Final Project - Page 2 - Simply Maya User Community

Maya 2020 fundamentals - modelling the real world

Get halfway through a model and find it's an unworkable mess? Can't add edge loops where you need them? Can't subdivide a mesh properly? If any of this sounds familiar check this course out.

Watch

# 16 03-07-2007 , 01:35 AM

Registered User
Join Date: May 2004

Location: UK

Posts: 1,991

thanks steve user added image

Just had a look at matlab (not heard of it before) and it looks like quite an interesting piece of software. Have you used it much before?
Yeah python seems quite nice if you're used to programming. I quite like the dot syntax methods and its structure and know that its widespread in web stuff and also is getting deep into gaming stuff too. I just thought, learn it now and then apply it to all the things I might do in the future user added image

Examples of bTraffic - a traffic animation tool for Maya
bFlocking - a tool for Maya 8.5+ to generate flocking and swarming behaviours
Jan/Feb Challenge 2007 Entry and W.I.P
May/Jun Challenge 2006 Entry and W.I.P
Mar/Apr Challenge 2006 Entry and W.I.P
Jan/Feb Challenge 2006 Entry and W.I.P
Nov/Dec Challenge 2005 Entry and W.I.P
Sep/Oct Challenge 2005 Entry and W.I.P
Jul/Aug Challenge 2005 Entry
www.flash-fx.net

Quote

# 17 06-07-2007 , 02:53 AM

Registered User
Join Date: May 2004

Location: UK

Posts: 1,991

bit of an update on the maths in the code where the boids try and keep apart from each other. In the older ones it was casuing the jerking and sometimes collisions could still occur. This one should be a lot tighter and give me more control over the repulsion effects of any objects they encounter. Its actually quite funny that in this version there is no direction given to them so they just form up and wander off on their own accord user added image

revised boids rules

I will definitely be adding objects to avoid tomorrow and constraining their actions to give more control user added image

Quote

# 18 07-07-2007 , 02:32 AM

Registered User
Join Date: May 2004

Location: UK

Posts: 1,991

woohoo, got flocking based on distance working along with obstacles and border constraints for the movie (bit jerky on this version). Also I've upped the boid count here and not optimised it so it might run slow on some people's PCs.
Might add in predator/prey behaviour next or just take it into Maya...
...I've already got an order for a fish gfx version for a screensaver btw user added image

I read an article today from the guy who originally did boids back in 1987 and he's currently working at Sony's R&D dept developing faster ways to use the mult-processors in PS3's to generate huge amounts of boids for games. One of the demo videos shows 10,000 fish boids all swimming about on screen at once - a pretty damn impressive feat!

Anyways, here's the latest version:
obstacles and constraints

Si

Quote

# 19 07-07-2007 , 10:39 AM

Subscriber
Join Date: Feb 2006

Location: Australia

Posts: 2,752

hi Tick, i think they are going to start 3 d at my uni this year.., using Max too. i think its for the games thing, not for modeling or movie production.., they will do it in multi media, not the film dept.

cheers mate, wheres the model??

take it easy and life will be easy

Quote

# 20 07-07-2007 , 06:28 PM

Registered User
Join Date: May 2004

Location: UK

Posts: 1,991

Yeah mirek03 , its geared more towards gaming here too but it'd be nice for facilities to give the option of different packages or at least principles that are easily shared between packages (even if that would require more knowledgable people to teach the variants).

which model do you mean?

Si

Quote

# 21 08-07-2007 , 01:54 AM

Subscriber
Join Date: Feb 2006

Location: Australia

Posts: 2,752

which model..??? oh anything over 6 foot with long hair, any colour will do user added image

sorry Tick, I didnt mean to infer any model mate, just the any old 3D model..,

it is a shame they dont gear it more toward production, seeing how heavy CGFX are in film these days, but as you inferred and I suspect.., all the very good post people and animators, ect.., are working, not teaching.., that how it looks at my uni.., if yu know what I mean??

take it easy and life will be easy

Quote

# 22 08-07-2007 , 07:54 AM

Moderator
Join Date: May 2005

Location: Manchester Uk

Posts: 6,300

Nice going Si, looking really good.

Sorry for the late reply about matlab, I only use a really smal percent of what it can do to analise my data and convert it into a mathermatical formula that I can then plug back into maya.

Ive just been getting into image analysis, where you programme the pc to only pick out bits in an image, edges, shadows, cirtian patterns etc, bit complex for my limited programming!

"No pressure, no diamonds" Thomas Carlyle

Quote

# 23 08-07-2007 , 08:05 AM

Subscriber
Join Date: Feb 2006

Location: Australia

Posts: 2,752

is matlab difficult.., more than after effects, sounds difficult

take it easy and life will be easy

Quote

# 24 08-07-2007 , 09:31 AM

Moderator
Join Date: May 2005

Location: Manchester Uk

Posts: 6,300

Its not a "image" programme like PS, after effects, etc, its a mathermatical tool, ie you give it some data, tell it what to do with it and it will give you a formula based on the data, kinda like what excel can do but a lot more complex solving. So I wouldent really like to compare it. It is a bit trickey but not more so than anything else.

"No pressure, no diamonds" Thomas Carlyle

Quote

# 25 08-07-2007 , 10:22 PM

Registered User
Join Date: May 2004

Location: UK

Posts: 1,991

hehe, got you now mireko3 user added image

it sounds quite interesting steve, how it does the hard work of working the maths out so that you can then apply it easily elsewhere. I[ve been relearning maths from a basic level for this boid stuff and its damn hard to find any useful stuff that doesnt presume you remember all you did in school user added image

Quote

# 26 09-07-2007 , 05:41 AM

Moderator
Join Date: May 2005

Location: Manchester Uk

Posts: 6,300

Its pretty simple in mat lab, you just need to know what you want, theres a lot of great tutoris at uni so if I get stuck I can always ask them, I did quite a bit of signal processing when I was at uni so i'm not to bad with the maths (althoguh slightly rusty!)

I've made a simple MEL script that will get any data you need per frame (as long as its baked) you just add the name of the object and the value that you want hit executre and it prints off a list in the script editor.

Like I say ive just started using image processing software, its blown me away the stuff you can do with it, great fun!

"No pressure, no diamonds" Thomas Carlyle

Quote

# 27 09-07-2007 , 07:43 AM

Registered User
Join Date: May 2004

Location: UK

Posts: 1,991

You never know, in no time at all you could be optimising the speed camera number plate detection algorithms user added image

Or creating a variation of the Whatsmyfont character detection system!
I see some potentially cool maya plugins coming from your work Steve user added image

Quote

# 28 09-07-2007 , 07:59 AM

Moderator
Join Date: May 2005

Location: Manchester Uk

Posts: 6,300

fingers crossed i'll be able to get something form it LOL!

"No pressure, no diamonds" Thomas Carlyle

Quote

# 29 11-07-2007 , 01:04 PM

Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2005

Location: Brooklyn, NY

Posts: 3,708

ha ha - this is excellent! just spent a couple of happy minutes staring at the last test waiting for them all to collect. very cool! great job Si - looking forward to see how this works in the final idea!
user added image

arran3D

arran3D blog

Quote

# 30 12-07-2007 , 01:40 PM

Registered User
Join Date: May 2004

Location: UK

Posts: 1,991

definitely steve! user added image

thanks arran, I'm a bit math'ed out at the minute so am back to doing some modelling for more elements of the animation.
Here's the early start of an army truck that will be in the first part. It'll have a typical army camo design trailer for transporting things. Still lots to do though:

user added image