Here’s another example of what the PUnw can do.

Read the rest of this entry »

This post marks the release of version 1.0 of our polyline unwrap plugin. As described in the previous post, this tool helps you position polyline masks more accurately by obtaining lines of samples at intervals along the length of the polyline. Think of it like a ribbon of sample points tracking the polyline, which is then laid flat as a single image strip. It is used in-house to quickly visualize and correct deviations from the ideal edge across multiple frames. As an example, footage of a cigarette burning was masked and linked to the unwrap tool (see image on the right).

This example video shows a yucky little roto problem…  Time lapse footage of a shape variant object. The colors flicker like mad, the shape is doesn’t interpolate well with few keyframes, there’s nothing for a point tracker to grab onto…  It’s just the sort of thing you need to use a spline on.

Read the rest of this entry »

This week we’re talking about a tool that helps you position polyline masks more accurately.  The following diagram shows the idea we are exploring. Basically, perpendicular lines of interpolated samples are obtained at intervals along the length of the polyline, which then become the columns of the output image.

Sampling along polyline to generate output image

When isolating a object with a definite edge, the ideal output is a horizontal line at the exact center of the image, dividing the interior and exterior textures. The next three images show the tool in action on an image of Morning Glory Pool at Yellowstone National Park. This image has a high-contrast yellow-to-green edge along the bottom of the polyline (foreground of the image) and a yellow-to-gray edge along the top.

The next image shows what is happening conceptually. Interpolated samples are obtained along lines that are perpendicular to the polyline. The number of samples between key points is consistent, so the sampling is finer when the key points are closer to one another.

Read the rest of this entry »

New Quick Tips:

Fusion:

7.  Stop Squinting! Ctrl-mousewheel will make the fonts used in text entry boxes larger. -Chad
8.  Itty Bitty 3D! Change a viewer to 3D, then turn on the 3D SubV.  Now you can put any 3D tool in that SubV, and set the main view to 2D. -Chad

3ds Max:

1.  Mouse Chase! You can truck a view so that it centers on your mouse point with the “i” key.  Interactive viewport pan I think is what the kids call it.  Nice thing is that you can do it whenever, so even if you are in the middle of a modeling operation, you can change the view, allowing you to zoom in really close, but still cover a wide area.    -Chad

We keep a running list of these tips up there between “Tools” and “About”.

Here’s a little attempt at making a 3D vectorscope using particles.  It’s cute like the centroid comp, elegant and simple with no plugins or fuses needed.   Nothing wrong with fuses or plugins, it’s just neat to be able to have something that works for any using Fusion 5.2 or later without anything else, and lets you see what Fusion can do out of the box.

3D Vectorscope Fun!

Read the rest of this entry »