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Thread: IIIIIII 3D integration, website questions IIIIIIII

  1. #1
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    IIIIIII 3D integration, website questions IIIIIIII

    Hi,

    i have some questions.

    First of all, this one is related to pro's and experienced ones.
    I want to create a website that has 3D elements in it or contains 3D mostly. Which way is better?

    1- Planning everything (including background or enviroment let's say) in Swift 3D and exporting that whole movie(or movies) as SWF and publish that?

    OR

    2- Build the elements and export them as *.swft files and import them one by one into Flash MX 2004 as MC's?

    Why i cannot decide is, there are some disadvantages for the second way. For example i have a metal ball going around the stage when a button is triggered. And that ball does specific thing at specific times(frames). What i ask is, if i choose this way; is it easy to modify or control those imported elemnts later, inside Flash enviroment OR not? Should i prepare the parent MC's and the child ones seperately in SWIFT 3D and combine them with AS?

    Shortly, I'M LOST and desperate about from where to start.

    MY OTHER QUESTION is,

    there are some web-sites based on 3D work, art. With smooth graphics(talkin about shadows, bevels, edges). But when i do modeling in SWIFT 3D and preview my work and import it in FLASH, that does not have that artistic or smooth feeling. What are the tips that i should consider seriously? Lastly, is there a tutorial which especially targets 3D and Web integration apart from modelling basics?

    I don' have example web-sites and my favorites are all gone unfortunately... But i think you know what i'm talkin about...

    THANX A LOT FOR RECOMMENDATIONS and POINTIN ME OUT....

    byez.

  2. #2
    supervillain gerbick's Avatar
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    For the ultimate amount of control over pieces of your 3D, I'd go with the *.swft due to how it breaks down the 3D image into layers that you can integrate into your *.fla, such as the shadows for instance.

    Via ActionScript and the timeline, you can make events happen on either the MC or other library items easily. So I'm not too sure where you're seeing a problem with that.

    Now, about your last question, about the smooth look, what not, you might be better off looking into either rendering into raster via EMO, or using higher quality meshes/details. also, lighting, shadows, and textures are definitely what set most things apart. Well, attention to detail as well.

    But I'm very sure you already knew that one.

    But what I've said above is invariably just one way of getting it done. I've just found *.swft's to be invaluable to me in my workflow.

    Good luck mang

    [ Hello ] | [ gerbick ] | [ Ω ]

  3. #3
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    Thank you so much for your advices gerbick !

    Here is a well-known site for example... www.frosch-studio.com

    i know it's ridiculous to investigate that site one by one. So let's say i wanna know how to achieve creating some buttons like those and integrate them? Are they(buttons) created in Swift alike env. seperately and seperate MC's or 4 of them are a group of 3D elements, one swft file? Maybe you may never guess which way but what i get from your advices is, creating each button one by one and importing them into FLASH and play around?

    THANX a lot again, that would be my last question to make it clear, for now-on...

    byez

  4. #4
    supervillain gerbick's Avatar
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    In that example you just showed, there's more than one element going on.

    On the left, that looks like simple 3ds max, or Swift3D objects - extrusion of an *.ai/*.eps with the design in the middle, apply the grey material and then duplicate the generic "tablet" look sans design in the middle, lessen the amount of Z and apply a white material that a bit more glossy and less matte than the grey, place inside, and inset a bit to create that table look.

    then create a white plane, a white glossy plane that allows reflections, and have the aforementioned tablets come through that white glossy plane. That's all one element/time line. But you have to render out four versions, one for each of those tablets, and via AS use
    Code:
    on (release) {
    	getURL("url here", "_blank");
    }
    if it's going to another url, or use code to make it go to another part of the timeline and/or MC.

    Now on the right, that's another element. Freehand drawn with tweens if not AS controlled that basically gives way to a pre-modelled image - the cables.

    All of that looks like it's all bitmap rendered - except the black growth that becomes the wires, as well as the four dots that become the area where the wires grow.

    With Swift3D and Flash MX 2004, it should be all possible. Now all you'd have to do is put it all together, and make sure you use some high-res *.3ds files for the parts that you don't model within Swift3D and then use good textures within Swift3D.

    Hope that helps

    [ Hello ] | [ gerbick ] | [ Ω ]

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    Thanx a lot for the directions =))

    I'll try these... n later i may have some more questions.

    byez..

  6. #6
    supervillain gerbick's Avatar
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    I'd also like to hear what RUSHVision and BlinkOK, among others would like to say. Those two I just named are Swift3D wizards.

