supernovavfx

I think the biggest thing your doing is by far the BEST for EI. Rebuilding the CORE APP. Im not a programmer, but have dealt with enough of them to have a good Idea why EI started to show its age.... Making EI's "Core" capabilities solid, modern and fast is simply "to ME" undeniably the smartest approach... its part of the reason I am far more patient this time around... all I know is that doing this is a HUGE amount of work... but worth it. I want to know tiny little hints etc like the rest of us.... but I'm convinced Tomas would do that if it aligned with their goals. Some solid animation features and I'm pretty happy...

I think it would be very helpful... one thing to consider is the 'unknown'. I am going to dream and spell out a semi plausible near term future for EI. Just 'guessing' here.... Lets say EI V10 truly is the major overhaul and 'revamping' of the app that Tomas has alluded too on a few posts related to whats coming next. That may very well require different shading systems or any number of 'new' things that may obsolete other things. Its too risky to even hint that that may be the case... so I don't expect EI to leak any info regarding this... but if you think about it. A massive updating and modernization of the app would not necessarily be for 'me' or Steven or any of us. Id 'LOVE' to think that... LOL... but realistically.... if Tomas is working to re 'grow' EI in the Market with v10 (or 9.5) than catering to the old matters far less than optimizing and opening up to the 'ways' of most other apps out there. It does not make sense to 'evolve' every aspect of this app we all love... I'm sure in some instances it very well make the most sense to 'scrap' certain old code and dead end code ( I made those terms up... lol... but i think people will follow me ) for new modern fast and flexible 'new' code. Code that has max growth potential. Im straying a bit from the topic here... but myself... Ive always wondered how much of our current EI may still be around if Tomas truly is revamping this app... its been a while since the very impressive 64 bit 9.1 - Tomas and the Igors and anyone else involved I'm sure have been working furiously on this next version. I think it probably will be a turning point in my career and in EI's history and future. I realize I could be all wet here.... but I kind of hope I'm right and they are dramatically rewriting the cobwebs out of our old war horse and reinvigorating its image and its capabilities... I guess id wait for v10 to come out before building a resource wing for the reasons I think are not that crazy that ive just guessed about. Id enjoy it regardless. :)

As usual Tomas delivers the help I needed!!! Thank You and I PROMISE TO BACK UP MY EI stuff better going forward! thank you thank you thank you! Scott

I gave up long ago... I do a TON of brushed metal looks and use photo imagery and bump maps to achieve it..... I'm sure some texture wizards may be able to pull it off.... but to get the looks I want.... its a texture map...

let me know what your timeline is Tomas.... thank you.

I am posting this for group help... so I can be specific with Tomas as to which Plug Ins and Shaders I need to get replacements for. I was shocked that I did not have a CURRENT backup of my EI folder... and will never let that happen again. My other apps all had cloud and hard drive backups and records. I have records of what I have paid for throughout the years, but what I'm having trouble getting… is this… - of the 3rd party tools I own.... WHICH ONES have made it successfully to version 9.1 (64 bit) and by default, the ones discontinued or obsolete. Like many of you, I spent thousands of dollars on these tools and simply want to re load all the ones available to 9.1. - I want to be clear.... I am not unhappy with EI or Tomas... they are extremely busy and helping me deal with this takes time.... but I can at least make It easier if anyone has a list of what has been converted. I have the Northern Lights tools... thats it. None of the Konkeptoine plugs or Paralumino tools I purchased. ( 90% of what they offered, I purchased ) I'm pretty sure all the Paralumino stuff was updated… I think Mrs Bebel was and many more. Also the NX shading system etc etc etc. Is there a list anywhere?? THANK YOU for any help. I need to get up and running ASAP. Scott

I believe his use of M Forge and samples with that had the car paint style layering that just looked so succulent.... :)

an old EI master Paul Sherstiboff was THE master at that type of look... the best shading I've ever seen done in EI.

if you have media encoder... look no more. Its a full fledged compression app. Its what I use... extremely fast, visual, professional. I cant say enough. Frankly a waste of time to use anything else compared too it. - Btw your right... id get somewhat odd results from slightly older versions of AE but I only mentioned it because if you had NO other choices... it can work in a pinch. Media Encoder... by far..... open it... drag your image into it and you will be blown away at the nuance and control you now have over the compression process.

why are you not just using AE's compression... or media encoder?

amazing help from Hal in Maine!!! thank all of you for the fast and accurate advice. SO appreciated!!

EI has been somewhat quiet about this and I'm not sure what to read into that. Depth of field and adjusting focus length, animating the focus area and more is being used a LOT these days... I 'really hope' we finally get a TRUE DOF and not some work around.

UPDATE... wow... thank all of you for being so fast and willing to help... I LOVE all of you guys in the EI community. The modeler at turbosquid was able too convert it into an OBJ and an FBX I have never imported an FBX before... but the OBJ - with an EI friend of mine in England who i was instant chatting with on Facebook converted the OBJ for me and it "looks" successful. Its made of a ton of shapes so I won't know for a while.... I do this so rarely its time consuming to group things properly and the shade them and texture them - but usually I'm so happy just to GET the model into EI that a few hours of organizing is annoying but much better than not getting the model in at all. Ill still send it if either of you wants too challenge your selves and texture it and do my job FOR ME!! LOL - I cant ask anyone to do THAT much... i know. many many thanks.

