a halfway realistic cloud

MustJee · Post by **MustJee** » Mon Feb 06, 2012 10:14 am

what I want to have:

some cloud that slowly appaers - like maybe the ghost off a bottle thing - and then stops still existing and than vanishing again like playing backward.
How to make things appear and disappear I know, but using particels I'm not able to let am start from a center point and end up in a circle that stays in that way until I want it to dissapier again.
When I tried the particels never formed a circle but moved to some direction - maybe just a liitle from the center but never in a circle. So I actually want them to start like a circle and this should just grow.

Or would you suggest better to work with different layers instead of particles?

And: is there a way to play parts of anmes backwards like I find in vid PRGs? I mean - the easiest way -: mark a certain part and then let it play backwards?

DK · Post by DK » Mon Feb 06, 2012 12:26 pm

Is the ort of thing you mean?

http://www.polliefillers.com.au/forum/cloud.mov

It is a mov file very low quality.

D.K

MustJee · Post by **MustJee** » Mon Feb 06, 2012 2:53 pm

DK wrote:Is the ort of thing you mean?

http://www.polliefillers.com.au/forum/cloud.mov

It is a mov file very low quality.

D.K

yes, but only something like this. I guess it's just the shape that you moved in and out.
Actually I wanted it to make with particels but they won't last in the final stage - they fade out right away. I would like to fade the particles in - stop for a certain time with the last look so they keep that complex view - then after a while fade out beginning with this complex view and vanished.

What you show is probably I'll end up with - I'm that far that tey start fine and develop (evolve?) but when they reach the peak they fade - right in that moment where I want 'em to stay.

I loaded a bit up here:

http://youtu.be/pW7jhlFmx7o

Can't use my side - got probs with the FTP; so it's on YouTube

the woman also fades in later shortly after the clouds (the shadow actually) had started - just didn't want to hazle around too much.

Lemme know when you've seen it so I can delete it.

And sorry for the size - forgot to compress.

Got another prob, too -mybe you can help.

When I use text with huge letters I have a serious prob - on the working screen I see a beautiful red but rendered it looks kinda blured or rather washed out. Understand what I mean? It seems that this happens only with text but that's bad enough

I've tried different BG colours but am still not satisfied at all. I even tried to cover the text when it moved to the end size and position with a png.

Know a solution?!?

I used to take blue in the project settings as bg, but had better results in some case using pure white. I guess it depends on the surroundings.

Finally I haven't found a solution for the text-prob yet.

viewtopic.php?t=21288&start=0&postdays= ... highlight=

MustJee

DK · Post by DK » Mon Feb 06, 2012 3:16 pm

Ok.... I see what you mean. You want thre clouds to stay for longer.
The particles looke like they reset after 24 frames or so.... Can you make a longer lifespan for the particles in the particle settimgs? Say for 100 frames?
See if that works.

D.K

Post by **Víctor Paredes** » Mon Feb 06, 2012 3:43 pm

Many times, fade out doesn't look good with particles. I prefer to make them reduce the size to zero.
Check this file:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/54411/AS8/forum/nube_01.anme

MustJee · Post by **MustJee** » Mon Feb 06, 2012 4:51 pm

DK wrote:Ok.... I see what you mean. You want thre clouds to stay for longer.
The particles looke like they reset after 24 frames or so.... Can you make a longer lifespan for the particles in the particle settimgs? Say for 100 frames?
See if that works.

D.K

I set it in that file to 0 which means no end at all.

Anyway - I got the prob solved by manipulating the (have to look what it is in the English version - working with a German one) … awright: motion graph in the timeline.

Now it works as I want it to - all there's left: after stopping (rather: pausing) the shadow(clouds) they keep adrifting to the left, very slowly … but I wanted to stop them right where the woman starts and then starting again fading out.

If this could be solved …

Actually I could do it the way you first mentioned twas my first thought, too. But I love to learn this AS and particles up to now were very frustrating … so I had a good reason to learn about it more. I think it's unnecessary complicated for what I wnt to do … but I learned a lot today

Thanx for your help, man.

MustJee · Post by **MustJee** » Mon Feb 06, 2012 4:56 pm

selgin wrote:Many times, fade out doesn't look good with particles. I prefer to make them reduce the size to zero.
Check this file:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/54411/AS8/forum/nube_01.anme

good idea - that's the way a actually start them. I just call it fade in/out for that's what it looks like.
So I guess I'll also end it up. Maybe that will solve my last prob that the shadow still keeps moving a little aside when it's pausing.

