Amelie 1.4 is out

[Monty]

Thanks a lot garg! Lots of things we wished for are here. I particularly like right clicking to delete elements. Yesss! :)

Some additional comments.

1) There is a need for a new element to multiply a length (vector length) and a vector direction (automatically normalized to length of 1). Now if I use the regular multiply element, I get funky results.

2) The titles that we now add show up in the motion options, but not in the Amelie browser. Amelie also allows for more than one title and uses only the last one added. Can be confusing. Maybe only allow one title per expression?

3) The comments box only has one field. although it allows me to input more text than what the input box shows, the comments end up truncated. Is it possible to increase this, both the input and the way that it is shown in the expression editor?

4) I dont know what I did but after a couple of saves, LW crashed and it wont let me open up Amelie expression window anymore. Only way to fix it was to start a new scene (OS X, LW 7.5c).

Keep up the great work!!

:)

[garg]

1) You mean from a length and a direction compose a vector ? Ok... I will work on this.

2) Yep... I know :-) Just didn't had time to do it. Title must be unique and must be displayed in the expression list as well as in the title bar.

3) Yep... we need multiline comments, just didn't had time.

4) If you can tell me, step by step, how I can reproduce the crash I may find the bug and remove it.

Alain

[Monty]

thanks garg. As always, you are a true warrior!!

For the crash, I deleted the expression already so its gone. Ill try and re-create it again. Sorry about the sloppy bug reporting... he he :)

[garg]

Just posted some changes on our example page. New train setup and an example of the pixel shader:

http://www.rayserver.com/amelie/examples/

Alain

[garg]

Hi,

We are planning to start Amelie contests, but we have a wild discussion between Stephen and myself about the subject of the first one. The problem is that Stephen think it's by far too complex.

So, could you guys check if we should change the goal of the first contest or should we keep it ?

http://www.rayserver.com/amelie/contest.php

Let me know as fast as possible :-)

Thanks !

Alain

[Monty]

I think its a bit difficult as the possibiliteis are limited. Maybe we can convert things to shades of gray or do edge detection? But we will probably just use most of your present cartoon pixel expression. I dunno... I can try later.

Where's preludian anyway...

[Monty]

Okay a google search yielded this cartoon shading algorithm:
http://www-evasion.inrialpes.fr/people/Philippe.Decaudin/Images/schema-en.gif

Im not sure though if we can use it though. Maybe in drawing the outlines??

[Monty]

garg, found an error in the help file. The pixel.rawcolor.r g b and vector are all mixed up.

[garg]

Monty:

Ok, we will correct the help (thanks to point it out).

But you did not answered my question, do you think it make sense to have this as subject for the contest or should we propose something else ?

Alain

[Monty]

I dunno. With all the plugs available out there doing this, the point would be to show that we can do it? I would have to do research on this if I want to try it as I have no idea now on how to do it. Problem is I dont know if I would have the time. Its interesting though and a good exercise. It will also help people understand this area of Lightwave and Amelie.

Dont know about the others. Ask preludian - he might want a handmade cartoon shading for his trains, now that he got the path delay element...
.......:wip:
:thumbsup: :applause: :thumbsup:

[garg]

BTW I have more idea in order to create the cartoon look:

Start with the "Pixel.Shading" element, this give you how much light a pixel get.
Then you need to decide if you should put full color or a dark one (or more shades like in my example). You may also have more or less smooth transitions between colors. In order to have a border you may start with Pixel.Geometry, which give you a good start to see if you are on the border or not :-)

So as you see we could do much better than what I did until yet, but as Stephen pointed out it's maybe too complex. So please tell me if you want a simplier contest or not :-)

Alain

[garg]

Ok ok... so I will think of somthing more simple :-) The idea was to train all you guys. Show all possible Amelie applications :-)

Alain

[Monty]

I also just read now that to draw a silhouette, we need to compare the normals of adjacent faces. If one face points toward the camera and an adjacent face points away, we need to draw the edge between them. This technique is also be used to find important edges inside the outline.

I dont know if we can use Pixel.Geometry this way. Correct me if Im wrong, but now, the pixels are scanned top to bottom, right to left?

Im all fired up and surfing the web like a mad man.....:drool:

[garg]

I didn't tried it myself but it should be workable with just pixel.geometry. It need to be investigated :-) But see the point is not to create the most usable cartoon shader but more to check how far we can go :-)

Alain

[garg]

Ok... I'm by far too kind :-)

Here is a good example how to start :-)

Alain

[Monty]

I think using the Z buffer, ambient image and normal buffer would be the easiest way to draw the outlines. then again, maybe we can just check for broders uising Pixel.Geometry and draw a black line there. No clue though how to increase the thickness of the border...

