Ulead COOL 3D, COOL 3D PRODUCTION STUDIO User Manual

User Guide Ulead Systems, Inc. April 2003

First English edition for Ulead COOL 3D Production Studio, April 2003. © 2003 Ulead Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,

electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or storing in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form without the express written permission of Ulead Systems, Inc.

Software License

The software described in this document is furnished under a License Agreement which is included with the product. This Agreement specifies the permitted and prohibited uses of the product.

Licenses and Trademarks

Ulead, Ulead Systems logo, EasyPalette and Ulead COOL 3D Production Studio are registered trademarks and/or trademarks of Ulead Systems, Inc. Intel and Pentium are registered trademarks and/or trademarks of Intel Corporation. Microsoft, Windows, DirectX, DirectX Media, and/or other Microsoft products referenced herein are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. QuickTime and the QuickTime logo are trademarks used under license. QuickTime is registered in the U.S. and other countries. Adobe, the Adobe logo, Illustrator, and Acrobat are trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated. 3D Production Studio is a registered trademark of Autodesk, Inc. RealText and RealPlayer are either registered trademarks or trademarks of RealNetworks, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. The RealPlayer is included under license from RealNetworks, Inc. ©1999-2001. RealNetworks, Inc. All rights reserved. Macromedia, Flash and Macromedia Flash are trademarks or registered trademarks of Macromedia, Inc. in the United States and internationally. All other product names and any registered and unregistered trademarks mentioned are used for identification purposes only and remain the exclusive property of their respective owners.

tation is licensed to practice the Free Form Deformation method under United States Patent No. 4,821,214 owned by Viewpoint Corporation. The licensed user of that copy may use the copy to practice the patented Free Form Deformation method in accordance with a license granted by Viewpoint Corporation. For information on additional patent licenses contact: Viewpoint Corporation. 498 7th Avenue, Suite 1810, New York, NY 10018

Sample Files

Files provided as samples on the program CD-ROM can be used for personal demonstrations, productions, and presentations. No rights are granted for commercial reproduction or redistribution of any sample files.

North & South America Ulead Systems, Inc.

http://www.ulead.com Support: http://www.ulead.com/tech

Japan Ulead Systems, Inc.

http://www.ulead.co.jp Support: http://www.ulead.co.jp/tech

Germany Ulead Systems GmbH

http://www.ulead.de Support: http://www.ulead.de/tech

International Ulead Systems, Inc.

http://www.ulead.com http://www.asiapac.ulead.com http://www.ulead.com.tw

Support:

http://www.ulead.com/tech http://www.asiapac.ulead.com/tech http://www.ulead.com.tw/tech

China Ulead Systems, Inc.

http://www.ulead.com.cn Support: http://www.ulead.com.cn/tech

Contents

Welcome to Ulead COOL 3D Production Studio ................................................6

Getting help............................................................................................................................................... 7

Installation ................................................................................................................................................. 7

Running Ulead COOL 3D Production Studio............................................................................................ 8

Getting updates......................................................................................................................................... 8

Workspace ...........................................................................................9

Getting started ..................................................................................... 12

Using the EasyPalette ............................................................................................................................ 12

Using Composition presets ...........................................................................................................................12

Using Objects presets ....................................................................................................................................13

Dimensions......................................................................................................................................................14

Creating and editing objects .................................................................... 15

Adding and editing text............................................................................................................................ 15

Adding and editing 3D graphics and shapes.......................................................................................... 16

Using the Path Editor .....................................................................................................................................16

Creating basic 3D objects .............................................................................................................................19

Creating lathe objects ....................................................................................................................................20

Importing 3D models .............................................................................................................................. 21

Selecting and grouping objects............................................................................................................... 22

Using the Object Manager ............................................................................................................................22

Editing object style .................................................................................................................................. 24

Color.................................................................................................................................................................24

Texture.............................................................................................................................................................25

Transparency..................................................................................................................................................28

Bevel.................................................................................................................................................................28

Modifying individual faces of an object........................................................................................................30

Object precision and quality..........................................................................................................................30

Wireframe display ...........................................................................................................................................31

FreeForm ............................................................................................................................................... 31

3D scene basics ................................................................................... 33

Camera .................................................................................................................................................. 33

Lens type and distance..................................................................................................................................34

Background............................................................................................................................................ 35

Color Background...........................................................................................................................................35

Image Background .........................................................................................................................................36

