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PatMarrNC - all messages by user

2016/5/5 16:47:42
Feb 2016 release feedback/bugs after reading this thread I messed with trying to make the fire extinguisher fall over... I never could get it to fall in a straight line. It kept falling in a wide rotation.

I love the keyframing potential, but I wish there was a way to control the positioning more precisely. Maybe there is and I just don't know it yet. Or maybe I know it and I just suck at doing it.
2016/5/5 16:43:18
Anime Studio Pro 11 sale til Dec 1st for anyone who has ever considered other tools for your animation tool box, but didn't plunk down the cash at previous sales... Anime Studio Debut is on sale again for $35 USD

http://sites.fastspring.com/smithmicro/product/26026?utm_source=smithmicro&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=asdebut30off&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8ROGc5Romr6JBFFV3_3paqKcUBZD4nKFVni00yPg0IOlVOljYezxIZBXiykn80CVe6Lem22DpZesFreaGgmdmKIVwUeQ&_hsmi=29276122

no idea when the sale ends.
2016/5/5 10:41:56
Feb 2016 release feedback/bugs could it possibly be the case that under the physics tab, "keep upright" is still ticked on?
2016/5/5 1:25:22
Alien Grey (Cow Abduction) sounds awesome Clayster! Looking forward to seeing what you come up with on each of those themes!
2016/5/4 18:29:29
Alien Grey (Cow Abduction) Clayster,

as a thought for the back of your mind: lately I'm seeing a LOT of conspiracy theory stuff about aliens and Roswell and even theories that the government is planning a misinformation campaign like the famous WAR OF THE WORLDS radio broadcast that threw the nation into a panic years ago...

there is so much junk out there that it would be a shame to let all that momentum go to waste. Read up on the conspiracy theories, then put your own spin on it. There's a lot of potential way beyond the coyote/roadrunner model.

brainstorming ideas:

1) what would happen if the late show had a grey alien as guest? What would the host ask him? What kind of crazy @$$ replies would the alien come back with?

2) there's an obvious parallel between the illegal alien problem with insecure southern border and illegal interplanetary aliens... I think that would yield some great scenes if you presented space aliens in that paradigm

3) then there's the Twilight Zone model, like the "HOW TO SERVE HUMANS" episode, in which the plot throws us a curve in which we start out thinking the aliens are here to serve us socially, and end up realizing the title is for a cook book, and they're here to eat us

4) and of course there's the tried and true "fish out of water" plot in which an alien character is confronted by scenarios we take for granted (like dating protocol, dining protocol etc) and he gets it wrong because frankly, the way we do everything is counter-intuitive

5) another tried and true plot model is the "odd couple" in which you have a team (in this case maybe a human and an alien working together) and they rub each other the wrong way because they think so differently about everything

Or not. You have some great ideas, and I'm just piling on. Feel free to use or discard anything I say.
2016/5/4 18:08:31
Work around for the dialog system Another approach (which is EASY and it also helps me to arrange my scenes logically:

Break the project up into shorter scenes. At the end we have to assemble everything back into a unified video anyway, and I actually find it easier to save multiple scenes from one camera view than using longer scenes that switch camera view.

I start with my set, and keep saving it under different names (scene01.set, scene02.set etc)

One advantage of doing this is that for each file I can start over with new audio / dialog files, and therefore it's easier to place them right where I need them.

Also, by keeping my scenes under 1 minute, I can export as AVI (which seems to work better in my Adobe Premiere Elements editor) without running into the problems you get with any AVI lasting over a minute.

as an added benefit, if a set file gets corrupted, chances are one of my other sets has all the same stuff in it, so I just need to reproduce a minute of video, not a large piece of the project.

I've also noticed that when I use shorter scenes (as opposed to longer scenes that include changes from one camera to another) I can put the camera change where I want it more easily.

So, in summary, if you create a separate SET file for each exchange of dialog... problem solved. One audio file for each character, and you have liberty to slide it wherever you need it within that short clip.
2016/5/4 17:51:58
Work around for the dialog system Very clever workaround, Ikes! I never would have thought of it in a million years!

Being an audio recording guy, I find it easier to do all my sliding around and timing in Audacity, then exporting a separate audio track for each character... but what you propose here does indeed work too!

