Topic: The ever expanding library...

[cpercer]

I've seen a few screenshots showing items to be added to the library, i.e. flowers and plants, and I've seen requests to add to the library, i.e. dutch cows, fish, etc.  Since these items must be created in Quest3D 5 (at least the animated ones), that means that someone with Q3D 5 must create them.  As of now, Q3D 5 has not been released (according to staff), so all the animated content that has been created thus far has come from the staff.  In other posts, the lumion staff has referred to people who might be willing to create content, but I have not been able to find them and even if I could, they could not create animated content.  So…

Should users of lumion (I am a licensed user, btw) direct all content requests to the Lumion staff?  If so, I need an animated flag (6ft. x 10ft.) to which I can apply my own textures.  I don't need the flag pole, just the flag (animated, e.g. waves in the wind and controlled by wind strength).

Also, I still need that fish, animated of course.

[Ferry]

You can direct content questions to us for now. Our main content guy was on vacation until last week. Maybe he can also post here. Flags and fish are good requests I think.

[Morten]

Hi Cpercer,

Thanks for your request - we're very much open to your suggestions.

Incidentally, I had a look at both flags and fish last week, both of which I thought would be very useful additions to the object library in Lumion. Instead of adding a performance-hungry simulated flag object that reacts to the wind we will however add, say 3 different pre-animated flags (breeze, moderate wind, strong wind) which you'll have to rotate manually - hope that's ok with you.

We're also looking to add animated fish in the not too distant future, so stay tuned

Morten

[Morten]

Also, if things go as planned there should be two new types of cows in the next version of Lumion (a Frisian cow aka a Holstein cow and a black cow, both without horns).

[mischa]

Great! And sitting people would also be very helpfull!

[Morten]

Sitting characters are also on our To Do list.

Just bear in mind that seat heights may vary and we can't make the characters' feet rest on the ground in all situations - hope that's ok with everyone...

[Ecuadorian]

I believe 45cm would be a good standard for sitting height.

[cpercer]

I like the flag idea, but I would still need to place my own textures on them eventually.  For now though I could get by on country flags (US for me).  I am also looking forward to the fish.  I could use them on a project that's due the 18th of Jan.  Did I mention I bought the program?

As for the seat height, why not use the benches in the library as a reference?

[Ferry]

I guess we will need to make a special flag object so you can replace textures.

[Aaron]

Can I offer a suggestion for animated vertical banners whilst this is being considered? You can often see these where it concerns expo's, concerts or just something worth announcing via a banner. A couple of those hanging infront of the facade of your creation in Lumion would probably look very nice!

[Morten]

What dimensions would you like, Aaron?

[Aaron]

I've made a small compilation that illustrates sizes and shapes a little. Some are probably not the best examples regarding a need for them to be animated tough. Guess this largely depends on the frame and the fabric. I recall some nice heavy cloth banners but can't find a good pic of them.

Anyways, thanks and hope it helps

 

[Morten]

Baked vertex animations are of course inflexible by their very nature, so if you need a different wind direction than the one it was baked with you can't just rotate a vertical banner like you can with flags to simulate the new wind direction - and we obviously don't want lots of versions of the same object (e.g. N - NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW multiplied by say 3 different wind speeds = 24 versions in the most extreme example ). So if we do make vertical banner objects at some stage, it will probably just be with a gentle non-directional breeze

Anyhow, if anyone who is reading this needs vertical banners for a specific project, please let us know what dimensions and material/fabric you need.

[Aaron]

Perhaps a shader that supports animated textures? That way the gentle breeze could easily be done with a bumpmap.

If you're talking about priority needs I'd very much like to see some uniform content. I'm making a flyover of a Dutch WWII era battlefield reconstruction

and it would be great to be able to feature a couple of soldiers walking there in guard-mode (rifle on the shoulder so to speak).

Probably a bit specific though  Mainstreamwise some forrest wildlife would be great (deer, badger, boar, rabbits, fox, falcon, hawk, owl)....

 

Guess I'm off to the suggestion-section for a longer list

[Morten]

Generally speaking, we should probably introduce a polling system or a minimum threshold for new content, so we're sure that new models/materials are useful to as many people as possible.

Regarding animated content there are 2 options.

1) Simple transform animations (move, rotate, scale): If the Move animations in Lumion aren't quite enough, you'll need to import your transform animations in Quest3D in order to create .cgr files that can be read by Lumion.

2) Baked vertex animations: As you probably know, only we can convert custom animated models such as the soldiers you need in your WWII battlefield reconstruction scene. All I can say at present is that we're currently discussing how best to help out customers who need more advanced animated content in their projects.