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Originally posted by UncleTwitchy:
**Strata has the ability to generate alpha channels when you render, so I just use that channel and convert it to a separate bitmapped image. Works fine for me.
**
This does not work with models with transparency...
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And then there were silence.................
How do you mean? Since there's no alpha channelling in Nova, it doesn't matter, your "transparent" objects are always going to have a solid mask no matter what. Using the alpha channel generated by Strata when it makes the .mov file gives you a perfect mask.
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Quote
Originally posted by UncleTwitchy:
**How do you mean? Since there's no alpha channelling in Nova, it doesn't matter, your "transparent" objects are always going to have a solid mask no matter what. Using the alpha channel generated by Strata when it makes the .mov file gives you a perfect mask.
**
transparent areas will get a black/grey color on the alpha map.....when adding this as a mask...you´ll weird effects at those places... I don´t know if strata does this but C4D does.....
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And then there were silence.................
(quote)Originally posted by orcaloverbri9:
**Maybe it's just me, but that render made it look like a picture of a toy. And the "walls" in the background aren't particularly wonderful, but who really cares?
(quote)Originally posted by Azratax2:
Jules: Though i agree with Orca on the walls looking really really bad (its a space ship, not something you keep inside), i think the ship itself is f'in beautiful. Absolutely F'in beautiful.
Cunjo: I dont know about the glows. I would assume you put glows on the model, and then texture it jet-black, but the folks here prolly have a better way.
-Az**(/quote)
See above about the walls, and thanks
The best way I have found to do glows is exactly as you have described. If you use the method that orcaloverbri9 describes below, then the parts of the glow that should be hidden (parts inside the engine object that wouldn't normally be seen) are visible on top of the ship. That said, you can still have problems with that method (if the edge of the glow is semi transparent and covers part of the ship it can look weird. For my graphical upgrade of Override for the NOVA engine (hence forth dubbed NOverride) I'm just rendering the ship completely with the glows on and erasing the ship part in Photoshop. It takes a bit longer but I think it will be easier in the long run
(quote)Originally posted by TheRedeemer:
**Looks sweet Jules, the freight courier was always my fave ship in override, I think you've done it justice here. Only one thing I dislike about it, I feel it's too silver. I liked the white paint scheme on the orignal. That might be just me though.
Btw, where are those huge turrets?
When I make my mask for my ships, using the mask that comes out of m2's never seems to work with the lasik technique, so I render the ship in a white glow, and use that, which works fine.**(/quote)
I was going to go for the white scheme, but I don't think it looks good on this model, so silver won out The blaze turrets are still being textured, but you can see the mounting point for one in the large render (in the middle). Now, instead of two on top, there is one on top and one below. I have also removed the HUGE central turret all together since there is no weapon like that on the ship in its stats The two missile launchers will be located either side at the front in those openings
(quote)Originally posted by orcaloverbri9:
Cunjo: Just make your ship with the glows, then, in the base render, hide the glows (Selection > Hide Selected in Strata 3.0.2). When you're done with that, hide your ship and show hidden objects (your glows). It pays to have things grouped here.(/quote)
That wont work for the reasons I describe above.
ewan
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Quote
Originally posted by pipeline:
**Interestingly enough, ATMOS doesn't use the standard LASIK technique either. I suspect I'm using something far more similiar to Jules.
Dave @ ATMOS**
Just out of curiosity, what method do you use?
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Quote
Originally posted by AceBlack:
Just out of curiosity, what method do you use?
He cant say. The LASIK technique used in NOVA was developed by Andrew (president of ASW), and is patented/owned by him (or something like that). ATMOS were allowed to use it in NOVA with the understanding that they cant reveal the real way of doing it. Andrew gave a few pointers of how to do it away at one time, from which the general way of doing it was developed. This way can be adapted slightly (as in my adaptation which Im not giving away the details to) in order to achieve slightly different results.
Experiment and see what you like the look of. If it gives your graphics a slightly different style to the norm then that is good! It will make your work unique 
ewan
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'It's only when you look at an ant through a magnifying glass on a sunny day that you realise how often they burst into flames'
- Harry Hill
Help needed.
After a weekend of experimentation, I've got a ship which looks halfway decent, and I'm trying to sprite it.
I've got the 36 picts already. Now I need 36 masks. I've try applying a pure white, glowing texture to everything-----it still retains some shadows, despite all lights being disabled.
Is there another way to make it pure white? (I'm using Cinema 4D.)
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Quote
Originally posted by Lindley:
**Help needed.
After a weekend of experimentation, I've got a ship which looks halfway decent, and I'm trying to sprite it.
I've got the 36 picts already. Now I need 36 masks. I've try applying a pure white, glowing texture to everything-----it still retains some shadows, despite all lights being disabled.
Is there another way to make it pure white? (I'm using Cinema 4D.)
**
Cool.
What about Jules' blue/green screen technique? Also, I have managed to make masks just in photoshop or similar by selecting the black part around the ships (magic wand), making a new layer, and filling in that part of the new layer with black. Then just hide everything else and you have your mask...
-Az
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Stuffit is a piece of .sit.
^Yeah, I'm using that method for my planets. However, for best results, I'd like to try to get the mask in a render.
I've figure out one way to do it------use the "Render to PictureViewer" option, with "Straight Alpha" selected.
However, I'd prefer to see the alpha channel rendered in the main viewer area....that's where I have the Snapz Pro selection rectangle positioned, and I'd rather not move it.
(I'm using a demo version of C4D, which can't save anything.)
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Oh, one more thing. I've figured out how to make my render pure black-----trouble is, the background is pure black as well. Another option would be to make the background pure white, and then invert in photoshop. Anyone know how to change the background color? Its not obvious.
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I figured something out.
My method was: Make the model pure black, then place an enormous, luminous white cube behind it. Now I'll reverse then all in PS.
Of course, it was only after I was done with most of the orientations that it occured to me that I could have skipped the inverting by making the ship luminous......someone mentioned "glow" above, but that's different.
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Quote
Originally posted by Lindley:
**I figured something out.
My method was: Make the model pure black, then place an enormous, luminous white cube behind it. Now I'll reverse then all in PS.
Of course, it was only after I was done with most of the orientations that it occured to me that I could have skipped the inverting by making the ship luminous......someone mentioned "glow" above, but that's different.**
Ah, but in Strata the glow part of the texture is whats called luminous in C4D 
Its something you'll have to get used to, since different program give similar features different names
ewan
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'It's only when you look at an ant through a magnifying glass on a sunny day that you realise how often they burst into flames'
- Harry Hill
