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PatMarrNC - all messages by user

2017/3/7 16:07:40
Multimesh animation I think what I like most about this idea is that the end result is reusable, so it's worth taking time to make the animation as good as you can get it.

In contrast, using keyframes to turn object visibility on and off is so tedious that even the most diligent animator would probably settle for a very low-res portrayal of the movement. And after all that work, a keyframed animation is only good once.

I also like the following things:

1) it can be used in a variety of ways, not limited to a narrow application

2) it fills a void in Muvizu and provides a way to create new actions that aren't in Muvizu's library

3) did I mention that the results are reusable? It's worth mentioning again!

4) great for extended animations, because the action loops until you change the texture

5) this is finally the breakthrough that opens the door for quadrapeds (moving legs, wings, jaws etc)

6) somebody will eventually make a dragon

7) because timing can be edited in video snippets, this also opens the door for musician actions that can be rendered at specific tempos so it actually looks like the musician is in synch with the song!

8) because all the work is up front while subsequent use is very easy, this approach can be used for store items that even newbies should be able to use easily.

9) unlike green screen, which is the current best alternative for introducing options that aren't possible in Muvizu, any scenes created this way will be fully 3d, framed and lighted in the same set with the rest of the Muvizu world. When panning the camera, this is priceless!

10) One of the major recurring complaints about Muvizu is that users eventually hit a dead end. This may not be a cure-all, but it certainly provides a method for creating an animation out of anything you can model!


I'd really like to see the store fill up with items like this because, unlike static objects that can be converted from Sketchup to Muvizu by a lot of people already, this is very useful and not as accessible to the average user at this point. Although, I'm sure that the modellers in the user base will all be experimenting with this idea!

I like dynamic forums full of creative people who build on one another's ideas. This is very cool stuff, and I can't wait to see what comes of it!

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edited by PatMarrNC on 07/03/2017
2017/3/7 15:02:42
From the Mind of Some Guy Named Rob LOL! You and I both seem to think the same way... except that you have a better way of couching your thoughts in clever phrases! There were several lines in this brief narrative that made me laugh, but I won't quote them here for reasons of propriety.

In my opinion, you are illustrating one of Muvizu's key strengths: it's ability to bring current events to video while the story is still fresh in peoples' minds. When I tire of making assets for the store, that is how I plan to use Muvizu.

You have all the ingredients here for a daily VLOG that can be monetized. Make yourself a clever intro and a standard ending that asks people to subscribe to your channel. They say the magic number is 150,000 subscribers in order to see cash from the endeavor.

Best of luck, and I look forward to seeing your next VLOG!
2017/3/7 0:43:12
Come along awesome song, and one of the most interesting music videos I've seen done in Muvizu! I liked the way you used colored spot lights to fade the players in and out, and you did a particularly good job of synching the various performances to the music (not an easy task with Muvizu, since everything moves at one pace regardless of the song's tempo)

Everything you do is top-notch, Ikes! And this is no exception! Thanks for sharing !
2017/3/7 0:33:44
Multimesh animation Rod, you are a very smart man! But you're more than that. You are also inspirational, and you have a kind heart to share your ideas and knowledge with others! I appreciate that, as I'm sure everyone else does too!

Indeed, this is just the beginning! I'm currently working on an adaptation of the same principle.. and I expect others will too!

I like the music in your videos, Rod... do you create it yourself? If so, what music program do you use?

IU also like your personal watermark! Very cool! You must be gearing up for something!

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edited by PatMarrNC on 07/03/2017
2017/3/6 13:07:04
Transparent Video this exchange makes me wonder if we should have some test files stored somewhere that people can DL quickly to test their settings as part of a process of elimination. ? What would such an archive need?

1) a video with transparency that is known to work in Muvizu

2) what else?
2017/3/5 15:38:13
NEW IN THE MUVIZU STORE..... Tangledbliss wrote:
This is a brilliant idea Rod. An english commentary for the video would be good too if that could be possible.


the principle remains the same for a thousand different applications, and I'll be making one or more tutorials on how to use Rod's technique in various ways. I know from our discussions that you prefer tutorials in which the presenter talks to the audience, so I'll keep that in mind when I make my tutorials.
2017/3/5 4:19:58
NEW IN THE MUVIZU STORE..... after days of beating my head against the wall, I was finally able to duplicate Rod's results! Here are the key things I had to make happen in order to get the same results:

1) in my graphics program, I used IMAGE PROPERTIES to learn that the size of my UVmap and textures are 512x512. Made a note of that, because once I mapped to that size, I wanted to make sure the video output the same size image.

create one UVMap with all the legs or wings whatever on the same texture... then create copies of that texture with all but one position alpha'd out. You'll need one texture for each leg/wing/whatever position.

