Moho Forum

what I want to have:

some cloud that slowly appaers - like maybe the ghost off a bottle thing - and then stops still existing and than vanishing again like playing backward.
How to make things appear and disappear I know, but using particels I'm not able to let am start from a center point and end up in a circle that stays in that way until I want it to dissapier again.
When I tried the particels never formed a circle but moved to some direction - maybe just a liitle from the center but never in a circle. So I actually want them to start like a circle and this should just grow.

Or would you suggest better to work with different layers instead of particles?

And: is there a way to play parts of anmes backwards like I find in vid PRGs? I mean - the easiest way -: mark a certain part and then let it play backwards?

Is the ort of thing you mean?

http://www.polliefillers.com.au/forum/cloud.mov

It is a mov file very low quality.

D.K

DK wrote:Is the ort of thing you mean?

http://www.polliefillers.com.au/forum/cloud.mov

It is a mov file very low quality.

D.K

yes, but only something like this. I guess it's just the shape that you moved in and out.
Actually I wanted it to make with particels but they won't last in the final stage - they fade out right away. I would like to fade the particles in - stop for a certain time with the last look so they keep that complex view - then after a while fade out beginning with this complex view and vanished.

What you show is probably I'll end up with - I'm that far that tey start fine and develop (evolve?) but when they reach the peak they fade - right in that moment where I want 'em to stay.

I loaded a bit up here:

http://youtu.be/pW7jhlFmx7o

Can't use my side - got probs with the FTP; so it's on YouTube

the woman also fades in later shortly after the clouds (the shadow actually) had started - just didn't want to hazle around too much.

Lemme know when you've seen it so I can delete it.

And sorry for the size - forgot to compress.

Got another prob, too -mybe you can help.

When I use text with huge letters I have a serious prob - on the working screen I see a beautiful red but rendered it looks kinda blured or rather washed out. Understand what I mean? It seems that this happens only with text but that's bad enough

I've tried different BG colours but am still not satisfied at all. I even tried to cover the text when it moved to the end size and position with a png.

Know a solution?!?

I used to take blue in the project settings as bg, but had better results in some case using pure white. I guess it depends on the surroundings.

Finally I haven't found a solution for the text-prob yet.

viewtopic.php?t=21288&start=0&postdays= ... highlight=

MustJee

Ok.... I see what you mean. You want thre clouds to stay for longer.
The particles looke like they reset after 24 frames or so.... Can you make a longer lifespan for the particles in the particle settimgs? Say for 100 frames?
See if that works.

D.K

Many times, fade out doesn't look good with particles. I prefer to make them reduce the size to zero.
Check this file:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/54411/AS8/forum/nube_01.anme

DK wrote:Ok.... I see what you mean. You want thre clouds to stay for longer.
The particles looke like they reset after 24 frames or so.... Can you make a longer lifespan for the particles in the particle settimgs? Say for 100 frames?
See if that works.

D.K

I set it in that file to 0 which means no end at all.

Anyway - I got the prob solved by manipulating the (have to look what it is in the English version - working with a German one) … awright: motion graph in the timeline.

Now it works as I want it to - all there's left: after stopping (rather: pausing) the shadow(clouds) they keep adrifting to the left, very slowly … but I wanted to stop them right where the woman starts and then starting again fading out.

If this could be solved …

Actually I could do it the way you first mentioned twas my first thought, too. But I love to learn this AS and particles up to now were very frustrating … so I had a good reason to learn about it more. I think it's unnecessary complicated for what I wnt to do … but I learned a lot today
Thanx for your help, man.

selgin wrote:Many times, fade out doesn't look good with particles. I prefer to make them reduce the size to zero.
Check this file:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/54411/AS8/forum/nube_01.anme

good idea - that's the way a actually start them. I just call it fade in/out for that's what it looks like.
So I guess I'll also end it up. Maybe that will solve my last prob that the shadow still keeps moving a little aside when it's pausing.

Now I'm going to look at your anme.

MustJee wrote:So I guess I'll also end it up. Maybe that will solve my last prob that the shadow still keeps moving a little aside when it's pausing.

Now I'm going to look at your anme.

Go to the particle layer proprieties and set zero to velocity value (it's 0.05 right now)

selgin wrote: Go to the particle layer proprieties and set zero to velocity value (it's 0.05 right now)

Ooops, couldn't open it saying "newer version". I'm using 8, your's must be 8.1

Anyway: your clouds "fade" looks very pretty in the gif: the vanishing like an explosion - how did you make this with just one cloud? Is it the "Scatter Brush Tool Options"?
And if you look at your gif: just when the cloud has reached the full size it moves for a few frames a tiny bit to the right. That is exactly what happens when I want my cloud to rest!
So I don't know yet how to exactly fit it with the look of the last frame starting to rest - my last "cloud" prob I hope.

Maybe I really should do it in the easier way - getting tired

The file is simpler than you think.
Check the vector layer, it's just a circle which increase and decrease its size. All the rest is work of the particle layer: look at its proprieties, all velocity values are in zero, that avoids any movement.

The cloud in version 7:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/54411/AS8/forum/nube_v7.anme

selgin wrote:The file is simpler than you think.
Check the vector layer, it's just a circle which increase and decrease its size. All the rest is work of the particle layer: look at its proprieties, all velocity values are in zero, that avoids any movement.

The cloud in version 7:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/54411/AS8/forum/nube_v7.anme

Hi Selgin,
thanx for the anme for that is always the way to find out.

Am too tired now after 10 hours working - but I'll tell you tomorrow.


MustJee

Hi Selgin,

This is exactly and perfectly what I wanted!!! And I wasted - learned - more than 10 hours on getting it done.

selgin wrote:The file is simpler than you think.

you're perfectly right

selgin wrote:Check the vector layer, it's just a circle which increase and decrease its size. All the rest is work of the particle layer: look at its proprieties, all velocity values are in zero, that avoids any movement.

I was thinking so and that's the reason why I badly wanted to use particles instead of simple vector layers.
This particle feature turns out to be very strong thought it's a little difficult to understand - all manuals are in English (am working for myself on a German one for I doan know if Smith Micro is interested; but translating gets me deeper into it …).

Even my last question I wanted to put on you is now obsolete (extend the stop between frames 30-60 from now 2 secs now to maybe 10-15 secs): your anme itself showed me the way.

By the way: D.K., it's a very good idea to post examples like your gif - for many mistakes happen misunderstanding each other like you saw: looking at your gif I could explain what I exactly wanted to do.

And for a help that can be worked with right away the idea using an anme as example of course is best - it can be taken, changed according to one's needs.

Lots of thanxxxx to both of you - you saved me hours if not days burning my brain and I'm really happy: you made my day

And, D.K.: that really was worth 5$

MustJee

I love Selgins cloud dissolve so I combined it with my first cloud attempt and used it as a mask to break the cloud up at the end. This would make a great explosion effect!

http://www.polliefillers.com.au/forum/cloud2.mov

Cheers
D.K

DK wrote:I love Selgins cloud dissolve so I combined it with my first cloud attempt and used it as a mask to break the cloud up at the end. This would make a great explosion effect!

It does

One question (am sure it's lie) left: I want to use a layer shadow that doesn't go into a certain direction but surrounds the whole shape. 'til yet I've done it with copies of the layer and gave each a different direction.

But since I saw Selgin's »simple« way I'm sure that there's also a better solution - with just one layer. Is there?

In your main layer set your shadow expansion to a high number to get the shadow to surround the whole cloud, use the alpha settings to make the shadow transparent if you wish and also blur if you want a feathered edge.

Cheers
D.K