Posts Tagged ‘Editing’

I started editing Mrs H’s Knitting Circle last night. It was so far over the word count I realised I needed to do something drastic. It was ending on a long bit of dialogue that I liked after an unseen action sequence. So, thanks to the joys of word processing, I’ve rewritten it to put the main character right in the middle of the action. The dialogue has moved to become the structure for another story the follows on from a cliff hanger ending to Mrs H’s Knitting Circle. I don’t have a title for it yet but something will come to me.

When it was quiet late on Friday night I recorded the first half of myself reading The Electron Jockey. I’ve spent some of today editing the first Planet of Danger cast which will eventually be a part of the, yet to be launched, Dirk Dangerous web site. So far I’m about half way through the recording and editing of the PoD Cast. I also need to turn the design for the site in to a template for Word Press so I can get the site up and running soon.

1. Darts, arrows or spears – poisoned for extra deadliness
2. Pit fall (optional spikes, snakes or water)
3. Quick sand
4. Boulders falling from ceiling
5. Funnelled Tunnel of Wind
6. Gas – Poisonous or Explosive
7. Blades – Scything or Circular
8. Swinging logs
9. Jets of flame
10. Flooding Chamber
11. Giant Crushing ceiling block or walls
12. Giant lens focusing sunlight into a deadly death ray
13. Giant Rolling Boulder of Doom

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

A few tweaks on the page on my web site for stories I’ve written for Astonishing Adventures Magazine and a few finishing touches to the story I’m finishing to send off to them.

One thing that always surprises me with editing something after leaving it for a week is just how many words you can trim. I’ve been cutting the odd word here and there from a story tonight so I can add a few extra words I think are needed at the end. A week ago I couldn’t see where there was any slack. Now I can find a hundred words without trying.

Just noticed this blog was a whole year old last week. So here’s a round up of projects started and progress so far.

Serious and Organised / Men of Action / The ABC System: system written needs play testing.

Arædan: Originally called Untitled Fantasy #1. In need of editing.

The Seer: About 50% written and waiting for me to go back to it.

Fairy Tale Noir: Heading on towards the 40,000 word mark with no sign of ending till it’s at least 50,000. A little longer than the 15,000 I was aiming for. May do a second draft to try to kick it up to 100,000+ and call it a novel.

impworks logo: Done and in use.

impworks website: Live since last year and growing. Recoded into Smarty templates almost as soon as I finished the first version. Some stuff (mostly pictures, scripts and tutorials to add when I find time).

Vue Python scripts: I’ve produced a growing list of free Vue Python scripts.

STEEPVM: Turned into a wednesday night post sequence instead of an article.

Characters on the Couch: Serialised here too.

Vue: Vue 6 is a huge leap forward in making my pictures look like I want them to. The new spectral sky model is worth the upgrade alone as far as I’m concerned.

Poser 7: Using it pretty much like Poser 5 and 6 at the moment need to dig into the enhancements.

Xfrog: Got a working copy again and now I’m back to exploring making abstracts with it.

Virtual Fashion: Starting to get good results from this especially when textured elsewhere.

Pepakura Designer: Need to find more time to play with this.

Blogs: This one is well established. The Vue News Blog is getting growing readership. I’ve a couple more in the pipe line too for specialist topics.

Underwater Secret Base: Redesigned to include obligatory volcano.

Download: objsequenceloader0_2_4.zip (4k Zip Archive of 2 files)

Instructions for version 0.2.4

Tested using Vue 5 Infinite 5.11-02 and Vue 6 Pre Release build 288741

What is it?

The object sequence loader is a script that loads a sequence of 3d model files in a format Vue can import (obj, vob, 3ds, lwo, shd, cob and some other formats)

How does it work?

It first loads the objects into the scene. These are then hidden (usually beneath the ground but you can change where they are kept) and then switched into a visible area for each frame you render. By creating an animation, the Python script will automatically switch these objects in and out to give you an animation.

Note: These do not appear as keyframed animations unless you have "auto keyframing" turned on and have rendered the complete sequence of steps that make up the animation.

What version of Vue does it work with?

The script will work with Vue 5 Infinite and Vue 6 Infinite. Vue 6′s improved importing and real world units provide significant improvements to the results of using the object sequence importer.

What other programmes does it work with?

It has been tested with objects exported from RealFlow 3, RealFlow 4 and XFrog 3.5 Full. It should work with any programme that can make a set of 3d models in a format that Vue can import.

What are the limitations?

This is an early development which is currently limited to standalone animations.

Mini Previews and HyperVue are not supported. The Python script necessitates animation sequences in order to correctly switch the objects between frames.

Object files can consume a lot of memory, so it is best to initially experiment with simple sequences of small object files to learn how to use the script.

How do I prepare the sequence?

Take your 3D objects and place them in a directory.

The sequence must have sequentially numbered file names. The numbering does not have to begin with 0 or 1. For example:

• 1.lwo, 2.lwo, 3.lwo, 4.lwo … … 100.lwo, 101.lwo
• Mesh010001.obj, Mesh010002.obj, Mesh010003.obj …
• Flower_blossom_00001.obj, Flower_blossom_00002.obj, Flower_blossom_00003.obj
• 5.3ds, 6.rds, 7.3ds

How do I run the Script?

Download the script and uncompress the zip file. You should now have a file called objsequenceloader0_2_4.py .

Place a copy of the script objsequenceloader0_2_4.py in the directory with the objects.

Run the Python Script and follow the options. For more help on running a script see my Vue Python for Beginners Tutorials.

