Helmet Illumination

Started by DocCharly65, June 19, 2016, 05:35:08 AM

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DocCharly65

Just a test for animating the helmet with illumination.
The challenge was the movement of the light source because it could not be placed centered with any helmet axis. Unfortunately using illumination on a object part of the helmet didn't cause the light I wanted.

Half day of work then I was satisfied with the light and the movement of the helmet. I found to give a bit movement to the torso as well will give the movement a bit naturality.

Rendering in HD (1280x720) will have to wait a while because my helicopter scene needs more rendertime. I found a catastrophic mistake in an alpha mask (not any more matching the objects) and couldn't find the cause so I had to recreate the tgd and have to rerender some hundred frames...  :-[
Hard punishment for not using enough incremental save points  :P

But I like the little helmet experiment... hope you like it too.

I hope the wmv file will work on your pc's.

[attach=1]

Kadri


Doc you could try -if you haven't already so- a basic cheat by placing one or more small luminous polygon
that only does have its light reflection seen on the helmet by the camera.

DocCharly65

Kadri, thanks. I thought about that too.
Unfortunately I would have to move that polygon as well because of the head and camera movement.

Mhh... I remember my old dream of a missing TG3-feature: sticking objects together and building obect groups with an option like common axis and movement...

Kadri

Quote from: DocCharly65 on June 19, 2016, 05:58:52 AM
...
Mhh... I remember my old dream of a missing TG3-feature: sticking objects together and building obect groups with an option like common axis and movement...

Yes we need that.

DocCharly65


Hannes

Quote from: DocCharly65 on June 19, 2016, 05:58:52 AM
Mhh... I remember my old dream of a missing TG3-feature: sticking objects together and building obect groups with an option like common axis and movement...

Oh yes!!!!!!

Looks great!
I had the idea of copying the keyframes of the helmet's animation to your lightsource. Of course the lightsource would be in the helmet's center as you wrote, but it's moving in sync with the helmet.

Then you should be able to move the (selected) position's keyframes of each axis at once in the animation tab by using the "move by value" until it's at the right place. I haven't tested that, but I think then the lightsource should follow the helmet's movement. Just a thought...
See attached image.

Kadri

#6

That might work Hannes.

With the luminous polygon way you could place it in a modeler together with the helmet in roughly the same position as it is in Terragen.
Then delete the helmet and only save the polygon. When you use that polygon with the same animation as the helmet it would be like it is attached the the helmet animation if this makes sense.

Kind of a semi objects group behavior for now.

DocCharly65

#7
Thanks for the suggestions Hannes and Kadri  :)

Hannes I tried this already with an optional second light source (near the mouth).
Geometrie is unfortunately a bit more complicated. The head moves and changes position of axis. If I do that with the light source just by moving the keyframes, I don't keep the relative position to the helmet.

I also tried Kadri's version before, but I don't get a satisfying light from any illumination function. Best is still a "real"  ;) light source...

But anyway I have my basic keyframes. Perhaps I'll care about this when/if I want more head movement shots. :)