"Animated Textures Pro" Getting Started
laststand@runbox.com
Posts: 866
Thanks in advance.
First I create an "Animated Texture Files" folder.
1. I add a subfolder called Render.
2. A also add an MP4 to use as a basis for the image sequence.
I give this information to Animated Textures Pro, then I run the script. The script fills the subfolder with an image sequence, each one all black.
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Please help me out with this one, I am out of buttons to press.
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Comments
According to information with the video, images need to be key framed to DS timeline. Also the product should have a product readme for setup and constraints info.
There is no printed doc available, unless you count this:
http://ut1-webvirt-wiki.daz3d.com/doku.php/public/read_me/index/23718/start
Keyframing each frame, I am assuming, is what the script itself is intended to do.
What is most confusing is, what does the script need to work with?
It SEEMS to be asking me to render an image sequence myself, and put it it the Animated Textures folder. I can't get it to take an AVI or an MP4. Placing an existing image sequence in the Animated Textures folder also results in black frames in the Render folder. But, the product page says it works in v4.20.
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What goes where?
I don't have that edition handy, another one I used to have in D/S3 required putting a series of images in one folder. Those had to be named sequentially.
To key anything on the time, would be having the .obj selected, then at various points along the timeline, actually making a key. {little icon to click on to do that}. This would be to tell the program/script at what point the pictures are to change. If it works the same, in the script you might be giving it the folder, selecting the 1st image in the series. It is supposed to then figure out the rest.
Unfortunately everytime there is an edition upgrade, "all" the product pages will claim that "everything" works in the most recent edition. This is not always so however PAs normally update their plugins to work with the latest. I gather you have recently purchased this, try putting a series of images with the same name, numbered sequentially [or whatever the guidelines are] and see if it works.
If you cannot get it to work, you can ask for a refund within 30 days of purchase. Remember they are closed over the weekends.
Sending you a PM.
Okay, read that page, no that's not much information.
The Constraits:
Possibly could be reworded, the textures that are to become the animated texture, need to be sequential files named in alphabetical order.
Each set in its own folder.
All of the sequential subfolders must be in the same folder as the 1st one you are starting with.
The "texture sequences" ... -- possibly means to keyframe the 1st image in the "next folder" to be used.
If the timeline range for the entire render happens to be larger than is required for the number of images, it will loop that animation for you.
As far as I know, this should work in 4.20.
Also, if .png files don't work, try .jpg. Some plugins are fussy on this. Also it is normally a good idea not to use huge picture files. It's a plugin.
I'm going to make a clean image sequence, then try it again. If it fails, I may try another script.
Okay, I'm interested to know if it works too.
Well, it did SOMEthing. I filled the primary folder with a clean image sequences. I ran the script. It filled the Render subfolder with clean images of the project I had loaded at the time. It chose its own source.
This is a task for QA, followed by an engineering writer. I'm going to put an "off the air" sign on the TV screen and let this script rest.
OMG, well I'm pretty sure it wasn't supposed to select its own source!!! Thank you for the feedback, I'll just leave it on the shelf for now too.
The new way...
lol ... I remember those!
The test pattern came on after midnight. And the audio went SSHHHHH...
I was reading over mCasual's TexAnim 2022 page - includes support for animated VDBs now. But no sign of .mp4s. If there was a way to do that I'm pretty confident he would have found a way.
Eventually D/S 5 is expected out. It has a newer script base for writing plugins with. Hopefully we'll see some leaps and bounds of improvements for animating then. We can hope.
hehe ... could always go for the smoking T.V.
We might be surprised if we knew how many features and scripts were unusable, just because there are no instructions. I installed McCasual's script recently. It too lacks instructions. Not clue one. I've spent so much time trying to learn, without teachers, classrooms or books, that I decided to leave it be for now. Changing Grampa's lines will be faster.
This week I installed Adobe Premier Elements recently, and I had a look at their manual. Imagine my surprise when I found active voice used in a clear and concise manner. Not a 'simply, easily or just' to be seen. Even a cave man could understand it. The software UI is readable too, just like the old days. These things are rare today. I became an instant fan.
