X-Wing - 2/6/2007

Well fine. If Only we had a Magical Button than whenever anyone pressed it, five bucks would appear in my hand...

Oh, and you might have saved yourself from losing 97,314 coolness points if you had turned the words "Irony abounds" into a link. But since you didn't, you lose.
 
Very Cool Unit NavyDawg...Great Detail, well done :goodjob:

aaglo...as for spaceships having shadows...well since they are not out in space and flying just above the ground, they would have a shadow, same as any aircraft wouldn't they :)
 
Spacer One... True, in fact I was going to mention that but felt it was a "No Brainer"...if there is only Space and nothing to have a shadow on then shadows would if course not be indicated or needed. Other than the special space MODs, I assume most use these type units with their games that have land.
...simple enough to remove the shadows if they are not wanted and if shadows are needed, it would be far more difficult to add them than remove them...I suppose it is all a matter of exactly what game the unit is intended for.
 
Yeah, when space units have shadows, the space terrain looks "flat", and the whole illusion is lost. I've been manually c'n'ping the shadows out. It's not that hard, but it's tedious (and to think, all compositors do is this, manual picture work, :cringe: )
 
I agree that shadows on space terrain is not ideal. However, over traditional terrain, shadows are essential. Since I want these units to be universal, and 99.9% of mods do not use space terrain, this leaves me three options:

1. Render these units twice, one w/ shadows, one w/o- very time consuming, depending on the model
2. Cut and paste pixels in the storyboards - Tedious, time consuming, headache causing
3. Live with one version, dark shadows on black space terrain is not that bad. Plus, the unit needs shadows when it flies over a planet.

I'm going to stick with #3.
 
NavyDawg said:
I agree that shadows on space terrain is not ideal. However, over traditional terrain, shadows are essential. Since I want these units to be universal, and 99.9% of mods do not use space terrain, this leaves me three options:

1. Render these units twice, one w/ shadows, one w/o- very time consuming, depending on the model
2. Cut and paste pixels in the storyboards - Tedious, time consuming, headache causing
3. Live with one version, dark shadows on black space terrain is not that bad. Plus, the unit needs shadows when it flies over a planet.

I'm going to stick with #3.
Click to expand...


Good choice.;)
 
I agree with Choice #3...more practical.
There are faster methods than one frame at a time to remove the shadows if anyone wants to remove them.

Make a Palette that has Only the Shadows by removing all other colors from the palette, leaving the unit colors all Green for example. Pick a Color that is in the unit palette as a block out color ...usually Green or Red. This color is not used in the Unit anywhere.

Apply the shadow palette to the storyboard and maintain indexes which will leave only the shadows and background. The Unit will be colored a solid Green or Red. You can then erase all shadows that are around the unit because those are meant to be around the unit from anti-alias renders and they should be kept. Note: Enlarge the storyboard so you can flood fill the Frame Lines all Black. You will need to be able to see the Frame Lines for copy and paste procedures later.

After Erasing the shadows around the unit only by using magenta to paint them out, Change all the Green or Red Unit color to the same color as the background (Magenta), leaving only the Ground shadows and Black Frame Lines.

Change all of the ground shadows on the palette to all Red or Green. Save this storyboard as a different name..call it "shadow attack, shadow Default, etc..."
Open the Original Storyboard. Use a Rectangle to copy the Frames you want with the Frame Line included (Ctrl+C), four rows down and 5 or 6 across from your Shadow Storyboard, then paste them on the original storyboard. Use a "Floating Image" to paste...(in PSP this is Ctrl+Shift+E) Enlarge the Storyboard so you can see the Frame lines. Select Magenta which is the Background color as the "Background and fill Properties" so it will not be pasted.
This will paste only all Ground shadows a solid color, Red or Green and the Frame lines. The frame Lines will allow you to exactly line up the frames when you paste. The Floating Image will allow you to exactly line up the frame lines before setting the image.

After pasting all frames from your shadow storyboard, you then replace the Green or Red ground shadows with the Magenta Background color (Color Replacer Tool). Flood Fill the Black Frame Lines back to the original color used and you are finished. Generate the New Flc. Depending on how many frames were used in the animation, you can usually complete the copy and paste procedure with 4 to 8 copy and paste steps to complete the storyboard. This is faster than trying to do one frame at a time.

IF there were no shadow shades used around the unit, you could simple change all shadows in the palette to the background color (Magenta) and be finished without copy and paste procedures....it is only necessary to keep the shadow shades that are used around the unit when removing the ground shadows.
 
Usually space is dark enough for the shadows to not show up. I just don't care if spaceships have shadows period.
 
Ah well. I use a much darker one that's pure black space that's dotted with stars that's available on the Playground Mod. (forgot who made it though, but it was altered by Spacer One to match Warpstorm's watercolor terrain)
 
Blue Mafia...I didnt use anyones 'space" I made it for your terrain...its not hard, I just took all the water out bu pallet editing....

as far as the shodows, I find it easiest to remove them post production...rendering 2 units for the small amout of Sci-fi Mods seems a waste...
 
Spacer One said:
Blue Mafia...I didnt use anyones 'space" I made it for your terrain...its not hard, I just took all the water out bu pallet editing....
Click to expand...

Ah, so that's how you did it. I thought you used both of the terrains I gave you and melded them together.
 
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