A:M Rendering
Rendering, Compositing and Special Effects
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Hey all, has anyone seen the following errors when starting renderMess? followed by this one after hitting OK RenderServer is on Win10--both PCs I'm gettting this error constantly are Win7--the Win8 PC I also get it on but a restart will ofttimes fix it. It's been some time sine I ran Server/Mess, but I could've sworn that I was still running 10, but I'm not certain. Thanks, Rich
Last reply by Dylan Perry, -
- 8 replies
- 490 views
My new computer (thanks, Steve Shelton!) has an Intel Core i7-12700K with 12 cores, with a base frequency of 3.6 GHz and "boost" up to 5 GHz. Eight of the 12 cores are high-power "performance" cores and four are low-power "efficiency"cores. The performance cores can be Hyperthreaded to behave as two cores for up to 20 total cores. I've been giving it a workout with NetRender and testing to see how much extra work gets done with each additional core. This chart shows the relative thoughput of completed frames as the number of cores allotted to the render increases. The productivity of one core alone is treated as a baseline of 1.00, so we can loo…
Last reply by Fuchur, -
- 26 replies
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I remember doing the AM render benchmark test, and I came upon 5 minutes to do the VGA example. I was thinking of it now I have a short animation with rather a lot of particles. When I first did the render, a rising thinderbird into the sky, my minimum render time for a frame on VGA became at highest 3 minutes. So for a 8 second animation I could get away with 6 houres rendering. After some sessions I decided to give it some more sprite emitters for smoke and explosion. Then I realized this quotum would be rather high: three flame throwers - three smoke paths - three explosion sprites and three smoke bursters. It look well, I had all moments set to give the sprite e…
Last reply by Madfox, -
- 15 replies
- 730 views
Greetings all! I've never used the hair material before and don't understand why I'm not getting any specular effects. I’ve tried everything I can think of, but I have a feeling I’m missing something basic. Anyone? Thanks much. Doug F
Last reply by Douglas Ferrin, -
- 2 replies
- 365 views
Mod note: this topic has been split off from a Live Answer Time discussion. Very cool class today! Here is a project addressing a possible refraction bug with two identical glass balls on a table with a decal. The glass materials are identical except one has refraction set to 1 and the other has refraction set to 1.5. The material with refraction at 1.5 is black... Not sure why that is happening... Is this a bug? Image for PRJ: RefractionTest.prj
Last reply by Tom, -
- 6 replies
- 705 views
I'm considering buying an Intel Mac computer with Mojave installed (last Mac OS to allow 32-bit apps). The computer will have an Intel i9 CPU and an AMD rx590 GPU (8GB) and 64GB of RAM. Will I see some decent rendering times with A:M v19 on this setup? I don't quite understand what aspect of the computer A:M utilizes for rendering - the GPU or the CPU. Which makes the biggest difference in render times in A:M? Thanks.
Last reply by Fuchur, -
- 1 follower
- 8 replies
- 327 views
Still trying to get this "thread" effect to work. Robcat's clever animated gradient material almost worked but didn't get the "end of the snake" of the thread I needed to follow the moving thread. (see attached) Tried adding two animated gradient materials but couldn't get that to work. i then reverted back to animating them with booleans but they caused a buttload of problems in the chor. so now i'm trying to animate a regular decal along the length of the threads (which are then reshaped in the chor.) and cannot get anything to happen. So my question at this point is How can I animate a decal's position along a model? Have tried doing it in Action but nothing …
Last reply by robcat2075, -
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- 1k views
Last reply by Rodney, -
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Is it possible to implement a model render on a transparent background in hash am?
Last reply by Userdelete, -
- 2 replies
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Is there a way to achieve the "perspective" view of a model or scene in a choreography like one achieves by pressing the number pad 9 key in the modeling window?
Last reply by cribbidaj, -
- 5 replies
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I'm using A:M 18.0p SE3 on a Mac running OS 10.11.6 with an nVidia Geforce GT 750M. When rendering a choreography at Super35 res I'm able to render one frame at a time successfully, but while attempting to render multiple frames A:M consistently crashes. I've stopped many of the background processes on the computer to allocate as much processing power to A:M as I can, but the crashes still consistently occur (only when attempting to render multiple frames - the software successfully renders to first frame I've selected, then crashes). My current workaround is to stay at the computer and render one frame at a time, which does not cause the software to crash. Any idea w…
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 0 replies
- 1.6k views
Hi Guest Returning User, The death of Quicktime is a problem. One solution is to render to an image sequence of TGA or JPG and use an 3rd party video editing tool to compress that to a video format like MPG. In Render to file settings click to the far right of "Format" to get the drop down list of available formats you can save in. AVI is a video format you can still render to in A:M but it is poor and I don't recommend it. If you merely need to watch your animation you can still load image sequences into A:M and it will play them if you have enough RAM.