2) I used Anime Studio to create the AVI, since that's the only app I have that predictably generates AVI that works inside Muvizu as a texture.

3) in Anime Studio: FILE > PROJECT SETTINGS > CUSTOM > CONSTRAIN PROPORTIONS (unchecked) > WIDTH 512 HEIGHT 512

4) when I loaded my images into anime studio I had to rotate them 180 for some reason

5) the model must be converted to ASE for this to work. FBX doesn't handle the opacity the same way as ASE, and in this case the ASE way works very well. Import the ASE file with the settings shown in Rod's demo (Set alpha to opacity and opacity mask ... double sided)

6) apply the video as texture in Muvizu! This takes a little time to set up, but once you do, the results are highly reusable, and they'll loop forever with one application! (unlike directing or keyframing , which both require every move to be painstakingly created one move at a time!)

With Rod's approach we can finally create our own libraries of reusable actions! You could create a wagging tail + animation, and reuse it on lots of different animals! Likewise, you could make a quadraped walk cycle and reuse it on many different animals! This is potentially a game changer for anybody who wants to delve into it and develop the potential!

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edited by PatMarrNC on 05/03/2017
2017/3/3 14:55:43
NEW IN THE MUVIZU STORE..... After several days of trying to duplicate Rod's results, I'm sorry to say I've had limited luck with this. I think my process of turning still PNGS into a video is changing the size, after which the patterns don't align with the model anymore. I can see the video cycling the color and transparency, but its not at the right place on the model, which suggests the size of the animated texture doesn't match the size of the UVMap. I'll keep experimenting until I make it work, since I know its possible.

BUT.... I HAVE had luck animating quadraped legs by cycling the textures in DIRECT mode. This takes more work to animate, but it's easier to set up. So, expect a tutorial on this when I get my head above water on other non-animation projects.

I also figured out a way to animate the playing of a fiddle (in Muvizu, not Anime Studio this time) and upright bass... so, there will be a tutorial on that too.
2017/3/3 14:40:54
Thoughts From My Car - The Hole Truth LOL! Very amusing short video! Great job holding my attention for the whole presentation!

It may be worth mentioning that sphincter muscles make it possible for some holes to have both open and closed states. Just sayin'. ;-)


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edited by PatMarrNC on 03/03/2017
2017/3/3 14:36:44
New marketing surge .... I notice that Muvizu is sponsoring a fresh wave of ads through Smith Micro.... pretty good pricing for the whole shebang, so I guess the forum regulars can get ready for a wave of noob questions from new users!
2017/3/3 14:19:42
Things I'd like to see in Muvizu. PatMarrNC wrote:
recent threads have made me want a new feature:
the ability to assign two (or more) different attachments to the same socket, then toggle between them with keyframes.

This would open a LOT of potential in ways too numerous to list


reading thru this old thread, I rediscovered this old wish item. Based on demos made by Ikes and Rodrisilva, this would be totally possible with textures. Simply model two objects together but export as one object, each with its own texture. As one unified object, two (or more) shapes could be applied to the same attachment socket. Then the textures could be swapped as needed to alpha-remove the shape you don't want to see, and color the shape you want to be visible.
2017/3/3 0:28:34
Can I add a picture to a character ? bmsict1 wrote:
We want to add a pumpkin picture to a character so it looks like he has a pumpkin head.
Can anyone help please?


do you just want their face to be textured like a pumpkin? Or do you want an actual 3D pumpkind as the character's head? Both are possible, but each is done differently. Please give us more details about what you want...
2017/3/2 17:27:22
I loose lipSyng you might be overwriting the previous dialog audio each time you load the next track. This could happen if you click EDIT >IMPORT before you click NEW to create a new audio track in the project.
2017/3/2 0:12:23
Editing costumes in house muvizu control. Thanks Drew! I happened to be messing with the same problem earlier today, (but what I tried didn't work)

Changing the program used for SHELL is different than changing which program is used to OPEN a file.... I frequently browse through graphics directories, and I need the default double click opener to be one of the fast viewer apps.

But SHELL is what's used when another application (like Muvizu) opens a program in edit mode. So I'm thinking that what you posted here is the preferred solution to the problem. Now I can browse image directories without being forced to open each one in my graphic editor, but when I want to edit a texture from inside Muvizu, my preferred editor will start instead of MSPaint.

