Faking Volumetric Clouds
iaian7 » tutorials » lightwave John Einselen, 7.02.09An easier, simpler, and much older technique for simulating volumetric bodies (in this case, clouds) is to use multiple transparent layers of geometry. The nodal texture editor makes this effect all the more convenient, and can give surprisingly good results!
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UB plugins
iaian7 » tutorials » lightwave John Einselen, 26.01.09A list of plugins for the universal binary version of Lightwave 9.3 and 9.6.
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UB nodes
iaian7 » tutorials » lightwave John Einselen, 26.01.09A list of surface nodes I find especially useful, for the universal binary Lightwave 9.3+
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Autofocus expression
iaian7 » tutorials » lightwave John Einselen, 13.01.09Super simple expression that drives the Camera focal distance with a null. Hardly deserving of much description, but I need it often enough, I get tired of redoing it in the Expression builder every time.
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Fading on Distance
iaian7 » tutorials » aftereffects John Einselen, 15.06.07Fades layers based on distance from the camera, allowing you to fly through compositions without layer snapping as the camera passes through. Especially effective for flying through layers of clouds.
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Channel Multiply
iaian7 » tutorials » aftereffects John Einselen, 15.06.07Multiply a layer’s channels by a specified amount. It’s ridiculously simple, but invaluable when dealing with 3D tracking camera data, where scaling the global animation can really help fix After Effects insistence on importing meters as pixels.
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Null Averaging
iaian7 » tutorials » aftereffects John Einselen, 14.06.07Tracking in After Effects can often result in data too jittery to be of any use. If you’re able to get multiple tracks, however, it’s possible to average them into a single, smoother, track. Even if the single tracks are decent, averaging will help increase the accuracy of the data.
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Multiplaning
iaian7 » tutorials » aftereffects John Einselen, 14.06.07Use a slider or null to control a 2D multiplaning effect. No 3D, no cameras, no fuss.
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Channel Additions
iaian7 » tutorials » aftereffects John Einselen, 14.06.07Basic positional modifications, especially useful for effect center points that need to be attached to a null by a specified offset.
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Rotational Displacement
iaian7 » tutorials » lightwave John Einselen, 18.05.07![]()
Lightwave includes a vortex distortion plugin, but unfortunately it’s a clumsy setup and especially difficult to use with other displacements. Here’s how to create the effect using nodes, and take it beyond the simple vortex.