starfield not working in 3DS max

Posts

• Melak332 Posts: 0Member

  October 2009 #2

  

  Run Renderer Script window?
  Do you mean the video post editor? If so, the stacking of the events might be the problem.
• starshipdriver0 Posts: 0Member

  July 2012 #3

  I have 3D max 9 ans I find myself totally Unable to even load one of the Models into the program, any suggestions???
• Enterprais197 Posts: 124Member

  July 2012 #4

  

  3dsMax 9 is quite old now, use newer versions. Or ask somebody to export the model in *.obj format. Or *.3ds
• ttandc0 Posts: 0Member

  July 2012 #5

  wc5542 wrote: »

  i am an amateur 3D film maker. i use models from the site and make 3D vids (don't worry i have never posted a finished work anywhere and if i did i would properly cite the source of all models.) i have done numerous tutorials to make star field backgrounds for 3Ds max and the best way i have found is in the render editor (running rendering scripts to add a star field. and yes before you ask i did render it from the run render script window not the regular render) the problem is, when i render it seems to apply the star field just fine and it looks good, blur effect and all. the problem arises when i look at the finished pictures (or the compiled video) and the field never appears outside the run window. what am i missing???
  
  halp please

  
  I have been searching for a good star field in 3ds max for nearly a decade now and have yet to find a good solution. there are a few ways to make one but none that I have seen are any good when you start to move the camera. They are good for single shots but not animation. A terrible shutter effect appears, it has put me off sci fi almost completely as you can't make a good sci fi without space. Sorry that's not much help
• Melak332 Posts: 0Member

  July 2012 #6

  

  ttandc wrote: »

  I have been searching for a good star field in 3ds max for nearly a decade now and have yet to find a good solution. there are a few ways to make one but none that I have seen are any good when you start to move the camera. They are good for single shots but not animation. A terrible shutter effect appears, it has put me off sci fi almost completely as you can't make a good sci fi without space. Sorry that's not much help

  
  Take a look at http://lastjedioutpost.ru/?l=en&p=ky_milkyway this plugin. allows you to create 3D starfields, they support motion blur for animation etc
• ttandc0 Posts: 0Member

  July 2012 #7

  Melak wrote: »

  Take a look at http://lastjedioutpost.ru/?l=en&p=ky_milkyway this plugin. allows you to create 3D starfields, they support motion blur for animation etc

  
  
  Thanks Melak
  I get the feeling I've tried this one before many years ago and was not happy with the result but in case I'm thinking of some other plugin ( I've tried a lot ) I will try to install it again and see.
  
  hmmm it does not seem to want to work. I put the dlv. in the plugin folder but errors pop up when I try to start max. strange.
• ttandc0 Posts: 0Member

  July 2012 #8

  I have the plugin working now and am playing around with the settings but the flicker effect does not seem to be any better. but thanks for the suggestion Melak
  
  If anybody ever comes across a moving camera scene in space which does not have the flicker effect once the camera starts to move I'd love to take a look I have tried the video post method, effects method, large image on the inside of a sphere method and various plugins but all still seem to give the flicker effect once the camera starts to move.
• killakanz176 Posts: 112Member

  July 2012 #9

  

  I forget where I found it from but there is a very quick and simple way of making a really good 3D starfield in 3DS Max, without plugins, which I use all the time now:
  
  1) Open the material editor. On a new material, create a Cellular map on Diffuse.
  2) Leave the material editor open, and click Rendering from the main menu and click Environment. Drag the Material from the Material Editor onto the Environment Map button on the Environment and Effects window. (then drag it back to the same slot on the material editor to give you a 2D preview sample). Use 'instance' as the clone option.
  3) On the Material Editor, under Cellular Parameters, leave the black and white colours as they are, but set the grey to 50. Under that click 'Fractal' and set Iterations to 5.0, Size to 0.8 and Spread to 0.12. (you can adjust size and spread to get the look you want, just remember, small changes have a big difference there)
  
  Voila. One good looking 3D starfield which doesn't flicker when you're moving the camera around. Easy.
• ttandc0 Posts: 0Member

  July 2012 #10

  G'day Killakanz
  
  Thanks for your reply but sadly I have tried this way as well and still get the same flicker effect. These ways may look good but as soon as you start to rotate the camera you will be getting a flicker effect ( almost a blur effect ) to the stars or in this case cellular material.
  
  I have tried the
  Video post method
  Rendering effects method
  Material on the inside of a large sphere method
  environment map using cellular and even a gradiant ramp mix map
  and various plugins
  
  All seem to have the same flicker effect the second the camera starts to rotate bit of a bummer
• killakanz176 Posts: 112Member

  July 2012 #11

  

  Are you rendering at low resolution? I render at 1024x768 or higher and it comes out fine.
• Melak332 Posts: 0Member

  July 2012 #12

  

  the flicker is a result of aliasing. either up your samples, and/or render larger, or make the stars larger so they aren't single pixels
• ttandc0 Posts: 0Member

  August 2012 #13

  I'm rendering at the maximum anti aliasing with samples set at min 4 max 64 with output size of 1024 x 768 the flicker remains if you know of a way to stop this can you either post a video of the result on YouTube or similar or email me the scene in a max file?
• Avian203 Posts: 210Member

  August 2012 #14

  

  I'm assuming you've tried various AA filters as well? Avoid the sharper ones like Blackman or Catmull-Rom. If you find one works better than the others then you might want to do a separate render pass for the starfield and composite your other elements on top using your preferred AA filter for those. And can we assume you do have motion blur enabled for the starfield? If not then try various settings for the Image motion blur and/or switch to Object motion blur and see if that does anything.
  
  You might want to check various compression codecs & settings too. I've noticed differences when rendering directly to an .avi or .mov file within MAX versus rendering out .tga frames and assembling them in After Effects or some other program. However, while I can get great results in a quicktime movie or .avi, when uploading to YouTube or Vimeo - even in HD - I get flickering. Compression to flash formats is tricky and is often horrible for starfields.
  
  In the 1280x720 clip below I used a high-res NASA photo of the night sky mapped onto a sphere. The flicker is minimal in the 1st two scenes but noticeable in the 3rd (including some on the moon). But these are all artifacts of the YouTube compression. In the original video the flicker is non-existent.
  

  

  
  I've tried starfields like the KY_milkyway plugin mentioned by Melak. Since that is an added effect it doesn't respond to the AA filters and it's almost impossible to get rid of the flicker. I always use a high-res bitmap projected on a plane or sphere. That way I can better control the orientation, resolution, movement, etc.
• Melak332 Posts: 0Member

  August 2012 #15

  

  Textured starfields might indeed be the best option, I like mapping them to a sphere as well because it makes it easy to preview your scene, and they often also look better (more natural).
  
  using 4 / 64 sampling, with a regular 1x1 box filter, I get minimal visible flickering with a textured starfield.
  
  you will want to turn of the "jitter" option in the sampling settings though, you can imagine how sampling at randomized subpixel positions won't help flickering.
  
  have a look here: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/21007284/starfield/test.html
• Avian203 Posts: 210Member

  August 2012 #16

  

  Melak wrote: »

  ...you will want to turn of the "jitter" option in the sampling settings though, you can imagine how sampling at randomized subpixel positions won't help flickering.

  
  Great tip, Melak. Thanks! Sadly, that never occurred to me .