Working With Autodesk MatchMover 2014

The process of creating assets and compositing a shot requires the vital puzzle piece known as match moving. Match moving is the technical ability to track a shot by computing the camera movements and translating those camera movements into a virtual camera. This virtual camera mimics the translation, rotation, and scale of the scene. One of the most popular software that has camera tracking capabilities is Adobe After Effects. The After Effects tracker does your basic tracking needs. The user chooses a series of points depending on how technical the track is. The reason the Adobe After Effects tracker is not used widely in the industry for high-end shots is because of it's limitations. After Effects CC has introduced a new 3D tracker, but even then, it lacks the capabilities of the industry standard Mocha Pro or The Foundry's Nuke. It's been stated as being more of a 2.5D tracker. Where do users go for cheap, but efficient match moving capabilities?

Autodesk MatchMover 2014 is a free alternative. I prefer MatchMover because of easy assimilation with Autodesk Maya 2016. It's as easy as exporting a .ma file from MatchMover and importing that .ma file into Maya.

The "automatic tracking" function allows tracking at a click of a button. For a more custom track, and for those tough shots that need special attention. The settings in the automatic track window adjust the sensitivity and density, and can increase the quality and number of tracks in the shot. Using the "clean-up assistant" after using the automatic tracker deletes the trackers the user does not find necessary. Throughout the course of tracking and editing, it is best to take note that executing the "solve for camera" function under the 3D tracking tab after every few edits. Doing so helps maintain the scene. To improve the quality of the track even more, scroll through the number of high quality track points (usually green) that have a duration of the entire sequence, and set them as a "hard track". This gives those points priority over all of the other tracks. Adding manual tracks into the video sequence builds upon the track as well. Be careful, adding poor manual tracks can worsen the track.

The "contour" function in MatchMover works as a mask. It is easy to draw out and edit through the sequence. For those not experienced with using the contour tool, it's best used for areas of the composition where the user would not want tracking data to be calculated. For example, an overexposed wall, or an actor, walking through a corridor.

There is an ability to insert a simple geometric mesh that can be used as temporary sample of how the shot is tracked, and whether or not there are sudden jerks or shits of the camera. The mesh can be transformed, rotated, and scaled. There is a render function too that renders the tracking points, and geometric mesh.

One of the biggest downfalls with MatchMover 2014 is the poor "coordinate system" set-up. It rarely performs as it should. For example, the "distance" tab doesn't explain as what it means. Is it inches, meters, centimeters? It is actually just Autodesk's default measuring system, If the Maya preferences have been changed to inches, then pretend to set the number to inches. Once inputting the tracker information, and which axis is which, it's time to create the new coordinate system. Majority of the time it simply doesn't execute the way the user would imagine. It is either upside down, or rotated in a weird mismanaged fashion. Even after multiple rounds of adjusting the information it is usually not as good what the "automatic tracking" outputs. Manually adjusting the coordinate system can help, but at times, can cause issues with re-solving the camera. The camera may not be able to solve and the tracking points can become altered and not work as well as they once did.

The inferface for MatchMover is not terrible, but it is not immaculate either. The biggest weakness is controling the viewport, especially when in 3D mode. It can be difficult to control where to look, but most of the time it gets the job done.

Autodesk MatchMover 2014 is a great alternative to the more well-known software. The ease to export from MatchMover to Maya can't get simpler.

On a side note, Autodesk also offers a free compositing software, Autodesk Composite. With the tracking abilities of Autodesk MatchMover, 3D magic in Maya, and compositing tools in Composite, cash-strapped individuals looking to create motion pictures, or 3D animations, can do so without breaking the bank.



        

Introduction to Video Compositing

In today's media dominated world, there is an increasing amount of video content being produced. This content is presented to the audience as documentaries, music videos, films, television spots, or even a simple YouTube video. One of the most important aspects to creating these forms of media is the ability to composite a shot and have it produced in a manner that is aesthetically pleasing to the audience.

What does compositing a shot mean? Compositing is the act of adding elements not originally in the shot to enhance the final composition. Everyone who watches any decently produced media encounters compositing. For example, the compositor could add a tree in the background that wasn't originally there, or the most common technique, shooting in-front of a green screen and inserting a background image behind the main object in focus.