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 2 followers
- 20 replies
- 9.3k views
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Last reply by Elm, -
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I'm toon rendering a model in a simple choreography with the character walking along the ground. How do I get the character's shadow to render on the ground plane? The character's "toon" settings are: Line color: dark gray line size: .8 Toon bias: 2 The ground's "toon" settings are: Line color: white line size: .8 Toon bias: 20 "shadows" are enabled in render settings.
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 18 replies
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SO- once again I am exploring IBL... I know that Stian used it quite nicely and had a tut out there showing how to... that I can't find. I have a choreography where I have disabled all of my lights... I bring in an image like the one attached (I have tried many...) and I select IBL in the choreography properties, and assign the image. I get only a black image indicating there is more to it than that... what am I missing?
Last reply by Fuchur, -
- 3 replies
- 4k views
Surface Properties have two rarely noticed options: Average Normals, which when ON enables... Normal Weight 0% -100% This seems to control how the surface normal is interpolated from one spline to the next across a patch which affects shading and reflection results. Notice the difference in reflections and specular highlights in these three images. From left to right... Normal Weight 0%, 50 %, 100% OFF and 0% is the A:M default but ON and 50% is the result most like the intended spline shape and will give you smoothest results for most models.
Last reply by strato, -
- 9 replies
- 5.3k views
from a set or TGAs. Was using Adobe's Media Encoder, but the trial ran out. Looks like to only way to get it is to purch one of the Video apps from Creative Cloud at $20/month. Anybody got a better alternative? Thanks, Rich
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 11 replies
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Hi guys! I searched the forum and all I got was ancient threads about this feature, which didn't provide any infos on its usability... So I thought I ask again if anybody knows IF this Light map thing works, or maybe even HOW.. Or: does anybody know a (reasonable) workaround for 'baking' light and shadow into dacals / maps / whatever? Greetz, Elm.
Last reply by detbear, -
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Hey all, Been away for a few months and seem to have completely forgotten how to create a gradient. I read the Tech Ref, but I'm not clear: When the techref mentions "measuring from the pivot", does that mean the center? Also, is it the center of the example sphere or the patch where the mat will be placed? For example, if I have a line of patches approx 50cm tall that I want to split between two textures, would the gradient read: Start X 0cm Y -25cm z 0cm End x 0cm y 25cm z 0cm This is kinda puzzling me. I've successfully created these in the past, but I winged it, and I'm trying to gain greater control over them. …
Last reply by Darthlister, -
- 4 replies
- 2.2k views
Hi Guys! I'm adjusting the fog distance in my chor's camera (including setting keyframes for both "start" and "end" distance). When trying to render via the netrender Server, these settings get ignored - the standard 200cm for start and 800cm for end appear. Is this a bug? I tried with v 16 and 18. Greetz, Elm.
Last reply by John Bigboote, -
- 2 replies
- 2.2k views
Hello - I'm got a relatively simple humanoid character model that I want to render as basically flat black with some white specularity reflections, but I want it to have a more "matte" rendered look without the glossy look that specularity normally gives to the model. Any ideas how to accomplish this?
Last reply by cribbidaj, -
- 7 replies
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I am trying to get a spotlight (klieg) to have it's shadow lessen with distance... and I forget the trick! See image for illustration of what I am going after... should I use a regular bulb type light? is it the penumbra feature? How does one get this? (I recreated the effect I want in Photoshop here...)
Last reply by John Bigboote, -
Hello Everyone, I am having a problem with rendering a scene at the correct length. I have a scene that is 14400 frames long, and I am rendering at 24 Frames Per Second. But I am getting a file that is a little over 8 minutes long when it should be 10 minutes. Does anyone have any experience in which render options I should choose to have the file rendered at the correct length? I have a clock in this scene, so it is important that it is the right length. Thanks in advance to all those who help. Andrew
Last reply by Andrew, -
- 17 replies
- 3.4k views
Hey Everyone. I was watching a demonstration on Marmoset Toolbag where game professionals drive SSS in their characters using a Translucency Map. Basically the "Greyscale" map controls how much or how little SSS effects specific areas. That way, you can have more SSS in areas like ear lobes, etc. I wonder if A:M could do this via one of the Map types in the decal selections. OR if a new Map type could be created to control this in A:M. Kevin
Last reply by detbear, -
- 12 replies
- 2.7k views
I stumbled acrosst an old character and a cool animation- I decided to throw some new features on the render and see how it looks... (SSS and AO)
Last reply by stefff285, -
- 20 replies
- 3k views
How do you implement MatCaps again? I thought I knew how... just went to try it... drew a blank! I THOUGHT it was in an available option under a groups properties in the Diffuse Render Shader- Specular Render Shader - Ambiance Render Shader lists, but I don't see matcaps as an option anymore... is it a shader I need to install? I am on latest V 18.0N 64bit.
