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mufasaxx · Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2007 4:54 pm Post subject: Montage volume 2

I don't know if I'm posting in the correct forum, but, here we go.

I just purchased Montage Volume 2 and I noticed that the reflections and the shadow panels don't align properly.

I would think to create the intended illusion the photo would have to reflect off the shadow panel and not below it.

For a second or two the effect is OK but as the scene rotates you can clearly see the photo is just mirrored vertically and not aligned/angled on the same plane as the Shadow panel.

I've tried different opacity settings to simulate the photo reflection bouncing off just the shadow panel, but no Joy. The Photo seems to leave the shadow panels plane.

Maybe it's just me but when the reflection/mirror of the photo appears directly below the photo and not follow the shadow panel's plane/angle (exclusively) it takes away from the illusion (I was expecting).

In a later update could there be a control to adjust how the photo is mirrored to the shadow panel's movement to create a true reflected illusion????

With the exception of this complaint, I am very pleased with the Package as a whole.

"Excellent Job James Time"

nan · Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2007 9:27 pm Post subject:

Hi Mufasaxx, a picture worth a thousand words - if you can post a screenshot to describe what you said... I'm quite lost at what you wrote.

Alex Talis · Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 5:07 pm Post subject:

mufasaxx

I noticed a different error after encoding AVI file using TDTMontagePS0020

Example:

After completing the last photo, the sparkles moved to the left instead of the dead center where the whole thing is supposed to fade out.
Also you are correct NAN picture is worth a thousand words, so here it is.

http://uondvd.com/video/Error_Sample.wmv

nan · Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 6:59 pm Post subject:

Alex,

I find this error depends on the end animation time. First, I used the default time (12 seconds) and did not find any problem with it. Sparkles did move to the dead center. But when I reduced the end animation to 8 seconds, sparkles moved to the right bottom. And this happens only in video capture.

nan · Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 7:42 pm Post subject:

Mufasaxx, do you mean that the reflection should be above the shadow panel, not below it? I found that the intensity of shadow and reflection should not exceed to 70%. Better to keep 50% or below. Otherwise, one way or either, somehow the drawing order (relfection first or shadow first) will not look alright when the viewing angle is changed in styles like TDTMontagePS0014 and TDTMontagePS00215.

james_times · Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 12:31 am Post subject:

The update for Montage V02 (version 1.01) is now available. Please click the Update button in the software to download and install the update.

The sparkle fading away problem in 19 & 20 is fixed. Also fixed in 20 is the hiding photo text backdrop problem.

In response to Styler's previous post
( http://www.3d-album.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2675 )
PicturePro users who has the 1.00 version of this package can download the update to fix the "license expire" problem. You do not need to re-download the whole package.

- Louis from 3DTime

Alex Talis · Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 7:23 am Post subject:

The update button in the software to download is not working as well.
Nothing happens when the user clicks on the update button.

Thank you.

mufasaxx · Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 7:39 am Post subject:

Nan,

Sorry to take so long getting back with you. I followed Alex's lead. I posted a video to give you a audio/video explanation of the effect I was hoping for.

http://10thdp.com/montage.html

Alex Talis · Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 8:08 am Post subject:

I have to agree with you mufasaxx. The reflection does not have appropriate appearance to it.

In all, we are accomplishing a good thing for everyone; we are completing software testing for 3DTime. To create these types of animations is a complex and tedious effort with the variety of options and multiple features within a particular animation, so I think this effort is a positive thing. I am sure James would agree with that.

Best Regards,
Alex

james_times · Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 10:50 am Post subject:

Hi Alex, I checked the Update button in the style's setting panel. When it is clicked, a web browser will open to bring you to this page:

http://www.3dtime.com/product_addition.php?products_id=128

If you cannot open the web browser from the software directly due to some security settings or whatever else, you can click the link above to get the update.

Mufasaxx, the shadow and reflection implemented in the template is not the real shadow and reflection. We tried 3D-album' engine's real shadow and reflection casting feature (which is capable for complex curved surfaces), but the quality and performance is not as good as we expected. So we decide to simply use two separate planes to simulate the effect. The color blending effect of shadow and reflection is a little bit different than the real one and we did not add distortion to the reflection (assuming the reflection is from a perfect flat plane). Here is the actual reflection and shadow in real world:

Here is the one we simulated:

When use PNG transparent images, you have to make sure that the objects in the image touch the bottom of the image. Otherwise the object will look like floating in the air.

Alex and Mufasaxx, thank you both for your effort in creating these videos to lead us to make possible improvements. We highly appreciate your input!

Regards,
James
www.3dtime.com

mufasaxx · Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 11:04 am Post subject:

Alex,

I hope I'm as lucky as you. Maybe James and crew will come up with a solution for me too. Otherwise that paticular feature is useless to me.

[i]"we are accomplishing a good thing for everyone"[/i]

Well all I can say is, I'm glad you caught the sparkle flaw. I would hate to be in the middle of a project and then notice something wasn't quite right.
Good catch.

[i]"we are completing software testing for 3DTime."[/i]

Sure we are, and I don't mind because James and his staff usually address these issues/bugs or whatever in short order.

Good luck on your projects and I'll see you on the boards. -:)

nan · Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 1:52 pm Post subject:

Hi Mufasaxx,

Thanks for the video. You must have spent a quite time in making this. That is so great and I appreciate it very much.

I am not sure if I understand you correctly when you say that the reflection should bounce off the shadow plane as picture moves. Since I said a picture is worth a thousand words, I am obligated to provide a picture too Wink

:

The current 3DTime's option, I guess, is (4). What is your option? Or you have something different in mind Idea

?

vellestudio · Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 2:24 pm Post subject:

just my 2 cents: (1) looks like a reflection in a hole; (2) makes shadow a solid sheet; (3) looks odd; and (4) is close to reality.

mufasaxx · Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 9:48 am Post subject:

Nan,

My initial post was regarding photos/images with a background, as shown in my video. It seems as though the reflection and shadow where designed specifically for images with a transparent alpha channel.

I'm quite sure a png image (with alpha transparency) would provide a more realistic reflection and shadow(as shown in Jamess' post).

However, when used with images that have backgrounds, the shadow takes the retangular shape of the image and as it moves further into the scene the 3 elements (imape,reflection, shadow) don't appear to be related.

Given the above scenario, the shadow no longer appears to have a connection to the reflection nor the image. It just represents (in my opinion) an obscure object in the scene serving no purpose. Other than at one point it appeared to contain the reflection of the image.

In my first post I inquired about a control for this reflection (in addition to the opacity slider, etc.) to adjust how it relates to the shadow.

James post seems to imply this can't be done. Then again maybe I'm missing something.

I posted 2 images (one with a shadow, one without, just below the video). I hope these images will convey the type of effect I wanted to simulate.
(sorry for the black background I was rushing)

http://10thdp.com/montage.html

[/img]

nan · Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2007 10:13 am Post subject:

Mufasaxx, thank you for your image, which really helps me to understand what you want. In your first image, you've put an actual object over a mirror to show the shadow and refelction effect. I think the effect in 3DTime's Montage style is different because it is the effect of a 2D plane, not a real object. Therefore, a picture of flower is a 2D plane, not a 3D flower object. The shadow and refelection of a 2D plane and the shadow and refelection of a real 3D object is of cause different. I hope you understand what I mean.