I love it when people think outside the box... and I love it even more when they're willing to share their ideas with others! Thanks! You are clearly a person who uses his head for more than a hat rack. ;-)
2016/5/2 15:17:26
Key framing? the key framing expansion pack is very inexpensive and it opens up a LOT of new capability... if you buy it and you need help, don't hesitate to ask. That's what the forum is here for: to help and encourage new users.
2016/5/2 15:12:25
Sixteen Sandbags-My first Muvizu video
There is no end to what you can do with Muvizu and the other tools out there. I look forward to learning as long as my brain will let me.

and I look forward to seeing what you come up with!
2016/5/2 15:00:26
my first short animation
Well, thanks again for all the positive vibe. It encourages me to do more.


which is exactly my intent!
2016/5/2 4:08:49
The names Pond......Charles Pond..... Wow! Geoff! This is quite the ambitious project! You've used quite a few interesting techniques to make all this video magic! Very enjoyable, fast moving and clever! I look forward to seeing the rest of the story!
2016/5/2 3:41:05
Has anyone made a movie with the Asian characters? I used one of the characters in an iron Man spoof that I posted privately for a relative's birthday... (can't link to it here because I shamelessly pirated video from youtube in it...) but to answer your question, the Asian characters work just like all the other characters, except that they don't have as many options (eyes, nose, hair, clothes etc) as the potato headed characters yet. I expect there will be accessory packs for them as some point, but so far that hasn't happened.
2016/5/2 3:35:14
Sixteen Sandbags-My first Muvizu video Hi Rocque,

I think this is an excellent first video! Keep in mind that this forum accommodates users with a wide range of experience, and nobody expects a new user 's first attempts at getting to know the software to shine at the same degree of proficiency as the videos being produced by veteran Muvizu directors! (in the same sense that if you were a teacher, you would expect more from a graduate student than you would from a 5th grade student)

I'm impressed that you not only got the Muvizu software to do what you wanted, but you also had to learn how to use several others pieces of software to get this project from concept to real live animation!

I'm also impressed that you used original music in your animation. That automatically bumps the cool factor up a notch for me! I thought it was a cool song, and I identify with it, having been to California in the middle of the drought, seeing lakes and reservoirs that were almost empty!

This is a hobby that requires multiple learning curves, and you are well on your way to overcoming the first round of them. Next comes the learning curve that goes with learning how all the options on each dialog box can change the scene, then getting proficient with managing those changes

Another learning curve will be the key frames... yet another will be modelling your own attachments and creating your own sets. Don't rush it, or you might get discouraged and lose interest. I suggest just playing with the software and posting the results of your experiments. The more you play the more you learn. And there are no tests, so it doesn't matter how fast you learn.. really the only thing that matters is that you are having fun! And based on what I see in this video, you are indeed having fun with Muvizu!

I look forward to seeing more from you!
2016/5/2 3:13:22
Low on memory and progrma then crashes. For what it's worth, RAM is a big consideration in 3d animation... and 64 bit operating systems running 64 bit programs allow the use of more ram. Normally I'd recommend adding more ram, but since you're running a 32 bit version of Windows, it won't use more than the 4 gigs you already have.

If you had a 64 bit version of windows installed and about 12 to 16 gigs of ram, you'd see a noticeable performance improvement.
2016/5/2 3:08:43
Alien Grey (Cow Abduction) mysto wrote:
Great video! Kind of reminded me of Roadrunner and the coyote cartoons. Keep up the good work!

my thoughts exactly! You are doing some really cool stuff here Clayster! and in a bunch of different directions at the same time! Your models are very good, and your use of key framing is absolutely ground-breaking!

I liked the way you paid homage to Snoopy by having the dog lie on the top of his dog house

I also liked the way you made the alien peek out from behind things. Something about that is inherently funny!

And your turnaround time is very fast, which is one of my goals too... in the past few months, you've probably posted more clips than anybody.. and they've all been good! I identify strongly with your approach to story telling, so your works serves as a good model for me to emulate!

Keep up the good work!
2016/5/2 2:27:26
my first short animation Hi Ikes!

I liked quit a bit about your video!

1) first of all I liked your splash page! I don't know if you intended for the doubled text to represent the double vision that is generally accepted as the cartoonized way that drunken people see... but that's how I took it, and as such, it worked for me!

2) I'm going to assume that you created the set because I don't recognize it as one that I've downloaded from the store.. and I think the set is very well done!

3) I agree with the comments that have already been made about the details like foot steps and field of vision! Also that the text-to-speech worked pretty well in this case!

