> Animation looks pretty good but I suggest posting mpegs so you
> can show us longer smoother animations without needing a massive
> file size.

I just got Animation Shop 3 and I'm still learning the ropes.  When
I get serious with multiple bikes and moving camera I'll do my best to
make it a nice mpeg.  This was just a test of the leading trail effect to
see if it worked or not and I liked it enough I wanted to share.

> Also, I'm not certain, but didn't the bikes in the movie have a little
> more animation when they cornered (I thought they leant slightly
> before turning)?

Off the game grid where they don't leave the light trails and aren't
making 90 degree turns, they do lean into the the turns but I'm
almost certain they don't on the game grid.  If they were to lean,
how would you match the light trail up with the rear tire?

There are some Light Cycle games out there that do have a leaning
effect in them though.  That may be what you are thinking of.

There are two other effects I've left out of this one.  In the movie
they simulated the wheels rotating by having a spoke in each wheel
that was fixed in place but flashed on/off from one frame to the next.
White lines that were fixed in place where also added to the trail
as it grew to help give that sence of motion.  I've now got both of
these effects added in the latest test I just posted here:

http://www.tron-sector.com/forums/default.aspx?do=top&id=274417

> don't have my DVD to hand so I can't check.

I'll dig mine out too but I'm pretty sure there is no leaning on the
game grid.

> The tail looks nice, it's one of my pet hates about the game
> Tron 2.0 is they used a crappy little texture for that so it looked
> totally wrong close up, but  yours looks nice :)

Thanks.  Mine is made using a spherical texture pattern centered
of the center of the rear wheel.  I wasn't sure how to make the
effect perfectly vertical like in the movie and have it continue
around the corners and look right.  Besides I sort of like them
better this way.  Call it a little artistic license.  One problem with
this effect though is if the bike ever traveled close enough to it's
own trail it with 'light up' the part of the trail that its traveling
next to in addition to the part that follows it.  I'm applying this
spherical texture pattern to the whole object and the light trail
for any one bike is just one big object.  Anyone have any
suggestions as to the best way to fix that and allow a bike to
travel close to its own trail.  I could break the animation up
and start it again with each bike having "old trail" and "new
trail" objects but my gut tells me there is a better solution then
that that wouldn't require me to manually piece together
different segments of the animation.  The solution just hasn't
hit me yet.

Thanks,
Carl

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