Wink

I see John (PeterBlood) & Sharon's monika's are there..

Great news & a promising start Smile 

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"justaviking (1/16/2014)
colour (1/16/2014)
Seize the dog and sell it to a zoo.

LOL... I didn't see that coming!

(QUESTION:  Does the girl have a name?  I forgot.)

Meanwhile, back in the story...

.

.

Missy (?) yanked hard on the leash, and shouted, "Over my dead body!"

Suddenly the car lights, previously ignored, shown on them again, much brighter than before.

The drunk driver careened wildly, but now distinctly rushing toward our characters!"

 

Rather bizarrely, he had no clothes and was stark-naked, from top to toes.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"sjonesdc (1/17/2014)
THE STORY SO FAR summarized by colour......

We have a desperate Door-to-door cigarette salesman who's smoked his last cigarette, while nervously plucking-up courage to approach a Female with a dog, to clinch a sale.

Since he no longer has any cigarettes to sell, he's flat-broke & decides to seize the dog & sell it to a Zoo.

His plan is thwarted by a naked drunk driver, who turns-out to be a nearby Neighbo(u)r...........

This is turning out to a real story.... I can see several ending. I hope that what you guys have added can be used in Project 8 and only you will know the endingw00t

"

Just a bit of frivolous fun, while we await the  "real" scenario  that's currently under construction by the Committee, Sharon Wink 

Brian's  Posted in his Blog that Gerry's working on Scene 2.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"peterblood (1/16/2014)
His mind raced! What to do?"

Seize the dog and sell it to a zoo.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"justaviking (1/16/2014)
colour (1/16/2014)

Missy (?) yanked hard on the leash, and shouted, "Over my dead body!"

Suddenly the car lights, previously ignored, shown on them again, much brighter than before.

The drunk driver careened wildly, but now distinctly rushing toward our characters!"

Rather bizarrely, he had no clothes and was stark-naked, from top to toes.

The car lurched to a stop, its nose buried deep in the bushes, narrowly missing Mr. X.

With the engine still running, the driver fumbled with the door latch momentarily.  He finally found his grip on the latch and pushed the door open.  He staggered out, naked as a jay bird, and after a couple wobbly steps, collapsed to the ground.

Mr. X stepped out from his hiding place.  He made brief eye contact with Missy, but both immediately focused their attention on the unconscious man lying at the their feet.

In unison they said, "Henry??!!"

"We know him well", as he staggered to his feet. "He's a Naturist from down the street". 

By colour - 10 Years Ago
The story so far:

We have a desperate Door-to-door cigarette salesman who's smoked his last cigarette, while nervously plucking-up courage to approach a Female with a dog, to clinch a sale.

Since he no longer has any cigarettes to sell, he's flat-broke & decides to seize the dog & sell it to a Zoo.

His plan is thwarted by a naked drunk driver, who turns-out to be a nearby Neighbo(u)r...........

By colour - 10 Years Ago
JOIN PROJECT PAGE NOW POSTED, by Brian;

http://www.pinheadhq.com/joinus.php 

I've added my name, to start the ball-rolling. Although I don't know what I'm joining - Yet BigGrin

BRIAN's LATEST BLOG POSTED;

http://www.pinheadhq.com/p8biframe1.php

I've also added comments there, to start the ball-rolling.

Great job so-far in kicking the Project off & maintaining / Updating the best Website on the Net, Brian Smile

I hope the quantity & quality of submitted Clips justifies all of your behind-the-scenes hard work. It's greatly appreciated. Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
9 signups so- far; http://www.pinheadhq.com/joinus.php

Including new Pinhead fan; Benjamin Tuttle.

Great news, Ben & welcome to  Pinhead's "mishaps" BigGrin

By colour - 10 Years Ago
Brian's awaited interview with Pinhead 2D Animator Laura (Ahroo) in his latest Blog;

http://www.pinheadhq.com/p8blog.php

Laura has submitted a Clip in every Pinhead Community Project since it's inception in 2006, winning many prizes & Golden Pinhead Awards.

If you have time to view her Clips listed at the end of the interview, you'll see that Laura's an outstanding 2D Animator & have some good laughs at the same time. BigGrin

Many Thanks Brian & Laura for the entertaining & informative Interview.  All part of the Pinhead Commubity Projects Experience. Smile

BTW - Laura, plasticine & Stop Motion is how Wallace & Grommit started-out Wink

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"Ahroo (1/19/2014)
2D pngs would be great. One front view, and one side view if poss. I believe that CTA2 can interpolate (extrapolate??) the inbetween views to give something approximating 3D.


Not knowing how many characters there are, nor how time consuming or complex it is to produce the pngs, I may also ask for some additional views (3/4 - to the same side as the side view, and back). If possible, could I also get a front and side view of the dog? I've already started working on the dog based upon the images that have been posted to the blog, but they are pretty dark and hard to see much detail.

Thanks VERY much, Alley!!

Laura (Ahroo)"

Laura

It's fairly quick & easy to  produce PNG Images of iClone 3D Characters/Dogs etc, in any Pose you want.

I have the Dog & can e-mail you whatever Poses you want, if Alley's pushed for time & considering that you've already started.

See Screenshot for examples, before Exporting to PNG. (To be added).

Love your Avatar BigGrin

Screenshot "Woof" BigGrin :

By colour - 10 Years Ago
wires (1/19/2014)
The plot thickens. Smoking can be hazardous to your, and others, wellbeing.

"

In that case....................

On closer inspection, the naked drunk driver appears to be Pinhead, with a pilé of burned clothes in the back of the car Unsure

By colour - 10 Years Ago
PROJECT LATEST NEWS

In Brian's Blog here; http://www.pinheadhq.com/p8biframe1.php

Looking forward to the interview with *****. Not telling. You'll have to read the Blog, to find-out Wink

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"Alley (2/21/2014)
As Colour pointed out, Brian has revamped the website now.

So, the menu is across the top.  If you Select Project Info, the drop down menu shows a selection called Project Posters.  This is where current project posters can be found.

Now, there is another selection from the same Project Info drop down, and it is "Past Projects".  If you select that, You can then Select Project 7, Pinhead's Wish.  From there you can view the posters from that project.

Prior to Project 7, we did not have the poster competition.

www.pinheadhq.com"

Judith (GrannyJ) & Job's (Animagic) Posters Posted Wink 

http://www.pinheadhq.com/Proj8_Posters.php (Click on them to enlarge & view).

Just heard that Arie (Pinguintje) has decided to submit a Clip. Welcome aboard, Arie. Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"animagic (2/20/2014)
Poster submitted at Pinhead HQ. Now on with the movie!

"

Great eye-catching Professional-looking Poster, Job Smile

Was this done with the Poster Editing Program you mentioned previously?

While on the subject of eye-catching, Brian has given Pinhead's Website a new look makeover. Great job, Brian Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"GrannyJ (2/22/2014)
colour Posted Yesterday @ 11:19 PM
"Judith (GrannyJ) & Job's (Animagic) Posters Posted"

Just for clarity's sake, Granny J (me) is Jean, not Judith.....
Heaven knows one a/k/a alias is quite enough to handleBigGrin LOL!"

Ooops! Blush

I must have been thinking of my Sister; Judith, Jean.Ermm

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"Alley (2/18/2014)
Sorry for late reply...just heard from Brian.

Poster Section is View Clips/Project Posters (I haven't actually double checked this).

Yes....we will do a Poster competition. In fact, one prize donater sent extra prizes....so maybe we will even have a prize for this, just let me speak to the rest of the crew. Smile"

Project 8 Posters info now added here; http://www.pinheadhq.com/Proj8_Posters.php

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"sjonesdc (2/17/2014)
This time I'm real early, the script is written and I have several co-workers to do the voices. Now working on setting up the scenes.Crazy     Here is a screenshot from the project

 

 "

Looking pretty good, Sharon Smile

Nice camera-angle shot & Scene.SmileWink

Pinhead "Charming the bird(s) out of the trees" ?

You've got time to submit 3 Clips, then. Wink

By colour - 10 Years Ago
Great Posters & ideas, all Smile

No confirmation from the Committee as yet. Ermm

I'll be doing one, anyway. Smile

I have a general idea Storyline Storyboard mapped-out, so-far.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"Pinhead is and probably always will be a part of our family.
"

Every time I look in a mirror - I see Pinhead BigGrin

.............and - The video Dennis refers to, was by Yvette.

PINHEAD's NEW FAMILY:

http://www.pinheadhq.com/Pinhead_Films/gb/graphic-00000232-00000001.html

By colour - 10 Years Ago
PROJECT POSTER COMPETITION

We had the first one for "Pinhead's Wish" Project.

Daniel (3DStory) won the Golden Pinead Award (Displayed in the Hall Of Fame).

Very few entries, but a lot of fun.

I've asked the Committee if there's to be one this year.

Anyone-else interested? 

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"justaviking (2/16/2014)
GrannyJ (2/16/2014)
Is there an example of previous posters anywhere?

I thought for sure they'd be near the videos on the PinheadHQ web site, but I don't see them.

Hopefully someone can post a link.

Also, can any of you prior poster artists reply with a copy of your poster here?  Thanks."

I've Deleted my Poster from my HDD, but it was the same as my Clip's Title:

As usual; the Title was better than the Clip Ermm

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"maxae (2/17/2014)
kicking around a few ideas here.
a bit more than a kidnapping involved
"

Looking good Maxae Smile

Our hero Walter Phineas Pinhead ("Wally", to his friends Wink ) has saved many a situation, including the World, over the years. 

Can we take it that you're going to join us, then? I hope-so Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"maxae (2/17/2014)
sorry! double posted-- must have spazzed.
anyway here was a early thing i abandoned
"

Well....Brian did Post on the Project Page;

"Any outcome is welcome, from the most silly to the most serious" BigGrin

And if Robert submits one of his "Waccy Baccy" Clips, we're in for a hilarious time BigGrin. Poor Pinhead Ermm

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"GrannyJ (3/9/2014)
colour (3/8/2014)
Some Storyboardingwork in progress Workflow, to give Newbies an idea how to approach their Pinhead Project.

Post your Work in progress & ask questions, if you're stuck..



Okay, so here's my question ( since I'm a newbie at iClone - @ 9 months)

I need to make 3 characters fade in/fade out in a scene. I can't create the effect post-production because it takes place behind a semi-transparent "dimensional wall". Using the "visible" on/off control in the character's modify panel will not create the wanted fade effect.
So you understand what I mean by the "dimensional wall", I have included the graphic image below:


I am under the belief that I will have to resort to using the opacity slider in the character's modify panel for every component of the character (hair, upper, lower, shoes, accessories, and all the skin) to make this work.

If there is another methodology would someone kindly let me know..... actually, can anyone let me know if my assumption is correct and that this would be the best way to accomplish this effect?

Thanks in advance and have a truly awesome day!"

Having a Character Fade-In/Out has been Posted a few times, before. So there should be a some suggestions Posted somewhere.

There's probably a Marketplace Tele-Transporter Prop &/or instructions re; how to do it.

BTW - I see Rampa viewing this Thread. I expect he'll be along in a minute or two, with a Fix.Wink

Great-looking Pic. Especially Lighting & Shadow Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"GrannyJ (3/9/2014)
Just for giggles - I don't have 2 Pinheads.... the one behind the dimensional plane has an "H" on his belt buckle (he's Headpin - Pinhead's counterpart in an alternate dimension).....

I am using this Pinhead 8 project as a fun learning exercise to expand my iClone skills... trying things I've never attempted before... like characters in the "alternate dimension" are in 256 shades of grey, but as they pass through the dimensional plane into Pinhead's world, they gain the full color spectrum.

For that segment, I created "dupes" in 256 shades of grey for all the characters in my episode - the tricky part is when they are halfway through the plane, so I also created characters who are 1/2 in color & half in shades of grey (like in the poster I uploaded on the HQ site)..... and have been "stacking them together" and swapping out visibility - which is working for when they are passing through the dimensional plane.

But this fade in/out thingie has been driving me bats.... I plan on spending time today working it following @wires example

BTW @colour, thanks for the nice commentary on my pic!"

This is outside of my territory. Unsure

However; - How about producing a Video Clip of Pinhead H in iClone & then Producing a WMV Video in your NLE Program with  Fade-In/Out Transitions & then Projecting that on the Semi-transparent Plane in iClone?

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"GrannyJ (3/9/2014)
colour (3/9/2014)

However; - How about producing a Video Clip of Pinhead H in iClone & then Producing a WMV Video in your NLE Program with Fade-In/Out Transitions & then Projecting that on the Semi-transparent Plane in iClone?


That's a great idea - gonna try it & layer it with the bump video & that might just work!

Thanks, colour, you made my day!"

You'll probably need 2 Black blank Titles to Fade-In from & Fade-Out to.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"animagic (3/9/2014)
As of yet there is no easy way to fade a character in and out. Even changing the Opacity of all parts leaves you with teeth, tongue, and eyes still there... which is kind of scary. There is a way to deal with those parts but it involves adding video to the transparency channel that has the transition.

I also believe that transparency behind transparency doesn't work that well. So, it is best to try some of the other suggestions.

Looks like your setting the bar high for yourself, Granny, which is a good thing, as is experimenting and trying something new. I think most of us are newbies at some level: I'm adding some particles and physics to my mix.

BTW, does anyone have an idea how to simulate the splashing/spray caused by a vehicle driving through 6 to 12 inches of water? Here is a WIP still:

I think that could look very exciting...

I tried particles, but I'm no expert and it didn't look that good. Because the car moves the particles are spread out too much."

Have ewe tried Spray Particle, Attached to Wheels, Job ?

Adjust Colo(u)r & Settings.

Looks like we're all pushing the iClone envelope in this Project Wink

..............and - This is more like it. Posting & answering questions. Bring 'em on, Folks Wink

By colour - 10 Years Ago
......................and - I can't find the Fun Clips page Ermm

I expect it's there, somewhere Wink

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"Been tied to my computer at work"

Strange Workplace, Sharon Wink

Hope they're slip-knots Ermm   

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"animagic (3/1/2014)
colour (3/1/2014)
"Been tied to my computer at work"

Strange Workplace, Sharon Wink

Hope they're slip-knots Ermm   

Ah, Peter, that's how it is in the US...work, work, work...Crazy  It was quite an adjustment for me after being used to enjoying my five-week European summer vacations...Cool"

I was thinking maybe Sharon's Workplace sold Bondage gear, Job Wink

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"animagic (3/2/2014)
sjonesdc (3/2/2014)
Getting pretty risque there, Peter w00t At least I'll be able to work some on the project Monday - expected 5 - 10 inches of SNOW and here in DC, the offices are CLOSED BigGrin

Same on the other side of the Potomac, in Arlington...Cool"

We Colonists on this side of the Pond, usually get your left-overs, Sharon & Job. Ermm

It's officially the 3RD day of Spring, here.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
2 NEW SIGNUPS:

Arie (Pinguintje)

Greg (gregsin)

Welcome aboard Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"animagic (3/4/2014)
You think there will be an extension? By raising the bar for myself and trying to implement the things I learn through the many interesting tutorials that have been published lately, it's extremely slow going...Unsure"

Hope so, Job.

Has been on just about every Project so-far.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"biggstrek (3/4/2014)
Will do my best to come up with a good idea (and movie!) Just need to put my thinking cap on, first...

Hehe"

Great news, Biggsy Smile

Pinhead in his underpants? BigGrin

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"colour (3/4/2014)
"biggstrek (3/4/2014)
Will do my best to come up with a good idea (and movie!) Just need to put my thinking cap on, first...

Hehe"

Great news, Biggsy Smile

Pinhead in his underpants? BigGrin"

Just seen you've joined-up. Welcome to Pinhead's Family, Phil Smile

 

14 sign-ups so-far. Smile

1 CrazyTalk Animator. 1 AnimeStudio. Rest iClone. At least 1 Moviestormer on the cards. A lot of variety there.

Keep the Sign-ups coming folks.

 

By colour - 10 Years Ago
Some Storyboarding work in progress Workflow, to give Newbies an idea how to approach their Pinhead Project.

Post your Work in progress & ask questions, if you're stuck. .

1) Pic 1 shows the overview Scene, where most of the action takes place.

2) Following Pics show some of the individual Fun Fair rides that will all be Animated. These will all be individual Scenes & therefore iClone Projects.

3) Each Scene will be a separate iClone Project.

4) Pic 1 will be lit with night-time Ambient Lighting. Styckon3D's Tuts refer.

5) Each ride will have the same Ambient Lighting, plus Point Lights to pick-out the individual Features. Warlord's recent Lighting Tut refers.

6) Cameras will be placed  at various points to film outside & inside of each ride. Mark's Camera Tut refers.

So the opening Scene for the Fairground is pic 1 followed by the individual rides together with Character Animation.

Projects will then be Exported to WMV - VC-1 67Bit HD, for Import into my NLE Program for iClone Post Production Editing & Exported from that to WMV HD for Upload to Vimeo.(For which you need to purchase the Pus, for Videos to be Viewed in HD). 

Pic 1

Pic 2

Pic 3

Pic 4

 

By colour - 10 Years Ago
Thanks Mark & Dennis Smile

The purpose of WIP is to encourage myself & others to join-in with their's.

It might spoil the surprise final result wow factor, but motivation is what you need when starting-out with iClone.

Joining-in a Pinhead Community Project with others is pretty good motivation for getting started in the first place, IMO.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"pinguintje (3/18/2014)
Why is Villain running with dynamite?

Maybe Pinhead knows the answer.......

Arie"

Nice-looking teaser Pic, Arie Smile

Remember - If you want Pinhead to speak with his usual voice, some of us have his TTS voice & can send you his Voice Audio File, if you send one of us his Script. Or you can use your own voice, TTS Voice or Voice Changing Program eg; MorphVOX PRO.

If English isn't your first Language & you are having difficulties, please Post in this Thread & we'll sort something-out.

Maybe a Crawling English Text in your NLE Program, using Google Translator etc.  

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"lynn3d (3/13/2014)
Thank you all very much, it's a relief that there are no real restrictions for it makes it much easier now for what I have in mind. The Bad Guy will be in his usual role, you can't learn an old dog ...... but there will be no dog BigGrin

Of course Pinhead will be the hero and in more than one way and ice cream is involved to a far larger extend then Pinhead just buying one Hehe

Now I better get on with it for each day is different and some days I can't do anything at all but animation being my life it keeps me going."

Keep going, Lynn. Smile

Pinhead has reached-out to many over the years, helping them to live with their disabilities. I am one of them & others I know personally. You are not alone.

Pinhead may be a Cartoon Character. However; each time I Open a Pinhead Project & see Pinhead, he brings a smile to my face.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
Jean (Moviemaniac) has just joined.

Welcome-back, Jean Smile

I thoroughly enjoyed your first Clip in "Pinhead's Wish" Project Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"justaviking (3/14/2014)
I'm so glad to see more people joining the project.

I have an idea!!!!!!!!   w00t

I know this won't actually tell you anything, but I'm finally formulating a story line and a vision for my project that really excites me.

The only problem is that, naturally, my vision exceeds my abilities by a couple orders of magnitude.  (That means "multiply by 100" for non-engineers.)

Originally I had a mini-clip in mind, with an ironic, humorous twist.  But now I've managed to turn it into a complete story.

I'm really, really looking forward to starting on it this weekend.

I already know the end result will be rough in terms of production quality.  Some might look a lot like a "pre-vis" project.  But at least I hope I'll be able to tell my story in a way that hasn't been done before.

.

One more thing... I think I'll do a poster for the first time, too."

15 Sign-ups so far. The targets's 20. Any more is a bonus. I'm on commission here. So keep 'em coming Folks & I'll split it with you 50/50 Wink

Glad to hear you're now in the driving seat, Dennis Smile

How's everyone-else getting on?

.....................and - Where's Daniel (3DStory) got to ?????

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"animagic (3/14/2014)
colour (3/14/2014)

How's everyone-else getting on?

Well, I knew the type of story I wanted, but I took me a while to get to a point that's workable. It is sort of clear how it will end (Pinhead prevails, obviously!), although I'm not completely certain how to get there. So I started to actually write down the full screenplay for the movie, which I usually do, but hadn't done this time. This really helps me to get clarity. 

I am pleased with the look I'm getting, thanks to some recent tutorials. Here is a teaser, without giving too much away:

Why is the police officer studying the manhole cover?"

Pinhead's stuck in a sewer & trying to get out ? A typical Pinhead scenario BigGrin

Looking pretty good so far, Job. With your usual attention to detail Smile 

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"lynn3d (3/12/2014)
If nobody minds I would like to participate in the Pinhead competition. However, due to health problems I won't sign up at the Pinhead website until I know that I can finish the project in due time. That is, if that's fine with the organizer.

I have been re-reading this thread but I'm somewhat confused about the requirements for this project, i.e. except for our hero Pinhead is the use of the other characters (as made available for download by Alley) mandatory and/or are there any other specific requirements for this project ?

Many thanks Smile

Just a still as introduction



(please, click image for a larger view)"

What Dennis (Justaviking) said in his post above, Lynn.

Everyone will be thrilled to have your participation & see your Clip. Smile Which, judging by your intro Screenshot, looks to be a typical Pinhead Scene.

Pinhead buying an ice cream....... I love it BigGrin

By colour - 10 Years Ago
What rotten luck, Pete.

At least your Data isn't lost. That's the main thing.

Pinhead will be gutted if he can't star in your Clip. And so will the rest of us.

There's usually an extension to the deadline.

None of us care if your Clip isn't up-to your usual high standard due to extenuating circumstances.

It's a Community Project where all clips are more than welcome; "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly" Wink

...............and - Nobody's uglier than me Ermm

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"longcross (3/11/2014)
Sorry to hear about your troubles, Pete. Hope you get back up quick. Just in case you miss the project, We will certainly be thrilled to put your clip up with the others if you finish it post project."

Nice to se you Posting in the Thread, Brian Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
ARIE'S POSTER

Can now be viewed here:

http://www.pinheadhq.com/Proj8_Posters.php

Intriguing CinemaScope Style Movie Poster, Arie. Smile

My appetite's whetted. Wink

GREAT WIP PICS

From job, in his Post above mine. Smile

More appetite whetting Wink

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"wires (3/27/2014)
justaviking (3/26/2014)
THANK YOU for making the Project Opener video available for download.  I think that is a very nice touch.

We aim to have happy Pinheads. SmileWinkHehe"

I'm happy BigGrin

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"peterblood (3/27/2014)
Well, today I got my computer back online. BigGrin I had to buy a new motherboard (#upgrade) and a new CPU (3.0gb oh yeah, graphics just made a giant leap!! w00t )

Now to make up for lost time on the Ari WIP and try and come up with something for Pinhead. That could be a struggle as I haven't even the foggiest notion of what to do there. Well, I'll have to trust in the Cosmic Singularity to provide me with notion. Tongue

Anyway it's back to Miracle Studios as soon as I can get Chuck or Walter to give me ride. Hehe

Cool pete"

That's great news, Pete Smile

We would all be very disappointed if you couldn't make the Project deadline, though Ermm

I think there will be the usual "Going-down on bended-knee", pleading for extra time, from many of us. Wink

Too many unforeseen impediments Ermm

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"biggstrek (3/25/2014)
I'm not sure I'll be able to get my Pinhead film done in time. Unfortunately, I have to fly back to MEL for a family emergency.

Good luck to everyone making a film! I hope you have fun making them and watching everyone else's."

Sorry to hear that, Biggsy.

Hoping that the Family Emergency is not too serious & that things go as smoothly as possible, with a positive outcome.

I'm not too sure if the Committee have set a final Final Project end-date, yet.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
NEWSROOM UPDATED:

http://www.pinheadhq.com/news.php

With Links to Project Promo Video Download.

However, the Links seem to just Play & Not give an option for Right-Click / Save Target as..

Right-Clicking here, displays a Copyright Error Message, with IE 10 & IE Compatibility Mode..

I already have the Youtube Download. But anyone-else having the Copyright Message? 

By colour - 10 Years Ago
Well - So far - We have Pinhead apparently;

1) Stuck in a sewer & trying to get out via a manhole cover.

2) About to be blown-up with dynamite by the Kidnapper

3) Being spied upon by the Kidnapper while having a tryst with Allura.

4) Holding-up a bank with the dog.

Looks like typical Pinhead scenarios BigGrin

Anymore to whet our appetites?

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"animagic (3/20/2014)
Viking, getting the story right can be quite a struggle in itself. You say you have too much, my problem was at first that I had too little. So, I just started creating the locations to inspire me."

BTW, I like the texture of the wall."

Problem here; is getting a suitable lead-in Scene to the story, following-on from what has already happened, using G3 Pinhead instead of G5 in the Project Intro Clip. I though I'd cracked it with some Video Editing tricks, but there's no way to loop many very short clips of just the front of the house smoking, without those clips stuttering. Short answer; is just a boring still Pic, I'm afraid.

Looks like Dennis Clip will take place in what looks like an unfinished Spanish British ex-Pats holiday home construction site Wink Only joking, Dennis. Nice Textures Smile 

Breaking news for Dennis:

Latest research indicates that Vikings didn't wear horned helmets & were in fact actually nice chaps & didn't rape, loot, pillage & burn, after all. Unsure

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"animagic (3/21/2014)
colour (3/21/2014)
Problem here; is getting a suitable lead-in Scene to the story, following-on from what has already happened, using G3 Pinhead instead of G5 in the Project Intro Clip. I though I'd cracked it with some Video Editing tricks, but there's no way to loop many very short clips of just the front of the house smoking, without those clips stuttering. Short answer; is just a boring still Pic, I'm afraid.

Peter, I had a similar problem in that I wanted to include some of the introduction to start off my movie. I didn't quite see how to make a believable transition, so I ended up recreating the part of Pinhead's forced exit from the house, which actually turned out quite spectacular if I say so myself. But it all takes time."

Here's a Pic of Pinhead giving a resume of what's happened in the Promo Clip, giving the reason why he & Allura were there.

He gets a telecon from the Kidnapper on his mobile & my story continues from there.

The Background Image is a still of the Edited Video Image Plane.

I even tied DOF to hide the flickering, but it still showed.

For anyone-else who's used Doug's G5 Pinhead Character, you could do the same, but using just  the relevant parts of the Video, as a lead-in. Video as a 2D Image, would be easier than Image Plane.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
@ Granny J

Great WIP Scenes Smile

You did a good job with reconstructing the front of the house, with Smoke Particle effect. Nice touch with the garage door slightly open, with smoke billowing through the gap.Smile

@ Viking

Another great WIP Scene. Nice camera work.

Re; Moonlight & Shadows.

My Pinhead Christmas Moonlight Clips are all based on Stuckon3D's original iClone 4 Webinar Tutorial, using just directional lights. From which I purchased the 90 Minute Video Download.

Warlord's 2 Free Lighting Tuts are more recent, introducing Point Lights, which I'll be using in my current Project..

If you're not happy with using Atmosphere; IBL, HDR etc. Your light Source in any event, is the moon. So; Rotate Directional Light 1, so that it's coming through the Window, to cast  Characters Self-Cast Shadows.

Lighting can change with different Camera angles, Especially HDR Tone Map. I'd be inclined to construct all of the Scenes with Character action/interaction & different Cameras, before you add lighting. That's what I'm doing.

ADDED - Job & I Posting @: same time. Simple minds think alike Wink

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"animagic (3/23/2014)
Viking, it IS confusing...

What I selected is MP4 - 720p - 0.0 MB.  Even though it says 0.0 MB, you do get a 147 MB or so video file with sound. 

I've had problems with the video-only downloads also.

It is a very handy utility, though."

Here's what I've recently started using:

http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch001002.htm

MP4 720P Download. No Adware that I'm aware of. But it is a Rapidshare Site.

I also have a one time £20 charge for IEDownloader Program.

Prior to the above, I had Applian Freecorder, which was very good when first released, but has now become a vehicle for Adware, some of which is very difficult to Remove. Doing a Custom Install, makes no difference. Some say that the Adware is in fact Spyware & that Applian have become a "Legitimate" vehicle for distributing it.

Although I still have Applian FLV Free Converter & Player that installs FLV CODEC. Useful for iClone, without having to Install K-Lite CODEC Pack, which can harm your PC if not Custom Installed..

BTW - NEVER Update Java from the WEB, unless you want to Download a Trojan. Java Program on your PC has it's own Updater, that Updates automatically, unless you manually Update.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
justaviking (10/15/2014)
Most of my Pinhead videos are inherently frightening in one way or another.

I'll see what I can do.

Just do one of yourself, Dennis - & put Pinhead in it.Wink BigGrin

By colour - 10 Years Ago
rogerread (10/15/2014)
Only two weeks left to Halloween! I have a story in mind for Halloween Pinhead. Just hope I have enough time to get it made.

Nice to see you're back from the US & posting, Roger Smile

Received your e-mail, to which I'll reply.

Looking forward to your Clip Smile

You know "anything" with Pinhead in it, will entertain us all Wink

By colour - 10 Years Ago
animagic (10/15/2014)
I may just recycle one, if that's OK. I did a nice Pinhead fun clip for Halloween a few years ago that eventually was finished in April...Whistling

This time I would be on time...TongueTongueTongue

4 thumbs-up, Job Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
animagic (10/13/2014)
Robert, your stuff usually looks pretty scary, so that should be easy...Sick

LOL BigGrin

By colour - 10 Years Ago
Dennis's Black & White Clip was very-skilfully done, using just Pinnacle Studio NLE Program's Key-framing & Pan & Zoom, with just Pinhead TIF still images.

Getting Pinhead to walk up the stairs & swerve to avoid the pile of rubble, was pretty neat.

It demonstrates that you don't need expensive PC Hardware & Programs to produce a darned-good entertaining 2D Animation. 

By colour - 10 Years Ago
                                  PROJECT 8 "Kidnapped" GOLDEN PINHEAD AWARDS

                                                            HALL OF FAME

Now showing here; http://www.pinheadhq.com/GPAs/HOF.php

Go see your names inscribed on your coveted GPA Smile

Many thanks again to Brian for producing them Smile

NB - Don't miss Rog's Pinhead Halloween Clip posted above.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
Pinhead Christmas Clip WIP pic ( Chuck all objects into Scene & then work-out how I'm gong to do it etc Wink )

Pinhead goes for a ride on his sledge, with Dobbin pulling it along. Accompanied by one of the Owlies Facebook Group's dog (An Inuit Wolf-hound), coming-across the Owlets singing Christmas carols.

Anyone-else going to do a Pinhead Christmas clip? The more the merrier. Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
LOL (really). Absolutely hilarious, Rog. Terrific script as usual, accompanied by really very funny animations.

Won't say anymore. Don't want to spoil it for others.

Well-worth watching Folks Smile

I'll Copy to CTA  Forum on your behalf, Rog & e-mail Brian & Alley with Clips Embed Code, So that Brian can Post it on PHHQ.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
pinguintje (11/8/2014)
Maybe first to school?

Best Regards,

Arie 

BigGrinBigGrinBigGrinBigGrin

Love them, Arie Smile

I hope Pinhead's just "borrowed" Noddy's car & will be returning it to him Wink

I did a Pinhead Clip a few years-ago with Pinhead as Santa, delivering presents, using iC3. I'll see if I can find the Clip.

ADDED - Here's the Clip. Produced using a combination of iC3, CrazyTalk 4.5, Animation Factory, proDAD's Heroglyph & Adorage for Routes & Effects. Original was in WMV Standard. Not HD & crappy Ermm Cloick on HD Icon, anyway.

.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
sjonesdc (11/10/2014)
colour (11/8/2014)
Pinhead Christmas Clip WIP pic ( Chuck all objects into Scene & then work-out how I'm gong to do it etc Wink )

Pinhead goes for a ride on his sledge, with Dobbin pulling it along. Accompanied by one of the Owlies Facebook Group's dog (An Inuit Wolf-hound), coming-across the Owlets singing Christmas carols.

Anyone-else going to do a Pinhead Christmas clip? The more the merrier. Smile



Peter ....CHRISTMAS CLIPCrazy Still working on Project 8 and Halloween Clipw00t Well....maybe add some snow and Santa to the Halloween Clip for ChristmasAlien

Since Wimmin are adept at multi-tasking, Sharon, producing 3 Pinhead Clips at the same time, should be no problem Wink 

By colour - 9 Years Ago
"Alley (1/14/2015)
Nice work colour!! Thanks for persevering and posting the clip.

I can confirm that "talks are well in progress" for next project. My only hint is that it's going to be very different. That's all I can say at the moment. "

"My only hint is that it's going to be very different. That's all I can say at the moment. BigGrin"

"Oh - Goody Smile. Does that mean I get to drive my new toy?"

By colour - 9 Years Ago
animagic (1/15/2015)
I enjoyed your clip, Colour! Nice snow scenery and pretty singing.

Winter is not over yet, so I think your clip is timely. I still have to write most of my New Year's whishing cards...Blush

Let me wish you a happy, healthy, and creative 2015 from this side of the pond...BigGrin

Thanks for the views & comments, Folks Smile

And the same to you, Job Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
sjonesdc (11/10/2014)


Since Wimmin are adept at multi-tasking, Sharon, producing 3 Pinhead Clips at the same time, should be no problem Wink


Peter,

Are you trying to be PI (politically incorrect)?w00t

Yes BigGrin

By colour - 10 Years Ago
Koambas (12/13/2014)
Just waiting for the Committee's Project Intro Clip.

Welcome to the Pinhead Community Projects Thread Smile

Hopefully the Committee will be putting their heads together in the New Year re; the next Project.

It's always nice to see new Pinhead fans joining the Projects. Smile

It doesn't matter if you're a beginner, intermediate or advanced Animation Editor. Every clip submitted is appreciated by all.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
Nice iC6 pic, Job Smile

Pinhead's above Forum Politics Wink

Starting to think about perhaps "nagging" Wink Alley in January sometime re; next Pinhead Community Project.

Maybe we could all put forward suggestions as to the Project's theme in this Thread, to help the Committee? 

By colour - 9 Years Ago
Late Pinhead Xmas Clip:

PINHEAD MEETS THE OWLET CHOIR.

Little BB's spirit joins-in, singing a solo.

Clip was Produced for Boris & Brenda live Barn Owl Webcam Forum & Owlies Facebook Group.

6 Owlets fledged, little BB didn't make it & passed-away. Very upsetting at the time & still is.

Click on HD Icon, to view in HD & Expend, to view in Full Screen.

By colour - 9 Years Ago
Gerskey (1/18/2015)
Hi community,
Hi Peter if you can, share my Pinhead video. I can't emmbed.

It has changed. Maybe, I should give up totally!




Peace,
Gerskey

Was that Wolf's original G5 Version, Gerard?

Looks pretty nice, but chin looks a bit too pointy to me. Maybe it could be reduced a bit, then you're spot-on. Smile

Don't know if Alley is producing a Pinhead G6 Character for Download for iC6 Users. I'll e-mail her, Linking to your Clip. 

By colour - 10 Years Ago
Please read Roger's Post above if you haven't already done-so. ThanksSmile

Pinhead's up for the ice bucket challenge again. Very simple, quick & amateurish clip on it's way.

Anyone-else doing or going to do one?

By colour - 10 Years Ago
gerskey (9/14/2014)
Hello community,

To Roger,

So sorry to hear of your wife's passing. Sometimes words are not enough to give one the strength at this difficult time. However Roger, as you know from this forum although we all from different parts of the world and have not met in person we are like another family that stick together in times of trouble. What you are going  there's never a minute that I don't think about how hard it is for you.

What I leave you with is a huge "HUG"

peace

Gerskey

Welcome-back Gerard. Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"The Mythical Dragon (10/12/2014)
Don't know if I'll have time... but I will try to squeeze something in."

Hope you can, Doug. The more the merrier. Smile

Mine will be a rushed job - As usual Ermm

Very rough WIP Storyboard pic, with stuff hidden .

By colour - 10 Years Ago
Well - Pinhead's getting ready for the Ice bucket challenge.

Originally had Alley just picking-up the bucket & dumping it on Pinhead's head, via Reach Target. Motion is a bit too quick though & Time Warp is greyed-out (At the moment) Ermm

One of the Water Particle Effects attached to bucket seems to work ok, although needs some adjusting..

I then decided on creating an ice box with ice cubes (seen in pic). So prob need to get my head around the relevant Physics for those. Also means that I'm going to have to shift current animations along the Timeline, to accommodate Alley emptying the ice cubes into the bucket.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
                                                   PINHEAD HALLOWEEN CLIPS

Halloween isn't Halloween without a Pinhead Clip.Wink

Anyone going to join me in doing one?

Just started mine. Will be a very short one, due to time constraints.

Anything'll do folks. Just a bit of Pinhead Fun BigGrin

By colour - 10 Years Ago
BigGrinBigGrinBigGrinBigGrin

Great "wacky" Pinhead Clip, as usual, Robert.Smile

I've got to the stage now, where I start laughing before your clips even start.BigGrin

By colour - 10 Years Ago
                                                          

                                                            ROGER READ

I've just heard from Alley that Roger's wife sadly passed-away at the end of August.

It's been a tradition in all of the Pinhead Threads since Project 1 that "The Pinhead Family" support each other during difficult times.

I'm sure that all of us send Roger our condolences for his sad loss & give him our support during this difficult time.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"sjonesdc (8/10/2014)
Finally from Siberia (for a short period) and wanted to say

CONGRATUALTIONS TO THE WINNERS AND ALL OF THE PARTICIPANTS!!!!!"

Thanks, Sharon Smile Kiss

We're all so sorry you couldn't make the extended deadline Crying

Maybe you could finish it & submit as a "Fun" Clip, sometime? Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
Thank you so much Granny & Arie for your Video & Animated GIF Smile.
By colour - 10 Years Ago
"justaviking (8/16/2014)

I got my Serif DrawPlus X6 installed today.

First reaction.... I like it!!!  Smile

GIMP is fine for "fuzzy" art, but at least in my hands, not good at all for anything with shapes.  MS Paint is of course exceedingly limited.  DrawPlus is great because I can easily make straight lines, triangles, ovals... and text too.  It supports pressures, too, so I can hardly wait to try it with my Wacom Bamboo tablet and pen.

I've only touched it for 15 minutes or so, I'm feeling very ENTHUSIASTIC.

Thank you, Serif, for supporting our Pinhead project.

."

The Annual Pinhead Community Project Prize list has always been very impressive, thanks to the generous donations of the Companies that support the Projects. Especially this year's. Smile

Equally impressive is the amount of time, speed & efficiency that Alley puts into sourcing & delivering the prizes. Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
Pinnacle Studio 17 Plus just arrived here in the UK.

Many thanks again, Alley, for your hard work in sourcing & distributing the prizes Smile

By colour - 10 Years Ago
"Ahroo (8/18/2014)
My Pinnacle Studio just arrived today, also, in Vermont (USA). Thanks to Alley, the rest of the committee, Pinnacle, the other sponsors and to all of the participants and Pinhead fans!"

Nice to hear from you on the Forum, Laura.Smile

Been meaning to e-mail you, but have been distracted by a number of other things, including an iClone WIP Barn Owl Family fledging from their nesting Box clip.

Need to get my skates on, to finish in time for a Pinhead Xmas Clip.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
The Mythical Dragon (8/22/2014)
Pinhead would like to say a few words...




BigGrinBigGrinBigGrinBigGrin

LOL - You, the girls & Pinhead were very brave, Doug Smile

Loved Pinhead's iced-over glasses BigGrin

Fortunately I have a Larder fridge that doesn't have an ice-making compartment Wink

Now to see if Alley, Warlord, Peter Edwards & the Pinhead Project winners take-up the challenge. But we want proof Wink. The mind boggles BigGrin

BTW - ALS is known as Motor Neurone Disease here in the UK.

By colour - 10 Years Ago
RB3006 (8/22/2014)
Thanks Alley,
I received your mail & the link

Now I´m happy too BigGrin

Pinhead proudly shows some of the new props w00t

Robert

......

BigGrinBigGrinBigGrinBigGrinBigGrin

LOL - Classic, Robert BigGrin

Open a Marketplace Store selling bunches of Roses & you'll make a fortune.

By BiggsTrek - 10 Years Ago
I'm not sure I'll be able to get my Pinhead film done in time. Unfortunately, I have to fly back to MEL for a family emergency.

Good luck to everyone making a film! I hope you have fun making them and watching everyone else's.
By BiggsTrek - 10 Years Ago
Will do my best to come up with a good idea (and movie!) Just need to put my thinking cap on, first...

Hehe
By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
Here's the poster I used.



By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
justaviking,

When I'm moving my camera around I create a path and attach the camera to it. Then I make an invisible object where I want the camera to be facing and have the camera look at it. I usually get a nice smooth rotation that way.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
Things are looking pretty interesting so far. Can't wait to see the final vids. As for me, I'm getting started slowly. I have the idea in my head but am still creating the props needed for the scenes.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
Looks like Pinhead had a little too much eggnog. lol. He definitely needs a good adventure.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
The teaser photos look great Alley. Looking forward to learning more.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
Thanks Alley for all the hard work you put into the intro. It definitely inspired us to work hard on the rest of the story.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
..................and - Doug (The Mythical Dragon)

Welcome-back, Doug [Smile]

I guess we can expect more explosions, special effects & general Pinhead mayhem ? [Wink]



Umm..... yeah, probably.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
I was able to get the characters for iClone just fine. Now I just need to write a script. My two daughters watched the intro clip and have been giving me ideas for the continued story.



By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
I said this in the other thread about Pinhead, but I'll repeat it here so everyone has a chance to see it. Colour has asked experienced users to help the newbies... I do not have much experience using iClone to make movies, but I do have lots of experience creating special effects so if anyone needs a little help figuring out how to create an effect just let me know.

My brain is a jumpled mess but you are welcome to what ever you can find in there.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
Something simple? Every time I try to do something simple it turns into the most complicated thing I've ever tried and I end up pulling my hair out.... I'm running out of hair... lol..

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
It was just too enticing.. I had to join in the fun.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
Looks pretty cool animagic. Great idea about the coat.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
I've had troubles with the shadows also. Thanks for that tip. I'm going to try it out the next chance I get to work on my video. I have not been able to touch it yesterday or today. Too much real life stuff with my kids and school. They've been doing plays and showing off books they wrote. I guess Pinhead needed to get some sleep. My entire video is shot at night and we've been working long hours. I supposed the poor guy needed some sleep.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
I decided not to recreate the house. Instead I turned the camera around and shot down the driveway with Pinhead standing in front of a firetruck. The sound of burning and the hum of the truck can be heard in the background as Pinhead decides what to do next.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
Very useful information justaviking. I did not know that. Thanks for explaining what you discovered.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
Great tips animagic.

I usually export in 1280 x 720 AVI because that works best in my video editor. My final render out of the editor is always MP4. Then I delete the AVI so it doesn't take up too much space on my computer.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
Hi everyone! Thanks for the comments. I want to add to what everyone is saying. We are all at different levels of experience when it comes to the quality of the animation so we are really only in competition with ourselves to do better than we have in the past. As for me, I am working long and hard trying to make better textures and better lighting. I am really pleased with how they are turning out so far. But that is just me trying to improve myself.

The real competition with Pinhead is like colour said, the story and how it is put together. There have already been some pretty high bars set in this category and we are all going to have to step up our game this year.

@justaviking - I was doing voice overs myself tonight. Well, I was recording my 8 and 11 year old daughters in audacity. My 11 yr old is Alura and my 8 yr old is one of the police women. We had a ton of fun. I recorded the villain in my own voice the other day in audacity and tweaked the pitch a little. Audacity is awesome.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
The snow looks really good justaviking. Some shadows will definitely improve it, but for now, awesome snow texture.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
Love the still animagic. That fog looks really good.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
My best thoughts and wishes for a speedy and full recovery Roger.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
I have a WIP for everyone. Hope you enjoy it.



By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
Hello Earle (EarleLyke) & Hermine (HermineRamael), welcome to the madness... I mean.. the great fun of making a Pinhead video by a deadline.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
Excellent clip. Thanks for sharing. Always fun to see how each of us are progressing.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
Excellent screen shot. Thanks for sharing

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
Hi Doug. Nice of you to join us Doug. What a great name you have Doug. Looking forward to seeing your Pinhead clip Doug.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
I live in that trap justaviking. It's my home. Please wipe your shoes on the rug before you come in.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
My goal for the lighting was for folks not to notice it. For it to look so natural that it is overlooked and people pay attention to what else is in the scene, the story.

Here is my attempt. I worked hardest on specular maps on the lamp, wall and end table with just a dash of HDR and IBL. I used 2 directional lights for shadows and 2 point lights. One for overall light and the second for fill light on Pinhead's face when he stands up.

