How would I do this FX?

craftech wrote on 3/12/2006, 9:50 AM
I am not crazy about using special effects in my videos so this is really new to me.

I want to have a comet shooting through space and bursting onto the screen or at least whiting it out when it hits the screen. I need the space background for it as well.
It will then dissolve into a closeup of a ballet dancer as part of a number that fits this theme.

I have Particle Illusion SE installed, but I have never used it.

Or, does anyone know of existing footage of such a scene involving a comet in space heading toward the screen?

It will be about 10 seconds long.

John

Comments

Grazie wrote on 3/12/2006, 10:22 AM
I have used PI SE to do exactly this. I look through all the "Emitters" and finally thought that the WATERFALL, if rotated in the correct direction actually looked/appeared like a comet.

At the end of the day I needed to render an PI sequence that when brought into Vegas I CK-ed out the background, I found this the easier and more flexible way. You can, indeed, have your background AVI as part of the PI session, but I finally chose doing a CK option. It worked!

Get to play with PI it is quite straight forward.

If you wish, I can email you a tiny version of how it turned out John.

Grazie
Grazie wrote on 3/12/2006, 10:34 AM
Wouldn't yah know it?!? It is 10 seconds long too!

Grazie


B.Verlik wrote on 3/12/2006, 1:15 PM
I can't tell you how to do the comet part, but if you need space material... try Celestia.
It will let you roam throughout our Galaxy and if you want, it'll let you make .AVIs, within it's own program.
Best thing is, it's completely free.
Just superimpose a comet over it.
They also have screenshots at their site.
http://www.shatters.net/celestia/
apit34356 wrote on 3/12/2006, 1:52 PM
John, try the Sony lib, there are a couple of comet clips.
craftech wrote on 3/12/2006, 5:31 PM
Thanks guys,
I am checking out all your suggestions right now.

Apit,
Where is the Sony Library? I searched "comet" in the knowledge base and nothing turned up. I looked under downloads and didn't see anything. Where do I find the Sony Library?

John
apit34356 wrote on 3/12/2006, 7:47 PM
John, clip#3764 and clip#7768 both are comet clips and are Sony commercial footage made available to the public thru Sony web,(2002 thru 2004?) for Screenblast and other Sony users(all) who wanted to post their work. Sony release a large number of clips,(from Sony movies), in avi format to help promote Sony software and cameras. I do not know who,(in Sony marketing), currently controls the clips, but they are out there. If you can not find them, post again with your email and will sent them to you. Of course, you know that you can not use them for commercial use without Sony's written permission.
craftech wrote on 3/12/2006, 8:23 PM
Thanks Apit, I'll checkinto that. I found some things on the Hubble Space Telescope website I am going to check out.
Celestia was a wash. Only the oldest version would open on my computer, but none of the scripts will run on anything but the newer versions. Program opens and hangs with an hourglass. Probably requires a newer Open GL card.
Again thanks for the help on this. My e-mail address can be accessed from the profile.

Regards,
John
B.Verlik wrote on 3/12/2006, 8:39 PM
Maybe I have the oldest one. I've never heard of scripts for it. But I've had mine for about 2/3 years now. And barely use it. I have been able to make nice backdrops with it. Various animations of the Earth spinning or Mars spinning. The Planets are not realistic, but fairly detailed. But you can make fairly decent Star shots for effect. And traveling through space animations.
Fool with the controls a little. Right click and change your orientation and make screen shots. You can have jillions of stars or only the brightest. Speed up time and watch the planets fly around the sun, from all different angles.
jrazz wrote on 3/12/2006, 8:41 PM
I downloaded Celestia and have been playing around with it all day (after reading it in the post earlier). Very neat program and the neat thing is that you can render out a "trip" to and from stars, planets, satellites, etc. Neat stuff.

j razz
craftech wrote on 3/12/2006, 8:49 PM
I am sure it is my video card which is a Voodoo 5 5000 on W98SE. The only version of Celestia that will display is version 1.2.4 The Deep Impact script and the others on the Celestia website are all designed for later versions.

John
Grazie wrote on 3/12/2006, 11:08 PM
John, I emailed you WITH a "Grazie Comet" - have you recieved it? - G

craftech wrote on 3/13/2006, 6:17 AM
Thanks very much Grazie and Apitt. I got them all.

What I would like to do is have the comet start as a distant pinpoint and curve toward the screen covering it when it arrives. I don't think the avi files Apitt sent me will do that, but Grazie's Comet might if that is possible with a combination of Particle Illusion SE and Vegas.

Any suggestions on how to go about it?

John

These also seem pretty cool. They are Mpeg files that would have to be converted to avi:

Orion Nebula Fly Through

Supernova 1987AQuasar

Lynx Arc

Grazie wrote on 3/13/2006, 6:30 AM
John, if you got SKYPE or MSN we could do this over the INTERNET. It is straightforward but VIDEO can speak a gazzillion words! ! ! AND I'd get it wrong!

I do have PI Se and we could show and compare where we are - immediately! Yes? What you want to do - IMO - is very attainable.

Get SKYPE and we can be in business right away!

Grazie

ps - glad you liked the Comet!
chrisconleyradio wrote on 3/13/2006, 6:56 AM
Just use a dot (in text). Then move it as you wish and adding "light rays", Glow and maybe a little lens flare and you should be good to go.

CC
RexA wrote on 3/14/2006, 3:27 AM
Here's another powerful astronomy / sky simulator free program.
http://www.fourmilab.ch/homeplanet/

If the current version doesn't work for you the old one may. The old one runs on Windows 3.1.

I haven't run this program for a long time. I think you can use it to make a full sky image in one or two modes but I haven't run it for a long time so don't remember many details.
craftech wrote on 3/14/2006, 7:26 PM
Guys. Thanks for your help. The director dropped a bomb on me and told me I had to edit six nights worth of musicals by Sunday so a lot of creativity will go in the toliet. I will use the Hubble animation listed as Orion...... above. It has a comet near the end and I'll zoom into it with the Pan and Crop tool for the same effect. Thanks for all the stuff you guys sent me. I do appreciate it. I took a break to post here. Been up all night for two nights now.

John