[Plugin] Smoothstep Animation

Pixero

I still thinks my idea in my post on page one in this thread is both doable and would be the best way of using keyframes and inbetweens in SketchUps current animation implementation. That way you could go back to only the keyframes if you want to edit the animation and still get a scene per frame for rendering the animation.

Fletch

@kb said:

Both Vray and current Skindigo won't render the face me components correctly

SU2KT lets you export animations via scene tabs, and can include or exclude face-mes depending on your desired outcome.

facer

Help Note for use of:
smoothStepAnim.rb - 0904_05apr_jpeg to avi
Working with image sequences - using VirtualDub to convert jpeg images to avi.

Following on from Whaat's usage notes item #3:
smoothStepAnim.rb
by Whaat on Tue Oct 07, 2008 4:18 am
Usage:
3) Plugin can export single frames only. The images must be joined into a movie format using other software (eg. VirtualDub)

VirtualDub
http://www.virtualdub.org/blog/pivot/entry.php?id=34
Working with image sequences

Time to actually post something for users and not just developers.

To reading a series of numbered images as a video stream
use File > Open video file... and select the first image. VirtualDub will automatically step the filename and find any sequentially numbered frames after the starting file. You can open BMPs and TARGA files this way. Starting with VirtualDub 1.6.0, you can also sequential JPEGs and single files. In 1.6.2, you can also open non-interlaced PNG. Once the sequence has loaded, use Video > Frame Rate to set the correct frame rate for the sequence.

To exporting a video segment as a sequence of numbered images
on disk in VirtualDub, use File > Save Image Sequence. What you may not know is that nearly all of the regular video processing modes are still enabled in this mode. This includes video format, frame rate decimation/conversion, filtering, etc. modes. In particular, if you only want to write out every fifth frame in the video, simply set frame rate decimation to "every 5" and you will only get 1/5th of the frames. Similarly, if you are writing out BMPs, you probably want to use no video compression and a normal video format such as 24-bit RGB. (That VirtualDub allows you to write out something silly like MPEG-4 compressed "BMPs" is actually a misfeature that I need to fix.) For the most part, though, what you see in the preview is what will get written out to disk as images.

Side note:
It isn't well known, but VirtualDub uses the exact same pipeline for all of its rendering operations. That includes AVI, WAV, and image sequence output, as well as... preview. The primary differences are whether certain outputs are disabled and whether the frame limiter is enabled. I spent a long time ago optimizing the pipeline to overlap I/O and CPU utilization and reduce synchronization overhead for better real-time preview; when you save to disk, the limiter is kicked out and you get the benefits of that work in faster rendering.
20 comments | Dec 30, 2004 at 20:05 | default

Additional topic - jpeg images to avi - questions
can be viewed at:
http://www.virtualdub.org/blog/pivot/entry.php?id=34
pmolson posted 2007 Jun 15 00:14
"photo slide show" (converts jpg frames to avi)

facer

I support Dan's suggestion above (10 Feb 09) about numbering image files on export.
I did a small test which resulted in 160 frames exported. I had to re-number
61 frames to allow VirtualDub to read them in correctly. This would make a typical
building file unmanageable for video software as VirtualDub.

I have attached my CHECK Note for anyone who has not tried it before.
This is my process for a SunTool Video TEST.

Process:
The following video used these key SketchUp plugins:

SunTool - http://tx.technion.ac.il/~arrguedi/SunTools/dwnld_after_reg/STdwnld.htm
Scenes Transition Times - scenes_transition_times.rb - by http://morisdov.googlepages.com
Export smooth Animation - smoothStepAnim.rb - by Whaat

Process used on a TEST SketchUp Model with SunTool set for the month of Sept 21

Jpeg images of views are exported using Export smooth Animation. These have to be re-numbered as they are not numbered to maintain the "number width" as required. For example images0035 image0036 etc when 1000 frames are exported. This is a nuisance but it has been pointed out by Dan to Whaat the Ruby programmer. Hopefully this will be addressed in a future update.
Scenes were created for:
scene1. Sept 21 - 0800 (start)__scene2. Sept 21 - 0900
scene3. Sept 21 - 1200__scene4. Sept 21 - 1500 (end)

These correspond to shadow studies for one of the months and dates set by the local town planning authority hear in Melbourne.

Layers are used to turn off the sun location graphics produced by SunTool for times not in the scene. Therefore each SCENE shows only the sun location for
the time corresponding to the shadow turned on.

Transition times are set using the Scenes Transition Times plugin. This plugin allows quick comparisons VISUALLY for different time settings for each scene.
Exported jpeg images using Export smooth Animation and assign all to one folder - CHECK number sequencing to maintain "number width" (refer note above).
Using VirtualDub:
http://www.virtualdub.org/

1.File>open video file
select files of type - image sequence >select first file > open
Files are imported and images should display in VirtualDub window.
1. Video > compress (compress file size)
2. File > save as AVI ( compressed AVI)
  1. Video Completed.

Stray

I made a small change to Whaat's code so it pads the filenumbers with leading zeroes, I hope you don't mind.

Just change this line (line 107):

@image_path=File.join(@export_path,@filename+"#{@frame}"+".#{@format.downcase}")

to this:

@image_path=File.join(@export_path,@filename+"#{@frame.to_s.rjust(10, '0')}"+".#{@format.downcase}")

Thanks for the plugin Whaat! Best regards.