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edited by PatMarrNC on 02/03/2017
2017/3/1 16:05:51
picture change background 1) create backdrop
2) with backdrop still selected: PREPARE > OBJECT PROPERTIES
3) change TRACK = IMAGE
4) change ANIMATION = DIRECTED
5) click on INITIAL and select the first image you want displayed on the backdrop
6) click on each of the nine palettes to add more images to the palette
7) SWITCH TO DIRECT
8) start recording
9) as the timeline records, click on the preloaded palette selections when you want the backdrops image to change
10) to fine tune the timing, drag the markers on the timeline to wherever you want each image to appear

hope this helps!
2017/2/28 13:51:04
Key Framing Packet
I can see how this packet can open up lots of possibilities in some things I thought of doing but figured weren't possible. It was just hard to comprehend looking at the tutorial video Muvizu did.


I agree. But, in Muvizu's defense, it should be noted that the keyframe pack adds more possibilities than anybody can fit into one tutorial. So basically they focused on the mechanics of keyframing rather than its many uses. For those in the forum who are inclined toward making tutorials, it would be cool to have a whole series on the various ways to use keyframing.

As far as your expressed interest in adding value to the forum, I can see that is your nature. Your youtube channel is all about sharing your knowledge, and your level of participation on the forum already is high. I foresee much value from you as time goes on! Thanks for being part of the group here!
2017/2/28 11:03:23
Key Framing Packet comictude wrote:
So camera wise you use it in place of using camera cuts?

well... if you use the stepped tweening, you can use one camera to accomplish the same effect as multiple cameras with cuts. This can be useful on underpowered computers because each camera requires resources, and In the time I've been on the forum I've seen lots of posts about how adding cameras slowed things down.

But I tend to use minimal trolley-style keyframed camera moves to introduce slight variation in scenes. It highlights the 3D-ness of a scene to see the parallax change, and it's more interesting visually than one static view the whole time. The demo video for my riding mower includes a slow camera pan that shows the mower from the side, and then progresses to a more frontal view.

Ikes mentioned parameters being controlled by keyframing. If you watched Rod Silva's tire animation demo, one use of keyframing might be to programmatically change the speed of the tire rotation as the car "changes gears". Stuff like that can be really useful.


Would this allow you to go to a scene your using and have the characters closer? ie. I have 2 characters talking in a video right now and I want the girl to get pissed and kick the guy but they are too far apart for the kick to land. Instead of her walking a step closer could I got to that scene (using a camera cut so it's not awkward) and put in a keyframe and have her standing closer so she can kick him?


there are probably a hundred ways to accomplish any one scene, but I think the simplest way to do what you're talking about is to start your scene with the characters already close enough for the kick to connect. That way the movement from point A to point B is implied, and you can avoid all the awkward small turns and moves required to make characters reposition themselves in real time.

It also helps you to keep the story moving by eliminating anything that doesn't add to the plot (like positioning moves)
2017/2/28 0:22:44
A little band humor for a laugh today... LOL...

I'd like to know how many fart videos have been made with Muvizu. I'm guessing the number is pretty large.

(I see why the guy is alone in the studio...)

;-)
2017/2/28 0:19:36
Key Framing Packet Comictude,

in addition to using keyframing for camera moves, you can also use it for animating things for which there is no built-in Muvizu action, For example, did you see Rod Silva's flying pigeon? He probably used keyframing to make the birds fly around. And although in that case he used texture cycling to make the wings look like they were flapping, you could also do it by keyframing the wings in different positions

If you watched the demo video for my fork lifts, it was keyframing that made the forks go up and down, and also allowed them to drive around the set.

Someone recently asked about how to make 2 kids play catch... keyframing could be used to move the ball back and forth between the kids

Any object in your scene that doesn't have its own way to move (like people) can be moved around with keyframing.
In my opinion, keyframing brings so many new possibilities to the table that it is practically a "must have" feature!
2017/2/27 0:40:18
Wheels animation tricks ikes wrote:
PatMarrNC wrote:
I don't understand how you unwrapped the round shape into a rectangular shape that could be scrolled sideways... is that a setting in Blender?

(I understand how to make the tread part rectangular, it's the wheel's hub that remains a mystery to me...
edited by PatMarrNC on 26/02/2017


Very nice thinking out of the box Rod! Good find!

Pat, if I understand correctly you need to make seams like the lines in this image if that is your 3d wheel object. The straight lines out from the center are the two short sides of the rectangle like seen on the right. The inner seam becomes the top and the outer seam the bottom.

thanks Ikes.. that's a very good way of explaining the procedure! Not what I originally imagined, but certainly better than what I would have tried on my own!
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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.