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By JasonJ68 - 16 Years Ago
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:w00t::w00t:
Hi everyone, I thought I would share this amazing technique I discovered while making some holiday animations....Please leave a comment on my YouTube page, thanks.
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By gizmo - 16 Years Ago
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Now that is neat!
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By Paumanok West - 16 Years Ago
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Very innovative technique, with LOTS of artistic possibilities. All iClone users are going to be interested in what you discovered. :w00t:
Too bad assigning the path points to the timeline is so tedious--at least it seemed so to me the few times I tried it. This must have been rather trying to assemble.
Your results are great--now if only Reallusion would automatically create a keyframe for every path point, and then just let us slide the keys along the timeline!
Thanks. :P
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By gizmo - 16 Years Ago
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Check out Cricky's tutorial on making a path. Great stuff. From memory you select a prop (ball or whatever), and move it around your scene in the positions of your required path creating keyframes. Select all the said keyframes in the Timeline then right click on your first keyframe and select make path. Job done. Good old Cricky I say. Found it: http://www.youtube.com/user/Panthar#p/u/31/pQ3_0vbkXXU
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By sjonesdc - 16 Years Ago
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jasonjbrown Not only do I like the tutorial but I really like your presentation. May be this should be pinned and added to the wiki. Great Job!!!!!
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By Paumanok West - 16 Years Ago
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gizmo (12/16/2010)
Check out Cricky's tutorial on making a path. Great stuff. From memory you select a prop (ball or whatever), and move it around your scene in thepositions ofyour required path creating keyframes. Select all the said keyframes in the Timeline then right click on your first keyframe and select make path. Job done. Good old Cricky I say. Found it: http://www.youtube.com/user/Panthar#p/u/31/pQ3_0vbkXXU
Hmm. Cricky's tutorial didn't explain it as clearly as you have explained it. But I think his method could really make me stop complaining about the tedium of paths...? Thanks!!
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By JasonJ68 - 16 Years Ago
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About the Paths: I didn't spend any time at all making paths or calculating positions. Almost all the paths in the tutorial are pulled directly out of the template folder, particularly the spirals, the helixes, and the circular paths. No effort to create those paths whatsoever. You also only have to set two keyframes-- one at the beginning and one at the end. As far as the poorly-pathed house shown in the lamp post scene, I didn't spend more than 5 minutes placing points. In retrospect, I could have used extremely simple paths to frame the house-- rectangles and triangles -- and then let the particle jump from path to path. This would have been way more precise. I'm excited to try the other path techniques that the others have discussed.
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By Paumanok West - 16 Years Ago
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Jason, one thing I'd like to see is a rip-off of the Tinkerbell-trail effect invented by you-know-who. You know, the falling particles that look like multicolored fireworks...
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By Seeker769 - 16 Years Ago
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Happy Holidays, Chris
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By mark - 16 Years Ago
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Brilliant discovery and brilliant presentation! ;)
Just wish I had know about this technique for the project I'm working on now....Rats:)
mp
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By brystudio - 16 Years Ago
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Thankyou for showing this jason it will sure come in handy on projects I work on:D
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By aknzrdude - 16 Years Ago
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ingenious! excellent tip thanks for sharing
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By JasonJ68 - 16 Years Ago
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SEEKER: A brilliant post. I am honoured.
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By stuckon3d - 16 Years Ago
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very nice tut Jason.
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By Cricky - 16 Years Ago
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Response to original post:
Jason,
I have used this technique before and the demo is a good start for beginning rather than advanced users. No knock here, so don't think of it as that. I have used technique or basic particle application as a Skywriter technique in the past, but couldn't tell you where that video clip is as it's been so long ago. I just want to add a bit more to extend the help a little bit further to others who are interested.
********************************************************
One thing I noticed was you didn't mention which particle you actually started with. It does make a difference, and I usually start with a still particle such as (Puff) which works fine for the techniques you displayed. With that as a starting point, anyone should be able to use your demo as a guide.
One other thing that should be considered is the Starting "Life Frame". If you set it to Zero (0) frames and extend the Ending "Life Frame" to well beyond the project length (50,000) frames, it will start sooner and end whenever you like by turning the particle "Off" when it has reached the point where you want to see it fulfilled.
The Particle On/Off can be anywhere between the Start Life Frame and the Ending Life Frame. The visibility of the particles already produced will not disappear until it's set "Life Frame" ending, so stopping it in mid-stream does not erase what has been created.
Another point for people to consider in a scene is shadows of particles. Particles do not cast shadows. So, if other items in the scene do cast shadows, it looks more realistic when a particle used does also. They can be exported as a PNG or TGA with Alpha sequence (32bit) option enabled. Then returning to the project by importing as popVideo.
-OR-
Exporting and bringing back in as two AVI(s) (One with Alpha Only), or again, popVideo can be used to import the videos.
A sample of the shadows effect, or lack of, can be seen Here http://www.box.net/shared/59vp1l1e9z
One Last thing:
The Particles created can also be saved as Custom Particles for later use, but may need tweaking for other projects. They rarely fit future projects 100% on re-use.
Ok, off the soapbox now...perhaps this thread will extend the knowledge of particles which are very easy to use once you try them.
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By rontarrant - 16 Years Ago
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Hi Jason,
Very informative and very creative!
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By peteradam6 - 16 Years Ago
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These FX look great. Very inventive! You might think about making a pack of these FX for sale on the Reallusion store?
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By afterThought - 16 Years Ago
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Thank you for sharing, Jason! :)
aT
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By JasonJ68 - 16 Years Ago
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Thanks everyone, I intend to make another Painting with Particles Tutorial, a part two if you will. I have some ideas for the technique that I'm going to try out. If iClone allowed us a little more control over the particles (ie: allowing less than 1 particle per second, or allowing sequentially numbered images to be used as images, allowing for random rotation of particles without particles continuing to rotate) we would be able to do stuff like a single set of footprints. Forgive me if I crosspost that last paragraph to iClone 5 wishlist topic!
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By Paumanok West - 16 Years Ago
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jasonjbrown (12/30/2010)
If iClone allowed us... sequentially numbered images to be used as images, allowing for random rotation of particles without particles continuing to rotate...
Forgive meif I crosspost that last paragraph to iClone 5wishlist topic!
Can't you accomplish the same thing using a video texture? I've used video textures on particles with great success.
On the RL forums, nobody worries about one or two instances of cross postings, so you may relax. Especially if you are making a comment germane to your point and you realize that it also ought to go into the wishlist!
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By Illustrator Cathy - 16 Years Ago
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:w00t: WOW Jason! :w00t:
Holy Steaming Piles of Cow Dung! LOL That was a BRILLIANT tutorial and I'm adding it to the Wiki immediately! BRAVO! Thank you so much!
Cathy :hehe:
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By gp0778 - 15 Years Ago
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I'm a newbie, so I guess I should stop watching this tutorial, lol. Ehh, just kidding around. :)
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