creating flow of lines: after effects - flash - ?

[flipside]

Hi,

I'm looking for a quick answer if this is possible, and how difficult I can expect this to be.

here's an image of what needs to be recreated, but of course with motion in all the lines. The lines should 'evolve' out of a blob like shape (a logo). When the lines are coming out of the logo (=blob), the blob should deform also, as if it spits out these lines. Then the lines should keep on moving like a flow, changing colors etc...

http://www.aversis.be/vrayrhino/flow.png

What programs should be capable of doing something like this, and is this considerd to be something very difficult or is it maybe possible with a few simple plugins?

In after effects, can you work with vector shapes so that I can later on zoom in a lot on these lines?

A first step for me is to decide if this kind of stuff is possible, and how long it would take to create it. because the budget isn't very large for it, so maybe I have to tell the client this thing just isn't possible for that kind of budget.

thanks for any help or info

wouter

[Da_elf]

maybe you can find a solution at videocopilot

[Intrinsia]

As Sa_elf mentioned check out Andrew Kramer's site http://www.videocopilot.net. He has an abundance of great AE tutorials and some of them deal with this type of effect.

Also look into Trapcode's plugins. Modestly priced plugins for AE that can create some amazing effects that would be capable of producing what you are after.

http://www.trapcode.com

The third option would be Ghost Trails 3.0. I bought this little plugin a few years back and it has saved my butt on so many projects. It can be used to generate trails from particles or splines; very useful.
http://www.bytegeistsoftware.com/prod01.htm#GT

hope this helps

[flipside]

great link da_elf! thanks

[flipside]

wow more great links!

I have some self-education to do

[glyph]

I was asked to do somethng similar and got as far as asking on the max forums
http://discussion.autodesk.com/threa...sageID=5668558
(thats the archive - pre Area2)
Wade S (Shumaker I think) supplied an excellent material which does funky swirls when placed on a glass sphere - so it should work if used on an animated surface which was my next plan

but the client decided it was too expensive before I'd even given a quote -
there's a guy in France who generates things like this as stills and sells them at hi res and they used his stuff : (

[Da_elf]

that logo on www.carat.co.uk is just a bunch of toruses...tori...torie.... whatever... moving around an sphere thats set with refraction and no reflection

[glyph]

that's an interesting observation elf - you could be right - wade's mat doesn't do that though.. cant remember how its set up right now - circular gradients comes to mind if so that wont help Flipside

I found a link to some of the French guy's work
Erick Nguyen - they're listed as fractals here
http://www.123rf.com/portfolio/ErickN/4.html

anyone have any idea how those are done?
whats clear is he's an artist - they all look good (and he's also a top photographer)

I reckon however he does those would answer your requirements Flipside!

[Paul Oblomov]

I think it's a simple strokes + warp effect on 'em.

[flipside]

I'm working with after effects and the trapcode 3D strokes plugin now. It will require a lot of work still, but it's very controllable in every way, so it's better than some auto generated wave like things. Will post something when it's finished (and when I'm allowed to).

thanks for all the replies!!!

[flipside]

Nguyen, isn't that dejavu from the forum? Didn't think he's from france though

[sv]

yep, trapcode is the way forward. We use it and love it.

check out our web site:

www.clusta.com
and the place video we did.
www.clusta.com/place

[glyph]

Different Nguyen?
actually his stuff isnt what you need is it..

for another lines job I once tried attached splines with bend and twist modifiers but it wasnt good - on that the client went with Flash programmatic solution (by someone else) but that had no depth and they couldnt control animation enough

must investigate Trapcode

edit: sv that's a funky website there (liitle bit slow to get where you want to go but I like the whizz through space from one page to another)

[sharpcube]

http://www.cgarena.com/freestuff/tut...aks/index.html


Great tutorial about lightstreaks for Aftereffects

[jonahhawk]

If you know a little PFlow the Ky Trails plugin here works wonders. It will work with any particles.

http://lastjedioutpost.ru/Plug-ins.htm