quick animation question

[SgWRX]

here's the best i've got right now for an animation:

 

personally, it turned out better than i thought. but there's obviously a lot of room for improvement in modeling, environment etc...

 

i've experimented with rendering double-size then letting the composite software down-sample. etc... i also got this crazy idea to blur the image in the renderer (mental ray) with a higher filter setting. for example i used 1.2x1.2 filter size in the box filter.

 

so for textures like a brick/stone wall, small geometry like tree leaves or bushes, to reduce the flickering, do you blur the heck out of the rendered images when your going to composite into an animation?

Edited September 2, 2008 by SgWRX

[SgWRX]

i've been playing/reading in combustion about blur as well as max manual. i've brought up the animation of the chili's retail lot. on the grass on the right side, beginning of the animation, there's a lot of what i'm calling flicker. after studying it, frame by frame, i'm noticing that what really seems to be happening is color change from frame to frame. so, some areas are darker green and other areas are lighter. then in the next frame, the areas of color difference have moved. hm. no matter how much i blur it in combustion, i still get it. so is what i'm seeing a lighting problem? rendering every 5th frame for example, in final gather may not be enough? or perhaps wider sampling area. anyway, besides aliasing there seems to be a lot of other factors in getting a good result in animation.

[nelpiper]

Vegetation is a pain. I've just finished a project for large site of a school where we had lots of trees, bushes, etc. We tried to use high settings and for IR and LC as well as filters and AA but it doesn't get rid of it, just make it less apparent. My suggestion is that you try for close shots, onyx (what you've been probably using) and for distant shots, different kind of vegetation (like RPCs). Good luck.

[STRAT]

your imagery is very 90's so to speak. why not add some noticeable gi or ao? that will instantly make it more 'real'.

 

when we render to animation in vray we generally add a small blur filter. just a touch. just takes the flicker out. also, your cuts from scene to scene need looking at.

 

first, i'd get soooo much more material to make into a real if i were you. this will make your life easier with the choice, and make a more pleasing end result. with minimum stuff it really isn't worth compiling a real together.

[whitetr]

We use VRay here. But maybe Mental Ray will do the same...we usually do prepasses for LC and IR maps. That helps with flicker.

Looking at the reel, it just may be a filtering issue though. Try something softer (video filter...although that may "muddy up" the image).

As for post effects like motion blur or depth of field, we render out the effect pass and apply the effect in post (Combustion for example).

Also, like START suggested, try to amp up your textures:)

[William Alexander]

i've experimented with rendering double-size then letting the composite software down-sample. etc... i also got this crazy idea to blur the image in the renderer (mental ray) with a higher filter setting. for example i used 1.2x1.2 filter size in the box filter.

 

so for textures like a brick/stone wall, small geometry like tree leaves or bushes, to reduce the flickering, do you blur the heck out of the rendered images when your going to composite into an animation?

 

Rendering Double size & reducing is equal to higher AntiAliasing settings. Though it maybe faster your way... maybe but it's against the one application does everything at all costs thinking

 

Higher AA settings may take care of the flickering, or a larger area-bias on the GI, or both.

 

Blurring the image is very typical of sampling for animations out of an application ... maybe LOL for this very reason LOL

 

Don't know of any magic bullet...that won't tend to increase render times, typically more than one may like.

 

Using Z-depth pass to blur the distance flickering helps.

Higher AA sampling always helps.

Blurring AA & larger GI sampling areas helps.

Sampling at the material - raster level for brick material may give ya a bit

 

 

..... Is Farve actually tryin' out for real?

[SgWRX]

Thanks all. Good suggestions. I've just got to take a "next step" in my skills. Practice practice practice. Animation is a difficult step i know but hey. I'm re-working a few of my recent jobs as practice. In all areas - textures/materials, lighting, filter settings. I'll look more into render passes for the animation side of things too.

 

I haven't had the news on today, but as of last night there was a stalemate with favre - he said the team wasn't committed to him and the coach said he wasn't committed to playing. It's really quite amazing how this is all developing. I think it sounds as though he might go to Tampa in the end. A friend of mine in orlando today text-messaged me that "a plane landed in tampa" which i take to mean a plane with favre on it. my dad, in sarasota, told me last week there was a news report that favre was going to go to tampa.

 

theres a lot in play here and i'm just waiting to see what happens.

[William Alexander]

stalemate with favre - he said the team wasn't committed to him and the coach said he wasn't committed to playing. It's really quite amazing how this is all developing. I think it sounds as though he might go to Tampa in the end.

theres a lot in play here and i'm just waiting to see what happens.

 

ROTFL Hell Jerry Jones needs to work a back water deal and get Farve to play for the Cowboys... 1st Half Tony Romo (Farve jr) 2nd Half Farve. I'd be in Football Heaven ... a legend, a wisconsin native & legend to be on the same super bowl team hehe

 

Not gonna happen but.... maybe the packers in week 3 will stick Farve in, in an attempt to get him injured against the cowboys... problems solved and the way this is all unfolding not beyound possibility.

[SgWRX]

i'm checking the news now and i think favre is going to tampa.