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Flattening out a 3D render

Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2013 11:51 pm
by TracyE
What software should I use to flatten out a 3D render for image mapping?

I am creating an augmented sculpture for which we are working with 2D and 3D artists. The 2D guys are working with my blueprint, a flattened version of the sculpture. The 3D guys are rendering art with real 3D perspective. My question is what software do I use to warp the 3D art flat to match the 2D blueprint? The diagram below may make this question more clear.

Process.png
Process.png (158.19 KiB) Viewed 15392 times

Re: Flattening out a 3D render

Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2013 4:09 am
by TracyE
Is there a way to record MadMapper output? If so, I can run the original 3D through MadMapper to distort it into a flat version matching my 2D blueprint.

Re: Flattening out a 3D render

Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2013 6:22 pm
by te-c
If you want to record the MadMapper output use syphon recorder.

Re: Flattening out a 3D render

Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2013 6:52 pm
by TracyE
Thanks. I tried that last night and it should work well. The only problem seems to be a bug in Recorder. I set the MM output to 1920x1080, but the Recorder window shows the content squished to a 4x3 ration within the 16x9 record area with black bars.

Screen Shot 2013-11-01 at 11.12.20 PM.png
Screen Shot 2013-11-01 at 11.12.20 PM.png (146.83 KiB) Viewed 15372 times

Re: Flattening out a 3D render

Posted: Sun Nov 03, 2013 2:47 am
by NateMac
Coming from a Cinema 4D background (but this can be done in most 3d software), you can bake the texture into the object, from their you can flatten the object in 3D space and record that output. Other option would be to do multiple renders with different 3d cameras that had a straight on view of each surface.

Re: Flattening out a 3D render

Posted: Sun Nov 03, 2013 5:11 pm
by TracyE
Thanks Nate, but it is the "3Dness" of deformed objects, rotating cubes, real shadows and such that can only be seen from a 3D perspective view within the 3D world that I am trying to get. I don't believe baking textures would accomplish this if I understand you correctly.

Re: Flattening out a 3D render

Posted: Thu Nov 07, 2013 5:14 am
by NateMac
You can bake shadows and lights (effects) into textures. But again, what you want to do, is set up a virtual camera's from different angles of your renders and render them a out separately. Don't think you need to do it all in one shot, break it down to every hard angle, then piece it back together at the end as a template. I've attached my template and some screen shots of a test I did to better explain this.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/s2gm5m0q2e6sunc/t9pCLAbUKx

Re: Flattening out a 3D render

Posted: Thu Nov 07, 2013 5:24 am
by TracyE
Many thanks Nate! Please forgive my confusion/ignorance on the subject as this is my first time on a project like this, but I am thinking that moving the virtual camera to different positions will defeat the purpose of flattening a 3D effect to a 2D blueprint.

It may be useful going the other direction (conforming a 2D anim to a 3D blueprint) but my process at the moment goes the other direction. I realize this is difficult to explain without waving hands and scribbling on napkins, but I think I am am approaching it from a different, but (hopefully successful) direction.

Time will tell once we get this thing up and running. I will report back on our success/failure/learning opportunity. Until then, I still look forward to opinions from the forum participants.

Re: Flattening out a 3D render

Posted: Fri Dec 20, 2013 1:29 am
by squidden
Hi I am new here so...
Maybe a little late - but what about importing the mesh into Blender. In the UV editor you can unwrap it both slicing it up or project it from view (ortho). Another idea I like is to take it into Sketchup photo match - line it up - from there it is simple to break up..
/michael

Re: Flattening out a 3D render

Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2014 12:39 pm
by rtronik
Hey there, did you ever sort this out? I'm dealing with the same issue right now...