animated tree - 1st try

Started by kaedorg, August 03, 2015, 09:29:23 AM

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kaedorg

Here is the result.
It works but it is awful  ::). Specially for the trunk.
I still have no idea to reduce the effect.
Do I have to reduce or raise the values in the transform input shader ?
Do I have to reduce or raise the values in the PF ?
At least, I need to study that and try more tests. I just feel that I'm on the right road.
Thanks again Kadri for the help



David

Kadri


The important thing is that you got it to work :)
I can't say much without trying myself.


Dune

What if you use much bigger values for the PF, maybe the smallest size like 25% of the tree height? Then perhaps the whole tree will bend and sway, instead of the small scale jittering.
I don't know when the displacement is getting its shape in the object or parts, but perhaps if you add a surface shader after the default for the trunk and set that to smooth, you could eliminate the former displacement. But perhaps (likely) it works differently. And you'll loose the bark displacement.
Another option is to make trees as two objects; trunks and leaves separately, populated by the same specs, but that's a hassle too.
But with far less displacement in this setup you might get quite far. Or 2 displacemnt PF's, one for the whole tree, as said with all big patches/sizes, and another with all small sizes, but very little displacement (2cm). Too bad it takes so long to render a sequence...

Kadri


And speaking about render times...
David don't use any atmosphere,maybe GI and ground even. Crop the camera close to the tree etc.
Use only the tree with so much low settings you can use for tests like this.

kaedorg

Thanks for your comments and advices.
Ulco : interesting idea to separate the tree in 2 objects. But I thought that you need 3 displacement PF. 1 for the tree. 1 exact copy for the leaves (that one should allow leaves to follow the tree) and 1 for the small displacement of the leaves. Not sure of it.

I am doing another reducing the value in the transform input shader. It seems better except a very bad twist at the base of the trunk.
I will add the sequence

David

Hannes

#20
You need to do a lot of test renderings before you get the settings right.
Change your animation from TCB to linear to give it the constant speed all the time. Animate your transform shader upwards and to one side as well. Don't move it too fast. I'd say the size of the PF is OK, maybe a little bit too small.

The wobbling trunk is indeed a problem. You could restrict the mesh displacer by a distribution shader with an altitude constraint (using an additional transform shader with "world scale" checked), which works for a single tree and keeps the lower part rigid. Not exact, but working somehow.
Or you could refine Ulco's idea: copy the tree, make the trunk of the mesh displaced one invisible by using an opacity of "0", and delete the mesh displacer of the copied one and make it's foliage invisible. The downside is: even the smaller branches are rigid although the leaves are moving. But maybe from a distance it works?

With the mesh displacer you'll have the correctly moving shadows. I think for animated trees it's the best choice.

Kadri


Anyone tried it with the Twist and shear shader ? For especially the trunk it could be better maybe in theory.

Hannes


Dune

Good idea. For populations on slopes that's harder as the pivot is set for the whole pop (default at Y=0). I don't know if that can be changed somehow.

Kadri

#24

Yeah that looks a little problematic.
If there is a way to twist every object related to its pivot point or relative to the ground it would be easy.

Kadri


If the "Lean to terrain/object normal" setting in the Rotation could be altered with other nodes it would be enough too (maybe it is the same as i said above).

Kadri


Maybe if a hidden second exact same terrain is used and is displaced just a little bit in time with Lean to terrain?
Not sure if you have to populate every frame for this to work?
If the terrain changes the number of objects and position would change too?

Anyone have time to try this? :D

Kadri


Thinking loud...
With only lean to terrain the tree would change from bottom to the top the same way.
There is still need for some powerfractal or Twist and shear that changes in the Y axis.

Dune

You can mask the T&S by a PF. Better use not the hard B&W, but grey and white.

Kadri


Yes and maybe together with constrained by altitude?
I feel like always in Terragen there are more then one ways for this.

I got curious and are rendering a small test just now. Without masks etc. just for the lean effect.