In this video we will be creating more fireflies. With the help of the Boid Particle system and a bit of tracking we can easily create a surreal fantasy scene.
We have done tracking and have used boids in the past, though there are some differences.
I am using Blender 2.8 (release candidate 3) though this tutorial can be done in previous versions (there may be some differences). If you want to download blender 2.8 then click here.
Tracking the shot was not too difficult and considering the motion of the camera, I only added 10 tracking markers.
If you are using your own background footage then be sure to remember the focal length that you shot in.
The background footage I used was downloaded (download here) so I had to let blender work out what my focal length should be.
Once we are happy with the Average solve error, we can then setup our 3d scene.
With the click of a single button, Blender has set up our 3d view along with creating the necessary nodes that we need to compose the shot.
In this example I remove the background layer (but you may want to keep it and have reflections).
Then using a particle system, we change a few settings to get the effect that we are looking for.
When it comes to rendering, you can render with either Cycles or Eevee. I decided to render with both. I'm not sure if it's a bug but when we activate motion blur in Eevee it doesn't seem to work.
One of the benefits of rendering with Eevee is the Speed. It took me about 1 hr and 15 mins for Cycles to render this whole animation. Whereas Eevee took only 20 mins.
I also considered adding a light cast to the water but in the end I decided that the Glow from the flies probably wouldn't reach the water.
If you did want a reflection in the water, you could add a mix node and connect the render layers to that mix node. Then add a translate node and move the position of the new fireflies to be below the original fireflies (I would also add a scale node and scale them on the Y axis a little). Then play around with the blend mode and factor to get something that you like.
You can then add your color grading and finalize your shot.
Hopefully you enjoyed this video and as always,
Thanks for watching!..
In this video, we will be doing another "Suzanne Print" where we take the Blender Mascot Suzanne and turn her into something else.
Today, we turn Suzanne into a Zombie.
As we did last time, we will start with a Basic Mesh. (Which you can download here).
This is simply an edited version of the original Suzanne Model (The difference being; One has the Eyes connected and the other does not).
You can use the original Suzanne Mesh (but, be sure to connect the eyes to the Head mesh).
I then removed and Eye, Changed the smile to something more fitting and then added an "Exposed Brain".
In the process of creating the brain, I used a free image from Textures.com and you can find it here.
Then I exported the model and sent it off to the printer. I used the "Dora" by Easythreed (you can check out the review we did here).
After a couple of hours the print was ready to prime and paint.
I admit, the paint job sucks and I really need to get better but I'm sure you guys could do a better job.
If you want to download this Zombie Model as an STL file, you can download it here.
As my collection grows I wonder what will come next?.
If you guys have any suggestions be sure to let us know in the comments below!.
I hope you enjoyed this post and as always,
Thanks for reading..
Today we look at the Video Editing software - PowerDirector 17 by CyberLink, and I should say thanks to the guys over at CyberLink for sending us this Program to review.
You can check out the Video here.
I found the PowerDirector 17 to be rather quite powerful and stocked full of features like Chroma Keying and even Motion Tracking. The Power Director 17 is a professional video editing software that's really simple to use.
It took me a few minuets to get my bearings but much like other programs, the PowerDirector has a nice and easy learning curve.
I was pleasantly surprised with how many features it came with, and found many useful tools like "Precut", Title Designer and the Video Collage Designer.
We only looked at a few pretty cool features and there are tons more to check out. you can download a Trial Version of the PowerDirector 17 and explore these awesome tools yourself or if you want to buy the full version you can use the link below.
PowerDirector
The guys at CyberLink have also provided 10% off for you guys, just use the Code "Darkfall"
I think for £79.99 (or £71.99 with the discount) is pretty good for what you get in return.
I have used many free programs in the past and many of them come with their own faults and anyone who wants to create and edit videos, as a hobby of professionally should invest in quality programs.
Over all, I enjoyed using the PowerDirector 17 and will certainly be using it more on my projects.
If you want to see more PowerDirector content, be sure to let us know in the comments below!.
Did you try the free trial?, let us know what you thought in the comments below.
Be sure to check out their youtube channel for full tutorials and more.
I hope you guys enjoyed this review or at least found it helpful.
As always thanks for reading!.
(Note: The links provided are NOT affiliate links. I am not being paid for this review and these are my thoughts and opinions)
Castle Rock
[Digital Matte Painting]
In this video we will be composing another Digital Matte Painting called "Castle Rock". Check out the Preview Here.
This time we will be using the 3D view to compose our shot. Using GIMP (or any other software of your choice)
We will first take an image and cut it into a few layers. Then add some Visual Interest in the form of a Castle or two, some Ruins and other assets to build our Matte Painting.
Once we are happy with our assets, we then export the images (with alpha transparency) and bring them into Blender using the "Image as Plains" tool.
Once the Layers have been positioned and scaled, we then add some more visual interest with the addition of a Waterfall.
To make our work a little easier, the Waterfall video clip has been turned into an Image Sequence. (You could just use the video and create a custom mask).
Then using the same technique as the Waterfall we can add smoke and other moving elements to add more life to our shot.
With the addition of Motion Blur, Color Grading and finally a nice heavy Sunbeams Effect, we can compose this Matte Painting.
If you create an awesome Matte Painting and want to share it with us, be sure to post a link in our Facebook Group.
I hope you guys enjoy this video! and as always,
Thanks for watching!..
Copse Cove
[Digital Matte Painting]
In this Tutorial, we will be creating another Digital Matte Painting called "Copse Cove". Check out the Preview Here
We will be using another "coastal" movie clip and adding some elements in order to create a nice little matte painting.
This Tutorial is similar to other Matte Paintings that we have done before, but there are some differences that you may find useful.
You can check out the Node Set-up Here.
Don't forget to post your Matte Paintings in our Facebook Group