4) The joke is corny, but I think it's a very good seed base for an animation. An awful lot of animations are visualizations of pre-existing jokes or comedy performances, so what you've done here fits nicely into the body of work that many others have posted through the years

5) I like that you removed the bottle from his hand and left it at the scene of the fall... which is probably how that would have played out in a real scenario. The fact that you had to make a conscious decision to remove the bottle indicates that you put a lot of thought into the creation of that scene

6) I liked the use of lighting . The darkened environment in conjunction with a street light looked about right. I also liked the way the neighbor's light went off before he came outside. I know people who turn off the outside light before opening the door because they don't want to draw bugs to the light when the door is open.

7) I liked the way you positioned the camera for the scene right after he dropped the keys... sort of a "key's eye view" of the man, with camera facing from the ground upward.

there is a lot of background noise in the audio track.. is that supposed to be environmental noise? If so, the absence of identifiable sounds like dogs barking , sirens or cars driving by leaves the impression that it's just a noisy recording with a lot of hiss. If you intend for it to be environmental noise, you might consider adding a few identifiable sounds to the mix.

On the other hand, if it is indeed unwanted hiss, there are ways to prevent that, but that would be a whole different discussion. The point of THIS discussion is to let you know what I liked about your video
2016/4/27 17:56:07
"The Tree" quick video for Radio X Ha! That's AWESOME!

I'm sure they loved it! How did you do the scene in which the letter filled with print by itself? Is that an effect, or did you simply load a bunch of graphics in sequence, one letter at a time?

I've noticed that a lot of special interest software has a book of tips & tricks... you could probably finance your movie by writing one that shows how you do all the cool stuff you do. And since you use multiple software products, you'd have multiple audiences for your book
2016/4/27 14:24:33
Music Video for Netherlands band RnAM Wabby wrote:
Bravo Pat Cool

Thanks Wabby! I appreciate your encouragement!
2016/4/27 3:22:07
Music Video for Netherlands band RnAM RnAM just sent me the link to their edited version of the music video:


It addresses a lot of the concerns that were pointed out about the first draft I posted. I like what they've done with it, and it definitely moves better than my version!

And I really like the SMACK at the end!

I'm glad they're happy customers, and I'm especially glad they bought Muvizu!
edited by PatMarrNC on 27/04/2016
2016/4/27 3:01:08
Music Video for Netherlands band RnAM ziggy72 wrote:
Good stuff, liked the end joke.

Feedback? Well Mindiflyth's right, you can't have absolute silence - even just a simple bird track then house ambiance would have let the viewer know their speakers are still working

good point. Note to self: no silence

The dog is funny, so dopey looking, but I'd have used a darker colour to help hide the joins.

I've tried various color combinations, and there's more going on there than just the color... the surfaces have different reflective qualities... even with black, its noticeable where the blob ends and the dog's rear end begins. But that's a good point, I need to research how to get the same surface on the attachment as is already on the blob (if in fact that's even possible)

At 31 seconds it looks like she has a tiny hand and is holding a huge cassette with her hand palm outwards.

Busted! I tried to get by with an all-purpose hand model with no thumb.. I agree it looks bad. Since then I've made an updated left and right hand for future videos, but it didn't make it into this one. Thanks for letting me know I didn't get by with that cheat.

In my defense, I'm coming from the world of 2d comic strips where it's very common to show a hand with 3 fingers and no thumb holding onto an item. I can see that I need to let go of the 2D paradigms because people who are accustomed to 3D representations won't accept what the comic strip audience has been trained to accept.

Depth of field would have helped there, so that only the cassette was in focus.
hey that's a good idea! thanks!

And having her hand the right way round Big Grin

I
feel
so
ashamed...
Your cross fades are a bit slow, IMO, but that's when it gets down to personal style rather than technique.
agreed. I was experiementing to see what I like, (and what others like)... now I know that its best to keep it moving

You could have stuck a few smoke effects in there as well, but I don't know how PC power you've got (I'd have stuck every effect in there - come to think of it, I did with my Pink Droid set - lasers, smoke, lights, the whole shebang. Made the PC complain of course but it looked good).
smoke was on my original list, but for some reason I didn't get around to it (for no good reason except maybe laziness).... your PinkDroid video is a classic! The epitome of what a music video should be!

You can find every ambient sound sample you'll ever need here, BTW : http://www.freesound.org/

Thanks for taking time to offer your insights! I respect your opinion and I agree with all of your observations... now I just need to acquire the skills and patience to start refining my approach.
edited by PatMarrNC on 27/04/2016
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Muvizu is easy to use 3D animation software that allows anyone to create high quality animations quickly and easily. Muvizu’s animation engine is ideal for storytellers, animators, teachers and businesses looking to engage, enchant and delight audiences with animated content.