Virtual Walk-Through

[Laura Dowds]

I have a client that would like a virtual walkthrough for presentation purposes. The Walk-Through in Chief is really a slide show. Is there a way to download an animation film of their plans onto a DVD for their proposals?

[spencerdesign]

Hi Laura,

If you are looking for a high quality camera path animation I have a client that may be able to help (using your chief model and 3rd party software). Feel free to contact me for more info.

Thanks!

[CADD16]

Here is an example of a walkthrough that I created in Chief. I think it turned out good.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B7dK...it?usp=sharing

[Architex]

Here is an example of a walkthrough that I created in Chief. I think it turned out good.

https://docs.google.com/a/caddlcdesi...it?usp=sharing

You might want to change the permissions on your file.

[CADD16]

Thanks for the heads up.

[Raymond Rood]

cadd 16 what are the best settings for doing the walk thru or what did you use and what would you do different thanks

[CADD16]

I start with the cad spline tool and try to create a nice smooth path for the camera to travel on. After I smooth out the spline then I convert it to a walkthrough path. When it's converted, a dialog box pops up and it has some defaults. I usually set the time for a longer duration ( I usually add a few seconds to what the defaults are.) After the spline has been converted, you can add cameras to it and adjust where the cameras look. The best results are obtained by not having the cameras swing too much or too fast. When recording a walkthrough I set the "frames per second" to 25 and leave everything else just default. By default I think the walkthrough is set too fast and it can make you sick when watching it, but if you slow it down starts to look a lot better. I still trying new things with the walkthroughs but this is what I have come up with so far.

[CADD16]

One other thing, Chief doesn't like to make walkthroughs longer than 30 sec. So I make several shorter videos and combine them in Windows Movie Maker and then save them down so that the file size is a lot smaller.

[gawdzira]

@CADD16, watch the opening scene of The Polar Express. That is a great example of a path animation. We are much more limited with CA in making good animation with the camera tool. Polar Express was done with Maya which gives you full animation control over the camera so the possibilities are endless. When doing a walk through with CA I think the key is in the editing. If you have a video editing tool where you can do dissolves and fades to a cut you can avoid uncomfortable turns that are the limitation of a fairly in-animatable path tool.

[ivancyr]

Hi Laura,

Here's a couple walk throughs created in X5. First is a full video to music for a Project I completed in Mexico. It has rendered stills panning but three clips are walkthroughs inside the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCyOzv1vlx4

Second is modelled in X5 but rendered elsewhere.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QK33HJAL5vQ

CADD16 has some useful tips although I go about it slightly different...but either way it works...one is still playing with a spline.

[gawdzira]

I don't have anything to do with this company but I think this is a very nice show reel for architectural animation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rliJqPMPU8

What I like about it is that there is a nice mix of slow, fast, still, and fading simple cuts. I never feel like I am being taken on a roller coaster ride when watching this reel.

[ivancyr]

Great video...but its real old technology now....

Good pointers to learn from!

[CADD16]

Hi Laura,

Here's a couple walk throughs created in X5. First is a full video to music for a Project I completed in Mexico. It has rendered stills panning but three clips are walkthroughs inside the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCyOzv1vlx4

Second is modelled in X5 but rendered elsewhere.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QK33HJAL5vQ

CADD16 has some useful tips although I go about it slightly different...but either way it works...one is still playing with a spline.

Ivancyr, Those are some great videos. I only started doing walkthroughs a couple months ago. I don't have any video editing software other than that movie maker program. So do you recommend a certain program? What editing software did you use?

[ivancyr]

The first video was created using simply Windows Movie Maker. Second was using an Adobe product...a bit more complex but much more flexible...multiple channels which makes mixing far easier. The hardest part is to find music without copy right issues!

[perryh]

I don't like the walkthroughs, I just do a screen capture video and use that. Its faster and better, you can also download free programs.