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26/09/2016 13:03:20

PatMarrNCMuvizu mogul
PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738 		unlimitedmagic wrote:
Right, Sketchup.
edited by unlimitedmagic on 26/09/2016


But you said export to FBX... Does Sketchup now have an FBX plugin?
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27/09/2016 17:05:42

ziggy72Muvizu mogulExperimental user
ziggy72
Posts: 1988 		Blender does have an FBX exporter, but in true blender style it takes a LOT of trial and error to get the settings right for Muvizu. Assuming you have the FBX shown on your export options, you have to set it us thus :

Turn off all output options except Mesh
Scale to around 0.20 (depending on what you need)
In the Geometries tab, make sure Apply Modifiers is ticked, and change the Smoothing to Face (not Normals).
In the Armatures tab, untick everything.

If the FBX option isn't showing, you have to got to User Preferences, Add Ons, and find Import-Export FBX and make sure it's ticked.

You can buy an FBX exporter for Sketchup, but it's not part of the free program.
edited by ziggy72 on 27/09/2016
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27/09/2016 19:27:30

PatMarrNCMuvizu mogul
PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738 		Yeah, I've been using Blender to export my models as FBX for a while now.. works great when I create the model in Silo... but everything I get from Sketchup turns into a gummy mess when I export it, and I think it has something to do with the way Sketchup deals with double sided surfaces.

The original post said something about "I finally figured out how to export double sided surfaces to FBX", which is the only thing I was trying to zero in on.
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28/09/2016 09:20:25

unlimitedmagic
unlimitedmagic
Posts: 53 		On a fairly recent version of Sketchup on the export FBX, there's an options button on the lower right, under that you can select "2-Sided".
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28/09/2016 10:30:20

PatMarrNCMuvizu mogul
PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738 		unlimitedmagic wrote:
On a fairly recent version of Sketchup on the export FBX, there's an options button on the lower right, under that you can select "2-Sided".


Is the FBX plugin something you paid for? or does The most recent version come with FBX export natively?
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28/09/2016 13:51:25

unlimitedmagic
unlimitedmagic
Posts: 53 		Pretty sure it came with it.
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28/09/2016 13:51:32

unlimitedmagic
unlimitedmagic
Posts: 53 		Pretty sure it came with it.
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28/09/2016 14:13:34

ziggy72Muvizu mogulExperimental user
ziggy72
Posts: 1988 		It comes as part of Sketchup Pro.
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28/09/2016 18:57:29

primaveranz
primaveranz
Posts: 520 		unlimitedmagic wrote:
I think the physics capability of the Unreal engine is under-used, just haven't found the perfect need for it yet.



If you do, they should make you an instant Mogul, it is such a pain.
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30/09/2016 16:02:02

unlimitedmagic
unlimitedmagic
Posts: 53 		I got an idea for an infinity mirror in Muvizu. It would be easy to change this to use for other projects. Hope you like. Here's the result...




Here's the edited render with some ray and sparkle effects.




Here's a link to the set file.
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30/09/2016 16:43:49

ziggy72Muvizu mogulExperimental user
ziggy72
Posts: 1988 		Very very nice. And sparkley
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13/04/2017 03:09:15

PatMarrNCMuvizu mogul
PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738 		Wow, standing ovation here! That was well done on so many levels it would take a week or more just to say everything I liked about it! Total eye candy from start to finish! Loved all of the mansions... great attention to detail! And getting Ziggy to help was a good idea too.. all of his contributions were awesome!

Use of music in the story was also very effective... you totally nailed it! Great song choices too!

You must be feeling pretty good now that all of your work has paid off and you have a complete story to watch and share! Great job!
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13/04/2017 08:29:33

ukBertyMuvizu mogulExperimental user
ukBerty
Posts: 975 		Nicely done.
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13/04/2017 11:19:15

unlimitedmagic
unlimitedmagic
Posts: 53 		Forgot to normalize the final audio so I'm re-rendering and uploading. Will post when done. Gets rid of all the varying audio levels and smooths things out sound wise. Still have a bunch of little things I could fix with time but there is a point of diminishing returns where I just wanted to keep moving on it and get it done.