It's a really short clip. In the actual video there will be a conversation between Pinhead and the bad guy but that is not what I am trying to show. I like the lighting, but I am just way too picky. There still seems to be something I am missing or overlooking. Oh well, time to move on or I will never finish in time.




By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
I know what you mean by complicated animagic. I'm also quite slow. I spent 2 hours last night just adjusting the lighting in one scene. I am way to picky. I finally got most of life out of the way so hopefully now I can spend a little more time on this project. Gotta have priorities and Pinhead is very important.

I also thought about why Pinhead's house blew up. I took a different route on the plot but that action seemed important to the story to me.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
I finally finished a scene. This clip is one take with 6 cameras and is straight out of iClone, no post editing at all. I really like how it turned out... Pinhead might not like this scene very much though.



By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
Great clip animagic. I wish I had my own server and 4 monitors. I do use 3 monitors and I would use 4, but I don't have the space for the 4th one. Oh well. The screens were great and animating the second hand on the clock was a nice touch of realism.

justaviking, sure, I'll make your video.. um.. no. sorry. I'm not even sure I will get mine finished in time. It looks nice, but man does it take me a long time to get it done. I have a long way to go and a short time to get there... I need the Bandit... if anyone remembers what I am referring to... it was a good movie and I'm showing my age now.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
Great cape, welcome aboard

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
Just to reaffirm that the Clips & WIP Posted so-far, are from experienced Animators & shouldn't deter less-experienced Animators who want to create a Storyline Film, from joining-in. [Smile] - colour


That's what I like about this competition. It would be unfair to judge a winner based on the quality of the animation because we all have different levels of experience with iClone. It's about the story, the adventure that Pinhead has and the sky is the limit. We all have the same chances. It's also about the fun and the fellowship of the journey to create our stories.

I do not get to make very many videos for fun. I usually make commercials for my effects and props. I like using this competition as an opportunity to try new things, push my skills and improve as much as I can. I'm not the best story teller so honestly I'm really just in competition with myself to see how much I can improve. I've also really enjoyed seeing what others have made and reading the many posts about Pinhead. The stories so far have been fabulous. I'm looking forward to watching the rest and reading about the fun time everyone is having creating their stories.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
An excellent idea Alley. We are all enjoying ourselves and getting something out of this competition. I think it is a good idea that we help support it.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
@ colour The little trick worked with the steam and Pinhead's hair. It was kind of fun changing Pinhead's dirty face to clean while he scrubbed it. I did it in post with some feathered masking. Hopefully I'll be able to get back to it this weekend. I'm trying to do a shaving scene that looks somewhat realistic and I'm trying to do it entirely in iclone. We'll see.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
Hello STUDEK! Looking forward to seeing your Pinhead adventure.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
I have had 3 head colds in the last 6 weeks... I may or may not get my Pinhead video finished. Depends on whether I can get well and stay well. All I have so far is Pinhead trying to clean himself up a bit in a hotel shower.



By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
Thanks animagic, nice tip. I tried it and it looks a lot better.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
I just watched pinguintje's story and it was very interesting. A very good plot. I was a little worried about Pinhead for a bit after the helicopter went down. A good start to this year's contest.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
Great movie, looks like there's going to be some serious competition this year. Excellent story.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
Poor Pinhead, being shot at. He always has such a hard time. Like colour said, I hope she missed.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
I finished a scene today which means I have one more scene to do and then I get to blow something up... Yeah! I'm getting excited. Perhaps this weekend?

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
I think I need to get back on the band wagon. I've had one little girl falling off a 5 ft high wall and breaking her arm and another older but still little girl sick with a very nasty sinus infection. Between the two I've had little to no sleep. I'm also trying to prepare for a week long camping trip into another state after their school lets out and my youngest gets out of her cast. Unfortunately Pinhead has been sitting on the back burner. Thank goodness for the extension. I would never have made it by the middle of May.

Great updates, I can't wait to see all the final films.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
@RB3006 Nice looking scenes and characters.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
lol... thanks.. my two daughters are actually in this Pinhead video. They both wanted to participate so each of them have speaking parts. They also helped me come up with the story line. I will be sure to tell them it isn't real, they don't have to act out their parts... lol

I have 2/3 of it done. I still need to do what I am known for... blow something up. It would not be one of my videos if I didn't. But the question is... what am I blowing up? Who will be the cause of it and who will be in the explosion? I could tell but then my kids would beat me up so I have to keep my mouth shut.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
Sorry about the crash justaviking. I've been there and it's not pretty. Good luck.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
justaviking (5/22/2014)
The Mythical Dragon (4/23/2014)
I have a WIP for everyone. Hope you enjoy it.





.

Doug,

How did you do the shattering glass?

I might have an opportunit to break some glass in my video, and any tips would be greatly appreciated.

.



I created the shattering glass jewelry case in 3ds Max specifically for that scene. I made the case, then dropped a human analog dummy on it so it would shatter just like Pinhead falling on it.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
@animagic Excellent movie. I could not stop watching until it was over, which says a lot for me. I get bored easily with shows. I could tell you put a lot of work into it. It was worth the effort.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
Thanks everyone, I'm glad you enjoyed it. My daughters had lots of fun recording the voices and helping me come up with the story line. It was the longest video I've ever made and seem to take forever to finish. I had fun creating it but I'm glad it is finally done.

Both my daughters have asked me to say thanks for the nice comments about them.

It's going to be very difficult selecting the best videos when this is over. All the videos so far have been amazing with really awesome story lines.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
Robert, that was an excellent movie. Great story and terrific sets. Well put together. Very impressive.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
@ justaviking (Dennis) Whoa... talk about epic.. I thought mine was long. That was a full length tv show. Way to go. Good story and voice acting. I only fell asleep 4 times... no.. just kidding. I was able to watch it straight through. Nice job.



By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
Great clip jlittle. I really enjoyed watching your video. Nicely done.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
Wow, you did a lot of work on all those rides. They looked great! Don't bring that dog to my house, I don't want to clean up after it. Glad you could get it in under the wire.



By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
I submitted my poster a couple of times but it still hasn't shown up on the posters page. I'm not very good at posters so its not that big a deal.

@3D Story I really liked your pics also. Very well done. Can't wait to see the entire movie.

Can't wait to see all the last minute entries.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
Great story! Very much reminded me of Mr and Mrs Smith. Excellent job, I enjoyed watching it.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
Excellent teaser Cape. Makes me want to watch it. Can't wait until you get it done.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
Thanks again to everyone who liked my video. My daughters had fun helping me make it and they are really enjoying all the comments about them. They're not hams... not at all... lol...

I am soooo glad I am not a judge. That is going to be tough. Some really great stories this year. My goal was to improve upon my last year's entry and I believe I did that with a better story line and better graphics. I definitely see areas I need to work on but hey I have another year to practice before next year's competition.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
That was a great awards show! Congratz to everyone involved this year. All the videos were awesome and I'm glad everyone gets a prize. That's a terrific way to end the contest.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
I agree with everything justaviking has said about the videos. Each of them was terrific in their own right and I really really really do not envy the judges. I have enjoyed working with my kids on my entry and will continue to do so on further projects. We had a lot of fun. I wish more people would participate, maybe next time.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
Pinhead would like to say a few words...




By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
Thanks Alley

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
My condolences Roger. I'll be praying for you and your family.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
Don't know if I'll have time... but I will try to squeeze something in.

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
The vids and the still all look great! Happy Halloween!

By The Mythical Dragon - 10 Years Ago
It sounds like a great idea but unfortunately I will have precious little time for the next few months.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
I'm afraid I won't have the time, unfortunately...Crying
By animagic - 10 Years Ago
To keep you all inspired, here is a still from something I'm working on, or rather preparing for, awaiting IC6. Click the image for a full-size version.

 

I wrote the story two years ago for the Pinhead "Wishing" contest, but the movie never got made due to time constraints. This is one of the scarier scenes, just an excuse to get some zombies in there to stay with the times.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
I may just recycle one, if that's OK. I did a nice Pinhead fun clip for Halloween a few years ago that eventually was finished in April...Whistling

This time I would be on time...TongueTongueTongue

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
I think they have their own charm, Viking. I liked the black-and-white one in particular. I also notice the very effective way in which you use music, with interesting twists and turns.
By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Freaky things going on while I'm trying to publish a fresh new version of Brain Trust...Sick

First the YouTube thumbnails appeared as grey icons...Unsure

Then I noticed the sound was a bit soft, so I created a new version, which gave a blue screen while rendering...Crazy

Anyway, in this story, Pinhead is a system administrator at a firm called "Random Reality". It's the day of Halloween, late in the afternoon. Let's see what happens:

This is a full HD (1080p) version, so watch this on a big screen...Cool Enjoy!

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Pinhead, who takes live as it is and then some, doesn't understand what all the fuss of late is about:

Here we see him enjoying a pair of the new iClone 6 babes! They look like they could be twins...

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
colour (11/10/2014) Since Wimmin are adept at multi-tasking, Sharon, producing 3 Pinhead Clips at the same time, should be no problem Wink 

Sharon could easily do it, but it would require three separate licenses on three separate PCs to stay with in the EULA. Tongue

By animagic - 9 Years Ago
Alley (1/14/2015)
I can confirm that "talks are well in progress" for next project. My only hint is that it's going to be very different. That's all I can say at the moment. BigGrin

This time, I will REALLY try do to something simple...Unsure

By animagic - 9 Years Ago
I enjoyed your clip, Colour! Nice snow scenery and pretty singing.

Winter is not over yet, so I think your clip is timely. I still have to write most of my New Year's whishing cards...Blush

Let me wish you a happy, healthy, and creative 2015 from this side of the pond...BigGrin

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
colour (9/20/2014)
Well - Pinhead's getting ready for the Ice bucket challenge.

Looking forward to this! w00t I was intending to do one as well, but I needed a little break after the last Pinhead competition...Crazy

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Robert, your stuff usually looks pretty scary, so that should be easy...Sick
By animagic - 10 Years Ago
This has been such a great contest in many ways. The best part I think has been the cooperative sprit of the participants. w00t

So different from the bitching that unfortunately occasionally infests other parts of this board. Yes, I'm upset about something, but it will pass... Angry

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
I'm sorry to hear about Roger's loss. My thoughts are with him and his family in this difficult time.
By animagic - 10 Years Ago
I'm so pleased to see that Pinhead will be ready for Project 9 next year!
By animagic - 10 Years Ago
I came back this week from vacation and just wanted to report that my SmartSound prize was delivered. Thanks, Alley and Committee! BigGrin
By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Remember also that this is vacation time and that some people like myself are on the road and not able to vote, although interested. I would suggest a two-week voting period for such eventualities after the vote is announced.

I've now safely arrived at my destination in Canada, so I'm happy with the Wednesday deadline.
By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Thanks, Viking, for your comments and for taking the time to critique our entries.

I have the impression that this "contest" is special because of the camaraderie and the willingness to help each other out.

I'm sorry that we lost several participants due to various circumstances, but I think we still ended up with solid collection of clips. As Colour commented in another thread, there is often too much discussion about technique and not enough about story. Here we see iClone in action as story-telling tool.

I'm leaving for vacation on Monday, but I'll try to vote somehow. If voting is open for a while then I will be able to do it from my destination.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
RB3006 (7/9/2014)
. and what was yesterday? BigGrin BigGrin BigGrin
But I think "Hol" will win.

Thanks for your support, Robert, but it didn't work out...Crying

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
I noticed that too, and I thought it rather funny; perhaps how you felt about the product...Tongue

I've had errors in credits as well. It's quite understandable when you're in a rush.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
@Dennis: Tonight I watched your entry ("opus" really), and I didn't need popcorn to enjoy it. You had a daring concept and carried it out admirably.

You clearly challenged yourself and that is the trait of a true artist I learned the other day. Get out of your comfort zone already!

I think overall the music selection fits the story very well. The movie lost a little of its pace at the end for me, but on the whole it didn't feel too long at all.

So, yes, well done!

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Well, well, that was quite an award show! And everybody is a winner! That was a great gesture because everyone worked very hard on their project.

I'm still in shock, but I would like to thank the Committee for all their efforts and for awarding me second place. I would also like to thank everyone who voted for honoring me with two Golden Pinheads.

EDIT: One question, how does it work with the prize assignments?

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
A very enjoyable contribution by Laura with a clever variant of the original premise.

I'm glad there's still some 2D left in the competition, as it has its own charm.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Good to hear there is steady progress. We're waiting...Doze

Interesting approach, Dennis. Using the step function is a good tip. I use two key frames next to each other in such a case, but this is far easier.

As far as cameras go, I use as many as are needed. I've used the switcher from when it was introduced. You can actually change the camera names to avoid confusion between them.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
That's very sad news, Colin. Crying

But work commitments take precedence, of course.

Good luck with the job, and I'm sure we all look forward to your belated contribution! w00t

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
colour (6/26/2014)
I'm counting on US time being behind UK time. So with a lot of luck, I'll just make the deadline. But no time for a poster, I'm afraid Ermm

That should actually be made clear. Hawaii or Alaska time would be really good for you.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
@Robert: catchy tune...Cool
By animagic - 10 Years Ago
wires (6/28/2014)
justaviking (6/28/2014)

.....How many days left?  I might have lost count.  Tongue

Days???

My dear Dennis we are approaching the point where only hours are left to be counted. w00t

In my time zone (EASTERN):

61 hours

 Here is a handy calculator:

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Very nice, Robert. I hope it inspires the slow coaches! w00t
By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Good one, Arie! Tongue
By animagic - 10 Years Ago
First all, good luck to all who still have to finish!

@rogread: that was a very nice contribution, and a good story with references to the past, I understand. Given you had so little time you made the best of it...BigGrin

@3DStory: that promises to be an exciting tale...w00t

@Colour: well-done poster; simple, but effective...Cool

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Come on, Viking! Tongue
By animagic - 10 Years Ago
@Colour: a perfect Pinhead story!

The attention of detail dedicated to the fairground really worked out, and the villain was properly dealt with in the end.

@3DStory: here we encounter a completely different side of Pinhead.

Interesting twist of the original premise. I like the way you worked the pre-story into the beginning. Well-executed effects, many of them! Not suitable for childeren, though...Sick

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Congratulations to all who completed an entry! You should be proud! w00t

It will take some time for me to watch all the latest entries. Unfortunately, I don't like popcorn...Sick

@Jeff: I did watch your 2D entry and I really liked it: another good story and one with a connection to a past Pinhead adventure. You had a clever way of weaving the pre-story into your movie. Well done!

I'm quite impressed actually with anyone who can do 2D. It would take me a long time to get to that level. There's a certain simple elegance that's quite appealing.

Time for bed now...Doze

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Roger, I'm sorry to hear that. I've had drives fail on me in the past, and it's horrible. Sick

It might be worth in your case to contact a data rescue service, as all your work is on there.

If the drive is still spinning you might also be able to retrieve data using software (take the drive out and attached it to another PC as secondary drive). I've had success with that in the past.

Anyway, I hope you will be able to submit some sort of clip. You could even do this very simple by presenting your story as a narrative and then illustrate it. A bit like Viking's old clip...Tongue

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
I finally caught up and watched two excellent contributions!

@Robert: that was a masterful movie with excellent lighting and camera work. Others have already commented on the many details, and I enjoyed the variety in the locations. I especially noticed the fluidity of the animations, which is always a challenge in iClone.

@Doug: an engaging story with delightful voice acting from your two daughters. I liked the reference to "The Ring", which keeps roaming... The special effects department was well-represented in your story, and despite many mishaps Pinhead prevails, as he should.

Both films have good timing and keep the viewer interested. Well done!

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
I've a rule of thumb which comes down to about a week per minute. That gives the time period, which in my case is about 14 weeks.

Now hours per week I have to guess. I don't think it is more than 30 hours/week, probably less. So maybe about 400 hours? But it could easily be more...Unsure

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
colour (5/26/2014)
@ Job (Animagic)

Have you also Uploaded your Clip or entered the Embed Code at Pinhead HQ, Job?

Only trying to assist Brian & Alley, since I have their Personal e-mail Addresses & can notify them re; Forum Posts if they miss them.

I did submit a YouTube link. I didn't remember whether they wanted a simple link or the actual embed code. Let me know if it needs to be the embed code, so I can resubmit. 

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Thank you all for your encouraging comments.

With every movie I make I try to improve and it seems I have succeeded!

One credit I wished I had included concerns the benefits I got from various recent tutorials.

Lighting in particular: I think that was one of Warlord's tutes where he explains how to build up lighting, starting with no lights at all and then adding to them. One suggestion was to tone down or dispense with the Ambient Light. Too much of it tends to make things look flat. You often get better results using IBL instead.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
That's a smashing girl you got there, Daniel!

Either this is Mrs. Pinhead after a makeover OR Pinhead is in for a lot of trouble. Probably the latter...Tongue

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
I would like to wish everyone still working on a clip good luck and a steady progress.w00t

I've been sick the last couple of days--from exhaustion probably--so don't forget to get some rest...Doze

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Thanks, Viking! Especially for you, there is an Easter egg in the movie. Can you find it?

If you want to download for possible viewing on a big screen, I just found an alterantive to keepvid, which no longer works (requires an outdated Java version).

In the video URL, simply change "youtube" to "ssyoutube", for example, http://ssyoutube.com/watch?v=YY3Xfv1Dnek. The quality is not as good as what I uploaded originally (the 800+ MB filesize is reduced to about 200 MB), but it is still quite decent.

The last couple of days I've spent tweaking and correcting litlle glitches. There are still some, but you have to stop somewhere...Crazy

My wife said, "Just let it go, so you can move on to the next project..." That might be mowing the grass or so...Unsure

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Dennis, I'm glad it is to your liking.

Responded to your PM re the Easter egg...Smile

Those details are killing me... It's like when I introduce a new space, I feel overwhelmed because I have to fill it with stuff...Crazy And, I then have to overcome a certain inertia.

I'm going to take a little break now, but I'll think about your request (await a PM).

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
I am glad the cast photo initiative catches on! Cool

Very intriguing assemblies of characters we have here...Unsure

Peter, you probably have the largest cast. I have about five or six more that I don't show, but still...Smile

I see you're making good use of Mike A's low-poly extras. I'm using a few myself.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Well, here you are good people, my entry for the competiton, called: "The Lost Client".

Private Eye Walter Pinhead is faced with his thoughest case yet when his client Alura Simmons is kidnapped! Who is behind it and why? Join Pinhead and his resourceful hacker friend Franciska on their quest to solve this puzzle, and, eventually, free Alura.

I hope it is to your liking!

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
@Viking: I'm glad you figured out.  

I agree that his head has a unique shape that works very will in your story. Kind of a "why me?" look. 

As Colour emphasized, we are happy with all submissions. This endeavor is as much a learning experience as a competition for everyone. 

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
RB3006 (5/30/2014)
Yes,
Your name betrays you Tongue
How long you life in Amerika?

Almost 21 years... Got married here to a nice American girl...Whistling Wow Kiss Blush

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
RB3006 (5/29/2014)

Another nice girl ???

Wait a minute, Robert, how come she's suddenly grown a beard?...Unsure

I mean compared to the cast photo...

EDIT: added comparison photo.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
justaviking (5/29/2014)
There is now a helicopter in my video, too.

The plot thickens...Cool

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
@Viking: I happened to have the Pinhead 2011 and looked into it (having plenty of time now...Tongue).

Did you try 2-sided for the Face skin? I did, and that at least makes sure that you can't look through the sides of the mouth from the inside.

It's not perfect and it shouldn't be necessary, but it would at least help you out.

Another thing you may want to do is run Pinhead through 3DXchange and import it back. That fixes the bounding box problem of the character. (It's too high.)

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Right, I remember now, I did see that picture.

Yes, I know the Eurovision Song Contest. I'm originally from the Netherlands. The last time the Dutch won was in 1975...Crying

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
justaviking (5/30/2014)
One last think on Pinhead avatars...

There's also "Mythical Pinhead," but he doesn't have the "Move" (walk) command available.

As I said, this is the most overdue question ever.

You can add the Move command by applying a persona to the avatar. So if it is a G5 Pinhead, apply Chuck's persona. Click the Persona tab and you'll see the persona's listed on the left.

As to the face: I've no idea, I've never encountered that problem.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Viking, Warlord has a distructable window in the Market Place: http://city.reallusion.com/ContentPreview.aspx?i=JIC24d1b6d29d154f9c5&Refer=5.

Basically, a surface is "shattered" in an external program and the animation to get from whole to broken is baked into it. This is then played back in iClone on demand.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Still working on the final touches...

Meanwhile, here is "portrait" of the main cast. I tried to have them pose properly, but they wouldn't listen..

The background is just to have a backdrop, it's not part of the movie.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
I just found something out about shadows that may be helpful.

I was looking at the same shadow with two different cameras. It looked OK with the camera I used for rendering, but horrible with the Preview camera. Turned out that I used a 20 mm lens for the Preview, which resulted in the feared ragged shadows (when using blur). With 35 mm or more the problem is gone.

So if you have issues with shadows, try another lens. Weird, but what can you do...Unsure

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
3DStory (5/22/2014)
Hey Job,

Your Pinhead looks unusually big in that pic, did you stretch him or is it just the perspective?

Hi Daniel, mine is a G5 version and taller than the original.

Actually, there are various versions now on the Pinhead HQ site with different dimensions. I didn't find them quite adequate, so I created my own. using an image of Pinhead's original head to create a G5 head. The proportions are about the same as the original Pinhead, but as he his taller, his head gets very large. He's still very much Pinhead, though...

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
3DStory (5/20/2014)
@Dennis - "Meet me at Allura's place", now I realised why there were two different house models...dah...that was completely lost on me until now lol

Hm, if you have problems with the understanding the premise, you may be in serious trouble...Unsure

Good news: we're here to help and explain everything! Tongue

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
@Colin: a real project plan! I create those at my work (then to be ignored), but never thought of doing the same for my own productions.

@Viking: I'm glad you take care of the sound. Bad sound can really spoil watching a movie even if the images are great otherwise.

I use Audacity as well. I create separate tracks for each person speaking to import into iClone and then create a mix to use in Sony Vegas. Other then some, I time the dialog in advance in Audacity, so I don't do any timing in iClone. Because I use image sequences, the sound is not linked to the video, so I have to do that afterwards. Works OK for me.

As you mentioned, Audacity is a great tool for various audio manipulations, like a telephone sound. I also use it to add some reverb to the final mix to simulate the ambience of the environment. It helps to give the impression that voices that are supposed to be in the same space sound as if they are.

My progress is that I'm basically done. I have now time to go through it and pick out those pesky inconsistencies...Crazy

I also have my wife watching to tell me where there is confusion...Unsure The problem is that we know the story well by now and have all the background knowledge. A first-time viewer has not. You also have to ask yourself: what does a particular character know at this point? For example, one of my characters talked about the kidnapping, but she could not have known about it at that point. Details, details...

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Capemedia (5/15/2014)
RB3006 (5/15/2014)
You know about the 4GB Patch for 32 Bit version?
Thats a real secret weapon and has often helped to reopen lost gone projects.
You also get a lot more content, or avatars in the project

Robert

No please tell w00t

I'm using this patch too and am able to do a lot of work in the 32-bit version. It's at http://www.ntcore.com/4gb_patch.php. Just apply and be on your merry way. I also use it for 3DXchange to be able to open larger models.

@Viking: very sorry to hear about your crash. A blue screen might have something to do with your graphics card driver. I occasionally have a black screen (no display it all), which tells me the card is working at its limits.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Granny, I'm glad you found this helpful.

GrannyJ (5/16/2014)
Why doesn't iClone have an "autosave" feature or a "recover last project" feature like most other software, I wonder????

As to the autosave, it has been brought up many times and debated. As to the "why not", I'm not sure...Unsure

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
RB3006 (5/16/2014)
It´s a Long time to deadline, so I had time to tinker. Now my billiard set is a physic working billiard set. Smile ... and oh wonder, it works. So the crooks can pass the time until then. BigGrin

I have a snooker table with balls from Crank, and I've tried to apply physics, but the balls wouldn't behave, so I had to give up...Crying

So I'm curious how you got it to work. 

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
@Viking, I now remember I had a crash during saving not long ago. And like you I lost work because I overwrote and existing file. File couldn't be opened. I don't recall the circumstances, but it was painful.

@Doug, I'm glad to hear you got to the dessert, which, in your case, is blowing something up! w00t

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
3DStory (5/18/2014)
Could anyone please remind me how to fix the old "hole in the clothes" caper? i.e. as per the hole in Allura's right shoulder where her skin shows through. I should know but can't remember!

What I usualy do is create an Opacity map for the skin to hide the offending part. That way you don't have to try and match the cloth (although black is easy of cource).

Instead of painting the skin directly, you can also use a Blend map.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
mark (5/5/2014)
Wondering about those "timing" issues Job. I'm think I've noticed that before as well....
Is it off in the rendered version? And is if off if you go into "By Frame" mode?

Just wondering Wink

Well, I couldn't stand it, so I checked again carefully the transition points. I noticed that it takes some time for the video to adjust when I stepped through the frames, so that might have had something to do with the deviations I encountered when creating those transistion points. 

ANyway, to be on the safe side, I then rendered with "By Frame" turned on and that did the trick.

Your wondering did wonders, Mark! I'm very pleased! BigGrin

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
So it's mainly women on the good side, and the bad guys are really guys! Makes sense...Tongue

Quite a cast! I look forward to what you come up with, Colin. I've found that while my story developed I needed additional characters...Crazy

Anyway, we try to collectively elevate the quality of iClone movies, so additional talented contributions are welcome! Wink

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
I do have a dog in my story, and he's alive. For some reason he's not associated with Alura, so I'm not certain if it's the same dog... I make a cameo appearance (that's only way for me to get in a movie) and I have a dog with me. 

Alura is all dressed up. The dog is scratching hmiself. I look worried, because I'm trying to finish a movie. The man walking by is just walking by.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Capemedia (5/6/2014)
RB3006 (5/6/2014)
The picture with your actors is a nice idea.
But I miss the dog. Where is the dog??? BigGrin

Robert

No dog in my story, maybe in the sequel????

Neither in mine. I thought the dog was no good. He/she just let the kidnapping kind of happen...Crazy

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
@Viking, thanks for that. I believe we can learn from film-making and cinematographic techniques. We're trying to make movies after all.

Your quote rang especially true after my struggle to create my newscast. After my initial optimism following Mark's advice there were still issues... and solving those took most of the week. You then just hope that your audience will appreciate the effort...Unsure

You sure do need a certain tenacity for this kind of work, despite the "EZ" buttons!

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Just donated as well. I was planning to, so thanks for the reminder...
By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Looks like you're really challenging yourself, Peter! Which is a good thing in a way. Theme of your project in terms of main technique seems to be  "Physics".

In my case it's lighting and working on the atmosphere of the scene. Animations are relatively simple although very time consuming. I do a lot with keyframing.

I'm pleased that I came up with a coherent story (well, at least I think it's coherent). It has a very nice ending for Pinhead, which he deserves, after all he had to endure.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
colour (5/11/2014)
                                                  PROJECT JOIN US /SIGN-UP PAGE

                                                   http://www.pinheadhq.com/joinus.php

Looks like some of the Usernames have been screwed-up. Some are quite funny BigGrin

No wonder Job does wonders with his Clips - He's a Magician - Apparently.BigGrin

Maybe the last 3 Names aren't in fact Ad Bots ?

I wonder if this is the work of an automated spell-checker, Peter? Unsure

justaviking ==> justifying

pinguintje ==> intriguing

animagic ==> magician

There may be others, but these are the ones I know.

Maybe the admin can rectify this? There IS some money now...Tongue

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Some good shoving action going on, Dennis! Pinhead, though, surprises me...Unsure

My progress is that I have all my scenes in place and can begin with necessary refinements and error corrections. I'm also considering replacing my TTS voices, but that might be too much.

Length of the movie without credits is about 13 1/2 minutes. 

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
pinguintje (5/12/2014)
Pinhead is sent to prison.
  • He sleeps with a minor teddy bear (page 57)
  • He hit Alura (WIP update yesterday justaviking)

His hair was cut in GrannyJs Hair Saloon.

Looks like he is about to get into even more trouble by attacking the policeman with his ice cream cone!

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Entertaining clip, Arie, with a surprising twist at the end. Well done!
By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Three clips already??? Well, I better get back to work...Unsure

Very nice ones for sure and very different too. There is a certain simple elegance and elegant simplicity in them, and the stories are well told.

@Granny: experience doesn't necessarily help because you sometimes make things more difficult for yourself by trying new things. I'm running into this frequently with the one I'm working on. But it's fun too when it works out.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Viking, what is scary is that several first-time entrants are already done, while the incumbents are struggling...

I'm at four minutes, maybe a third done...

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
longcross (4/1/2014)
The issue was corrected. Feel free to email us about issues you find. They'll get fixed much quicker.

Thanks, Brian! I think this can be considered a quick response...w00t

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Pardon my ignorance, but where are the clips? Unsure

I thought they might be under the Clips Menu, but if I click View Movies I get a page not found error...Crazy

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
pinguintje (3/30/2014)
Yesterday I saw a strange owl with a Pinhead hair-dress in the park.

Maybe good to inform you........

Arie

Aha, looks like "de uil van de Fabeltjeskrant!"

For you non-Dutch, this was a famous TV program in the late sixties, early seventies... It would sort of give political commentary disguised as a children's program. It was narrated by an owl...

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
@Viking, I like your angry Pinhead and the deforming of the mailbox...Crazy

@Doug, Nice touch to have Pinhead take a shower. In my case he just changes his clothes...Unsure

One tip: there is something funny with the transparancy of Pinhead's hair. You notice that in your clip. I have had the same problem. You can fix that by selecting Hair and then checking Alpha Threshold.  

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Pete, let me add my "Welcome back!" BigGrin

I hope inspiration comes to you. It took me a while as well.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Viking, that's not a bad approach and often done in professional animation production from what I've read.

I'll have to reveal now my non-physics opening of a curtain...

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Dennis, decisions, decisions... You could always start with Pinhead as a TTS voice, and then change it later.

I can only do English with a Dutch accent, and the story doesn't call for that.

I'm staying with an all TTS cast for now, in part because of time constraints. There is only about five or six weeks left...Crazy

I once came up with a rough estimate of about a week per minute of animation (including post), but even that seems optimistic now...Unsure

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Poor Pinhead, the police officer should be his friend, but isn't. Were can he turn?

Good stunts and effects, Doug.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Since we are into showing (off) our WIPs, I like to present a clip in which Pinhead's hacker friend Franciska is trying to hack into the cellphone given to Pinhead by the kidnappers.

I had no less than four computer screens to deal with. For one I had a video, for the others I used YouTube and a site called hackertyper.net. An ordinary PC will not do for today's hacker, so Franciska has a server in the living room! w00t

So this is all getting very involved for just about 30 seconds.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
@Granny: thanks for the encouraging words--I will do my best. As soon as I have a moment I will look at your creation, which sounded intriguing from the start. And, enjoy your vacation!

Colour and Viking's tips are good ones: you can still join and it doesn't have to be complicated. Of course, that didn't stop me, so mine is beyond complicated...Unsure I just hope people will understand it.

Without revealing too much, I was puzzled by why Pinhead's house was blown up. I mean, usually a few phone calls will do in case of a kidnapping, and Pinhead might have been damaged beyond repear, so did wouldn't have helped the kidnapper at all, would it?

So then I thought this is not just about the kidnapping, but it concerns Pinhead as well. So that gave me the idea of Pinhead as private eye and Alura as his client. (Already revealed in my poster entry.) The case he is working on for her irked powerful people, and they want him to stop. It might be a case of national security, who knows?

It will be a thriller-like story, with lots of excitement and intrigue, I hope...w00t

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Here is Pinhead (as P.I.) with Franciska, his hacker friend. She helps him with her highly advanced IT skills. On the right you see the entrance to PH's office. Franciska's place is straight ahead. Like others, I'm practising lighting, so this project is really also about improving my own skills. 

I had trouble with this scene because the file became corrupt, which made it play very slow, regardless of shading mode. I hope the rebuilt version works out. It is these delays that make things even take more time.

I should really go to bed now...Doze

Before I go though, I would like to share a tip. In the scene above I use a spotlight that shines down as the light source and I found that there was terrible grainy interference with the surfaces below the light. By tilting the light slightly, I was able to get rid of that.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Peter, your scene really gives the impression of night. That's always the problem; it's dark, but you can't have your scene too dark, otherwise nobody sees anything.

Doug, that's a very well-lit scene.

Well, it looks the bar is getting raised higher and higher....

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
I think I'm in the same trap too. I have a general idea of the story, but I'm building it up little by little.

Like, I really wanted to see if I could have my character open a door and then walk on through the door opening. It may be only 10 seconds in the movie, but it was a challenge I set myself. And there are many challenges for me in this film. But it is rewarding to me if I actually succeed.

I do go back to scenes to make small changes or corrections, but each scene is pretty much the way I want it. If I had the story all down I might do the whole thing first with just the locations and the characters saying their lines. However, right now it's just scene by scene.

I would like to finish the project, though.

The biggest challenge often is for me to stay interested.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Viking, I agree, Colour is much more advanced than he makes us believe compared to a few years ago. At least, it reads as if he is... throwing terms like IBL and HDR around just like that...

EDIT: Fixed typo.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Ah, funnel cake, in Ocean City, on the boardwalk... w00t

Which tells you that I have really embraced the way of life in my new country (well, after 20 years, it's about time...)

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
colour (4/16/2014)
"Capemedia (4/16/2014)

Anyone-else going to have a problem meeting mid-May Deadline?

It would be tight for me also. I could probably make it, but I don't really want to rush.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
I am making progress, although I've had to start following Viking's approach and simplify in the hope that things can be polished later. I am currently at 7 minutes... Now depending on the total length I'm half done or two-thirds, or...Unsure

I was away from computers and iClone for a few days enjoying nature and fresh air in Oxford; not England, but Maryland...Wink

That helped, because I got an idea on how Alura is going to be rescued. With trickery, actually, worthy of Pinhead...w00t

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
colour (4/21/2014) Working on Pinhead rescuing Alura here, too, Dennis. Simple minds think alike.Wink

Your's looks more complex, though.

Add my simple mind to that too...Unsure My rescue plan has become simpler in part to what I'm actually able to animate. Wink

Also, on a serious note, my best wishes for Roger on his recovery. It sounds too close to a Pinhead incident for comfort. Will Pinhead start to mess up our real lives...Crazy

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Before I go to bed, a still of one of the final scenes:

Thanks to Franciska's phone tracing skills, they have located the house where Alura is kept. It's on the corner of Seville Road and Third Street and happens to be just a few houses from where Pinhead has his office and Franciska has her "lab".

All they have to do now is to outmaneuver the bad guy, who is strong and nasty as we all know, and probably has a gun... No small feat!

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
@Doug: We WILL pester you for more; don't worry! Tongue

Looks already very good: Pinhead meets The Lord of the Rings... w00t

I like the music too. Cool

@Viking: I remember that video and I actually liked it. The important thing is that you did the best you could do given the circumstances. That's all anyone can ask for.

@All: At times there is talk by some on this forum (not this group...) that iClone can't do this or that or should be like Maya or Max. But we collectively prove and have proven again and again that iClone is an amazing story-telling tool.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
justaviking (4/22/2014)
Meanwhile, in a world far, far away from Animagic's ominous foggy street... you wouldn't think this would fit this storyline, but it does (at least in MY mind)...

Now that's indeed intriguing, Dennis. Looks good, you just need some shadows for the trees, I think.

You're right about it fitting perfectly in YOUR mind... My concern is often whether the viewer will be able to follow the story...Unsure

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
@Granny, we all had to start somewhere, and the Pinhead competition is as good a way as any. And, it's fun to see the various participants improve and grow with each installment! BigGrin

This round especially seems to find several of us trying new things and getting in a terrible time crunch!...Crazy

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Because I render to image sequences, I do/can not use iClone's audio output.

Therefore, I do the layout and timing of voices in Audacity, with a separate track for each voice. They are TTS voices in my case, as I would have to solicit for actual voices and there is not enough time. It also allows me to easily change the dialog.

Any pauses at the beginning of the dialog I also add in Audacity, so that dialog tracks are timed right for the scene. I then simply load each voice with the timeline at 0, so no confusion there.

I create a mix of all dialog tracks in Audacity, with any effects added (mostly reverb to simulate the room). I do a mix and render, then copy, and then undo, so that I have a mixed copy to put into a new track, but still have the original tracks as well. The mix is then used in Vegas as sound track for the image sequence.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Many comments already since last night, but I will add some as well.

Granny, I started using image sequences because I wanted a loss-less output format without the huge files that would result from exporting in uncompressed AVI.

Rule number 1 to get good quality IMO is to wait with compression until the final render in your video editor. I don't have After Effects and use Sony Vegas, which suits me fine.

Image sequences also allow you to do things in batch in your graphics editor. I've used that in the past to try to get a cartoon effect before that was available in iClone. Another reason is that image sequences allow you to correct a single frame. There used to be a bug in iClone where trees wouldn't look right the first frame of a new camera angle (this is fixed now...). So I could render that one frame as a still and insert it in the sequence.

Viking already mentioned size. 1280x720 is the minimum you want to aim for and is now supported by the various video hosting sites.

As to lighting at night... Ever since I saw a recent tutorial on lighting (from Warlord I believe) I set ambient lighting to black and then built the lighting up from there. There are a few tricks to create the illusion of a night scene without being completely in the dark. Cool 

Give your main light a bluish tone, that will do a lot right there.  Then for your sky, play a bit with the settings: decrease the color saturation for example and make it a bit darker. Set it to self-illumination obviously but maybe at a lower level. As Colour mentioned, make sure the sky doesn't cast or receive shadows.  

There are only eight lights, so trickery is called for. There is a lot you can do with glow maps. Another thing you can use is self-illumination. Ceilings sometimes turn up black, which doesn't look good. So what you can do is give them a little self-illumination to lighten them up.

I use fog (created with particles) in some of my night scenes and found it too light initially (the default is white). So I changed the particle color settings to a grey-bluish tint, which works much better.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Those are helpful tips, Peter. I think it's a good idea to reveal some of our work processes.

Funny, I also use the Outdoor scene as a basis for the intro, which is indeed good for creating a suburb.

Because I needed Pinhead to walk into the backyard, I recreated his house (actually, I used one of the free iClone models that are available on 3D Warehouse) and built up the front and backyard.

The green car is actually not used in the movie.

So it was quite nice before it got destroyed...

I also used smoke as well as fire particles for effect. By adding some explosion sounds (I use www.freesound.org) and timing them with additional particle emissions, you can create quite a spectacular intro.

One problem I ran into is that doors of the house are not separate objects, so you can't animate them. So what I did was setting the opacity of the those doors to zero using an Opacity map and then simply create new doors, which I subsequently animated with good-old key frames.

And here is what you get: you can see the open front door and the blown out garage doors.

Poor Pinhead suffers an unwanted space flight:

You also just see his car in the garage. I used a Blend map to create the effect of the car being blackened by the fire. The Strength of the map is animated. The soot on Pinhead's T-shirt is a Blend map too.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
I'm OK with the extension. I would have been able to finish, but this will allow me to do some cleaning up, perhaps add dropped scenes, and, most importantly, get some sleep!
By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Thanks you all for your nice and encouraging comments!
By animagic - 10 Years Ago
colour (4/28/2014)
 "I did learn some, so it's not a total loss.  (Motion vs. MotionPlus.  I understand more now.)"

I spoke too soon re; Motion Plus in my previous Post, Dennis. Unsure 

I'm sorry to hear about your problems, Peter. There must be a solution, but I wouldn't know...Unsure

Motion Plus, as far as I know, is only different from Motion in that it allows saving facial animation. I don't believe the motion part is different from Motion in its behavior.

The large bounding box you mention seems to indicate that the pivot point is moving out of the character somehow while creating the initial motion.

Just a thought, if you replace the misbehaving Pinhead with a fresh one, do you have the same problem? That is, select PH in the scene and then apply a new one to it by selecting and double-clicking PH in the Content Manager.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
To make sure that we don't get complacent due to the extension here is another still:

This is Pinhead's office. It started out as a Sketchup model (not mine) that I further adorned. As you can see, Pinhead likes to emulate the glory days of the 40s and 50s private eyes. The only consession to modernity is the flatscreen TV.

The office was in a scene that I had cut, but I reintroduced it in a later scene, because I really like how the room turned out.

Pinhead likes to hang his coat, which was a bit of a challenge for me, being not very well-versed in physics or soft cloth.

Then I remembered that everyone is always talking about bones. Well, I thought, a skeleton is bones too, so I dressed one with the coat. I made the body as flat as possible.

I then used the skeleton to pose the coat, after which I made the skeleton transparent. It works quite well: in another scene I was able to drape the coat over a chair. 

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
@Viking: Thanks for sharing your Motion Plus insights...

Collectively we may figure it all out one day, and then we can charge sw00000p $$$ for advanced tutorials! Tongue

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
justaviking (4/30/2014)
Sometimes the purpose of my life is to serve as a warning to others.  Crying

That would be a perfect motto for Pinhead...Tongue

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
There is one lighting tip I wanted to share in the hope it'll help someone.

I'm really trying to get better at lighting my scenes (inspired by recent tutorials), using spot lights with shadows activated as light sources for street lights, ceiling lights, etc. Street and ceiling lights shine straight down, and when I set it up like that in iClone I get terrible grainy-like shadows as if everything is dirty.

By accident, which is how I usually discover things BigGrin, I found that if I give the light a slight tilt of a few degrees the shadow problem is gone. You'll notice in the picture that the shadows worked out fine.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
That's very generous of you, Granny! Looks lovely and with nice shadows too!

I've sent you a PM.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
I've ALMOST all my scenes, which means I can start fine-tuning. Of course there are setbacks: the timeline seems to crash a bit more.

One issue I ran into is that when iClone plays a video (as texture) there may be slight deviations in the timing. I needed a camera switch to occur synchronous with a cut in the video and I found this can't be relied on. So I rendered all cameras out separately and put everything together in Vegas. 

I'm working on a newscast about things that have been happening (the kidnapping and such) that Pinhead is watching near the end of the movie, together with his hacker fried Franciska. This is kind of the self-referencing idea that Viking talked about many posts ago, because at some point Pinhead is watching himself.

I needed to create clips for the newscast that didn't exist yet and in some cases I needed to create new environments. I have a lot of premade stuff fortunately but it was still quite a bit of work. In a way the newscast is a film in itself. My wife likes it, so it must be quite good actually...

The set for the news anchor is existing content from Reallusion that I retextured to make it look at bit more together:

And so we plod along...

By the way, there is a Real News network. I found the name fitting.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Daniel, good to see you're still with us...BigGrin
By animagic - 10 Years Ago
@Granny: Did you try closing and restarting iClone?

I don't know if the PC went to sleep or if the screen saver was activated, but it may be a matter of the scene is not being properly redrawn.

Personnally, I don't remember having ever encountered this problem.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
justaviking (5/2/2014)
@Arie,

That's a great little clip.

I can see Pinhead suddenly contemplating all sorts of dangerous occupations (bomb disposal squad, fireman, etc.) because it turns out that going to the hospital does have its perks.  Smile

Wouldn't it cause his temperature to go up????? SickSmoooothKissBlush

Cute cliplet, Arie!

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
A very well-done intro! OK, I've got to get working on the story...
By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Nice prizes. There's even a few among them I don't have yet...Cool

As to helping others: I can provide Pinhead's voice. I can also do English with a Dutch accent...Unsure

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
I will be trying to do something very simple, so I can finish...Hehe
By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Added my five stars too. Silly person...Angry
By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Thanks, Alley. Actually, I just tried the link again and it worked, so maybe there was a temporary server hiccup.
By animagic - 10 Years Ago
There is a problem with the download links to the additional characters Alura and Villian. I get a page not found error.

There is also a problem with the link to Stevano's house.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
peterblood (2/2/2014)
As I have absolutely no experience with stories set in the present day, this will be difficult for me. Doze 

Maybe I should make a dance video out of it. Tongue  No, too easy. Angry

Come on....THINK!  Blink What do people do in the present? What do they wear? What do they talk about?  My mind is reeling! I need something to help me focus! Crazy

Pete, there's always the time machine vehicle, which lets you place your story whenever you want...w00t You're free to use this...BigGrin

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Gerry, the attention to detail and the quality of the animation in the intro clip really shows, also given that it was done in a relatively short time.

