SPOOKY Alpha
richard.chaos_91798ec102
Posts: 0
I was chatting with a fellow CARRAIAN about the carrara fire primitive and ho much it sucks. We were talking about how to do a small realistic fire when i recalled I pulled off a good ALPHA map fire 2 years ago!
I am not sure if I ever posted it but here is the animation on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BepJoc-j-BE
heres a still
fire.jpg
625 x 470 - 224K
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Comments
Limitations? Yes. In need of an overhaul? Yes. Sucks? Not entirely. Like most things, if you take the time to understand what it does, and what it's limitations are, you'll know where it's appropriate and where it's not. The video you posted is a good example of where there is a better alternative. If you want a 3D scene where the camera is moving around the object, such as your jets you mentioned in a previous thread, then a billboard or splat is maybe not the way to go.
After all is said I think you are correct. I could of been a lot more smart and efficient. I am working on a couple new animations. A few on my F4 Launching off a carrier , and a new one of my tank smashing trough a wall where I am gunna use physics and have never done that before.
In another thread I was asking about comment about how to pull off a good afterburner jet blast out he back of my F4 and got a lot of new ideas I would not of thought of.
BUT! At the ned of JULY I am gunna try to buy Particleillusion and use that a lot.
Carrara particles are just too time consuming and hit or miss
When I needed a fire for an npr render, I had to go to great lengths!
I used a stock picture of fire, made a terrain from it, converted to vertex model, hand trimmed the flat parts on the borders from the alpha channel, used the original png for a texture (after a quick & simple uv mapping), and it worked!
I'd love a simpler way to get npr fire though...
I should have been more clear! Your fire looks very good. I think the video you posted in this thread is a good example of where using the method you used was the right choice, because you move into it head on, Your camera doesn't dolly, pan or otherwise rotate around the torch fire. If it did, then another method would probably work better. Good job.
I find Carrara fire works well, but as said above you just have to have the patience to work with it a bit. The first thing you must do is change the colors as the default setting is very unnatural. After that, just take the time to understand what the other settings do and you can get good results.
Or you can buy Primivol :-)
I should have been more clear! Your fire looks very good. I think the video you posted in this thread is a good example of where using the method you used was the right choice, because you move into it head on, Your camera doesn't dolly, pan or otherwise rotate around the torch fire. If it did, then another method would probably work better. Good job.
DUH me I was thinking about my tank animation. Yea I have found out using REAL movie footage on object with an Alpha works great IF the camera doesn't move around the object too much. Problem is finding a mov that works for ya! I was thinking of using a mov texture of a real AFTERBURNER JET and have looked at 100s and there is always something wrong with them all.. I watched a tutorial many years ago for like Carrara 2 where a guy tried to populate a PASSENGER SHIP with passengers. I was thinking what a pain! Well the guy got like 56 different GREEN screens of himself and made some ONE POLYGON Squares and put his green screen on them and WALA Walking talking passengers They even had correct shadows
I really liked that spooky animation. Great work! I would watch a whole movie with that style.