Thomo... thank you... are you available for me to send what they gave me to you? Would it be a large hassle for you too choose which of the formats they gave me will convert the best into EI? This is the one area in EI that i don't just lack software... I'm not sure what I'm looking for and the proper check boxes etc. They are sending me an OBJ, FBX and the original max file. I have a drop box account and can easily upload it if you could give me an email Thomo ill send you a link to all I have and any help getting this into EI would be so very very appreciated. Let me know please. Im not animating any of it as far as exploding it out or anything... but I do need to apply the maps that come with it and make sure the geometry is separated so I can apply my textures and shaders... but I believe when I imported it separated by material?? I believe ?? it came into EI nicely separated.

a production I'm working on. HERE is the model on their site http://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/3d-model-imac-g3/820248 I can't find another one anywhere on this planet with this 'quality' or id buy it. First off... us loyal EI lovers get tired hearing so called 'experts' that never heard of EI! I sent them a link to the DEMO and they claim it would not install and then gave up for the day on me. Here is the issue. Its in the 3ds Max 2013 FORMAT - they offer conversion services so I recommended .3ds because I've had good success in the past with that format and EI. They sent me a screen showing how it was too "large" ? and errored converting to that format... but I explained that EI imports MULTIPLE formats but their day ended and I got essentially a "we give up" email that I can't accept. My client paid for this and their sales assured me they could get it into one of the MANY formats EI handles. I really could use advice or help here. I recently had the worst data loss crash in my career and desperately need to rebuild a music video that this model is KEY in. It saves me days of work I reassured my client if he payed for it... I will look AWFUL too my client if I cant find a way to get this model into EI.... textures I can re apply... groups I can of course take the time to make the way I need if they import randomly... nothing animates on this but the screen and CD coming out... I'm so confused with this MAX format and how to guide them to get me what i need. Help.... thank you in advance.

to me this is a classic post production effect. Do the entire animation... get all the timings down and approved and then animate the color changes you want timed precisely too change when and where you want them. Than take that animated color and map it onto your shape or apply it any number of ways. There are a lot of creative ways you could isolate the shape in After effects and overlay it allowing you to create more control with masks and color correction. Easier to do than for me to explain i think... lol..

I am as busy as I've ever been using EI for non stop TV work in Los Angeles. Quality wise EI continues to capably output gorgeous imagery fast. If there is no modeler.... than it needs to read and write too other modern formats INCLUDING CINEMA 4d!! Years ago I 'begged' for more animation tools... there is 'still' time too enter into the motion graphics hi end world. Maya gave it up... Max? no way.... all that exists is C4d and they are lazy and overpriced in their positioning. They want it all... to be a film quality app AND a motion graphic power and end up doing both rather poorly. But because there is no "known" alternative... the industry puts up with it. Things are stagnant in 3d now. Thats why I think its the PERFECT TIME for Tomas and his team too do as much as they can while other apps are sort of treading water. I am using Pro Animator for my modeling and its animation methodology is amazingly powerful and relatively easy to learn for motion graphics... its render output, at least at this point and in my opinion is just not robust enough. Regardless, I highly recommend it as the best mograph modeler available that exports native fact files and in a pinch you can do some amazing animation, if render fidelity is not super critical... I disagree on the user interface comments. Who decides what easy to use is? Mimicking someone else does not make you 'modern' as far as the interface goes anyway... I care more about features... and how we'll it plays with other apps. Id love some teaser stuff as well Tomas... but I understand your busy pushing forward.... If I can help with the PR here in any way, let me know!!

very cool.

insanely beautiful. inspiring. Great work!!!

its time consuming, but the only thing I can think of is to load the global reflection map into the objects that you want them to soften on. Turn off 'global' reflection for those objects so they DO reflect like other objects do visually... but you can animate the blur setting than on only the objects you care to have that blur on. Not perfect but probably effective.

I'm just super excited to hear Tomas say he is in the middle of complex changes with animator..... anticipation! :)

not that I know of. I would guess Zax would want to keep it in pro animator so he does not lose sales. His animation settings are amazingly complex and once you get the hang of them their pretty cool. Render quality wise, Camera spoils me.

its just a REALLY weird fact and small world that my current client and project is for them and their team. I rarely can offer such access!! LOL good luck. You know I'm a real fan of pro animator and Zax support via export for EI... if they stopped it I think id drive to his house and live on his lawn until he reversed that decision.... HAHAHAHAHA !!

if you need help Reuben... I'm working on a project FOR Zax right now and were close friends. Im sure I can get you direct help from one of them if you need it.... hit me up here or on Facebook and ill get you a name and email or phone number. You know I've used known Zax for 20yrs and use his tools daily. Happy to help you if you need it.

Thanks for the dedication and hard work Tomas... I wish I could help your team. Im sure most of us know that your doing major updating with a small team and that takes time. Id love to know features but personally, I just want to be aware that the app is moving forward. A target period would be appreciated... like Summer 2015 or Fall 2015 etc. Thanks Scott