Does anyone have a quick way to just convert the zdepth channel to an alpha channel within shake?
depth slice.
reorder node
It is explained in the blimp tutorial in the manuals.
depth slice is easier because it also does the normalization in on go. Offcourse if you dont catre about the fact that the channel has a wierd range then....
I see that it is possible to asign an rgb or a channel to the z depth but what I'm trying to do is the opposite I want to assign say an r channel to the z depth. Maybe I don't have the whole blimp tutorial installed, or I'm just not looking in the right place?
And Depth slice isn't helping me with this either, maybe I didn't explain my problem correctly or my brain just isn't functioning.
now then you need to use channel copy.
Tough you will get into trouble here! since the zdfeepth channel is much UNLIKE a normal color channel. Fitrst its in the negative range for most parts and its unbounded so youd need to sclae the alpha to fit. And this can be VERY hard.
Offcourse if your just using it as one extra channel as opposed to something thats actualy going to interact with other z info then by all means jsut channel copy it.
By the way how to do this is discussed in the manual!
QUOTE(scorpionfish @ 11/01/05, 06:11 PM)
Maybe I don't have the whole blimp tutorial installed, or I'm just not looking in the right place?
Shake_4_Tutorials.pdf > page 91 "Depth Compositing"
Depth compositing of Blimps throughout the tut. A version of this tut has been in the shake manuals as long as I can remember(shake 2.2, possibly earlier). So just because you don't have shake 4, doesn't mean it's not in there.