The script may not work with script quick load menu in Vue after other operations have been used. For reliable run it with Run python script…

A number of options will be presented to you. Respond to each one in turn. If this is your first time using the script I would suggest using the following options:

• Group objects: Yes
• Drop on import: No
• Align on import: No

I’ll write some documentation to explain all the options soon.

I’m Using XFrog is there anything I should know?

If you are importing a sequence of objects from Xfrog you will be asked for a file name prefix. This is the part of the filename before the first 0 in the numbering sequence. So for a sequence including Flower_blossom_00001.obj use Flower_blossom_.

What Happens when I’ve Answered all the Questions?

When you have completed all of the options the script will start to load the objects.

The settings from your last object import will be used by Vue while importing the files. The loading process may take some time.

Once the script has finished loading the files a dialogue box will pop up to let you know.

The Sequence is Loaded what do I do next?

You will notice several objects in the scene:

• Imported Object Target
• Imported Object Out of Shot
• Either the individual objects or a group of objects depending on the options you selected

The Imported Object Target is where the object for a specific frame will be displayed. You can scale the objects by scaling this object. You can rotate them by rotating it. You can position them by position it. If you selected "Drop on import" make sure this is over something else in the scene so that when the object is dropped it has somewhere to land. The Imported Object Target will not appear in renders.

The Imported Object Out of Shot is where objects that don’t appear in a specific frame will be placed. It starts at a position that should be out of shot. If it isn’t you can move it. If you do move it and want to see the objects reposition render a frame and all the objects should move. The Imported Object Out of Shot object will not appear in renders.

How do I render my animation?

When you are ready to render the animation open the animation rendering panel. If you do not have any other animation in the scene you will need to tell Vue how many frames to render by selecting "Render Sequence" and entering appropriate numbers. You should then be able to render your animation.

How can I save the sequence?

If you want to save the sequence the results of using this script you must render the scenes animation before saving. This will create key frames in the scene for the objects. To perform this process quickly render a very small version of the animation with preview quality. Once this has been done delete you can delete Imported Object Target and the Imported Object Out of Shot objects. They will not have any effect on the sequence when it is reloaded.

Trouble Shooting and (In)Frequently Asked Questions

Vue Crashed while loading the objects. What can I do?

If you have too many objects in the sequence for your computer to cope with Vue may crash. If this happen try loading the sequence in smaller parts and then compiling the final animation in video editing software.

There don’t seem to be any animation paths. Is the script broken?

Earlier versions of the script created animation paths for each object. This technique has now been superseded. Instead a technique similar to a 3d flipbook is used. Each time a frame is rendered the script moves an appropriate object to be displayed and moves the others elsewhere.

I want to have two sequences in the same animation. Can I do this?

Running this script multiple times on the same scene is only possible if the earlier import has had key frames created by rendering an animation sequence. Once a second import is carried out the first import will not be editable by moving the target objects.

Can I use this with Network Rendering?

This script hasn’t been tested with network rendering. It may be possible to network render an animation created using this script by first using the technique for saving the animation. I’ve not tried this. If you try it and it works please e-mail me so I can update other users.

A pop up telling me I have "nothing to drop on". What should I do?

The problem is with the drop on import option. When using drop on import raise the height of the Imported Object Target and ensure it is dropping onto an object.

Can I change the textures of the object in Vue?

Yes.

Thanks

I’d like to thank e-on software, greenworks and Roderick Davies for their help in developing and testing this script.

One of the fun things with living in Liverpool is playing spot the Liverpool location in TV and films doubling for other places.

I watched ITV’s The Outsiders that I recorded on Tuesday earlier. Lots of Liverpool to spot including some interior shots that I’m pretty certain were done in the building at the University I used to work in. The Victorian tiles are really distinctive shade of green so it wasn’t hard to make out.

As to the pilot itself: it seems to have its ITC action drama credentials in order in that it didn’t take itself as seriously as Spooks. I loved the little touch of the high explosives being executive toys with indicator lights attached. However, I think it needs an injection of adrenaline and budget. The explosion special effects reminded me of Bugs rather than something made now. The hour and a half format was too long. Maybe if someone went at it with a hatchet in editing to cut it to an hour it would have been more exciting.

In a way it seems to suffer from the same problems Ultimate Force and some of the long forgoten ITV action show pilots of the 90s. Someone at ITV remembers they used to make shows like this. They used to beat the BBC hands down at this kind of entertainment in the 60s, 70s and 80s but they just can’t remember how and their scared to put the resources into doing the job properly for fear of losing big. Which is a problem when the BBC are now turning out Dr Who, Spooks, Hustle, Life on Mars and Robin Hood (I’m just guessing it’s going to do well). So they fish out a soap star and cross their fingers he’ll cover up the problems with the pace, the plot, the budget and the effects. Then they get cold feet when it doesn’t stomp all over the ratings and we end up with them slipping back into the easy habit of Sunday night dramas, cop shows and soaps. Over on Channel 5 they don’t need to try because they’ll just buy in CSI et al from the US. A bit of healthy competition might lead to something really ground breaking being made. Maybe Channel 4 should have another go? They certainly did it once with UltraViolet.

I’ve been revisiting my notes for Serious and Organised after enough time for the ideas to mature a little more. After a bit of editing to cut fluff I got down to writing a background to go with it drawing on the classic 70s and 80s cop shows for inspiration. A bit more polishing and it should be fit for a play test.

This should be a post about the frustrations of having a really good few hours writing and then realising you’ve info dumped a huge chunk of the story rather than having the main character interact with characters, risk danger and generally do heroic stuff. It should be about the *joys* of editing (TM) where the two thousand words become five hundred when you cut the info dump down to what is required to move the story on and not give away the rest of the mystery. It should have been posted around 11pm last night but I couldn’t log in. So instead its a bit of a grumble the next day.