Video Background ..........................................................................................................................................37

Background Audio.................................................................................................................................. 38

Understanding the 3D coordinate system............................................................................................... 39

Light ........................................................................................................................................................ 40

Ulead COOL 3D Production S tudio

Animation basics .................................................................................. 42

Working with key frames and timelines..................................................................................................43

Advanced timeline mode........................................................................................................................ 45

Creating a simple animation ................................................................................................................... 47

Animating color....................................................................................................................................... 49

Animating background............................................................................................................................ 49

Showing and hiding objects ....................................................................................................................50

Animating position ..........................................................................................................................................52

Animating with multiple attributes .................................................................................................................54

Plug-in effects ..................................................................................... 55

Key frames and plug-ins ........................................................................................................................ 55

Understanding global and key attributes.................................................................................................56

Background effects................................................................................................................................. 56

Gradient Background .....................................................................................................................................57

Magic Texture Background ...........................................................................................................................58

Object Effects..........................................................................................................................................59

Bend .................................................................................................................................................................60

Cartoon Shader ..............................................................................................................................................61

FreeForm ........................................................................................................................................................61

Object Explosion.............................................................................................................................................62

Stylized Outline ...............................................................................................................................................63

Twist..................................................................................................................................................................64

T ext Effects............................................................................................................................................. 65

Blast..................................................................................................................................................................65

Bump ................................................................................................................................................................66

Dance ...............................................................................................................................................................67

Distort...............................................................................................................................................................68

Explosion ..........................................................................................................................................................69

Jump.................................................................................................................................................................70

Path Animation ................................................................................................................................................71

Surface Animation ...........................................................................................................................................72

Text Wave........................................................................................................................................................73

Token Skew (G) ..............................................................................................................................................74

Token Size (G) ................................................................................................................................................75

Token Move (G) .............................................................................................................................................. 76

Token Rotate (G) ............................................................................................................................................77

Particle Effects........................................................................................................................................ 78

Smoke ..............................................................................................................................................................78

Fire ...................................................................................................................................................................79

Snow.................................................................................................................................................................81

Bubble..............................................................................................................................................................82

User Guide

Global Effects..........................................................................................................................................83

Fire ...................................................................................................................................................................83

Glow..................................................................................................................................................................84

Lightning ..........................................................................................................................................................85

Motion Blur ......................................................................................................................................................86

Shadow ............................................................................................................................................................87

Natural Paint ...................................................................................................................................................88

Project output ...................................................................................... 89

Saving your project ................................................................................................................................89

Export Video Overlay ............................................................................................................................. 89

Export 3D Models ..................................................................................................................................89

Creating video files.................................................................................................................................. 90

Creating image files ................................................................................................................................ 90

Creating animation for the Web............................................................................................................... 91

GIF animation ..................................................................................................................................................91

Flash animation ..............................................................................................................................................93

RealText 3D .....................................................................................................................................................93

Main Program........................................................................................................................................94

Shortcut Keys ...................................................................................... 94

Path Editor .............................................................................................................................................. 95

Index ................................................................................................ 96

Welcome to Ulead COOL 3D Production Studio

Welcome to Ulead® COOL 3DTM Production Studio, a professional 3D text and graphics software for use with video and multimedia. COOL 3D Production Studio is a radical change from earlier COOL 3D versions because it offers a host of new tools and control-set additions specifically designed for video production, yet retains innovative pre-set options for quick 3D project generation. The result is a new breed of professional 3D animation software that is specifically suited to the video production and multimedia creation.

Cutting edge 3D art

With COOL 3D, you can conveniently convert text and shapes into dazzling 3D figures as well as import/export *.X and *.3DS files, work with lathe objects, do freeform deformation, and achieve any 3D titling goal in minutes. Create and edit your work like a pro without the hassle. All you have to do is click away .

Video support like nothing else

You don't have to edit your video clips outside COOL 3D. User-friendly and powerful, COOL 3D allows you to use video files as scene background or object texture and edit the clips right there. It's video support like you've never seen before. COOL 3D gives you the power of many programs, saving you both time and money .

Increased usability

Edit your work per key frame and have better timeline control with COOL 3D's Timeline W indow . You will also find it easy to work around the interface by using the attribute panel, selection indicator, light guide, axis indicator, visual open and many other usability enhancing features. These make creating and editing your projects easier and much more enjoyable.