The workflow of compositing the piece of media starts with planning the shot. Where and when is the shot? How will the shot be taken? Based off how the shot looks, the sky may be replaced with a more pleasant and appropriate sky, and the weird edge of a building may be masked out. 3D objects may be added to the shot to give a more dynamic feel. In order to do all of this, various artists have to create these assets for the compositor to work with. The sky may be taken from Adobe Stock and then used by the compositor after he/she created a matte of the original sky. The 3D objects would be modeled, textured, and animated by a 3D artist. Once everything is ready for the compositor, the scene can be properly arranged and composited.

Node-Based compositing allows the compositor to visual manage the edits of the composition via tree-like graph. One node is the original footage. The user would then create another node for masking the image, and have it "linked" to the original node (the footage), and then create another node connecting to the footage for color correction. After many edits the node-area looks like a huge family tree. This form of compositing is very effective and allows the compositor to "un-link" and "link" nodes very quickly with much ease. Node-Based compositing like The Foundry Nuke and Blackmagic Fusion are some of the industry standards for node-based compositing. My experience is that with node-based compositing, animating too many elements can be tedious, but the quality of the tools available for proper compositing is top-notch.

The Foundry Nuke's Interface

Layer-Based composting is best described as layers similar to what is in Photoshop. Adobe After Effects is the dominate layer-based compositing program. The hierarchy order of the layers works as if the top layer is the top image in the display window, and the bottom layer is usually the background image. This type of compositing is great for motion graphics and animated designs. It can get the job done with your average video compositing needs, but the layer workspace can become cluttered and slow down your machine after too many effects and adjustments are made. I also find the compositing tools in node-based programs to be a higher quality, even in the discontinued Autodesk Composite, I find the matte extraction function very effective.

Adobe After Effects Showing Off It's Goodness

It all comes down to preference, but if you're looking to get a compositing gig I suggest becoming familiar with node-based compositing. It may be scary and difficult to work in a new environment, but the benefits of producing dynamic composites will pay off.

Behind the Work: Rose 3D Promotional Video

The most recent project of mine was certainly challenging on a variety of levels. I was balancing my current paying job as I was finding time to work on this project; while I was trying to have some kind of life outside of work...and work. Emotionally I had been through a lot and that certainly affected my focus and creativity. Lastly, I was using Red Giant's Trapcode Suite plug-ins that I wasn't too familiar with. Against all odds, I feel accomplished for the most part.

Rose 3D Promotional Video

Ideation, Creation, and Pre-Production

This project goes back a couple of years. My brother is the main entity of Rose 3D. For the past few summers, I would begin working on a promotional video to help advertise his business and work, but I always had to stop what I was working on because of school. This past summer was different. I had graduated from Purdue University. I struggled initially with a style for the presentation. I didn't know if I wanted relatively simple animations but stunning effects, or how color would influence the composition. I played around with geometry initially. I was influenced by how Vox or other YouTube channels do their animations. Many YouTube videos that are graphically done well do so with simplicity and interesting transitions and a lot of color. What ultimately led to me not following this direction was how I wanted to transition panel-to-panel. These "panels" displayed information and examples of my brother's work. I didn't want some kind of information to just appear on screen. I wanted dynamic expression. I wanted this to be in a 3D world and not in a contained flat environment. And of course, I wanted to use the Trapecode Suite. How would I make this all work?

Let me be the first to tell you, ALWAYS sketch out your ideas. Use storyboards and write down how you want the camera to work, and how the effects will behave. I didn't do this at the very beginning. I began this project by creating the splash sequence first. I look back and appreciate how helpful the initial sequence was. It gave me a general idea of how these new Trapcode particle systems worked in After Effects, and I experimented with text effects and blending options.

The initial Rose 3D Splash Sequence

The Assembly Process

I began the main promotional composition by focusing on each segment of the video individually. There were three different "parts" of the composition. You can visually see what I'm talking about. There's the fluffy cloud particles, the stringy multi-colored particles, and the blue tunnel particle. I knew that the main attraction besides the panels were the particles themselves. I wanted the particles to be drastically different from each other, but still relatively related via color scheme. The beginning of the video in my opinion was done relatively well. I like the initial bloom and camera movements. I didn't want to overdue the video with too many effects. I made sure to keep the text and panel animations simple.  

The second and final Splash Sequence

I really enjoyed the colors I used in the first splash sequence. I made sure to reproduce that look, but keep it less cluttered without all the layers. I changed up the font as well. I wanted the new splash sequence to have an edger look compared to the rounder edges and fuller look of the first. For the second splash, I had the main 'Daniel Rose" and "3D Artist" have a turbulence effect combined with a vector blur and venetian blind. I purposely had the screen light up in bloom to add more aspect to the animation, and to allow the text to appear in a fluid manner. 