Now we have to try to match it...Unsure

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
justaviking (2/3/2014)
If you need a backup "Alley voice," my wife did her best Alley impersonation in the closing scene of my "Final Wish" entry.  I think she enjoyed herself but as a successfully married man, I know I better ask permission before volunteering her.

Very wise, Viking...Tongue

As to the plot of what comes after, I was struggling initially, but then I just started writing down some questions to mull things over and that really helped to get an idea that I liked and will try to visualize.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
There have been many versions of Pinhead over the years... Mine has somewhat more realistic proportions but still a large head. Most importantly though is Pinhead's TTS voice. Without that voice it's not quite right.
By animagic - 10 Years Ago
3DStory (1/15/2014)
Pinhead competitions always bring out those quiet icloners reading the forum silently...oh wait, that's me!

There is this forum index, which is calculated by dividing Posts by Visits and for you would be around 0.061...Tongue I always wondered if there is any significance in that...Unsure I probably talk too much with an index of 0.545...w00t

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
It was a dark and stormy night...Sick
By animagic - 10 Years Ago
sjonesdc (1/15/2014)
animagic (1/15/2014)
It was a dark and stormy night...Sick

You took my line!!! How about:

From the shadows, he watched..... and waited.....

Very good, Sharon! If we continue this, we'll have a story...

Unaware of looming danger, she felt at ease walking side by side her dog Aleser--her faithful companion for... well, how long already?

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
My wife won't like this...Angry We're just starting to get reacquainted...Tongue

Weeks of pulling out hairs...Crazy Sleeping at work...Doze Desperate calls for help...Crying

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Yep, I'm fine with dark actually. Never that good at light-hearted comedy myself.
By animagic - 10 Years Ago
maxae (1/15/2014)
hmmm,
i wonder if my brand of mayhem would suit this...Smile

Mayhem is particularly suited for Pinhead. That, and the impossible situations he gets himself into or is put into by others.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
From the interview, about Pinhead as clay model in the hot sun:

You can't miss how deformed Pinhead is, and continues to get, throughout the clip. At one point, he was so soft and mushy and deformed that we had to put him into the freezer to harden up so I could work with him again. You can see in the credits a shot of what he was supposed to look like, but he was so mangled and off-balance that he could barely stand up.

And I thought we 3D people were cruel. This must be one of the worst experiences for Pinhead ever! Sick

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
I just signed up as well. I have no idea what I will be getting myself into...Unsure
By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Looks intriguing, Sharon! 

Seems like Pinhead is getting in all sorts of trouble in this round. He really brings out our dark side...Alien

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
colour (3/14/2014)

How's everyone-else getting on?

Well, I knew the type of story I wanted, but I took me a while to get to a point that's workable. It is sort of clear how it will end (Pinhead prevails, obviously!), although I'm not completely certain how to get there. So I started to actually write down the full screenplay for the movie, which I usually do, but hadn't done this time. This really helps me to get clarity. 

I am pleased with the look I'm getting, thanks to some recent tutorials. Here is a teaser, without giving too much away:

Why is the police officer studying the manhole cover?

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
I would like to add my deepest sympathies as well, Pete.
By animagic - 10 Years Ago
I was under the impression that Alura and the Bad Guy were mandatory as they are part of the introduction and Pinhead's job is to resolve the kidnapping in some way. They can be freely downloaded. The dog is not necessary, he didn't do much anyway to prevent the kidnapping...Crazy

Everything else is open, and we have already seen some WIP stills to prove it. Your shot looks promissing...w00t  Minimum length is 3 minutes, no maximum (I think).

And, as Peter has pointed out, besides a competiton this a Community Project, so we are also here to help each other out, so if you get stuck, just shout! 

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
GrannyJ (3/11/2014)
@colour-
perhaps another newbie question???

It says on the PinheadHQ site:
"Submit your embedded link with the submit clip form to be an official entry."

Does that mean I am to upload my video onto my server, then supply HTML5 code with the video & player plus CSS or can I just submit a YouTube video link?

and just for clarification's sake, is "mid-May 2014" an equivalent for May 15th?

Thanks bunches
& have a truly awesome day,
Granny J

You can just submit a link to your YouTube video. Most of us would not be able to do what you describe...Unsure Previously you needed to upload your video, but that is no longer required, although still an option, I believe.

Mid-May I don't know exactly, but it would be any time after May 15. Alley would know, but there is usually an extension.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
colour (3/21/2014)
Problem here; is getting a suitable lead-in Scene to the story, following-on from what has already happened, using G3 Pinhead instead of G5 in the Project Intro Clip. I though I'd cracked it with some Video Editing tricks, but there's no way to loop many very short clips of just the front of the house smoking, without those clips stuttering. Short answer; is just a boring still Pic, I'm afraid.

Peter, I had a similar problem in that I wanted to include some of the introduction to start off my movie. I didn't quite see how to make a believable transition, so I ended up recreating the part of Pinhead's forced exit from the house, which actually turned out quite spectacular if I say so myself. But it all takes time.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
@Granny: your alternate reality scene looks really good. I also think you have an intriguing story in the making.

@Viking: I use a utility called keepvid (www.keepvid.com). You enter the video URL and it lists download options. I just tried and it works. Ignore the 0 MB size indications...Unsure The full file will download.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Viking, it IS confusing...

What I selected is MP4 - 720p - 0.0 MB.  Even though it says 0.0 MB, you do get a 147 MB or so video file with sound. 

I've had problems with the video-only downloads also.

It is a very handy utility, though.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Viking, getting the story right can be quite a struggle in itself. You say you have too much, my problem was at first that I had too little. So, I just started creating the locations to inspire me. 

BTW, I like the texture of the wall.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Nice one, Arie, but not so much for poor Pinhead...Unsure

It's a wonder he survives all that we put him through!

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Viking, I calculated once that 1 minute of movie took about a week. Now things seem to go slower than that...Doze

Anyway, to keep myself interested, I worked on a scene that takes place on a deserted country road at night. Pinhead is following someone in his old pickup truck (seen here in the distance) as part of a case he's working on. 

That person alerts one of his helpers, who blocks Pinhead's truck, and then threatens him. Here are some more stills:

I created a custom terrain with a cobblestone road. I also used Rampa's grass trees, which really work very well.

Very unpleasant follow. You may recognize him...

Here is a shot from the beginning of the movie, when Pinhead talks (listens) to very same person for the first time.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
I wouldn't mind doing a poster.
By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Here's the poster I did for Pinhead's Dilemma (for the Pinhead Lost in Time competition in 2011):

I'm using a poster design program (I forgot the name right now), but any graphics program will do.

Here is one for another Pinhead movie, Brain Trust:

For a collection of sometimes outrageous designs, head over to the Movie Poster Gallery of the TMUnderground forum: http://www.tmoaradio.com/vb/showthread.php?4784-Poster-Gallery.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Thanks, maxae. For me making posters is easier than making movies...Unsure
By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Poster submitted at Pinhead HQ. Now on with the movie!

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
colour (2/21/2014)

Great eye-catching Professional-looking Poster, Job Smile

Was this done with the Poster Editing Program you mentioned previously?

Thanks, Peter.

Yes, it was done with the program I mentioned (RonyaSoft Poster Designer ), although I composed the background with the small avatars in a regular graphics program. I found that graphics layering didn't work very well in Poster Designer.

In fact, you could create a poster easily (well I guess that depends...) with any graphics program that supports layers.

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
sjonesdc (3/2/2014)
Getting pretty risque there, Peter w00t At least I'll be able to work some on the project Monday - expected 5 - 10 inches of SNOW and here in DC, the offices are CLOSED BigGrin

Same on the other side of the Potomac, in Arlington...Cool

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
You think there will be an extension? By raising the bar for myself and trying to implement the things I learn through the many interesting tutorials that have been published lately, it's extremely slow going...Unsure
By animagic - 10 Years Ago
colour (3/1/2014)
"Been tied to my computer at work"

Strange Workplace, Sharon Wink

Hope they're slip-knots Ermm   

Ah, Peter, that's how it is in the US...work, work, work...Crazy  It was quite an adjustment for me after being used to enjoying my five-week European summer vacations...Cool

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
Granny, Peter, thanks for your suggestions! Cool 

I will have to make the implementation low priority as there are so many other things still to do...Crazy

Granny, are you sure you're a newby? That was quite an elaborate solution...Wow

By animagic - 10 Years Ago
As of yet there is no easy way to fade a character in and out. Even changing the Opacity of all parts leaves you with teeth, tongue, and eyes still there... which is kind of scary. There is a way to deal with those parts but it involves adding video to the transparency channel that has the transition.

I also believe that transparency behind transparency doesn't work that well. So, it is best to try some of the other suggestions.

Looks like your setting the bar high for yourself, Granny, which is a good thing, as is experimenting and trying something new. I think most of us are newbies at some level: I'm adding some particles and physics to my mix.

BTW, does anyone have an idea how to simulate the splashing/spray caused by a vehicle driving through 6 to 12 inches of water? Here is a WIP still:

I think that could look very exciting...

I tried particles, but I'm no expert and it didn't look that good. Because the car moves the particles are spread out too much.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
GrannyJ (3/9/2014)

I am using this Pinhead 8 project as a fun learning exercise to expand my iClone skills... trying things I've never attempted before...

That's always one of the many great things about the Pinhead projects; learning new things.

I've got to start making progress on mine too.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Colour,

Thank you for posting your pictures.

I'm trying to imagine how this will tie in to the project storyline.  You have me very curious.  Well done!

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
peterblood (3/10/2014)

Just a note to let you know that I may have to drop out of the pinhead competition.

I drop to my knees, and shaking my fists at the sky, I cry out in despair, "Nooooo!"

Through no fault of my own my comp died, I'm pretty sure the motherboard got fried and as I have no emergency funds available at the moment, I may be down for a bit.

Painful.

I'd rather submit nothing than just throw together something that isn't up to Pinhead standards.

I never let that stop me.  Ermm


I can still communicate on the forum etc.

At least that's a glimmer of good news.

...how much I'll miss not being able to make Pinhead do as I wish him to. Crying

Crying  Crying  Crying 

Crying  Crying  Crying 

.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Hi, it's me again.  (and again, and again)...

I'm having "PAGE NOT FOUND" problems on the Pinhead site.

Specifically, I can't access "The Classics."

I was looking for Contest 2 - "Western Tale" by Michele.

I also get the error if I click on "Skip this page" on the initial pre-page when you go to the web site.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
I can FIND the posters now.  (Having to click "Project Info" first isn't intuitive to me.)

The new Project 8 posters open instantly, and the "Next" feature works great.

I see the Project 7 "Final Wish" poster thumbnails, but cannot get any of them to open.  All I get is "Loading..." but nothing appears.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Alley (2/18/2014)


Poster Section is View Clips/Project Posters (I haven't actually double checked this).

I see the Project 8 poster, but I can't find any of the others (Final Wish, or Lost in Time).

Can you check on that, please?

While Brian's working on it, it would be nice if the poster button could be made a bit more conspicuous.

Thanks.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
GrannyJ (2/17/2014)
I was thinking along these lines......

Is this an acceptable poster?

Yes!!!!!  Way beyond acceptable.  Smile   w00t

- - - - - -

I'm loving the posters.  Thank you, everyone!  I might even have to make one.  If nothing else, my lowly entry will help demonstrate how good the others are.

As the saying goes, it's people like me that that make winners possible.  Tongue

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
maxae (2/17/2014)
nice animagic, i almost thought i was in a alternate universe where movie posters are wider than tall...lol

No, but you do have a doppelganger that lives in a parallel universe, which explains the double posts.  Wink

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
GrannyJ (2/16/2014)
Is there an example of previous posters anywhere?

I thought for sure they'd be near the videos on the PinheadHQ web site, but I don't see them.

Hopefully someone can post a link.

Also, can any of you prior poster artists reply with a copy of your poster here?  Thanks.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
colour (2/16/2014)
PROJECT POSTER COMPETITION

Anyone-else interested? 

I did enjoy them.  We had some excellent posters last time.

Creating a poster isn't really my thing, but it could be a nice project add-on to do it again for those who are inclined to do so.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Alley (2/10/2014)

...Pinhead is and probably always will be a part of our family.

The same is true here.

My youngest son spent many hours sitting on my lap, watching Pinhead videos.  (Thankfully I had dual monitors, so he could watch Pinhead while I was doing other things.)

Forgive me while I take a brief trip down memory lane...  His favorites, which I have seem many, many, many times, are:

  • Pinhead's family, by Yvette (corrected), described earlier.
  • "Pinhead, the Safety Super Hero" - A live-action video submitted by our youngest particpant at that time.  (His name is on the tip of my tounge... something like "Tennio" or close to that.)  His dad, bless his loving heart, actually wore a cardboard Pinhead mask and played the part of Pinhead.  It was actually like a public service announcement about the importance of wearing your helmet and paying attention when you ride your bicycle.  It involved some green screen effects to.  It was unique, creative, and fun to see an entry by a young person.
  • A story where Pinhead is frozen, and thawed out in the future to save humanity from the race of robots they created.  Top-notch work.  He especially loved the song, "Ding, fries are done!," the robot doing the vacuuming, and as a little tyke he liked the "shiny robot" (uh, that's a Terminator, but to him it was nice and shiny).  That was created by Joe, right?  A great story, and wonderful, top-quality work.

I'm sorry I can't give better credit or direct links to the videos.  I cannot open the PinheadHQ site when I'm at work.  It's blocked because it's not categorizes as to what type of web site it is.

Anyway... As always, I am really looking forward to seeing what people come up with this time.

I am pretty sure I will do a preliminary entry, which means I'm hoping to do to of them.  The first will be short and not very ambitious, which is perfect for me.

And... I have a Viking Jr. update:

He has been working on his story line.  He is extremely interested in resolving all those unanswered questions:

  • Who is the girl and what's her connection to Pinhead?
  • Who is the bad guy and why did he do it?
  • What happened to the dog?
  • What is Pinhead going to do about it?

Oh yeah, he's full of ideas!

That reminds me, his entry last year was created in PowerPoint.  So add that to the list of tools and techniques that have been used.  I helped him stitch the slides together in Studio (video editor) and added some music (selected by him).  But he did all the writing and PowerPoint work by himself.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Alley and Gerry,

Thank you for working on that.

Personally, I've always been quite satisfied with high-quality WMV files.  For HD resolutions, the MP4 format seems to work pretty well.

Either way, whatever you post for downloading will be appreciated.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
I was working on my project again this aftenoon

I made some progress.  The results are rough, but they do represent progress.

So I did some math.

Based on what I've accomplished today, I calculated that I am exactly 17 months and 4 days behind schedule.  Crying

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
THANK YOU for making the Project Opener video available for download.  I think that is a very nice touch.

I was able to do the "right-click and Save Target As..." method successfully.  I am using IE v11.

I had grabbed the video via a grabber utility (mentioned a few posts earlier), but now I am certain I have the best-available copy.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Biggstrek - Sorry to hear about the family emergency.  Few things are more important than Pinhead projets, but that would be one of them.  Hope all turns out well for you.

@Animagic - Great looking stills.  I've heard various effort-to-video ratios over the years, starting with video editing.

My view of "where the time goes" with iClone is:

  1. Scene setup - Huge time investment, and very little to show for it, and you assemble your terrain, trees, houses or walls, lighting, and decorate the set with various props.
  2. Basic animation - That's the fun part, where everything comes to life
  3. Refinement - A black hole that will absorb the rest of your life as you refine movements, facial expressions, lip sync, etc.

The only good thing is when you encounter that rare time when you get to re-use an existing set.  Then instant magic occurs, and it is so fun.

That's why I often skip steps 1 and 3.  Tongue

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Pete,

Glad to hear you're up and running.

I hope inspiration strikes soon for your Pinhead project.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
I'm glad you like the wall texture.  I purchased the "texture bundle" when it was 90% off (or some huge discount).

I think I'm going to have to put some bars in the window to make the prison a bit more convincing.  And maybe a door, too.

Normally I like to keep my stories secret.  But I'm going to be very bold today, and will share an outline of the story and how it evolved.  (But I won't tell you everything yet.)

INITIAL STORY CONCEPT:

I first had a "joke" story idea.  I intended to do it as a quick-and-dirty "fun clip" while I waited for inspiration on a more serious project.

Pinhead, naturally, is angry and determined to rescue Alura.

He grabs a baseball bat for a weapon, and heads over to the bad guy's place.  But when he arrives, he finds himself staring at a huge Dracula-like castle.  His jaw drops open, and he lets go of the baseball bat and it clatters on the rocky path (sort of echo-y, in slow motion).

Pinhead realizes he is in way over his head, and there is no way this rescue is going to occur.

CUT TO:  Pinhead is back at his place.  His house has been repaired and he is once again playing his Game Box, just like in the opening sequence.  He looks at a picture of Alura on the fireplace mantel, and he comments, "Boy, I sure to miss her sometimes," and continues playing his game as the credits roll.

CURRENT STORY CONCEPT:

I have decided to build on elements of my "fun clip" idea.  Pinhead does attempt to perform a rescue on his own, but realizes it is beyond his abilities.  That makes him feel like he's inadequate as a man, because any manly man should be able to rescue his woman, right?

However, Alura is more important than his pride, and Pinhead reaches out to an old friend;  Viking.

(Backstory... This goes way back to one of the earlier Pinhead projects, "Mystery Manor."  Pinhead was accused of murder at a remote mansion where there was a reading of the will.  His friend Viking is an ex-military person who is now a top-notch detective.  Viking went to save Pinhead, but got stabbed in the back and nearly died.)

Viking wants to help, but having nearly died the last time he helped Pinhead, he is reluctant to do so.

At this point in the story, there is a lot of heavy soul-searching.  Viking struggles with his fears, Pinhead worries and is desperate to save Alura, and Alura struggles with despair but hangs on to her conviction that Pinhead will come to save her.

So, who is the villain?  He is an ex-boyfriend of Alura's.  In fact, she broke up with him after meeting Pinhead, so he is very resentful and hates Pinhead.  He's also "bad" so he is determined to possess Alura, even if he has to do it by force.

Of course the two men rise to the occasion and plot a rescue mission.

CLOSING COMMENTS:

There, I did it.  I shared my story before posting my video.

I did save a few little surprises.  I'm not as strong as Pinhead, and I couldn't bring myself to divulge everything.  I am keeping a couple minor plot elements secret for now.

My biggest, number-one surprise and the thing I'm most excited about is HOW I plan to tell the story.

We've had one claymation entry.  We've had live-action with a cardboard Pinhead.  We've had a live-action with a person (the project participant's dad) wearing a Pinhead mask.

I have done both a storyboard-style entry and my own live-action scene (both as part of my 4-part epic Mystery Manor entry).  We've had a lot of 2D projects, some as simple "cut-outs" moving on the screen, and some "real 2D animation" best showcased by Ahroo.  My son made a "Pitchman" entry using PowerPoint as his primary tool.  Now of course we have a lot of 3D iClone animations.

So what is there left to do?  How can I do something new and unique?  Ah, that's the real surprise.  And that is also why I have too much material.  That probably doesn't make sense to you right now, but I have to leave some surprises, at least for a while.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
QUESTION:

Is the original promo clip available for download?

I would love to have it downloadable from the Pinhead site.  It could be posted where you have links to other assets, like the 2D/3D characters.

I have a utility that should download YouTube videos, but it is not grabbing the HD version.  I'm only getting 640x360 resolution.

This would be appreciated by anyone who wants to include some snippets from the promo clip, and edit them into their clip with their video editing software.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
I've posted a micro-clip on Vimeo.

I plan to update this clip from time to time by simply replacing the video.  There's no need to clutter my account with multiple work-in-process clips.

I got some shadows and a fake moon.  I'll have to review the nice "lighting" tutorial posted a while ago.

The "jerky" camera motions still bug me.  There's got to be an easier way to make the camera follow a nice spline motion without a lot of effort.  The "smooth camera motion" option doesn't really do much, at least not for me.

Pinhead - The Measure of a Man - WIP from justaviking on Vimeo.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
The Mythical Dragon (3/22/2014)
justaviking,

When I'm moving my camera around I create a path and attach the camera to it. Then I make an invisible object where I want the camera to be facing and have the camera look at it. I usually get a nice smooth rotation that way.

Yes, I've done that too.  As you said, you get a much smoother movement.

But... it really shouldn't be necessary.  That's what's frustrating about it.  The "smooth camera motion" option should so much more smoothing.  It should be more like a B-Spline type of curve for the camera motion, if you want.

In the timeline, you can Ease-In and Ease-Out (or both), but that only makes it worse because you end up with a pause at each key frame position.

As for the lighting tutorials, Warlord had a couple:

As usual, I have to finish the rough, rough, ROUGH cut first, so I at least have a finished project.  Then I will work on improving scenes until time runs out.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
animagic (3/22/2014)

@Viking: I use a utility called keepvid (www.keepvid.com). You enter the video URL and it lists download options. I just tried and it works. Ignore the 0 MB size indications...Unsure The full file will download.

Thank you.  Smile

That was nice.  Nothing to install.  BigGrin

To others... beware of all the fake download buttons.  They are labeled as advertisements, but don't fall for it.  (I successfully avoided them.)

It also immediately prompted me to update Java, which may or may not be valid, but I said to skip it for now, and it still worked okay.

My picture here will make it as easy as 1... 2... 3...

 

ADDED...

I had fine luck with the "Max" download, which is the 360x640 (37.1MB).

When I play it in YouTube, I have two HD options: 720 and 1080p.

But when I download the 1080 version, I get what seems to be the right size file (215.8MB), but it won't play.  Anyone else having luck with that?

ALSO ADDED...

You may be asking yourself, "Why does Viking care if he gets an HD version of the promo clip?  It's not like it will matter, based on what he's posted so far."

True.  Good point.  But I would love to have an HD version available anyway.  Why not?

.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
I'm so glad to see more people joining the project.

I have an idea!!!!!!!!   w00t

I know this won't actually tell you anything, but I'm finally formulating a story line and a vision for my project that really excites me.

The only problem is that, naturally, my vision exceeds my abilities by a couple orders of magnitude.  (That means "multiply by 100" for non-engineers.)

Originally I had a mini-clip in mind, with an ironic, humorous twist.  But now I've managed to turn it into a complete story.

I'm really, really looking forward to starting on it this weekend.

I already know the end result will be rough in terms of production quality.  Some might look a lot like a "pre-vis" project.  But at least I hope I'll be able to tell my story in a way that hasn't been done before.

.

One more thing... I think I'll do a poster for the first time, too.

.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
lynn3d (3/12/2014)
If nobody minds I would like to participate in the Pinhead competition. However, due to health problems I won't sign up at the Pinhead website until I know that I can finish the project in due time. That is, if that's fine with the organizer.

I have been re-reading this thread but I'm somewhat confused about the requirements for this project, i.e. except for our hero Pinhead is the use of the other characters (as made available for download by Alley) mandatory and/or are there any other specific requirements for this project ?

Many thanks Smile

Lynn,

WELCOME to the Pinhead project!  Smile

The primary requirement is that Pinhead is the star of the show.  He ought to be the protagonist, not the villain of the movie, and of course that is how the project introduction was constructed.

Pretty much everything else is flexible.

Traditionally we use text-to-speech for Pinhead's voice, even if the other characters are voice acted.  If you want his "official" voice, there are people here who have been very willing to receive your text and email back mp3 files of Pinhead talking.  Or you can use your own TTS software.  Or you can have a live actor do a voice-over if you prefer (that's been done before, so you wouldn't be the first).

You can use characters and sets used in the intro clip, or you can create your own, or you can write a storyline that doesn't require them.

Most importantly of all, is your participation.

I hope you enjoy working on the project, and that it provides a welcome distraction from your health problems.  I do hope you get better soon.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Sharon (sjonesdc) - Nice start.  Looking forward to seeing more.

@Doug (The Mythical Dragon) - You don't seem to be very far ahead of me, but I still think you're ahead.

.

My working title is:  "The Measure of a Man"

Tag line:  When everything is on the line, do you have what it takes?

(Alternate tag lines also being considered.)

I'm going to be struggling with way too much material.  I don't want to make, and you don't want to sit through, a 3-hour movie.  I'm in the process of chopping it down to something I can actually create.  (Even with the anticipated low production quality, none of us want me doing a 3-hour video.)

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
colour (3/19/2014)
Well - So far - We have Pinhead apparently;

...4) Holding-up a bank with the dog.

Not just any dog.  A dog wearing a disguise!

Dog thinking to himself, "Yeah, nobody will be able to recognize me with this baseball cap on.  Woof."

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Hi Colour (and other).  So you want people to post pictures or clips to show their progress?

Okay, I will humiliate myself.  I always say I set the bar low to make it easier for others.

Those of you with sharp eyes might notice that Alura looks an awful lot like Gwynn in this picture.

Really, I'm busy stitching my epic story together.  And I'm busy keeping it below 3 hours in length.

Hopefully my animation quality will improve, but don't count on it.

P.S.

@Colour - If you quote this post, please don't duplicate the picture.  I don't know if I could bear it being shown twice.  Once was plenty for this degree of embarrassment.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
colour (1/16/2014)

Missy (?) yanked hard on the leash, and shouted, "Over my dead body!"

Suddenly the car lights, previously ignored, shown on them again, much brighter than before.

The drunk driver careened wildly, but now distinctly rushing toward our characters!"

Rather bizarrely, he had no clothes and was stark-naked, from top to toes.

The car lurched to a stop, its nose buried deep in the bushes, narrowly missing Mr. X.

With the engine still running, the driver fumbled with the door latch momentarily.  He finally found his grip on the latch and pushed the door open.  He staggered out, naked as a jay bird, and after a couple wobbly steps, collapsed to the ground.

Mr. X stepped out from his hiding place.  He made brief eye contact with Missy, but both immediately focused their attention on the unconscious man lying at the their feet.

In unison they said, "Henry??!!"

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
animagic (1/17/2014)
I just signed up as well. I have no idea what I will be getting myself into...Unsure

You'll be getting yourself into a wonderful activity with a couple serious people and lots of goofy and silly people.  It's always a wonderful time.  And like any project, you'll see a lot of creative stories, clever modeling/editing techniques, you'll tear our some hear, and learn a lot.

At least that's been my experience.

I also signed up.  I guess it takes a while for our names to appear (it may be a manual process).

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
colour (1/16/2014)
Seize the dog and sell it to a zoo.

LOL... I didn't see that coming!

(QUESTION:  Does the girl have a name?  I forgot.)

Meanwhile, back in the story...

.

.

Missy (?) yanked hard on the leash, and shouted, "Over my dead body!"

Suddenly the car lights, previously ignored, shown on them again, much brighter than before.

The drunk driver careened wildly, but now distinctly rushing toward our characters!

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
seppgirty (1/16/2014)
I read The blog and from what i gather it will be a murder mystery dinner theme? Please correct me if i'm wrong.

It might seem that way, but who knows?  "The Committee" is pretty good at teasing us.  For all we know, it could be about Pinhead's encounter with a door-to-door cigarette salesman.  Tongue

Maybe it's not a drunk driver in the car.  Maybe it's Pinhead driving, and he fell asleep at the wheel, maybe he was trying to read this forum on his smart phone.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
About the rating... I've seen places where people give a "1" rating, maybe thinking it means "best, as in 'First Place' like in a race."  I notice it when I read product reviews, and someone talks about how much they love the product, and then give it a 1 out of 5 rating.  But not here.  It would be nearly impossible to accidentally rate it upside down here.  So I added my "5" to help what little I can.

About the Ahroo interview... It was a great interview.  I appreciate the work of setting it up and posting it.  I never realized her clay was melting while filming the Claymation style video.  I guess that's because I know my clay models (if I did it) would look even worse simply due to a lack of skill on my part.  I added more comments on the Pinhead HQ site.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Alley,

Great job.

I think you're missing the "3/4 left" (our left) for the man.  And two (not sure which) for the lady.

I think those crazy CrazyTalk Animator 2 people will be looking for 8 images, one every 45 degrees.

Looking good, though.  I can't wait for the real announcement (but more teasers would be fun until then, if possible).

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
colour (1/15/2014)

All Clips accepted; "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly" Wink 

I can vouch for that.  I've submitted in all three categories, usually "the bad and the ugly."  Hehe

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
I finally read the blog.  Brian expressed some concern about it being a "dark" opening.

I'm sure we'll be fine.  After all, Pinhead was once accused of murder, and that turned out wonderfully.  Smile

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
SQUEAL with delight!!!!

<...ahem... clears throat... normal manly voice returns...>

I mean, "Yay!"

I am filled with antici............<extended pause>......................pation.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Pete - You're funny.
By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Just as the dog reached the bushes, a splash of light swept across the scene as a car pulled into the neighborhood.

(Police car?  Friend?  Accomplice?  Innocent bystander?  I'll let the next person decide.)

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
sjonesdc (1/15/2014)
It was a dark and stormy night...

Unaware of looming danger, she felt at ease walking side by side her dog Aleser--her faithful companion for... well, how long already?

From the shadows, he watched..... and waited....."

.............while drawing on his Lucky Strike

knowing that her dog was getting up in years, once a decorated police dog but now nothing more that a shadow of himself....

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Hearing a cough, she looked around but saw nothing.

In the bushes, Mr. X crouched, painfully stifling the urge to cough.  He knew those cigarettes would be the death of him some day, but probably not from cancer.  He remained frozen, as the silent spasms slowly subsided.

With her senses now alerted, she shortened the leash, keeping her dog closer for comfort.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Does anyone else remember the "cardboard cutout" version of Pinhead?

One of my all-time favorite clips is "Pinhead's New Family."  I think it was the second project.  A cardboard Pinhead prop came to stay with a large family.  All the good cereal was eaten by the kids, so all he gets is bran cereal.  He can't use the phone because it's connected to the modem, downloading the latest patch of Pinnacle Studio video editing software ("Pin" - Pinhead - Pinnacle - It's his family roots.)  They ran out of beds, so he had to sleep in the tub that night.  That clip was done by a first-time novice, and she won!

As for the voice, I agree it's not a requirement to use TTL, but I am rather attached to it.  It can be frustrating because he doesn't really "emote" at all, but it's also a challenge to overcome and, to me, part of his charm.  Some have done voice-overs for Pinhead, and have done very well.  Most use a mix, with TTL for Pinhead and voice-overs for all the other characters.

If Pinhead doesn't sound like Pinhead, AND doesn't look like him, it will take me longer to think of him as being "Pinhead."

ONE MAIN REQUEST TO NEW PARTIPANTS:  Please watch a few clips from several of the prior projects; both recent projects and older projects.  Get to know Pinhead.  Learn his personality.  Then work on your clip, using whatever medium and tools work best for you.

*Note: The opinions expressed are mine only and do not reflect those of the committee, the sponsors, or anyone else on this planet.  Any resemblance of my opinions to other people's opinions, living or dead, are purely coincidental.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
rampa (2/8/2014)
I'm hoping this Somewhat more "realistically" proportioned Pin will be acceptable for her to use.

It is always traumatic when they get a new actor to play the part of James Bond, but somehow the franchise survives, and flourishes even.

Particularly if there are software limitations, I for one am willing to welcome entries with a different-looking Pinhead.

But I do hope he remains "Pinhead" in his heart and soul.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Alley (and other Committee members by association),

Thank you for the behind-the-scenes look at the project's introductory video.

If you need a backup "Alley voice," my wife did her best Alley impersonation in the closing scene of my "Final Wish" entry.  I think she enjoyed herself but as a successfully married man, I know I better ask permission before volunteering her.

I'm starting to have a couple of ideas brewing.  One might be a bit more tongue-in-cheek, and short, so if I do it I'll have to do a second one.  My other idea is not 100% consistent with the intro, but would make for a great plot twist, so I'll have to debate that one with myself a bit more (but I expect I'll replace it, most likely).

Oh well, I'm already having fun!

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Usually I come up with a story I'm happy with fairly quickly.

This time I'm struggling, especially with the need to have a story I can actually create in iClone without an entire team of animators.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
The anticipation builds.  Smile
By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
About prizes...  Always a wonderful bonus.  Not a reason to participate, but always appreciated.  It takes effort by The Committee to arrange them (and distribute them), so "Thank You" to them for making it happen again.

About helping others... Pinhead has always been a friendly competition (in spite of awards and prizes).  It is a wonderful community of people sharing their passions and talents.  Many of us have done voice-overs for each other.  People have shared resources.  I rely on others to convert my text into Pinhead's traditional voice.  I try to be mindful that their own projects have a higher priority than helping me, so avoiding a last-minute rush is always appreciated (guilty Blush ), and of course do not be upset if someone simply doesn't have the time or energy.  But overall, people have been very team-oriented.  I am willing to help out in small ways too.  Just ask here on the forum, or PM specific people and ask politely.

Meanwhile...  I am trying (and failing) to be patient.  It was interesting reading Brian's blog, and seeing a bit of the behind-the-scenes effort that goes into launching a Pinhead project.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Ooooo!

Spine tingling!!!

I have one idea already, but one idea does not make a story.  Not yet, anyway.

I've got to get busy!

GO TO TIME = 1:02...  (Sorry for the horrible quality clip, but it's the best I could find on short notice)...

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Where are my manners?  In my excitement, I forgot to say, "Well done!" to The Committee.

Thanks again for a captivating and open-ended concept, a compelling story, wonderful animation, and great voice acting.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
peterblood (1/26/2014)
I'll have to do something simple... Smile my skills will allow for nothing more. Tongue

I was thinking the exact same thing.

(About myself, not about you.)

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Arie,

That's a great little clip.

I can see Pinhead suddenly contemplating all sorts of dangerous occupations (bomb disposal squad, fireman, etc.) because it turns out that going to the hospital does have its perks.  Smile

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Daniel (3DStory),

Oh my! I didn't see that coming.

You have certainly captured my interest. I can't wait to see that in context, and to find out what happens next.
By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Granny J - Very nice set.  Generous offer.  You have mail.

@Pinhead community at large - Ah, it felt good to be back on task.  I did a lot of miscellaneous cleanup recently, such as smoothing out some camera motions, replacing a couple of temporary props with better ones, and making cleaner recordings of some dialogue.  The scenes still aren't done, just less painful for me to look at.  Tonight I hope to move forward on a new scene.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
justaviking (5/1/2014)
@Granny J - Very nice set.  Generous offer.

My earlier comment was an understatement.

Wow!  It is even better in person.  Smile

You demonstrated a wonderful attention to detail, such as the transparent flower vase.  Even the bottle of dish soap was transparent (or translucent).  And I like the number of "operable" props.

Very, very nice.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Job (Animagic),

Thank you for sharing that great tip.  What an excellent discovery.

I hope I remember to slightly offset my vertical lights when I start working on lighting (see how I'm reinforcing that lesson).

This is what you get when you don't decorate and light a set...  You get my sad detective office (as it currently exists)...  Shadows?  I've heard of them.  What are they?  Blush

Sometimes the purpose of my life is to serve as a warning to others.  Crying

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Animagic - That's a great set.

My equivalent set consists of a kitchen table with two chairs and one picture on the wall.  But I am full of good intentions to fix it up.  (But I do have a great office door, so that helps.)

I was admiring the flooring and the wainscotting (in addition to the lighting and everything else).

I bought a "Materials Pack" a while ago, and it's great... EXCEPT... you have all these textured spheres that look 97% the same, and the names of the materials are very little help, so I could spend hours doing random drag-and-drop of textures onto a floor or a wall (for wall paper).  Does anyone know if I'm overlooking a better way to preview the Materials?

@Colour - From the looks of your pictures, you QUALITY is increasing by leaps and bounds.  In about 8 weeks you will see that MY clip will become the standard for quantity over quality.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
.

BIG NEWS...

Pinhead thread now exceeds 20,000 views!

w00t   w00t   w00t   w00t   w00t  

.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
rampa (4/28/2014)
Standard iMotion will save the constraints as well. Just make sure to check the box in the right-hand panel.

I guess I missed that.  Wouldn't be the first time.

Thanks.  Smile

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
animagic (4/28/2014)

Motion Plus, as far as I know, is only different from Motion in that it allows saving facial animation. I don't believe the motion part is different from Motion in its behavior.

(I was looking for a previous thread on this topic, but I'm not finding it.  So I'll respond here with a bit of info.)

That's what I thought too, but there's more to it than that.

MotionPlus includes "constraints."  Why is that important?

If you do Human IK animation, like in this tutorial, the movement is not caused by "Motion" but by the hands being constrained to the sword.  If you look at the timeline, you will see key frames for the feet being moved, but there are no "sword fighting" key frames on the avatar.  That motion is all on the prop, which the avatar follows.

So... If you save that as a Motion file, you'll only get the feet moving a bit, but no arm action.  However, if you save is as a MotionPlus file WITH CONSTRAINTS, then you get the full sword-fighting action.

That is what I learned this weekend, when I revisited my "bashing the mailbox" clip.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Animagic - Very nice work, Job.  Wow, "Blend maps" and everything.  No wonder it looks nice.  Thank you for sharing the pics.

My progress this weekend has been approximately zero.  I worked to fix my "hitting the mailbox" scene.  I didn't actually accomplish much, though I did learn some, so it's not a total loss.  (Motion vs. MotionPlus.  I understand more now.)

I did a but of facial animation (mostly experimental), and this evening I've been re-recording some lines using Audacity to replace the ones I recorded directly in iClone.  The audio will be cleaner, but I don't have any more footage completed that I did 48 hours ago.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
I must learn to type fewer words.
By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Alley (4/24/2014)

New Deadline...due to commitments by many of us, we have decided that we are prepared to extend the deadline to June 30. I know it's a long extension, but two of us have commitments covering the last part of May...and well, there is some momentum going now.

Are you all basically okay with this, or please let us know if this causes issues for anyone.

Positive thoughts and comments:

  • I appreciate the extension
  • Strangely, I admit my first reaction bordered on "that's too long" (I was anticipating May31) but then I immediately got over it
    • These projects exists as a result of the generosity of "The Committee," so working around their availability is something I'm more than willing to do
    • Too much time is better than too little
  • This will give me more time to learn and practice more on lighting, refine more motions, and maybe make a terrain that's better than the one I spent 30 minutes on, and also some ambient sounds and Foley sound effects to enrich my scenes
  • I'll also have more time to add some much-needed props and set decorations, and I have one major prop in particular (a building) that could benefit from a lot of time.
  • Perhaps we will get a few more participants
  • I've been thinking of making a Movie Trailer, and now I think I will indulge myself and do that, and I'll work on my poster too

Downsides and risks include:

  • For everyone...
    • We risk complacency
    • We all must maintain a sense of urgency, or we risk running out of time (again)
  • For me, personally...
    • My very long *movie* may become even longer.  Some scenes I assumed I'd have to leave out might find their way back in
    • I'll spend that many more evenings working on the project instead of doing other things ("Sorry Honey, it'll be another month before I get started on that To do list.")
    • Now I'll feel even worse about the parts that don't turn out well, because my excuse of "not enough time" has been taken away from me

Seriously though, thank you for the extension, and THANK YOU TO THE COMMITTEE for all the hard work you do, mostly behind the scenes.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
ABOUT THE SNOW SCENE...

Ugh, I kept forgetting to respond to the "snow" comments.

I wish I could take credit for it, but it came from a Terrain that was already built.  I thought it came with iClone, though it might have been part of some bonus material I got.  If I figure out exactly where it came from I'll let you know.

The snowflakes, I added a snow PARTICLE effect.  Particle   It takes a while for the snow to reach ground level (though I guess I could move the emitter lower down), so I render an extra 20 or so seconds before anything starts happening.  Then I just chop off the first 20 seconds of the clip in my video editor.

The ability to have an "already started" particle emitter has already been requested by others.  If you want a smoking chimney, your actual video cannot start at T=0 because you only have the beginning of the smoke then.  So you really can't get by without at least a rudimentary NLE tool to cut off extraneous footage like that.

All I did to the scene was add some trees (and some tufts of weeds sticking up through the snow, not seen in the screen shot I shared).  Hopefully I'll add shadows too.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Granny J,

I'm not the one to ask about lighting.  I tend to sort of forget about it, or ignore it.  Blush  Then I gaze in astonishment at the beautiful work done by others who pay close attention to it.  This project is one of the first times I'm trying to pay more attention to it, but it is still one of the last things I'll be working on in any meaningful way.

I can only suggest playing with the AMBIENT lighting a bit, both in terms of brightness and color (or "colour" to some).

There are a couple of wonderful "lighting" tutorials down in the "Tips and Training" section of the iClone part of this forum.  I'll see if I can pull up a specific link for you.

As for updating your clip, I assume you can.  The deadline has not arrived yet, and I'd hate to see anyone be at a disadvantage for posting his or her clip early.

Lastly, your comment about iClone giving you some meaningful activity was very touching.  Pinhead almost teared up.

 

ADDED... LINKS TO "LIGHTING" TUTORIALS:

I'm pretty sure I watched one or two others recently, so this is not a comprehensive list.  Here are a couple by Warloard720:

Have fun!  I better have my sunglasses ready.  Cool

 

ALSO ADDED... OUTPUT FORMAT:

Animatic uses the "sequence of PNG files" to get top-quality output.  The AVI format should also help a lot.

For me, I tend to be satisfied with a moderate 1280x720 resolution, in either WMV or MP4 format.  When I know I'll be re-rendering scenes many times, I like the faster render times and small files that come with a less-than-full resolution.  But I think I'll start rendering my clips in FULL HD 1920x1080 resolution pretty soon, most likely using the MP4 format.

When I'm all done, I will be able to output 1920x1080 video... OR... I can tell my editor to output a to lower-resolution final product if I want a smaller file to upload.  You just can't magically increase your resolution at the end.

This is also where your video editor and/or file conversion software comes into play.  Some utilities can make better files than others buy invoking more sophisticated math during the conversion and compression process.  So a larger file does not necessarily guarantee a better-looking video.

I expect someone else will follow with much better advice.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
GrannyJ (4/23/2014)

dear me, oh my, I am sitting here contemplating why I ever chose this project to be the very first movie I've ever made....
That was (as the youngins say) Totally Flippin' Awesome... animation, sounds, lighting..... and the script - I luv it - poor Pinhead got an "ouchie" LOLOL Hehe

The talent levels of the folks in this Pinhead escapade astound me...... I feel like a kindergartner in a room full of college students - way out of my league, fer sure....

Thanks for letting us new folks try.... I am learning lots from you veterans!

Granny,

Echoing what Job (Animagic) said, please don't feel intimidated.  I know that can be easier said than done.  My Pinhead participation dates back to Project #1, but I too am stunned by the quality of work people manage to produce.

Most of, find joy in your own work, at whatever level that may be.  As you already discovered, you learn a lot from doing the work.  You also make new friends.  And you get inspired from others.

One person will have highly details sets and props.  Another will have rich sound effects and music.  Another has funny and clever writing.  Someone else will exhibit great editing and timing and camera angles.  Yet another will excel at the detailed work of facial expressions and hand/prop interaction.

A few special people seem to pull it all together.

And then there's people like me.  I just limp along.  But I have fun.  And I have managed to amuse and entertain other Pinhead fans when I'm lucky.

REMEMBER THIS... sometimes the most simple little projects can be the most endearing and charming.  But as I said earlier, simply enjoy yourself.

Lastly, and I've done this before, I'm going to share one of my more horrible Pinhead projects.  It goes back to the 2D days, and because I was doing a lot of business travel (and my laptop wasn't up to the task) the whole project was completed in a great rush in the last three days before the project closed.  I still like the heart of the story, (though it does suffer from a couple of inside jokes - spurtles and stolen canoes), but the animation... ugh!

So watch this, and I'm sure you'll never feel badly about anything you do in iClone...

Pinhead in... An Epic Adventure from justaviking on Vimeo.

(Okay, the boat wasn't too bad, but "half of a girlfriend" and the villagers, etc.  Sheesh.)

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
animagic (4/22/2014)
justaviking (4/22/2014)
Meanwhile, in a world far, far away from Animagic's ominous foggy street... you wouldn't think this would fit this storyline, but it does (at least in MY mind)...

Now that's indeed intriguing, Dennis. Looks good, you just need some shadows for the trees, I think.

You're right about it fitting perfectly in YOUR mind... My concern is often whether the viewer will be able to follow the story...Unsure

Oh darn, you noticed the lack of shadows too.  I was thinking about that this afternoon.  It's on my To-Do list, **AFTER** I finish my missing scenes.  Wink

As for the scene making sense or not, I'm confident it does.  The still picture like that is a bit out of context, so I'm teasing you...  Tongue

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Animagic and Colour... Thank you for the kind words.  I guess there's no accounting for taste, huh?  Tongue

I didn't mean to be fishing for compliments, but you did help prove my point; there is more to a Pinhead project (any project, really) than just stunning technical work.  I've always fancied myself as a storyteller, and I am thrilled to have been able to entertain you.  (The sound track, thanks to SonicFire Pro from SmartSound sure did help.)