    [ Hello ] | [ gerbick ] | [ Ω ]

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    Senior Member RUSHVision's Avatar
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    I'd say you covered it pretty well, gerbick.
    mrush


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    symbolica, if you wish to use vector exports with Swift 3D that create a softer look then you may wish choose Area Gradient Shading as your fill setting. The files sizes generated using this setting are quite reasonable also. You can view examples of the various outputs from settings here http://www.artzfx.com/render_samples/swift3d.htm

  9. #9
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    first of all, thanks to artzfx for the useful link. =)

    second,

    i have some more questions...

    by following some tutorials, i created a spider(that's well known tut.) and now i'm workin' on a car model and a dog. What i'll ask about is "hierarchial animations". I have a spider that i made with the use of AM. But it's grouped into one. When i press (G) and do my selection, whole spider is selected. For the hierarchic(i don' know if i spell this one correct=)) animation, as far as i know, i should have small separate parts like, leg1_lowerpart, leg2_lowerpart, leg3_midpart and so on. So how am i going to break down the spidey to its pieces?

    Shortly, i want to make that spider move. And so its legs, independently. How am i going to prepare it for animation creating process?

    AND

    is there a "car model creating" tutorial? or that much complex(i don' know if you take it, a car model tut, as a complex one) tutorials that you know?

    AGAIN THANX A LOT...

  10. #10
    Senior Member RUSHVision's Avatar
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    To break apart the sections of your spider legs..

    1) go into the AM and hit 'F' to enter Face Selection Mode.

    2) Select the faces that represent each section that you want to animate separately then right-click and select Break Out Selection.

    3) This process will leave a hole in the mesh where each part meets another so you will have to go in an cap these off manually by welding a 'patch' onto each open end. These can be made in any number of ways depending on the mesh configuration of the area where the hole is. I often like to use a sphere or geosphere primitive, or even a lathed object. The sphere and lathed objects allow you to specify the number of segments so you can easily match the number of vertices on your hole.

    4) Once you have all your parts separated and capped you will need to go back into the Scene Editor and group all the parts together, beginning at the tip of each limb and grouping the next body part in sequence, finally grouping the entire limb with the body. Lastly, select each piece and move their pivot points to where you want the limb to bend.

    IMPORTANT TIMESAVER: For something like a spider I would create only one limb in this fashion and then copy and paste it to create the others.

    AND

    There aren't currently any tutorials specifically for Swift3D that deal with modeling a car, but here is a link to a car tutorial on the cgtalk forum that could be used as a basis for modeling one in Swift3D. Thanks go to jfoley for posting this link over at the Swiftdev forum.
    mrush


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  11. #11
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    Originally posted by RUSHVision

    4) .... Lastly, select each piece and move their pivot points to where you want the limb to bend.

    IMPORTANT TIMESAVER: For something like a spider I would create only one limb in this fashion and then copy and paste it to create the others.
    Arrggh i'm confused at that point. I play around with pivot points, rotation and so. But no luck. =(

    May someone clear it for me? I'm stuck. Should i move each limb's pivot point to their joint points? Cause all the pivot points are located at the origin by default. and when i rotate a limb it seems like a piece, thrown somewhere, torn apart from the joint point.

    THANX...

  12. #12
    Senior Member RUSHVision's Avatar
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    You primarily need to concern yourself with setting up the pivot points for each group. You should have...

    1)The tip of the leg...this pivot point will be located at the first joint.

    2)The tip of the leg grouped with the second section of the leg. This pivot point will be located at the second joint.

    3) The group containing the tip and second leg section are grouped with the third section of the leg. This pivot point is located at the third joint.

    4) This continues for as many leg sections as you plan on using. Each subsequent group can be individually selected in the Hierarchy Panel and manipulated in the viewports.

    5) The entire leg is grouped with the body...this pivot point will be at the point where the leg connects to the body.

    Here is a link to a page that has a diagram of the hierarchy for a humanoid character along with some info about setting up a walk cycle that might be useful.
    mrush


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  13. #13
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    Hi again.

    thanx for all replies. I got it well n managed to make my spider move. There are two last questions that i should ask.

    1- www.dna-newmedia.com // I want my spider to look like a metallic object or shiny like that half-sphere found in that page thru the link. Or dull like the flyish figure hangin in the air. How can achieve that? I apply the ready-made materials in Swift3D but they don' look like those ones. Which settings(light, material, colors, effects if there is any etc.) should i deal with to obtain those results? ý went thru the help of S3D and some pages that i found over the net but they were not sufficient. Alas, there are not much sources or tuts covering Swift.

    2- I checked that link about box-modelling a car which was for 3Ds but found that difficult. Cause there aren't much specifications or settings in S3D as it is in 3DsMax. About modeling and action script people(like me =)) ask questions that never end.
    My question is how can i strenghten my modelling skills? By practicing what n how? Cause it was too easy to follow a tutorial n to create a spider but when i try to imagine and create somethin from my mind like a car or somethin else, i find myself trapped in a corner. I mess with edges, vertices, faces and so on... =)) Not knowin what to do, where, for what. And i can't find or follow a tutorial for everytime i decide to model something new =)) I'm new to Swift3D n 3D enviroment. It's been 1,5 week since i have first started. Maybe some patience?

    What are your last opinions?

    Sorry for invading the top corner of this forum for a long time

    THANX.
    Last edited by symbolica; 11-25-2004 at 06:02 PM.

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