problems with depth sorting

ulrik · Post by **ulrik** » Sun Aug 28, 2005 11:02 pm

I'm building a house in 3d in moho, I'm using depth sorting on all important layers, I've tried the "Sort by true distance" as well but it didn't help. If I look at the house from the front everything that's supposed to be seen I can see, but when I start using some camera movements some things disappear, like window shields and stuff. Can somebody tell me what I'm doing wrong, I really could need some help.
The moho files I'm working on can be downloaded here, there is 2 files, one is just the house with no animation, the other is with camera animation.
Moho files: http://www.musikboden.se/moho/Arkiv.zip

Nolan Scott · Post by **Nolan Scott** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 12:15 am

I presume you have all your layers in a group-layer,
and ticked "Sort Layers by Depth".
If you have any sub-group-layers in your top-group layer
don't tick "Sort Layers by Depth" in those sublayers.
Please try and see if that makes any difference.
In the meantime I will have a look at your file.

Cheers
Nolan

ulrik · Post by **ulrik** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 8:18 am

I've tried to have all sublayers unticked on "depth sorting" as well but it's not working, I've tried all possible combinations of ticked/unticked "depth sorting" and "true distance" settings but there has to be something else I've missed..........hmmmmmm, maybe something about the origion setting perhaps, I don't know.
I'll keep trying

Nolan Scott · Post by **Nolan Scott** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 10:12 am

Well, I have rendered your file
and here it looks pretty nice.

I can't see much wrong with it -
(Maybe I don't look for the
minor inconsistencies every handmade
animation schould have).

Nothing is disappearing in my rendering here,
everything stays nicely in place.

Cheers
Nolan

ulrik · Post by **ulrik** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 1:35 pm

hmm...that is strange, if I use the pan/tilt camera and move the scene to the right, the left window shield will become invisible, and if I look around the whole house ( with camera tilt/pan and track camera) some part of the side walls become transparent..etc.
All walls in the house are made by double walls, outside-white color, inside-blue or red, and in some angels (using camera) it shows the inside color instead of the outside....strange. Do you think it has something to do with my computer and system?....graphiccard?
I'm using a powermac g4 1.3ghz dual with osx 10.4.2, graphic-ATI Radeon 7500
I just can't figure out what's wrong.

By the way, thanks a lot for spending your time to render my files and trying to help me out!

I'm really greatfull

cheers Ulrik

nobudget · Post by **nobudget** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 1:37 pm

I haven't looked at the file but it sounds like the origin issue as you stated yourself. I recently had a pseudo-3D sequence and I had to render one shot in about 5 segments and change the origin and visibility of layers to make sure the depth sorting was correct throughout. Although Moho isn't a 3D program the Z-axis needs quite some refinement. Maybe as a temporary fix it would be possible for a keyframable sorting list where you can sort layers on a frame-by-frame basis. Another instance is the in-front/behind object issue, you now need multiple copies and visibilty settings to achieve that. Would a sorting option be possible as a plug-in perhaps?

Reindert.
www.nobudgetvideo.com

jorgy · Post by **jorgy** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 4:54 pm

I was having the similar problems with a barn I was making:

http://www.lostmarble.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1135

I ended up playing around with the origins to make things appear and disappear at will. However, it was a pain in the butt!!! I'm doing another project now, and I'm creating the buildings in wings and importing the obj files into moho.

ulrik · Post by **ulrik** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 7:56 pm

Yes I think I'll do that frame by frame trick as you suggested nobudget, even if it will take some time to do, I'm so in to it now so I just have to figure out what the problem actually is...I'm getting curious.

Yes I've been thinking of wings as an alternative in making 3d stuff, but I have to studie the program first, I have tried a couple of times to put some texture on some objects in Wings, and then import them to moho but they never show up in moho....well, as I said, I have to work a little more with it and learn.

Anyway, thank you all for your support and tips, I appreciate it!

ulrik

Rai López · Post by **Rai López** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 8:53 pm

...Even so the risk of seem a PAIN

...I must add that Z-buffering for Vector/Image Layers in Moho could resolves that old promem definitely...

PS: DE-FI-NI-TE-LY...