User Guide

Getting help

The best way to familiarize yourself with COOL 3D is to experiment with all of the options provided. To help you get started, this manual offers basic tutorials as well as a glimpse into advanced techniques. If you should get stuck at any time, you can use one of the following methods for more assistance:

• Click Help, then move the cursor to the object in question, and click again to find

out more on that feature.

• Go to the Help: Help Topics menu command to get more detailed information on

specific subjects.

• If you are a registered user, you are entitled to Ulead technical support. This can be

accessed through Help: Ulead on the Web - Technical Support, or go to our Web site by clicking Ulead Homepage on the Standard Toolbar.

Installation

It’s easy to install Ulead COOL 3D Production Studio. The Installation Wizard will guide you through the process.

To install Ulead COOL 3D Production Studio:

1 Place the COOL 3D CD into the CD-ROM

drive.

2 When the Setup screen appears, follow the

instructions to install Ulead COOL 3D onto your computer.

3 If the Setup screen doesn’t appear after

loading the CD, by double-click the My Computer icon on your desktop.

4 Double-click the CD-ROM drive icon.

When the CD-ROM window opens, doubleclick the Setup icon.

Ulead COOL 3D Production S tudio

Running Ulead COOL 3D Production Studio

There are two ways to run the program:

• Double-click the Ulead COOL 3D

Production Studio icon on your Windows desktop, or click the icon on

the Quick Launch Toolbar.

• Select the COOL 3D icon from the program group on the Windows Start menu.

Getting updates

Keep apace with the latest in COOL 3D news and updates - the program automatically detects and notifies you of any new events in the COOL 3D homepage. You can also click Ulead Homepage to read about other Ulead news and products.

Workspace

COOL 3D intuitive design makes it easy for you to find and use the tools that you need. Toolbars, graphic editing tools, and Attribute Panel have been placed in a manner for you to really take advantage of all the program’s features and plug-ins. The following section should help you become familiar with the different areas of the COOL 3D environment.

Toggle between the Animation Toolbar and the Timeline Window

EasyPalette file directory

Attribute Panel

Timeline Window

Standard Toolbar

Text Toolbar

Navigation Toolbar

Object Manager

Location Toolbar

Edit Window

EasyPalette

Object Toolbar

Menu Bar

Status BarCamera

View Panel

Ulead COOL 3D Production S tudio

• S tandard T oolbar Contains all of the most commonly used functions and commands. In addition to the typical file commands, it also has the Object List, as well as Wireframe Rendering, Show/ Hide objects, and ambience control buttons.

• Animation Toolbar Displays all the controls you need to manipulate an animated project, including extensive key frame and timeline controls, animation looping modes, frame numbers, and frame rate. See page 43.

• Location Toolbar Shows the position, size, rotation, light, and texture coordinates of the selected 3D object. Allows you to enter values yourself, or displays the changing values of the object as you drag it in the Edit Window.

• Object Toolbar Allows you to place and edit text, graphics, lathe objects, basic 3D geometric shapes, and particle effects objects in your project. This is where you really begin your project.

• Face Property Toolbar Allows you to choose which side of the object to edit. A handy tool to have around for accurate modeling of intricate shapes.

• Navigation Toolbar Allows user to view and manipulate the object's animation through Play, Rewind, Previous, Next, Last, Loop Mode and Ping Mode.

• Text Toolbar Allows you to adjust the alignment of the text within a text object, as well as the spacing between lines and characters.

User Guide

• Edit Window Lets you preview the 3D

project as you work. You can also drag objects directly within the window to customize basic aspects, such as position, rotation, and size, among others.

• EasyPalette Contains a file directory of

all the aspects that you can apply to your 3D object, including plug-in effects. Click on any item within each category to access dozens of preset effects in the thumbnail pane. These can be quickly and easily applied to your project. See page 12.

• Timeline Window Enables you to

specify key frames and have full control over the timing of multiple object attributes. A superb tool in choreographing your entire project!

• Attribute Panel Lets you customize

many aspects of your projects, including plug-in effects. Once you understand the available options, you have the potential to create projects like a pro!

• Object Manager A floating panel that

lets you group two or more objects in a subgroup, allowing you to position or edit them as a single object. The Object Manager contains features such as Group/Ungroup, Lock/Unlock, Enable/ Disable, Rename, and Delete. See page

22.

