"Graphic Novel" style renderer

OrcaDesignStudios · Posted: Thu Aug 19, 2004 8:51 am Post subject: "Graphic Novel" style renderer

Check it out... http://inkulator.sourceforge.net/
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GlitchGirl

Cool results (and vector based too).

I wonder if there's a way to integrate it into other programs so you don't have to export everything as OBJs first.
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Ratteler · Forum Member Joined: Jun 10, 2002 Posts: 545 Location: NYC

This is friggin AWESOME!!! When it works.

Unfortunatly is doesn't seem to like OBJ's saved out of Lightwave 3D. :cry:

BillyBob

Hmm, new toy? Might have to play with that this weekend. The results might be kinda cool.

Ratteler · Forum Member Joined: Jun 10, 2002 Posts: 545 Location: NYC

The Camera controls TRUELY suck ass.

Your OBJ has to have a UV map for the lighting to work, and it's kind of finicky about OBJ files.

Most of my OBJ's I had to save from LW as OBJ, then load into Poser and resave to get to read. SOme of them still refused to work.

The actual Illustrator file you get would need a lot of cleanup to be truely useful.

You can see in my improptu 10 min test image that there is a lot of poke through, but also a lot of white spaces.

This thing will have great potential if it can clean up it AI some and give you the option making all white area's transparant. THat way you could use Illustrator for Coloring your "INKS".

I think it should default to saving a single white mask behind the image and making all white areas transparent.

inkulator9000 · Forum Newbie Joined: Aug 25, 2004 Posts: 2

Thanks for all the input.

As the erstwhile developer of Inkulator9000, I can use all I can get. OBJ files have about 14 different variations to support, and I hope to do so by studying the Wings 3d code.

As for vector shapes, they weren't intended to be manipulated in a vector program (alas). The idea was to use the vector format only for anti-aliasing and export to bitmap once again.

I tried experimenting with using the Inkulator9000 output as a mask, if that helps.

Ratteler · Forum Member Joined: Jun 10, 2002 Posts: 545 Location: NYC

Obviously I thinkit's a pretty cool program.

I'm not in any way a code-head or programmer, so I can't even image what it takes to make something like this work.

Peronally, the one major advantage Inkulator has for me over other "Cell" Shading styles is it's out put to AI files. I don't know what it would take to make a cleaner AI output, but if you're thinking about charging for this at some point it would mean the differance between me buying it or not.

I would also take a look at the Camera intefaces of DAZ|Studio, Poser, Etc...

Right now positioning objects is the hardest thing about using program.

You've got a great start here though, and I look forward to seeing how it develops.

inkulator9000 · Forum Newbie Joined: Aug 25, 2004 Posts: 2

Rattler --
I followed your tip and how will be able to issue a single vector object for the black lines, no white vector segments at all.

Then to create your background, create a second vector output with ink completely black.

Scheduled for the next release.

Ratteler · Forum Member Joined: Jun 10, 2002 Posts: 545 Location: NYC

Awesome!! Let me know when it's up.

digitalmagi · Posted: Sun Aug 29, 2004 12:53 am Post subject:

Looks cool, havent touched it yet, just D/L it. As to file usage and coloring issues and transparency. . . .like i said, i havent taken a look at it yet but. . . if yo can export it as a bit map at high resolution. .say 600dpi, you can drop that into photoshop save it as a bitmapped tiff at high res then place that file in Illus. . .not export. . place. In the placed file, all white spaces become transparent.

its a trick that was taught to me by a friend who is a comic book colorist at comic craft.
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Ratteler · Forum Member Joined: Jun 10, 2002 Posts: 545 Location: NYC

This is even a bit better. The file comes out as an Illustrator file. That means at some level you can actually edit your blacks in Illustrator.

Once the White Mask and black line transpacency changes are done this should be a very useful tool for turning 3D work into Vector based art.

One more feature I would like to see in the AI file would be having the whole thing grouped. All the Black line in one group, the white mask outside it, but still in a group with black line.

In fact... I don't know how viable this is, but it would be awesome if the program could read the grouping information from the OBJ file, and seperatly group all the line art from the head, Chest, Collar... Etc. Not really an essential feature, but sure would be nice to be able to hide everything BUT the head, and work on coloring it Just by itself.

Far more important is getting decent camera controls. Right now lining up your OBJ is like trying to do brain surgery with golf clubs.

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digitalmagi

i agree, the camera movement is a serious pain in the ass. It takes less time for me to ink a render in Illustrator then it does to use inkulator. i do like it, think it is a fantastic concept and with some more work i would even drop some cash on it.

m0r1arty · Forum Member Joined: Feb 26, 2003 Posts: 13 Location: UK

Nice little program,

I foresee alot of growth with this in the future (In the style of Alec Guiness's Obi Wan)

-m0r

Ratteler · Forum Member Joined: Jun 10, 2002 Posts: 545 Location: NYC

Anything new on this? With the recent Comic inititive here, I would like to give this proggie a real workout.

Shin00bi · Forum Newbie Joined: Oct 23, 2004 Posts: 1

As a real-inker, I think the render-ink looks a little... over-done. All heavy darks, no concept of light-ink shading or anything.

Deffinitely good for animation though.