Easy animated and "expanded" gradient technique

DK · Post by DK » Sat Dec 06, 2008 11:42 pm

Hi Synth....actally it was Vern who suggested it could be used for gradients....i merely did the experiment.

Cheers
D.K

synthsin75 · Post by **synthsin75** » Sun Dec 07, 2008 8:23 am

Global lighting in AS!!!

Here's the simple test file.
http://www.mediafire.com/?mvonu0c09p1

DK · Post by DK » Sun Dec 07, 2008 8:40 am

Wow!!! Nice one synthsin

D.K

chucky · Post by **chucky** » Sun Dec 07, 2008 9:02 am

that's fantastic Synth , woohoo

It' like being able to mask but without frickin' around with masks!
The best thing is that it changes size.

synthsin75 · Post by **synthsin75** » Sun Dec 07, 2008 5:37 pm

Yeah, being able to adjust the size was Verns idea. This should really be more Vern's thread than mine. I just kicked off the idea. It was Vern that made it truely usable. (And DK brought up the issue that inspired it.)

chucky · Post by **chucky** » Sun Dec 07, 2008 5:51 pm

Is this practical for characters and scenes with multiple layers?
Its seems OK for shapes one the same layer... mostly , but the simpler the better huh?

heyvern · Post by **heyvern** » Sun Dec 07, 2008 6:47 pm

It was a team effort and... well when I split the topic it "belongs" to the first author of the "first" post. A good result though no matter who gets credit.

-------

This could be used for multiple layers for simple lighting changes I think, if you used bones to keep it simpler to change things. How drastically would you be changing the lighting in a scene? If you get carried away this could become the "age of aquarius psychedelic trippin' where's my black light man" technique.

-vern

synthsin75 · Post by **synthsin75** » Sun Dec 07, 2008 6:59 pm

Yeah Chucky, this could be used for multiple layers easily. You'd just need to make the 'lighting points' for each layer and make sure that each shape includes them. Then you'd just point-bind these 'light points' to the same bone rig.

In my example, that blue background could have easily been a second layer (I just did it in a hurry, hopefully apparent by the artwork). The three lighting points further away from the rig are part of that background shape. I had to expand them further away from the rig so that they'd be big enough to alter the size of the background shape.

This technique only works because the light points expand and alter the size and shape of an object (although you don't notice the part of the object inside the light points that have been scaled to zero.

If you point translate one of those light points, you'll find each is actually like four points containing part of each shape in the scene.

heyvern · Post by **heyvern** » Sun Dec 07, 2008 9:42 pm

Holy cow!

I was wracking my brain trying to figure out how this could work with out scaling the gradient as the center moved... OF COURSE! Just have two sets of point groups and shift them around maintaining the "size" of the fill but changing the center point! It's like actually moving the gradient behind a mask... without the mask... as someone already mentioned.

It's so obvious... sometimes I can be an idiot.

-vern

chucky · Post by **chucky** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 2:54 am

make the 'lighting points' for each lay ... udes them.

Hmmmm. that's what I mean, might take a bit of getting used to.
Of course that's another shape effect used up

Post by **Víctor Paredes** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 4:01 pm

Hi, I'm back from little vacation and there is a lot of think to read in the forum. exciting things.
but, sorry, I can't understand how did you make the animated lighting gradients... It's the third time I read the thread, but can't get it and the anme files still being a mistery for me.

can someone explain it for my hard head?

thanks!

synthsin75 · Post by **synthsin75** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 7:38 pm

Selgin,

In the example file, if you select the vector layer you'll see there are six points moved by the bone rig. If you translate any of those points, you'll find that each is actually four points scaled to zero. While you have one (or more) of these 'opened up', select through the shapes of the figure and background.

You will see that each of the figure's shapes include the three closer points (light points), and the background includes the three further points. This makes the gradients stretched across the whole area of each shape. Then changing that area by scaling and moving them with the bone rig, changes the 'lighting'.

I'm not sure if that helps explain it or not.

Post by **Víctor Paredes** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 7:52 pm

oh, thank you! now I understand. Tricky technique, but simple and smart.
uhm, I think I'll use it in my project right now.

thanks!

engine · Post by **engine** » Fri Dec 26, 2008 4:51 pm

Hi to All

I am newbie with Anima Studio and even after explanation
above still cannot make this trick to work.
I have following problem>

I do everything as said but when I move bone main shape moves as well ...not only gradient fill inside and zeroed points.

I would appreciate further help

thanks

heyvern · Post by **heyvern** » Fri Dec 26, 2008 6:17 pm

Make sure the layer is not bound to the bone. Make sure only the "extra" gradient points are bound to the bone. It helps to start from "scratch" until you get it working and understand it.

Can't say for sure what you've done wrong without seeing the file.

-vern