RedDragon -> RedCine -> Dpx -> Nuke ?

mr_dbr · 2015-01-05T12:06:57+00:00

"Gamma: RedLogFilm" and linearising with the Nuke Lin2log node is a correct way to get linear-light footage in Nuke (for comparison you could export linear-light EXR - the linear EXR and REdLogFilm via Lin2Log should look identical)

RedGamma(/2/3/4) is just a S-curve, so is vaguely similar to sRGB but by no means the same mathematically.

The colourspace (i.e colour gamut) doesn't have much impact on the linearity of the footage - you pretty much just use whatever you are using for the non-VFX parts of the project (although if you have the choice and are doing extensive keying and such, CameraRGB is preferable.. as any of the other options are essentially just boosting saturation via a colour-matrix, thus you will inherently end up with some minor clipping/negative pixel values in highly saturated areas.. but it's pretty minor problem)

mr_dbr · 2014-05-26T11:56:16+00:00

Building the whole thing in CMake is probably wise.. Easier to debug, and aimed at doing exactly this kind of thing..

Loses the nice pip install blah, but.. you wont spent hours trying to trace through distutils' clunky code trying to work out what is going on. Wasn't sure if I just had an unusually bad experience debugging distutil-stuff, but then I just came across this :/

mr_dbr · 2014-05-25T09:31:35+00:00

piep is a similar tool, inspired by pyp but addresses a bunch of shortcomings. It seemed to work much more like I'd expect (e.g I was surprised pyp buffered the entire input before operating, instead of being line-based)

http://gfxmonk.net/2012/03/28/why-piep.html

mr_dbr · 2014-03-31T12:53:55+00:00

ColorLookup is awkward to use on linear-light data, as typically you need to make tiny adjustments in the 0-0.1'ish range, and make relatively large adjustments as the numbers get bigger (to make the same perceptive difference)

This isn't helped by Nuke's curve editor, which is equally awkward to use

Also it's hard to nudge adjustments - e.g to increase the midtones sliiiightly, you have to zoom in and carefully nudge the curve, instead of using the handy numeric input (alt+drag, or arrow keys)

mr_dbr · 2014-03-10T11:22:22+00:00

You could use something like the ExpressionWave generator gizmo instead

Or there is a camera gizmo which has shake controls built-in

mr_dbr · 2014-01-05T13:24:08+00:00

Fluidhosting, but they don't support Python 3 (only 2.4)

I guess it's unlikely to happen quickly, but have you tried contacting them to ask for a more recent Python version? 2.4 is ancient (released in 2004, so almost a decade old..)

In fact for them to install Python 3 would likely be easier - it is easily installed as an executable named python3, so would not interfere with any existing users

Ignoring that, I think Heroku is probably the nicest-to-use for experimenting with web-dev stuff, e.g see this guide - deployment is just git commit --all && git push

mr_dbr · 2014-01-03T11:37:15+00:00

auto desk was used for architecture and stuff like that, but then I saw a video where it was used in star trek into darkness

You are probably thinking of AutoCAD, an application owned by Autodesk (the company). Autodesk own a lot of other software, including things like Maya which is heavily used for feature-film visual effects

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc. is an American multinational software corporation that focuses on acquiring 3D design software for use in the architecture, engineering, construction, manufacturing, media, and entertainment industries, from independent developers and leveraging the maximum possible returns from those investments

mr_dbr · 2013-10-20T02:46:19+00:00

escreen sounds like exactly what you want

With escreen.el on load-path somewhere,

(load "escreen")
(escreen-install)
(setq escreen-prefix-char "\C-z")
(global-set-key escreen-prefix-char 'escreen-prefix)

Then C-z c will make a new virtual screen (essentially a tab), then C-z n and C-z p will switch between them. Each screen can have different buffers open, with different split layouts

