Introduction
This week we learned about zoetrope, which I have never heard of. Actually, I know this is an ancient animation installation, but in 3d, I don’t know what it is. I hope this time learning will enable me to achieve the desired animation effect in a simple way when making Previs.
Process
I checked google and YouTube, and could hardly find any information about zoetrope. But according to Luke’s introduction:
Zoetrope is a series of image of effects.
Using zoetrope can save time, improve efficiency, and achieve the desired effect the fastest, because it can save simulation.
Now I start to practice. I did what Luke said, downloaded the file, and imported it into Maya’s plane. But sure enough, if there is no Transparency texture, no matter how I adjust it, the effect is not what I want.
I downloaded the file again, and imported two types of pictures in color and transparency. Of course, if I want to import the file to transparency separately, I must break the connection first.
I don’t know why I did this for the next operation. I don’t know the content of the rendering very well. I only know that after I switch on these two options, the smoke effect appears and there is no background picture.
By the way, I am currently using Maya Hardware 2.0 for rendering. If I want the render sequence, I still have to change the frame range in the render settings.
The strange thing is that I obviously rendered it, but I didn’t see the file. After checking, I found that there is a path in the render settings. Now you can see the picture I rendered, it’s so cool!
We can make zoetrope feel 3D through translate, rotate, and move plane.
I re-imported a zoetrope again, and I found that the rendering I just rendered was problematic! It has no details, we can compare the two zoetropes. I didn’t do anything, just imported it directly, and Maya automatically calculated the file for me.
If I want different zoetropes to appear at different times, I can change the frame offset of color and transparency at the same time. But if I adjust to a negative number, a gray plane will appear.
So Luke changed another method, the channel of the key image number. If zoetrope is loaded automatically, key frames will also appear in the image number of the transparency. But in Luke’s video, he had to key himself.
If you want to find a node that is difficult to find, we can enter the node name in select by name, and then I can see the curve of lambert3 in the graph editor! At this time, it’s like doing animation, just adjust the position of the curve!
But I failed, and the gray plane is still here. After checking, I found that it was in the transparency and I did not modify the frame offset back. After the modification, it is the effect I need!
I used Maya Hardware 2.0 to render before. What if I change to Arnold?
I imported file in aiStandardSurface for color and opacity (in geometry) respectively
Then I switched off opaque here. In fact, Luke explained why he did it, but I didn’t understand… It seems to be telling Maya, Arnold in transparency as polymesh?
But the effect is still not there, so I tried to switch on these two options in transparency, and it worked. But Luke did not do this. It seems that I have to switch on and off different options based on my own judgment.
Finally, this is the introduction of zoetrope pipeline. We can also design our own zoetrope.
Conclusion
In any case, this is a good way to enrich our picture in a short time. I am very happy that I can learn zoetrope, I have seen them use zoetrope in the work of my classmates, it is very cool! This method can also better let me know some ways of previs production, which is very different from real 3D animation production.