[Nick Pitcavage]

ya, it helps. the reason I see the interlacing is because I have 1080 LCD monitors. I am not sure how obvious the interlacing would be on the projector screens, projecting through HD projectors, but maybe that will be the next test.

I can illuminate the scaling of the media, and frame rate for sure. But the frame size…? I am using 1920 X 1080.

I will check the field order.

[Nick Pitcavage]

I am using 29.97 Progressive because that is the frame rate of the EX cams we shoot with.

Maybe I am doing something wrong when I export interlaced renders, but it is always glaringly obvious that the frames are interlaced.

I am currently exporting a version with motion blur to see if that helps at all.

[Nick Pitcavage]

I see, so it comes down to finding a speed for the horizontal animation, that looks smooth on playback?

My final output is on projector screens, via Pro Video Player, Pro Video Sync and a Spyder system. The software bundle handles .mov files and allows you to play them on a “playlist” and it allows you to arrange video creatively on multiple screens.

https://vistasystems.net/product_tour.asp
https://www.renewedvision.com/pvs.php

I’m going to keep researching on this and try to find a solution.

[Nick Pitcavage]

Thanks Dave and Steve, I’ve been researching this all day, and did come across the “judder” info. I am just now getting into that.

Is there a “quick an easy” to make the objects seem smooth (to combat the judder)?

I usually use PhotoJpg at about 65%. My final output is to a projector in an auditorium, so, quality is important, but the screens are a little more forgiving than LCD or Plasma.

[Nick Pitcavage]

I am having the same issue with After Effects, using:
1080
29.97
Progressive
When I render the file, I use PhotoJpg at 50%

I actually have about 200 photos moving from right to left, going with the lyrics of a song, during the verse. There are also rays in the background with the “Shine” effect on them playing through out the entire composition.

There are particles during the chorus only, and text masked on during the chorus only. The particles, text and rays play fine, with no glitches or jitters, but as soon as I render the photos with the composition, it jumps, stutters and jitters.

Does anyone have a work-around to this problem?

I am trying various codecs and settings today to try to fix this issue.

[Nick Pitcavage]

Jacob, thanks for the insight.

Can you explain the ‘Beam’ effect a little more?
I’ll have to research it a little, sounds like it could’ve worked here.. although, my cables are already mounted and the signs are just rocking in place…

I did get the expression to work. Just some basic oversight on my part. The interesting thing is that I had to use FIVE times as much movement for the sign to stay in the proper place.

so the final script looks like:

x = (thisComp.layer(‘Chord02/simpleChristmasMG.psd’).transform.zRotation)*-5;

value + [x,0,0]

I still am a little unsure what “x =” and “value + [x,0,0]” are exactly.

[Nick Pitcavage]

I am quite the opposite. I can think of many ways to do this stuff in 3d, but when it comes to AE, I have to re-train my mind to think in a different space. I love the flexibility and ability to maneuver through your workspace in Maya, for example. I with AE was a little easier to move around inside the 3d layers.

Back to the sign project…

I got it to work FLAWLESSLY with tracking… the problem is all the time it takes to track. yikes!

I am resorting to the expression pick whip and running into some problems.

I got the basic pick whip thing, but when I apply the ROTATE of the chord to the POSITION of the sign, the sign doesn’t move at all. (yes, ‘X’ is the correct axis for my sign to move)

I used this:
x = (thisComp.layer(“cables”).transform.zRotation)*-1;

value + [x,0,0]

and I understand the basic expression, but what does this mean?

value + [x,0,0]
and why do you use x = at the very begining?

[Nick Pitcavage]

I like where you are going with that, but it sounds like some more complex scripting would be involved…

I think I am a pretty fair animator and for this type of animation, I could pull it off with out physics…

I would like to learn how to do this in AE just for more complex comps tho. Can you give just a little more detail on how difficult this is in AE? I could do it in Maya, but it’s overkill for some projects.

PS. This is in it’s own 3d comp, just for flexibility if nothing else.

[Nick Pitcavage]

very helpful… this is what I was looking for.

So the pickwhip allows you to connect certain values of one layer to certain values of another layer/or the same layer?

and -1 always cancels out that value?

I appreciate the help, and yes, if I wanted the sign to swing front to back, parenting would have worked fine.

[Nick Pitcavage]

I’ve been thinking about this a little more while the tracker is analyzing…

I suppose I could’ve parented the sign to cable-01 and then just keyframes the rotation of the sign so it always appears parallel to the ground…

That is pretty simple, but it is extra keyframes.
That still leaves the problem with cable-02 tho. I guess I could have just copy and pasted the keyframes from cable-01, but again, extra keyframes…

This is a simple exercise, I guess I was just thinking ahead to a more complex comp where it would be handy to have these elements relationships automated…