Some vector layers disappear in QT export

spindelmjuk · Post by **spindelmjuk** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 9:24 pm

Hi! I´m new to AS and have had quite a lots of problems but always managed to solve them thanks to this great forum. But now I have a problem I can´t figure out.

When I export my animation to quicktime some of my vector layers disappears? Everything looks fine in AS.

I have two bakgrounds I switch beetween, visible on and off and maybe this has something to do with the problem because the layers disapear in the exported movie after they have been on and off (not all layers disapear though). I do not have the same problem with png files. as long as they´re not to big and to many it works fine. - (I had many crashes on this issue and broken links before)

I thought maybe it has to do with the layers being in a group but some layers that arent is also disappearing. I cant see any logical explanation. Any ideas?

thanx

/cedmoy

synthsin75 · Post by **synthsin75** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 10:04 pm

What method are you using to change layer visibility?

What quicktime compression are you using?

heyvern · Post by **heyvern** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 11:19 pm

If you use transparency (opacity) to make layers "disappear" and transparency is turned off in the display settings the layers will not "disappear" in AS but WILL disappear in the export. To make a layer disappear you should use the "visibility" check box in the layer properties.

Group layers and masking also could be causing this. If masking is disabled in display settings the export will be different from the AS preview. Also masking that involves nested layers often does not display correctly in preview. You need to do periodic renders to make sure it is correct.

Switch layers may also be used to make layers appear and disappear. However if a layer inside a switch is selected it will be visible in preview even if it is not keyed to be visible in that switch.

Clicking the "eyeball" icon next to the layer is not an animated property. This will make layers not visible in preview and in export but... doesn't sound like the problem unless you click these layers on and off on frames expecting them to be "key framed".

I can't think of any logical reason for layers to not be visible when exported when they are visible in the AS preview. Need to see the project file if possible.

-vern

spindelmjuk · Post by **spindelmjuk** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 11:28 pm

I change visibility in the timeline. I know theres another way. switch layer? but havent used it.

i use sorenson video 3. have not thought it could have an effect but I will try some others. it works when you export as png.

heyvern · Post by **heyvern** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 12:05 am

spindelmjuk wrote:I change visibility in the timeline. I know theres another way. switch layer? but havent used it.

i use sorenson video 3. have not thought it could have an effect but I will try some others. it works when you export as png.

Doesn't make any sense. png is the "same" as QT as far as rendering goes. The codec should have no effect. A QT movie is just a series of images. I think "png" is even a format for QT export. Are you certain this is QT export? Flash export will definately make layers "disappear" if they aren't optimized or they have stuff in them not supported by Flash.

I suppose it could be a problem with your QT installation but I can't understand why that would make layers disappear.

I do know that some people had trouble in the past with HUGE GIGANTIC files that were all made up of HUGE image layers. AS choked on these and instead of rendering the images put in missing image icons instead. But this was obvious and was a memory issue.

Now I'm burning with curiosity. Wish I could see the file.

-vern

spindelmjuk · Post by **spindelmjuk** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 12:11 am

thanks for your quick answers!

I have tried all different QT compressors. I also tried avi. Nothing works. Strange that it works when exporting as a serie of PNG images though....

Looks like I will have to play the movie in AS and shoot my screen with a videocamera...

spindelmjuk · Post by **spindelmjuk** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 12:22 am

You are really quick

My internet connection is not very good right now. But maybe I could send you the file later if I dont get i to work.

And as you said - I´ve had those problems with memory choking and lost images in export, but after I got more memory and made the files a little lighter it worked.

I also changed some setting in QT - after a tip in this forum. Don´t know what i did really

or if it had an effect but since I haven´t had any probs until this one...

Genete · Post by **Genete** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 12:24 am

Recently it was discovered that some line segments were not rendered when the render engine thought that the whole segment was outside of the scope of the camera.
It happened in some target renders and not in others so it might explain it, but all the whole layer... kinda weird.

This is the thread:
viewtopic.php?t=12009
-G

spindelmjuk · Post by **spindelmjuk** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 1:27 am

interesting. but this is something else. I tried moving the layer and the camera in different ways with the same result. also one layer was already inside the camera view and it didn´t show anyway.

It seems like something that is happening before the frame is affecting the layers. changing background perhaps? even though the layers is under the affected layer. Although its 2D I even tried change the z parameter of the background to -0.0010 to be sure its not over the layer.

But I have come up with a solution to at least continue. when I export the movie from the frame where the layer appear its no problem. hm.

looks like I have to export the sequense in parts. I have to put it together in premier or something anyway. Irritating and time-consuming but I´ll live.

thanks again for all help!

synthsin75 · Post by **synthsin75** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 2:02 am

Since this problem doesn't seem to be ringing any bells for anyone, I'd assume it's user error somewhere. If you could post a very small sample of the problem file, I'm sure one of us would be able to sort it out.

F.M. · Post by **F.M.** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 4:23 am

If you can export as PNG sequence,then you should try using Quicktime to open as image sequence. Once Quicktime opens the sequence then save as movie. HTH

chucky · Post by **chucky** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 6:50 am

FM

If you can export as PNG sequence,then you should try using Quicktime to open as image sequence. Once Quicktime opens the sequence then save as movie. HTH

Woah I never tried that, it works great thanks for the tip FM.

heyvern · Post by **heyvern** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 6:51 am

I think I might have a possible explanation.

Rendering to QT involves storing the entire animation "in memory" till the very end of the rendering process. Rendering to a sequence of images means that once each image is done there is nothing being "stored" for later. This would be a QT issue or a system issue I suppose. I would think that AS has to follow "guidelines" for "assembling" a QT movie.

This issue came up in the Animation Master forum as well. It was a better more efficient use of system resources to render to image sequences because the application doesn't have to store and compile everything.

So my thought is that your file may still be too "big" or complex to both render AND keep it all together to create the final QT movie file. It could be that the memory needed to keep all the frames "open" until it's completed or written to the QT file format may be choking AS causing it to not render the layers.

Remember how AS renders, it renders each layer one at a time. If the memory gets choked or it slows down maybe it doesn't render a layer or something... just guessing.

This is all theory and conjecture but it sounds reasonable. Rendering to QT will take more resources than rendering to an image sequence. At the end of the day an image file and a frame of a QT movie are both the same, raster image format. QT just uses compression and wraps it up in a QT "container" for playback. AS is rendering the same way. QT isn't really a different image "format" like Flash is.

-vern