This was started as a way for me to learn the Muvizu software. It's funny how simple the animation is in the beginning and how it gets better as it progresses. Some of the first beach conversations aren't tight and when you get to the party scene near the end, Joe's dad is almost naturally speaking with his hand gestures.

The biggest mistake was trying to do this on a very minimal computer. It has an integrated graphics card which really limits how much I can show in a scene. When Ziggy sent me the model for his version of the throne of grace scene, my computer wouldn't even open it. So if you ever try something this long, I recommend a dedicated, current 3D card. I didn't want to change computers until I was done as I've got video files all over the place and didn't want to lose something in the upgrade.

There are several scenes where there was extra processing and effects from Sony Vegas - sparkles and glows. The majority of it though I wanted to come directly from Muvizu. Some shots like when Joe remembers his grandfather at the party needed After Effects to remove his left arm.

The biggest challenges I ran into with Muvizu were:

Need more actions - got tired of having to re-use hand gestures and others to keep the character moving.

It would be nice to be able slice the actions into bits and put them together in various combinations. I found you could cut a full action short by selecting "idle" quickly after a gesture was recorded. This helped tremendously for timing, but it only works on the first part of the action. Would be nice if you could do this at any part of the action. Because this is adding an editing feature to the timeline, it should be easier to update than having to pay for the time to create a bunch of new actions - although it might be nice to have a series of short actions like - left arm forward, left arm up, left arm, left arm back, etc. With selectable hand positions like you have when you attach an object. Just like some of the actions that stay in the position you leave the character in, these would also "hold". This would really open up how you control the characters. I always hate how the clapping action is too short, the hug is too short, etc.

How about a "HOLD ACTION" action? This would freeze the action where you like and then be able to continue when you choose a new action.

I struggled with the character movement interface. It's too random. The walking is too fast for most applications. What happened to the idea of a "stroll" speed? Also the walking is pretty much useless for short distances. If you move the path arrow out, the character pauses until you get a certain distance away and then walks right on by your target destination. Forget about having a character take two steps forward and stopping.

Still don't like the shadow flickering. You either have to turn off shadows or run them with razor sharp edges to fix.

Overall though Muvizu is an incredible product for its scope and use. I had more fun building scenes and animating than any other package I've ever used. You can really get creative when you learn the capabilities of having an open world to build and populate with characters. For what it is and the price, Muvizu is an excellent value.

The forum and member store are also the best. There is a homegrown culture of comradery here that doesn't exist in Unity or Unreal where they either mock you if you don't know how to do something or are going to charge you for simple model examples.

Hats off to Muvizu for creating such a wonderful product!
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13/04/2017 13:11:01

scorpio66
scorpio66
Posts: 17 		Thanks for an incredible video. An inspiration to newbies like myself, and the possibilities of Muvizu.
Thats a high bar to reach, but I look forward to the challenge. Just great.
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13/04/2017 15:42:31

PatMarrNCMuvizu mogul
PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738 		unlimitedmagic wrote:
Still have a bunch of little things I could fix with time but there is a point of diminishing returns where I just wanted to keep moving on it and get it done.


My philosophy too. If I had an established youtube channel with lots of viewers I might spend my time differently... but I weigh the value of my remaining time on the planet against the value derived from 300 views. As I get older my time left decreases, which makes it more valuable and that increases my desire to spend it wisely. Redoing a scene ad infinitum to make it perfect when the average viewer won't notice the added details and it doesn't impact the story anyway.. that doesn't make sense to me.

This was started as a way for me to learn the Muvizu software. It's funny how simple the animation is in the beginning and how it gets better as it progresses. Some of the first beach conversations aren't tight and when you get to the party scene near the end, Joe's dad is almost naturally speaking with his hand gestures.

it's inevitable that in any given video the director is more experienced at the end than at the beginning. But I want to say that from a functional point of view, you got your point across consistently throughout the whole story.