I'm going to get back to my project now.  I've been working on some voice-overs this evening, and just put them into the project, but now I have to space them apart (get the pacing right), do some rough animation so the two characters don't just stand there like mannequins, and start working on some camera work.  That will complete a rough draft of that scene.

TECHNICAL NOTE:

I modified my process a bit tonight.  I hope it pays off in the long run.  Here is it for people to consider...

Rather than recording the voices directly in iClone, did this:

  • Record the lines in Audacity (a great, FREE, audio recording and editing tool)
  • I did multiple takes of almost every line, all in one long recording
  • Then I copied each "line of dialogue" out of the master track and put it on it's own track
  • For each line of dialogue, I selected my favorite take, and copied it to the end of that track so it was by itself, easily found because I left a bit of a space between the original takes and my selected take
  • For each line, I applied some minor noise reduction (to get rid of background hum from my computer and the air vents) and exported each line of dialogue to its own file

Then I quickly and easily placed my dialogue into iClone.  They can be easily moved on the timeline.

WHY GO THROUGH THIS EFFORT?

  • I did this to facilitate later editing (if necessary) in my NLE (Pinnacle Studio).
  • This will give my greater control.

SUCH AS?

  • It allows me to do things like noise reduction without affecting other sound tracks.
  • You cannot change the volume of individual lines of dialogue in iClone, only the master volume for an entire character.  That makes it hard to level volume, or increase/decrease volume when you have background music and stuff like that.
  • It was slightly tedious, but it was a much nicer way to perform multiple takes and then select the best one.  In a few cases, I even took the first half of a sentence from one take, and the second half from another take.
  • I can work with "overlapping" dialogue in my NLE, adjusting.
  • If I decide to redo a line, it is easier to work with
  • And last of all, hopefully I'll recruit someone to replace my voice for one of the characters, and as long as their deliver speed is approximately like mine, I can do all the voice work in Audacity and Studio.

Hopefully this will prove to be worth the extra effort.  It's not a huge effort in the long run.  Once I had the individual sound files, it only took a couple minutes to put all the lines into iClone.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Meanwhile, in a world far, far away from Animagic's ominous foggy street... you wouldn't think this would fit this storyline, but it does (at least in MY mind)...

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Doug (Mythical Dragon),

Wow, that is AWESOME!!!

Just yesterday I showed a WIP clip to a couple of co-workers.  Now I got to show them what it COULD look like.  Smile

Pinhead's talking-to-himself dialogue, "Ouchie," and finding the ring are all such great elements of the quintessential Pinhead style.

The animation work and special effects (glass breaking) and sound effects... wow!

I am thinking about releasing a "trailer" for my video.  It is 80% done, just in the normal course of doing my project work.  And I still have dreams of doing a poster, but all my artistic energy is going into the actual video project (I wonder if it will be evident at all).

But back to you and your clip... thanks again for sharing.  I can't wait to see the finished product.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Job (Animagic),

Beautiful work.  Wonderful lighting.  Great textures.  Delicious fog.  So full of atmosphere.

I can't wait to see it in motion.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
colour (4/21/2014)
I've just heard from Roger's Daughter that Roger has been in hospital since last month, having been knocked-down by a car.

He has a fractured skull, broken arm & leg & expected home within 2 weeks, where he'll need full-time care but hopes to be able to be on-line when he can. 

As Pinhead would say, "Ouch!"

Seriously... Take care, heal, and post when you can, Roger.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Indeed... Viking Jr. has been hard at work on his project.  (I still have to formally add him to the sign-up list.)

Meanwhile, I continue to make progress, inch-by-inch (or millimeter-by-millimeter, if you prefer).

"Pinhead Works On A Rescue Plan."

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
animagic (4/20/2014)
I am making progress, although I've had to start following Viking's approach...

Oh my!  You're in more trouble than I realized.  Tongue

I was away from computers and iClone for a few days enjoying nature and fresh air in Oxford; not England, but Maryland...Wink

That helped, because I got an idea on how Alura is going to be rescued. With trickery, actually, worthy of Pinhead...w00t

That's wonderful.  Stepping away from the computer.  Novel concept.  I may try that some day.  Smile

Pinhead-style trickery.  I'm intrigued, and am looking forward to seeing how it turns out.

 

I am currently at 7 minutes

I believe I am on the path of quantity over quality.  That wasn't my goal, but I had an epic vision and had to follow my heart.  What keeps me going, and what I hope makes it tolerable for my audience, is the story.

 

Capemedia (4/19/2014)
Hi All,

Nothing major to report but I'm currently acquiring assets for my Pinhead project. I have the basis of a story and a drafted script but need all the relevant, characters, props, scenes etc.

Hopefully be able to put something up soon Smile

I'm glad to hear you're making progress.  That's certainly an interesting aspect of the movie-making process.  You have a scene in mind, but there can be hours of work before you get even one second of video produces.  Once you have a set, then the magic can begin.

Looking forward to seeing a picture or two (or more) as you make some progress.

 

And speaking of Colour... how is your galactic-scale amusement park scene coming along?  I know you've been struggling with saved motions, avatar roots, and stuff like that.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
TEASER...  I have it on good authority that there'll be another person joining the project.
By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Oops... Accidental double-post, and I can't delete the duplicate.

Oh well, as long as I'm typing here anyway, I figured I'd let you know I had a good evening with Pinhead last night.

It's still closer to a "pre-vis" production than a final product, but the story is moving along, and that makes me happy.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
justaviking (4/17/2014)
TEASER...  I have it on good authority that there'll be another person joining the project.

It looks like there will be at least one 2D entry.  Smile

More information will follow later.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Robert (RB3006),

Yeesh!  Best prize for creepiest villain!!!     Unsure

Beautiful screen shot.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
colour (4/16/2014)
Capemedia (4/16/2014)
Hello All,

Can I ask a couple of questions.

1. Our WIP should we keep those located in this thread or can we start our own?
2. Do we have an exact date when this comp closes so I can plan for it?

Thanks

Cape Smile"

Glad to hear you're working on your Clip, Colin Smile

Looking forward to another "A Team" Clip Wink

1) Probably best to keep it in this Thread, then we're all on the same base.

2) Well - I think Pinhead's Website states mid-May. However, I think some of us are going to have a problem  meeting that Deadline, including me & especially recent sign-ups such as yourself, I would have thought.

I'll e-mail Alley & Brian, to see if they can extend the Deadline.

I could do with mid-June as a Final deadline.

Anyone-else going to have a problem meeting mid-May Deadline?

I believe an extension was "strongly hinted at" eons ago in this thread, but I also think they (Alley?  Brian?) made a comment about really wanting to keep the deadline sometime in MAY.

So... For planning purposes, my recommendation would be to have a "complete" project by mid-May, and hope for two extra weeks to work on refinements.

Me?  I'm feeling the pressure already.  Lots and lots and lots of work.  This is my first **REAL** iClone project of any significance, and it's a huge one.  I knew that up front, but when my inspiration hit, I had to run with it.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
sjonesdc (4/14/2014)
Finally finished the 1st scene.

Nice work, Sharon.  I liked the little detail of him rubbing his thumb against his finger, deep in thought (at the very end of the clip).

Ah, the plot thickens.

I'm suspiscious of the police.  Boris Alen, Detective.  Boris Allen, Detective.  B.A.D  Is that a subliminal clue?  Maybe it's a set-up, and he's trying to frame Pinhead and Alura for a crime that the Detective actually committed.  Or maybe it's a red herring, and Pinhead and Alura are the new Bonnie and Clyde.

I can't wait to find out more!

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
I am sure everyone has been wondering what I did last night.  Well, since you asked...

Last night I managed to spend at least 3, maybe 4 hours working on my project.  Woo hoo!  And what do I have to show for it?  Almost nothing!

I spent my time refining pieces of my rough draft of Scene 1.  It was fun, and I like the improvements, but I have no more "story" to show as a result of all my effort.

I keep telling myself, "Finish the story first!  Then go back and refine."

But, no, I fell into the trap of being distracted by "shiny objects" (key framing motions, camera angles, sound effects, tweaking dialogue, etc.) while 95% of my movie doesn't even exist yet.

Does anyone else fall into that trap?

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Doug (Mythical Dragon),

I think I'm going to cry.

Oh, I shouldn't say stuff like that.  I don't want to discourage anyone.  It's just me being... well... me.  Rolleyes

BEAUTIFUL WORK!

You want your lighting to be so good that people don't notice it.  Me?  I'm happy if I have some lighting!  Tongue

Actually, I am very happy right now.  I just finished a ROUGH CUT of my opening scene.  w00t

And when I say rough, I mean ROUGH!  It involves the "hitting the mailbox" action I shared earlier.  So right now I have that same clobbering clip as before (but with better sound effects).  So... different house, different lighting, but it's a placeholder and it tells the story, so I'm happy for now.

And it's past my bedtime.  'Night, y'all.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
colour (4/6/2014)
Opening garage door is a new one, Dennis & very impressive Smile

BTW - I think the Moon would look much better further away & glowing white. With Directional light 1 coming from the Moon, casting Characters Self-Cast Shadows in the cell. Having done that, you could try Image Based Lighting with HDR/ Tone Map, having turned Ambient Light to Black..

I have a white Moonlit Sky with City Elements - Suburbs In Winter Pack.

Gabe used I think a Google Warehouse Moon Prop & Edited that. Full instructions in his Project Tutorial a few years-back. I have the HTML Link & will Post it.

ADDED - Here; https://forum.reallusion.com/FindPost24858.aspx 

Is your Road in the City Elements Pack you Downloaded?

If you're going to use that, there's a way of laying those road sections out so that they Snap together correctly.

I can Post a quick Image Tut if you Like.

Thanks for the compliment and the numerous, excellent tips.

About the lighting... You are 27 steps ahead of me.  I was just happy (for now) to have made something other than the default daylight, LOL.  Tongue

That's the crazy thing about an application like this... everything you do for the first time, which is 98% of what a non-expert does, can become a journey of its own.  For example:

  • I just bought some "props and sets" bundles
    • I'm not familiar with them yet, so I don't even know everything I bought
    • If I want something I saw yesterday, can I find it again?  What bundle was that in, and do I find it in the Prop section, or Terrain, or maybe a Set, or maybe as a sample Project.
  • Using objects for the first time
    • You mentioned the roads... yeah, I just slapped them together, and rotated some a little so they wouldn't all be in one straight line... I just wanted to decorate the terrain I created
  • Terrain
    • Never made one before... now I gave it try, just to see if it would even work
    • Do I continue on the learning process, and how much time do I put into that, versus animating a scene?
  • And on and on
    • And on and on and on....

Even things I've dabbled with before are things where I maybe fiddled with the knobs a bit, but that is different from trying to achieve a specific result.  And it is a lot different from combining it with other things.  Again, "lighting" is a great example.  Lights, ambient lighting, self-illumination of objects, glow maps, post-effect lighting... learning how all that interacts is a huge undertaking, and one I've put off for a long time.  Now I'm suffering for it.

But... not to complain too much.  I am finally learning much more than before.  Making a movie is so much different from playing with physics using two blocks and a floor, or turning on one spot light, or carefully manipulating the fingers on one hand...

In the end, my real objective is to tell a story in a way that's not overly painful for my audience.  Smile

P.S.

As I said, Colour, your tips are good ones, and I am thankful for them.  And you pretend you are on the "Z Team."  Bah!  With luck, I hope to at least be on a team by the time I'm done with this project.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
animagic (4/6/2014)
Here is Pinhead (as P.I.) with Franciska, his hacker friend. She helps him with her highly advanced IT skills.

I'm practising lighting, so this project is really also about improving my own skills. 

Nice screen shot.  It's looking great.

The hacker friend; Is she a girl with a lizard tattoo?  Tongue

Before I go though, I would like to share a tip. In the scene above I use a spotlight that shines down as the light source and I found that there was terrible grainy interference with the surfaces below the light. By tilting the light slightly, I was able to get rid of that.

Excellent tip, thanks.

Last night I was lying in bed, trying to fall asleep, and was thinking about the lighting for my story.  Lighting in the broadest meaning of the word.  I realized that in my mind, while working on the story, I sort of randomly alternated between day and night.  Can you spell "continuity?"

I wonder if I figured it out.  I'm not sure, because I think I eventually fell asleep.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Per Colour's request, I'll share some micro-progress with you.

  • I started playing with some lighting... overall mood, and his street lights
  • I put some smoke damage and broken windows on his house
  • Pinhead learned a new trick... opening a garage door

You can see all the updates in the first 24 seconds of my WIP clip...

Pinhead - The Measure of a Man - WIP from justaviking on Vimeo.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Pretty!  Smile
By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Animagic,

Wow, what an interesting storyline.  And there's even more that you haven't revealed yet?  Very interesting indeed.

I can't wait to see what you do with it (but I will have to wait, unless I suddenly invoke a time travel plot).

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
colour (4/5/2014)

If all who've signed-up so-far submit a Clip plus those already Posted, we'll hopefully get 20 Clips. Any more will be a bonus.

A reminder that the Pinhead Community Projects are for all Animators to have a go.

As an additional reminder, you don't even have to use Reallusion products.  We still have the ORIGINAL 2D TIFF IMAGES of Pinhead available if you want to do a 2D Pinhead project.  You could make a "comic strip" or "graphic novel" style entry.

Write a little story, add some pictures to support it, do a voice-over, maybe add some background music... and HAVE FUN!!!

There's a competitive edge with prizes & Golden Pinhead awards, to encourage those of us with acquired Storyline Animation skills, to improve on those.

Yes, and the joy of participating is the greatest value.  Doing your own project really gives you a deeper appreciation of the other entries.  And you learn something new every time, from your own efforts or from watching the other clips.

The "competition" aspect has never stopped us from helping each other.  Need a voice actor, or maybe a prop, or some how-to advice, or even tips on how to make your project better?  We're a goofy but supportive family.

Still plenty of time left to get started.

If you need help, don't be shy.

Agreed.  It does not have to be elaborate.  There is a "minimum length" requirement this time, but it would be much harder to stay under the 3-minute mark, so that's not a problem.

Or if you want to make a 30 or 60-second "fun clip" that's not an actual project entry, you can always do that too.

Now... back to working on my project...  Wink

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
The Mythical Dragon (4/11/2014)
I finally finished a scene. This clip is one take with 6 cameras and is straight out of iClone, no post editing at all. I really like how it turned out... Pinhead might not like this scene very much though.

Wow!!!  That was awesome!

I have a great idea.  When I'm done making my project, with appears to consist of rough-draft versions of scenes, I'll let you recreate the entire project.  Then the video on screen will match what's in my head.  Yeah, that's a great plan.  Wink   Tongue

In spite of my pretend whining and fake fussing, I am having fun.  Smile

(My praise of your clip was totally serious, of course.)

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
animagic (4/11/2014)
Since we are into showing (off) our WIPs, I like to present a clip in which Pinhead's hacker friend Franciska is trying to hack into the cellphone given to Pinhead by the kidnappers.

I had no less than four computer screens to deal with. For one I had a video, for the others I used YouTube and a site called hackertyper.net. An ordinary PC will not do for today's hacker, so Franciska has a server in the living room! w00t

So this is all getting very involved for just about 30 seconds.

And the second-hand on the clock on the wall is nicely ticking along.  Show-off!  Tongue

All that is missing is a little Easter Egg.  Maybe an iClone window on one of the monitors.  It would be extra-funny if it was showing your actual project.  A nice, self-referencial joke.

A server in her living room?  Nothing wrong with that.  Will all the people who envy Franciska's computer setup please raise their hands?

GREAT CLIP.  Thank you for sharing.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
colour (4/11/2014)

Great Facial Expression, Dennis Smile

Here a very rough Test WIP of Pinhead creating mayhem  BigGrin

Thanks.  When I see that look on Pinhead, I feel like I'm looking in a mirror.

Loved your WIP of Pinhead's mayhem.  It looks like Pinhead is a real hero.

As I've been working on my clips, I've been doing some of my own voice-overs for Pinhead.  Although I have some "real Pinhead" audio in hand, I'm considering using a human voice for Pinhead this time.  Sacrilege, right?

I'm going to break the mold in a couple other ways, so why not?  I wouldn't be the first to do it.  I haven't decided for sure, yet.  My wife says I have a good "Pinhead voice."  I'm not sure what that means.  Is it a compliment, or have I been insulted?  That leaves me with a dilemma, though.  I have another character for whom I always assumed I'd provide the voice.  Either I'll have to actually "act" and change my voice so they don't sound too much the same, or I'll have to find someone else to play that supporting role.

What's gotten in to me?  First I moved into 3D.  Now maybe changing his voice.  What next?  Comb his trademark stick-up hair?  No, that would be going way too far.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Let's see now...  Three nights:
  • I built my first-ever terrain
  • Pinhead arrived at the property
  • He took a closer look

Three nights of work.  One minute and twenty seconds of video.  That's nearly 25 seconds of video per night.

If you include the two nights where I didn't spend any time with iClone, then it's 17 seconds of video per night.

And it's rough footage, too.  Not a finished product by any means, only one step above pre-vis.

I think both Pinhead and I are in over our heads.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
animagic (4/13/2014)
Viking, that's not a bad approach and often done in professional animation production from what I've read.

Thanks.  In theory, this will be followed by repeated cycles of progressive refinement.  But in reality, maybe one if I'm lucky.

I'll have to reveal now my non-physics opening of a curtain...

Ooo... looking forward to it.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
colour (4/14/2014)
A new Pinhead Fan; Doug (DougFuest), has just joined the Project.

Welcome Doug. We're so glad you could join us Smile

WELCOME, Doug!!!

If you have any questions, never hesitate to ask.  I am so glad to have you joining the party.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Capemedia (4/12/2014)
Hello All,

Joined last night and hope to bring something to the Pinhead world.

Thanks

Cape Smile

WELCOME!

I know this point has been made a thousand times, but don't be shy about asking questions if you are unsure about anything, whether about Pinhead, the project, or iClone.

Glad to have you join the family.  Smile

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
After seeing those stellar screenshots by the experts, let's revisit Novice Land.

I know I can find a nice pistol.  But I didn't want to spend a lot of time browsing and shopping, so I made my own using two Box primitives.

.

I also wanted to simulate a gunshot.  I used a "Box_004" primitive for the muzzle flash (not a bullet) , and a hemisphere ("Ball_002") for the blast where the bullet hits.  Both props are invisible except for about 1/3 of a second.  I actually made the hemisphere pop up and down so it "expanded and contracted."

WHY DO IT THIS WAY?

I'm doing this ROUGH WORK so I can focus on telling my story.

I have played with particle effects, but I've never seriously used them.  That means I will spend a couple of hours, at least, working on the muzzle blast and on the bullet impact.

Same with the gun.  I know I will find a nice one, eventually, and it will be easy to swap the nice prop for the boxy one.

But the junk I have still tells the story.  I'm getting some camera angles and rough cuts worked out.  I'm working on the pacing of the scene, and the dialogue.  I even put on some preliminary music.

And you know what?  It is possible some of this stuff stays this way.  I'd rather be able to tell my entire story, and advertise is as "Pre-vis", than have a third of my project non-existent when the deadline arrives, and not be able to upload a clip.

Other people maybe don't have that dilemma, but I have a feeling we all do, just at different levels.

So... Newbies and others considering joining:

See those screen shots?  You have nothing to fear!  Tongue

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
colour (4/11/2014)

Just to reaffirm that the Clips & WIP Posted so-far, are from experienced Animators & shouldn't deter less-experienced Animators who want to create a Storyline Film, from joining-in. Smile

Agreed.

So, what about the rest of us?  As Colour points out, don't be deterred or intimidated.

Here is a simple set I have.  I plan to replace it, but even if I do, it won't be much more complex.  This set consist of:

  • 1 floor and 2 walls
  • A cylinder, scaled, copied several times to make the bars in the windows
  • A door that my son made for me (otherwise it would have been a rectangle, or an ordinary house door)
  • I tossed in some rocks, just to see what they looked like (Answer: they look like they don't belong)
  • One sphere to be the moon (not visible in this picture)
  • One light to simulate the moonlight
    • Hey look!!!  You can see where the shadow from the wall stops, LOL.
    • I always knew something looked funny, and I just now figured out what it was.  D'oh!
    • I guess I should add more wall or a bit of a ceiling so I don't have moonlight coming in over the top of the wall
  • Lastly, I applied some pre-existing textures

This set was built in 20, maybe 30 minutes (10 minutes was spend on moving the moon over and over again).

I could turn this into a multi-day effort, or I could keep my little two-walled cell.

Even this crude set it will help me tell a story, which is my #1 goal.

So the point is you don't have to be a master.  But doing a Pinhead project will always help you learn and improve your iClone skills.

End of sermon (for now).

You can see the set in action in this clip (at the 0:39 mark, not at 0:59 as indicated in the intro of the clip).

http://vimeo.com/89785207

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
animagic (3/27/2014)
I hope inspiration comes to you. It took me a while as well.

I fear I am over-inspired.

I hope to have the rough work done by mid-April, and then that will leave me one month to make progressive refinements so it will not cause physical pain when you watch it.

 Meanwhile, I have a Work-in-progress (WIP) update.

To avoid cluttering up my Vimeo account with lots of little clips with no lasting value, without deleting temporary clips leaving this forum full of dead links, I will simply add my new clips to the BEGINING of the same video, simply overwriting it with the updated copy.

TODAY'S UPDATE:  Pinhead, full of rage, pounds on his mailbox.

Please understand that the sound effects are simply placeholders.  It was simply a proof-of-concept to see if I could get a reasonable "pounding" action combined with progressive damage to the mailbox.  The test turned out well enough that I think I can do it for my real video.

Pinhead - The Measure of a Man - WIP from justaviking on Vimeo.

.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Doug,

Nicely done!

I love the look of the shower curtian, and the towel bar with towels on it was a great touch.

I hope you feel better, and I also hope you finish your entry.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Arie,

Oh dear!

That does look like a Pinhead predicament.

Nicely done.

(I started working on a poster last night.  I think I should enlist a bunch of 6-year olds to do artwork for me.  Yup, I've discovered yet another thing I'm not very good at.  Tongue )

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Oh, "Stu Dek."  Well then, WELCOME to you!

Stu, your "Lonesome Lover" video was very good.  It will be fun to see what you do with Pinhead.

Thanks for linking to his video, Colour.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
colour (3/28/2014)
WELCOME TO STUDECK Smile

From France, who's just joined the Project.

Looking forward to your Clip, Studeck. Smile


WELCOME, Studeck!

I love that the Pinhead projects are a global phenomenon. Thank you for joining. Smile
By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
rampa (3/28/2014)
@JVK,

Might I suggest a little upper body rotation when Pin knocks the mailbox off its post?

@Rampa - Even though this was merely a proof-of-concept, your excellent suggestion is graciously accepted, and I'll be sure to remember that when I recreate this in my actual Pinhead project.

I'll also move the mailbox out of the street.  Tongue

Once he gripped the weapon, it was hard to move him, so I'll probably try using using a "common dummy" that both Pinhead and the bat are attached to, and see if that makes it easier to move him around.  (This environment - a terrain, I think - is constructed in a way that makes it really hard to find and turn off specific items, such as the existing unmolested mailbox nearby.)

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Thanks for the mini-clip, Colour.

You really have me curious how this will all fit together.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
.

pinguintje (4/1/2014)
Because today is the first of april I just have submitted the link of my Pinhead clip on PinheadHQ.
It's no joke......

Best Regards,
Arie

Wonderful movie.

Random comments (without spoilers):

  • I want Pinhead's remote control, and I love his "pop-up" television.
  • Ooo, that bad guy is SO bad.
  • I like the looks of your "glow" textures
  • Oh... a plot twist... and another!

I'm trying to avoid saying too much yet, other than, "Wonderful entry!  Thank you!"

.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
pinguintje (4/1/2014)
Because today is the first of april I just have submitted the link of my Pinhead clip on PinheadHQ.
It's no joke......

Best Regards,
Arie

I thought about posting here this morning, saying the project was canceled.

But that would be too mean, even for April Fools Day.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Granny,

Wow, you think big!  Pinhead's personal issues had much greater potential impact on all of us than I could have ever imagined.

I appreciated your creative solutions to "visual" problems, like the mention of the "wet wipes."  Very clever.

You have me nervous.  I thought we were going to see a gray-scale dog running around at the end.  I was so relived to have a happy ending.

Thank you for posting.

.

.

@Brian - You must be exhausted.  I can assure you, you will not be posting your fifth video tomorrow on my account.  I'm thinking maybe...  August 2017 for my upload.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
In one universe, people are happily posting Pinhead videos.

Meanwhile, in a darker dimension of despair (and alliterations)...

I am trying my hand at creating my own terrain.  It is probably not a productive use of my time right now.

.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Lynn,

A wonderful clip.  Smile

I loved Pinhead at 1:29.  The look on his face was priceless!

Oh, our hero!

Very nice slow motion.

Maybe I'm more cautious than necessary, but I always try to avoid posting spoilers, at least before people have even had a chance to watch.  I'm not trying to limit what other's say, that's just me, especially when I'm one of the first to say, "Great job, and thanks for the clip!"

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Granny,

About your movie...

I did notice Alura stepping through the dimensional barrier, and I remembered you discussing that in the forum.  It was very well done.

I also thought you did a great job on Alura's house in the background.  Well enough, in fact, that I didn't even think about it until I watched it a second time.

Your dad?  Granny's dad?!  So... "great-grand-dad"???  LOL

.

About my terrain...

The buildings are indeed, it is on a cliff.  I've been debating trying to make my own terrain, and I knew iClone 5.5 provided that capability, but even in the manual it eventually directs you to Earth Sculptor, so your tip about "Magic Terrain" is greatly appreciated.

I will also have to revisit Rampa's "path thing" tutorial.

But more than anything, I have to start putting scenes together.  Then I can sit down and make things like dirt paths and cliffs and... oh, about 12,038 things.

.

Enjoy your vacation!

.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
The Mythical Dragon (4/3/2014)
Great movie, looks like there's going to be some serious competition this year. Excellent story.

Indeed.

Arie set the bar high.  Greg is easily keeping it up their.

I'm thinking I and my project are in more trouble the Alura and Pinhead.  Tongue

The competition is fun, but not nearly as fun as seeing the great clips.  Hopefully I'll be posting another progress picture soon, or even better, maybe I'll have an update to my progress video.

If anyone is still considering joining, but is worried about not being good enough, my Pinhead videos should dispel that myth in a hurry.  Whistling

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
colour (4/2/2014)
"justaviking (4/2/2014)
I just noticed we have another participant on the list:
  • Kamal, from India

Welcome to the project and to the Pinhead family.  Smile

(See the "Join Project Page" in Colour's signature.)"

I've already Posted that, Dennis. A few Posts-back.

Wake-up at the back Ermm Wink

What was that you said about "simple minds"?  Hey, I resemble that remark!  Hehe

I can't believe I overlooked a post in the Pinhead thread!!!  I will go sit in the corner for a while.

ADDED...

I looked back, and I remember reading your "James Bond" comment.  Either I was interrupted just then, or I thought I reached your "signature" section.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Greg,

That was WONDERFUL.  Smile

I loved the way Pinhead commandeered - and upgraded - vehicles.

Nice camera work.  Alura being in peril was very well done.

Good music and audio, too.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
I just noticed we have another participant on the list:

  • Kamal, from India

Welcome to the project and to the Pinhead family.  Smile

(See the "Join Project Page" in Colour's signature.)

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
URL request...

I love driving traffic to the PinheadHQ web site, but I cannot get to it at the office, so...

Could someone please post the YouTube URL for Arie's Pinhead video so I can show it to some friends at work?

Thanks.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
That was quick.  Thanks.

About Arie's clip... that "blub blub blub" sound is such a nice touch, but is so sad.    Crying

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
pinguintje (5/12/2014)
Pinhead is sent to prison.
  • He sleeps with a minor teddy bear (page 57)
  • He hit Alura (WIP update yesterday justaviking)

His hair was cut in GrannyJs Hair Saloon.

@Arie,

I like your animated GIF.  If that's any indication of what your entry will look like, I'd say we're in for a treat.  Smile

 

AND...

@Robert (RB3006),

This is my longest entry too.  By far.  At least it's my longest individual entry. 

Several years back, on the "Mystery Manor" project, I submitted my project as FOUR separate "acts," all as part of a complex overall plot.  Fortunately we don't have 6 to 8 suspects this time.

I should do the math, but I think this will be shorter than the sum of those entries.  (Yikes.)

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
I know the "Work in Progress" posts have slowed down, and at least one person has said he'd do no more now because he wants to wait until his video is done.

But I decided to show one more WIP update.  Without any context, I don't think it will be a "spoiler" for my final project, but I'm reasonably pleased with the results of some painstaking key framing.  Hopefully it's even better in context.

 All the new stuff takes place in the first 15 seconds.

You can call it, "Pinhead, that's no way to treat a lady!"

Pinhead - The Measure of a Man - WIP from justaviking on Vimeo.

Let the conjecture begin.  Smile

.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Job (Animagic),

I'm looking forward to seeing your excellent "mood" and lighting.  I continue to have hopes of working on that, at least enough so I can differentiate between day and night.  Tongue

About that key framing... I think I spent at least 4 hours on that "Pinhead shoves Alura" clip.  That comes out to 2-hours per second.  Fortunately not everything is that arduous, but I have another 2 seconds of similar animation (being kept secret until completion) that took another 4 hours to create.

I also tried to animate someone walking with a limp and using a cane.  I think people will be able to figure out what's going on, but it's not quite right.  Mostly likely I will have to live with it since re-key framing it would be a poor waste of my time right now.

.

.

@Peter (Colour),

I've enjoyed your pictures of the amusement park, including the sky and all the colorful (colourful) rides.  I know you've struggle mightily with the motions and prop/avatar origins.  You're working on something of an epic scale, and I can't wait the see it.

.

.

@everyone...

Pinhead projects... great stuff.  I love how everyone has their own style and areas of focus and expertise.  Detailed animation, wardrobe, lighting, environment, props, camera work and editing, sound effects, background music, and sometimes just plain silliness.

Every entry is a delight, and challenges and inspires us all.

As we have now reached the original deadline, I hope some more entries will be submitted soon.  But I do know that I will be using close to every available day before I submit my entry.

.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
colour (5/9/2014)
                                               BRIAN'S DONATE THERMOMETER

..............has reached $125. The target is $150.

Thanks again, Brian, for all of the hard work you put into maintaining Pinhead's Website. Smile

Thanks for the reminder.  It's on my To Do list.  Smile

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Temporarily ignoring Mrs. Pinhead...

I was watching some videos about the history of movie production, green screen effects, non-linear editing, and things like that.

At the end of a 15-minute video about a particular special effect, the guy made some GREAT COMMENTS that everyone working on their Pinhead projects will relate to:

"There's nothing quite as humbling as spending a 12-hour day creating 16 seconds of usable footage."

Here's a link to the quote, and some other comments which follow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=KhRo2WbWnKU#t=838

He wrapped up with:

"I don't think the spirit of film making, the need to tell stories, I don't think that has changed much over the years.

It's just the tools we have are so much better.

The film makers before us created great works in spite of their technology.

So, what's your excuse?

Get out there!  Experiment!  Make something great!"

I'm trying, John, I'm trying.

The guy does a nice job on his lectures.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Roger,

WELCOME BACK!!!  Smile  w00t

So you're actually considering doing a Pinhead clip?  Wow, that's excellent.

Not to pressure you... oh heck, who am I trying to fool... I'll pressure you to do a clip.  But I do it in only in fun, as a friend who hopes you'll be up to the task and that it can be a pleasant distraction for you.

I've been hard at work at mine again last night and for several hours today.  I got to enjoy one of those magical moments where the vision in my head begin to come alive on the screen.  That is so fun and so satisfying.  I don't know that my audience will have the same reaction, but for a few moments, I was blissfully happy.

Like a mother who sees only the beauty in her baby, I see past the bland set with the missing props, I ignore the flat and uninspired lighting, I turn a blind eye to the barely-there acting... and it's beautiful.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
About the dog...

Villains always plan ahead.

Earlier, the villain put drugs in the dog's water bowl near the house.  The dog wasn't being passive; he was in a drug-induced stupor.

Shortly after Alura was dragged away, the dog fell over and didn't wake up until noon the next day, at which time he had a horrible headache.

 

@3D Story...

Love the poster!!!

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
colour (5/7/2014)
"3DStory (5/7/2014)
The dog features in my story in the opening scene...let's just say that I take "care" of him in a way that will save me a LOT of dog animation...Wink"

Don't you dare, Daniel Sad

If you do, I'll set my dog on you Wink 

Hopefully that's a bigger threat than saying you'll set Alura's dog after him.  Tongue

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
colour (5/6/2014)

"animagic (5/6/2014)

Neither in mine. I thought the dog was no good. He/she just let the kidnapping kind of happen...Crazy"

The dog (who has a new name, BTW) stars alongside Pinhead, in my Clip Wink  

 

Yeah, no offense to the committee who created the original clip, but that K-9 sure is worthless as a guard dog.

Colour, I hope you gave him some good training.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Cape (Colin),

Thanks for the screenshot.

Wow, a cast of thousands!!!  (Okay, eight, but who's counting.)

Hmm... is Pinhead on the antagonist side???  Tongue   You can't take anything for granted when Pinhead is involved.  Wink

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Capemedia (5/6/2014)

These characters apart from Pinhead will be voiced.  I never wanted to take the essence of Pinhead away so I'm sticking with the text to speech.

 

I have become a radical.

a) This is my first-ever, all-3D Pinhead clip.  I was one of last of the 2D holdouts.  My last project was a mix of the two, and the one before included a 2D/3D debate with himself.

b) I'm leaning toward a human-acted voice for Pinhead this time.  I have a few "traditional voice" lines for test purposes, but will need many more.  In this video in particular, I really want Pinhead to emote.  Normally I consider his flat delivery to be part of his charm and part of the challenge.  But as I said, I'm being a radical this time.

c) And there's more... but it's still top secret.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Grimhilda (5/5/2014)
@colour: I like the picture you showed of Pinhead with a Teddy Bear below a picture of him with a nurse.

I imagine it as a film where you see him first with the nurse then the camera moves back to your picture so that the nurse version is only a dream SmileSmileSmile

That sounds like a Pinhead "fun clip" just waiting for you to create.  Smile

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
That's a great set, Job (Animagic).

I think you and I have different versions of "fine-tuning."  The results I hope to achieve are a level or two below your starting point.  w00t

As for the "bum's rush" that Peter (Colour) referred to, I hope to submit mine at least a whole day before the deadline.  I had a brief lack of enthusiasm for working on my project yesterday (forgive me, Pinhead), but I made myself sit down and work on it, and the excitement came back.  But, alas, darkness descended and I needed my sleep.  I'm looking forward to continuing my progress tonight.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
peterblood (5/18/2014)
I usually just paint the skin below the break. Fast easy and a bit of a bloody solution (Down and dirty as mark would say =) ) but it keeps you moving forward without spending a lot of time fixing it. BigGrin

Cool pete

Ah, good idea.

Or you could pretend it's torn from her scuffle with the villain.  Wink

 

On another note... Peter Blood... Evil-looking skull avatar... Reply #666... just a coincidence?

.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Robert (RB3006),

Nice.  Both the still image and the animation.

So you're done and have nothing better to do than tinker???  You should submit your clip so we can see it and be inspired and motivated!  Tongue

Thanks again for sharing.  Very nice work.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Follow-up about my iClone crash...

Yes, the message is about a ".vns" file, as Colour stated.

I did try to open using the non-pixel modes (wireframe, smooth shading), and also using 32-bit, but to no avail.  (I do appreciate the suggestions, just the same.)

I really, really doubt it's a computer resource issue.  Although I do have a couple segments with a lot of key frames, it's not a terribly complex model.  It loads quickly and works silky smooth, even in "Pixel shading" mode.

It crashed at the end of the save.  I closed, and of course it asked me if I wanted to save the project.  Even though I was 99.99% certain that I had, I didn't want to take chances, so I said to save it.

I hesitated, and almost bumped up my Rev on the filename (in which case I would have lost nothing since I'm certain I has just saved it moments ago, before rendering a short segment).  But I kept the filename the same.

It saved, and when iClone should have closed, my computer crashed.  Apparently it didn't finish saving first, since the file is now corrupt.

Anyway...

I opened my older copy, and it now took me 3.5 hours to recover 2.5 hours of lost work.  I had assumed it would be faster the second time.

It's almost as good as it was before, though I can now imagine that the lost version was even better.

Now... on with the rest of the project, and doing a SaveAs even more often than before.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
The Mythical Dragon (5/14/2014)
lol... thanks.. my two daughters are actually in this Pinhead video. They both wanted to participate so each of them have speaking parts. They also helped me come up with the story line. I will be sure to tell them it isn't real, they don't have to act out their parts... lol

That sounds wonderful.  I can't wait to see it.



I have 2/3 of it done. I still need to do what I am know for... blow something up. It would not be one of my videos if I didn't. But the question is... what am I blowing up? Who will be the cause of it and who will be in the explosion? I could tell but then my kids would beat me up so I have to keep my mouth shut.

I have an explosion in my movie.  Right now it's just a sphere that enlarges and then shrinks.  But I added an explosion sound effect, so it's an adequate place-holder until I get other things done.

Speaking of getting other things done...

Noooooooo!

Last night I suffered from my first-ever HARD CRASH with iClone. 

The project won't even open anymore.

Fortunately I routinely do a Save As (project-a... project-b.... project-c...), so I only lost about 2 hours of work, which I'll have to do over again tonight.

But, man, what a bad feeling.  I actually had a blue-screen-of-death when I did a final Save before heading off to bed for the night.  Thankfully I only lost 2 hours, not two weeks worth of work.

So remember, folks, "Save As" is your friend.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
colour (5/15/2014)
"Last night I suffered from my first-ever HARD CRASH with iClone. 

The project won't even open anymore"

Have you tried Opening it in Quickshader Mode, Dennis ?

No, I have not.

I don't remember the exact error message, but it was something like, "If this is a .fbx file, please try opening it with blah blah blah."  Not that, exactly, but something along those lines.  It cannot read the file.

I was thinking about trying it with 32-bit instead of 64-bit iClone.

If that doesn't work, I'll try your suggestion.  I'm not optimistic, since the BSOD crash was timed with the file Save.

Hopefully it doesn't take more than two hours to re-create my two hours of lost work.  Unsure

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Doug (Mythical Dragon),

1) Ancient Chinese curse - "May you have an interesting life."

2) Pinhead is an animated character.  Your children should not attempt to act out his adventures.

3) Why does the thought of your upcoming camping trip make me nervous?

Now that I have the lighthearted stuff out of the way, I sincerely hope you and your family make it through the rough times.

I do hope you'll be able to push out a Pinhead entry, even if you have to cut some corners.

MY QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"Though it's a small consolation at the time, you'll learn that the biggest disasters make the best stories later."  -Dennis-

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Daniel (3D Story),

Some people say the best thing about a lover's quarrel is making up afterwards.

Between the two of us, it looks like we have the situation covered.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
animagic (5/20/2014)
I also have my wife watching to tell me where there is confusion...Unsure The problem is that we know the story well by now and have all the background knowledge. A first-time viewer has not. You also have to ask yourself: what does a particular character know at this point? For example, one of my characters talked about the kidnapping, but she could not have known about it at that point. Details, details...

I understand exactly what you're talking about.  I have a couple of "guinea pigs" I use at work during lunch.

I had a line of "Meet me at Alura's place" which was crystal clear, but apparently not noticed by the viewer.  When the meeting took place, two different people said, "I thought Pinhead's place blew up."  So I tried to make if even MORE clear that the meeting was not taking place at Pinhead's house.

I suspect you enjoy that internal debate of how much do you assume you're audience will "imagine" (and fill in the gaps), and how much exposition you need.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
I spent last night re-recording some dialogue.

Some of that work was to replace dialogue that was recorded "live" directly in iClone.  When I do that I can hear the "hiss and hum" of background audio.  I've gotten sensitive to that sound that precedes and follows my characters speaking.

I also had to update a couple of lines that became inconsistent with other parts of the movie after the script evolved in a few places.

So I re-recorded the dialogue in Audacity and did noise reduction.

My Audacity workflow, if anyone is interested:

  • I do multiple takes of each line usually on one long "raw" master take on Track 1.
  • Then I copy that to Track 2 and do the noise reduction.
  • Next I copy each line of dialogue (from Track 2) onto its own track in the Audacity project.
  • Then I select my favorite version of each line and copy it to the end of that track so I can always know which one I used.
  • Lastly I apply effects (if needed) and export the line of dialogue to a file.

Then in iClone I delete the original recording the replace it with my clean audio.

Ahh... sounds so much better.

This also allows me to do things like play with equalizers and pitch changes if I want to.  That's handy if you want a "telephone" or "radio" sound to some of the dialogue.

An additional benefit is I now have all the dialogue available if for some reason I want to play with it in my NLE.  I have background music, dialogue, and sound effects all as separate items now.

Hopefully this pays off in the end.  At least I'm making myself happy, even though it is a lot of added work.

Gee, I hope I'm not building up high expectations for my clip.  Ermm

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Capemedia,

Nice spreadsheet.  I did the same thing, sort of, but without the fancy color-coding.  I knew I needed a way to keep track of all the moving parts.

As Colour would say, "Simple minds think alike."  Wink

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
When ya gotta go, ya gotta go.
By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@3D Story,

I meant to comment on your screen shot earlier.

I like the set.  The toolbox is interested, and the knife is ominous but full of intrigue.

Looking good.  Smile

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
animagic (5/22/2014)
Viking, Warlord has a distructable window in the Market Place: http://city.reallusion.com/ContentPreview.aspx?i=JIC24d1b6d29d154f9c5&Refer=5.

Basically, a surface is "shattered" in an external program and the animation to get from whole to broken is baked into it. This is then played back in iClone on demand.

Thanks.  Smile

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@3D Story - I'm glad I could help you notice something you'd overlooked.  Since my audience only saw a shortened version of the original intro, it is even more understandable now that they'd miss my reference to "Alura's place."

About your spreadsheet; I see too many like that at work.  Unsure

@Colour - I continue to be amazed at the amount of effort going into your carnival set.  Be sure you do a SAVE AS on a regular basis!!!  I hope things don't fall apart for you as you approach the finish line.

@GrannyJ - That was a very generous offer you made to Colour.  Your support to the community is noticed and appreciated.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
The Mythical Dragon (4/23/2014)
I have a WIP for everyone. Hope you enjoy it.



.

Doug,

How did you do the shattering glass?

I might have an opportunit to break some glass in my video, and any tips would be greatly appreciated.

.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
The Mythical Dragon (5/23/2014)
justaviking (5/22/2014)


Doug,

How did you do the shattering glass?

I might have an opportunity to break some glass in my video, and any tips would be greatly appreciated.



I created the shattering glass jewelry case in 3ds Max specifically for that scene. I made the case, then dropped a human analog dummy on it so it would shatter just like Pinhead falling on it.

.

Thanks for the extra clarification.  You did a magnificent job on it, enhanced by the sound effects.

I'll have to weigh my options, and decide if the "broken glass" idea will stay in the script.  I've continued to be somewhat stuck on a key scene, so I've been keeping busy on other things.  But as they say, inspiration is for amateurs.  It's time for me to simply work hard on that final portion of the script and get it done.


@Animagic - Thanks for the tip about the lens affecting shadows.  I have a perfect place to test it.

@Colour - Thanks for the alert that alternate lens choices can distort the sky dome.  Why does it feel like every solution always includes a new problem?

.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
RB3006 (5/23/2014)
[quote]

Ready ... (almost)  18:20 without intro and credits

Is there a price for the longest Clip ??? Hehe

I´m curious if anyone will watch this until end. w00t

finally, now I must find music for the clip ... hard job

 

I didn't want to scare people, but I have already planned my "clip uploaded" announcement.  It will include instructions to pop a LARGE bowl of popcorn first.

w00t

Thanks for the picture of the cast.  It looks great (and ambitious).  I only have four people.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
animagic (5/30/2014)
justaviking (5/30/2014)
...but he doesn't have the "Move" (walk) command available.

