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supernovavfx

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Posts posted by supernovavfx

  1. I've done a bunch of tests on my iMac and was happy... my question is this.  Other than Tomas handwriting a list...  how much of 64 bit EI is multithreaded.   and what ISNT.   Bullet simulations for example.. i believe benefit greatly with more cores.  But online the discussions are about what PARTS of the app benefit from 6 - 8 - 12 cores   and which parts or functions does the app see or use just ONE processor.    Im trying to weigh the "value" equation.   Im still not positive on 

    which is best for camera...  8 32 bit cameras with 2 threads assigned to each... or just one 64 bit camera using 64 gigs of ram and all 8 cores and 16 threads.    I get good results both ways but not sure when to go one way or the other.

    With EI there is not a lot of info out there thats up to date with the new Mac Pro.    8 core 3.3ghz   mac pro for 5k or 4 core 3.5 ghz iMac for 2.5k?      tough decision.   Any insight would be great... we all know these times are costly and we want

    to buy the right product.   I can't do windows now....

     

    thanks

  2. very proud to announce my \ Supernova's,  7th Emmy Awards Nomination yesterday for the animation and design work I did for the TV Station WCIU Chicago.   I have been out of the TV station 'game' for about 7 years but have been very fortunate to have had my animation entered 7 times and nominated 7 times in my TV career, with multiple victories.   All the 3d animation was done with EI V9.1      

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    especially proud to blow away the work done by Cinema 4d and Maya animators....

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    I've been using EI for close to 2 decades and continue to be amazed at how good the software makes

    ME look.   Thank you Tomas... and all involved in keeping this amazing tool relevant and powerful!

     

    with appreciation,

     

              Scott Novasic

    • Like 1
  3. I'm ALMOST there....  thanks Michael... that was easy...  I'm surprised I've never used or needed GI before... but like all great things there seems to be a catch!!

     

    your directions really helped me find a great 'look' pretty fast.... BUT :(    when I go to render it at even 3.4ths resolution I get NOT ENOUGH MEMORY    both with the 64 bit camera

     

    and the 32 bit one.   I have 32 gigs of ram....   is there a way to get around that by sacrificing a setting i might not be aware of?  this is a 27 by 40 inch poster for print... so its about

     

    6000 x  9000 pixels ideally....   its run out of memory attempting just 3\4ths of that...      i 'think' it rendered half resolution ok...  so it DID work for me and look great... just maybe

     

    outside of EI's capabilities?   

  4. If i can soften up the ray traced shadows just a 'bit' i think i may go with those... they seem really accurate... a "bit" harsh... but graphically accurate and not bad looking... just not soft.   here is the buffer setting of just the ONE light     the background is simply a photoshop illustration of grass and sand... on an uber shape

     

    I'm only allowed 13.4 k to upload imagery????   can someone loosen up my "restrictions"   

  5. my newest contract client wants me to create a poster....  its all coming together nicely but when i add palm trees and more... the shadows appear SUPER BLOCKY and lacking any 

     

    nuance or detail...   I have read all about the different settings I can change and have tried a bunch but not gotten much closer.    The poster is huge.... 27 inches by 40    'roughly 6000 x 9000

     

    pixels...     I've increased the buffer size but i have no frame of reference... I do 99% HD video and animation...   something this high in resolution is new to me.   Test renders take 10 to 20 to 30 minutes

     

    so I am hoping someones feedback can save me the hours and hours of tests I'm failing at so far :)               ray traced shadows intrigue me but appear to require lots of trial and error i dont have time 

     

    for on THIS project anyway...    so many GREAT EI print artists out there... your input on high quality buffer shadow settings would be VERY APPRECIATED!  Thanks...  i am trying to attach an image

  6. i want to bake the simulation... but i struggled selecting JUST the dynamic elements like you told me originally.   There are so many of them.

     

    I thought it may be easier just to bake not only the simulation... but the whole EI file.... I'm happy with it as is.   The ONLY thing I want to do after baking it..

     

    is render various camera moves at various times along the simulation.   I figured it might be easier, Tomas, for me to bake everything, simulated or not.   Just 

     

    because i was getting confused.

  7. I asked Tomas a while back and I could not completely understand or implement what I was supposed to do regarding this so I'm asking the question again in a more straight forward way.

     

    In order to render just the last 5 seconds of a simulation...  I need to "bake" the dynamic elements a certain way.   Tomas told me what to do and I 

    had close to a thousand elements and could not do it properly.

     

    here is my question.  Since selecting the dynamic elements is so time consuming... can I simply bake the WHOLE EI FILE...??  I'm happy with it all....

    Im hoping the steps involved in doing THAT are far easier for me to follow.  How do I do that?

     

    At the quality level I need,  I average almost 30-45 minutes PER FRAME... so baking the simulation would save me days and days of rendering as I'm doing

    multiple camera shots of the scene.

     

    Scott

     

     

  8. one other thing id like to add to this conversation from people who do what I do for a living.... stylized graphics and visual effects etc...   I'm interested in how these settings may allow me to achieve unusual, "cool" looking 'effects'.    Sort of the opposite of reality...  also... can an ibl  be animated?  

  9. Michael that is great!   I am just starting an exciting new business arrangement with CBS and ABC television in Palm Springs California...   this will DEMAND that I start to gather resources and elements related to palm trees, deserts, mountains and 

     

    etc etc....   its also an oasis for the rich and famous to vacation...    I just started a few days ago and will be creating a ton of animation for them using my favorite combination of Pro Animator for modeling and EI for rendering....  

  10. this is a bit generic... but my newest venture is in Palm Springs California...  Ironically I've never really done sand dunes... hills, mountains and more and 

     

    if anyone HAS done things like that, or knows of some good pre made model sets for EI....  or just as good... great shaders and best ways to make terrain 

     

    that has desert like maps or shaders or both...   Palm Trees as well as other Desert plant life, as fact files are also appreciated.... I think I know how id get those.

     

    Ever since losing image to mesh years back.... I'm not aware of how to easily displace a mesh into a mountain or dunes etc....    

     

    thanks,

     

         Scott

     

     

  11. Personally, I have a pretty good workflow and set of tools to do what I want to do.  I mention Fiber Forge ONLY because it used to "exist" and no extra work would be involved in "theory".  Thank you for the answer....  I look forward to whatever is next on your list of updates to EI...   whatever it is I'm sure it will be something ill find a way to use creatively!!  

     

    I might have to look into what Placer Deposit can do... in sort of "weird" abstract "graphic design" ways....   I do love messing with various tools and creating imagery those tools were not

    naturally intended for in the first place...   

     

    :)

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