Yes, I noticed that DAZ had introduced support for VDBs this year. I'll be able to make Grampa smoke now, hopefully. It depends on how small the script allows the smoke puff to become. That will be my next discovery. Most smoke VDBs are good for making a volcano, but not a cigarette.
I think one of the PAs recently released a product for VDB smoking cigarettes.
However, mCasual is a member here in the forums and DOES provide support:
Here is the forum thread in which to ask your questions: Click Here.
Thank you for your suggestions. I noticed SY has a volumetric cigarette smoking thing out, it has my attention.
TV will have to wait. It makes little difference for now if Gramps says "Hey, this is a new one!" or "Oh no, not this again!" There may be an editor that can composite two videos.
At the moment I am thinking about voices. I have one voice and four characters to do. I'll fake it, but I hope it doesn't ruin the work.
For voices, there are some online sources. Didn't find the one that's the best but for eg. : https://voicechanger.io/
Changing the pitch is the easiest way for me to sound like a woman. I can do that with Audacity. Other than that, utilities are very limited.
A voice clone TTS service called Replica has some posibilities, although the people who run it are juvenile delinquents. I was enthused when I saw the Adobe Voco demo, and later experimented with Lyrebird, but this tech is having a hard time taking root in voiceover. Voice clone TTS still sounds a tad robotic. Voco got around that successfully with a simple yet powerful editor. Nobody else is doing that. If that kind of editor comes to pass, actual human voices would be less important. I've suggested here that a Coop for amateur voice actors might work well, but I didn't get any traction. You know, I trade you an hour of your work for an hour of mine. I'd like to find a NY accent and a German accent. Meanwhile I've been scouting out Meetup for voiceover-related groups. Most of the people I've met there will be of no help to me, but, I only need one Sensai.
Can't say I 'really' liked any of the options I've tried for voices. I have a music program that makes some synthisized [think that's the right term] voices -- but that's not real.
There is "one" program so good that last I heard, the company won't release it to the public 'cause it's too good and they are concerned about misuse. It could copy a voice pattern and have the voice say anything. I would love that program lol ...
Kijiji might be another place worth a try, at least the ads are free.
well you can even use the free Hitfilm Express to composite in a a TV video
in Premier
BTW you can do animated tracking in Hitfilm too but its more tedious, you want a smooth pan or dolly that's easy to interpolate between key points where you place the corners of the video mask
I see that I can do compositing in Premier Elements. They've even documented it, a rare treat these days. At some point I will take the time to learn how to do it. Remember that in "Being There," Peter Sellers had a TV in every room in the house. Elements has made a good first impression on me.
... and that 'small room' [elevator]
"I don't read, Ben."
... a gardener ;-)
Well, this thread has helped me understand that my future lies in compositing. If I get good at it, I almost won't know the difference between DAZ and iClone. One has TVs, one has talking animals. I did look at a copy of HitFilm. The UI was a nice surprise; a light, readable "theme" was the only one available. No Black with 70% Gray to be seen!
No news about voice, I knew that would be an issue for me. I did find this, but have not tested it: https://www.listnr.tech/. Replica Studios is onto the powerful editing tool that I mentioned, and they say they have one planned. Voice cloning is "hotting up" now, after six years of snoozing. There's plenty of rentware, but it's usually free at the low usage levels I need.
Thank you for your comments.
Be seeing you...
for voices I quite like Morphvox/Screaming Bee
I have a copy but I've not taken a look at it. This week I will. I'd be very happy if it worked. I built a recording booth in the closet last week, and today I tested audio levels all around the house. I'll have speaking cats and people in a week or two.
Sounds like fun, good luck with it all :-)
Interesting progress being made:
I could be wrong, but if our fear of cameras can keep us away from videophone for 20 years, even given our present circumstances, I have a hard time seeing us warm up to VR for a very long time.
Update: It was on sale the other day so snagged a copy. It works!
My first test run went well and the info is here.
https://www.deviantart.com/catherine3678ab/art/Starting-Guide-for-Animating-Textures-Pro-974091154