Resolution and Result

If I had to give this project a score, it'd be a 5/10. I'm very critical and I know that this could've been much better. I really dug the colors, but I would've use the panel-to-panel idea again, and I think I over did it with the particles. "Keep. It. Simple. Stupid." I do appreciate the Trapcode plug-ins but their usefulness could've been produced in a more tasteful way. I could've been more innovative with how I transitioned to the different segments of the video. The ending of the promotional video could've had a better animation of the texts appearing. It looks weird, as if the blur is making the venetian blinds look too sharp.

There's still a lot for me to learn, and I'm determined to make it known that I can make great content for myself and the viewer. Stay tuned for more in-depth analysis of my work and the exploration of techniques and technologies that can increase my work, and yours.

Andrew C. Rose  

Time For A Change

It feels like it's been forever since I've posted a blog entry. Fall is right around the corner. School has started, my current job ends at the end of the month, and I still don't have a big boy job.

Before I dive into the quests of my life, I need to let it be known that this blog will drastically change. For the past few months I've been using this platform as an arena to share my personal and professional life. After much thought, I've decided that this blog will strictly be related to my career. I will cover topics regarding color theory, cameras, video codecs, plug-ins, anything and everything regarding 3D, compositing, motion graphics, and visual effects. I think this will be an extremely beneficial way for me to continue sharpening my skills, and a way to help educate those interested in what I do. I'll probably create another blog just for my personal life. Once I have that all sorted out, I'll share the information with all of you. This change will go into affect my next blog entry. Thank you all for the current support and keep up the hard work!

I just wrapped up the project I've been working on for the entire summer. I'll disperse more information in my first reformated blog. I'll share my approach to the project and the techniques used to achieve the look and feel of the project. I'll share a little information right now. Recently I've been getting into Red Giant's plug-ins for After Effects, and I wanted to use them to create a stylized promotional video. Overall, I'd have to say it was a success. I learned a TON about these plug-ins and how they operate. They were extremely fun to use and there's a numerous possibilities waiting to be unlocked.

Relax and Enjoy.

As I've stated in some earlier blog posts, my next project will be compositing heavy with matte paintings. I'll probably include slight visual effects as well. I want to achieve a tasteful meaningful video about "Home". It's going to be my second major attempt focusing on compositing and camera work. Sadly, I don't have a camera, but I have my phone! It has a decent camera and it should get the job done. I'm really excited and looking forward to this! I don't really have much planned out except for a few shots in my head. Stay tuned for more!

Here we go. The moment we've been waiting for. I've been working out hard as nails these past ten weeks, and nine of those weeks I was on serious supplements. I was taking LGD, creatine, whey protein, amino fuel, glutamine, vitamin D3, milk thistle, and fish oils. I'm off the LGD and creatine, but I'm still taking the rest of the supplements. My workout program consisted of three days of hard weight lifting. 3x4-6 for core lifts. That's bench press, power cleans, deadlifts, and squats. The rest of the lifts I stuck to the 3x6-8 with box jumps and jump rope here and there between sets. I had two days of cardio. The first day of cardio I focused on sprints and short high intensity bursts. I used a lot of old football drills. The second day was more of the same, but less intense. I also focused on stretching and form. Long distance running was out of the question because I workout in shoes that are two sizes too small. The bottom of my feet feel like they're on fire if I run long distance, and I even experienced it with my cardio routine, but I was able to shake it off.

The results were quite impressive in my opinion. Before using all these supplements I was around 185lbs. After my cycle I weighed 209lbs. My max weights are as followed:

Bench Press: 245lbs
Power Cleans: 220lbs
Deadlift: 390lbs
Squat: 295lbs

These are personal one rep maxes. I'm pleased overall. I thought my bench would be more, but I'm especially happy with my power clean and squat. Below are pictures. I had a friend take pictures before my cycle, but sadly, he's too busy to send them to me. I do have a picture I took last December when I was 175lbs!

Please excuse the mirror shot...

Here are the recent 209lbs pictures!

I gained a lot of mass in my shoulders and traps.

I know...I have a bit of a gut.

Back is wide. Could use more definition

My plan now is to work on cutting and getting more defined. I've begun using lighter weight because of shoulder and elbow discomfort, and I'll incorporate that with higher reps and more cardio and dieting to achieve that goal. Two weeks from now I plan on taking a much needed break from the gym. I'm excited to see how my cutting cycle turns out.