You can add the Move command by applying a persona to the avatar. So if it is a G5 Pinhead, apply Chuck's persona. Click the Persona tab and you'll see the persona's listed on the left.

Oh, well that sounds easy.  My ignorance is nearly limitless.  Blush

 

As to the face: I've no idea, I've never encountered that problem.

I'm just lucky, I guess.

Anyone else have an idea on the transparent cheeks?

 .

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Robert - Great picture.  I like the mood you've put into the scene.  It sure does make me curious about the storyline.
By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
animagic (5/29/2014)
justaviking (5/29/2014)
There is now a helicopter in my video, too.

The plot thickens...Cool

Yes, sort of like Mrs. Pinhead's beard.  Crazy

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
This may be the most overdue Pinhead question ever...

Does anyone have a good way for me to NOT see through Pinhead's cheek when he's talking?

I've been using the "Pinhead 2011" avatar.

I don't see a way to make the skin surface "2-sided."

I tried applying the "G5 Pinhead iFace" that came with him, which fixes the problem, but I prefer the look of the other version better.  (Personal preference.  I think it's the cheeks, rounder vs. more sunken.)

One last think on Pinhead avatars...

There's also "Mythical Pinhead," but he doesn't have the "Move" (walk) command available.

As I said, this is the most overdue question ever.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@ Colour and Animagic (and everyone, really),

Thanks for the encouragement, both to me and to the others.

I totally agree.  All entries are fully appreciated.  Each is unique and brings some thing special.

I know I've submitted clips in a wide range of quality (sometimes reaching a "good" quality level).  Sometimes it's frustrating to ache for something that's in my head but isn't making it onto the screen yet.

I've already learned so much new stuff working on this project.  Even with the generous extension to the deadline, I fear I won't have time to apply even half of what I want to.  There's always that desire to improve one's craft.

However, people have always been kind to me and others, regardless of the skill level.

I have ALWAYS ENJOYED PARTICIPATING in Pinhead projects, and have ALWAYS ENJOYED SEEING EVERYONE's CLIPS.

Enough babbling... back to my project!

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
How was everyone's weekend?  Two days since the last post?  I hope that means you were all busy working on your clips (except for those few exceptional people who actually finished already).

I spent a bit too much time cleaning up existing footage.  I can't believe it, but I think I actually enjoying key framing animations.  But I have bigger issues than how well a hand grips a prop, or if a motion looks slightly unnatural.  I do like the results, though.  Hopefully you'll be able to notice where I put time into some of that refinement.

I added my first special effect!!!  Some sparks!

I also assembled more of my iClone output into my video editor (NLE).  And I put in a bit of background music and a sample of some ambient sound.  It's amazing what a difference that makes.

Sadly, my "cleanup" time keeps shrinking and shrinking.  But at least I still expect to finish all the footage I need to tell my story, which makes me happy.

But enough about me.  How about YOU???

 .

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Colour,

Wow!!!

I have a feeling you and I are both undertaking some Herculean project tasks, but in different ways.

The modeling you're doing for the carnival has got to be a huge amount of work.  It looks great, though.  I can't wait to see it all in action.  w00t

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
animagic (5/30/2014)
@Viking: I happened to have the Pinhead 2011 and looked into it (having plenty of time now...Tongue).

Did you try 2-sided for the Face skin? I did, and that at least makes sure that you can't look through the sides of the mouth from the inside.

It's not perfect and it shouldn't be necessary, but it would at least help you out.

I thought immediately, and I'm pretty sure I tried it to no avail, but maybe I wasn't actually working on the face itself.

Now I can't find the 2-sided box for the face:

  • Props, yes.
  • Actor - Hair... yes
  • Actor - Upper Body... yes
  • Actor - Lower Body... yes
  • Actor - Skin... yes... but it doesn't help
  • Head or Face or Mouth...  I can't find it

Can you help me navigate to it, please?

Another thing you may want to do is run Pinhead through 3DXchange and import it back. That fixes the bounding box problem of the character. (It's too high.)

I've noticed that, but it hasn't been a problem for me yet.  I'll have to consider that.  I sure don't want to mess up his Origin or do anything that would throw off the Transforms (moves) or animations.

If I do try it, he'll be a "brand new avatar," so I just drag "new Pinhead" on top of the old one in my project, right?

 

.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Animagic,

Thank you for motivating me to look at this again.

I took a moment and ran Pinhead through 3DXchange.  Pretty painless, since I wasn't trying to do much there.

The bounding box automatically fixed itself.

I was able to find a "2-sided" check box for the face in 3DXchange.

It helped.  It's not perfect, exactly as you said, but it helps.  At least I won't be seeing things like green grass or white vehicles through his mouth.

 

Interesting things in his mouth, like the red "box" and stuff.  I'm not criticizing.  It's just interesting what you find when you dissect an avatar (either on purpose or by accident).

I think I'll apply him to some scenes, and it should magically work just fine.


@Colour...

You said, "The quality won't be on a par with others Posted so-far & WIP Posted. "

I've seen your screen shots.  They're very pretty.

But mine?  Hah!  Much of my movie currently has the same refinement of the screenshots I just posted.  Start a new project, add a terrain, add Pinhead... what you see then is what most of my movie looks like.  I'm still hoping that will change in the next three weeks.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
rogread (6/4/2014)
DISASTER!

I was getting on so well with Pinhead, when the drive with ALL my Pinhead files made a nasty and expensive clicking and grating noise and stopped. Everything lost. Why, oh why didn't I make a back-up? Not just Pinhead, but most of my other video files have gone, and many of my video and sound editing software.

Having seen the incredible standard of clips so far, I am contemplating withdrawing from this project. Any clip I do now will be rushed and very amateurish - that's assuming I can finish it by the deadline. It's going to take me ages to set up a new drive, reload the software and restart Pinhead from scratch.

Boo-hoo. Why me???

It will be a challenge, but I will NOT be beaten. Stand by for some sort of clip from me!

Oh no!!!!   Angry   Pinch   Crying   Sick   Exclamation   Exclamation Mark

That is horrible news indeed.  I think I heard a collective "Gasp!" come from the forum.

I've had some success reviving drives long enough to rescue data, but I also had my C: drive at work up and die one day, and they don't backup the local disks, only the network drives, and I never was able to get even a single bit off of it (nor could the IT folks).

I hope you're able to rescue the data (the old "put it in the freezer" trick, maybe).  But in the worst case scenario, I hope you'll manage to do a little clip anyway.  I've done rushed projects before, but strangely my non-rushed ones don't look a whole lot better.  Maybe I need to reevaluate my life.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Thanks, Granny J.

Maybe I'll try replacing Pinhead's face again. I didn't try the "cheek adjustment." I don't do much with modifying characters, so although I am aware of some of the changes that can be made, obviously I am an extra-newbie in that area.

When I first did it, his glasses didn't fit, his hair didn't fit (and I couldn't get the "move" widget to appear, I had to click the up/down arrows on the X-Y-Z offset controls), and I wasn't feel fond of the new facial structure, so I just left him the way he was.

As I started doing more close-ups, with more dramatic mouth motion, seeing the background through his mouth was starting to annoy me more and more, so I decided to re-visit the idea of updating him. As long as the body is the same, all my animations should be unaffected, so it won't be a big burden to change his face at this time.

Thanks again, Granny and Animagic.

P.S.

Colour - How is it going for you? Are your characters riding the rides correctly?
By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
animagic (5/24/2014)
Well, here you are good people, my entry for the competiton, called: "The Lost Client".

I hope it is to your liking!

Wow!!!

Fantastic work.

I can't wait to watch it again.

You put in so much detail... 

  • The movie posters.
  • I laughed when I immediately noticed "Sewer Tunnel" on the monitor.
  • Franciska's glasses (not only the reflection, but the distortion when looking through them in the over-the-shoulder shots.
  • Props like soda cans.
  • Props like telephones with displays that function.
  • Textures everywhere.
  • Lighting.
  • Costumes.
  • Sound effects and music.
  • The computer displays...

The list goes on and on.

And a wonderful story, too.

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK.

Wow.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Great cast pictures, Peter and Granny.  Yes, Peter, it looks like you have the largest cast.

I'll consider rounding up "the talent" for a group photo, if I can get the away from the food cart long enough.  You know how actors can be.  They'll probably want to call their agent to check the contract, and see if they're required to do still photos.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
A Easter Egg for me?  Now I'll have to watch frame-by-frame.  I have some ideas where to look, but it could be anywhere.

Now that you're done with your project, maybe I can have you decorate and light my sets?  Visually, my project is the antithesis of yours (and that's good for you, bad for me).

I have to say again how impressed I am with the quantity of stuff you put in your sets.  Like when Pinhead goes down the steps at 1:23... I noticed the little clay flower pots, and I'm looking at that image right now.  Watering can, windmill, shelf on the wall, flowers...  what a wonderful way to add richness.

And of course... Oh, I can't say too much... but there is a "hub of activity" that is stunning in its complexity.

I returned to my computer, intending to work on my project, but now I have to go Easter Egg hunting.  w00t

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
pinguintje (5/24/2014)
Wonderful pictures above !Smile

Here is my (4)cast picture. As you see it is a low budget movie.

Best Regards,

Arie

Great picture, Arie.  I like the style, low-budget or not.

If you want to know what I'm spending my budget on....

I may have gone overboard.  Blush

As the old saying goes, "If it's worth doing, it's worth over-doing."

w00t

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
animagic (5/29/2014)
I would like to wish everyone still working on a clip good luck and a steady progress.w00t

I've been sick the last couple of days--from exhaustion probably--so don't forget to get some rest...Doze

I am making progress.  More sporadic than steady, but at least I've avoided any regressions.

Poor, poor Job.  You overworked yourself.  But at least your effort yielded excellent results, and your dedication to your craft is appreciated by all who've seen your clip.  I'll try to follow your advice, and maybe I'll take a nap this afternoon.  I hope you're feeling 100% again very soon.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
3DStory (5/29/2014)
The thread has been quiet for a few days...hopefully because everyone is busy on their clips!

Here is a quick progress pic, just for fun. 

Busy indeed!!!

Thanks for the picture.  It looks fantastic.  She looks like trouble, but maybe worth it.  What is that peeking up behind her shoulder?

When I see these pictures, I feel like I'm 3 years behind everyone else on the learning curve, but I am having fun anyway.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
There is now a helicopter in my video, too.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
pinguintje (5/25/2014)

@justaviking

I have never seen so many dots in iClone. Your movie must cost a lot of money.Tongue I am very curious to see it.

Best regards,

Arie

It's slightly deceptive.  Each time I do a pose, I get "dots" for all motion elements in that frame (head, torso, left arm, left leg, etc.).

It's also somewhat repetitive.  Picture a custom walk.  Each step sequence gets repeated.  So some of what you see is the result of copy-and-paste.

I could have, and probably should have, saved it as a motion, but I just kept plowing on with my brute force approach.  It was a lot of work, though.  I hope it pays off.


@animagic, - I found the Easter Egg.

I propose a trivia contest... How many "video screens" are in Animagic's clip?  Televisions, surveillance monitors, computer monitors, even smart phones.

But we'll have to determine the rules.  If a surveillance screen shows four images (from four security cameras), does that count as one or four?  Each image had to be created separately first, and then combined.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Has anyone kept track of HOW MANY HOURS you put into your project?

Writing, desiging, set creation, animation, post-iClone editing...???

Not counting reading the Pinhead thread.  Not counting time spent idly daydreaming about while commuting to work.

I had a reasonable estimte in my head once, but that was at least 6 weeks ago.  I wish I had written it down.

I figure I have about 600 to 700 hours of work left.  That's only about 35 hours/day for the rest of the month.  No problem.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
colour (6/10/2014)

Looks like I'll have company, then, Dennis Smile

They say it's lonely at the top.

I guess we'll never know.  Tongue

You, me, Cape... misery loves company.  Wink

@Color - "HELP!"... with what?  It looks perfect to me.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
So far we're talking 30 to 60 minutes per 1 second of finished film.

At one point I was pretty sure I had put over 80 hours into the script.  That sounds absurd, but I was doing something unusual that added to the effort.  You'll know much more about that at the end of the month.

I was working really intensely in iClone during the month of April.  Lots of full evenings (3 to 4 hours, sometimes up to 6 hours) spent quite diligently on iClone, and a couple of productive weekends too.  So I could one hundred iClone hours for the month of April would be a pretty safe bet, I think.  I worked before, and after too, but I think April was probably my most intense month.

And then, sadly, the last two weeks have been very unproductive.  I did finalize my plan for one crucial scene that previously existed as only a vague but vital notion.  I finally turned it into a script.  But my iClone time has been so lacking.

Bottom line:  I don't know how many hours, but all added together I'll bet it will be over 400 by the time I'm done.  Heck, maybe closer to 700.  I only wish my project LOOKED like I put that much time into.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
3DStory (6/13/2014)
@Dennis - the timings I posted where worst-case for a complicated animation...

Understood.  And of course it depends on how long the scene is.  If you spend 3 full days creating a fully decorated set populated with props you created yourself, and it's only on screen for 5 seconds, you could be sitting at 3 or 4 hours per second of film.  But in the end it's all about averages.

I got quiet here for a day, so I figured I'd stir up some conversation.

Ahroo's clip...  Can someone post the URL here, please?  I really want to watch it right away, but can't go to PinheadHQ at the office.

P.S.

No mice in my film.  Hmm... no, I better not.  I'm busy enough the way it is.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Brian - Thanks for the announcement (and all the hard behind-the-scenes work you continue to do).

@Doug (Mythical Dragon)...

That was awesome.  Knowing you had your kids involved added a special layer of enjoyment to it.  Congrats to everyone.

Quite a story, too.  It started out as being "so Pinhead" and typical of him (in the best way).  Then the story took quite the dramatic turn.

Very well worth watching.  My older son repeatedly marveled at your music selections.  I was watching the credits and was thinking, "There was not a mouse that talked," but the joke was on me.

Speaking of closing credits, I related to the final comment about "Time Spent."  That's what I should be doing right now, but I had to watch your entry right away.  Please allow me to rephrase this for you, as, "Time well spent."

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
colour (6/10/2014)

The standard just keeps getting higher BigGrin"

It'll drop dramatically with mine. Ermm

LOL... I was thinking about saying the exact same thing (about MY video, of course).

Mine will become famous as an example of how quality suffers when you bite off more than you can chew.  But I'm still (mostly) having fun working on it.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
GrannyJ (6/9/2014)
My version of Pinhead's sister, Gretchen Pinhead

What a great character you've created.  I sure hope you get it finished in time.

Colin (Capemedia) too; I hope you finish yours in time.

I got so little done this past week, it's starting to make me grumpy.  I finally got some work done yesterday, but I'm a full week behind where I wanted to be.

I will finish the story... it's the level of quality that remains questionable.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Cape - I can sympathize.  I think my statistics are better than what you're reporting, but I still have a long way to go too.

@Robert - I'll be watching your video soon.  I am looking forward to it.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
RB3006 (6/5/2014)
I have finished ! BigGrinTongueBigGrin
If I still wait longer , I rebuild the whole clip and make it better and better (that remembers me to RL BigGrin ) orrrrr worsen. So I release it now. It´s my longest clip I have ever made...
I hope you like and can enjoy it.

Oh wow!!!!

One delightful moment followed by another and another and another.

So many fun "Pinhead moments" and little jokes throught the movie.

And the music ans set design were awesome.

The characters, both main and background, were all wonderful.  And the number of them was quite impressive.

I also loved the style, and the little title overlays that introduced the characters were so great.

Wow!!!

.

P.S.

We have one "major prop" that appears in both our videos, but your artwork is wonderful, whereas mine is still completely missing.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@RB3006,

I need to echo Pete's comment about all the little details.  Early on I noticed the mouse run across the street, and I enjoyed how him and his brothers appear a couple of times.

And then there's the physics too.  Crashing into trash cans with the scooter.  So, so much.

And did I see a poster of a bearded lady singer?

Wonderful job.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Colin,

Thanks for the great cast picture.  Very cool.  Can't wait for your video!

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
3DStory (7/2/2014)

@Viking - thanks! and thanks for not making me the last to upload hehe

No problem.  I'm glad I was able to help you like that.

I was determined to NOT upload in a mad scramble on the evening of the last day, but I did.  And I paid the price.

I have found a couple errors introduced in the last couple hours:  In the "Gunshot" scene, my ocean sound cuts out, and in the "Wedding dress" scene I forgot to move my Captions and they're running about 10 seconds late.


Speaking of the "Gunshot" scene, I was shocked to find out I hadn't created it in iClone yet.  I have the voice recordings.  At a minimum, I could just have Pinhead and Alura stand still and talk for two or three lines.  But I was so focused on finishing the big "Confrontation" scene I forgot about the little bridge segment.  (It was small but important, because it explains why Pinhead ran back into the theater.  I should make him run, not stroll.  But I digress.)

I don't feel too badly about filling the gap with "title overlays" but it really irks me that the ocean sound cut out.  The funny thing was, I struggled with the upload for a  while.  Had I known, I could have rounded up my voiceovers and created a draft of the scene and still finished uploading at the same time.

Oh well.


Speaking of audio...

I shouldn't point out more flaws, but this drives me crazy (or crazier)...

There are some audio glitches ("stutters") in the music in some places.  It's not my fault.

I worked very hard on seemlessly blending original music to make fade-ins and "removed sections" be nice and smooth.

But my VIDEO EDITOR (Studio 17.5) developed a bug and it glitches where you have a fade in or fade out transition.

I have the technology to work around it, but it would require extra steps, and I'd only want to do it once when I'm sure there are not other changes to make.  And I just didn't have the time.  Or I could have rolled back to an earlier version of Studio, and it should work, but I didn't dare take the risk.

So if you notice the glitches, it wasn't my fault.

I'll try to fix that, too, in my captionless version.


It felt good to sit back and relax last night.

I still plan to create non-captioned version in a day or two, so I'll make my little fixes there.


It was so quiet here last night, I was afraid everyone fell asleep while trying to watch my behemoth.

Popcorn substitutes are perfectly acceptable.  It was my way of subtly warning you that my clip was longer than the average one.  Forty minutes?  What was I thinking?  It's not necessary, but I keep providing additional proof that I'm insane.


My teenage son agrees... "Female assassins are hot."


About Granny J and Sharon... I was wondering about them too.  I hope things are okay with them, and that they'll still upload their clips.

"Viking Jr." was going to make a video, too.  He wrote the story months ago.  Part of it is my fault for not spending the time with him to turn it into a video.  Currently it's more like a story book.  I'll have to work with him and maybe we'll upload it as a "fun clip" in a couple of weeks or so.

.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Alley or Brian,

When uploading the clip to PinheadHQ, does it really have to be in a WMV format, as stated on the upload page?  Or is MP4 okay too?

I can easily render to WMV if you want.

-Dennis-

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
RB3006 (7/1/2014)
@Dennis,
wow, a epic work. It´s the first clip that I saw from you, so i don´t knew what expect me.
I´m absolute surprised BigGrin ... a "Rock Opera" I have never seen something like yours made with iClone. What a fantastic idea. w00t
By the way, this video is blocked in Germany. (music you use)
fortunately I found last week a plug in for firefox. So it´s no problem
If anybody needs...
http://www.computerbild.de/download/YouTube-Unblocker-fuer-Firefox-8090560.html
(It`s a german website)

@RB3006,

Thanks.

I wanted to do something unique.  I really enjoyed working with the music and selecting the songs.

Some parts of my story really evolved significantly early on.  I was going to have the villain much more evil, and he was going to taunt and mentally torture Pinhead with the song, "Misery" (Beethoven's Last Night).  It would have made for a much darker more. http://www.trans-siberian.com/lyrics_story/beethovens_last_night_lyrics-16.php

Other songs that I love didn't fit.  For a while I was going to have it take place at Christmas season because TSO has a lot of Christmas-themed music, but that didn't turn out to be necessary.  Other times the lyrics are perfect, except the gender is wrong.

I also had fun clipping and trimming the music.  There are places where I cut three sections of a song and blended them together into a shorter version, or started mid-song without it being just a harsh cut.  I had to reject some concepts where I wanted to use a part of a song but simply couldn't get the musical edit to work.  (A challenge in using pre-recorded music.)  And using a song for "one sentence" would seem really odd too.

I really enjoyed putting the pieces together and using them to help tell the story.


A quick note about the music... I uploaded a "private" draft a while ago and got a copywrite notice from YouTube about one of the songs.  But I actually have WRITTEN PERMISSION from Trans-Siberia Orchestra management stating that was I am doing is fine.

I will upload the video to the Pinhead site so it will be available for download.


My uploaded video has "closed captions" built in (always on).  I know they annoy some people, so I will render a non-captioned version and will post that URL when it's available.  However, I might fill one gap in the video, so it might be two days before I do it.  But for the purposes of the contest, what I uploaded last night is my official entry.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
jlittle (7/1/2014)
Well, I made my first Pinhead submittal. Here it is, enjoy:

Jeff

Jeff,

Congratulations on your first Pinhead project.  It was great!  Smile

I laughed so many times.  Those phone conversations with the villain are priceless.

I look forward to many future Pinhead (and other) clips from you.

I mostly use CTA 2 so it will be one of the few 2D clips.

I still have a warm spot in my heart for 2D Pinhead.  Thank you for keeping him alive.

It really isn't done since I ran out of time. Too much work and not enough play time.

There are several scenes I had to leave out to get something completed.
There is still a lot of post processing and effects yet to do plus just general cleanup and review.
Even then I think I was 5 minutes late submitting due to slow uploads.

I think you and I have different definitions of "lots left to do."  Your clip looked very done to me.

Even if it is not considered for the contest I hope everyone enjoys it.

Oh yes, I enjoyed it very much!  w00t

If I only had another 2 weeks ... where have I heard that before

I can relate.  How, after literally MONTHS of project time, can there still be a last-minute time crunch?

I know there is always something left to polish, but I sure could have used a couple more weeks too.  I know I spent too much time on detail work and some of the more blatant issues didn't get addressed.

 It was fun to work on

I'm so glad.  Pinhead projects are always fun, and are always a learning experience.

And doing a clip really makes you appreciate everyone else's clips too.

... and hopefully I will get started earlier on the next Pinhead project that comes along.

Already looking forward to the next project?

There'd better be another project... or else!!!    Wink

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Thank you, Doug.  You're a funny guy.

You may have noticed my explosion effects are not up to your standards.  In spite of my exhaustion, I'm daydreaming of doing a "Rev 2" that would include most of the cleanup I want to do, so I might have to visit your store and shop for a nice fireball.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
.

NEWS FLASH

The Pinhead Project 8 form thread has now exceeded 40,000 views.

w00t

.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
I'll only saw one thing about my video before you watch it... be sure you have A LOT OF POPCORN ready before you start.

I hope you enjoy it.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
RB3006 (7/1/2014)
Dennis, your clip being blocked in Germany has nothing to do with copyright.


wires, sorry wenn I not agree. GEMA is the protector of the very strictly copyright in germany. It´s completly different to american law. In germany, every radio or tv station, every concert or event organizer must pay to Gema if he uses music. The money will be disbursed in part to the composer or rights owner.

I was concerned about it, and contacted Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

Part of their response was:

YouTube and Warner Music Group have come to an agreement which allows for this so you should be able to use TSO music in your videos on YouTube without encountering any problems!

I took that as having the blessing of the owner of that intellectual property.

As I said, I'll be uploading the beast to the Pinhead HQ site later today.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
I'll be uploading in a couple of minutes.

Yeah, nothing like cutting it close, eh?

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Daniel (3DStory),

How many times can I say, "Wow!"?

Lots of stunning work, and numerous laugh out loud moments right in the middle of major action scenes.

My uploaded is going in little spasms (I don't know why), but at least it gave me time to watch your awesome video.


ADDED... Oh great, my upload just stalled a second time.  This is one problem I did not expect to have.

I'll kick it off one more time and check on it in the morning.

Double-grrr.


Uploading much better now.  Waiting for it to finish so I can be sure I have the correct embedded code.  I'll come back at breakfast time and update it.

My uploaded, at least my first attempt, did start before midnight.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Twelve-and-a-half hours remaining in this timezone.

It's going to be a hectic evening.  I must be careful that I don't have any last-minute disasters.  (Lots and lots of "Save As" going on.)  Must keep my head on and not lose track of what I've done lately.  Remember to account for updload time.  Try not to whine about the 700 things still on the To-Do list.

Looking forward to seeing all the last-minute entries.  I'm looking forward to a relaxing evening watching Pinhead videos, including re-watching the ones already submitted.  Ahhhh.... it'll be so nice.

I hope everyone is stocked up on popcorn.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Colour,

Great Pinhead clip.

Even though I don't have the time to spare, I watched your video while eating a snack, and I'm glad I did.  Fortunately I don't suffer from motion sickness and was able to keep the food down.  Wink

Favorite moments (while avoiding spoilers):

  • The overall look of the carnival.  So colorful and bright.  Feels like I'm there.
  • The exit from the Waltzer - My avatars sometimes walk like that even when I don't want them do
  • Ferris Wheel ride - I like the camera angle
  • Ferris Wheel exit - Can't say too much yet
  • And I laughed out loud at how Pinhead got the best of the villain (That's not a spoiler, we know Pinhead will win)

Back to my project.  Thanks again for your tireless support and your delightful clip.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Peter - Thanks for the tip.  I played around with it some initially, but it just got too "busy."  And it's a bit shiny too (which I know I can change).  But overall, it never felt right to me for that room and hallway.

@3DStory - How many days left?  I might have lost count.  Tongue

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
I have a confession to make.

I'm actually enjoying working on this crazy project.  Smile

I like working on the camera motion and framing the shot.

It's satisfying to get an avatar to move in a realistic and natural way.

I love adding the "acting" where the hands move, and sometimes I even add facial expressions.

I like the result of fixing lighting.

Although it's extremely tedious, I like the results of improving the lip sync in places.

When it all comes together, it's so satisfying to see the vision that was in my head start to appear on the screen.

My biggest downfall is the set and set decoration, and the terrain.  I'm just not into creating the world that the avatars live in.  I don't mind working on an individual prop as a stand-alone activity, but when I'm working on my movie I'd rather not have to bother with them.  I wish I had a room magically filled with "stuff" and I could just set my avatar in there and then I'd focus on being the director and camera man.

I think this will be reflected in the final product.  You'll see some sparsely decorated sets to be sure.  And even the stuff I'm enjoying will probably be inconsistent because some segments will receive a lot of attention while others will be a bit more bland (since I don't have 4 more weeks).

I would also love to do more audio.  Ambient sound, Foley effects (footsteps, etc.), and more of a soundtrack for general background music.

But anyway, I just wanted to say I'm having fun.  I better get back to it.

.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Cape - That was a GREAT trailer!

If that is any indication, we are in for a real treat this summer.

I'm still disappointed that you had to withdraw, but that's life.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Roger -

Thank you, thank you, thank you!  w00t

It's so wonderful having a classic 2D Pinhead clip.  And I really enjoyed your "Mystery Manor" references and backstory (for multiple reasons).

You put in such great "typical Pinhead" lines, like the conversation about the butler, and the line about why Pinhead should trust the kidnapper.

Thanks again.  Smile

.

I have to get back to my project.  Bye.

.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Colour,

Hi there.  Smile  Thanks for making a poster.

You may think it's amateurish, but unlike mine, at least is exists.  Tongue

Besides, it's lovely.


This probably comes as no surprise, but I think I'll forego my self-imposed goal of submitting my clip before the deadline.

I'm still busy scrubbing and cleaning and fixing.  And I need to make the credits, too.

So about 30 hours left for me...

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@3DStory,

Wow, those are great screen shots.  They're all impressive, but the second one is especially impressive to me.  Maybe it's the glass.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
animagic (6/23/2014)
Very nice, Robert. I hope it inspires the slow coaches! w00t

Ninjas!!!

Stampeding horses!!!

I am definitely inspired and motivated, but I'm still slow.  Doze

.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
RB3006 (6/23/2014)
Reminder to all latecomers ...
don´t forget to make a nice poster too

How about a crummy one?  I might be able to do that.  Tongue

I also have day-dreams of a movie trailer.  Of course, that should have been done a month or two ago, to build up the anticipation for opening day.  Wink

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
peterblood (6/23/2014)

I stick the addresses for any tute I watch in a 'iclone tutorials' folder on my desktop. I usually rename them right away if they need it to make them easier to find.

A great tip, except you have to remember it's me you're dealing with.

Step TWO is finding the tutorial you're thinking of.

Step ONE is remember that such a tutorial even exists.

Step ZERO is stopping to realize you maybe don't have to tolerate the situation.

.

I shouldn't even mention this, but as I've said before, maybe the purpose of my life is to serve as a warning to others...

When I was key framing some motions, I was fighting terribly where I move one part, and a foot or hand would move out of position.  Maybe not a lot, but enough to look unnatural.

D'oh!  I forgot about the little padlocks on the avatar "Motion" panel.  Double-D'oh!!!

It doesn't work after the fact.  So either I'd have to completely re-do an animation sequence using the handy-dandy padlocks, or manually fix the offending hand or foot, or just live with it for now.

Yeah, it was staring me right in the face, but it's always there, and I sort of became blind to it.

I did some of my best key framing without using that feature.  But I could have done it three times faster if I'd used that feature.  Triple-D'oh!!!!

.

Ah, my render is done.  Back to work.

.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
peterblood (6/22/2014)
viking: Smile

Here's a video Rampa posted a while back on exactly that same problem. A very clever solution to a troublesome head-scratcher. 

Thanks Pete.

And thanks, Rampa, for the tutorial.

I vaguely recall seeing that once upon a time.  That's one of the many challenges I iClone; remembering what you need to know, WHEN you need to know it.  Crazy

In one scene, I have Pinhead pacing back and forth.  If I have time I'll see if this technique can help.

I've also thought about being able to "move" an avatar after doing some animation, and have thought, "Gee, I should attached all my avatars to dummy objects first, and then I could easily moved them later."  It never occurred to me that I could simply link them to an object AFTER doing the animation.

I've been having a very productive weekend.  Now if only I have about 4 or 5 more of them...  Tongue

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Hi Colour.

That's too bad about having one of your rides fall apart this late into the project.  You just can't trust those fly-by-night carnivals.

I spent my evening fixing (re-creating) a short sequence that has been bothering me for a long, long time.  It's the sequence of Pinhead hitting the mailbox with the baseball bat.

It took a lot longer than I expected, but I think it turned out okay.  I estimate I spent 4 hours fixing 5 seconds of video.  (I thought it would take about 1.5 hours.)

The funny thing is several people didn't even notice what the problem was.  The "mailbox scene" was in front of a different house in a different set.  That's where I prototyped the action eons ago, and then I just spliced it into the project with my video editor.  He also didn't "follow through" on the swing of the bat, so didn't look quite right to me, and I got that fixed too.

But I figured if I change my lighting to more of a night time setting, then it would be immediately obvious to everyone that I simply spliced that clip in from another project.

So even though I didn't really make a lot of progress, it was good for my soul to finally fix that little sequence.

As an added benefit, I learned something about moving animated props from one project into another.  I'll have to make note of that.  I could make another good mini-tutorial after I've submitted my Pinhead clip.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
RB3006 (6/26/2014)

I hope, the pic is from your movie. Looks very good.

I thought it was a picture of me... lost... wandering the desert in search of a finished project.

You said it yoursef, "Looks very good."  Yup, that'd be me.  Tongue

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Busy teaching my avatars how to act.

They are slow learners.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Wallpaper...  The sample of it looked okay, but when it fills your screen it's pretty bad.  It would probably be great in a smaller room, like a bathroom, but in a large hall and an oversized office, it just didn't look so good.

I thought about sending a picture of the office wall with a window in it too, but didn't want to go overboard.  The windows were simply square holes in wall.  No frame or anything.

While it won't win any awards in an architectural magazine, the room looks a lot, lot better than it did a week ago.  My set "dressing" also won't compete with the recent clips entered, so it's a good thing I wasn't trying to do that!  But I had to do some minor fixing up for my own sanity.


Rendering...  Nope, no particle effects.  It's one of the "sample" files that come with iClone.  I can never remember if it's a sample Project, Set, or Terrain.  It plays great interractively, but it takes a long time to render.  Very baffling.

I would like to take out parts and see if I can understand what the culprit is.  Is it the trees?  The water?  But I have other projects with trees and water that render at more reasonable speeds.  Oh well, at least it renders.


By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Robert... Wow, I am really really REALLY inspired and motivated now!!!!!

Thank you so much for keeping us entertained.

I'm typing this while I re-render one of my scenes.  It's one of those that, for some mysterious reason, renders at a rate of about 3 frames per second.  Maybe I'll investigate that deeper next week.  (Maybe.)

I was going to post a couple of "progress" pictures, but mostly I'm too busy making progress.

Maybe tomorrow I'll take a few minutes and show a few before-and-after pictures of a couple of sets.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
I wanted to offer at least a small token of proof that I *am* working on the project still.

These pictures don't really do justice to how HIDEOUS the "wallpaper" was on those office walls.

It's a lot better now, and I have a little table with some chairs and a plant on it.  There is also a proper desk in the office, instead of a country kitchen table.

I'm also cleaning up a lot of little things, and am trying to focus (with mixed results) on the major issues that will bother the average viewer, rather than little details that nobody will notice.

"Oh yes, I know I'm still covered with mud and manure, but at least I trimmed my fingernails."  Crazy

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Capemedia (6/21/2014)

Sadly and with a heavy heart I will have to pull out of the competition...

To say I'm gutted is an understatement... 

My heart breaks for you.  I know how much passion people put into their projects.

I'm tempted to beg for you to share what you do have, but I know that's unfair to you.

I hope you'll be able to enjoy watching the other entries, even though it'll be bitter-sweet to see them.

I'll take solace in your commitment to finish it later, and will anticipate a summer treat when we have a new Pinhead clip to watch.

Meanwhile, travel safely, my friend.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Inch by inch... step by step... 

Sometimes quite literally step-by-step as I can't stop myself from doing some manual key framing.  When you need an avatar to take three steps, and turn in the process, iClone just doesn't seem to do that very well.

Can you imagine trying to create a "cooking show" with the chef scurrying about the kitchen?  I detest foot-sliding with a passion!  I'm not saying there wont' be any in my clip (in fact it still exists in large quantities in my opening scene), but I despise it.  And I find myself doing short walks manually.

But I am making progress.  I am completely confident that I will have a complete project to submit.  I have a couple very minor things to add, but mostly it's now a matter of working on the quality.

I can also way with a high degree of confidence that I will have the longest entry.  I won't just break the record for the longest Pinhead clip, I'm likely to shatter it.  So the challenge will be to make a movie that people will watch all the way to the end.

Less than 10 days left , people!

.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Job (Animagic),

Sigh, it was an unproductive Pinhead night for me again.  And I had such high hopes.  Oh well, I'll just have to double my efforts tomorrow.

Ah, the two-key-frames-next-to-each-other approach.  Yup, sure does sound familiar.

I know about renaming the cameras, but perhaps others don't, so thanks for mentioning that.

Each technique has its place, and a larger tool kit is always a good thing.


AN UNUSUAL TECHNIQUE FOR MULTIPLE CAMERA ANGLES OF SAME SEGMENT:

As long as I'm not in iClone working on my clip, I might as well share one other technique I used the last couple of days.

It's not efficient, but it might make sense.

I had a short sequence that I was pretty sure I wanted filmed from a couple of different angles.  Walking to the camera, over the shoulder, wider shot, etc.

The first and most obvious solution is multiple cameras, and render the project multiple times with a different camera active each time.

But I was concerned about having too much "bookkeeping" to do, especially with an inevitable panic situation looming ahead.

The sequence in question is a 5-second shot in a 90-second clip.

My main concern was when I re-render it later after I improve the set.

Do I render the whole clip every time?  Or the whole clip once, and then remember to set the start/stop points and render just that 5-second segment additional times?  I would have to remember to set the correct camera each time, and not lose track of which ones I've done and which ones I haven't.

MY ODD SOLUTION:

I don't need an "unbroken" sequence, since this involves camera "cuts" anyay.

I set up my 5-second segment, then I COPIED my Translation and Motion key frames on the timeline, and rendered the exact same segment, but this time with the camera in a new position.

The end result is that I have the same segment filmed from three different angles, but they are all in the same video file.

Now when I put wallpaper on the walls, and install wood flooring, and light the scene, I just have to render it once.  And if I'm really lazy, I can just overwrite the original rendering (after making a backup), and I don't even have to re-edit anything in my NLE.

THE RESULT?

I actually did this in a couple of places.

The main benefit is I only have ONE render with ONE output file to keep track of, instead of SIX.

And I won't accidentally render "Segment 1 Camera 2" but call the file "Segment 3 Camera 1 output" and cause all manner of confusion.

Is it an efficient use of iClone?  Not really.  And it would not be practical with many things moving on the timeline, but in this case, with just a simple avatar walking around, it was easy to do and hopefully not something I end up regretting.

.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Do Gretchen's friends have names?

I have a very eligible son...  Wink

Love the black denim "jeans" shorts on the brunette.  A perfect accent to the outfit.

.

UPDATE...

I showed this post to my "eligible son."

How shall I say this?  He, uh, politely declined their advances.


In other news, I have FINALLY gotten to spend some quality time with iClone and Studio (my NLE is Pinnacle Studio 17).

It feels so good to make some progress again.  As long as I ignore the fact that I have 5 to 7 weeks of work left to so, I can be pretty happy.

I can see the quality of my animation is likely to slip (even lower) as I struggle to work on these last few bits.  But at least I'll be able to have a complete project.

Maybe I'll consider this a rough draft, and give it a whole make-over when iClone 6 is released.


By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@3DStory,

I'm glad you asked.  I'd be more than happy to do a mini-tutorial on this in about two weeks.  But here's the text version of it.

I highlighted the main points in bold text.  (Sorry, the text-version makes it look worse than it really is.)

SETUP:

  • Consider two camera positions.
    • Maybe one for each of two avatars when they're having a conversation.
    • Two positions, but ONE CAMERA
  • At T=0 you aim at Chuck.  Call this Position A.
  • At T=5 you aim at Gwynn.  Call that Position B.

THE PROBLEM:

  • When you press Play, the camera will slowly pan from Position A to B.  Not good.

TWO-CAMERA SOLUTION:

  • Colour was talking about a two-camera solution.
  • You basically have a "Chuck-cam" and a "Gwynn-cam"
  • You use the "Switcher" to determine which camera is "on" or "active" at any given time.
    • Not difficult, but not intuitive the first time.  It's almost a hidden function.

ONE-CAMERA SOLUTION:

  • Back to the "Setup"...
  • Open the timeline
  • Display the camera on the timeline, and click on the "Transform" button
    • You will see your Key Frames at T=0 and T=5
  • Hover the mouse over the T=5 Key Frame
    • It will say "Transition Curve: Linear"
      • What does "Linear" mean?  It's mathematical.
      • At T=1, it's 1/5th of the way between Chuck and Gywnn
      • At T=2, it's 2/5th of the way
      • At T=3, it's 3/5th of the way
      • At T=4, it's 4/5th of the way
      • At T=5, it's all way to over to Gwynn
    • Other functions go faster and the beginning or faster at the end, or slower at each end but faster in the middle.
  • Right-click on the Key Frame
    • Select "Transition Curve" and then "Step"
  • Set the scrubber back to the beginning and press Play again

WHAT HAPPENS AND WHY:

  • Now the camera stays aimed at Chuck for the first 5 seconds.
  • Then it instantly "jumps" to Gwynn at T=5
  • Think of it as a digital clock, and the numbers (the position) instantly change from 1:17pm to 1:18 pm.  It is not a gradual change.  That is what a "step" function is.

A NEAT TRICK:

  • Now you can easily re-use the camera positions.
  • Ctrl-Drag (to COPY) the Key Frame from T=0 to T=8.
    • You will have to set the Transition to Step again, because you are moving the first one, which was auto-generated, and they all default to "Linear"
  • And Ctrl-Drag the one from T=5 to T=10
    • It's already been set to "Step" so you don't have to change that
  • Press play.
    • You will "cut" back and forth between the two characters at T=0, 5, 8, and 10.

DID THAT MAKE SENSE:

If so, then have fun cutting between different camera setups with a single camera.

I find this to be easier and less confusing than keeping track of multiple cameras in most (but not all) cases.

"Easy-peasy."  Smile

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
colour (6/17/2014)
Working on Dodgems Ride Scene Animation at the mo. Hiding stuff & moving Path control points to prevent cars from disappearing into each other. First time I'll be using Camera Switch, which is easier than I thought. Switching Cameras is a useful way of masking the cars colliding, except when intended.

@Colour,

Looking good.

If it were my project, you'd probably see people sitting on top of boxes, moving around on a gray plane.  But with the intention of replacing the boxes with cars and the plane with a proper floor.

When I first started doing "camera editing," I used "Camera Switch" almost exclusively.  I still do use it in a couple of places.  But for most of my camera edits, I've since found it easier to use a single camera with the STEP FUNCTION for the TRANSITION CURVE.  Visually it looks the same.

As always, it's nice to have both options available.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
I made progress last night!  I made progress last night!

It's still in the "hideously ugly" stage, even by my standards, but I made progress.

So far we're still in the "double-digit" number of days left.  But not for long.  At least I'm still counting the remaining days, not the hours yet.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Ahroo (6/13/2014)

...you can access it at: http://youtu.be/_vjBKdLsoW4.

And a quick note to Dennis: Pinhead's hair "trick" in the scene you mentioned was put there just for you because I know just how much you enjoy it! BigGrin

Laura (Ahroo)

Awww, that was so thoughtful.  I've always been a fan of your style.  Thanks again for a wonderful entry.


PS - I can't calculate how many hours I spent on it, but I know it was in the many hundreds for sure!

It showed.  Wonderful work.  And thank you for keeping 2D Pinhead alive.  I had plans for some small 2D cameo appearances, but I don't think they'll happen.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Ahroo (Laura),

Magnifique!!!

Bravo!!!

I am so glad you got your project submitted.

Great story... loved the music throughout... loved the acting (like Alura's agitated foot tapping)... and the directing, such as when Pinhead is doing something (kept secret for now), and his back is to us so we can't see what he's doing, so we are full of suspense.

Congratulations on a job well done.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
gerskey (6/13/2014)

I personally cannot enter this yearSad

Oh, that is so sad.  I'm sure you would have, if you could.  A loss to us all.

"Peace" right back to you.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
colour (6/14/2014)
RB3006 (6/14/2014)
The Welcome Comitee is waiting for slow coaches ...BigGrin

Hope, the Girls can  motivate you"

If they're presenting the Awards at the Awards Ceremony, I'm glad I'm not in the running for one, Robert

LOL.

Really, LOL.

My son came over and asked, "What's so funny?"  See?  I really was LOL-ing.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
3DStory (6/15/2014)

This slow coach animated all weekend until his eyes dropped out...

Glad to hear it.

Not about your eyes dropping out, but glad you got project work accomplished.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
longcross (7/30/2014)
Hello PinPals! Are you ready for the awards? Sure you are. Why not? So click that link below and get the show on the road. Congratulations everyone.

2014 Kidnapped Golden Pinhead Awards

Ah... so The Committee is full of surprises too!

Great awards ceremony.

Congratulations to all the award winners... (more on that at a later time).

And what I've said a zillion times... THANK YOU to all the participants for such wonderful creations and such marvelous additions to the Pinhead legacy.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
animagic (7/31/2014)
EDIT: One question, how does it work with the prize assignments?

13 prizes... everyone is a winner!!!  (That's the committee's surprise I was referring to in my previous post.)

For the first seven:

  • 1st place winner gets first pick
  • 2nd place winner gets second pick...
  • 7th place winner gets seventh pick

Then, if I understood this correctly:

  • Six runners up will be put in order by random drawing
  • So I assume that means...
  • 1st runner up gets 8th pick
  • 2nd runner up gets 9th pick...
  • 6th runner up gets 13th and final pick

The extra prizes sure were a delightful surprise, and a real testament to the hard work the committee puts in behind the scenes, working with the software companies and making things like that happen.  It's also wonderful that the companies are willing to support our obsession (err, Pinhead projects).

The "winner gets first pick" is a great method for awarding the prizes.  In the earlier projects, prizes were arranged by actual or perceived value, and the "biggest prize" was awarded to the 1st place winner.  But often times the winner would already have that software, and might actually prefer the 4th place prize, so much trading and commotion (and extra work for the committee) would result.  This has been a great solution to that dilemma.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
colour (7/29/2014)
                                           ANOTHER TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE:

The first Awards Show now showing; http://www.pinheadhq.com/welcome.php

No iClone then. It was created using Pinhead's original 2D Image, CrazyTalk & AnimationFactory Characters. 

