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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Voices of the Past

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction Stories--Classic JC Board (Reply-Only)' started by Mekial, Feb 14, 1999.

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  1. Bastet

    Bastet Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 30, 1999
    All right! Another post! Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!
     
  2. HealerLeona

    HealerLeona Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 18, 2000
    The posts were so far and few I'd almost given up. But I'm glad to see more here (as well as your other stories)
     
  3. Maija Darklighter

    Maija Darklighter Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Feb 3, 2000
    WHAT!NO NOOO DONT STOP! *sobbing*
    *sniff* *small voice*
    More please?

    Darklighter
     
  4. Mekial

    Mekial Jedi Master star 1

    Registered:
    Dec 9, 1999
    Alright, this should make you happy. The reason I've been so long in my postings on this one is I totally lost the plot. I forgot it, and I couldn't find where I had it written down. Well, guess what...I FOUND IT! Anyway, now you shouldn't have to wait 3 or 4 weeks to get posts. I hope you enjoy the rest of it. (I found it, I found it)
     
  5. Kal Maddox

    Kal Maddox Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2000
    I want to create the pan down shot to a planet (after the opening crawl). I'm using the video post function to add a starfield background to my moving camera, but I don't know how to make the background appear to be panning down.

    Any ideas?
     
  6. BIG JIM SLATE

    BIG JIM SLATE Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Apr 9, 2000
    Kind of unrelated, but not, how do you make a moving starfield in 3dsmax? How did "the flannel one" originally do it?
     
  7. Darth Venom

    Darth Venom Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 6, 1999
    I know this really isn't related to the topic but, does anyone know of someplace to get 3d Studio max for under $2000? or does anyone know if Lightwave 3d is a good alternative?

    Thanks,

    Darth Venom
     
  8. BenKanobe

    BenKanobe Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 12, 1999
    I don't know quite what you're asking, are you asking that when you pan down, that the stars will appear to move up because the camera is moving down?

    Well, max does that automatically. I'm not that experienced, so correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe it does this automatically..
     
  9. BenKanobe

    BenKanobe Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 12, 1999
    Venom, if you are using it for educational use, you can go to http://www.ktx.com,www.ktx.com, and find where they say educational sales... You can go there and find it for like $899 or something.
     
  10. lokmer

    lokmer Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 15, 2000
    Another good 3d alternative is Blender http://www.blender.nl http://www.blender.nl - it's totally freeware and there is a good base of user support (and you can buy the manual for $40 US). As for the panning starfield, it depends on what software you're using. If you're using an AE or Axogon type program, you can simply create a starfield pic that's bigger than your frame and just animate it moving up across the screen - this will create the illusion that the camera is moving down.
    Or, if you've done your crawl in a 3d program (any 3D program) simply wait until your crawl fades back into the mist, insert an animation key, skip forward a couple hundred frames, move the camera down the desired amount, and insert a new animation key (both keys should be for the camera only). The advantage of this is that you could actually have the planet sitting down there and just pan down to it.

    If you decide to go the blender route, I can send you an opening crawl tutorial that will show you how to do all of this. Just give the word.
     
  11. The Jedi Apprentice

    The Jedi Apprentice Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 29, 1999
    lokmer- you seem to know a lot about Axogon. I just downloaded composer. I've never used something like this before, and their help files and tutorials are confusing. Would it be possible for you to easily describe how to make a short clip using axogon??
     
  12. Darth Venom

    Darth Venom Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 6, 1999
    Lokmer, can you email me that blender opening crawl tutorial? My email address is: Cutter001@aol.com

    Thanks,

    Darth Venom
     
  13. lokmer

    lokmer Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 15, 2000
    Sure. What do you want to make a clip out of? (BTW, I know the tutorial on their website is a little confusing, but it's worth suffering through. I'll answer any questions that you have about it. It was written by a guy whose first language was russian... :) )
    I can help you, but we might as well start working on something that will be of a direct benifit to you.
    Additionally, check out the Axogon Users forum on the Axogon website. Lots of helpful people there.
    email me lokmer@bigfoot.com
     
  14. Jedi Jew

    Jedi Jew Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Apr 19, 2000
    for anyone using 3D MAX 2.5. you can use STARBLUR. it a video post plugin. you can find it here: http://www.max3d.com/plugins/videopost/ http://www.max3d.com/plugins/videopost/
    it was used in the LOST IN SPACE movie. its the best. there is one for MAX 3 to. if you cant find the one for 3 then email me and i will send it to you. its a must have!! trust me!
     
  15. Shawn PTH

    Shawn PTH Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 22, 2000
    There are two good methods for doing 3D Star Backgrounds that move with the camera in 3D Studio MAX.