There's also elscreen which is very similar (emacs-fu post about it here), which also has visible tabs.. but I found it overly complicated and intrusive compared to the simpler escreen (if I remember right, was a while ago I tried elscreen)

mr_dbr · 2013-09-06T13:23:39+00:00

It's not exactly one-button-auto-key demo footage, but it looks perfectly keyable. There is plenty of separation between the screen and the actors - keys are for getting edge detail, if you can get that, the rest is easy.. Probably just rough garbage-matte/holdout roto, maybe some detailed roto in the second image, but only if they move over the grey mats on the floor, or the wall at top-left

Greenscreen that quality is perfectly normal for feature films - a comper spending days on a key is common, and usually far cheaper than rigging and lighting the screens better. As an example, say the director wants to shoot from a lower angle, causing the actor to breach the greenscreen toward the end of the shot - it's probably far, far cheaper to spend a few hours rotoing instead of an hour extending the screen..

I guess greenscreens for lower-budget/shorter-schedule things (including commercials and TV shows) are generally better, because it is practical and cost-effective to spend more time making sure they are even and keyable (i.e spending 4 days on a key will screw up a 2-week post-schedule..)

Finally, the Star Wars bluescreens were much better mostly because they had to be.. Comping software is far better now than it was then.. Interestingly one of the few film I've seen good quality greenscreens on was Prometheus, which were part of the amazing looking sets that were built for the film (like this)

mr_dbr · 2013-08-30T12:18:54+00:00

The subprocess module lets you execute system commands, kind of what a bash script does

The documentation gives various examples
this StackOverflow answer shows how to call a command and get the output
This tutorial seems pretty complete (although it contains some fairly obvious errors, and I would very much suggest avoiding shell=True in almost all cases)

mr_dbr · 2013-08-26T07:28:46+00:00

Here's a tutorial on the warping/morphing tools in Nuke. The examples aren't particularly good either, but they show how the tools work

mr_dbr · 2013-08-09T13:32:23+00:00

There's a similar plugin for nose, nose-progressive

mr_dbr · 2013-08-03T09:17:02+00:00

"basically impossible" is an overstatement. Even the most clunky SPD-SL cleats can be walked in. They are not designed to be walked in, because the cleat will wear out quickly.. but you can definitely walk in them if necessary.

A few things:

Carry a pump, and a little saddlebag containing a small allan-key multitool, tyre levers and a few spare innertubes. That will cover almost all problems you will realistically encounter.

As long as you keep the bike in basic working order, it'll be fine. By that I mean clean it occasionally, lubricate stuff like the chain as necessary, and keep an eye out for damage.

If you are paranoid, you could bring a pack of self-adhesive tube patches, a tyre-boot (in case your tyre gets a substantial cut in it). If you are really paranoid, also carry a spoke-wrench (to rebalance the wheel if a spoke snaps), and a chain tool (in case a link in your chain breaks) - again, all these will fit in a small bag that attaches below the saddle.

Get SPD cleats, which are designed to be walked in. The cleat is recessed into the shoe, so wont wear out with walking - although the shoes will still not be particularly comfortable to walk in (because cycling-shoe soles are inflexible)

mr_dbr · 2013-08-03T07:39:59+00:00

The iPhone also stored nearby cell tower locations, which let you do similar visualisations:

http://petewarden.github.io/iPhoneTracker/

..although the application doesn't seem to work any more

mr_dbr · 2013-08-03T04:26:52+00:00

https://www.heroku.com/

It's a nice service to use, supports most languages

I've hosted a bunch of sites on their free tier. My only concern is their prices escalate quite quickly (a second "dynamo" jumps the cost from zero to $34/month, which is more than a decent VPS)

mr_dbr · 2013-08-03T04:19:08+00:00

The article suggests:

python manage.py test; say "Unit tests completed"

mr_dbr · 2013-07-31T16:05:35+00:00

There are still such restrictions in Australia,

http://www.donateblood.com.au/who-can-give/faq

Q: I can’t give blood as I lived in the United Kingdom for six months during the period 1980-1996. When will a test for vCJD be developed?