Thanks for the memory, Brian. I remember it like yesterday. Smile

The "assignment" of that first project was to show people where we were from. 

We sure have gone a long ways, haven't we?  What a growth in production quality.

It was fun reliving some of the inside jokes that kept us busy on the forums.  (Spurtle... stolen canoe... flashlights and batteries... etc.)

It was especially fun seeing the excerpts from the clips (starting around 10:20).

I still remember the surprise and thrill when I got second place.  Once they got past the 4th place winner, I had resigned myself to not winning anything.  Look at the monster you created.  Years later, here I am, still a rabid Pinhead fan!!!  Smile  My family still references that horrible escalator accident at the end of my clip (at 17:42).

Wow!  KFDaddy's winning entry (at 18:45) really passes the test of time.  It is still fun to watch, and very well done even by today's standards.  Congratulations again.

Since that first entry, I've won a couple additional awards... but those are the exceptions.  However, I have NEVER left a project empty handed.  Learning more about the tools and storytelling, enjoying everyone's clips, and making new friends.  Every Pinhead project has been a wonderful experience.

Thanks again for the flashback.

.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
jlittle (7/29/2014)
Hmm, I just happened to look at the Pinhead Project Signup page (for Kidnapped) but don't see my name there. Angry
I guess because I signed up at the last minute and the list never got updated. Crying

At least you got your entry submitted (before mine, showoff), and it was included in the voting.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Alley (7/30/2014)
Hi all,

The awards show is very close to completion. Smile

Oooo... exciting.

It is a black tie affair again, isn't it?

I better pick up my tux from the drycleaners today.  I'll make sure my wife gets her diamonds cleaned so they sparkle in the bright lights.  When the camera pans across the audience, we want to fit in with the rest of the glitterati.

I don't have a red carpet at home.  Hmm, I wonder if a series of green screens (from Pinacle Studio purchases) would be an adequate substitute?

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
I'm busy post-padding tonight.

I finally wrapped up version 1.1 of my project entry.  There were some last-minute errors I introduced the last day of the project and didn't notice until I calmed down and watched my video again the next day.

THE BIGEST FIX IS:

  • I completed a 30-second scene that I was horrified to discover I had not actually created, and I filled the gap with a still shot and some subtitles (and it resulted in a jarring cut-off of my already-rare ambient sound).  That's at 27:36 and is about 30-seconds long, if you want to see the biggest change.
    • I needed to have that clip in the video, since that had the reason for Pinhead going back into the theater and confronting the villain.

Other fixes include:

  • An anticipated fix to my NLE also arrived (a week late - sigh), and re-rendering scenes in my NLE got rid of the audio "stutters" you could hear in the music in several places.  I also worked around a still existing audio bug that causes a "crackle" (to the older people it sounds like the static on a vinyl LP record).  I knew how to work around it, but missed it in several places.
  • There were two places where my captions where significantly out of sync (by 2 to 10+ seconds) because I trimmed out some video and forgot to move the title overlays in my NLE.
  • I added "grunts" when the villain gets clobbered, and changed his audio just before he goes over the cliff.
  • Pinhead's eyes close - like they USED TO - after he gets hit by the car.  That was due an iClone bug (fixed in v6, so I'm told) where eyelid keyframes don't reposition correctly.  I fought that several times, and seemed to forget to re-fix that every third time or so.  Naturally I missed it on the final render for the project submission.
  • As long as I was at it, I refined a few camera cuts, but nothing you'd really notice without a side-by-side comparison.  I also added a bit more ocean background sound, increased some of Pinhead's dialogue volume (my Audacity microphone volume was set low one day), fixed a typo and an oversight in the credits, little things like that.

I don't think there's anything here that would affect the voting, and since that closes in a few hours anyway, I'm comfortable sharing this now.

I'm still dreaming of working on v2.0 to refine additional skills anticipation of the next Pinhead project.  Wink

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Yeah, all this waiting gave me time to ponder the irony:

  • Project deadline... Extend!  Extend!
  • Voting deadline... Extend!  Extend!
  • GPA ceremony... Hurry hurry hurry!!!!

I'm enjoying the Pinhead pictures while I practice hiding my impatience.  Wink

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Pinhead to Gretchen:  "It's not so much impatience as it is eager anticipation.  And would you please put on a wrap?  This is a public forum, and you're my sister for crying out loud."


Hmm, not sure if that comes across right in the written format.  It's meant to be some wry humor.  Pinhead is having trouble dealing with his sister being in a bikini.  Sisters and daughters should not wear bikinis.


Keep the pictures coming.  I'm enjoying all of them.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Hoo-whee!  Is it just me, or is it getting warm in here?  Tongue
By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
I considered suggesting that it's soon time for Pinhead's conscience to make an appearance.  But I thought to myself, "No, no... better not."

Oh great, now I need a visit from MY conscience.  Crazy

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Certificates:

  • I received my "Certificate of Appreciation" via email
  • It is much appreciated

Prizes:

  • Thanks for your continued efforts in this area

Project 9:

  • Somebody had to say it first...
  • I'm already curious what the next project will be
  • Whatever it is, I'm sure it'll be grand, educational, fun, and will be full of lots of wonderful entries

.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Alley (7/31/2014)
Ok, 2nd place can now choose - Bolded and in Green prizes are taken.  Please send me a PM with your choice.

You certainly have a large task ahead of you.  Thanks for taking on that Herculean effort.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
jlittle (8/1/2014)
It would be interesting to find out how many participated in the voting.
Anybody know how many people voted?

I can say with confidence, "Somewhere between five and six million."

(Not to be confused with, "Somewhere between five million and six million."  Tongue )

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
.

@Alley,

Thank you for all your hard work on taking care of the prizes.  It is very much appreciated.

.

Oh, sure, we all say the prizes are NOT the reason we love the Pinhead projects... because it's true.  But they are appreciated very much, and your hard work is noticed.

.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
I almost missed this...

Now over 50,000 views!!!

Contrary to what Colour will claim, 95% of them are not mine.  However, I might be personally responsible for 50% of the words.  Tongue

I am so proud of Pinhead.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Job (Animagic),

Thanks for both the kind words and the honest feedback.

I was very excited to bring something "never done before" to my Pinhead project.  It came with unique challenges but was also a lot of fun.

There are only a few places in my project that I seriously cringe over (mostly the "gunshot" scene before the confrontation with the villain), some I'm totally pleased with (some animation, some writing), and then of course there the bazillion things I'd like to refine and clean up (lighting, background sounds and music, and on and on).

Thanks again for the comments.


P.S.

D'oh!  Just yesterday I noticed that in spite of my careful bookkeeping I have one small updated clip that didn't make it into the final project.  When Viking is opening the door to the theater, I gave him a lock pick and lined up his hand with the keyhole better.  I wonder how I forget to put that update in the final project.  I'll have to review my notes.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
I sat on the couch with my wife this morning and we watched several Pinhead entries together while having our coffee.  I have seen them all as they were posted, but my wife had not.

We really enjoyed them, and my wife really enjoyed the variety.  We only got through about four of them, and she has already commented on how each one is special and wonderful in its own way, and how difficult it would be to be a judge.

So Thank you," and "Well done," to everyone again.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
gizmo (7/5/2014)
I do not think I've ever seen 101 pages in a thread before so I thought I would add to the 'history' by saying Good Luck to all the entries.

Welcome to the party!  Smile

.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
 LAUGH FOR THE DAY

My daughter (the one who did the Alura voice acting for me) just noticed an ironic error in my credits.

Apparently my son created custom props using Blunderw00t

So... if you need a good blunder in your project, just contact me or "Propnosticator" and we'll help make sure you have the best blunders, large or small.

Oy.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
moviemaniac (7/6/2014)
L am so sorry guys . it'S ABOUT MY COMPUTER I KEEPS OVERHEATING . I WILL UPLOAD IT AS SOON THAT I HAVE CHANCE TO TRANSFER MY HARD DRIVE TO A NEW COMPUTER . GOOD LUCK TO ALLL THE PARTICIPANT .I WAS BZ WITH MY JOB AND NEVER HAVE CHANCE TO WATCH THE ENTRIES YET .

Oh, that's bad news.

As an interim solution, here are a couple of things to try, if you haven't already:

  • Open the case, and point a room fan at it
  • Be sure the CPU fan is spinning
  • Get a can of compressed air and blow out dust

Those should help.

Keep us posted, and I am also looking forward to seeing your video.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
animagic (7/11/2014)
Thanks, Viking, for your comments and for taking the time to critique our entries.

You're very welcome.  It was my pleasure.

I have the impression that this "contest" is special because of the camaraderie and the willingness to help each other out.

Agreed.  Smile

I'm sorry that we lost several participants due to various circumstances, but I think we still ended up with solid collection of clips. As Colour commented in another thread, there is often too much discussion about technique and not enough about story. Here we see iClone in action as story-telling tool.

Very well said.

I'm leaving for vacation on Monday, but I'll try to vote somehow. If voting is open for a while then I will be able to do it from my destination.

I hope you have a great time, and come home with some stories to share.  Travel safely and have fun.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Timing can be a funny thing.  For several days, I’ve been intending to re-comment on each of the videos.  Since we haven’t voted yet, I guess there’s still time.

I’m going to do one post for each “row” on the Project 8 web page.

I’m going to do “positive-only” comments.  What were some of my favorite parts, or things I thought were particularly well done.  After the voting is done, if any of the creators want constructive criticism I’ll be happy to share additional thoughts.

SPOILER ALERTS…  I’m going to assume everyone has seen all the videos at least once, so I don’t have to worry about ruining surprises.

I’ll be rendering a WMV formatted file for uploading to the Project 8 website this weekend.  Hopefully I don’t overheat the internet.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Here are some comments I have for "Row 1"...




Kidnapped by pinuintje
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=db59t5B4k_E

You might be the first person to have an on-screen narrator.  That was a unique and creative addition.

Very nice rain, complete with lightning and sound (rain and thunder).  I liked that the rainstorm sound continued in the background even after he got into the house.

Nice helicopter prop.  Wow, Pinhead is rich.  Cool.  I liked the way you have people open doors at the touch of a button.  That was a nice solution for animating an avatars interacting with props.

The “blub blub blub” sound when the helicopter sunk was so sad.  A nice touch, but so sad.

Great plot twist, seeing Alura in Villain’s arms.  Great second plot twist of it being a dream.

The “swimming Pinhead” at the credits was very whimsical and made me smile.



Pinhead to the Rescue - Saving Alura by Gregsin (develsden)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQxfYQetV5w

Such a beautiful opening shot.  Patient camera work.  Wonderful set.

I love your reference back to the “Final Wish” project.  Pinhead turned out to be very clever, wishing for his very own genie.

Very good animation of Alura tied up and struggling.

I think my favorite part was Pinhead’s progression of better and better transportation.  Walking, then a child’s tricycle, then a bike, and finally an ice cream truck.  Very funny.  I loved it.

Speaking of loving it… “I love ice cream.”  Funny line.

Speaking of lines… excellent voice acting throughout.

Good background sounds and music.  Very good camera work and editing too.

Lastly, I enjoyed the surprise at the end, where Alura is Pinhead’s genie.  Didn’t recognize her in her “civilian” clothes.



Kidnapped by Lynn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srUi0Xreg1s

It’s always a delight to see the different styles people bring to their project, and this one had such a happy feeling to it, enhanced by the cheerful background music.

You did a great job of telling a story without dialogue.  Villain in the car with the photograph.  Pinhead, the incurable romantic, with his heart beating as he meets a new girl.  That variety of styles and techniques is one of the wonderful aspects of these projects.

I like the way Pinhead saves the day, using every tool at his disposal.  In this case, an ice cream cone.

How many cops got out of that police car?  That was pretty funny.

A romantic slow-motion run toward a warm embrace.  Awww, so sweet.  You never know how things will end up with Pinhead, but this time he gets the girl.  Yay!



The Diabolical Dimensional Dilemma by Granny J
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dGCB3dHlKM

When the clip starts with such a strong alliteration, you can expect you’re about to be entertained.

Pinhead’s narration was nicely done.  Clever solution to the “dirty face” issue.

The whole story concept was extremely unique and creative.  You did a wonderful job of presenting it in your video.  The villain isn’t actually the villain.  That was a fun twist.  Having Alura’s dad show up was a good surprise too.

Nice musical selections.



The Lost Client by animagic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY3Xfv1Dnek

The number-one thing that stood out to me in your clip was the “production quality” of the video.  The richly decorated sets and the lighting were stunning.  The sheer quantity of high-quality items in your sets was mind boggling.  I think that stood out to me even more than usual because “lighting and set design” was something I wanted to work on in my own entry (but once again, did not).

Very good looking Pinhead.  I think you gave your avatar a make-over, right?

The kidnapper watching cartoons.  Very stereotyped, and also very funny.

I liked the story too.  Alura was a client, and part of a much larger plot.  Pinhead and his “assistant” Franciska  get together at the end.  That was wonderful.




By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
wires (7/22/2014)
It is quite obvious to me now that my comments were completely out of place regarding extensions. I unreservedly withdraw those comments and apologise to all that have found them offensive.

Gerry,

a) Your comments were not "completely out of line" at all  In fact, I can fully understand your frustration.  And I was concerned that I unfairly added to it.

b) Not offensive at all.  There were no personal attacks or anything in your post that anyone should find offensive.

We all take our turn being upset, disappointed, over-worked, irritated, tired, grumpy, or a bit rash.  Sometimes we just fail to chose our words carefully in our haste to post.

It looks like once again love and peace has spread across the Pinhead thread.

.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
I understand deadlines, and am okay with them.

Obviously, one of the downsides of extending deadlines is that people get used to it, and it becomes expected.

When this project deadline was extended, I appreciated it, but was surprised at how long it was extended for.  Somehow I still managed to put myself in a time crunch, but that's my own problem.  I would have loved to have stretched my submission back another 18 hours to correct a few last-minute errors, but I felt it was important to enter it by midnight (local time) on the due date.  So even with "easy to fix" glitches, I uploaded what I had.

I know I'm being repetitive: I'm not asking for a voting extension.  And by lack of other people expressing a similar frustration, it appears to be "just me."

What to do in the future?  Simple:

  1. Propose a deadline when the project is announced
  2. Vet it with the core community, soluciting feedback based on the time of year and the description of the project
  3. Publish a deadline and stick to it

We always have the traditional, "What timezone?" question.  If it's 8:00 P.M Pacific time (GMT -8 or whatever), we can all do the math.  Someone will narrowly miss the deadline (and based on history, that's likely to be me), but stiking to hard once will send the message for future projects.  (How to do that, and still be "friendly" is thorny, but at least it's fair.)  But I'm getting ahead of the situation.


I almost deleted my post this morning (or nulled it out by replacing the text with something else).  Maybe I should have.


So... back to the happy place...

LOVED the project concept.

LOVED working on my submission.

LOVED watching all the entries.

APPRECIATE the hard work the committee puts in, largely unseen.

LOOKING FORWARD to the GPA presentation.

ALREADY LOOKING FORWARD to the next project.  w00t

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Brian,

I do plan to give away one secret (via a mini-tutorial) sometime in the next few days.

HEY EVERYONE... Have you checked out the Pinhead Site lately?  There's a "flashback" video on the home page.  Cool.

www.PinheadHQ.com

About half an hour from now I'll have a little clip to help pass the time.

Meanwhile... EVERYONE VOTE!!!!!!

.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
For your entertainment (30 seconds of it anyway)...

When I first considered my "musical" approach to Project 8, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get the characters to sing.  Could I reasonably synchronize their mouths with the music?

Here is my proof-of-concept, which I never shared publicly because I wanted to keep my approach secret:

Pinhead Project 8 - Kidnapped..... Proof-of-concept from justaviking on Vimeo.

Remember my other "progress" postings, like when Pinhead shoved Alura to the ground?  He looked so mean, but it makes total sense now that you have it in context.  I'm such a tease.  Wink

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Thanks, GrannyJ.  That list will be useful as I watch the videos one more time.

It will be fun to watch ALL the videos again.  I enjoy every one, every time.  Good luck to everyone.

I was busy yesterday working on v1.1 of my entry.  I thought I'd do this a couple days after the deadline.  I'm finally fixing some miscellaneous "technical errors," several of which were introduced in my haste on the last evening.  Things such as moving Closed Captions back into their right place and correcting a camera angle or two.

The only "substantive fix" I'm doing for v1.1 is to fill in the missing scene where Pinhead and Alura hear the gunshots, and then Pinhead rushes off to help Viking.

I am also re-rendering several scenes in my NLE (Studio) because a new patch came out that fixed the audio glitch.  When you hear a stutter or double-strike on the music, that wasn't because of my music editing, it was Studio stuttering when a fade-in/out transition or title was encountered.

I still have visions of doing a major overhaul (v2.0) where I will work on the lighting, put in background music in numerous places, enhance my terrain for the Theater set (a better road, more trees, etc.), and maybe enhance a couple of scenes.  I want to do that because one of my major goals was to do a proper job of lighting for a change, and I still need to go through that learning curve.  I also need to add more debris in Pinhead's yard and address other details like that.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
These are the "categories" that were posted earlier:

  • Pick a Favorite Poster
  • Character relations -Optional-
  • Best Facial Expressions and or Gestures -Optional-
  • Best Sound -Optional-
  • Best Music -Optional-
  • Best Technical (editing)
  • Best Comedy
  • Best Drama
  • Best Screenplay (Story)
  • Best Picture (overall)

What are the other 6 or so questions?  Things like suggestions for the next project?

I still haven't voted yet (sigh... got busy with other things... sigh).  This is going to be tough.  I only have a couple that I'm fairly certain about.  Maybe two... yeah, the voting will be sweet agony.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Per the Pinhead site:
  • Latest News 7/12/14: Voting has begun...
  • Voting will run about a week minimum. We will warn you before the it ends.

As Colour (not an official committee member) commented:

  • "2) Website states that this W/E is the "Minimum" time to vote. "

Alley (7/21/2014)
Just a reminder that the vote closes tonight, I presume midnight California time. Smile

Thanks to all who voted and if you haven't, you've got a few more hours.

At the risk of complaining... the "week minimum" seems to be 8 days.  Okay, but 5 1/2 HOURS is not a lot of warning.

I would have expected a Friday evening or Saturday afternoon warning that it closes Sunday night. 



The next morning...

Sorry, I was a bit grumpy last night.  It had been a long day and exhausting day, and I was tired.

Since then I also found this post by Alley:

  • "Please help us by voting.  It will be available til the end of next weekend but we'll keep you posted."

I guess that post, which I overlooked, was clear and unambiguous.

I'm less grumpy this morning, but I do still wish the "Latest News" update on the web site had been equally unambiguous.

I had intended to have a "movie night" with my wife where we make notes and discuss the entries before making our independent votes.  We knew our weekend was going to be busy, but the exact schedule was up in the air until the last minute.  We would have made a greater if I had fully realized it was shutting down Sunday night.  My mistake, I guess.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
wires (7/21/2014)
Why do we always have to extend published deadlines for the contest? Nobody else seems to get pestered into doing it.

I did downgrade from complaining to merely whining.

The two things that stuck out at me were:

  • The News blog on the Pinhead site stated a "minimum" voting time (not "maximum")
    • Which is not exactly the same as a published "hard" deadline in my opinion
  • We were told that we'd receive warning before the vote was taken down...
    • I guess I assumed that meant a few DAYS warning, not HOURS

I was miffed at being caught by surprise late last night when I got home.

Yes, this morning I do see that Alley's post did say "till the end of next weekend" which was clear, but I guess I overlooked that detail in that one post, and went to the Pinhead site where it was still open-ended.

I don't want to put a stain on the end of the wonderful and beautiful Pinhead project.  I don't want this blown out of proportion and I don't want to make the hardworking committee to feel bad.  But I did want to communicate how I was caught off guard.  Maybe it was just me.

I'm not angry.  Just temporarily frustrated.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Sadly I’m already on the last of three rows.  The project participation was good, but sadly we had a couple people run into unfortunate circumstances.  Hopefully we’ll see them participate in the next project.

I (and others) always say the best part of the Pinhead projects is the participation.  And it is so true.  I have genuinely ENJOYED and APPRECIATED each and every project.  The variety is always so amazing; both in terms of technical approach (2D, 3D, camera work, editing, etc.) and storytelling (comedy, drama, and everything in between).

So without further ado…


Here are my comments for “Row 3”…



Mr. & Mrs. Pinhead by 3D Story
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlJia-KLXgs

You have some high standards to live up to, based on prior work we’ve seen.  Let’s just say you delivered once again.

I liked the black-and-white flash back at the beginning.  When Pinhead gets dragged away, and his arms move out, it shows a wonderful attention to detail.

The opening credit sequence was stunning.

I liked the way you “smudged” Alura’s skin, making it dirty.  Her big “escape move” was really cool.  Both the move itself, and the change between real-time and slow-motion.  It was very well done.

“Swipe to blow”?  An app to explode camel bombs?  That was funny.  And the camel head landing right by Pinhead after a pause, complete with one last bleat, was pretty funny.

Okay, it’s time to talk about your spin-off of Mr. & Mr. Smith.  The whole concept was brilliant and excellently executed.

I loved your music.  It was very effective and appropriate.

Line of the day… “Female assassins are hot.”  Followed by several other contenders, such as, “I knew she was feisty,” and “Katniss Everdeen?” and “She has a nice pair of… shoes,” and of course, “(Pinhead asks) Where did you hide that?  (Alura replies) Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Was that a bat?  Oh yeah, Pinhead’s wicked with a bat, isn’t he?

I like your dialogue that tied in with the original movie.  The way he calls her, “Baby” and the references to knives and cooking.  Truly a delight for fans of the original without being “in the way” or confusing to those who have not seen the original.

Thanks for a great entry.




Kidnapped by jlittle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wWnFdsbkMg

Are you sure this is your first Pinhead entry?  It was great!  You sure found a creative way to reference a prior project, which was a real tribute to that project since you hadn’t participated in it.

I’ve commented on funny lines for other entries, especially some funny “villain” lines.  But your phone conversation with Pinhead and the villain make me laugh every time.  Each time the phone rings you just wonder, “What’s going to happen this time?”

Best line:  “Or else!”  Lots of lines vying for second place.

I loved Pinhead driving through the desert, looking for the lamp.  Just when you figure he’s done, he comes driving past again.  Sometimes you have to do something “too much” to make a joke out of it, but you don’t want to overdo it and ruin the fun.  You got it just right.

The whole idea of tricking the villain to not have his wish overheard was a strong of absolute brilliance.  Pinhead and the genie collaborating; who would have guessed?  And Pinhead even got his place fixed up as a gift; that was a nice touch.

So Pinhead was breaking Alura’s things, just so he could go to her place to fix them?  Sly dog.  I’m so happy Alura has noticed him and appreciates him now.  Holding hands at the end.  Awww, that’s so sweet.

Thanks again for participating, and I’m already impatiently looking forward to your next video.




The Measure of a Man by Justaviking
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n23MJ3jaKtM

Should I comment on my own video?  Oh sure, why not.

My number one thing I’m happy with is that I was able to pull off (I think) the concept of using some of my favorite music to help tell the story.  It made for some interesting challenges in the writing, but that was part of the fun.

There are three animations I’m most proud of.  One is Alura interacting with the Villain, such as when he holds her hand to his heart.  Another is Pinhead on the ledge, especially going around the corner and his foot slipping.  The other is when Alura gets up to crawl to Pinhead after the hit-and-run incident.  (The “crawling” segment is where I had a crash while saving, so I had to redo most of that a second time, and I think parts of it were smoother the first time, but I’m still pleased with it.)

Favorite line?  Maybe when Viking says, “Just move on,” and "Let the other dude have her."  I’ve had good “shock combined with laughter” reactions to that.

I could fill pages with “critique” but I wanted to keep these posts focused on the positive, so I’ll apply that same standard to my entry as well (until after the voting).


Thanks again to everyone.  I’ve thoroughly enjoyed each and every entry.  You should all be very proud of your work.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Colour - Thanks for the entertaining music to help pass the time.

@Arie - I like your trophy.  I started making a 3D "Golden Pinhead" statue one time, but my artistic talents were inadequate.  You've inspired me with a fresh idea.  Thanks.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
I always feel like every entry deserved pages of praise (and we all know I'm capable of typing that much).  It's also hard to type the same amount for each entry, but due to varying lengths and other considerations, it's impossible to type the same number of words for each entry.  But that doesn't necessarily imply that I liked one video more than the other.


Here are my comments for "Row 2"...



Pinhead in the One Million Dollar Man by RB3006
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJpzahRY05Q

This is another entry with beautiful sets highlighted with very nice lighting.  As I've mentioned multiple times before, that is something I've really come to appreciate.  I didn't get it done in my project, but maybe next time.

I really enjoyed the “title overlays” that are inserted from time-to-time.  Very amusing, and they add a very fun and lighthearted style to the video.

Lots of nice little details, like the mice crossing the street and Pinhead nervously wiggling his fingers (1:35).

He looks much more manly riding the scooter in this movie than he does in mine.  Maybe it’s the tuxedo and James Bond music.

You sure put in a lot of background characters.  The really enhanced the scenes.  Lots of wonderful props, too, like the roulette wheel and things on the desks in the casino office.

I still say “Junior” is the creepiest and most disturbing bad guy in Project 8.  And speaking of disturbing, I have to admit Pinhead’s conscience “Waltraud” sort of grew on me.

Pinhead picking out an outfit to wear (9:30-10:00) was a riot, especially his final selection.

The pool table was a nice addition, especially when it distracts Pinhead from him mission.  He’s such a Pinhead.

And a romantic ending.  A great ending to a great entry.




Be Careful What You Say by The Mythical Dragon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDlGP6TheiM

The number one thing I have to say is… this is one of those videos you have to immediately watch a second time.  The revelation that Pinhead is Alura’s father was so touching, and that makes the video so different to watch the second time through.  As a parent, I found it to be very touching and had to immediately show it to my wife.  Then I had to email my daughters and tell them to watch it.

Specific moments of delight begin with Pinhead “Singing in the rain.  “La la la.”

All the voice acting was wonderful, yours included.  All your kids should be very proud of their contribution.  (I think your villain has the second-best evil laugh in the competition.  The funny thing about my villain is he really laughs like that in normal conversation, and that scares me now.)

Lots of great writing.  I really liked the contrast between the villain’s “narration” and Pinhead’s klutzy behavior.  “Are we talking about the same Pinhead?  He couldn’t find his way out of a cardboard box.”

The tie-in with Lord of the Rings was very well done.  The “most precious” ring was very funny.  You even had the right “look” for the titles.

And then of course when Pinhead saves Alura it is very touching.  Alura crying over him after the explosion is very emotional, and very well acted by your daughter.



Perdu est Disparu (Perdu is Missing) by Ahroo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vjBKdLsoW4

I appreciate your conviction regarding violence against women.  As the father of three grown daughters I can understand that.

Thank you for keeping 2D Pinhead alive.  Your entries are always appreciated, and I know I am not alone in looking forward to them every time.

You sure did write a mystery of international scope.  I like your cast of unique and interesting characters.  Nice music choices, too.  They really enhanced the various settings.  That was nicely done.

I like the way Pinhead gets in over his head, trying to masquerade as a dog groomer, and that shivery dog in the background makes me laugh every time.  Alura was quite clever to make Pinhead’s grooming disaster look like a new fad.

You also did a wonderful job with all the costumes.  You duplicated Alura’s “Project 8” shirt, and even Pinhead’s dog-grooming shirt had his logo on it.



A Blast from the Past by RogRead
http://vimeo.com/99423485

Ah, Roger, a truly classic 2D Pinhead.  Thank you.

I like the way he talks out loud to himself, sharing all this thoughts with us.  I really deviated from that stereotypical personality trait in my entry, so I really enjoyed and appreciated you having it in your video.

The reference to Mystery Manor was so wonderful.  Since I also brought back a character (Viking) from that project, I took extra delight.  Pinhead tiptoeing through the kitchen reminded me of him sneaking around the theater in my project, so I found that particularly amusing.

The argument over Digit and John Doe was funny.  (People who are newer to Pinhead should go back and see some of those Mystery Manner entries.)

You wrote one of the best conversations between Pinhead and the kidnapper:

  • Pinhead:  “How do I know you’ll let her go?”
  • Kidnapper:  “You have my word as a gentleman and a kidnapper.”
  • Pinhead:  “Oh, that’s good enough for me.”

Thanks again for a classic entry.




Kidnapped by Colour
http://vimeo.com/99550055

Another entry with a strong and distinctive personality.  Colour brings such a unique style to the Pinhead projects.

I like the idea of masquerading as the villain.  Very clever way to get some money.  The running joke with Boo was pretty funny too, especially the way Pinhead pauses and looks right into the camera to talk directly to us.  A favorite line is, “It’s a pity he didn’t do that earlier; he could have extinguished the fire.”

Nice, happy music.  The opening music was wonderful, and then was exceeded by the perfect carnival music.  I should just play that in the background from time to time.  I think it’s physically impossible to listen to that music and be in a bad mood at the same time.

All the carnival rides were wonderfully done.  The bright colors lit up my monitor in such a delightful way.  Somehow, and I don’t know how, I immediately knew Pinhead and Boo were wearing parachutes when they were on the Ferris Wheel.

I know you struggled with all the avatars on the various rides, and I’m glad you got it to work.  It all looked great.

The way they captured the villain in the animal cart was a perfect ending.

Thanks for thinking of Mike in your credits.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Alley (7/13/2014)
Well, it appears that the vote is up for the Golden Pinhead Awards.  So, if you go to www.pinheadhq.com and there is a link near the top left where you click to vote.

Please note that not all the questions are mandatory to move on.  There are 16 questions total and it will indicate whether it is a mandatory question in red. 

Please help us by voting.  It will be available til the end of next weekend but we'll keep you posted.

Does anyone have a list of all 16 questions?  I saw a list once of about 8 or 10 categories, but not all 16 questions (which includes the optional ones).

I plan to vote on Saturday, most likely.  Maybe tonight if I get overly ambitious.

And it's open to EVERYONE, right?  You don't have to be a participant.  You only have to be a Pinhead fan.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@RB...

Thanks for the Pinhead clip.  Yup, that's Pinhead, alright.  His heart is in the right place, but things have a habit of not working out.

Great job.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Roger,

I am truly saddened to hear about your loss.

As Colour said, we are an extended family here, and my thoughts and prayers go out for you.  I hope you're able to surround yourself with loved ones who care for you and can help get you through this difficult time.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
I'm a bit late in loudly announcing the obvious...

Pinhead thread now exceeds 60,000 views!!!

Congratulations to all the Pinhead fans.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
colour (8/10/2014)
sjonesdc (8/10/2014)
Finally from Siberia (for a short period) and wanted to say

CONGRATUALTIONS TO THE WINNERS AND ALL OF THE PARTICIPANTS!!!!!"

Thanks, Sharon Smile Kiss

We're all so sorry you couldn't make the extended deadline Crying

Maybe you could finish it & submit as a "Fun" Clip, sometime? Smile

.

Totally agree.  Sorry you had to miss out, but would love to see a clip from you, just for fun.

.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago

I got my Serif DrawPlus X6 installed today.

First reaction.... I like it!!!  Smile

GIMP is fine for "fuzzy" art, but at least in my hands, not good at all for anything with shapes.  MS Paint is of course exceedingly limited.  DrawPlus is great because I can easily make straight lines, triangles, ovals... and text too.  It supports pressures, too, so I can hardly wait to try it with my Wacom Bamboo tablet and pen.

I've only touched it for 15 minutes or so, I'm feeling very ENTHUSIASTIC.

Thank you, Serif, for supporting our Pinhead project.

.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
.

Thinking about Project 9

When I was working on Project 8, I kept my unique "musical" approach top-secret.

But I'm sure you're very curious about what I will come up with for the next project.  This is your lucky day.  I will reveal my plans to you.

I had a lot of fun being "dramatic" and it was fun (and somewhat liberating) to use a live voice actor for Pinhead so he could be more expressive (even if it was me doing it).

But I also miss "the old Pinhead."

My plan for next time is to return to Pinhead's core personality as the hapless-yet-plucky guy he is.  I also intend to use his traditional TTS voice.

And maybe best of all, I really expect I create will a much short video next time.  Smile

By justaviking - 9 Years Ago
Alley (1/14/2015)
I can confirm that "talks are well in progress" for next project.

Woo hoo!!!!   w00t

My only hint is that it's going to be very different. That's all I can say at the moment. BigGrin

Maybe it will be live-action, and we all have to dress up as Pinhead.  Do we have to do our own stunts?

By justaviking - 9 Years Ago
colour (1/14/2015)
Late Pinhead Xmas Clip:

PINHEAD MEETS THE OWLET CHOIR.

Thanks for the Pinhead clip, Colour.

It's hard to believe Pinhead made it through an entire clip without incident.  Is that a sign of the new year?  Why do I think he won't be so lucky once the new project is underway. 

By justaviking - 9 Years Ago
animagic (1/17/2015)
Alley (1/14/2015)
I can confirm that "talks are well in progress" for next project. My only hint is that it's going to be very different. That's all I can say at the moment. BigGrin

This time, I will REALLY try do to something simple...Unsure

Noooo..... don't do something simple!  I like your rich and lush videos.

Now on the other hand, and this will have no protest, I can assure everyone I will be doing a much shorter entry than last time.  If my script exceeds 30 pages, I should uninstall iClone and my NLE software, and maybe take up gardening.


gerskey (1/17/2015)Maybe, I should give up totally!

No!  Never give up, never surrender.  (Great line wonderfully overused in "Galaxy Quest.")

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
GrannyJ (11/9/2014)
I may squeeze in a little Thanksgiving Pinhead clip....  would that be OK?

Of course!

.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
@Animagic,

Thanks for posting the video.  I remember this one.  It's great.

I love all the posters and stuff you add, and the content on the computer screens.  I typed in all the code you display, and it turned out to be a virus that has taken over my computer.  How very clever of you to trick me like that.

I might post a couple ancient retro Pinhead videos too.  They are the ancient 2D videos, and will help highlight how impressive your great work really is.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
While I ponder creating a new, iClone video, here are two old Pinhead Halloween videos.

If nothing else, they will remove any concern anyone may have about their videos not being good enough.  I set the bar low, but at least I have fun.

REMINDER: Pinhead was born in the Pinnacle Studio (video editing) forum.  That explains some of the introduction to this first Halloween Story...

A Pinhead Halloween Story from justaviking on Vimeo.

Pinhead in "A Black and White Castle" from justaviking on Vimeo.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
colour (10/15/2014)
justaviking (10/15/2014)
Most of my Pinhead videos are inherently frightening in one way or another.

I'll see what I can do.

Just do one of yourself, Dennis - & put Pinhead in it.Wink BigGrin

Oh, that's cruel.

I would never to that do the audience.  Wink  Tongue

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Most of my Pinhead videos are inherently frightening in one way or another.

I'll see what I can do.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
animagic (10/18/2014)
I think they have their own charm, Viking. I liked the black-and-white one in particular. I also notice the very effective way in which you use music, with interesting twists and turns.

Thanks for the kind words.

As several of us recently encouraged Gerskey, it's nice to do something that makes yourself happy, and that's exactly what these did.

I had fun making them, and any enjoyment other people get is icing on the cake.  Smile

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
animagic (10/15/2014)
I may just recycle one, if that's OK. I did a nice Pinhead fun clip for Halloween a few years ago that eventually was finished in April...Whistling

This time I would be on time...TongueTongueTongue

Two thumbs up.   Smile

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
Thanks, Colour.

It was fun sharing an "original Pinhead" clip on the iClone forum.  I know you are one of the original Pinhead clan.  I like the way you've really kept his personality pretty much unchanged even as you've moved into the 3D world.

I still have hopes of doing a new, little Halloween clip with Pinhead.  Each night I go to bed thinking maybe I'll be able to get started tomorrow.  And then stuff happens.  Not bad stuff.  I seem to be having a whole lot of "life" getting in the way of my hobby lately.

But... maybe tomorrow...  Wink

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
rogerread (11/2/2014)
Only two days late, and still a bit rough in places, here is my Halloween Pinhead clip.
Hope you enjoy it!

Pinhead's Coven Pt 3

Roger,

THANK YOU for the clip!

Loved it.  The cell phone was priceless.

I think I'm hungry for pie now.

By justaviking - 10 Years Ago
colour (11/8/2014)
Anyone-else going to do a Pinhead Christmas clip? The more the merrier.

Yes, that's a great idea.  I think I will.

By longcross - 10 Years Ago
Hello. I have to agree with Alley on most of her points. We try to set good deadlines, but as quiet as we often are due to our personal lives, we do try to follow discussions and try to get a feel for how folks are progressing. This year it was clear that many of you were going big. You were all talking of learning new skills and clearly developing your stories. I think I even recall a lot of concern about the deadline from many of you, so when the topic came up I had no issues changing it. My schedule was getting really busy and has been for a while now. Personally I think it really paid off. We really got some amazing clips. Every one of them in my opinion. In the future we could be much more strict, but if we had ended in May. What would we have had?

As for the vote, I'll take responsibility for that confusion. We have not been able to discuss things, like normal, because of busy personal lives. My schedule has gotten nearly as full as Alley's. So much so, poor Alley thought I was mad at her about something at one point. Nope, just busy and too tired to think. I've chosen family over checking the site, email and such when I have had free moments. I put it off until night when the house has gone quiet. As a result we did not chat on the vote as much. Wording was not discussed and so on. Though it has been a week minimum for sure. It now closes Wednesday night and it is very clear when. We have been so busy in recent years, at one point we looked into a second team to do mini projects between the big ones, so that the site didn't go dark for such long periods. But who wants that kind of hard work? Smile

We really appreciate the community that Pinhead has developed. You are all so talented and helpful people. I learn a lot reading these forums. It is so exciting to see how you all finish Stories that we start with a mix of our individual talents. We know you care about Pinhead as much as we do. You all want the best clips and results because you all care. Please continue to support each other and have fun.

Please drop us a email when you have concerns about anything. It is the quickest way to get our attention. Forum might be the slowest. Smile
By longcross - 10 Years Ago
Just a friendly reminder that the vote ends tonight, midnight Pacific. Everyone did a great job. When are you all coming to my place to give lessons?
By longcross - 10 Years Ago
Hello PinPals! Are you ready for the awards? Sure you are. Why not? So click that link below and get the show on the road. Congratulations everyone.

2014 Kidnapped Golden Pinhead Awards

By longcross - 10 Years Ago
The Mythical Dragon presents us with his story, Be Careful What You Say. There is always something special about clips that get the family involved, good job. Come see it at the site.

You're all doing an amazing job. The work in progress reports are interesting and help build a little excitement for what is to come. Thanks all for working so hard.

Everyone please do consider doing movie posters. It is still just a bonus option, but a fun extra to do. Keep up the good work.
By longcross - 10 Years Ago
April is good, 2 days, 2 clips. Great work. Thumbs up to the villain's voice actor, and the rest of the cast.

Pinhead to the Rescue - Saving Alura by gregsin (develsden)
By longcross - 10 Years Ago
3 Days, 3 clips. Bam! I love April. Can you tell a story without dialog? Yes you can, Kidnapped by Lynn.



For the record, we fixed a incorrect link or two. Apologies to Greg.
By longcross - 10 Years Ago
Four days four clips. I kid you not, Pinpals. This time it's; The Diabolical Dimensional Dilemma by Granny J. Great job.
By longcross - 10 Years Ago
Arie's Clip is posted come have a look. Great work.
By longcross - 10 Years Ago
The issue was corrected. Feel free to email us about issues you find. They'll get fixed much quicker.
By longcross - 10 Years Ago
I think I said it several pages back, aim for the weekend of the 16th. This is a guideline date of course. It's not set in stone.
By longcross - 10 Years Ago
I sent Roger a get well email. I also included a link to page 46 of this thread, so he can read all your messages when he gets home, and feels up to it.

Best wishes and fast recovery Roger!
By longcross - 10 Years Ago
Hello, good effort. Any format is certainly welcome. There is even a The Sims 3 Pinhead clip. We have been asked many times in the past if it was OK to use Daz and such. I always reply, of course all are welcome. Sadly we rarely if ever see a clip in these cases.

As for the TTS voice, I'm glad some people like it a lot. I however have grown less and less attached to it. I always encourage people to do it however they imagine it, if you want. There is no rule to use the TTS. We've had some great Voices through the years.
By longcross - 10 Years Ago
animagic (3/11/2014)
GrannyJ (3/11/2014)
@colour-
perhaps another newbie question???

It says on the PinheadHQ site:
"Submit your embedded link with the submit clip form to be an official entry."

Does that mean I am to upload my video onto my server, then supply HTML5 code with the video & player plus CSS or can I just submit a YouTube video link?

and just for clarification's sake, is "mid-May 2014" an equivalent for May 15th?

Thanks bunches
& have a truly awesome day,
Granny J


You can just submit a link to your YouTube video.Most of us would not be able to do what you describe...Unsure Previously you needed to upload your video, but that is no longer required, although still an option, I believe.

Mid-May I don't know exactly, but it would be any time after May 15. Alley would know, but there is usually an extension.
Animagic has it right. Upload your clip to any service, like youtube and then get the embedded link to me. I have no further info on the end date. The week of the 15th is a safe goal to set for yourselves, until a more definitive date is given.
By longcross - 10 Years Ago
Sorry to hear about your troubles, Pete. Hope you get back up quick. Just in case you miss the project, We will certainly be thrilled to put your clip up with the others if you finish it post project.
By Rampa - 10 Years Ago
GRannyJ,

I would recommend to go ahead and use the opacity sliders for the various parts of your model that have them. For the teeth, throat, and eyes: load a black image into their opacity channels, and animate it's strength from 0 to 100. Strength sliders can be animated.

Wires was using 2 different takes of the same scene in his video editor, and crossfading between them. First take showed Pinhead, second take showed Headpin. He was not loading video onto the transparent plain. Hope that clarified.Smile
By Rampa - 10 Years Ago
maxae (2/17/2014)
sorry! double posted-- must have spazzed.
anyway here was a early thing i abandoned


BigGrin
My first inclination was that Pinhead is the dog. Glad to see someone else taking a similar tack.
By Rampa - 10 Years Ago
Yeah, these specs were designed for Kate to use for this project. She'll be texturing the shirt a bit, I believe.

It is next to impossible to enlarge the head in Moviestorm and have all the animations still work properly. I'm hoping this Somewhat more "realistically" proportioned Pin will be acceptable for her to use.Smile

I'm pondering it, but would probably opt for iClone. The modding is much easier.
By Rampa - 10 Years Ago
I've been helping a friend with some Moviestorm modding to make a Pinhead-ish character. She is doing some texturing as well. I just whipped up the glasses.

By Rampa - 10 Years Ago
I thought Pinhead licking a toad could lead to something pretty surreal! Tongue
By Rampa - 10 Years Ago
Standard iMotion will save the constraints as well. Just make sure to check the box in the right-hand panel.

Motionplus was developed for export, and is simply a container to hold iMotion plus a few other goodies. There is really not much benefit to using it if your working entirely within iClone.
By Rampa - 10 Years Ago
If you are not using the directional light, and the ambient light is set to black, the lights (spot) may not be pointing at anything the camera is looking at. Bringing up the ambient, or temporarily turning on a directional light might help.

For night, I have been playing with using a very strong, dark blue ambient light, and yellow spot lights. Then I de-saturate the whole scene a couple stops with the color filter effect. I use blue and yellow because they are opposite colors. It's worth experimenting with with purple/orange and red/green as well.

The end result works pretty well for making everything monochrome except where the light is.
By Rampa - 10 Years Ago
@JVK,

Might I suggest a little upper body rotation when Pin knocks the mailbox off its post?

Using the reach targets and motion layer keys together works really well. You'll be able to rotate his body relative to the bat and his feet (locked by default in the motion layer editor).
By Rampa - 10 Years Ago
Some very great story and animation to go with it! Sehr gut!

I would be very happy to see or read a bit about your method of stringing motions together, especially walking motions.
By planetstardragon - 10 Years Ago
pinhead wrecking ball. Blink

By planetstardragon - 10 Years Ago
I have a few ideas, but i think that's why it was suggested I'd stick to editing!! w00t

my versions of pinhead tend to be light on scruples Whistling
By planetstardragon - 10 Years Ago
hehehe BigGrin feel free to message me when you need help editing a project. Smile
By thebiz.movies - 10 Years Ago
Yea, even if I don't end up entering, I'm up for doing some voice overs if anyone needs an american male. You can hear me here

Just shoot me an email or pm.
By gregsin - 10 Years Ago
"Here's one of many versions of Upside-down cake."