    1. (the method i prefer) Make your own jpg or bmp image of stars. This will allow you some custamizable control in how the stars look. Then go into your material editor and click on an empty slot. Once you have chosen this scroll down to where it says "Diffuse Map" and click on that. When it gives you the list of map types click bitmap. Once it gives you the load dialouge box choose the image you created. Now once its loaded the first think you want to change is the mapping time. You want to switch it to Environmental, then just to the right of that it will say SCREEN. Change the Screen to Spherical Environment. Ok now you have the material created.

    Click on the render pull down and go to Environment. In the environtment menu there will be a check box with the words Use Map. Check that then click on the map box. Once it gives you the options for the type of maps look on the left and it gives you a choice of sources such as new, material editor, material library etc... you want to click on material editor. Once you have clicked on that locate the material with your star background image in it. Load it up and your basicly done. Now go ahead and make a camera and render a test image. The stars may look to big and smudgy, this is easily fixed. Go back into your material editor and select your star background material. Now make sure you are in the Diffuse Map menu for the material. There will be two boxes called tiling U and V. They should be set to 1.0 as a deffault. Try raising them up to 3.0 or 4.0. Then go and try rendering again. If they are to small you can lower the tiling down in the material editor till the look right, and if they are to large you raise them the same way. This should give you a fairly convincing star background that will move with the camera. One last touch up you can do if your stars still look a little to pixelated, under the tiling boxes in the diffuse map menu for your material there is a blur box. Raise it up a little bit and it will soften your stars a little.

    Hope this is helpful.

    #2(It can work) Use the Video Post Starfield plugin. its very simple to use and works fairly well. In early versions of 3D Studio you had to make sure that this was at the top of your list before the camera. or it would render stars over your ship/planet etc. I dont know if they fixed this in MAX or not since I refuse to use it now.

    Good luck in your endevors and feel free to ask any questions regarding 3D Studio MAX or special effects in general.

    --Shawn Sagady
    Visual Effects Supervisor
    Prelude To Hope
     
  16. Flyboy231

    Flyboy231 Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Apr 30, 2000
    Hello to everyone!!
    I'm just looking for where to find the Casting call dates for SW2...(Hey it's worth a try!!) So thanks to anyone who can help me out...
     
  17. Darth Briji

    Darth Briji Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Apr 8, 2000
    I don't know either, but if some kindhearted Jedi can enlighten us on the subject, see you there, Flyboy231! As nobody else has answered yet, I'd just like to ask a few questions: 1. What does it mean when it says Jedi Padawan or Jedi Knight under your name when you send a post? Is it somehing to do with the number of posts you've sent of something? 2. Is it safe to venture into the other forum for episodes ii / iii yet?
     
  18. Crystal Skywalker

    Crystal Skywalker Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Apr 16, 2000
    I don't know anything about the casting calls or what's in the other forums, but as for the Jedi/Padawan thing under your name; Jedi's have 32 or more posts. Padawans have less than that. I don't know if that helped any or if it even made sense, but i hope it did
     
  19. Darth Briji

    Darth Briji Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Apr 8, 2000
    That helped, but I haven't done anywhere near 32 posts yet! Or at least I don't think I have..
     
  20. Crystal Skywalker

    Crystal Skywalker Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Apr 16, 2000
    Ummm... i think that the post count has changed since I last saw that info. When i post it says i'm a knight, but i know i have less than 20 posts. I dunno.
     
  21. Jose Skywalker

    Jose Skywalker Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Mar 30, 2000
    Hi,

    I've seen in the WIP section the updated version of Vader, and now it has improved a lot. I had the version at swma and although it was good I believe that the chin and the neck looked strange. I don't know if they have been improved now, but that could be a possible upgrade.

    The biped model of vader I mentioned in previous posts could be used (by MISTA ?) as an starting point.

    I've also seen the Sith Infiltrator and it looks like the "sphere" at back is too small compared to the front part. But maybe it is an effect of the projection.

    Great work though !!!

    This is gonna be great fun !

    Jose
     
  22. Celes

    Celes Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Jul 8, 1999
    Ugh! This is torture. I must know how this story ends. Remember when you said you found the rest of the story, well, here we are waiting. We'd LOVE to hear the rest. How about it? PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!
     
  23. Glad is June

    Glad is June Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 10, 2000
    Does anyone know where or who Mekial is. If you do please ask her to post. Siccors needs finished too. It's a shame to leave these stories unfinished. If she's off line because her grades need improving (which I'm sure has happened to more than one student out there) She needs to let us know. Hopefully we'll see and hear from her this summer.
     
  24. Pitawon

    Pitawon Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Jan 6, 2000
    Hey Mekial, long time no talk! This really is good, and WHOA is right! This is absolutely amazing you are a talented writer, so use your talents!
     
  25. howlrunner22

    howlrunner22 Moderator Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Oct 24, 1998
    This thread is being saved for the Snowboard move.....
     
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