The EasyPalette file directory lists all of the objects and effects that you can apply to your project. When you click on a category or a specific plug-in name, the thumbnail presets for that particular item appear in the thumbnail pane. To apply a preset, use one of these methods:

• Drag and drop the preset into the Edit Window.

• Double-click the preset.

• Click Apply on the EasyPalette Toolbar.

Using Composition presets

Composition is the first category of presets in the EasyPalette file directory. It offers a collection of ready-to-use Movies, 3D Models, and Video Frames that you can custom edit to fit your project.

To create animation using Composition presets:

1 Select Movie under Composition in the

EasyPalette file directory, then drag a

thumbnail containing a text object to your current Edit Window (or double-click it to open in a new Edit Window.)

Getting started

Starting a project in COOL 3D is simple. The following section takes you through the steps of beginning a first project.

Using the EasyPalette

The EasyPalette provides you with the fastest way to create astounding titles and graphics. With its vast number of presets, this is where you can add color and life to your project with just a few clicks.

EasyPalette file directory

EasyPalette thumbnail pane

User Guide

2 Click the text object or select it on the

Object List on the Standard T oolbar; you can also use the Object Manager. (See Using the Object Manager on page 22.)

3 Then click Edit Object on the Object

Toolbar. The Insert T ext dialog box appears, displaying the text object that you selected.

4 Change the text as desired, then click OK.

The new text appears in the project, replacing the original text.

5 You can also select other objects in the

document and modify their attributes and behavior.

6 Click Play on the Navigation Toolbar to

preview the animated project.

Using Objects presets

The Objects category in the EasyPalette file directory provides still and animated objects that you can arrange and modify on the Edit Window to fit your needs in creating your original 3D compositions. You can work with a single object to create a simple animated clip, or use multiple animated objects which you can easily choreograph to create a more complex composition.

To create animation using Objects and Object Effects presets:

1 Open a new document and select Grouped

Objects under Objects in the EasyPalette file directory.

2 Drag a preset object to the Edit Window. 3 Select Object Motion under the Object

Effects in the EasyPalette file directory.

4 Drag a preset motion to the Edit Window to

apply it to your object.

5 Click Play on the Navigation T oolbar, to

preview the animated project. Try placing other objects on the Edit

Window and animate them in the same way using the above steps.

Ulead COOL 3D Production S tudio

Dimensions

When you set up a 3D project, the dimension settings of the project will differ depending on how you plan to use the end product. You might want to use it as part of a video, include it as a GIF animation on a Web site, or save it as a still 3D image. Regardless of your plans, when you are experimenting with different effects and settings, try using smaller dimensions to allow your computer to render the project at a faster rate. When you have exactly what you want, increase the dimensions of the project.

Click Project: Dimensions to open the Dimensions dialog box. The User-defined option lets you customize the dimensions. If you have inserted your own image or video as the background, click Use Background Image Size to have the dimensions of the project match the background. See Image Background and Video Background on pages 36 and 37.

If you plan to output your project for the video or the Web, the Standard list has a range of commonly used dimensions.

Creating and editing objects

If you can imagine it, you can create it in Ulead COOL 3D. Generate and modify text and graphic objects with ease using high-precision modeling and image editing tools at your fingertips.

Adding and editing text

Choose from a wide range of preset Text Objects under Objects in the EasyPalette file directory. You can also use text objects found in Composition presets and modify them as

individual text objects as discussed in the previous chapter. It’s a breeze to create and edit original text objects using the Insert Text tool. You can set font

face, script for character sets, style, and size as easily as you would in a word processor. For information on adding and editing graphic objects, see page 16.

To insert a text object:

1 Click Insert Text on the Object T oolbar. The

Insert T ext dialog box appears.

2 Select a font from the list. When searching

for a font, a ToolTip appears to give you a preview of the font currently highlighted. After selecting your font, set the script, size, and style of your text, and then enter the actual text in the text box.

3 Click OK. The text appears in the Edit

Window.

4 If you want to insert another text object,

click Insert Text again. T o edit the existing text, see the following tutorial.

Note: Create a text string of multiple lines by creating a line break in a string of text. In the Insert Text dialog box, simply press [Enter] where you want a line break to occur.

Ulead COOL 3D Production S tudio

To edit a text object:

1 Click Edit Object on the Object T oolbar. The

Insert T ext dialog box appears with the

selected text object.

2 Edit the text in the text box, then click OK

once you’ve made your changes. The edited text appears in the Edit Window.

