how to make objects spread out in 3D space look connected with moving cam?
by david lieberman (shroomly)
on
Mar 1, 2008 at 6:10:57 pm
Hello,
I've got a composition of many different objects in 3D space. They are all spread out some closer to the camera and some further...
the important thing is that when the camera is in FRONT view of the composition, all the objects (which are made of lines) look like they are connected...
I want the camera to shift at same level from left to right, but when i do this, the angles change and it is then clear that some lines are not connected to eachother and the gaps appear.
Is there a way to keep them all in 3d space and move the cam without making those gaps appear? or am i just causing myself a massive headache and im better off just putting all the objects on the same level or even not do it in 3d space at all?]
Re: how to make objects spread out in 3D space look connected with moving cam? by david lieberman on Mar 1, 2008 at 6:44:34 pm
well, the reason why i move the camera is because i wan tto create the illusion of depth in the composition...precomoposing wont allow that... it will just move flately that way...
i know im asking for much- creating depth whilst keeping all the object looking like they are connected lines...
Re: how to make objects spread out in 3D space look connected with moving cam? by Scott Geersen on Mar 1, 2008 at 11:50:24 pm
surely you can just align the layers in 3d space so that the end of one (say, the right of the first line) lines up with the next (the left of the 2nd line)? like creating a snake out of many small segments. if your layers aren't touching/instersecting in 3d space when you look at the top/right/left views, then they're never going to line up when the camera moves. if you don't want to see gaps, don't arrange them with gaps. :) sorry if that sounds obvious.
it's easier to work with two comp windows open at once. i prefer this to "2 views" as then i can make one of the windows (the top view) smaller and still see my comp camera view in the other window at full res.
Re: how to make objects spread out in 3D space look connected with moving cam? by david lieberman on Mar 2, 2008 at 12:55:21 pm
yes that makes sense, sorry i think im just giving myself a headache for no reason...
the reason why i initially wanted to make it in 3d space is because its a stretched out composition. the camera will shift from left to right as the animation goes along... but i was planning on videotaping my girlfriend in a greenscreen and then add her to the composition to make it look like she's walking in between the objects... that's why i wanted the 3d space, to give it some depth as she walks through this 'forest'...
that's actually my next issue. how to video tape her in a small room but make it look like she continueously walking from left to right without any jumps and any loops... BLA
Re: how to make objects spread out in 3D space look connected with moving cam? by Aharon Rabinowitz on Mar 2, 2008 at 4:05:23 pm
I think you need to do 2 things here.
1) Create a 3D composition with everything set up the way you want.
2) Animate bot the camera and the layers to get the look you want. In other words, you'll probably have more luck if you rely on more than the cameras motion to do the work for you. I'm not talking about major motion of the layers - just subtle stuff to correct anything that doesn't look right after the camera makes it's move. But do the layer animation and the camera animation at the same time.
Re: how to make objects spread out in 3D space look connected with moving cam? by david lieberman on Mar 2, 2008 at 4:20:40 pm
yes. makes total sense!
thank you!!!
any ideas maybe about my greenscreen issues? the room is too small to film the girl walking from left to right for 2 minutes...can get about 10 seconds of wlalkign at the most... how would i connect loads of clips like that?
Basically, he looped/stabilized/keyed people running past the camera. Not sure exactly how 'small' your room is - did you really say closet? Grab a portable GreenScreen and have someone run behind her across the shot outside.
Re: how to make objects spread out in 3D space look connected with moving cam? by david lieberman on Mar 2, 2008 at 6:03:44 pm
thank you,
I dont have access to portable greenscreen or equpiment... If i did find someone, wont things like the floor affect it all?? i want to key her out completely, not just from the knees up...
Re: how to make objects spread out in 3D space look connected with moving cam? by Danny Parsons on Mar 2, 2008 at 10:59:49 pm
I know that there ARE such things as greenscreen treadmills... No idea what they would cost to hire, and I wouldn't expect it would be particularly easy to convert one yourself (or cheap, for that matter: you'd probably have to cover the whole tread in greenscreen fabric, which itself is expensive)...
You could try using a regular treadmill, then create a loop (try morphing techniques) of the subject walking that's just long enough so that people won't notice that it's a loop, but just short enough that you don't decide to shoot yourself before you finish rotoscoping around her feet on each of the necessary frames...
Re: how to make objects spread out in 3D space look connected with moving cam? by Scott Geersen on Mar 3, 2008 at 3:50:22 am
if you're trying to do a greenscreen in a small room, and you're going to make a loop out of it anyway, then by all means use the screen, but be prepared to do a lot of roto. i doubt you'll get decent lighting for the screen in a small room, and if it's a small space she'll be casting annoying shadows all over the screen. use it, key what you can, be prepared to do a lot of roto and the eventuality that you may not be able to get a decent key at all (with no 3rd party plugins and dv it will be hard).
Re: how to make objects spread out in 3D space look connected with moving cam? by Bret Williams on Mar 3, 2008 at 6:41:56 am
Didn't you say it was going to be a 3D forest of sorts? As long as she walks behind a tree or something every few seconds, then you can loop the footage at that point.
I don't know about the feet. Spray paint your treadmill. Or get some of those cool shoes with the wheels build in, tie a rope to her, and have her walk in place. :)
Re: how to make objects spread out in 3D space look connected with moving cam? by Bret Williams on Mar 3, 2008 at 6:35:30 am
After precomposing, if you want the precomposed comp to be a 3D object in the new comp, click the collapse transformations box. It now essentially becomes a 3D object that utilizes the camera and lights in the new comp. Very cool. You can essentially build entire models this way.
Re: how to make objects spread out in 3D space look connected with moving cam? by Corbin Gross on Mar 3, 2008 at 3:29:00 pm
I'm not sure what the final effect is that you're looking for, but, what if you shoot her from different angles in the room. Then As she's walking through he forrest you can just piece together the footage and it will just look like any shot of somebody walking through someplace and around corners and what not.
