The Open Cave

Hey guys!

Some acquaintances and me are planning to make some Uru-based videos, and among other things we'd like to insert Uru avatars into environment or pictures of other games using color keying. For that purpose, I need to video-capture Uru avatars against a background that is as monochromatic as possible.

Would it be possible in The Open Caves to create a "green-screen age", with full lighting all around, where avatars have no shadows, and where the whole environment (ground, sky, background) is of a uniform medium-bright green color?

I can't edit my post, so an addition:

It doesn't need to be a separate age of course. A large room with green walls all around in an existing age would do fine!

Oh, and while we're at it: Would it be possible in TOC to have a free-move camera, that is not always behind the back of the player, but can be moved around in arbitrary locations? Also, is it possible to get access to all ages and stuff for arbitrary avatars, without having to go through the whole game "manually"? Like, is there a "/linkto" command or a "/teleport" command?

Free camera handling would be a bit difficult but you can try to use /stopcam /gocam or another avatar for filming. (Check /help ingame or this for further information on possible commands.)

I remember that I have been using a green screen age myself, some time ago. I will have to take a look whether it still exists somewhere. Otherwise the age needs to be rebuild...

You can also try "/fogcolor green" (or some rgb values like "/fogcolor 0 1.0 0" [1 is max]) and play with /fogdensity to create a green background in an age. Note: Instead of the long command you can use /fcol or /fdens.

Many thanks for your reply Mystler! I've started playing around with the console and found some very useful stuff, like /float /xyz /ghost.

Would be great if you could find that green screen age! Fogcolor works, but is a bit hard to apply, since it can easily cover up the other avatars too. Still need to play around a bit with the distance values.

Mystler wrote: I remember that I have been using a green screen age myself, some time ago. I will have to take a look whether it still exists somewhere. Otherwise the age needs to be rebuild...

Hello Mystler, did you have time to look if your greenscreen still exists? If not, would it be very complicated to rebuild the age? Any hints or tips for a noob?

Thanks ~Sono

Heya,
I have had a look and I could not find it anymore.

I would really appreciate if someone who is experienced with Max could build a simple one.

Mystler wrote:Heya,
I have had a look and I could not find it anymore.

I would really appreciate if someone who is experienced with Max could build a simple one.

Oh, too bad, thank you for looking.

Hey guys!

I meanwhile found an existing near-perfect green screen age, when you have Python command access.

In Minkata, you just need to remove the desert ground: PtFindSceneobject("GroundPlaneVis","Minkata").draw.disable()
And also remove some more "Ground..." objects and those beginning with "Fog" which are the moving fog clouds.

Then you configure the hard-limit view distance (not fog) and set a proper background color using the Plasma console: "Graphics.Renderer.SetYon 100", "Graphics.Renderer.SetClearColor 0 1 1".

That should give you, aside from some craters which could also be turned off, a near-perfect uniformly cyan screen with your avatars on it for acting. I already managed to do some fun stuff, like have an avatar and a Bahro talk in the Myst 5 volcano crater, have an avatar walk across the bridge to Temple Island in Myst 2, or have an avatar and Yeesha do a disco dance on a walkway in Myst 3's Voltaic.

Maybe I can help? I have in my offline TPOTS installation nor a "greenscreen" Age.

Maybe I can send you a copy? Or to the TOC team. Maybe you can do that also with the pack to the tPots TOC?


sincerely
Sylar