A very slightly modified version of Whaat's Smoothstep Animation script that pads the output filenames with zeroes for better sorting.

driven

Hi

I've been trying this out and had two very different results re: output quality (they're both up on youtube, link to one here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMRfjRsIQ7g&layer_token=9015d6617d71c051

the first was made was made manually from 12 layers containing 12 instances (re-named) at 15º of rotation, made using xformclone.rb (fantastic...)

I tranfered this at (640x480 12 fps jpg >1) into iStopmotion so I could remove the 6-8 dead frames between each layer swop, I also batch cropped, and did a half speed test by dropping more frames, I'm very happy with the results...

the 2nd was a linear motion test with a single incident component (but much hire poly-count), on only one layer. Steps were achieved using mover.rb and tying the object to and the green axis with the rotate tool, scroll wheel clicks were used for spacing... the movement look acceptable on screen but SU frose when transferring at the previous settings... I turned the frame rate up... and then down... crashed SU... I removed xformclone and standard views just in case, sill frose during transfer, I then stripped out the clip, used your default settings and finally got a set out..

Each try did output jpgs, all of equally bad quality, any thoughts?

I tend to think that more organised layering(with sub folders) will always give a better quality result, if you take out the lag or play to it.
I haven't tried out putting with proper_animation.rb yet as I needed to get my head around the basic functionality of using scenes first.

Anyway I was very impressed with output quality on the first one and for any mac user iStopMotion and iMovie make post-production and posting to YouTube a breeze..

cheers
john

16KB

12KB

rickymon

Hey guyz

I know this is an old thread, but just for you to know...

Was looking for a plugin to animate objects, and I found Properanimation.rb by morisdov
This is a very cool plugin but did not have any way to export, native SU export engine did not support it. There are hughe threads about this issue, other people was considering to make screencapture videos, or get fancy external render engines.

But guess what...?

Smoothstep Animation not only exports smooth camera scenes, it also recognizes all Properanimation.rb animations.....!!!!

So if you are looking for a cool tool to animate objects, try both plugins
Properanimation.rb + SmoothstepAnim.rb

Uploading utube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UL6tnTvphAE
Done

jcdb

Created with Smoothstep Animation

rombout

@rickymon said:

Hey guyz

I know this is an old thread, but just for you to know...

Was looking for a plugin to animate objects, and I found Properanimation.rb by morisdov
This is a very cool plugin but did not have any way to export, native SU export engine did not support it. There are hughe threads about this issue, other people was considering to make screencapture videos, or get fancy external render engines.

But guess what...?

Smoothstep Animation not only exports smooth camera scenes, it also recognizes all Properanimation.rb animations.....!!!!

So if you are looking for a cool tool to animate objects, try both plugins
Properanimation.rb + SmoothstepAnim.rb

Uploading utube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UL6tnTvphAE
Done

but how did you get to export all geometry, cause i thought he said i could only export images???

rickymon

@rombout said:

@rickymon said:

Hey guyz

I know this is an old thread, but just for you to know...

Was looking for a plugin to animate objects, and I found Properanimation.rb by morisdov
This is a very cool plugin but did not have any way to export, native SU export engine did not support it. There are hughe threads about this issue, other people was considering to make screencapture videos, or get fancy external render engines.

But guess what...?

Smoothstep Animation not only exports smooth camera scenes, it also recognizes all Properanimation.rb animations.....!!!!

So if you are looking for a cool tool to animate objects, try both plugins
Properanimation.rb + SmoothstepAnim.rb

Uploading utube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UL6tnTvphAE
Done

but how did you get to export all geometry, cause i thought he said i could only export images???

U can make a video out of a sequence of images, twhat I didnt knew is that both plugins were compatibles. So u dont need any fancy external engine to export smooth transitions and object animation. Unless u wanna go photorealistic. }

Jakson

Hi

I made as well some small change to the script, I hope you don't mind.

Added support of saving the Export Property's to the Model.

If you cancel the export dialog or the save dialog the script stops instantly.

And reduced the filenumber padding to 6 numbers.

And my first Animation with Properanimation + SmoothstepAnim http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agCUtjEJssM

smoothStepAnim.rb

derei

Is it a similar plugin to this one http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=33417 ?

vidy

thanks jackson

rickymon

@jakson said:

Hi

I made as well some small change to the script, I hope you don't mind.

Added support of saving the Export Property's to the Model.

If you cancel the export dialog or the save dialog the script stops instantly.

And reduced the filenumber padding to 6 numbers.

And my first Animation with Properanimation + SmoothstepAnim http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agCUtjEJssM

Thanks Jackson, I wish I can learn to do those scripts too
uploaded another test...

take care

luciano.au

GREAT!!!
Best plugin ever!!
Solved all my problems.

Congratulations!!!

DesignChest

Hi

Great plug in . . . one thing. I am wandering what the best program is to stitch together the images for a mac. Imovie is driving me crazy and keeps zooming in and out of each individual frame. Any tips?

Chris Fullmer

Quicktime all the way. It works fast and does a very good job.

BaffaloWing

Thank you very much : )

i think it very work

Sebastien2

Wow, great!!!

Grice

Whaat, many many thanks for this and the person who replied to my post solving my little artifact problem that the programmers appeared not to be interested in fixing. Great script!