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Activity Forums Zaxwerks Matte Coloring

  • Matte Coloring

    Posted by Cody Wright on April 6, 2009 at 12:50 am

    Hey guys,

    I really want to use the Matte Coloring feature in ProAnimator, but I’m not sure how it works. I’ve applied the correct material, the Matte material, to the faces I need to become transparent. I want the object to swoop by and uncover a video, but I just can’t seem to be able to get that to work. What am I doing wrong?

    Thanks.

    Edward Wu replied 17 years, 1 month ago 2 Members · 3 Replies
  • 3 Replies
  • Edward Wu

    April 7, 2009 at 6:51 pm

    Hi Cody,

    When you apply a matte material onto an object, it doesn’t quite make the object transparent, but rather it’s as if you applied the background color/texture onto the object. So, in your scenario, if you apply the Matte material onto an object, it can mask out an object that is hiding behind it. As you move the object with the matte away, it will uncover the video for you.

    Part of the confusion too is that the Matte coloring doesn’t show up in the ProAnimator interface unless you do a test render frame, or the real render. You will just see the object with a gray material applied. To do a test render, hold the control (command on Mac) key, and the “Render Movie” button will become a “Test” button. When you use a test render frame, you can see how the matte coloring works.

    Hope this helps you out.

    Best,
    Edward

  • Cody Wright

    April 9, 2009 at 11:44 pm

    I still don’t get how it works. The object I’m using is facing foreward, with the matte material applied to the back of it. The object spins so that the back of the object is facing the camera. That’s when the object should uncover a video.

    I just don’t get how that’s supposed to happen.

  • Edward Wu

    April 10, 2009 at 6:02 pm

    Hi Cody,

    Reverse the process you have right now, and that will probably help you out. If you have the matte material applied on the front of the object, it will mask out the video at the beginning of your animation. Then, move the object away, and it will “uncover” the video.

    Best,
    Edward

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