In this example I show how to toss coins into a cardboard box. The emphasis is on being artistic rather than scientific.

In other words I’m going to show you how to “cheat”. How to focus on getting a result quickly, using a “reasonable” start point (by guessing at something preset and similar) and then fiddling a bit until we get what we want.

By ensuring that you work with proxy objects or simple objects (like a coin), then the simulation in Carrara 8 is pretty fast. This makes working with this kind of animation technique a joy!

I cover all the basic techniques needed to get an object to collide in a realistic way with another object.

SEE THE ANIMATION
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHKJkrhvNk0

MORE INFO.
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If you want to make this scene for yourself I have several tutorials in a “3d animation tutorial playlist” (on youtube) on each aspect of the scene including:-
1. Low Poly People creation.
2. Converting BVH files for walk loops
3. IES lighting
4. Animated textures (for the dirigible)

However the gist of it goes like this:-

You’ll need to create low poly people, i.e. models (not poser characters) so that only the polygons and a basic bone structure exist. That way, there is no wastage in space, and less for the 3d application to think about (and render). Do this and not only will your scene file stay manageable (editing frame rate), but render times will stay acceptable for longer.

You’ll need a stock of BVH files. Sure you can mocap your way to success but for speed having a library that can be edited (or indeed bits of it used and merged to create “new” animations), will prove a wise investment of time.

IES lighting is essential for having that dense volumetric (dramatic) lighting look – a la Blade Runner. Fortunately, there are IES editors out there that are free, so “modelling” your own lights is very doable.

Animated textures should be piece of cake. Make a mini film and used the 3d apps built in texture to show the animation (it might be as simple as importing a sequence of jpg images – it is in Carrara for example).

http://www.facebook.com/scififunk for more details and screenshots.

Those fortunate enough to have “normal” jobs are included. The rest scratch a living on the outskirts of the city.

The flythrough has taken a couple of years of my life. Not so much the rendering or even the animating, but the modeling and planning.

To make such a scene happen in Carrara a lot of repetitive, and hard work is required. To generate the city I used the now defunct Indie version of “City Engine”, however this is just the start.

Issues occur with import into Carrara. The only method that worked for me was via 3ds. This leads to a LOT of work in order to have a working scene file with this large a scene. (It covers almost the entire east end from Dagenham to Gants Hill).

For more info please like and follow progress on my facebook page.
http://www.facebook.com/scififunk

This is “Sci Fi Funk”, an animated adventure set in London 2064 AD. The 3D animated scenes feature an overcrowded and bleak future where your future is determined before you’ve had a chance to prove yourself.

Sound familiar?

At least in this video SOMEONE shows some charity. That young man will eat tonight.

“The making of” this video (at least the walk loop bit and coins into a box bit are covered in my 3d Animations tutorials.
Walking up stairs.
Coins into a box (physics animation)

For more on this series, plus animation tips, Synthesizer programing and playing please like
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This has several advantages from just changing to a preset walk up stairs loop (from your original walk loop), the major one being the character will stay “in character”. i.e. all the hand and body movements are (almost0 the same.

What changes are the feet placements (the knees have to be raised, and the feet have to stay on a step for the right amount of time).

In part 1 I introduce the basic approach and the limitations with this system (no one system is perfect in 3d animation!).

In part 2 we witness a live editing session, so you can see how long it takes to get a reasonable walk loop up together. (It’s about 20 minutes when you are in practice).

Essentially the technique of set up a basic z height map for the stairs to be walked up, then move the feet to fit.

Actually doing this takes a bit of practice though! However I do hope you’ll stick with the tutorial because at the end I show the final sequence which if I hadn’t got you to focus on the feet movement (so it was being watched for the first time), does the job.

More 3d animation and examples at http://www.facebook.com/scififunk.

IES lighting (Illuminating Engineering Society file type to describe lighting volume, fall off and shape) can be used to add realism to your renders.

After describing what IES is and where you might use it, I show some site which give free IES lights and (more importantly) how to edit them (plus create your own IES lights).

Ultimately you’ll probably have to create and edit your own (to match your work up against a source photo) and I show 2 programs which show you how to do this.

Please note, the pictures look better at http://www.facebook.com/scififunk (the colours haven’t been compressed as you see them on youtube).

This tutorial shows two different ways of bringing a movie onto a texture and how to make it fit a uv mapped area.

The tutorial is for Carrara 8 Pro, but the ideas can be applied to any 3D package.

Some post processing is inevitable and so the tutorial explains how to do the extra stuff in sony vegas.

More tips at http://www.facebook.com/scififunk

Part 1 starts with an expressive demo. I then run through the front panel and what each section does for you. I cover what a Vocdoer is (the theory), sample and hold and various performance elements.

I demonstrate sample and hold, and talk about the synthesis element of the machine. The quality and character of the carrier signal is very important and I discuss this in part 2.

Part 2 starts with a look at the vocoder inputs and outputs. I also look at the internal sounds of the machine. The in-built chorus ensemble effect, the compressor and the distortion.

I look at the kind of instruments you can use for both the carrier signal and the program input (you don’t HAVE to use a mic). In particular I concentrate on the best synth sound to use as a carrier showing how to set this sound up.

I look into the importance of the release portion of this sounds ADSR.

I go on to demo a Drum machine used as a program input (with the same synth sound as the carrier).

More http://www.facebook.com/scififunk

The beauty of combining Analogue synths with the voice through a vocoder is that phrases and bits of speech that would otherwise sound stupid, become powerful percussive tools with a vocoder.

In a forthcoming tutorial series I plan to explain how to get the most out of this electronic instrument. In the meantime please enjoy a demo of an old tune of mine. As can be seen from the video this is live electronics using the Roland SVC-350 Vocoder through a Roland Jupiter, both circa 1983/84. At least that’s when I first laid eyes on the vocoder.

The Jupiter I first saw in the Crows nest of a Rock band called “Giant Killer” in 1981. I instantly fell in love. That is if you can fall in love with an inanimate object. Anyway, I start to waffle – enjoy the demo!

“Missing You” Copyright Steve Payne 1993.

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See earlier tutorials on how to create the people and get the walk loops for free. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cG55S3Lir4Q

Now it’s time to put them all in a scene. This is tricky as you’ll be pushing your software to the max (unless it’s been rewritten for 64bit in every internal routine (which I doubt)).

Anyway I organize the figures into columns and use a mixture of replicators to achieve a reasonably realistic effect.

I then go on to talk about the kind of things which might crash the software, and how to avoid.

In part 2, I look into signs that the scene file is becoming so big that Carrara will regularly crash. This is obviously the time to back off a little (delete a few characters, ease up on the groups, or the amount of characters within the groups).

I look at the organization of the file. How to replicate in such a way as to achieve maximum flexibility with the replication.

There will be a fair amount of editing to do. Feet on ground (esp. when walking on the road vs walking on the pavement (sidewalk)), avoiding people walking through each other or through objects / walls etc.

Poke through is inevitable. However the edit within the scene option is not available as these are NOT Daz characters, they are one object file each. Instead the shading domains within the editor comes to the rescue.

More info like http://www.facebook.com/scififunk