[garg]

Well the thikness of the border is in my example (see the attached file in the previous post) create only by checking if the facing direction is over a given angle. Just changing this .35 constant in something else will change the thikness of the border line.

Alain

[Monty]

yep, youre always too fast for me... downloading now...

:thumbsup:

[garg]

You will see that only with this small expression you get already a good looking cartoonish look.

Alain

[garg]

So far this is my result. As you can see it's not the same as the cartoon look on our demo page. It have a little border on some objects, and only 2 shades for the ball and the "puppet".

http://www.rayserver.com/amelie/contest/cartoon_3.jpg

It's still possible to get better results :-)

Anyway, I see that it's a bit too much for a first contest (as Stephen pointed out) so we will think about something more simple :-)

Alain

[DarkLight]

Great looking result by the way :applause:

I've been playing with it a little today and have got nothing like this.

[preludian]

I want a handmade cartoon shading for my tram :)

Sorry I had a dead-line, and now I am tired...but I wasn't inactive, ask garg :p hehe...

I'm afraid that I'll have no time for the contest helas, and I'm sure garg will be the winner, he is too good, just have a look at his train delay expression, simply genius:thumbsup:

I think I'll simply go to bed very early tonight :hmm:

[garg]

My submissions will not count :) I'm just here to help out !

But thanks preludian for the "genius" and all the help so far !

Alain

[Monty]

Wow, garg - you should post the tutorial on how you did this!

:eek:

[garg]

:love: I will post a tutorial on this pixel filter... Just that I'm a bit busy since this morning:

I present you Beatrice (no it's not a new plugin)

http://www.frauenklinik.ch/index.taf?id=001kab_0502&lang=de&_function=detail&EG_INSERTION_uid1=20030910082621474978000000&_UserReference=547957406AB50D123DFEFBAEC22001

Just got my first daughter :-)

So as soon as those first days will be gone, I will be able to work for you guys again. Sorry for the delay... :blush:

Alain

[comanche]

Alain, congratulations!!!! Well done :applause:


Cheers,
Andreas

[DarkLight]

I'll say again, congratulations :)

[preludian]

Damnit Alain, stop working for a couple of weeks, she is a true beauty, the first days are the best, and then the weeks coming, and then the months and so on. A tip a friend gave me, buy a digi camera and a digi camcorder if you don't have them already, and make thousands of photos and film her as often as you can, you can't imagine how fast they change ;)
Liebe Grüße an die frisch gebackene Mutter :thumbsup:


:applause:

[Monty]

Man, oh man!

First, congratulations. :thumbsup:

Second, listen to preludian - take a few weeks off Man! These little cuties grow so fast - and besides we will still be here messing around with Amelie when you come back. I promise, no more feature requests!

[garg]

Many thanks guys :-) Now I'm going back to hospital to see them :-)))

BTW I have a digital camera and a camcorder so I should be ready (and I already strarted to fire at will with them :-) )

Alain

[preludian]

What Monty really means is 'no more feature requests....until you're back ' :beer:

[Srek]

Originally posted by garg
:love: I will post a tutorial on this pixel filter... Just that I'm a bit busy since this morning:

I present you Beatrice (no it's not a new plugin)

http://www.frauenklinik.ch/index.taf?id=001kab_0502&lang=de&_function=detail&EG_INSERTION_uid1=20030910082621474978000000&_UserReference=547957406AB50D123DFEFBAEC22001

Just got my first daughter :-)

So as soon as those first days will be gone, I will be able to work for you guys again. Sorry for the delay... :blush:

Alain

Beautiful work Alain :)

All the best to you and your wife

Björn

[IRONIC3D]

Hey Alain congratulations man. :thumbsup:

and yeah your not allowed to show up here for couple of weeks. we're busy anyway :beer:

Cheers

I3D

[Hellbring]

got an issue with this plugin when after cloneing items. If I clone an item with amelie referenceing that object none of the code works even if i rename the new clone. I have to manualy go through each amelie script and re add the channels. :(

[garg]

Which element do you use in order to reference your object ? "This" or something else ?

Normaly cloning should work without trouble if you use "this".

Let me know.

Alain Bertrand

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