Bob,
  Thanks for your help in both replies.
Here are the object and camera coordinates that I'm working with right now.

camera location <0, 15, -6>
        look_at < 0, 15, 0>

object position #1 <8, 12, -8>//starting position
        position #2 <-45, 12, 50>//crossing from right to left in front 
of camera as it travels into the distance.
        position #3 < 0, 50, 60>
        position #4 <45, 12, 50>//pos#2, #3 & #4 should make an arch 
going across from left to right.
        position #5 <-8, 12, -8>//ending the path just outside of camera 
view on left.

I understand how to use (From, Using, & To) for the movements, but the 
spline/path is giving me problems now. Also, if I can figure out the 
spline coordinates, I might just close the end of the path closest to 
camera and have a full figure8, keeping everything in front of the 
camera. I can get straight lines and curved lines but now crisscrossing 
lines or figure 8 yet.

Thanks again for the help,
Les




bob h wrote:

> "Les Patterson" <les### [at] txcybercom> wrote in message
> news:3C5### [at] txcybercom...
> 
>> Antialias=Off
>> 
>> Antialias_Threshold=0.1
>> Antialias_Depth=2
>> Input_File_Name=Fly.pov
>> 
>> 
>> Output_File_Path=C:\My Documents\PovAnimation
>> 
>> Initial_Frame=1
>> Final_Frame=50
>> Initial_Clock=0
>> Final_Clock=1
>> 
>> Cyclic_Animation=on
>> Pause_when_Done=off
>> 
>> Will this work?
>> Les
>> 
>> This animation will be an aircraft flying around in the scene, but so
>> far I haven't been able to get the object rotation values to work right.
> 
> 
> A bit delayed response from me but there isn't a Output_File_Path= (unless
> someone added it without me realizing it. No, I checked the v3.5 docs, there
> isn't).  You use Output_File_Name= for the path and leave off the file name
> if you just want the scene file name to prefix onto the frame files.  Or you
> can use the full path plus name different from your scenes name too.
> 
> Output_File_Name=C:\My Documents\PovAnimation\
> 
> or
> 
> Output_File_Name=C:\My Documents\PovAnimation\fly.pov
> 
> is what you want to be using.
> 
> bob h

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"Les Patterson" <les### [at] txcybercom> wrote in message
news:3C5### [at] txcybercom...
> Bob,
>   Thanks for your help in both replies.

Welcome to whatever I can manage to help with.

> I understand how to use (From, Using, & To) for the movements, but the
> spline/path is giving me problems now. Also, if I can figure out the
> spline coordinates, I might just close the end of the path closest to
> camera and have a full figure8, keeping everything in front of the
> camera. I can get straight lines and curved lines but no crisscrossing
> lines or figure 8 yet.

That movement you have set up is probably uneven.  The spline path will yank
the airplane around through it as though on the end of a snapping whip, well
what I mean is that the interploation of points between won't be very
steady.  Of course you would like acceleration and deceleration I'm sure but
you must be careful how you set the points up.  The spacing between them
should relate to speed, i.e. shorter spacings are slower and longer spacings
are faster.  There's been a lot done in the way splines are calculated
within POV-Ray but Chris Colefax's generator macro is external and I can't
remember how it goes about it.  Would be obvious once you've rendered out
the animation and viewed it.
3D graphing paper (nonexistant I guess :-)) would be perfect for planning
such things out.  A figure-8 wouldn't be a problem anyway, it shouldn't
tangle up.  ;-)

bob h

Post a reply to this message

Bob,
  I'm still pretty new at Pov and it takes time for some of these things 
to set in to the old brain. Old age I guess. I'm going to play with the 
spline points for a while till I get it all worked out.
  Thanks again for your help,
Les

bob h wrote:

> "Les Patterson" <les### [at] txcybercom> wrote in message
> news:3C5### [at] txcybercom...
> 
>> Bob,
>>   Thanks for your help in both replies.
> 
> 
> Welcome to whatever I can manage to help with.
> 
> 
>> I understand how to use (From, Using, & To) for the movements, but the
>> spline/path is giving me problems now. Also, if I can figure out the
>> spline coordinates, I might just close the end of the path closest to
>> camera and have a full figure8, keeping everything in front of the
>> camera. I can get straight lines and curved lines but no crisscrossing
>> lines or figure 8 yet.
> 
> 
> That movement you have set up is probably uneven.  The spline path will yank
> the airplane around through it as though on the end of a snapping whip, well
> what I mean is that the interploation of points between won't be very
> steady.  Of course you would like acceleration and deceleration I'm sure but
> you must be careful how you set the points up.  The spacing between them
> should relate to speed, i.e. shorter spacings are slower and longer spacings
> are faster.  There's been a lot done in the way splines are calculated
> within POV-Ray but Chris Colefax's generator macro is external and I can't
> remember how it goes about it.  Would be obvious once you've rendered out
> the animation and viewed it.
> 3D graphing paper (nonexistant I guess :-)) would be perfect for planning
> such things out.  A figure-8 wouldn't be a problem anyway, it shouldn't
> tangle up.  ;-)
> 
> bob h

Post a reply to this message