You can also adjust the character spacing as well as the line spacing and alignment with functions on the T ext T oolbar.

Note: If you have added more than one text object, be sure to first select the one you want to edit from the Object List on the Standard Toolbar, or select it from the Object Manager. See page 22.

Adding and editing 3D graphics and shapes

Create outstanding 3D logos and images by customizing graphic objects. In COOL 3D, importing, creating, and modifying highly complex models are tasks that are rendered elementary because of its powerful set of modeling tools.

Using the Path Editor

A vector graphic is different from the bitmap graphics that are most widely known (for example, those in BMP, JPEG, and GIF formats). Vector graphics are composed of paths and often stored in Adobe Illustrator (*.AI), Window Metafiles (*.WMF) or Enhanced Metafiles (*.EMF) formats. The easiest way to create these graphics is to use

Path Editor, accessed by clicking the Insert Graphics on the Object Toolbar.

Bitmap of a logo (top), and the same logo converted to 3D with Path Editor (bottom).

User Guide

The simplest way to add a vector graphic object is to draw the paths yourself using the Path Editor tools. COOL 3D, however offers other options to work on vector graphics to your

project by importing vector graphic files.

To import a vector graphic object:

1 Click Import Graphics in the Path Editor

dialog box. In the Open dialog box select your file in Adobe Illustrator (*.AI), Window Metafiles (*.WMF) or Enhanced Metafiles (*.EMF) formats that you would want to work on.

2 Click Open and the object is placed in the

Path Editor dialog box.

You can also acquire paths from your JPEG or BMP image files and convert them to vector.

To convert a bitmap graphic object to vector:

1 Click Insert Graphics to open the Path

Editor dialog box.

2 Click Convert to Vector and the Open dialog

box will come into view. Select the image file you want to convert and click Open.

3 The Convert to V ector dialog box is

displayed. Modify the Tolerance; Jump point and Threshold values of the paths to your preference and click OK.

Ulead COOL 3D Production S tudio

Whether you have selected pre-existent vector graphics, rendered paths on bitmap images or utilized the freehand tool, you can modify your paths just as easily.

To edit a graphic object:

1 Now , you can select or deselect multiple

nodes at one time. To do this, let us make an example using the Freehand T ool. Select this tool and render a shape on the workspace of the Path Editor.

2 Close the path by clicking Close Path.

Notice the path has closed smoothly by default.

3 Click Adjust and the nodes will appear. Left

click while simultaneously pressing [Ctrl].

4 Click on the nodes you want to select or

deselect. While holding down [Ctrl], drag the entire group of nodes the same time.

5 When using the mouse, drag the pointer

and draw a selection box across the nodes. Release the button and the nodes will be selected or deselected. Dragging multiple nodes will also apply .

6 When removing or adding nodes, click Add

Node or Remove Node. Apply the selection process above to automatically delete the multiple nodes or quickly press [Del].

User Guide

Creating basic 3D objects

COOL 3D lets you insert basic 3D geometric objects into your project with just a click of the mouse. Use them with text and graphics to create unique 3D animations and stills. You can use several 3D shapes together to create an eccentric object, or just a few as props for an animated title. In this tutorial, learn how to edit a cylinder.

To insert and edit a geometric shape:

1 Click the Insert Geometric Object drop-

down arrow on the Object T oolbar and select a 3D shape. The object appears in the Edit Window.

2 In the Attribute Panel, select 3D Shape in

Property List and enter values to adjust the attributes of the object.

3 Then select presets under Object Styles,

Object Effects, Text Effects, Global Effects, and other plug-ins in the EasyPalette file directory and apply them to your geometric shape.

4 You can also use the basic animation

buttons on the Animation T oolbar to create an animated sequence.

Note: Bevel attributes and plug-ins cannot be applied to geometric shapes.

Other things you can do with geometric objects

Ulead COOL 3D Production S tudio

Creating lathe objects

Lathe objects are easier to generate or render with COOL 3D. Simple and irregular shapes or paths can be instantly transformed into amazing symmetrical objects using the Lathe Object Editor and Object Preview Panel for real-time editing.

To create a Lathe object:

1 Click Insert Lathe Object on the Object

Toolbar and the Lathe Object Editor dialog

box is displayed.

Note: To recall the dialog box, double-click the object you created or select Edit Object on the Object Toolbar.

