Archive for the ‘motion tracking’ Category
Sunday, January 29th, 2012
I want to put someone inside a virtual world (based on their own paintings), ultimately to be rendered out as a Stereographic 3D movie, but with development in progressive stages/generations, initially based on readily available standard tools and techniques, later proceeding to specialist 3D modelling apps etc. How to proceed? Some possibilities that come to mind are:
- Initial development using only “Planar 3D” as in After Effects
- I believe this is possible to some extent, using native features of AE.
- In my earlier post on Adobe Production Premium CS5.5 – Orientation, I noted the existence of Mocha LE, a tracker, included inMocha 2.6, the awesome roto program with a tightly integrated planar tracker.
- {The planar tracker is (primarily?) ..used as a roto assist to speed up the roto process…
..and also the tracking data can be exported to a wide variety of programs such as Nuke, After Effects, Combustion and many more for corner pinning, stabilizing, and match move that suite.
- Subsequent development using “Full 3D” as in Blender etc. Some relevant previous entries in this blog are:
So I did a web-search: Google: [after effects 3d]
World / Object Creation:
- http://magazine.creativecow.net/article/building-a-3d-world-in-after-effects
- Real (green screened) rap artist and audients, where the rap artist appears on a virtual a giant stage surrounded by replicated audients.
- Explains the conceptualization, storyboarding, and high-level aspects (no screenshots) of designing a world capable of representation in After Effects, along with building and testing experiences.
- http://www.computerarts.co.uk/tutorials/fake-3d-after-effects
- How to make a truck out of a single flat surface with cut-out sections and folds. Like you would make one out of a single sheet of cardboard (like a cornflake packet).
- Links to tutorial and support-files.
- http://www.videocopilot.net/tutorial/3d_city/
- Similar to the truck, flat sheet (“texture”, obtained from an actual photo, realigned and stretched to remove perspective effect in photo) folded into a 3D building object.
- Video tutorial and project files are provided.
- {VideoCopilot.net has both free stuff (tutorials etc.) and pay-stuff. Well-worth a check-out.}
Tracking:
- DaVinci Resolve Lite – free
- http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/2/1003284#1003284
- Re: After Effects Tracking (by Todd Kopriva, Adobe Tech. Support, on Jul 10, 2011)
- If you have After Effect CS5, you have mocha—and it’s often the easiest and best way to do tracking for the purpose of compositing.
- Here’s a movie that I made just to show how simple using mocha is:
- http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/2/1006635
- Q: “Mocha, or Camera Tracker?” (by andrew donaldson on Sep 8, 2011)
- {Mocha (LE) comes with CS5.5, Camera Tracker is a third-party add-on}
- I need to create something similar to this:
- …. would liked to use similar techniques, especially with the web pages tracking the buildings in city shots.
- I have tried to use mocha to track the side of a building, but its not proving ideal. Obviously the motion tracker inside AE won’t give me the depth/perspective.
- So what’s the best way to do this? … Is Syntheyes/Camera tracker the way forward?
- A1: (by ben g unguren on Sep 8, 2011 )
- The general rule of thumb is that Mocha works great if your graphics are ATTACHED to an EXISTING surface (like a logo on the side of a building, or changing the words on a sign). If you’re trying to add something in 3D space (like graphics that “hover” around the building, and seem to actually be there), then you need a 3D solution.
- Mocha and AE’s internal trackers give you 2D solutions. Mocha’s solutions are a bit more sophisticated, producing corner-point information that mimics 3D, but [this is key] it doesn’t produce a 3D camera.
- Syntheyes and similar apps will give you an animated 3D camera as well as target points that simulate the world you’re tracking (target points for the ground, buildings, etc — whatever you’ve managed to track and can get a 3D “solution” for). This is A LOT more information than what Mocha or AE’s internal tracking can get you.
- One other point: when the camera is only panning and tilting (not actually changing it’s own position) then a 2D solution can (sort of) mimick a 3D camera solution. So if all you’re doing is panning and tilting, then you could track that in Mocha, then use that data to animate objects (that are given perspective, for instance). You would be able to achieve a lot of the graphics in the video you linked to using that technique, as they’re using a lot of static cameras.
- A2: (by Tudor “Ted” Jelescu on Sep 8, 2011):
- I agree with Ben.
- In most of the shots from your example Mocha can be used. I suspect that some of those shots where not really video files, but still images cleverly transformed in a 2.5d comp where camera moves can be animated in AE – so no tracker there.
- Here’s a good tutorial for what Mocha can do:
Generally:
Posted in 3d animation, 3D Stereo, Adobe, After Effects, Blender, cgi, Mocha, motion tracking, storyboard, tracking | No Comments »
Saturday, January 28th, 2012
Questions:
- What should and does it consist of?
- Including anything non-obvious e.g. “tucked away”, “additional Downloads”, “obscure” etc.
- ???
Answers (as far as I can tell…):
- _Support & Communities
- Looks at first sight like any application’s Help dialog, but on deeper inspection is also connected web-wise and answers to questions are not restricted to Adobe products.
- After Effects
- In contrast to Premiere, which is for conventional light-touch editing, this is for heavier effects and compositing etc.