One of my favorites cakes!! I think you inspired me to make one today. Love those German Chocolate Cakes too!!BigGrin

Nice work on all the Pinhead clips submitted thus far. Looking forward to seeing the rest of them completed.


By gregsin - 10 Years Ago
Very Nice colour!!
By gregsin - 10 Years Ago
Thanks to the pinhead community for a great competition. All the entries were great and the willingness of the competitors to help one another learn is fantastic! Thanks to all and congratulations to all!

greg
By gregsin - 10 Years Ago
Alley sorry it took me so long to respond (been working on a few projects and lose track of time)Thanks for following up on the Reallusion prizes. Got mine and everything is working great.

Thankyou Greg
By gregsin - 10 Years Ago
That was quick, haven't heard a thing from reallusion.
By rogread - 10 Years Ago
Yep - inch by inch, step by step.

My hard drive was completely b******d, to use a technical term,and had to be replaced, along with most of my video and audio editing progs. So I had to start again from scratch, and, having forgotten how I did various things in my original PH clip, had to relearn. I should be finished in time, though the finished product will be well below the standard I was hoping for, and will look extremely amateurish beside the posted clips so far. I am amazed at the incredibly high standard of the entries so far, and congratulate everyone. No time to comment individually, but I agree with everything that has been said about each entry.
By rogread - 10 Years Ago
Yay! I'm finished, in the nick of time, as I have to be away for the next couple of days.

Uploaded to [url=https://vimeo.com/99423485][/url], and also to the Pinhead site.

Look forward to watching all the entries when I get home again.
By rogread - 10 Years Ago
DISASTER!

I was getting on so well with Pinhead, when the drive with ALL my Pinhead files made a nasty and expensive clicking and grating noise and stopped. Everything lost. Why, oh why didn't I make a back-up? Not just Pinhead, but most of my other video files have gone, and many of my video and sound editing software.

Having seen the incredible standard of clips so far, I am contemplating withdrawing from this project. Any clip I do now will be rushed and very amateurish - that's assuming I can finish it by the deadline. It's going to take me ages to set up a new drive, reload the software and restart Pinhead from scratch.

Boo-hoo. Why me???

It will be a challenge, but I will NOT be beaten. Stand by for some sort of clip from me!
By rogread - 10 Years Ago
Hi to all my Pinhead friends.

I am overwhelmed by all the messages of sympathy and good wishes you posted on this forum after my accident. It is really heart-warming to know that there are so many who care about me. Thank you all. It has really raised my spirits.

I am well on the mend now, though there is still some way to go, and I am surviving on little more than paracetamol sandwiches! (I believe that is Tylenol sandwiches over the Pond).

The quantity and quality of posts on this forum are amazing, and it will take me a while to catch up. Thanks to the extension, I might even have time to submit a short PH clip, though working the mouse with my left hand is taking a bit of practice. I will post again once I have had the opportunity to catch up and view the posted clips.
By rogread - 10 Years Ago
Thanks for those png images, Alley. They are ideal. Like Laura, I'm going to be busy making them into moveable characters.

Dennis, with a bit of Photoshop jiggery pokery, I think I can fill in the missing angles. Mirror images will do it provided you don't look at the character too hard, especially as the girl has an asymetric dress!

Roger
By rogread - 10 Years Ago
Alley, thanks for the offer.

2D pngs would be great. One front view, and one side view if poss. I believe that CTA2 can interpolate (extrapolate??) the inbetween views to give something approximating 3D. I will need to experiment with my Pinhead pngs.

Roger
By rogread - 10 Years Ago
Oh dear! Does this mean the end of 2D Pinhead? Are the new characters a) iClone only and/or b) necessary for the plot?

I have just upgraded to CTA2 Pro, but this doesn't import iClone characters. I've only just started to play with it, so there may be a workaround - otherwise, woe is meCrying

Roger
By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
Pinhead competitions always bring out those quiet icloners reading the forum silently...oh wait, that's me!

Another Pinhead comp, Woohoo!

Count me in as usual Smile
By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
Great intro clip, very open ended...now to work on a story!

I was able to download and use the characters from the Pinhead web site download links.

Note to others: the download is an executable, so check the default install directory as the installer did not pick up the correct location in my case...
By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
@Peter - thanks lol - don't worry, it's Pinhead, he always bounces back!

@Dennis - me too...
By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
Wow - it's been 53 pages since my last post...

Thanks to the long extension I have a chance to finish (ahem start) my project...and actually sign up on the official signup page!

I see a few preview posts, so I have shared the small and only footage currently in existence for my movie...

Mr & Mrs Pinhead

No tag line yet, a very thin plot in place, totally poor lighting and somewhat strange colouring, but many late nights should fix it all BigGrin

By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
@Roger - Great to hear that you are better and might be able to submit a clip...I think you would be the only 2D clip this time around (assuming you still favour 2D - any other confirmed 2D clips this time)?

@Peter - My name isn't garbled as it hasn't been added to the list, nor has my poster appeared...I did sign up and send the poster... Smile
By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
Ah good to hear. I still like watching the 2D clips Smile
By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
@Dennis - nice shoving by Pinhead...looks like Pinhead is a little excited in a lot of Project 8 themes Smile
@Peter - 1.5 million face count is pushing it a bit!

Now for my progress report: Have spend the last 4 days straight on the project to catch up...

- Completed script, scenes ~80%
- Avatars mostly complete
- no animation, bare lighting and camera work etc.

Here are a couple of non-violent shots:

By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
The dog features in my story in the opening scene...let's just say that I take "care" of him in a way that will save me a LOT of dog animation...Wink
By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
I wouldn't dream of it...here is my poster!!

By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
Maybe my dog is just drugged…perhaps with some sort of paralytic agent, hence his stiff looking paws…either way, my film pays homage to the dog in scene 1…so stay tuned…

Oh, and you want to see a scary Pinhead wife? Remember this ‘babe’ from “The Pinhead Paradox” hehe

By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
Yes he looks the part. I was curious because he does look more imposing than my standard wimpy Pinhead I am using...my Pinheads eyes are in line with Allura's shoulders lol

By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
Hey Job,

Your Pinhead looks unusually big in that pic, did you stretch him or is it just the perspective?

By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
Thanks everyone for their advise!

I'll probably leave those small touch ups until the end (famous last words!), although this one always annoys me.

By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
Thanks GrannyJ, now I remember, in the past it was the spring effect that caused it. In this case I have probably over-rotated her shoulders, being tied up and all.

Looks like you have listed all the possible solutions, so one is bound to work Smile
By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
@Peterblood - Mmm, she looks like someone that could star next to a stretchy Rabbit Wink

@Dennis - Thanks, here is a close up of the ominous table, with some serious torture devices...and the nasty Villain that may use them on Allure...all WIP!

By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
@Dennis - "Meet me at Allura's place", now I realised why there were two different house models...dah...that was completely lost on me until now lol

@Colin - Don't worry, the status of my project is also currently RED. Many late nights to come!

By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
Impressive physics and toads Smile

Could anyone please remind me how to fix the old "hole in the clothes" caper? i.e. as per the hole in Allura's right shoulder where her skin shows through. I should know but can't remember!

Also curiously, she has "red eye" in her left eye...must be the flash. Wink

By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
@Roger… really sorry to hear that your HDD has crashed…hope you can recover the data somehow...

@Robert, excellent clip! You have a LOT of scenes with lots of detail, very impressive. Waltraud? lol
By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
@Colin - very nice cast poster...one of those actresses is also in my movie...I should have pushed for exclusive rights, or whatever you call it in the film business Wink

@GrannyJ - you are reworking your clip?? That's dedication! The small P is great! Gave me some ideas to try later BigGrin
By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
Doug,

Excellent movie with obligatory explosion!
Loved the voice acting…and Pinhead “singing” hehe

The lighting is truly excellent.

Great stuff.
By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
Nice film Laura! I still love the 2D animations, so glad you could submit one. The kidnapped subject (don't want to put a spoiler here) of the film is so cute!
By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
"Has anyone kept track of HOW MANY HOURS you put into your project?"

I have thought about doing this from time to time, but decided that I didn't really want to know Smile

Nevertheless, last night I spent 3hours for a 5 second initial draft of a complicated custom animation sequence. "Initial draft" means it is just OK to release, but not to the level I am happy with. I expect it will take another 3 hours to polish nicely.

"Initial draft" also includes rendering and adding to the footage in AE so I can check how it fits into the movie. Then when I update the sequence I can just reload the footage and keep any post processing. In this way I can do an iterative approach to making the entire film plus at least will have something to submit. Smile

By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
The thread has been quiet for a few days...hopefully because everyone is busy on their clips!

Here is a quick progress pic, just for fun. 

By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
@Job - Pinhead is in trouble as usual...and yea it's easy to burn out as animating is demanding work, no matter how much you enjoy it.

@Robert - Nice scene, is Pinhead taking time out to gamble? I was very lucky with the music this time, I found what I wanted within 5min!
By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
Very nice indeed!

I love the sewer tunnel system Smile

Great sets, great story and character development.

Well Done!
By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
@Job - haha, it's ok, it just means Mr. & Mrs. Pinhead seem to be living in different houses for some reason...which might make more sense considering what they get up to in my movie!
By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
He is obviously following his own advise Wink
By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
@Dennis - I may feel that way after the project is finished Smile

@Colin - great way to get us excited...very mysterious...can't wait to see your completed movie.
By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
I like the wallpaper Smile

"3 frames per second" - particle effects?

By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
OK, my video is uploading to YouTube, only 80min to go...so I will press the publish button later this morning, which should be just in time for the deadline US Time BigGrin

Talk about last minute...

Look forward to seeing other people's entries!

By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
Finished!

By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
@Roger - great to see you were able to submit a clip, I will watch it after I have completed mine and am less stressed Smile
By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
OK, no silly countdown tonight as you all know how long is left Smile

Instead ... due to lack of time for a trailer ... a few more non-spoiler promo pics ahead of tomorrow's launch of the action movie Mr. & Mrs. Pinhead!

NB: Do to the liberal use of weapons (including but not limited to firearms) to support the storyline, I have rated Mr. & Mrs. Pinhead as PG.

By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago

2:20AM in Singapore...just had a sugar fix...hopefully only a few hours to go...



By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago

OK - I am alive again after that LATE late night...will start viewing the entries...


@Job - thanks .. agree it is not suitable for kids, hence my PG warning (a first for Pinhead?). Although we do see a different side to Pinhead, he isn't that well cut out for the job, so hopefully he retained his "Pinheadism".

@Doug - thanks .. yes, the film is of course inspired by Mr. & Mrs. Smith...however the main shootout in the city was inspired by "Heat", and the silly parts by Pinhead himself, in fact most of his stuff is just improv...not sure why I bother getting him to read a script at all Smile

@Pete - thanks!

@Viking - thanks! and thanks for not making me the last to upload hehe

@Rob - thanks!
By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
@Dennis – thanks for the explanation, I can see the technique could be handy for cameras in the same location, shooting different things. Don’t let the forum and my question distract you…or it will indeed be panic time soon as the deadline approaches! (I am in panic mode already anyway!)

Another productive night for me, other than iClone just crashing and losing about 15 min of work, overall iClone has been well behaved though, no raising of the cheeks this time around… Tongue
By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
@Dennis - What is the STEP FUNCTION for the TRANSITION CURVE?
By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago

This slow coach animated all weekend until his eyes dropped out...

Nice female Pinheads, they can cheer me on!
By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
@Gerry - thanks for the heads up on the deadline...nooooo! lol btw - there is a rodent scene in my film you may like, or not, depending on your disposition to rodents

@Dennis - the timings I posted where worst-case for a complicated animation...
By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
@Robert - great song, made me smile BigGrin "go slow coaches go!" lol

Yes, all pics are from my movie...I will post a new one every day until LAUNCH time...which will be by midnight Monday 30th June, 2014 Singapore time* Smile

* technically 12pm midnight in US would be lunch time on Tuesday here...but heck I want to bring this coach into the station in my time zone...
By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
yes it's interesting, I had one scene go MEGA slow on the rendering. I was pretty sure it was due to the liberal use of particles...in fact that's the next preview pic I will post Smile
By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago

3 Days Left!!!

(From the Kazakhstan to Siberia...)

By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago

2 Days Left!!

 

(Did somebody say sleep? After a 14hour marathon that sounds good!)

 

PS: Now that I started this daily countdown, I better follow it through.. BigGrin

.
By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago

4 Days Left!!!!

(Now is not the time to go on holiday - even if your avatars can act)

By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago

6 DAYS LEFT!!!!!!

.

By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
Scary...
By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago

5 Days Left!!!!!

(I hope you are working hard on your project!)

By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago

7 DAYS LEFT!!!!!!

 

.

By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
Congratulations to all the prize winners (all of us!!).

Thank you everyone for another great Pinhead competition. I echo everyone else’s sentiments and wish to thank the Pinhead committee for another well run competition.

I really appreciate the Golden Pinhead award that I got for my unusual use of Allura!

Alley – I have emailed you for my prize selection, thanks.
By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
@Dennis

Thanks for taking the time to comment on all the videos, I also agree with what you have written, they were all fantastic entries. Thanks for commenting on mine too!

I really enjoyed watching your film, really, really well done! Is it the first Pinhead musical and the longest Pinhead film to date?

The line you highlighted is probably everyone’s favorite, but coming in close second would be “Who brings a bat to a gunfight? I do, that's who!” and “Are you kidding? Have you see(n) the size of my head lately? What could happen to it?” both from Pinhead of course BigGrin

Looks like voting is open, so all the best luck to all, anyone could win! Every time I vote I feel like that guy from that movie that I can’t remember, where he votes for the other guy and loses by one vote. lol
By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
Hi Peter,

Nice dancing there to keep us entertained while we wait for the GPA's!

I finally had a chance to view your Pinhead entry, very nice! So much detail in the carnival rides. I'm guessing you spend a lot of time editing pivot points etc. when you imported them from Google Warehouse, to get them to animate like that.

"The Waltzer" ride would make anyone giddy!

Boo seems to like to mark his territory too...but where was Dobbin? Did I miss him hiding in a scene in the background somewhere?

- Daniel
By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
Blunder...where to buy that? Sounds like some powerful software. Wink

If it makes you feel better, I also made a mistake in my credits! I doubled up on a character name! I quickly added an annotation using YouTube which is pretty easy and fast to do.
By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
haha nice one Robert...very Pinhead
By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
Hi Alley,

I got mine in the mail this week and installed everything. All good!

Thanks again!
By 3DStory - 10 Years Ago
My condolences to Roger...that is indeed very sad news.
By sjonesdc - 10 Years Ago
colour (10/10/2014)
PINHEAD HALLOWEEN CLIPS

Halloween isn't Halloween without a Pinhead Clip.Wink

Anyone going to join me in doing one?

Just started mine. Will be a very short one, due to time constraints.

Anything'll do folks. Just a bit of Pinhead Fun BigGrin


Peter,

Still trying to get back to finish my contest entry. Maybe will try to put something together.w00t
By sjonesdc - 10 Years Ago
justaviking (8/11/2014)
colour (8/10/2014)
sjonesdc (8/10/2014)
Finally from Siberia (for a short period) and wanted to say

CONGRATUALTIONS TO THE WINNERS AND ALL OF THE PARTICIPANTS!!!!!"

Thanks, Sharon Smile Kiss



We're all so sorry you couldn't make the extended deadline Crying

Maybe you could finish it & submit as a "Fun" Clip, sometime? Smile


.

Totally agree. Sorry you had to miss out, but would love to see a clip from you, just for fun.

.


I was not happy about not being able to finish on time but will finish the video and post it (don't know exactly when though).

Now just trying to catch up on what's been happening.

Thanks guys!!!!
By sjonesdc - 10 Years Ago
Finally from Siberia (for a short period) and wanted to say

CONGRATUALTIONS TO THE WINNERS AND ALL OF THE PARTICIPANTS!!!!!

By sjonesdc - 10 Years Ago


Since Wimmin are adept at multi-tasking, Sharon, producing 3 Pinhead Clips at the same time, should be no problem Wink


Peter,

Are you trying to be PI (politically incorrect)?w00t
By sjonesdc - 10 Years Ago
colour (11/8/2014)
Pinhead Christmas Clip WIP pic ( Chuck all objects into Scene & then work-out how I'm gong to do it etc Wink )

Pinhead goes for a ride on his sledge, with Dobbin pulling it along. Accompanied by one of the Owlies Facebook Group's dog (An Inuit Wolf-hound), coming-across the Owlets singing Christmas carols.

Anyone-else going to do a Pinhead Christmas clip? The more the merrier. Smile



Peter ....CHRISTMAS CLIPCrazy Still working on Project 8 and Halloween Clipw00t Well....maybe add some snow and Santa to the Halloween Clip for ChristmasAlien
By sjonesdc - 10 Years Ago
animagic (11/10/2014)
colour (11/10/2014) Since Wimmin are adept at multi-tasking, Sharon, producing 3 Pinhead Clips at the same time, should be no problem Wink


Sharon could easily do it, but it would require three separate licenses on three separate PCs to stay with in the EULA.Tongue


animagic,

How did you knoww00t
By sjonesdc - 10 Years Ago
colour (11/10/2014)
sjonesdc (11/10/2014)


Since Wimmin are adept at multi-tasking, Sharon, producing 3 Pinhead Clips at the same time, should be no problem Wink


Peter,

Are you trying to be PI (politically incorrect)?w00t


Yes BigGrin


Thought soHehe
By sjonesdc - 10 Years Ago
Job,

Really enjoyed "The Lost Client". Liked all of the details and lighting.

By sjonesdc - 10 Years Ago
animagic (4/29/2014)
To make sure that we don't get complacent due to the extension here is another still:






Very nice setTongue
By sjonesdc - 10 Years Ago
GrannyJ (4/30/2014)
[quote

Since y'all helped me out, I would like to extend the same courtesy. Would you like my completely decorated, fully functional Country Kitchen to use? Just send me your iClone email address so I can gift it to you...



That's very generous of you. Thank you.
By sjonesdc - 10 Years Ago
Alley (4/24/2014)


New Deadline...due to commitments by many of us, we have decided that we are prepared to extend the deadline to June 30. I know it's a long extension, but two of us have commitments covering the last part of May...and well, there is some momentum going now.

Are you all basically okay with this, or please let us know if this causes issues for anyone.


This is great news!!! And I have no issues.
By sjonesdc - 10 Years Ago
Finally finished the 1st scene.  
By sjonesdc - 10 Years Ago
Thanks for the feedback.

Color,

The NLE is Corel VideoStudio Pro X5 and the format is 640 x 480 mp4. I will try your suggestion of HD 1280 x 720.

Viking,

Your imagination is running wild!!!! But.... Cool

Doug,

My progression is very, very slow... w00t
By sjonesdc - 10 Years Ago
colour (4/21/2014)
Roger (Rogread)

So - Here's best wishes for a speedy recovery Rog. All of your Pinhead Familyfriends & Pinheadare right behind you.Smile


I also send my wishes for a speedy recovery to Roger.
By sjonesdc - 10 Years Ago
animagic (4/21/2014)





Nice scene!!!
By sjonesdc - 10 Years Ago
Doug - very nice WIP. Look's very interesting.

Granny J - don't worry, I've been "trying" to learn iClone for 3 years and I've just graduated to 1st grade w00t and as animagic said "we all have to start somewhere...." and follow justaviking's advice "simply enjoy yourself"BigGrin

By sjonesdc - 10 Years Ago
Alley (1/30/2014)
Pinhead Project 8 has now officially launched.

Pinhead Project 8 - Video Here


Great clipBigGrin
By sjonesdc - 10 Years Ago
animagic (1/15/2014)
It was a dark and stormy night...Sick

You took my line!!! How about:

From the shadows, he watched..... and waited.....

By sjonesdc - 10 Years Ago
It was a dark and stormy night...

Unaware of looming danger, she felt at ease walking side by side her dog Aleser--her faithful companion for... well, how long already?

From the shadows, he watched..... and waited....."

.............while drawing on his Lucky Strike

knowing that her dog was getting up in years, once a decorated police dog but now nothing more that a shadow of himself....

By sjonesdc - 10 Years Ago
THE STORY SO FAR summarized by colour......

We have a desperate Door-to-door cigarette salesman who's smoked his last cigarette, while nervously plucking-up courage to approach a Female with a dog, to clinch a sale.

Since he no longer has any cigarettes to sell, he's flat-broke & decides to seize the dog & sell it to a Zoo.

His plan is thwarted by a naked drunk driver, who turns-out to be a nearby Neighbo(u)r...........

This is turning out to a real story.... I can see several ending. I hope that what you guys have added can be used in Project 8 and only you will know the endingw00t

By sjonesdc - 10 Years Ago

You guys, this is great. Here is what we have so far:


It was a dark and stormy night... (animagic)

from the shadows, he watched..... and waited..... (sjonesdc)

Unaware of looming danger, she felt at ease walking side by side her dog Aleser--her faithful companion for... well, how long already? (amimagic)

.............while drawing on his Lucky Strike

As Pinhead rides-by on the Committee's Company bike. (colour)

knowing that her dog was getting up in years, once a decorated police dog but now nothing more that a shadow of himself....sajones


Hearing a cough, she looked around but saw nothing.

In the bushes, Mr. X crouched, painfully stifling the urge to cough. He knew those cigarettes would be the death of him some day, but probably not from cancer. He remained frozen, as the silent spasms slowly subsided.

With her senses now alerted, she shortened the leash, keeping her dog closer for comfort. (justaviking)


Life hasn't always been easy for him. Selling cigarettes door to door is a young man's game and he was no spring chicken. He stood in the shadows, building his courage, steeling himself for the moment, a pile of cold butts and burnt matches at his feet. It was at this moment he realized he'd smoked up his entire product line...

"Well Crap!!" he said to himself, Pinch "Another sale gone south." (peterblood)




Finally her dog looked towards the bushes and started pulling her forward, pulling on the leash with all her strength remembering what her mother told her when she was a little girl

"Don't go into the woods!!!"

And he knew this was his only chance to make good on the contract and keep his job....(sjones)


By sjonesdc - 10 Years Ago
This time I'm real early, the script is written and I have several co-workers to do the voices. Now working on setting up the scenes.Crazy     Here is a screenshot from the project

 

 
By sjonesdc - 10 Years Ago
colour (2/18/2014)
"sjonesdc (2/17/2014)
This time I'm real early, the script is written and I have several co-workers to do the voices. Now working onsetting up the scenes.Crazy Here is ascreenshot from the project



"

Looking pretty good, Sharon Smile

Nice camera-angleshot & Scene.SmileWink

Pinhead "Charming the bird(s) out of the trees" ?

You've got time to submit 3 Clips, then.Wink



Better late than never to respond. Been tied to my computer at work. Thanks Peter. As for the 3 clips, just wanting to finish one by the deadline.
By sjonesdc - 10 Years Ago
colour (3/2/2014)
"animagic (3/1/2014)
colour (3/1/2014)
"Been tied to my computer at work"

Strange Workplace, Sharon Wink

Hope they're slip-knots Ermm


Ah, Peter, that's how it is in the US...work, work, work...CrazyIt was quite an adjustment for me after being used to enjoying my five-week European summer vacations...Cool"

I was thinking maybe Sharon's Workplace sold Bondage gear, Job Wink



Getting pretty risque there, Peter w00t At least I'll be able to work some on the project Monday - expected 5 - 10 inches of SNOW and here in DC, the offices are CLOSED BigGrin
By sjonesdc - 10 Years Ago
colour: How's everyone-else getting on?

Still working ... but here's a short peek at part of the first scene:

By mark - 10 Years Ago
RATS!!!RATS!!!RATS!!! Man I feel your pain happened to me a couple of years back!!w00tw00tw00t
By mark - 10 Years Ago
That's going to look fantastic!!!!TongueTongueTongue
By mark - 10 Years Ago
WOW! I'm lovin' this! I don't want to see the movie! I want to read the bookTongueTongueTongue
By mark - 10 Years Ago
Wow!!! What a project teaser!!! Boggles the mind I must say, so many possibilities!!!BigGrinBigGrin

Great job all!!!TongueTongue
By mark - 10 Years Ago
That's horrible! God speed on a quick recovery!!!
By mark - 10 Years Ago
WOW!!! Great clip Doug!! Love the lighting. BigGrin
Awesome on the lip-sync as well and a great piece of music from Colin too. Can't wait to see this for sure!!!!TongueTongueTongue
By mark - 10 Years Ago
Very nice Job! Those shots look great! And loved hearing about your technique to achieve them...can't wait to see the finished product!!! SmileSmile
By mark - 10 Years Ago
WOW! Very nice "set-design" I must say!!!!BigGrinBigGrinBigGrinBigGrin
By mark - 10 Years Ago
That is a beautiful set Granny!!!! SWEET!!!!BigGrinBigGrinBigGrin
By mark - 10 Years Ago
All the Pinhead clips are really lookin' great for this project!

Great twists on the story theme!!! Keep 'em coming!!!BigGrinBigGrinBigGrinBigGrinBigGrin
By mark - 10 Years Ago
Have some more of them..."Funeral-Cakes" that'll keep ya goin' !!!!TongueTongueTongueTongueTongueTongue
By mark - 10 Years Ago
WOW! I'm gettin' pretty excited. What I'm seeing is such a hoot and AWESOME to boot!!!!

This could be the bestest Pinhead challenge yet!!!!BigGrin:TongueBigGrinTongue
By mark - 10 Years Ago
Wow SUPER job, Job!!TongueTongueTongue Fun to watch, great atmosphere and mood!!!BigGrinBigGrinBigGrin

I'm thinking your best work yet!!!!BigGrinBigGrinBigGrinBigGrin
By mark - 10 Years Ago
Wow...wish you all would hurry up!!! It's looking sooooo good!!!!

What I've seen so far has been super and I can't wait to see what the rest of you are going to come up with!!!TongueTongueTongueTongueTongue
By mark - 10 Years Ago
Finally caught Doug's film...WOW! What a total hoot! Great job on production all around! TongueTongue

I'm glad I'm not a judge!!!!BigGrinBigGrinBigGrin
By mark - 10 Years Ago
WOW! Now that's the A team on voice casting!!!! BravoBigGrin
By mark - 10 Years Ago
AMAZING clip Robert! This has got to be your most ambitious clip ever!!! WOW such detail! Love the shrubberies and so envious of your roulette table!!! Super!!!TongueTongueTongueTongue
By mark - 10 Years Ago
...well I can barely do projects in English, my native tongue Tongue
I very impressed you can do this good for us yanks BigGrinBigGrinBigGrin
By mark - 10 Years Ago
Wondering about those "timing" issues Job. I'm think I've noticed that before as well....
Is it off in the rendered version? And is if off if you go into "By Frame" mode?

Just wondering Wink
By mark - 10 Years Ago
WOW! What an amazing award show!!!!! BRAVO!!BigGrinBigGrinBigGrinBigGrin

Huge congrats to all the winners. These were surely the highest quality films to date.BigGrin
Excellent stories and production by all!!!BigGrinBigGrinBigGrinBigGrin GREAT JOB!!!!!TongueTongueTongueTongue
By mark - 10 Years Ago
WOW! These final entries are amazing!!!! Mayhem, comedy. and Opera? WHO KNEW Pinhead could sing!!!!! WONDERFUL!!! Great job everybody. Once again, glad I'm not a judge!!!TongueTongueTongue
By mark - 10 Years Ago
Cool clip Colin!!!! Love that audio production!!!Tongue
By mark - 10 Years Ago
Oh that's so sad to hear. God bless Roger and his family at this time of great loss.
By Gerskey - 10 Years Ago
Hello community,

Peter thank you.
May I also congratulate "You" and to everyone that took part in the Pinhead Project 8. Well deserved. xo

I also like you all to know that things are find in this corner. All your support has meant a lot to me like Roger and wanted you all to know that.

From the bottom of my heart "I" thank you all.

Peace
Gerskey
By Gerskey - 10 Years Ago
Hello community,

To Roger,

So sorry to hear of your wife's passing. Sometimes words are not enough to give one the strength at this difficult time. However Roger, as you know from this forum although we all from different parts of the world and have not met in person we are like another family that stick together in times of trouble. What you are going  there's never a minute that I don't think about how hard it is for you.

What I leave you with is a huge "HUG"

peace

Gerskey

By Gerskey - 9 Years Ago
Hi community,
Hi Peter if you can, share my Pinhead video. I can't emmbed.

It has changed. Maybe, I should give up totally!




Peace,
Gerskey
By Gerskey - 10 Years Ago
Hello community,

I can't wait for the voting to begin. It'll be a difficult decision either way. Again, to those of you that have contributed to the Pinhead Kidnapped Project8 competition, congratulations. Sorry if I have not commented on any entries at present. I find, if you don't mind me saying, all the entries for this years competition are of high standard and I'm sure Pinhead will be proud to star in each and everyone of your videos. 

So congratulations everyone xo.

Peace

Gerskey

By Gerskey - 10 Years Ago
Hi community,

May I say, the quality of the entries to this years Pinhead competition is OUTSTANDING

To each and everyone that have submitted this year You have set the bar high for next year.

I personally cannot enter this yearSad

However, I wish to congratulate You All  on the achievements that you all have shown this year.

I can only say, OMG committee what a task that's ahead of you.

I wish you all the best of luck

Peace

Gerskey 

By Gerskey - 10 Years Ago
Hi Community,

May I say the Pinhead contest is coming along brilliantly. Well done so far to everyone that has submitted a video. This has indeed set such a high standard of creativity for the competition. I myself have just come up with an idea within the last couple of hours that present I don't want to give much away or put my name to the contest as of yet as I haven't laid anything down, scripted not an ounce of anything. So hopefully in a few days will sort that out to get the ball rolling and kick start things for me, so bare with me.

Peace

Gerskey

By Gerskey - 10 Years Ago
Hi community,
Hi colour that's shocking to hear , may I add my wishes for him too for a full and speedy recovery.

Roger all our thoughts are with you and your family.

Peace

Gerskey
By Gerskey - 10 Years Ago
Hi community.

It's great to see Pinhead back from his holidays, I hope he had a good rest and is revitalised to take up his post as usual. I'm waiting with anticipation for more info before I sign up.Wink

Peace

Gerskey

 

By Gerskey - 10 Years Ago
Hi community,

1st of all,
Well done to the Pinhead committee with such a mind bending opening to the new project8, (which has got me inspirationally, blocked in me, lol) sorry to say.

2nd,
I won't put my name down as yet on the Pinhead Project8 as Ill need another week to watch the intro a few more times and think Pinhead 24/7, to come up with an idea.

3rdly,
Make a script, do the voices and then set the scene and etc, etc.

Thank you committee BigGrin for making me realise (realize) animation needs a storyline, of which I often forget at times.BigGrin

4thly
Colour, thank you as always for keeping Pinhead alive as you do from one project to the next when sometimes I forget . How time flies.

Here's to the Pinhead Community Project and well done again.


Peace

Gerskey

Blush
By Ahroo - 10 Years Ago
I would like to request 2D pngs so I can begin working on creating my versions of them in Anime Studio (I know - that probably amounts to heresy on this forum Tongue ). Are all of the characters definitely going to be needed? If some are more important to the story line than others, can you tell us that at the point you make them available so we can concentrate on getting those ready first? Thanks. I'm looking forward to the new project and seeing what everyone comes up with!

Laura
By Ahroo - 10 Years Ago
2D pngs would be great. One front view, and one side view if poss. I believe that CTA2 can interpolate (extrapolate??) the inbetween views to give something approximating 3D.


Not knowing how many characters there are, nor how time consuming or complex it is to produce the pngs, I may also ask for some additional views (3/4 - to the same side as the side view, and back). If possible, could I also get a front and side view of the dog? I've already started working on the dog based upon the images that have been posted to the blog, but they are pretty dark and hard to see much detail.

Thanks VERY much, Alley!!

Laura (Ahroo)
By Ahroo - 10 Years Ago
Alley - that's FANTASTIC!!!! Thank you. And thanks, to you too, Peter, for the dog. Now I know what I'll be doing for the next few weeks! Crazy

Laura
By Ahroo - 10 Years Ago
Hi All,

Now that I finally finished my clip, I spent the afternoon "binge-watching" the entries to date and I am beyond amazed and impressed at how great they all are! There has certainly been a lot of progress made by everyone in their Iclone skills, because these all look fantastic! I enjoyed the wide range of story concepts and creativity involved. I don't want to say too much about any of them because I don't want to give anything away for those who have not yet seen them, but these truly are outstanding efforts - great humo(u)r, wonderful voice acting, some incredibly realistic scenery and props and facial expressions and movements... Well done, everyone!

And thanks to those of you who have commented on my clip. I have just uploaded a better-looking version to YouTube (and have asked Brian to change the link), but in the meantime, you can access it at: http://youtu.be/_vjBKdLsoW4. And a quick note to Dennis: Pinhead's hair "trick" in the scene you mentioned was put there just for you because I know just how much you enjoy it! BigGrin

Laura (Ahroo)

PS - I can't calculate how many hours I spent on it, but I know it was in the many hundreds for sure!
By Ahroo - 10 Years Ago
My Pinnacle Studio just arrived today, also, in Vermont (USA). Thanks to Alley, the rest of the committee, Pinnacle, the other sponsors and to all of the participants and Pinhead fans!
By jlittle - 10 Years Ago
I saw earlier today that Ahroo got their package today so I was hoping that since I'm in Rhode Island (just below Vermont)
that mine would be waiting for me at home, and it was!

Yea, my Pinnacle Studio arrived today.

A special thanks to Alley for all the hard work in shipping out the prizes. I know shipping is no fun.
Thanks also to Pinnacle, and all the other sponsors who supported the Pinhead project. There were many great prizes!
And more thanks to the committee for all their work in putting together another great PH project.
I'm looking forward to the next one and to watching more great entries.

Jeff
By jlittle - 10 Years Ago

I was sorry to hear the sad news. My condolences Roger, to you and your family.

Surround yourself with family and friends in this time of sorrow.

Jeff



By jlittle - 10 Years Ago
justaviking (11/2/2014)
Roger,

THANK YOU for the clip!

Loved it.  The cell phone was priceless.

I think I'm hungry for pie now.

Ditto, loved it!

And Pumpkin Pie in one of my favs. Such a waste of good pies Crying

Jeff

By jlittle - 10 Years Ago
@animagic Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.

There are a lot of great entries. I don't envy the judges their jobs. Blink

Jeff
By jlittle - 10 Years Ago
@RB3006

Nothing to forgive. I know CTA is not everyone's favorite but, a tool for every need and a need for every tool.

Glad you liked it. Danke vielmals!
I plan on finishing it, at least to my expectations, in the near future as work permits.

I've been watching all the clips. Great stories and a lot of work went into all of them.

I loved how smooth and natural your movements are. Are you using motion capture?

When I saw Pinhead sneaking across the grass in that camouflage of brush I about fell out of my chair laughing.
The image of him like that reminded me of those dancers with the fruit salad headdress and billowy skirts, and him so serious looking. (Now where did I recently see Pinhead in a fruit salad hat?)
Loved it!

Jeff
By jlittle - 10 Years Ago
Well, I made my first Pinhead submittal. I mostly use CTA 2 so it will be one of the few 2D clips.
It really isn't done since I ran out of time. Too much work and not enough play time. Angry
There are several scenes I had to leave out to get something completed.
There is still a lot of post processing and effects yet to do plus just general cleanup and review.
Even then I think I was 5 minutes late submitting due to slow uploads.
Even if it is not considered for the contest I hope everyone enjoys it. It was fun to work on and hopefully I will get started earlier on the next Pinhead project that comes along.
If I only had another 2 weeks ... where have I heard that before. Tongue

Here it is, enjoy:




Jeff
By jlittle - 10 Years Ago
colour (7/1/2014)


Hi Jeff

What a nice surprise. Smile

I've seen you sniffing-around the Thread for some time & was hoping you'd submit a 2D Clip.

Looking forward to watching it.Smile

ADDED - Your embedded Clip wasn't showing before I Posted.


Hi Colour,
Yea, I've been meaning to join one of the contests for some time and then saw the new competition start up so I jumped on it since I had some time available. Then my time got sucked up by work so I wasn't sure if I would get enough done to make a worth while submission. I did, barely. It still is not completely what i wanted and was hurried at the end to try to make the deadline. I had fun doing it and hope to find time to go back and finish the missing scenes and effects as well as some clean up here and there.

The clip should be showing now. I think it was "processing" so wasn't available.

Jeff
By jlittle - 10 Years Ago
@The Mythical Dragon (aka Doug),
@justaviking

Glad you liked it.

justaviking (7/1/2014)
I think you and I have different definitions of "lots left to do." Your clip looked very done to me.
Thanks, but it is not the final product I envisioned or scripted. There are at least four (4) missing scenes, tons of Foley missing, and a song or two. Not to mention refining (and improving) some of the animation I rushed through.

I wasn't at the point where I was nit picking (I wish) but coming up on the deadline I was slapping together enough of the planned scenes so the story would make a little sense.

I guess I did spend too much time, in the beginning, on some of the earlier scenes I created but I always thought I would have time to come back and refine.
HA! Like that ever happens when a deadline is involved.

Now I have to go watch all the other clips. Bring on the popcorn!!!

Jeff
By jlittle - 10 Years Ago
If the submission deadline was not extended there probably would have been half of the entries we ended up with. I know mine would not have made it. Mine barely made it as it was and even then was not really finished as intended. For this type of friendly competition I do not have a problem with adjusting the deadline in a reasonable fashion and doing so gave us many more wonderful entries. Even though some had already submitted their entries by the original deadline, with the deadline extension came the possibility to resubmit an entry, which was only fair.

As far as the voting goes, I think one week was a little short and should have been at least two weeks. That gives everyone time to review the clips again and then vote. During that two weeks the judges would also have some time for their review and voting and maybe it would all come together around the same time.

 Jeff

By jlittle - 10 Years Ago
It would be interesting to find out how many participated in the voting.
Anybody know how many people voted?
By jlittle - 10 Years Ago
Yes, many thanks to the whole committee for all their hard work and time spent.

Much appreciated!

Jeff

By jlittle - 10 Years Ago
Woo Hoo! Great awards show!

Congrats to everyone!!!

By jlittle - 10 Years Ago
Alley,

No concern. Just pointing out an omission.

Jeff

By jlittle - 10 Years Ago
justaviking (7/30/2014)
At least you got your entry submitted (before mine, showoff), and it was included in the voting.
Yea, just barely in time. I think the clip was still uploading as I submitted my entry info at the last second.

Yes, it was in the voting which is what really mattered.

justaviking
I have NEVER left a project empty handed.  Learning more about the tools and storytelling, enjoying everyone's clips, and making new friends.  Every Pinhead project has been a wonderful experience.
Yes, I second that.

Next time I will hopefully get an earlier start and hope that work won't take too much of my time as it did this time.

Jeff

By jlittle - 10 Years Ago
Hmm, I just happened to look at the Pinhead Project Signup page (for Kidnapped) but don't see my name there. Angry
I guess because I signed up at the last minute and the list never got updated. Crying
By jlittle - 10 Years Ago
Sorry to hear about the disk crash.
It was always a pain when one of my hard drive crashed. Even with backups. A disk image is the best for recover but still a pain.
I got tired of disk crashes and restores so now I make sure all my computers are raid 1. With dual drives, if one crashes I just pop in a new one and it will sync up with the good one. I've done this three times now on different computers.
I still do backups but it's been a long while since I've done a full system restore.

Food for thought.

Jeff
By Grimhilda - 10 Years Ago
RB3006

Brilliant video. Extremely well done. So many things I could praise but I'll mention one small detail - the sound of the billiards was exactly in synch with the motion - amazing!
By Grimhilda - 10 Years Ago
@colour: I like the picture you showed of Pinhead with a Teddy Bear below a picture of him with a nurse.

I imagine it as a film where you see him first with the nurse then the camera moves back to your picture so that the nurse version is only a dream SmileSmileSmile
By seppgirty - 10 Years Ago
I read The blog and from what i gather it will be a murder mystery dinner theme? Please correct me if i'm wrong.
By seppgirty - 10 Years Ago
Is this another animation contest like last years Make a commercial with Pin Head?
By seppgirty - 10 Years Ago
All i got to say is WOW he slugged the crap out of her.Crazy

This looks like a good challenge. Not only to animate but to write as well. I might have to dust off my brother to give me a hand writing.
By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
As I have absolutely no experience with stories set in the present day, this will be difficult for me. Doze 

Maybe I should make a dance video out of it. Tongue  No, too easy. Angry

Come on....THINK!  Blink What do people do in the present? What do they wear? What do they talk about?  My mind is reeling! I need something to help me focus! Crazy

w00t WAIT!! I know what I need... I need some chocolate while I work this out. Wink "Honey? Do we have any Ding Dongs in the house?"...

Cool pete

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
"Anyway, maybe the mystery male is a recruiter for the navy and the good lady is now cooking for 20+ crew members on board the HMS Victory museum. "

She's pressed into the Museum Service!!! Tongue Tongue Tongue I love it!! It's a twist worthy of my own warped sense of story!  I wish I'd thought of that.

Well done sir. Smile

Cool pete

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
I'll have to do something simple... Smile my skills will allow for nothing more. Tongue

Cool pete

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
I'm adding as well. I don't normally rate posts as it's so arbitrary but we had a lot of fun with this one and it deserves the 5*'s. BigGrin

Cool pete

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
Life hasn't always been easy for him. Selling cigarettes door to door is a young man's game and he was no spring chicken. He stood in the shadows, building his courage, steeling himself for the moment, a pile of cold butts and burnt matches at his feet. It was at this moment he realized he'd smoked up his entire product line...

"Well Crap!!" he said to himself, Pinch "Another sale gone south."  

Cool pete

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
Seeing his last chance at a comfortable life literally going up in smoke was too much for his mind to accept and it reeled off in a direction he couldn't have predicted. Pulling himself up to his full height of five foot two, he shook his fists at the dog and shouted silently so as not to alert the woman holding the leash.

"I'm going to do something dramatic!" 

 

ps: thanks to my edit button which helped me tie all this baloney I wrote back into the story. Tongue sort of...

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
His mind raced! What to do?
By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
Viking: Smile

Thanks man, I can't seem to write anything that doesn't end up twisted somehow. Tongue I liked the start of your story better though. BigGrin

"He knew those cigarettes would be the death of him some day, but probably not from cancer." (That is a great line!!! w00t )

Coolpete

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
Hi guys: Smile

Just a note to let you know that I may have to drop out of the pinhead competition. Through no fault of my own my comp died, I'm pretty sure the motherboard got fried and as I have no emergency funds available at the moment, I may be down for a bit. The good news, if there is any, is that my hard drive wasn't affected so I haven't lost all of the work I've done on the Ari flick. (Gawd, that would have a major disaster! Doze ) After everything is up and running again I'll see if there is yet time to go for it but I'd rather submit nothing than just throw together something that isn't up to Pinhead standards. Sad

I can still communicate on the forum etc. using my wifes comp but it doesn't possess the muscle for iclone. Ermm

Anyway, just thought I'd let you know the situation and how much I'll miss not being able to make Pinhead do as I wish him to. Crying

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
Thanks everyone for the support. Smile I'm sending Golden Vibes out into the Universal Singularity in hopes the stars align to speed things up. At least I'll be able to keep up with everyones progress and I'm always hoping it gets worked out quickly. Wink

Cool pete
By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
Hang in there Lynn. You're one of my favorite posters and I'm sorry to hear you're feeling poorly. Praying you get better my friend. Smile

Cool pete
By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
I'm liking the multi-diminsional idea alot. Great job.

Cool pete

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
colour: Smile

" Latest research indicates that Vikings didn't wear horned helmets & were in fact actually nice chaps & didn't rape, loot, pillage & burn, after all.  "

The legend that Vikings wore horns on their helmits can be traced back to an 11th century Viking scroll in which Eric the Red was reported to have said "Vie trac bjorn mak heed horts." Which, when translated, was found to say "I'm so horny my head hurts."

The rest is history. Doze Sort of...

