How would I go about doing this effect?

melloyello18 · Post by **melloyello18** » Thu Aug 03, 2006 11:21 pm

I want to have an overhead shot of a pool table and want someone to break and have all the balls go in all the pockets at once. I don't want to cut and edit but have it happen all in one shot. How would I do this aside from using CGI?

wildstorm · Post by **wildstorm** » Thu Aug 03, 2006 11:36 pm

Get a professional pool player to do that shot. Otherwise its gonna have to be done in CGI

rhys · Post by **rhys** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 7:17 am

Uh... theres like only cgi, unless u want to be lame and keyframe the balls to fall in the pockets with like premiere or something. Unless ur willing to get someone good enough. You should have the edits, that would be cool enough.

chrisgreen · Post by **chrisgreen** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 8:56 am

Jack up a leg on one side of the table, that way all the balls will role into the pocket when they are broken. But this will look a bit cr** and getting the balls to stay before you break them will be hard.

Jimbobsquarepants · Post by **Jimbobsquarepants** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 10:18 am

would stop motion work? although if you did that you wouldnt have motion blur on the balls. no do stop motion then use photoshop to fix it up

Epsilon · Post by **Epsilon** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 8:50 pm

Stop motion? It'll look like the singing raisens!

Why don't you just knock out a leg for real? Allow it to stop before it hits the ground, and all the balls will be pocketed.

rhys · Post by **rhys** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 1:15 am

Watch elektra, it has a scene with really good pool skills in it. Yeah, the stop motion would suck heaps. Im not sure how to actually get it to do that unless u change angles.

bloodymess · Post by **bloodymess** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 1:48 am

it would be much more simpler using cg; with a good raytracer, I'm sure you could get great results.

wildstorm · Post by **wildstorm** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 3:22 am

bloodymess wrote:it would be much more simpler using cg; with a good raytracer, I'm sure you could get great results.

Yep I agree and plus you could set up spline paths for each ball and apply a path constraint to them so when you play the animation, the balls will go into the pockets. Setup your lighting to match the live action plate and render away

Epsilon · Post by **Epsilon** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 3:31 am

Unless the animated motion is derived from an artifical gravity, drawing in the paths by hand may not follow the rules of physics perfectly. It is those small details that really sell the idea as believable.

wildstorm · Post by **wildstorm** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 3:38 am

Epsilon wrote:Unless the animated motion is derived from an artifical gravity, drawing in the paths by hand may not follow the rules of physics perfectly. It is those small details that really sell the idea as believable.

Yeah I was thinking about that. I have 3DS Max 8 and I was gonna say it could probably be done in reactor but there is no way of makin sure that every ball goes into the pocket so I figured drawing out spline paths would be sufficient.

There was a similar scene in Bewitched Starring Brenden Fraser and Elizebeth Hurley (who by the way is another hottie or should I say MILF) where there in the bar and she breaks and all of the balls go into the pockets? I don't know, I haven't watched that film in a while so correct me if I'm wrong.

rhys · Post by **rhys** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 3:46 am

http://www.kjun.org/homepag/jungal/1999/life03.jpg
Thats a nice pic of a billiard ball made in 3ds max, i would have no idea how to do it tho.

wildstorm · Post by **wildstorm** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 3:54 am

rhys wrote:http://www.kjun.org/homepag/jungal/1999/life03.jpg
Thats a nice pic of a billiard ball made in 3ds max, i would have no idea how to do it tho.

Looks like a sphere with texture map applied to it and to create the shine, reflection, whatever, they bumped up the glossiness levels, applied a falloff material in the reflection slot, and then a raytraced material and rendered with Mental Ray. There's a tutorial floatin around somewhere on the web.

Epsilon · Post by **Epsilon** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 8:14 am

That's pretty simple, really.

Jimbobsquarepants · Post by **Jimbobsquarepants** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 9:38 am

would u need camera matching software?

rhys · Post by **rhys** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 10:47 am

Uh... After effects can do that. And u dont really need a moving camera. 3ds max can do that too.

wildstorm · Post by **wildstorm** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 1:11 pm

Jimbobsquarepants wrote:would u need camera matching software?

Yes. The problem with using 3DS Max built in tracking program is that its outdated plus its hard to use. But you would only need to use a camera tracking program if the camera in the scene is moving but since this shot is an overhead shot, you don't need it.

rhys · Post by **rhys** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 1:24 pm

Agreed, there is no need what so ever. Unless someone bumps the camera, but if they do, break there legs.

wildstorm · Post by **wildstorm** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 1:31 pm

rhys wrote:Agreed, there is no need what so ever. Unless someone bumps the camera, but if they do, break there legs.

Or you could be nice and say "don't bump the camera" instead of being violent with them. lol

Epsilon · Post by **Epsilon** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 6:57 pm

Or do what most people do, flip out and go berserk on them.

wildstorm · Post by **wildstorm** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 7:00 pm

Epsilon wrote:Or do what most people do, flip out and go berserk on them.

Yeah in that case I'll have rhys take care of my light work if that happens lol

rhys · Post by **rhys** » Sun Aug 06, 2006 3:19 am

Or do what most people do, flip out and go berserk on them.

HURRAH!!!! I would have to agree with u there. lol!

Yeah in that case I'll have rhys take care of my light work if that happens lol

Oooooh yeah!!!!

Mr.Anderson · Post by **Mr.Anderson** » Sun Aug 06, 2006 4:58 am

hahaha cool. Rhys can be a hired goon. That could useful. You do have all those crazy weapons lol.

About the pool table shot.....go hustle up a poolshark for a few bucks at a bar somewhere. The only feasible way to pull that off is to do it for real. With so much motion to worry about, any little mistake would give it away if you tried to do it in editing.

bloodymess · Post by **bloodymess** » Sun Aug 06, 2006 5:01 am

heh, he's right, for a big glass o' fresh beer, i'm sure you can easily find someone if you're at the right place at the right moment... that is, if you're of a legal age to get into a bar!

wildstorm · Post by **wildstorm** » Sun Aug 06, 2006 5:36 am

rhys wrote:
Or do what most people do, flip out and go berserk on them.
HURRAH!!!! I would have to agree with u there. lol!
Yeah in that case I'll have rhys take care of my light work if that happens lol
Oooooh yeah!!!!

I knew you would be happy about that lol