Last reply by johnl3d, -
- 0 replies
- 1.7k views
Something in an old project doesn't work right in NetRender so I'm running three A:Ms to do it instead...
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 follower
- 32 replies
- 5.6k views
Playing with features I had overlooked in the past... I see in the Choreography that I can turn ON Radiosity. A quick forum search turned up nothing (been having bad luck with our search engine... google almost does better...) I remember back in the day Yves put TONS of time and information into this subject on the forum... is it still around? Has Radiosity improved with the newer versions of A:M as far as render times go? Is Radiosity an alternative to or does it work with A:M's lights... raytraced only? Is radiosity whats known in other apps as 'global illumination'? Now that I have NetRender maybe I can take a little more of a hit to my render times if it mea…
Last reply by Roger, -
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- 6.6k views
Let's hook-up to this as an alternate renderer! http://www.animationmagazine.net/vfx/pixar-releases-free-noncommercial-renderman/
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 13 replies
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Hello, Will helped/pointed me in the right direction to get shadows on a rotoscope image. Grabbed an image from the net, slapped my giraffe on it ... I did a search on the forum, and found a great pic of the settings that robcat2075 added to the forum.... How do I get strong shadows in my images. I played with various settings, and the shadows actually got worse. Is it a ground thing, or is a light thing? confused.
Last reply by detbear, -
- 1 reply
- 3.9k views
Anyone else get these unusual render frames... I left my PC(nothing else running) to render overnight and saw I have some frames that take unusually long... 5 hours 34 minutes when the frame before was 2min20??? A:M V18.0G 64 bit... using SSS hair.
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 16 replies
- 4.8k views
OK. Having a hard time getting this. Got a good amount of materials, both textured and simple bmps, as well as quite a few tufts of grass/hair. No matter what I try to turn off in the chor window so I can manipulate the grass to be "blown" in the wind, my 8-core, 16gig, 660gtx machine acts as if it can't handle what I'm trying to do. Not sure what I'm doing wrong--how would one be able to manipulate individual "tufts" of grass? Not sure how to get the frame-by-frame rendering down to the barest minimum Thanks, Rich
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 reply
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This is from a production design commentary on one the the Mad Men DVDs, a series I'm only now getting around to watching. Their premise is that the series is set in the early 60's so they want period furniture on their sets. They found these secretarial desks and ordered them in beige because they wanted them to appear not too extravagant. To make the beige panels photograph more interestingly, however, they put a larger than normal desktop on them so it would extend over the sides and cast a shadow (two really ifyou look close), breaking up the color without explicitly adding another color to the object. I also think the overhanging shadow gives a depth c…
Last reply by John Bigboote, -
- 3 replies
- 3.5k views
A:M has a camera post effect that will "burn" the current frame timecode into the rendered image, but on Mac you can't set the size of the effect. Here is a simple integer image sequence of 000-719 that may be added to a camera as a rotoscope if frame numbering other than what the "burn" effect can do is needed. It can be resized and moved to anywhere in the frame. I'll note that having an animated rotoscope in the frame seems to slow down real-time performance so you may want to turn it off until you render. counterTGAs.zip
Last reply by markw, -
- 5 replies
- 1.9k views
Hey. Stian has posted about how to apply HDRI lighting. On Stian's HDRI image site, there doesn't seem to be any light probe images to be used along with the HDRI's. I have a question. Is there a way to create a light probe(ball) image from an HDRI. Normally the "Light Probe" exists first and then an HDRI image is made from the light probe. BUT what if there is no light probe image but just an HDRI image. Without the light probe (ball) image, and the matching HDRI image, the lighting won't be accurate. Thanks, William
Last reply by detbear, -
- 7 replies
- 2.1k views
Hey Everyone. I'm in V18 and trying to get the SSS on a character to render without it looking black/ dark. It looks similar to when you try to render transparency with real AO and the "transparent AO" set to "Off" Anyone know how to get the SSS on without looking like black wax?