- http://shisko.blogspot.com/2007/09/creating-trees-in-after-effects.html
- …AE is a “2.5d” application. The worldspace is 3d, but any imagery you have (discounting 3rd party applications such as Invigorator and such) is “flat”.
- (As opposed to 3D Modelling apps such as 3dsMax, Blender)
- After Effects Render Engine
- Render farm: Network rendering with watch folders and render engines.
- Previously, it was possible to install render engines on as many machines as wished, but not so under CS5.5, where a separate serial number must be obtained for each machine. For small guys like me that makes it pretty useless. It seems likely that a more flexible option will exist in future versions.
- Audition
- Audio editor, derived (many years ago) from CoolEdit.
- Bridge
- A combination of media file manager, media manager, metadata editor, also does some kinds of media processing.
- Can be run standalone or from within apps e.g. Premiere: [File > Browse in Bridge…]
- Color Finesse
- A multi-host (including Premiere & AE) plugin that goes above and beyond typical NLE color correction.
- On my system it only appears to be available under AE.
- Device Central
- Simulates media appearance etc. on a range of devices such as cellphones.
- DigiEffects FreeForm
- Manipulate a flat object into almost any shape using displacement maps and meshes in 3D space.
- Examples: flowing cloth, animated loose filmstrips, rippling fluids, terrain flyovers, welded metal, morphs, reveals.
- Encore
- DVD authoring. Menus can be created in Photoshop (using special layering techniques).
- Extension Manager
- Manage extensions (broadly like plugins) associated with various Adobe programs.
- ExtendScript Toolkit:
- Adobe workflow command-script editor
- An IDE (along the lines of Visual Studio) for scripts in Adobe Bridge, itself serving to automate workflows involving multiple Adobe applications.
- Flash Professional
- A multimedia authoring program to create content for Flash-enabled platforms/devices.
- Flash Catalyst
- A designers’ tool for creating the user interface for Rich Internet Applications. Primary function of being a GUI composer for Adobe Flex components.
- Can import Photoshop, Illustrator, Fireworks, or Flash XML Graphics (FXG) files.
- Help
- A help resource not only with local help-documentation but also capable of searching beyond, even beyond Adobe, to find solutions.
- Illustrator
- Vector graphics editor e.g. useful for typesetting and logo graphics design. It is the companion product of Photoshop.
- KeyLight
- An advanced chroma-keyer, tackling reflections, semi-transparent areas and hair.
- Media Encoder
- Encodes audio and video media content.
- Mocha
- <<Stand-alone tracking and roto tool to help solve problematic shots challenging the built in tools of After Effects and Final Cut by bringing advanced planar tracking and matte creation tools>>
- Planar tracking
- Track a plane(-ish) surface in 3D space e.g. as it translates, rotates, perspective changes.
- Typically more robust and capable than points-tracking.
- Great for moving subject or tracking camera.
- Overkill when the only (relative) motion is due to camera pan/tilt.
- http://blog.davidesp.com/archives/230
- e.g. select an area then it uses any detail there including texture to get a fix, and follows changes in translation, rotation, perspective etc.
- OnLocation
- Direct to disk recorder / logger also acting as monitor with waveform monitor and vectorscope. And no doubt much else.
- PhotoShop
- Such a big noun that it became a verb…
- Premiere Pro
- Primary editing app, with emphasis on productive cutting and smooth playback etc., minimising the need to render, leaving heavy effects and compositing etc. to AE.
- Story
- A collaborative script development tool/service. There is an application for working alone on an offline version and a web-based service where you can sync up with an online version.
- Ultra
- Vector-keyer (simple-to-use effective chroma-keying) that was once a standalone app by Serious Magic, now available as a plugin within Premiere (but not AE). I get the impression it is regarded (or at least branded) as simple to use but ultimately less sophisticated/capable than KeyLight (???).
- Serious Magic used to highlight its capabilities regarding reflections, semi-transparent areas and hair…
- Utilities
- ExtendScript
- An integrated development environment (IDE) for the creation and debugging of JavaScript code for Adobe Bridge, to facilitate workflow-enhancing automation of tasks between elements of Creative Suite.
- PixelBlender
- A simplifying basis for implementing image processing algorithms (filters or effects) in a hardware-independent manner, taking advantage of parallel processing / GPU etc.
- Downside to commercial developers is that code using it may be more visible / understandable.
Posted in Adobe, After Effects, Encoding, grading, Mocha, monitor, motion tracking, Premiere, programming, render, retiming, scripting, scriptwriting | No Comments »
Saturday, August 20th, 2011
BorisFX’s BCC can be used as plug-in to various NLE’s, where it can be used for motion-tracking (among other things).
- From Sony Vegas 10
- From Avid Media Composer
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-V_tdjw2Mw
- Most Boris Continuum Complete (BCC) filters include a built-in motion tracker which can be used to control the position of the PixelChooser mask or matte or to position the light source of a Light effect. For example, you can attach a light to a moving object in one easy step. In addition, BCC includes powerful, specialized filters that allow you to recover motion data from a clip and then use the data to apply effects. For example, BCC Witness Protection allows you to track a person’s face and apply a mosaic effect to obscure it; BCC Match Move locks the movement of one image clip to another image clip; and BCC Corner Pin allows you to map media to a specific area on a moving object in a media file.
Posted in Avid, Boris, motion tracking, Sony Vegas, tracking | No Comments »