Tim Borgmann effect - knocking ice - beginner

[cnever]

In order to proceed, please provide one example image or style that you would like to achieve or are struggling with and am sure we can take it from there and help you. right now your request is too vague and open-ended. perhaps explain the difficulties in Rendering you are encountering or even the steps you tried but failed. It may help the next person along as well.

I am not saying that what you said is not true, but just some kind of help or input would be great. will have to create vast networks like Tim did, plexus style and very organic like roots of a plant and lots of dots. Any help would be greatly appreciated cause I am just not seeing the logic yet.

I don't want to use C4D but if time runs out will have to go there, prob will in any case but we will see

[Tekano]

hey cnever, no-one is forcing you to use Softimage, use whatever tools you are comfortable with and find easiest to use. what is most important is the end result and not the process...right?

Also, I still do not fully understand the problems you are having. I am no motion graphics designer but here is an example video I made after seeing the making of plexus -video



even though the ubertage2011 'plexus' making of video that Tim made and Oliver kindly posted is in German it did not take any rocket scientist like genius and only about 5 minutes to make the elementary ICE tree example video from a setup detailed in the 'making of' video and can scrub the timeline easily with all these 'organic' strands in. and this was only a small extracted subsection from the video recorded at ubertage , there was much more further knowledge shared in that.

I recommend you look again at the ubertage making of video Tim / Oliver shared and try figure out how they were made and used, the information is all there. and then... if you demonstrate how you are still stuck after this then I will gladly share my simple example scene ;)

[cnever]

Hi Tekano

Not sure if there is misinterpretation, but I was actually saying will have to use C4D in a negative tone. I do however get a slight tough love tone from you, which I actually appreciate more than "here is a compound hope it helps". To be honest I have no idea how I would do it in C4D but there is a few plugins (one click thing) that will help. But I am not after this, understanding something, building something means so much more.

I actually got this far looking at the making of video and have difficulty to see the node names and copy, this also slightly feels like a quick fix, not in a good way.

Would you be able to explain some of the questions I might have per node?

Anyway thanks for feedback - hahah and sorry if I seem like an idiot, I know I frustrate a lot of people but everyone has to go through this stage I think?

[Maximus]

Hi Tekano

Not sure if there is misinterpretation, but I was actually saying will have to use C4D in a negative tone. I do however get a slight tough love tone from you, which I actually appreciate more than "here is a compound hope it helps". To be honest I have no idea how I would do it in C4D but there is a few plugins (one click thing) that will help. But I am not after this, understanding something, building something means so much more.

I actually got this far looking at the making of video and have difficulty to see the node names and copy, this also slightly feels like a quick fix, not in a good way.

Would you be able to explain some of the questions I might have per node?

Anyway thanks for feedback - hahah and sorry if I seem like an idiot, I know I frustrate a lot of people but everyone has to go through this stage I think?

In case you were wondering, you could do that with Cinema 4D in few clicks with the "Tracer" module.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WXfjWmAH-E

[cnever]

In case you were wondering, you could do that with Cinema 4D in few clicks with the "Tracer" module.

Thanks Maximus, I am aware of the tracer object, it was actually the tracer object that made me want to do it in ice and then of course Tim just made it look so dam good

[cnever]

In case you were wondering, you could do that with Cinema 4D in few clicks with the "Tracer" module.

Almost forgot, don't think the ubertracer can create organic shapes...

[cnever]

I recommend you look again at the ubertage making of video Tim / Oliver shared and try figure out how they were made and used, the information is all there. and then... if you demonstrate how you are still stuck after this then I will gladly share my simple example scene ;)

Hi Tekano

I have gotten the lines organic and also to duplicate (not as elegant as Tim's though). But my particle velocity is only happening in 2 dimensions and also occurring slightly skew, I am sure this is a clue on how to fix this. But any pointers to figure this one out?
It is a no brainer I know but help the no brainer please (if possible and not with to much frustration, without giving me your scene

Untitled-2.jpg

[Tekano]

er.. this is not the tracer effect. that effect just traces a curve per point. we had that in softimage3D over a decade ago.. watch the paths, in my example and in Tim's video. they are clearly splitting. this is not some shape animated with strands attached. I did not see any strands splitting (admittedly I skimmed after halfway as found the dude annoying) in the tracer video you just linked Maximus.

and really, this is no insult or app war, but how simple can one get with

get point position (random star shape) > generate strand trails ?

to me, admittedly I am clearly biased, but its far more simple to control this whole random shape generating specific trails procedurely in ICE than what I just saw in C4D..without a plugin. if you or Maximus are struggling with this effect in ICE I will gladly make it a subject of my next tutorial because it really is as simple as this picture attached for the basic setup

Capture_snip_strandtrails.JPG

[cnever]

er.. this is not the tracer effect.

Yes, and I am not after the tracer effect, sorry for the confusion - I guess that is a "solution" but not the same.

I am looking to create the organic network like shown previously and discussed currently, it feels like I am close it is just that dimensions thing that seem to bother me now, and the elegance of controlling it.

[Tekano]

I have gotten the lines organic and also to duplicate (not as elegant as Tim's though). But my particle velocity is only happening in 2 dimensions and also occurring slightly skew, I am sure this is a clue on how to fix this. But any pointers to figure this one out?

submit a picture of your ICE tree and it will be easier to diagnose the problem. also please clarify which section or timecode of the video you are trying to emulate here, it was a while since I last watched it. am fairly certain it was just a case (artistically) of emit some particles, turbulize their movements, occasionally clone some and generate a strands trail from all these with a turbulance on the trails. well that was the section that I was referring too anyways.

[cnever]

video you are trying to emulate here, it was a while since I last watched it.

example.jpg

thats the image but he goes through it at 14:02.

velocity.jpg

I am almost certain it is wrong and this is where things are getting wonky

[Tekano]

dude, your y is connected to your z....

[cnever]

dude, your y is connected to your z....

hahah - I wish that would of resolved it... But that was me trying to resolve it (trying everything). But plugged the correct ones to the correct ones and still same result, just a bit cleaner now but only on two axis/dimensions.

[cnever]

dude, your y is connected to your z....

I am a idiot, officially and yes everyone I am an idiot...

My seeds where the same, due to duplication wow? want to swear right now.... now the elegance part and getting better control, like where tim does a slider to adjust the position of strand, phew I will get there in 20 years time hahaha

[Tekano]

ok , so connect all 3 axis correctly and show the rest of the tree, there is obviously something else there that is causing the effect.

ok now I have had to open my scene. here is how I did exactly that procedure, intrinsically there is nothing wrong with what you are attempting but perhaps somewhere else in the tree there is.

Capture_snip_randomwalk.JPG

[cnever]

ok , so connect all 3 axis correctly and show the rest of the tree, there is obviously something else there that is causing the effect.

Capture_snip_randomwalk.JPG

Dont know if you saw my previous post, but it's working Tekano, I dis something super dumb, my seeds where all the same (duplicating turbulance node)

Super thanks for all the effort so far, now I just need to get it more elegant/control like tim does, also scrolling through the strand realtime is also pretty cool.