ANIMATION CONTEST #01

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LeonRegis
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Re: ANIMATION CONTEST #01

Post by LeonRegis »

I think that if the guy did on a WIP he could just post the link to the WIP and if someone didn't the WIP then he need to write the little ''how to''... that is it. :D
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Re: ANIMATION CONTEST #01

Post by DesignDevil »

okidoki...

in this case i also will start a wip thread ;)

So, here it is - my WIP THREAD: http://united3dartists.com/forum/vi ... ?f=5&t=965
I still use TrueSpace 6.6
Link: My Youtube Channel
Link: www.DesignDevil.de - Plugins, Tutorials and more about TrueSpace 6.6
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Re: ANIMATION CONTEST #01

Post by jeffroig »

Hey to everyone out there.
I see that now I must explain how I create my own motions and how it is done. So here I will tell you of the software and provide a link where you can download a trial version of it.

The software is called shoot3d website http://www.shoot3d.biz" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The way it works is by using the software and two webcams.
Yep that is all you need and a little practice with the software and you are creating your own moves.

I have a extra room in my house that allows me to use as a green screen room and a motion capture area.

I use two logitec webcams that I bought off of craigslist and I wear black sweats and a black long sleeve shirt as I shoot against a white wall as you will need that contrast to make it work.

After recording your moves you then use the software to map your movements, the software then takes a little time to run through the video and it then creates a standard motion file that can be used in your favorite 3D animating software.

What works best for me is to import the action or motion file into Poser from there I am able to make any needed adjustments in the motion that might have been missed in the capture process.

Once I am satisfied with the overall motion I then export it from poser and bring it into TrueSpace as a BVH file.

One thing you must remember is that this is not rocket science. If you try to make everything too perfect in the motion capture software you will end up with movements that are that of a robot as they say to error is human, you want that certain amount of error in your motion to make it real.

For example in a walk cycle you only need 30 frames of it and then you can repeat the cycle, you dont need a room so large that you can capture 1 minute of walking.
Head movements can be captured separate and then latter applied to the overall motion of the object, the same applies to arm movements.

NOTE: use a well lit room, the better the contrast between the dark clothing and the white walls the better results you will have. I have used blue jeans and a dark colored long sleeve shirt, the results are not as well.

Now that I have explained myself and how I create motion capture files I would hope that my method is ok and I can go ahead and finish with my animation and present it as an animation for the contest.
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Karthogen
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Re: ANIMATION CONTEST #01

Post by Karthogen »

That is cool, if I ever get enough room I may have to give it a try. I don't mind you using the motion capture at all, I think the main reason for the rule was to prevent someone from just making a default model and adding a free BVH to have it dance around for 3 minutes. Not much animation in that, but I followed your WIP with the Video you submitted to FOX. I look forwarded to seeing what you put together.
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Re: ANIMATION CONTEST #01

Post by DesignDevil »

Karthogen says it: "I think the main reason for the rule was to prevent someone from just making a default model and adding a free BVH to have it dance around for 3 minutes." - is exactly what i mean. In your case is the creation of a animation also a big challenge and needs a lot of work. So for me it is acceptable and i'm interestet to see a animation with this technic.
I still use TrueSpace 6.6
Link: My Youtube Channel
Link: www.DesignDevil.de - Plugins, Tutorials and more about TrueSpace 6.6
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LeonRegis
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Re: ANIMATION CONTEST #01

Post by LeonRegis »

Sorry, but I don't know what are you talking about... :roll:
Be the change you want to see in the world. - Mohandas Gandhi
Karthogen
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Re: ANIMATION CONTEST #01

Post by Karthogen »

Jeffroig has his own section in the WIP Section. You can take a look at some of the animations that he has already done. And I beleive he was using the same technics, please correct me if I am worng Jeffroig.

http://united3dartists.com/forum/vi ... f=30&t=406" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Bar has been raised.
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Re: ANIMATION CONTEST #01

Post by jeffroig »

Yes you are correct in this statement.
For the past year and a half I have created all my motions using this method.
I had a very vast library of canned motions and I decided that this was not the way to go and I deleted them all and now all the motions I use are ones that I have created using the software and webcams. I now have a very very vast library of motions that I can say are 100% mine that I have created.
One more point I would like to make about the software is its ability to load a video into it that is not of yours.
For example you can take a video of anyone walking or moving or doing any action you would like to use and load it in and map it. Once again please pay attention to the contrast. What I have found works the best when doing this is to convert the video to black and white or grey scale and then play with the brightness and contrast to get the best results.
You dont have to spend thousands of dollars to create your own motions. A few hundred dollars and you have your own motion capture system.
One more point I would like to make and that is the software shoot3d is a very large file and contains alot of various DLL's to make it work, I have found that it is best if can do it to install it on a computer other than the one you use TS or any other animation package on as at times I received errors and it was do to conflicts between some of the files the shoot3d installs and what is needed for your animation software. I use a Dell Optiplex GX 260 to run the motion capture software on and do all of my 3D design on a HP DV6000.
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Karthogen
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Re: ANIMATION CONTEST #01

Post by Karthogen »

Thank you for the heads up on that one.
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Re: ANIMATION CONTEST #01

Post by Karthogen »

Here is my submission. I have a lot of work to do on learning how to animate.

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QGoJmCD7LTE&hl ... ram><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QGoJmCD7LTE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/youtube]
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