Now I'm going to look at your anme.

Post by **Víctor Paredes** » Mon Feb 06, 2012 4:59 pm

MustJee wrote:So I guess I'll also end it up. Maybe that will solve my last prob that the shadow still keeps moving a little aside when it's pausing.

Now I'm going to look at your anme.

Go to the particle layer proprieties and set zero to velocity value (it's 0.05 right now)

MustJee · Post by **MustJee** » Mon Feb 06, 2012 6:39 pm

selgin wrote: Go to the particle layer proprieties and set zero to velocity value (it's 0.05 right now)

Ooops, couldn't open it saying "newer version". I'm using 8, your's must be 8.1

Anyway: your clouds "fade" looks very pretty in the gif: the vanishing like an explosion - how did you make this with just one cloud? Is it the "Scatter Brush Tool Options"?
And if you look at your gif: just when the cloud has reached the full size it moves for a few frames a tiny bit to the right. That is exactly what happens when I want my cloud to rest!
So I don't know yet how to exactly fit it with the look of the last frame starting to rest - my last "cloud" prob I hope.

Maybe I really should do it in the easier way - getting tired

Post by **Víctor Paredes** » Mon Feb 06, 2012 7:49 pm

The file is simpler than you think.
Check the vector layer, it's just a circle which increase and decrease its size. All the rest is work of the particle layer: look at its proprieties, all velocity values are in zero, that avoids any movement.

The cloud in version 7:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/54411/AS8/forum/nube_v7.anme

MustJee · Post by **MustJee** » Mon Feb 06, 2012 8:20 pm

selgin wrote:The file is simpler than you think.
Check the vector layer, it's just a circle which increase and decrease its size. All the rest is work of the particle layer: look at its proprieties, all velocity values are in zero, that avoids any movement.

The cloud in version 7:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/54411/AS8/forum/nube_v7.anme

Hi Selgin,
thanx for the anme for that is always the way to find out.

Am too tired now after 10 hours working - but I'll tell you tomorrow.

MustJee

MustJee · Post by **MustJee** » Tue Feb 07, 2012 10:32 am

Hi Selgin,

This is exactly and perfectly what I wanted!!! And I wasted - learned - more than 10 hours on getting it done.

selgin wrote:The file is simpler than you think.

you're perfectly right

selgin wrote:Check the vector layer, it's just a circle which increase and decrease its size. All the rest is work of the particle layer: look at its proprieties, all velocity values are in zero, that avoids any movement.

I was thinking so and that's the reason why I badly wanted to use particles instead of simple vector layers.
This particle feature turns out to be very strong thought it's a little difficult to understand - all manuals are in English (am working for myself on a German one for I doan know if Smith Micro is interested; but translating gets me deeper into it …).

Even my last question I wanted to put on you is now obsolete (extend the stop between frames 30-60 from now 2 secs now to maybe 10-15 secs): your anme itself showed me the way.

By the way: D.K., it's a very good idea to post examples like your gif - for many mistakes happen misunderstanding each other like you saw: looking at your gif I could explain what I exactly wanted to do.

And for a help that can be worked with right away the idea using an anme as example of course is best - it can be taken, changed according to one's needs.

Lots of thanxxxx to both of you - you saved me hours if not days burning my brain and I'm really happy: you made my day

And, D.K.: that really was worth 5$

MustJee

DK · Post by DK » Tue Feb 07, 2012 11:04 am

I love Selgins cloud dissolve so I combined it with my first cloud attempt and used it as a mask to break the cloud up at the end. This would make a great explosion effect!

http://www.polliefillers.com.au/forum/cloud2.mov

Cheers
D.K

MustJee · Post by **MustJee** » Tue Feb 07, 2012 11:42 am

DK wrote:I love Selgins cloud dissolve so I combined it with my first cloud attempt and used it as a mask to break the cloud up at the end. This would make a great explosion effect!

It does

One question (am sure it's lie) left: I want to use a layer shadow that doesn't go into a certain direction but surrounds the whole shape. 'til yet I've done it with copies of the layer and gave each a different direction.

But since I saw Selgin's »simple« way I'm sure that there's also a better solution - with just one layer. Is there?

DK · Post by DK » Tue Feb 07, 2012 11:48 am

In your main layer set your shadow expansion to a high number to get the shadow to surround the whole cloud, use the alpha settings to make the shadow transparent if you wish and also blur if you want a feathered edge.

Cheers
D.K