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How can I add shadows to these particles?
I’m working in Motion 3.
What I’ve done is to use some of the supplied content files and modified them. I grabbed the Demographic People project, where cute little guys with abstract body shapes and ball-shaped heads in different colors pop into place to build a crowd, as a camera move sweeps across the crowd.
I replaced the actual abstract-looking demogram figure as the particle source with the .mov file of “people”, also from the content section of Motion 3, and tweaked the frame hold rate so the crowd spawns in an apropriate and random-looking way. So far, so good. Now the file works the same as original, but the shapes look like real people silhouettes.
The original camera move looks pretty good with this. But my popping people seem flat because they don’t cast a shadow of any kind, not even a drop shadow. A control panel for that doesn’t even appear in the inspector. I’m guessing something about my particle source being a .mov file is the reason for that? Is there a work-around I can apply to the particle generator that would give each particle a shadow?
I’d also like an opinion or suggestion on another part of this project I won’t get to ’til later.
Later in the spot, I’m going to keyframe a crane-like move of the camera (Johnny LaRue would be impressed) to swoop up and look down on the crowd of particle people, to reveal they are standing on a giant client logo on the “floor”. What I’m looking for is a way to mask out or modify the particle emitter to leave an empty “donut hole” in the center of that crowd, so that the logo is less obscured by the figures. I don’t have a good idea yet of what the best strategy is to cut a “hole” in an emitted particle crowd like that.
Any hints?
As always, thanks for everyone’s input.
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23 Replies
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Motion 4 can do it real fast for you. You are on Motion 3 right?
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Stephen Smith
Utah Video ProductionsCheck out my Motion Training DVD
Check out my Motion Tutorials
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Your best solution is to upgrade to Motion 4 which has shadows (and depth of field for that matter). Cost is $299 – how much is your time worth to try to fake it in Motion 3?
—
Mark Spencer
Freelance Producer/Editor/Motion Graphics Artist
Apple-certified Master Trainer
Author, Motion 4 from Peachpit Press
https://www.applemotion.net -
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Okay, I got an answer on how to do it. Give me a few minutes to write it out.
Stephen Smith
Utah Video ProductionsCheck out my Motion Training DVD
Check out my Motion Tutorials
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Motion 3 is all I’ve got for this.
Sorry if the image response was a bit terse, it’s been a month of many MANY unforseen personal expenses, and asking for money for upgrades is a sore point in my shop, seeing as we’re 13 BILLION dollars in the red this year, I’m lucky just to have a job.
So yeah, I have to make do with what’s on hand.
Is there a way to create a clone of the generated particles, color them all gray, and rotate them in space to fake the shadows? Maybe render them out as a separate pass and layer/group?
Failing that, any ideas are still most welcome on the second half of the problem; cutting a hole in the middle of my field of people to keep the logo area free of particles? Is there a geometry setting that would emit in a donut-shaped range? Or a way to mask the area? Maybe if I make two passes, a floor layer pass, and a complete composite pass, and set up a wipe in FCP?
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In the Demographic Crowd locate the demogram layer. Its name may have been changed. Anyways, it is the layer that is the Particle Source. It will be disabled. Create a new group and put it in the group. Enable it so you can see it. Duplicate the layer and then change its X rotation so it is on the floor. You may wan to to mess with the Y rotation as well. Make sure it lines up with the bottom of the layer by moving its position. It will look like a very hard drop shadow. Feel free to drop it’s opacity and add a Gaussian Blur.
Next, select the Emitter and select the Emitter tab. Scroll to the bottom and you will see a particle source well. Drag the new group into the well and every icon has a drop shadow. Hope I made enough sense. Best of luck and hope this helps.
Stephen Smith
Utah Video ProductionsCheck out my Motion Training DVD
Check out my Motion Tutorials
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Sorry, forgot one step. Add a Levels filter to the “demogram” layer that has become the shadow. In the Filters tab you will have a gradient from black to white. With a triangle on the black side and another triangle on the white. Move the White triangle all the way to the black one and it will make your drop shadow black.
Stephen Smith
Utah Video ProductionsCheck out my Motion Training DVD
Check out my Motion Tutorials
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Does your Momma know how much you ROCK, dude? I must be osmosing some of your talent because I was just about to ask if there wasn’t some way to simply mirror the particle output in the vertical axis and place it feet-to-feet with the original in a blend mode.
Any brain waves on the “donut hole” problem?
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Progress!
see:
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Mark,
Very cool! Thanks for sharing, it’s looking great!Stephen Smith
Utah Video ProductionsCheck out my Motion Training DVD
Check out my Motion Tutorials
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