Last reply by John Bigboote, -
- 10 replies
- 3.2k views
I'm moving an object towards the camera through a waterfall. I want it to emerge through the waterfall. What I've been doing is using a green wall that I key out later. This leaves just the object as it passes through. Is there another/ better way to "Clip" an object in A:M so that I can bi-pass the green screen wall??? William
Last reply by detbear, -
- 3 replies
- 2.8k views
Since I have always constructed texture UV maps, I find myself in unsure waters with baking things. If I have a few darktree materials on a model and I bake textures. What will that do to the darktree textures. Will it form a decal. Will it do some other magical task. What's in it for the Baker William
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 follower
- 6 replies
- 1.9k views
Say a model has two different but interchangeable image textures (using the same stamp/UV map). Is there a way to animate a shift (either gradually or abrupt) between the two textures?
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 2 replies
- 1.6k views
http://aaa-studio.cz/furryballforum/viewto...f=18&t=4010 Any takers? I believe they pay.
Last reply by itsjustme, -
- 7 replies
- 1.9k views
Have any of you seen the recent Jose Cuervo ads on TV and have suggestions on how to light and render models in A:M in the choreography to simulate that look? It seems to be a 2-color (red/black) psuedo toon render in 3d, with the shadows being black. I write "psuedo" toon render because it seems like there is depth to the scorpion model though it is only two colors.
Last reply by cribbidaj, -
- 5 replies
- 1.8k views
Hey all, Looked for this in the techref, but couldn't find it. Can you specify a gravity point (the point where particles are attracted to in the gravity attribute), or does that attribute automatically just send particles along the Y axis? Thanks, Rich
Last reply by Darthlister, -
- 1 follower
- 3 replies
- 1.7k views
I was setting a test render with v18a and netrender. Simple spin animation and I trying to set/tell netrender to use plugin shaders. However, there is no selection for the shaders. Has this always been the case or am I missing something. Steve
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 4 replies
- 1.4k views
Hi all, Working on a scene where some action has to happen, then a parcel of boulders have to fall onto a character. Having used newton sim in the past, I noticed that, no matter where I wanted the gravity sim to start, it always starts at frame 0. I've tried turning the falling objects off until I want them to fall, but always get a "Unsolvable Problem with shortcut to.." etc. error. I figure I'm missing something in the sim settings, but darned if I can figure where. Any help or pointers in the right direction would be appreciated. Thanks, Rich
Last reply by Darthlister, -
- 1 follower
- 2 replies
- 1.9k views
I am slightly confused. I am trying to get to grips with ambiance lighting and occlusion in A:M rendering. The problem isn’t abscense of options but the opposite: there is so many different places ambience parameters can be set, and it is not clear (to me anyhow) which of the similar labeled functions does what and what cancels each other out. Below is a collection of the possible settings I have found ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––- Camera: Global Ambiance (%) Camera/Render Options: Ambiance Occlusion (On/Off) Occlusion Sampling (%) Transparent AO (On/Off) Camera/Render Options: Plugin Shaders (On/Off) Ambiance Render Shader (shade…
Last reply by Tore, -
- 1 follower
- 17 replies
- 3.2k views
Hello, I'm back with the questions and stuff. Okay ... is it possible to rip this (see link) style of rendering and reproduce it in AM? http://www.orderindebris.com/ When I asked how he did it (heh ... always asking), he sent me a pic of his settings in maya. I'm thinking toon and some tweeking of lights and stuff...
Last reply by zandoriastudios, -
- 8 replies
- 2.1k views
Hi Everyone, I seem to have run into a problem with texturing a seamless texture onto a model. I've made a seamless texture that I would like to apply to a model. I understand by selecting all patches and dropping the image on it will put the image on each patch. This is great, but it looks like it changes the direction on some of the patches... making the model look like it has lines on it because it breaks that seamless texture due to direction. I was wondering if there was a way I can apply my texture and have it stitch it without rotating the seamless texture. basically it's a base seamless texture I'm using for a pair of jeans for examp…
Last reply by Kombowz, -
- 2 replies
- 1.5k views
Looking for advice/tute on animatable material to make the ash of a cigar 'burn'/'glow'. Cheers
Last reply by johnl3d, -
- 4 replies
- 1.7k views
Hey all, has anyone seen anything like this? Did a search, but the closest thing I could find was material displacement, and I don't think this is that, but you judge. Below is the view from the camera Whereas, this is the actual render Having a hard time figuring out why the "wall" is further out in the render than in the camera preview. Using "use camera settings" in Tools/Options/render. Any ideas? Thanks, Rich
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 6 replies
- 1.9k views
I have a scene with several motions ,sea ,ship rocking etc. when I apply MB will it effect those motions or only fast motions I specifically what MB applied to, some motions I have are not slow but I do not want MB on those.
Last reply by Kamikaze,