Wow! I'm really enjoying Particle Illusion! Thanks Padawan!

Vamp · Post by **Vamp** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 10:02 pm

I just downloaded a demo... It's so damn easy to use! I didn't even read a tutorial and I've created some nifty looking animations with multiple layers and emitter properties. Great stuff... Is there any way I can add a video clip to PI and add emitters over that?

But now the big question. Can 3D S Max create those effects looking just as good or better? Should I get a copy of 3D S Max and worry more about learning how to use that so I can use modeling, particle effects, animation etc in one program, or should I use PI just for the particles and 3DSMAx just for the modeling and animation?

I3lade203 · Post by **I3lade203** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 10:08 pm

3ds max can do so much more then PI, it can create stuff in it - worse , just as good, or better if you know what your doing. With 3DS max you can keep trying making new stuff as in PI you just have pre defiend effects, 3ds max is a lot more complicated as well though but it can also animaite models and stuff like that to - example if you wanted sort of a mini skelaton army you could create this in 3ds max Get the demo first see what you think

padawanNick · Post by **padawanNick** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 10:09 pm

Depends on what you mean by "better off."
You will have a much more versitile and marketable skill set (and be able to create many more complex effects) if you learn 3dMax inside out than if you just know how to make spiffy looking effects with PI.

While you're learning Max, though, you can still use PI to do spiffy effects until you figure out how to do them with Max

Have fun.

I3lade203 · Post by **I3lade203** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 10:11 pm

Yeah what padawnNick said you could do, fooling around in new programs after learning basics somtimes can work to lol I was bored one day and i made a pretty cool effect in 3ds max for the fun of it

Vamp · Post by **Vamp** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 10:31 pm

I used 3D S Max 4 a while back... I learnt a few things. Are later versions, namely 5, more user-friendly than R4? Is the learning curve just as steep?

Is 3D S Max a program you can learn just by playing around or do you need to read a thick manual?

Padawan, a question about PI

How do you create new particle effects from scratch?

I3lade203 · Post by **I3lade203** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 11:49 pm

I never used Version 4 i have version 6 and in PI i dont think you can make effects ,only use predefined ones

Vamp · Post by **Vamp** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 11:57 pm

Blade... Is it true I need a version of IE6 to run 3DsMax 6?

Does 6 work on Windows 98? Is the particle generator a good one? I wish I could get good at 3D S Max, than I'll have all the filmaking stuff I need

Premiere for editing

After Effects for compositing

3D S Max for Special Effects (CGI)

Cool Edit Pro for Audio Editing

sigh.

I3lade203 · Post by **I3lade203** » Tue Jan 20, 2004 12:28 am

Im not sure im running on windows xp , never tried 3ds max on anything else
Well if you want to make dvds, youll need a program like Adobe Encore DVD

lol but thats off topic

poonhead · Post by **poonhead** » Tue Jan 20, 2004 2:55 am

I just got Particle Illusion 3 and I like it. I have very little 3D experience, just Poser 5. But my beef with PI, is that you can't import Premiere DV AVI clips.... or can you? Like I said I'm new with this stuff.

I3lade203 · Post by **I3lade203** » Tue Jan 20, 2004 3:03 am

Im not sure i never used PI , dont you just drag and drop an effect on a black screen and use luminance key on premiere?

V|Esquilaxer · Post by **V|Esquilaxer** » Tue Jan 20, 2004 5:05 am

3dstudio max should work on Win98 (need IE 6, i think)... Where did you u get this PI? urL?

U.S.Amateurfilmaker · Post by **U.S.Amateurfilmaker** » Tue Jan 20, 2004 5:12 am

Hey, get combustion and you have Particle Illusion, video painting, chroma Keying, and general composting stuffed into one single program!

I3lade203 · Post by **I3lade203** » Thu Jan 22, 2004 12:05 am

Where did you u get this PI? urL?

I think you need to buy it

padawanNick · Post by **padawanNick** » Thu Jan 22, 2004 1:24 am

There's a free demo version for download.
The web site is www.wondertouch.com

Using only the demo program, (and some bryce animation) I put this crappy animatic together:
Havoc.avi (5.5 meg)
(All the smoke, fire and debris were done with the free PI demo.)

Have fun.

I3lade203 · Post by **I3lade203** » Thu Jan 22, 2004 1:29 am

looks pretty good, I could tell the fire was done in PI, id know that fire anywhere

U.S.Amateurfilmaker · Post by **U.S.Amateurfilmaker** » Thu Jan 22, 2004 1:45 am

You did that animation in BRYCE?! How? Looks more like max or lightwave to me.

I3lade203 · Post by **I3lade203** » Thu Jan 22, 2004 1:48 am

Yeah thats what i was thinking to, then again i have never seen a bryce animation

padawanNick · Post by **padawanNick** » Thu Jan 22, 2004 5:04 am

The full pipeline was to render the ship elements in Bryce and the particle stuff with PI.
Then compositing and post work was done in Media Studio Pro.
It's wierd, the thing thing that makes Bryce renders look so crappy is that they're too perfect. There's no video post in Bryce, so you get perfect, raytraced renders everytime.
The big thing that makes these shots "max-like" is the fact that I added a bit of blur and video noise to the Bryce stuff.
The close-up isn't even an animation. The engine is a still image that got tossed around with MSP.
Anyway, that's the deal. Just an animatic.

Have fun.