I encourage everyone to find an aspect in their life to improve upon. Nothing is more satisfying than achieving something you once thought impossible.

"We all have big changes in our lives that are more or a less a second chance." - Harrison Ford

Peace,
Andrew Rose

Work, Gains, and Advice

I'm really trying my best to maintain the weekly schedule of my blog. I personally find it as a stress release, and a way for me to collect my thoughts. Plus, I know I'm not a great writer and this is an outlet for me to increase my writing abilities. I encourage anyone who is interested in blogging to do so because it's fun!

I've been talking about the project I've been working on for my brother's business for awhile. It probably seems like I'm not working on it, but that's far from the truth. I'm pouring in a lot of TLC into the project. At this point I'm adjusting camera movements in the last scene, and waiting for my brother to give me assets to complete the project. I'm also going to begin working on a new "splash sequence". I've been getting a lot of practice with After Effects and the Red Giant plug-ins so I don't think this will be much of an issue time wise. I have the concept in my head. After sketching and timing out the sequence it'll be good to go.

A still frame of the third scene of the current project.

I know in my last blog post that I said I would divulge information about future projects. I want a little break from motion graphics because I'd rather focus on compositing visual effects in motion pictures. Long story short, I'm using my phone (I don't have a decent camera) to capture footage. With that footage I'll be compositing, adding assets, adjusting color, visual effects to create a heartfelt short film. I'm going to do my best to have it be tasteful. I'm making this personally to explore other mediums, but also to build my employable skills.

This past week was supposed to be my "max-out" week with weight-lifting. I recently developed a painful throbbing sensation in my left elbow when I train. At first it wasn't too bad, but the past week and a half it got to the point where I've gone down repping 60-70% of my weight for my lifts. I still want to try and max-out my lifts next week, but only time will tell. I haven't gone to the doctor, but from my unlicensed professional opinion I have "golfer's elbow".

On Monday, my LGD cycle will be over with, and I'll be taking a selective estrogen receptor modulator for four weeks to help counteract my body's natural response to less testosterone. I also have a natural anabolic support supplement on-deck as well. Because I'll be off LGD and creatine, I'll be focusing my workouts to tone my body. 

Purdue University where I went to school.

College is starting next week for a lot of young adults. If there are any college students reading this, here is some advice from a recent college graduate. Have fun outside of the classroom, but get your work done and push yourself academically. Get out of your comfort zone. Be a "YES" man/woman. That's the best way to create new relationships with new people. It's the time in life to try new things. Join clubs and go to call-outs for things you're not even into. That's something I wish I did more of. This is the last chance in life where you're still kind of a kid. Don't be afraid to act like one. Say hello to people you pass by on the sidewalk. Don't fall into the "serious trap". Have fun for the rest of us graduates!

Peace,
Andrew Rose 

Movies, Movies, Movies

Hey! How's it going everybody!?  Is it just me, or is it crazy to think that it's already the middle of August? I'm definitely not looking forward to the end of summer. I absolutely HATE the cold and dark winters. I can appreciate the first month or two of the cold, but once Christmas and New Years is over, I'm done with the cold...

Life's good right now. I'm "RAM Previewing" my motion graphics project right now. The feedback from my brother was mostly positive. He seemed to have enjoyed the visual style of it; which is great news because starting from scratch would be draining. There are a few issues with timing, titles, and camera motions. I edited the last segment of the animation a decent bit because I wasn't happy with the animation and visual aesthetic. I'm not finished yet with my changes, but I'm close. I'm definitely excited for the final edition! I'm going to redo a splash sequence that ties into this video better than the one I created a month and a half ago. I just want this to be great. I know eventually I have to cut my losses for the sake of time.

Where are you from?

I have a few future projects in mind. They're going to focus more on compositing, motion tracking, and cinematography. I'll go into more detail in the next post or two after I have more detail written out to share.

I saw Ant-Man last night with an old friend. I really have to admit, it was a lot better than I expected. The special and visual effects were amazing! Movies like this influence me to work my ass off. Those animators, modelers, compositors, designers, engineers, and hundreds more of employees put in thousands of hours into the film. I'm butchering how good the movies was. It's beautiful, and the story and characters were relatively good as well. If you haven't seen the movie yet do yourself a favor and see it. Pay special attention to the visuals too! This movie is how you do CGI right. Well done Marvel and Disney.

Scenes from Ant-Man.

