Interactive Transition

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Interactive Transition

Postby JustynR » Tue Nov 05, 2013 7:06 pm

I have a client looking for a way to be able to throw balls at a large video wall and have the wall start to crack and fall away where the balls hit it.

I can't really think of a way to have it "fall" or "break" away... I can only think to have it fade where the ball hits.


I was hoping someone had some ideas on how I could make this happen... preferably on a Player, but it could be on a Server as well.


Thank you!
Justyn Roy
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Re: Interactive Transition

Postby Martina Protze » Tue Nov 12, 2013 5:39 pm

Hi Justyn,
well just fading could be done with a masking effect "Media as Mask". The crackling and falling wish could be done with an animated object. Both would be Server features. Especially when you wish to play a video because in that case the video needs a playback command and the effect media needs another one. So you would route the effect to a another layer (with Layer Routing) and use this playback command.
Have you thought about animated objects? Would you know the way to achieve this?

Best regards,
Martina Protze
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Re: Interactive Transition

Postby JustynR » Tue Nov 12, 2013 6:19 pm

I don't know how to use animated object to do this, I do have a Server to try it on though.

For a quick demo - I used 12 graphic layers, built them into a brick pattern and built sequences to control each one.
When a ball came in on a certain brick, it would hit play on its sequence and it flew away.

I figured there had to be a better way... if not... oh well.

Thanks!
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Toronto Ontario Canada
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Re: Interactive Transition

Postby cyeary » Sun Nov 17, 2013 11:04 pm

Martina,
Can we get some instructions or idea on how to create a animated object. I have heard of this feature but have never seen any documentation on it.


Martina Protze wrote:Hi Justyn,
well just fading could be done with a masking effect "Media as Mask". The crackling and falling wish could be done with an animated object. Both would be Server features. Especially when you wish to play a video because in that case the video needs a playback command and the effect media needs another one. So you would route the effect to a another layer (with Layer Routing) and use this playback command.
Have you thought about animated objects? Would you know the way to achieve this?

Best regards,
Cameron Yeary
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Re: Interactive Transition

Postby Martina Protze » Tue Nov 19, 2013 6:44 pm

Hi Justyn, Hi Cameron

Sorry for the late reply! I prepared a short rough example. As I do not have access to other 3D programs I used gmax for that. In my example the image splits up to 4 pieces and these pieces fly and rotate away. As I am not a 3D modeler I do not know the perfect way to prepare an object sequence so I did it the manual way. But I know that there is a way to tell for example 3Ds Max to batch convert an animated scene into separate x files. So all I want to say that there is an easier way for the preparation, but this short tutorial shows the principle :)

1) Prepare a sequence of x files
e.g open gmax and create 4 planes, apply a UVW Map to all so that they form 1 image. Then attach the objects (I applied "Edit Mesh" to the first plane and attached the other planes) in the list from the first plane you can still use "Element" to get access to each individual plane. Then I clicked the button "Reset Transform" and "Scale" and exported the object. Then I moved the elements and again exported. so step by step I exported 10 x files.
See attached a) the gmax project, b) a zip with 10 x files c) a screenshot from the UI showing how to access the "Element"s.

2) Generate an index object
Open the 3D Warper and import the first x file. Export it as an index file.
See attached the index file, its a png file.

3) Batch convert the objects to morph targets
Back in the 3D Warper, choose the "Convert" command and convert all 10 x files to so called morph targets
See attached the zip folder containing 10 png files

4) Program the timeline in Pandoras Box
Open Pandoras Box and drag all files to the Project tab.
- index file
Drag the x file into the project, then display an image or video on a layer. As soon as you apply the index object as a mesh file to a layer it will disappear.
- morph targets
Import these files as a image sequence to PB. You can do this for example in the Assets tab with right-clicking on a folder that contains these 10 png files. As a frame rate I chose 2. Obviously with more frames you can setup a smoother movement. In the Inspector, activate the option "Video Alpha Channel" !
- effects
Drag the Warp Target effect from the Warp folder in the Aeon FX tab onto the layer. If you have chosen a video as a media file, simply drag the image sequence onto the FX media field. If you like to display an image, make a right-click into the FX media field and choose "Share Texture", e.g. with Layer2. Program the image sequence on Layer2, the container holding the image, the index file and the Warp effect need to be as long as the container holding the image sequnce, i.e. the morph data
See attached a screenshot from the PB interface
Alternatively you can use another effect from the "Geometry" folder called Morphing A-B-C. Again you need the index object on the layer itself, single morph target images can be used as FX media files. The fader moves between Morph A and MNorph B.

