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2 Possibly Dumb Questions

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Old Codger:
Got a couple of possibly dumb questions. There are people in this community (and thank the Creator for such communities) who have been using Steven's marvelous toy for years and years so I am highly confident that the knowledge I seek is out there.  My questions are not something which - so far as I can tell - can be solved by simply reading the manual. I hope I am not wearing out my welcome with all my noob-y questions.

1. Is/are there tutorials on using the scene editor (scene editor 101, 102, 201 etc.)? I've figured out the basics of adding objects and positioning them (although the rotate axes seem to me to be out of phase - have to select "X" to rotate an object around the "Y" axis and vice versa) and I would like to be able to use the arrow keys to nudge objects the way I can in object mode. For the moment I just want to take stills of a scene I set up. My question is about not merely placing the objects where and how I want them. I want to learn how to light a scene and position a still camera in order to render a still. I've seen tutorials about specialized scene related things - focal blur and such - but nothing about basic scene setup and lighting. I need something like that and I know good and well you folks know how to do it. In the absence of tutorials, then a list of what tools to use with guidance as to when to use them would be greatly helpful. It would certainly save me a whole lot of time spent in approaching things empirically.

2. How do I make things look "real"? Is there a basic "trick" to making a model look "real" when rendered? Is it in scaling? Materials? Does it require textures? (right now, until I can master the UV functions I'm simply self-texturing things) My gut tells me that there has to be a basic "trick" (for want of a better word) to making things look real when rendered. If/when someone answers this question I expect to have a flat-forehead moment. I figure it is something so simple I'm missing it.

I am fully retired and my health precludes me working outside the home ever again so I have lots and lots of free time to experiment. And I can experiment if needed. But if there is some basic understanding, some fundamental conceptual issue I'm missing then likely all the experimentation in the world will likely not get me past that hurdle.  That's where you good folks come in. You've leaped those hurdles. Even if you answer my questions I'll still need to experiment in order to make those answers part of me. Hollering for help does not bother me. I have no problem standing on the shoulders of giants.

davdud101:
Hey Old Codger!

Hopefully @johnar can chime in as for users who are still around, he's probably one of the most familiar with the scene editor. There are a few things in Edit mode that don't match the Scene editor that just have to be sort of reckoned with. Certain things (at the moment) aren't really possible with built-in rendering, things like focal blur and motion blur and such - you'd have to use post-processing, a different software, or some highly creative workarounds for that.

For your second question, it can actually help a LOT to watch tutorials for other software. Getting a sense for how thing 'generally' can be done can help break down the underlying concepts for how to achieve something. With Anim8or in particular, texturing is a fairly big thing but I think the biggest contributor to realism is lighting in Scene mode. I'd say check out the manual for ideas on texturing, there's a lot of good info there.

Of course a lot of it depends on WHAT you want to make, because something like hair/fur (for which there are some nice scripts floating around), or skin for example, are going to be a lot harder to make look outright *realistic* in Anim8or than, say, the Utah teapot sitting in a kitchen scene.

Not sure if this is any help as this is very very 'general' knowledge and spouting thoughts as they come after my years of Anim8or. I definitely wish you good luck!

johnar:
 I've not used anywhere near anim8ors full capabilities in scene mode.

 When you watch a movies credits, those responsible for setting scene, lighting and cameras are professionals in their particular tasks.
 There are general do's and don'ts, and some general rules for basic camera and lighting, but after that, there's specialised affects for specific requirements, and then, of course, there's trial and error
 Good advice from davdud. Search internet for pro advice on basic camera and lighting techniques, then transfer that knowledge into an anim8or scene.
 Research, trials and errors, are the ways to learning this game.
 The more time and the more imagination you invest, the more satisfying become the results. 

 EDIT: A handy thing for positioning stuff, and lights and cameras, is using 3 or 4 views, with one being the camera view.
 Changing camera views in scene can be done by moving camera OR flicking to another camera. Adding multiple cameras for animations, or different still views, is fun, and activated on and off by keyframes.
 

Old Codger:
Thanks for the replies, Dave (?) and John. Was hoping to be able to avoid all the empirical crap but if it is not avoidable then needs must.

Thanks for the multi-view suggestion, John. I can see where that would help in composing the shot I want. I will definitely work from multiple views in the future.

johnar:
I've done little in regards to still shots, mostly concentrating on movies/animation.

When considering a still shot, then considerations of a photographer can be duplicated in the scene mode. By taking advice/tricks from photographers in regards to lighting and camera position you can achieve  decent and proffesional results.
 One difference between real world photography and computerised photographic images is the materials and texturing of your model. (important).
 But as far as correct camera and lighting settings go, these are all, theoretically, available in cg software. Including anim8or.
 And yes, using multple views is a good way of arranging things to look correct through your 'final' camera view.

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