"Shouldn't trust the software to figure out the back plate since mistakes are common and can ruin a track."
You don't... you just make sure it's on the correct FOV. Actually I don't think Camera Tracker required a back-plate setting... just C4d.
What software packages are you using BTW? Yours may have a different setup...?
Shouldn't trust the software to figure out the back plate since mistakes are common and can ruin a track.
Here's what I've figured out (please chime in with corrections):
17.3x13mm is gh2 sensor size for taking pictures
in video mode it will be HD, & HD is standardized to be 16-9 in aspect ratio, therefore camera sensor will crop horizontally to maintain 16-9 aspect ratio
So gh2 video size will be 17.3 x 9.73125
(17.3*9)/16 = 9.73125
As for ETC mode... I am not sure about my calculation but I think the sensor size might go to
6.67524115755627 x 3.7548231511254
17.3*1920/4976 = 6.67524115755627
Does all this sound correct?
Thanks.
@hishimaru "Are you using an HDR for any image based lighting?"
Nope. I'm planning on doing that for my next composting test though...
"It was a gruelling yet intensely fun time working on that film."
Sounds cool!
@pinger007 "I'm trying to perform 3d camera tracking with GH2 footage in Syntheyes. For the back plate settings, should I use the full GH2 sensor size of 17.3x13.0mm, or should it be something different since we're shooting 1920x1080?"
Should just be whatever the FOV is equal to. I actually used my 7D for the shot I posted... and it was shot with a 30mm lens. The C4d camera is FF35mm back by default, so I just set it at about 50mm for the "lens". I could have changed the back to 25mm, and the lens to 30mm... but I don't think it matters as long as the FOV is equal at the end.
Just found a cool light wrapping tutorial... !
http://vfxhaiku.com/2009/10/how-to-create-light-wrap-and-edge-blur/
For those interested in 3D tracking, there's a 24 hour sale at http://www.thefoundry.co.uk/ for Cameratracker for AE.
Since you don't need too much resolution, you can use a 180 degree fisheye on a FF camera and do the HDR for image based lighting with only two or three exposures.
Nice thread! I was about to post the Final Destination clip, but looks like @Vitaly beat me to it. It was a gruelling yet intensely fun time working on that film. I'll see if I can get the breakdown reel we made at the studio and post it up sometime soon. @bwhitz Nice ship design. Are you using an HDR for any image based lighting? It's the quickest way to integrate CG to a plate matching the lighting. Shooting spherical HDRs on set can be rather tedious though
I'm trying to perform 3d camera tracking with GH2 footage in Syntheyes. For the back plate settings, should I use the full GH2 sensor size of 17.3x13.0mm, or should it be something different since we're shooting 1920x1080?
Would this number change if I'm shooting in ETC mode?
Thanks.
Awesome... thanks!
Check out Reelsmart motion blur. If you feed it with a layer that contains the aircraft only it will render very nice blur without artefacts. In case you shot your background with short shutter for better tracking you can also use it on this layer. Values between 0.3 to 0.5 work nice.
Hey, thanks for the feedback! Those are some great tips! The natural light look is exactly the thing that's been bugging me about my models on live-action footage. I've been working the last few months trying to get a more natural look and that diffuse glow sounds like just the trick!
... and yea, motion blur... C4D's motion blur is just too slow to render, even when rendered with a few machines. Are their any third party applications that would work?
@otcx Yea, it definitely needs some dust/debris. I knew it was going to need this before I even started. This test was mostly just see how well Camera Tracker data works with C4D and if it translated properly. Which it does... and very well. Now I can start planning some more complicated shots since I've got the basics down of how the programs are working with each other.
Thanks again for the feedback!
Great short. Loved it.
bwhitz@
Nice. Maby a bit dust/smoke under spacecraft. And a bit motionblur, to blend craft better to background. Just keep on doing.
This trick is called "Light Wrap" and there are quite a few tutorials on the web.
bwhitz,
That's a cool model. Nicely done. I've worked on a number of projects over the years, such as Independence Day, Dr. Dolittle, and a bunch of Star Trek work. One of the tricks we used to get CG to blend in with live action was to add a diffuse glow around the edges. Not just a soft blur, but actually creating a diffuse glow that would bleed into the CG, like natural light does around objects, particularly in daylight.
C4D is a great package. We did most of our work at VisionArt in Houdini (and its predacesor, Prisms), but I've become a fan of C4D for a number of reasons, including it's ability to work well with very large models, much larger than Maya will handle. Once I started working with C4D I was pretty impressed, enough so that I hired a programmer in Germany to write a RenderMan interface for it, and then we sold it back to Maxon. They're a great company to work with. Nice folks.
Anyway, try throwing a diffuse glow on there, as well as some motion-blur, and playin with the values until it starts to meld into the live action around it. You've definatley got a great eye for ship design!
All the best,
Ted Fay
Cool!
First compositing test with an earlier model...
-Cinema 4d -After Effects -The Foundry Camera Tracker
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/index?siteID=123112&id=17355061
I did that this Maya... it's a pretty sweet deal they've got.
And for Cinema 4D, my personal favorite, I still have my student license from in college. But I do want the new R13... so I may have to find a client to buy it for me or something...
@itimjim Blender ( http://www.blender.org/ ) is a great 3D app to get started with & it's free/open-source.
So, with Maya, 3DS Max and Cinema 4D having price entry points of around £3,500....apart from those using it professionally, how does a regular 'joe' go about learning and using for non-profit work? Or, are there alternatives? Or, just forget it! :-)
@grego awsome! great job!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!