The biggest mistake was trying to do this on a very minimal computer. It has an integrated graphics card which really limits how much I can show in a scene. When Ziggy sent me the model for his version of the throne of grace scene, my computer wouldn't even open it. So if you ever try something this long, I recommend a dedicated, current 3D card. I didn't want to change computers until I was done as I've got video files all over the place and didn't want to lose something in the upgrade.


I understand exactly what you're saying here... but I'm a bit surprised to hear it. The richness of your scenes led me to believe you must be using a beast of a computer. It speaks well of your design sensibilities that you were able to create such graphically interesting scenes on a consumer grade computer.


There are several scenes where there was extra processing and effects from Sony Vegas - sparkles and glows. The majority of it though I wanted to come directly from Muvizu. Some shots like when Joe remembers his grandfather at the party needed After Effects to remove his left arm.


the ability to think outside the box and use other software to do the things that Muvizu can't do really makes the creative process a lot more fun. At least, I think so. To take the attitude that Muvizu has to provide all the solutions for an infinite amount of possibilities.. that thinking leads to frustration.


The biggest challenges I ran into with Muvizu were: <snip>


agreed.

Overall though Muvizu is an incredible product for its scope and use. I had more fun building scenes and animating than any other package I've ever used. You can really get creative when you learn the capabilities of having an open world to build and populate with characters. For what it is and the price, Muvizu is an excellent value.


agreed. And it's perhaps the FASTEST animation solution I've tried. A project of this scope would have taken much longer if you tried it in MOHO, and it wouldn't look half as good.

The forum and member store are also the best. There is a homegrown culture of comradery here that doesn't exist in Unity or Unreal where they either mock you if you don't know how to do something or are going to charge you for simple model examples.


its been my experience that forums full of adolescents and young adults (like gaming forums) tend to be very caustic and unpleasant, for approximately the same reason that middle school and junior high school both tend to be unpleasant. On the other hand, all of my favorite forums... the ones where people are helpful and the criticism is more constructive.... they are all populated by an older demographic. Muvizu certainly has its share of young users, but far as I can tell, the forum regulars are mostly old enough to be past the stage of pointless confrontation. It takes time to learn social skills and a spirit of cooperation.

Hats off to Muvizu for creating such a wonderful product!

<insert applause here>
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13/04/2017 16:00:40

RodrisilvaMuvizu mogulExperimental user
Rodrisilva
Posts: 113 		I have not yet had time to watch this video in the best conditions of image and sound, but from what I can see, it brings together several predicates that are the attribute of generous, inventive and passionate people. This video reproduces the best that Muvizu has to offer and above all is a manifestation of individual freedom. Muvizu is not perfect, but he unleashes in us these abilities that we thought we did not possess. I believe that is his great virtue.It transform us, improve us, rediscover us.

Thanks for this video
edited by Rodrisilva on 13/04/2017
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14/04/2017 09:43:13

ritsmer
ritsmer
Posts: 110 		It is a long time ago that I have watched a film lasting over 3 minutes to the very end without skipping forward underway.

I just found myself again - sitting on the very edge of my chair, taking off the headphones - and trying to force my mind back to everyday - after having spent 38:40 of my (carnal) life watching this epic story.

Just one thing kept disrupting my thoughts a little while watching: How is he going to "land" this story at the end ? - but then we got the sweetest imaginable finish - delivered with the same steady hand that controlled all the previous scenes .

Thank you, Robert, for this great experience.
edited by ritsmer on 14/04/2017
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14/04/2017 11:23:54

unlimitedmagic
unlimitedmagic
Posts: 53 		Wow, thank you ritsmer. Humbling.
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14/04/2017 19:15:31

unlimitedmagic
unlimitedmagic
Posts: 53 		Here's the final render of Citizen of Heaven with the audio normalized.
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