Cool pete

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
Well, today I got my computer back online. BigGrin I had to buy a new motherboard (#upgrade) and a new CPU (3.0gb oh yeah, graphics just made a giant leap!! w00t )

Now to make up for lost time on the Ari WIP and try and come up with something for Pinhead. That could be a struggle as I haven't even the foggiest notion of what to do there. Well, I'll have to trust in the Cosmic Singularity to provide me with notion. Tongue

Anyway it's back to Miracle Studios as soon as I can get Chuck or Walter to give me ride. Hehe

Cool pete

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
Hang in there and get well soon Roger. Smile

Cool pete

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
An awesome clip Doug! w00t The breaking glass showcase looked really good. Can't wait for more. It reminded me of the scene in "Enter the Dragon" where Bruce lowers himself down a similar opening with a rope. Very impressive. Wink

You're doing great Granny! Way better than me in the same amount of time in iclone. Smile

Viking... yeah, it was pretty crude as video goes but it was a very fun video to watch. I enjoyed it very much and I kept wondering if you were playing the insane leader part. Tongue 

Cool pete

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
Wow! w00t Interesting...can't wait.

Cool pete 

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
Nice work animagic, You gave Walter a very nice nieghborhood in which to live. BigGrin

 I never realised Walter was so upscale. w00t He must be dragging down a ton of dough working for all of these different directors. Crying Now that he's a big star, I'm afraid he'll never work for sandwiches again.Crying

 Blink How am I ever going to afford him now?

Cool pete

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
The office scene looks really good ("swell" in the vernacular of the 40's detectives). Glad you didn't cut it. BigGrin

Cool pete

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
Nice work Colour. Smile "Hey Walter, get me a funnel cake will ya? I'll gladly pay you Tuesday." Tongue

Cool pete

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
Here ya go Colour: Smile

You make it by taking what is essentially pancake batter and, using a cake decorator type bag, squeeze a thick string of it into hot oil overlapping it so that it forms a loose-knit pie shape. Sprinkle on some powdered sugar and away you go.

I love 'em Tongue

Cool pete

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
You're upside down cake looks great for sure. Funnel cakes are more like a donut than a cake. Smile

Cool pete

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
Two awesome looking clips guys. w00t Grats

 I'm jealous as I'm still spinning my tires trying to come up with a plot. Well, if I get there that will be cool but if not I'm quite happy viewing the entrants as they are looking great. Wink 

Cool pete

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
Bravo! Bravo! w00t Praise for you and Walter! You wrote and filmed a cool, cool story and he saved the girl. (Well, sort of. Tongue )

Cool pete

P.S. I don't think Walter is in any trouble that having a Genie can't fix tho. <Blink Blink> Smile

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
Super nice! Smile A quite believable news set.

Cool pete

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
Welcome back Roger BigGrin

Super glad to hear that you are on the mend.

Cool pete

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
I usually just paint the skin below the break. Fast easy and a bit of a bloody solution (Down and dirty as mark would say =) ) but it keeps you moving forward without spending a lot of time fixing it. BigGrin

Cool pete

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
Ya sunk one of each Chuckie ole boy. So what's it gonna be? Stripes or solids? Tongue

Nice bit of animating. Smile

Cool pete

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
viking: Smile

I had a similar event on one of the main scenes in my Ari WIP. I had rendered it, thank you lord, but after a little tweaking I tried to render again and iclone shut down. When I tried to re-open the file I got an error message saying the file was corrupted and was unable to open. I cut up the render I had done previously, added a close-up, and made it work but I was shaking for a bit at the thought of re-doing hours of work. I also knew I probably wouldn't be able to re-capture the 'feel' of the first render if I rebuilt it. Crying

Fortunately I was able to jury-rig it and move on. BigGrin

Cool pete

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
The only toon I ever loved...not counting the others. Smile
By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
Viking: Smile

"On another note... Peter Blood... Evil-looking skull avatar... Reply #666... just a coincidence?"

Peter Blood... Famous movie pirate Wink

Red Skull... Pirate like picture Hehe

666... the number before 667 Doze

I know...boring ain't it? Tongue

Cool pete

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
Bravo! Bravo! BigGrin

 I don't know where to start with my praise of your production...Sets? Lighting? Characters? Story? All exceptionally done. And that doesn't even include the small details you added throughout the entire production. A very noteworthy addition to the Pinhead pantheon. My congratulations to you. Wink

Cool pete

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
Dayum Roger, I'm really sorry to hear that. I had my motherboard fry on me a month or so back so I can feel your pain. I was fortunate in that I didn't lose anything but time and the cost of a new board and memory. So sorry to hear about your troubles. Crying

This might be a good opportunity to inform the commitee that I'm not able to put the time in on Pinhead to finish the production. My comp hiccup set me way behind on the other projects that were filling up my calendar. I'm only now getting caught up with everything. 

If it is at all possible I will make the effort but at this moment it's not looking too good for it.

Cool pete

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
OMG Walter! What would your mother say? ...and on TV too! tsk tsk tsk. BigGrin

Cool pete

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
Bravo! Bravo! w00t

An all-around excellent production. You've produced a very strong entry Job, well-constructed and smartly presented. I thourghly enjoyed it.

Cool pete

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
Well, don't get discouraged Gretchen, there's someone out there for everyone. Smile I'm living proof of that ! If an old, prune-face like me can find someone, then anyone can. The trick is to look in their heart and go with someone that has a gentle and loving one. Wink

Don't give up Gretchen my darlin'.

Cool pete
By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
Gratz to all of the participants. It's great that everyone was recognized for their hard work as all of the videos were excellent. Kudos to all. BigGrin

Awesome awards show. It had a lot of glamour and glitz. the committee did a superb job on it. Smile The reallusion community is lucky to have all of you. Wink

Cool pete



By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
cute GIF Arie. I loved it. BigGrin

Cool pete
By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
Awesome job Peter. BigGrin You can see how much work you put into the rides. They all looked awesome. You gotta get that dog a box of 'Depends', he leaks like boat with a hole in it. Tongue

Cool pete

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
Great Job Daniel. Smile Alot of fun stuff in that story. A nice blend of drama and comedy. Kudos

Cool pete

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
@Doug: Smile

I missed the release of your video and just caught it today. Bravo! An excellent production and all the more fun because of the family involvement. I'm hoping to have my Grand-daughter play a part in my next release. (She's 9...oh and a half Wink ) I used her face on the character and it came out great but today she asked me if I could change the hair color. Geez Women!!! (I said I could of course. Tongue )

Anyway, your daughters did an outstanding job, I'm sure you're very proud of them. BigGrin

Cool pete

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
I think I used to date those two! Ermm Sometimes on the same night! w00t

Doze  Don't tell them you know me okay???

Cool (Now you know the reason for the dark glasses.) pete

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
viking: Smile

Here's a video Rampa posted a while back on exactly that same problem. A very clever solution to a troublesome head-scratcher. BigGrin

Cool pete

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
viking: Smile

I stick the addresses for any tute I watch in a 'iclone tutorials' folder on my desktop. I usually rename them right away if they need it to make them easier to find. Wink That's where I got this one from.

Cool pete

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
viking: Smile

Before you dump your wallpaper try changing the offset and tile settings. Making the designs smaller and more numerous might bring back the feeling you had about it when you first saw it. Although I like your new decor as well. BigGrin

Coolpete

By Peter Blood - 10 Years Ago
Very sad news. My condolences Roger.

pete
By lynn3d - 10 Years Ago
Great clips and stills every one, can't wait to see the finished projects BigGrin BigGrin BigGrin
By lynn3d - 10 Years Ago
Thank you all Smile

So far, great movies by all those who have already submitted their entry, I enjoyed each and every one of them BigGrinBigGrin

colour (4/4/2014)
BTW - Are you submitting a Poster in the Poster Competition?

I will certainly give it a try, I just can't promise Wink


By lynn3d - 10 Years Ago
Again, great WIP screenshots by everyone BigGrin
Looking forward to very interesting videos !
By lynn3d - 10 Years Ago
Thank you Pete, I really appreciate it Smile
My problem (heart) is unlikely to get any better, just a case of making the best of it.
By lynn3d - 10 Years Ago
If nobody minds I would like to participate in the Pinhead competition. However, due to health problems I won't sign up at the Pinhead website until I know that I can finish the project in due time. That is, if that's fine with the organizer.

I have been re-reading this thread but I'm somewhat confused about the requirements for this project, i.e. except for our hero Pinhead is the use of the other characters (as made available for download by Alley) mandatory and/or are there any other specific requirements for this project ?

Many thanks Smile

Just a still as introduction



(please, click image for a larger view)
By lynn3d - 10 Years Ago
Thank you all very much, it's a relief that there are no real restrictions for it makes it much easier now for what I have in mind. The Bad Guy will be in his usual role, you can't learn an old dog ...... but there will be no dog BigGrin

Of course Pinhead will be the hero and in more than one way and ice cream is involved to a far larger extend then Pinhead just buying one Hehe

Now I better get on with it for each day is different and some days I can't do anything at all but animation being my life it keeps me going.
By pinguintje - 10 Years Ago
Why is Villain running with dynamite?

Maybe Pinhead knows the answer.......

Arie

By pinguintje - 10 Years Ago
I have submitted my poster on PinheadHQ.

As you see Pinhead is in an awkward predicament.

Arie

By pinguintje - 10 Years Ago
After the explosion in his house Pinhead was in hospital for a while. You did not see it in the opening. Fortunately he is in good company.

Have a nice weekend.

Arie

By pinguintje - 10 Years Ago
Great Work animagic !
I have heard the Pixar Animation Studios will contact you for their new movie.

Best Regards,
Arie
By pinguintje - 10 Years Ago
Happy Easter

Arie

By pinguintje - 10 Years Ago
@ Greg and Lynn

Congratulations !!!!
Two very nice clips!!!
I first thought Pinhead was in love with an icecream.Laugh

Best regards,
Arie
By pinguintje - 10 Years Ago
Yesterday I saw a strange owl with a Pinhead hair-dress in the park.

Maybe good to inform you........

Arie

By pinguintje - 10 Years Ago
Because today is the first of april I just have submitted the link of my Pinhead clip on PinheadHQ.
It's no joke......

@animagic
Now you can see how the owl plays his part in the story.

Best Regards,
Arie
By pinguintje - 10 Years Ago
Turtle timeTongue

Best Regards,

Arie

By pinguintje - 10 Years Ago
No rest for our Pinhead......

Best regards,

Arie

By pinguintje - 10 Years Ago
Thanks for all the Pinhead entries.
It will take some time for me to see them all, because last week I am operated on cataract. No problem, only the eyes needs some rest. I can see now better then before.
I don't like popcorn too, but I'll take some peanuts and a glass of gin.

Best regards,
Arie
By pinguintje - 10 Years Ago

Best Regards,

Arie

By pinguintje - 10 Years Ago

The last soccer image.....

Best Regards,

Arie

By pinguintje - 10 Years Ago
I have watched all entries now. They are really great!Smile

Gold for all these masterpieces.

Best Regards,

Arie

By pinguintje - 10 Years Ago

Today....

 

Best Regards,

Arie

By pinguintje - 10 Years Ago
@RB3006

Yesterday:

By pinguintje - 10 Years Ago
The committee did a very great and difficult job and the award show is wonderful and amazing. Many thanks to everyone for the beautiful videos.

Pinhead is now on holliday. No adventures, no Gretchen, no sister or mother, no casino, no songs, no........

Only sun, sea, beach, palm trees and something yellow with spots.

 

Yesterday my iClone movie Little Red Riding Hood (Roodkapje en de boze wolf) with the characters of Apparition reached 100.000 views on You Tube. Therefore I want dedicate this movie to Mike. His characters live on.... (as written in the awards show).

Best Regards,

Arie

By pinguintje - 10 Years Ago
@Robert

Here are all the prizes. They are also in the picture. Maybe your prize is the white rabbit or something else.Smile
Please let me know what is your prize and I will change the picture.

1) Iclone 5 Pro
2) CTA2 Pro
3) CT7
4) Avatar Toolkit and Toon Pack
5) Choice of City Element Pack
6) Pinnacle Studio 17 Ultimate
7) Pinnacle Studio 17 Ultimate
8) Pinnacle Studio 17 Plus
9) Pinnacle Studio 17 Plus
10) Pinnacle Studio
11) Pinnacle Studio
12) Smartsound Sonic Fire Pro (latest version) plus one album
13) Choice of Serif Software Package

Best Regards,
Arie
By pinguintje - 10 Years Ago
@Alley

Thank you and the Committee for the hard work.

Best Regards,

Arie

By pinguintje - 10 Years Ago
@animagic

One word........

@justaviking

I have never seen so many dots in iClone. Your movie must cost a lot of money.Tongue I am very curious to see it.

Best regards,

Arie

By pinguintje - 10 Years Ago
Wonderful pictures above !Smile

Here is my (4)cast picture. As you see it is a low budget movie.

Best Regards,

Arie

By pinguintje - 10 Years Ago
Pinhead has a day off to see his children.

Best regards,

Arie

By pinguintje - 10 Years Ago
@RB3006

Robert, sehr schön gemacht!!!Smile

Fabelhaft!!!

 Liebe Grüsse,

Arie 

By pinguintje - 10 Years Ago
@ The Mythical Dragon

Doug, an awesome movie. Great Work. Smile

And..........Pinhead is alive (again).

Best Regards,

Arie

By pinguintje - 10 Years Ago
Pinhead is sent to prison.
  • He sleeps with a minor teddy bear (page 57)
  • He hit Alura (WIP update yesterday justaviking)

His hair was cut in GrannyJs Hair Saloon.

Best Regards,

Arie

By pinguintje - 10 Years Ago
Alley, Brian, Gerry and Joe

Thank you for the wonderful certificateSmileSmileSmile

Best Regards,

Arie

By pinguintje - 10 Years Ago
@Alley

Two hours ago I received the Pinnacle Studio 17 Plus. I think the postman used a jet fighter. It was here in three days.SmileSmileSmileSmileSmile

And as you see in the picture Edwin needs a girlfriend. Maybe she is soon in the Marketplace?

Many, many, many thanks again.

@Robert

Maybe you can ask the postman to bring you the linkWink

 

Best Regards,

Arie

By pinguintje - 10 Years Ago
Maybe first to school?

Best Regards,

Arie 

By pinguintje - 9 Years Ago
A beautiful clip coulor.TongueTongueTongue

Maybe the owlet choir is something for the Voice of England.

Best Regards,

Arie

By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
I may squeeze in a little Thanksgiving Pinhead clip....  would that be OK?
By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
I received my Pinnacle Studio late today in Florida....

Thanks again to Alley for going above & beyond & to the rest of the committee & the participants too!

By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
My deepest sympathies....  Losing one's soul mate is like losing a part of one's self....  My heart goes out to Roger and his entire family.
By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
@RB3006 - Fantastic video - but oh, poor Pinhead - this year he's been shot at, beaten up, screamed at & now conked on the head with an ice block!  Poor guy just can't get a break.... LOLOL Hehe

@animagic - I too appreciate the friendliness & camaraderie of this group....  so sorry to hear that something (or someone) has taken the sunshine from your day!  Wishing you a brighter tomorrow!

By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
whoever she is, she's scary......  wouldn't want to run into her in my travels LOLOL w00t
By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
But if the Alura being kidnapped is an imposter - then it makes sense that the dog wouldn't "jump in" to save a stranger......
By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
Sometimes just shutting down the spring in the upper body will eliminate the skin bleed through... (one simple mouse-click and voila, bleed through disappears).

Or, if you want to really fix the cloth problem, you can use 3ds MAX & edit the collision points between the skin mesh and the cloth mesh......

Or you can use the diffuse from the upper shirt to create an opacity map for the skin upper....

Or with simple colors, you can just paint the skin (this option can also work with patterns/printed fabric if you copy the same section from the upper cloth diffuse and paste it onto the skin upper in the corresponding place)....

Or you can rotate her shoulder back into a parallel position to her clavicle and that will usually alleviate the bleed through...

Or you can write something into the story line about her clothes being destroyed during the scuffle with the "villain"....

Or you can switch your camera angle so the offending bleed through is not visible to the camera....

That about every option I know of for resolving skin bleed through......
By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
colour (5/20/2014)

One ride disintegrates when animated. Had to Re-attach a load of back faces to front faces  & work-out which part should rotate & then attach Front Faces to that. Might be a bit missing. Need to check original SKP Model.

Would it be easier to use some of my amusement park rides (the animation is built in, you just have to link your character to the component)?  If so, send me your iClone email address to granny@grannyjsplace.com and I will gif you whatever rides you might need for your movie.....

By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
GrannyJ (5/21/2014)
colour (5/20/2014)

One ride disintegrates when animated. Had to Re-attach a load of back faces to front faces  & work-out which part should rotate & then attach Front Faces to that. Might be a bit missing. Need to check original SKP Model.

Would it be easier to use some of my amusement park rides (the animation is built in, you just have to link your character to the component)?  If so, send me your iClone email address to granny@grannyjsplace.com and I will gif you whatever rides you might need for your movie.....

DUH....Guess I should have provided the link so you could look at the rides. Just go to my storefront on the marketplace here http://city.reallusion.com/store/GrannyJs3DAttic and scroll down to the "AMUSEMENT PARK ESSENTIALS" section....

If there's something there that will help you out, just let me know....

By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
RB3006 (5/23/2014)
I love cast Pics, so I also will add  one.

 

I never did a cast pic, so here's one now....

from left to right:

Alura's Dad (a clone of my father), the dog, Headpin (Pinhead's counterpart in an alternate dimension) the REAL Alura, the IMPOSTER Alura in Pinhead's dimension (actually Alexa), Alexa in her own dimension, the Guardian, the Villain (who's not really a villain)....

By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
animagic (5/15/2014)
[quote]I'm using this patch too and am able to do a lot of work in the 32-bit version. It's at http://www.ntcore.com/4gb_patch.php. Just apply and be on your merry way. I also use it for 3DXchange to be able to open larger models.

Thanks for that link!  I have used the patch & it's amazing the effect it has on iClone functionality!

I have also lost work due to iClone crashes.....

Ya know, ya get "into the designing groove", and you just seem to forget to make those important "saves" and it dawns on you that you should just when iClone crashes....

Why doesn't iClone have an "autosave" feature or a "recover last project" feature like most other software, I wonder????

By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
@MythicalDragon

How precious was that???  Not only great lighting, great acting, spiffy sound, but a moral to the story as well!  What a great way to involve the family and send a gentle reminder to everyone that the spoken word can inflict pain and be cause for later regret....

Congrats on a job well done!!!!

By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
3DStory (6/9/2014)

@GrannyJ - you are reworking your clip?? That's dedication! The small P is great! Gave me some ideas to try later BigGrin


My clip was the first movie I have ever made in iClone, so when the deadline extended, I inquired if I could resubmit....

Seeing everyone else's work and getting all the useful tips and tutorials from the folks in this forum inspired me to improve upon my first attempts at movie creation.

Now, if my health, family catastrophes and workload will "stay in check", I might have an actual clip to resubmit that though it will never be as good as the veteran animators, it will certainly be an improvement over my first attempt....

Either way, the project has been fun, a great way to build up my iClone skills, but most of all the most enjoyable and rewarding interaction with folks in the community (that's the best part of it all)...

I am so impressed with how everyone involved is willing to help each other, share ideas and support each other - you are all truly amazing - not only for the great work you create & produce, but for the way you interact with each other....

For that alone, I proffer a STANDING OVATION to the folks involved in the Pinhead Project! :-)

And thanks for all the kind comments about "Gretchen".... I kind of have a soft spot in my heart for the dear girl...
By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
@Capemedia

Good looking cast - can't wait to see your clip

By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
My version of Pinhead's sister, Gretchen Pinhead, who will make an appearance in my reworked clip, if I get it done in time

By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
@RB3006

Das war unglaublich! Ein wunderbarer Film! Die Requisiten und die Beleuchtung waren fabelhaft.

Verzeihen Sie meine Deutsch, habe ich nicht für eine lange Zeit praktiziert ....

Truly awesome job.....

By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
justaviking (5/30/2014)
animagic (5/30/2014)
justaviking (5/30/2014)
...but he doesn't have the "Move" (walk) command available.

You can add the Move command by applying a persona to the avatar. So if it is a G5 Pinhead, apply Chuck's persona. Click the Persona tab and you'll see the persona's listed on the left.

Oh, well that sounds easy.  My ignorance is nearly limitless.  Blush

 

As to the face: I've no idea, I've never encountered that problem.

I'm just lucky, I guess.

Anyone else have an idea on the transparent cheeks?

 .

For G5, just apply the Chuck persona & that will take care of the move issue.  I do not have the 2011 Pinhead character, so I cannot duplicate your issue, however, you can "round out" the G5 Pinhead's cheeks quite easily. Just go to the "Head" tab & in the modify panel, select "Cheeks" and adjust the sliders (you can also play with "Cheekbones" too)....

By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
@animagic

Awesome job - great video, great characters!

By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
@RB3006

I'm wondering, what is the issue you are having with hair & clothing???

By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
Thanks to the committee for all of their efforts - it takes a lot of time out of one's busy schedule to manage all that they do for the Pinhead project.

Additionally, a warm appreciative hug goes out to all the participants - the camaraderie of the entire group during the project was an absolute pleasure. 

By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
From Pinhead, Gretchen & Alura

By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
@peterblood

"Well, don't get discouraged Gretchen, there's someone out there for everyone. I'm living proof of that ! If an old, prune-face like me can find someone, then anyone can. The trick is to look in their heart and go with someone that has a gentle and loving one.

Don't give up Gretchen my darlin'."

Gretchen appreciates your kind words....  She will never give up on her dream of finding "Mr. Right".....  and she'll lament over the struggle ad nauseum (just ask poor Pinhead)...

 

By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
justaviking (7/28/2014)
Hoo-whee!  Is it just me, or is it getting warm in here?  Tongue

Poor Gretchen wishes it was getting warm - the poor thing remains unmarried and without any prospects - though she keeps trying.....w00t  She doesn't realize that her bikini look is NOT going to attract the man of her dreams (more likely, it would make any sane male run for the hills)Laugh

By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
justaviking (7/28/2014)
Pinhead to Gretchen:  "It's not so much impatience as it is eager anticipation.  And would you please put on a wrap?  This is a public forum, and you're my sister for crying out loud."


Gretchen to Pinhead: "Anticipation, impatience, whatevaaaaaahhhh......  Put on a wrap? Aaaargh, you can be such a prude! It's only a bikini and we're at the beach house!  Fine, I'll put on a cover-up for now, but it will come off when we hit the beach!"

By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
Pinhead's sister Gretchen has been helping poor Pinhead to "chill" while awaiting the awards announcement:

By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
justaviking (7/20/2014)
These are the "categories" that were posted earlier:
  • Pick a Favorite Poster
  • Character relations -Optional-
  • Best Facial Expressions and or Gestures -Optional-
  • Best Sound -Optional-
  • Best Music -Optional-
  • Best Technical (editing)
  • Best Comedy
  • Best Drama
  • Best Screenplay (Story)
  • Best Picture (overall)


What are the other 6 or so questions? Things like suggestions for the next project?

I still haven't voted yet (sigh... got busy with other things... sigh). This is going to be tough. I only have a couple that I'm fairly certain about. Maybe two... yeah, the voting will be sweet agony.


Here are the voting questions in order:
1. We had seven great Posters. Which was your favorite?
2. What movie had the best use of music?
3. What movie had the best sound mix.
4. Was there a stand out movie with great gesture and facial expressions? This is optional.
5. What movie was best movie technically?
6. What movie was the best comedy?
7. Was there a best drama?
8. What movie do you feel had the best story?
9. Finally the Golden Pinhead for best Picture should go to what movie?
10. Ford the dog was introduced in this project. Was there a clip that made good use of him?
11. What movie best defined who the villain was in relation to Pinhead?
12. What movie best defined who Alura was in relation to Pinhead?
13. We are always trying to explore future ideas. Please rate th following concepts to help us gauge interest. (There is a large list with 13 ideas to rank from 1-5)
14. Would you like to see Alura available for download for future Pinhead Adventures?
15. TEXT BOX for As always you may suggest a project here.
16. TEXT BOX for comments.

That's everything on the voting site.

Now, for 2 cents on this whole project from one unhealthy, little old lady w00t

I would first of all like to thank EVERYONE in this forum for making this such an enjoyable learning experience.... This old dog learned some new iClone tricks from the fount of information & knowledge shared here... This was my first attempt at making a movie, and without the assistance y'all provided, I probably would have given up or pulled all my hair out (and that would not have been pretty at all Tongue ) So THANK YOU once again!

I am astounded at all of the creative work that came out of this endeavor. Regardless of the results outcome, you all deserve a big round of applause.

It has been an awesome pleasure to be involved with such a great group!

A big congratulatory hug to each of you.....



By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
colour (6/14/2014)
"RB3006 (6/14/2014)
The Welcome Comitee is waiting for slow coaches ...BigGrin

Hope, the Girls can  motivate you"

If they're presenting the Awards at the Awards Ceremony, I'm glad I'm not in the running for one, Robert BigGrin

Gretchen wants in on this party!!!! w00t

By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
Both submissions are great.... and daunting....

I am amazed that anyone has completed their clip already. I'm just in the middle of mine and it's no where near as lengthy as these!

My clip will be max 4-5 minutes long and being a newbie, my animating skills are not as developed

Well, if nothing else, perhaps once done my clip will provide a few chuckles as I stumble around in iClone LOLOL!

By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
@justaviking-
I would never do that to such as cute canine LOLOL....

seriously, my biggest dilemma was converting the "dimensional" Alura from grayscale to color as she came through the dimensional plane (the teeth & eyeballs were a big issue), but thanks to someone on the forum, I found a way around it using opacity maps and adjusting them in the timeline.....

the other was creating "wet looking surfaces" on Pinhead's & Allura's driveway - which I did with some video bump maps and messing with the glossiness & specular.... in some of the scenes, it rendered well as soaking wet pavement - in others not so much, but it was worth the learning experience....

Pinhead for me is one of those guys you just have to love - lots of intelligence, but sometimes a bit "off center".....

I forgot to thank my Dad in the video credits for being the "model base" for Alura's father - THANKS DAD.... (so if anyone ever wanted to know what my dad looks like, flannel shirt & all, there ya go....

Now I can leave on my vacation tomorrow without having a Pinhead deadline monkey messing with my head LOLOL Hehe
By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
@justaviking-

the terrain looks like it's coming together.... my eyesight may be failing me, but is that house near the cliff's edge????

Now my curiosity is piqued - Will we see some suspense action involving a narrow escape from going over the cliff by our hero, Pinhead? Is the convoy of vehicles after Pinhead or perhaps in pursuit of him?

I love of the different twists and turns folks come up with & the levels of creativity involved.... Can't wait to see the final terrain & how it fits in to your Pinhead plot.....

BTW - Have you ever tried Apparition's "Magic Terrain"? Kind of neat the way you can create your, hills, crevasses, culverts, mountains, etc.... I've played around with it & got some interesting results.....

By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
@animagic -
My script only supported a 5+ minute video - and I was under 2 deadlines (the Pinhead8 deadline for Mid-May & my vacation, starting tomorrow)... that's the only reason I've finished mine early.

Even though he's kinda cute in his unique "off center" way, I really didn't want to bring "Pinhead" on vaca with me LOLOL Hehe

So I worked on the final scenes non-stop till I got it done.... (which means now I'm spending my evening packing suitcases)....

I am excited about seeing everyone's Pinhead creations - the levels of creativity out there astound me....

I can't wait to see what you come up with & I am sure the final result you produce will WOW us all! BigGrin
By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
@Colour:  Thank you for including me in the "experienced animators" category when you posted that all clips so far were from "experienced animators".....

I consider that quite an honor since I have been animating for less than a year and other than promotional videos for marketplace content, I have had very limited experience creating anything other than 2D videos.

I think my learning curve was substantially assisted by the fact that I used AutoCAD in the construction industry for many years before my retirement and subsequently discovering my passion for 3D animation with my purchase of iClone in 2013....

Just goes to show that iClone is a great tool for folks just starting out in 3D animation!

By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
@justaviking & @colour

Thanks guys, you're the best!!!!  Am playing with the lighting right now, and I think I might be getting close...  Couldn't have made such strides without your input!!Smile

Going to work out the sound issues later today....

@justaviking - oh no, poor Pinhead, I didn't mean for him to cry (Lordy knows that poor young man has enough roadblocks in his life LOLOLBigGrin ) Just wanted the folks here to know how much they contribute to my life...

Y'all brighten & enhance my day....... Thanks yet once again!

By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
@justaviking -
Thanks for sharing your earlier vid - what a cute storyline & a nice happy ending (I am totally into happy endings BTW)....

I use AVS Audio Editor for my audio tracks. I tend to record each character's lines in individual clips, but it never dawned on me to make a single master clip to adjust overall volume & then break them apart - that's a great idea! Will definitely try it on my next project! Thanks for sharing that!

@everyone -
Thanks for all you share here, I have learned a lot during this project from the folks in this forum! I am sure my learning curve has been shortened tremendously by participating in this project, plus I discovered and honed some new skills in iClone that I'd always wanted to try. This project provided the opportunity to stretch my imagination and attempt new things...

@animagic - why do you create image sequences versus an HD video? I use Adobe After Effects for post work, but I bring in HD vid clips. Do you get better picture quality using an image sequence? Your still WIP shots are awesome BTW....

@all - can anyone share the best format to select in iClone for video output? I've been using MP4 HD720 & changing dimension to 768x432, but my final result never seems "crisp & clear", so I am wondering if it would be better rendered in a different format....

Also, if I rework my vid to clean it up a bit, am I allowed to resubmit prior to the deadline?

@sjonesdc - thanks for your kind words, I truly enjoyed working this project. Building characters, scenes, props, etc is the easy part for me, as I have been building components in AutoCad forever, so that was an easy transition - but creating a movie, facial animation and coordinating animation between each character plus learning lighting tricks & stuff has been like climbing Everest - a slow and sometimes painful process at times, but the reward & exuberance of learning new skills has been stupendous...

In short, when I lost my mobility (& my career) a few years back due to a crippling disease, I often wondered if I would ever find something to do from home that would not only exercise my brain and my hands, but also provide a creative avenue. I have to share that iClone and projects like this, have been a godsend! I sorely missed collaborative interaction - and you all have filled that gap... Mere words can never express how grateful I am for what all of you share on a daily basis. And to the folks at RL, certainly, iClone has limits (every SW program always does), but it is one of the easiest programs I have ever used and would recommend it for anyone entering the world of 3D modeling/animation.

Everyone, please, take a brief moment today to applaud yourself for the knowledge you share & the joy you bring to others.... you may not realize it, but what you do COUNTS a lot!

With my deepest appreciation to you all,
Granny J

By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
@justaviking -

Yes, I want to even out the volume of all the voices and adjust the lighting....

Here's my roadblock - I keep trying to make the scenes "brighter", but I still want it to appear to take place in the dead of night. So the question becomes how to "brighten" the scene for rendering while still making it appear to be late at night?  Any suggestions would be helpful....

Also - what is your recommendation for video output setting to use in iClone?

Thanks bunches!!!!

By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
@animagic - awesome pic of scene - I love the old building and the fog!

@justaviking - a cliff of snow and Pinhead heading for the edge! Oh my, sends chills up my spine, I can't wait to see what happens. Great texture on snow, and when you play with your lighting & shadows, it will be mag, I'm sure!

@MythicalDragon - dear me, oh my, I am sitting here contemplating why I ever chose this project to be the very first movie I've ever made....
That was (as the youngins say) Totally Flippin' Awesome... animation, sounds, lighting..... and the script - I luv it - poor Pinhead got an "ouchie" LOLOL Hehe

The talent levels of the folks in this Pinhead escapade astound me...... I feel like a kindergartner in a room full of college students - way out of my league, fer sure....

Thanks for letting us new folks try.... I am learning lots from you veterans!
By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
Praying for Roger's speedy recovery....
By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
@Alley- I think that's a stupendous idea!  That gives me time to fix all the problems in my submission & resubmit....

I am sure a lot of the folks here will be glad to have the time line extended...

By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
@rampa, @animagic & @colour -

Thank you all!  I went down colour's list & when I unchecked the HDR, the scene went back to normal (what it was when I saved it)...  YIPEE!!!  Thank the heaven's for small favors BigGrin

By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
justaviking (4/30/2014)
@Job (Animagic),

Thank you for sharing that great tip.  What an excellent discovery.

I hope I remember to slightly offset my vertical lights when I start working on lighting (see how I'm reinforcing that lesson).

This is what you get when you don't decorate and light a set...  You get my sad detective office (as it currently exists)...  Shadows?  I've heard of them.  What are they?  Blush

Sometimes the purpose of my life is to serve as a warning to others.  Crying

Since y'all helped me out, I would like to extend the same courtesy. Would you like my completely decorated, fully functional Country Kitchen to use?  Just send me your iClone email address so I can gift it to you...

By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
@sjonesdc & @justaviking-

Thanks for the lovely remarks about my kitchen. It is heartwarming when other iCloners appreciate your work/efforts.

@all

For those who have requested/received my Country Kitchen

You will receive error messages about the missing video bump maps (the video bump maps cannot be loaded via the content uploader to the marketplace, and the file size exceeds most email client limits, as well).

However, if you follow the instruction in my previous post, you can recreate the missing video bump maps, which will make all the water in the double sinks (running faucet, soapy water & rinse water) become even more realistic.

If anyone needs additional help with creating the video bump maps, please email me at grannyj@grannyjs3dattic.com and I will attempt to assist you.

Have an awesome day,
Granny J
By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
Perhaps someone here with experience in iClone atmosphere/lighting can help me with a dilemma...l

I am revamping my Pinhead vid submission for resubmission & have employed a lot of the lighting tricks mentioned in this forum to keep the "nigh time" feel, but still make it easily viewable for folks....

I started with the "mist" stock atmosphere, changed out the sky, used a bunch of the directional lights plus added some "glow" features to items like street lamps, tail lights, etc.

Here's the problem, the scene was looking pretty cool (if I say so myself), so I saved the scene (as a project) to come back to it after dinner & when I reopened the scene, it was BLACK (I don't mean dark grey, I don't mean really dim and hard to see, I mean JET BLACK)....  what did I do wrong & how do I get my scene back to the way it was looking when I saved it?  Any clues would be deeply appreciated.... (the world is not ready for a bald Granny J from me pulling my hair out LOLOL w00t )

By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
@justaviking

you should now have the kitchen, enjoy!

@mark

thank you for your lovely statement about my kitchen

By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
@animagic

Just an FYI, you must go into the scene manager & uncheck the particle on the left front burner or the little white cone-type particle thingies are visible over the flame.

@all

Unfortunately, the sound files for the microwave & the running water, plus the video bump maps for the running and still water in the sinks cannot be uploaded to the marketplace and are too large to be sent through most email clients.

The running water & microwave sounds can be obtained at freesounds.org

HOW TO CREATE WATER VIDEO BUMP MAPS:

To create a video bump map for the water planes, simply launch the diffuse map in your graphics editor and desaturate. Then in iClone, in a new scene, add "Plane A" from the stock 3d Surfaces and place that desaturated image on it. Enlarge the plane so it more than fills the screen. Set it at frame 1 so that the bottom of the plane is aligned to the bottom of the screen and at the last frame so that the top edge of the plane is aligned with the very top of the screen (so in other words, the plane slowly "moves down" from top to bottom of the screen, but always fills the screen). Then render the video using dimension of 512x512 or 1024x1024.

Once rendered, add it to the bump map the same way you would add a still image (just double click the bump map and select the video).  In  your time line, you can adjust the speed of the video bump map to obtain the desired look.  You can also adjust the strength using the slider in the modify panel. This method will give you a rippling or running water effect.

For soapy water, instead of moving the destaurated plane down the screen, simply make slight movements to left, right, upwards & downwards (which will give the effect of the soap bubbles moving slightly as they "float" on top of the water's surface). Then use the same steps as the rippling water as described above.

This is my methodology for creating moving water effects.....  it may not be the "standard" way of doing this, but it works well for me.

Have fun!

By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
I had similar problems trying to use a video plane to capture the final frames from the lead in movie clip, so instead I attempted to recreate the scene using the default outdoor stage, some smoke particles and then play with the atmosphere....


My story line involves a couple of additional characters (Alexa, Headpin, and the Guardian) who represent Alura, Pinhead & the "villain" respectively, but in an alternate dimensional plane that is void of color.... and there are many instances of characters fading in/out of scenes....



The ending will introduce another character - Alura's father - wanting answers about his daughter's behavior over the last few months (while Pinhead slinks off to avoid the confrontation).....

That's basically my intro, a hint of the plot and my conclusion......



By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
@animagic & @longcross-

Thanks for the info!
By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
My deepest sympathies - losing my comp would be like losing an arm or leg - it's my non-human appendage!

By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
rampa (3/11/2014)
GRannyJ,

I would recommend to go ahead and use the opacity sliders for the various parts of your model that have them. For the teeth, throat, and eyes: load a black image into their opacity channels, and animate it's strength from 0 to 100. Strength sliders can be animated.

Wires was using 2 different takes of the same scene in his video editor, and crossfading between them. First take showed Pinhead, second take showed Headpin. He was not loading video onto the transparent plain. Hope that clarified.Smile


Hi Rampa - thanks for your feedback & advice - using an opacity filter for the mouth & eyes worked and solved my issue.....

Now if I could only get my head around this morphing stuff (changing a dog into a human), I would be golden.....

One step (or should I say keystroke) at a time.... as long as I keep making progress and attaining new skills, I can't complain

Have a super week everyone....
By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
@colour-
perhaps another newbie question???

It says on the PinheadHQ site:
"Submit your embedded link with the submit clip form to be an official entry."

Does that mean I am to upload my video onto my server, then supply HTML5 code with the video & player plus CSS or can I just submit a YouTube video link?

and just for clarification's sake, is "mid-May 2014" an equivalent for May 15th?

Thanks bunches
& have a truly awesome day,
Granny J
By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
animagic (3/10/2014)
Granny, Peter, thanks for your suggestions! Cool

I will have to make the implementation low priority as there are so many other things still to do...Crazy

Granny, are you sure you're a newby? That was quite an elaborate solution...Wow


Yes, I am truly a newbie (@9 months since I first saw & then purchased iClone)
One caveat however, is that I grew up in the construction/architecture world using Autocad, so working in 3 dimensions is not new to me, just creating 3D video, characters and animation is. I guess the basic principals of physics, logic and 3D planes is basically the same in both worlds... Perhaps that's why my approach/solutions are a little "off" comparatively...
By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
colour (3/9/2014)
"animagic (3/9/2014)

BTW, does anyone have an idea how to simulate the splashing/spray caused by a vehicle driving through 6 to 12 inches of water? Here is a WIP still:



I think that could look very exciting...

I tried particles, but I'm no expert and it didn't look that good. Because the car moves the particles are spread out too much."

Have ewe tried Spray Particle, Attached to Wheels, Job ?

Adjust Colo(u)r& Settings.

Looks like we're all pushing the iClone envelope in this Project Wink

..............and - This is more like it. Posting & answering questions. Bring 'em on, Folks Wink



What I've used for spraying water is the "Tube B" Flex Base iProp with a plashing water diffuse graphic and a variegated opacity map similar to what you use for feathering a hair map and then add a black/white VIDEO bump map using a water wave type motion and the just size the tube (shorten & widen) and play with the flex setting and it looks like spraying water.... then you can attach it to the wheel as the parent....

Sounds complicated, but it's not really... if you want a sample video bump file, just email me at grannyj@grannyjs3dattic.com & I will send you the info for FTP download of the sample water video bump file.



By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
I forgot to add that you have to invert the tube....... (small end attached to hub of the wheel with wider end angled up and out)....

Sorry for the disjointed reply - I'd forget me head if'n it wasn't attached to my shoulders....
By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
@colour & @wires-

Thanks for your input - greatly appreciated. I had tried @wires suggestion, but I had a tough time getting the video that is playing on the transparent plane to line up exactly (I forgot to mention that I have a video bump map playing on the transparent plane)...

Maybe I just need to expand the timeline view to get it all cut at the exact frame or do it in frame-by-frame instead of realtime???? Does it make a big dif in iClone?

I will attempt again - I am doing post-production in Premier & After Effects - using keylight and alpha channels....

I'll let you know how I make out following your example, @wires...

Thanks again for the input/feedback - truly appreciated!

Have a gr8 rest of the weekend ! BigGrin
By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
Just for giggles - I don't have 2 Pinheads.... the one behind the dimensional plane has an "H" on his belt buckle (he's Headpin - Pinhead's counterpart in an alternate dimension).....

I am using this Pinhead 8 project as a fun learning exercise to expand my iClone skills... trying things I've never attempted before... like characters in the "alternate dimension" are in 256 shades of grey, but as they pass through the dimensional plane into Pinhead's world, they gain the full color spectrum.

For that segment, I created "dupes" in 256 shades of grey for all the characters in my episode - the tricky part is when they are halfway through the plane, so I also created characters who are 1/2 in color & half in shades of grey (like in the poster I uploaded on the HQ site)..... and have been "stacking them together" and swapping out visibility - which is working for when they are passing through the dimensional plane.

But this fade in/out thingie has been driving me bats.... I plan on spending time today working it following @wires example

BTW @colour, thanks for the nice commentary on my pic!
By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
colour (3/9/2014)

However; - How about producing a Video Clip of Pinhead H in iClone & then Producing a WMV Video in your NLE Program with Fade-In/Out Transitions & then Projecting that on the Semi-transparent Plane in iClone?


That's a great idea - gonna try it & layer it with the bump video & that might just work!

Thanks, colour, you made my day!
By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
colour (3/8/2014)
Some Storyboardingwork in progress Workflow, to give Newbies an idea how to approach their Pinhead Project.

Post your Work in progress & ask questions, if you're stuck..



Okay, so here's my question ( since I'm a newbie at iClone - @ 9 months)

I need to make 3 characters fade in/fade out in a scene. I can't create the effect post-production because it takes place behind a semi-transparent "dimensional wall". Using the "visible" on/off control in the character's modify panel will not create the wanted fade effect.
So you understand what I mean by the "dimensional wall", I have included the graphic image below:


I am under the belief that I will have to resort to using the opacity slider in the character's modify panel for every component of the character (hair, upper, lower, shoes, accessories, and all the skin) to make this work.

If there is another methodology would someone kindly let me know..... actually, can anyone let me know if my assumption is correct and that this would be the best way to accomplish this effect?

Thanks in advance and have a truly awesome day!
By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
I was thinking along these lines......

Is this an acceptable poster?

By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
Is there an example of previous posters anywhere?




By GrannyJ - 10 Years Ago
colour Posted Yesterday @ 11:19 PM
"Judith (GrannyJ) & Job's (Animagic) Posters Posted"

Just for clarity's sake, Granny J (me) is Jean, not Judith.....
Heaven knows one a/k/a alias is quite enough to handleBigGrin LOL!
By theschemer - 10 Years Ago
I am still trying to figure out where to vote??
Thanks,
TS
By theschemer - 10 Years Ago
Alley,
No wonder I couldn't find it. BigGrin Another question. Does this link need some fixing?

http://www.pinheadhq.com/Kidnapped_pro8jinfo.php

Doesn't work for me with Firefox or Internet Exploder.

Thanks,
TS
By theschemer - 10 Years Ago
I have watched all of the videos. Good stuff, tough decision. Lots of hard work. Great job everybody, some day I will be good enough to make an entry too. BigGrin Learning as fast as I can. Cool
TS
By theschemer - 10 Years Ago
Excellent award show. Very well done. And everybody is a winner. Smile Congratulations to everyone. A lot of hard work and hours went into this. Tongue
Cheers,
TS
By Am7add9 - 10 Years Ago
no idea why that's happening
By Am7add9 - 10 Years Ago
kicking around a few ideas here.
a bit more than a kidnapping involved
By Am7add9 - 10 Years Ago
yes, i plan on making a submission, and have built a few scenes. I'll try to keep it pg-13 lol
By Am7add9 - 10 Years Ago
sorry! double posted-- must have spazzed.
anyway here was a early thing i abandoned
By Am7add9 - 10 Years Ago
nice animagic, i almost thought i was in a alternate universe where movie posters are wider than tall...lol
By Am7add9 - 10 Years Ago
urp...sorry it double posted again
By Am7add9 - 10 Years Ago
hmmm,
i wonder if my brand of mayhem would suit this...Smile
By Am7add9 - 10 Years Ago
like heroes before him, collateral damage was never a big issue..w00t
By Jasmine23 - 10 Years Ago
Good, feeling really excited!!!
great news...
By Koambas - 10 Years Ago
Just waiting for the Committee's Project Intro Clip.




samusng note 4 tasche