I know it seems as a lot of steps to remind and a little complicated in the beginning but in my opinion the effect is great and worth the effort. If there are any questions, please ask.
pS. if you run into performance issues with the png sequence you could as well convert the images to a video file using the Image Converter. You should then use the avi format NOT the mpg format, it is important to keep the uncompressed RGB data per pixel! Don't forget to activate the alpha channel in PB for the avi.
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Re: Interactive Transition

Postby cyeary » Tue Nov 19, 2013 7:21 pm

I heard a rumor that there was a Cinema 4D workflow that someone at coolux had developed for this. True?
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Re: Interactive Transition

Postby Martina Protze » Wed Nov 27, 2013 1:18 pm

Hello everybody,

thanks Cameron, my memory fooled me, it was indeed a batch that exports each frame as an 3ds object file out of Cinema 4D, not 3Ds Max.
The customer who developed this Python script likes to share it with everybody. Thanks Martin Kuhn!! http://www.mkld.de/
Attached, you may find the script as a zip file.

There are two solutions to use it. First solution is to execute the code below with the command window, the second is to import the script.
What you see in red is the variable. It depends whereto you like to export and from what frame you like to do that.

Another tip from Martin: if you run into problems with baking, try “nitrobake”

Best regards,
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Re: Interactive Transition

Postby cyeary » Wed Nov 27, 2013 3:02 pm

Awesome. Thank you!!
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Re: Interactive Transition

Postby rvb » Tue Feb 10, 2015 2:55 pm

Hello

we see a demo in the convention this year but we don't have ann tuorial?

will you post a video in he future ?

best regards
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Re: Interactive Transition

Postby rvb » Tue Feb 10, 2015 4:14 pm

I can make a multi selection in convert files : convert objet seq to morph target....

How you do that?
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Re: Interactive Transition

Postby Martina Protze » Wed Feb 11, 2015 1:25 am

Hi there,
currently it is not planned to make a tutorial from it, as this is a very special feature. This is why I described the technique here. If you miss a step, please ask here, and I will explain it in more detail. Regarding the converting, there are different commands for it in the Warper under "File" > "Convert"
You can either convert one by one using the command "CONVERT .X FILE TO MORPH TARGET"
First, choose the directory and file name from your external *.x file in the opening dialog. Then, choose the directory and file name for the converted index object (or converted morph target) in the saving dialog. Please refer to this chapter to learn more about morphing and live warping.

Or you can convert an entire folder with several objects with the command "CONVERT OBJECT SEQ TO MORPH TARGET". This is the text from the manual > Warper chapter

Some programs can export a movement from objects as an object sequence - a folder consisting of several *.3ds, .obj or .x files. To convert all of them in one step to be used as a morph target, choose this option.
An opening dialog opens where you can navigate to the folder and multi-select all object files that should be converted. If needed, set a resizing factor. A progress bar is shown in the right upper corner of the menu. Each object is converted to a *.png file, the new name consists of a consecutive number followed by the original name. The image files are automatically saved in the same folder.

As a next step you might copy those images into a new folder that can be used as an image sequence in Pandoras Box, for example on the Aeon Effect "Warp Target" in the folder "Warp" or "Morph A-B-C" in the folder "Geometry". In order to save performance, you may convert the *.png files as well into an *.avi video file, e.g. using the coolux tool Image Converter.

Best regards,
Martina Protze
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Re: Interactive Transition

Postby rvb » Wed Feb 11, 2015 10:01 am

Hi Martina

Thanks you for your help

i have just a problem in the menu convert object seq to morph target, i canot make a multi selection (rev172)

how you do that? do i have problem with french keyboard? like zoom :(
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Re: Interactive Transition

Postby Martina Protze » Thu Feb 12, 2015 11:59 pm

Hey, I just checked and I can multi-select with the mouse click and a pressed CTRL key, or with CTRL A, pretty much as in any other program. Does this not work on your site??
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Re: Interactive Transition

Postby ricky » Fri Feb 13, 2015 10:31 am

Ciao Martina,
I was reading this post and I can confirm there is a sort of bug in warper rev172 in that funcion. I can not select more than one file too.
If you use rev162 (from PB rev10085) it works fine.
--ricky--

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Re: Interactive Transition

Postby Martina Protze » Fri Feb 13, 2015 11:01 pm

Ciao Ricky
thanks a lot for that, I did indeed use 162 and the newest internal version 185 as I could not find the 172 so fast but assumed that it would be very unlikely that exactly in between there would be a bug. I should have double-checked with the exact version, sorry.

Please use the version from PB 10085, as Ricky stated. In the upcoming PB version the new Warper version will be integrated.

Best regards,
Martina Protze
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