PDA

View Full Version : Paper dolls?

The Nemesiah
10-27-2005, 01:07 AM
Hi, I´m starting to get into Design visualization and I have noticed something that seems to me is an effect however I do not know it´s name or if it is indeed an effect.

Usually in desgn visualizations of architectural environments the human figure is used to stablish proportion, however rendering humans (specially clothed ones) tends to be a pain since they take an enourmous amount of time.

I have noticed that to get around this designers have come up with "Billboards" static Images with an alpha channel that can rotate to always seem perpendicular to the camera thus avoiding to look like planes when seen from the sides.

This bilboard effect is mostly used in videogames due to performance issues and can be found in corwds (animated but stuck in an angle), in grass (animated and rotating towrds the camera) etc...

Now there is a new effect that I have found that has trully amazed me and I´d like to know how it´s done and where can I find examples.

The effect I´m looking for is :

A billboard ellement that while beeing flat shows the same angle to the camera all the time, however as the camera rotates arond the element, this changes which image it projects thus creating a Faux 3D in which the whole of the element (person) cen be seen while still looking flat upon close inspection.

If anyone out there knows what this effect is called and how can it be reproduced or where can I find these elements to use I would greatly appreciate the info.

I use 3D studio Max 7 and by the looks of it this effect can be reproduced on most high end 3d software.

Thanks.

Ps. If any one knows if this post would be better placed somewhere else I`d be happy to move it, I did not search the forum as I do not know what to look for and I though this would be the best place to post my question.
jeremybirn
10-29-2005, 10:56 AM
This isn't really a compositing issue, more of a Max issue for how to set up. Basically you want:
- a flat plane with an animated texture map, color plus alpha for opacity.
- plane is constrained so that it rotates to face the camera.
- animated texture map is linked by an expression or driven key so that it uses a different frame from its image sequence at each angle, drawing from a series of different angle views in a series of turntable images of the person.
That all sounds do-able, and I think there are libraries of turntable images you might be able to buy without shooting yourself (or you could make from a 3D model.)

-jeremy
MasterZap
10-30-2005, 12:11 PM
In max, look for the "look at" controller which you apply as a rotation controller to your plane.

That couple with a frame selecting expression could work, although I am not an expression guy, so don't ask me ;)

This is a stupid proof-of-concept test I did using (http://www.lysator.liu.se/~zap/kidwars/cockpit-test.mov) footage of yours truly in a office swivel chair in front of a greenscreen....
:)

/Z
tufif
11-01-2005, 11:08 PM
That came out really cool! How did you do the camera movements?
hiphopcr
11-02-2005, 12:00 AM
I really liked that too, really seemless movement between the camera, you on the chair, and the 3D spacecraft.
MasterZap
11-02-2005, 02:44 PM
Well, the fugly raw footage is here (http://www.kidwars.com/greenchair.mov) (this is before I was young and handsome).

I just mapped that to a camera facing plane in max, then moved the 3D camera around it "countering" the chair rotations I did, such that the chair always "appeared" to face the same direction within the 3D model (which was downloaded from scifi3d, incidentally... this was just a proof-of-concept test, after all).

I.e. the practical chair rotations basically dictated how I had to move my 3D camera in this case.

/Z
tufif
11-02-2005, 03:31 PM
Ha! That's great! I have to try that :)
Shayder
11-07-2005, 09:22 PM
Master Zap! I love the stuff that you do! I used your footage of the greenscreen to try the same thing but a little different it works well but I did my camera move in After Effects. How did you composite your's? Did you do it all in Max? If so how did you place the geometry in relationship to the video ?

Again awsome stuff!
CGTalk Moderation
11-07-2005, 09:22 PM
This thread has been automatically closed as it remained inactive for 12 months. If you wish to continue the discussion, please create a new thread in the appropriate forum.