Seeing this movie has helped me a lot with understanding the direction where I want to go in my career. The idea of assembling a world on the silver-screen calls to me. People don't realize it, but every scene is a movie is moderately edited: with sky replacement, glares, day-to-night conversion, color correction, green screens, and of course 3D objects.

 That's pretty much it. I wanted to keep this short because I'm extremely tired and my render is done. I really do hope everyone is experiencing a paramount summer!

"Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck." - Dr. Dre

Peace,
Andrew Rose

Just Bring It

It's Saturday evening and I just got done getting hours in for work. I wanted to get extra hours in because I worked on a project of mine for a couple days this past week. I'm definitely looking forward to taking the rest of the evening off and relaxing. I need a break to recoup, but once morning comes I'll be getting back to the "ol' salt mines".

I tuned to the GOP debate but I began watching late because I had streaming issues. I managed to watch the last hour and a half or so, but I need to state I was also working on my project as I was watching. I came in with a completely open mind. I was actually wanting to have a few candidates to catch my eye. As much as I've brought up Bernie Sanders, I'm conservative fiscally and I think small government is better than big government. I wasn't too impressed with many of the candidates. Rand Paul is the one I'm rooting for. I adore the libertarian attitude. His tax cuts scare me because tax cuts generally benefit the rich more than the middle and lower class. His answer regarding businesses denying gay individuals didn't make me happy. The Republican party needs to just get over the "gay" thing. If you don't like it, fine, but it has no place in politics. At the end of the day they're people and they deserve the same rights as anyone else. Getting a marriage license from the state is not affiliated with any religion, but if a religious institution wants to deny a gay couple from getting married, the institution has the right to do so.

Donald Trump was honest. I really like that about him. He came out and said he takes advantage of the system and so does every other rich person. And, he shared how the whole donating to a politics is a dirty system: which added more respect for him in my point of view. He isn't fit to be President though. Bush didn't do well, but I also didn't really catch much of him, and Rubio seems fake. He speaks well and he says the right things but I can't trust him. Chris Christie and Mike Huckabee are nuts. They're all about force and demanding respect. The whole God talk seemed weird. Like, really? We're gonna talk about God for twenty minutes and everyone is going to say how much they try to live through God, and then switch it up and talk about expanding the military and blowing up the Middle East. The whole party is just a mess and disconnected, it's a shame. For the nation to be strong, both main parties need to be great and innovative. So far, we don't have that from the right.

I was experimenting with different art styles at this point.

Not much is happening regarding work. I'm doing my best to save up money before I leave my position. I have a good sum of money in my Acorns app; which is an application that automatically invests money for the user. There are different "portfolios" available that can determine the riskiness of your investments. I've lost a few bucks because the markets are weak. Obviously, the U.S. isn't doing well economically and the Greece financial woes and China's struggles are impeding on the market. I'm optimistic and confident that the markets will bounce back at the end of the year.

I've been working on a project for my brother for the past month and a half. It's almost done, I swear! When it's done I'll send it to my brother, who will make suggestions and supply me with his feedback. After that I'm expecting another week of edits and then It'll be done, unless he absolutely hates it. I'll end up posting it either way if he does. I've upgraded my computer with 8GBs more of RAM. It's definitely added much needed speed to my work. I bought a SSD drive as well, but I haven't installed it yet. After it's installed my computer should hold me over until I do a major upgrade in about two years. I may look into getting a new GPU at some point too.

I'm 7 weeks in to my LGD cycle. I have this week and the next. I see and feel the benefits. I didn't weigh myself right before I started using it but I was roughly 185lbs. I weight myself at my friend's house with a good scale, and it said I was 205.6. Week 8 I'll be maxing out my lifts for bench press, power cleans, squats, and deadlifts. My goals for the lifts are as followed: 275lbs (bench press), 225lbs (power cleans), 300lbs (squat), 385lbs (deadlift).

I wanted to quickly cover my short-term plan for work n' stuff. After I'm done with the current project, I'll be applying to studios and companies for a solid month. I'll find time to do "weekly projects". It'll be simple animations, composites, or something. I'll also be applying for freelance jobs to help keep me above water after I move-on from Purdue. The rest will fall into place. I just gotta keep going.

Growing up I watched a lot of wrestling. My favorite wrestler was The Rock (Dwayne Johnson). I remember how cool he was, and the attitude he displayed each and every night. We also share the same birthday! He's full of positive messages, here's one.

"When you walk up to opportunity's door, don't knock, kick that bitch in and introduce yourself." - Dwayne Johnson

Peace,
Andrew Rose