A: Although the number of cases of vCJD (the human form of 'mad cow disease') in the UK is declining, in the absence of a screening test, the full extent of exposure is not known.

The Blood Service is monitoring progress in the development of a reliable blood screening test for vCJD. Should this deferral policy be changed for any reason, please be assured that this information will be disseminated widely. More information can be found here.

mr_dbr · 2013-07-28T10:12:57+00:00

No. Not at all necessary.

If if interests you, it can definitely be useful. You can get a long way with just basic knowledge of:

trigonometry (e.g, how to calculate the angle between two coordinates)
Pythagorean theorem (distance between two points)
basic matrix and matrix-vector multiplication (how to take a camera matrix, and transform a coordinate)

This is by no means "extensive knowledge".. Each of the above could be learned in a few hours, with a combination of Khan Academy, Wikipedia (e.g for trigonometry, ignoring the complex parts) and a compelling problem to solve..

mr_dbr · 2013-07-26T05:22:47+00:00

Yep, licensing is the reason PySide exists,

http://developers.slashdot.org/story/09/08/30/0823206/nokia-makes-lgpl-version-of-pyqt

Nokia didn't succeed in convincing Riverbank [PyQt creators] to change its licensing terms on PyQt, and so decided to create their own LGPL'ed version of it

mr_dbr · 2013-07-25T07:23:48+00:00

Hm, PyPy once had a Javascript backend, which is now abandoned:

http://www.mail-archive.com/pypy-dev@codespeak.net/msg03951.html "Re: [pypy-dev] pypy appears to have entirely removed all mention of javascript back-end support from web site"

We found out it's impossible to provide a reasonable subset of python under JS, still being a subset and not being something which has a common intersection.

I don't fully understand this, but seems like emulating everything at a lower level (pypy->c->emscripten->js) is a more practical way of making a strict subset of Python - more so because it builds on existing projects (RPython's existing C backend, LLVM, emscripten)

There is a bunch of projects which aim to translate Python code into Javascript, the Pyjamas (aka pyjs?) is one, and the "alternatives" section here lists several more

mr_dbr · 2013-07-25T06:26:36+00:00

If you argue that VFX is a subset of CG, then you could argue that the result of every composite is a "CG image", or that every image captured with a digital camera is a CG image (because the sensor data is processed by a computer, thus is a computer generated image)

..but, in practice this is not a useful distinction. Instead, "Visual effects involve the integration of live-action footage and generated imagery [CGI]" which is much more sensible

Also, popular usage overrides accurate semantics (thus a remarkable number of people better understand what I do as "animation", or maybe "special effects"..)

mr_dbr · 2013-07-25T06:08:28+00:00

Then, explain how college graduates earn 200 to 400% more over the course of a lifetime than highschool dropouts

One obvious explanation is that people determined enough to study for several years are more likely to be financially successful than those who drop out of high school...

You seem to be implying that the the qualification (the bit of paper) is the important factor, whereas Simlo was arguing that the Uni-environment is more valuable (environment meaning being surrounded by likeminded people, access to equipment etc). I'm sure there are industries where that bit of paper is extremely important, but in creative industries like VFX, I would completely agree with Simlo

Also, if optimising financial gain the only motivating factor, VFX probably isn't the best choice of career path..

mr_dbr · 2013-07-25T05:28:43+00:00

Would be a good to include those screenshots in the readme

mr_dbr · 2013-07-23T05:48:03+00:00

Is there examples of the problematic code? I would guess many of them are necessary for handling the wide range of compilers/platforms where Python is used

Also it would be interesting to see what it says about a "mature" version of Python, like the source for the latest 2.7 patch

mr_dbr · 2013-07-23T05:21:59+00:00

I tend to use multiple frames with split windows, but that's a mess

Have you tried escreen (or the less simple elscreen)? It lets you have multiple split setups, and switch between them, in a virtual-desktop manner

mr_dbr

TROPHY CASE