2 Click on the Shape T ool, Path T ool and

Freehand T ool and render a variety of paths

and shapes.

3 To start modifying your paths, click the

Object T ool and Adjust T ool. Y ou have the option of rendering your paths or shapes across or beside the Lathe axis, according to your desired output of the object. Click on X-axis or Y-axis to change the orientation of the default axis.

4 Increase the modification of your paths by

choosing from the Open Path or Close Path.

5 Click Launch object preview panel in the

Lathe Object Editor to preview your objects. You can rotate your object by selecting Auto rotate object .

6 Experiment further using the Attribute

Panel. Manipulate Angle and Sides spin slider controls to produce the desired degree of angle or number of sides for your object. It is possible to render 2 sides by selecting Two-sides rendering .

User Guide

Importing 3D models

Import DirectX (*.X) and 3D Studio (*.3DS) models for immediate use in your project or for further editing in COOL 3D.

To import 3D models:

1 Select File: Import 3D Model. 2 Then select the 3D model type DirectX

Model or 3D Studio Model.

3 The Open dialog box is displayed for you to

select your file.

4 Select C3D data type to import the model

without color or texture attributes, if you prefer to customize these later. Or select D3D data type to import the model with its inherent color and texture attributes intact.

5 Select Scale to proper size so that the

height and width of the 3D model will be adjusted properly to fit your window . Otherwise, it will be imported in its original size.

6 Click Preview to view your selected file. The

model preview should be shown in the Information Area.

7 Click Open.

You can also export COOL 3D models as Direct X (*.X) and 3D Studio (*.3DS) files and work on them in other modeling environments. To export a 3D model, select File: Export 3D Model and select DirectX Model or 3D Studio Model.

The Open dialog box is displayed for you to select your file. Under Export object at, choose whether to export at the current frame or other frames ranging from 1 to 10. Click Apply mesh plug-ins to include the mesh plug-ins. In the case of DirectX, you need to choose between Text mode and Binary mode as the DirectX output method. Select Compress to decrease the size of your output file.

Objects in the X file format, as C3D data type (top), and as D3D data type (bottom)

Ulead COOL 3D Production S tudio

Selecting and grouping objects

COOL 3D allows you to insert more than one object into your project, whether it be text or graphics. After you have created the individual objects, you can edit and animate each one individually just by first clicking on it in the Edit Window to select it. You can also use the Object List on the Standard Toolbar to select the object that you want to edit. An even more convenient way to keep track of objects is to use the Object Manager (see the following section).

A text object and a graphic objectMultiple text objects

Using the Object Manager

The more objects you create, the more of a challenge it can be to keep track of them. The

Object Manager makes it easier for you to organize and edit your objects. To open it, click View: Toolbars Manager - Object Manager. Here are some of the basic functions:

• Select objects When you create a text or graphic object, it appears as an individual item in the directory . Click on that item in the Object Manager to select it. This allows you to edit only that object.

You can also select multiple objects by clicking them with the mouse while pressing either [Shift] for a row of items or [Ctrl] for individual items. This allows you to group, align and apply plug-ins to all the selected items simultaneously.

User Guide

• Group multiple objects Objects

belonging to the same parent can be grouped and arranged into multiple levels of subgroups.

To group objects, select them and click Group objects. The selected items form a subgroup. To see which objects are in the subgroup, click the + symbol.

The Pivot Setting dialog box is also displayed to set the rotation behavior of the new subgroup. Choose to place the pivot at the center of the subgroup objects' mesh bounding box, at the center of their original pivot points, or use the current parent group’s pivot.

• Ungroup objects To have a group of

objects form separate objects again, select that subgroup from the list, then click Ungroup objects. All motions applied to these objects while grouped are retained even after they are ungrouped.

• Delete selected objects or groups

simply select the desired object or group of objects, and click Delete object(s).

• Rename objects Do this by selecting the object in Object Manager, and then clicking it again to edit the name. This is convenient when you want to do the following:

- Change the name of an object to keep track of all objects; objects receive a generic name by default.

- Differentiate between two or more of the same text or graphic objects in a project. Multiple objects receive the same name by default.

You can create as many subgroups and subgroup levels as you want. Each subgroup is treated as a distinct object.

Ulead COOL 3D Production S tudio

• Lock/Unlock objects Individual objects

or entire subgroups can be locked to prevent further modifications of their attributes. To lock/unlock objects or subgroups, simple select them and click Lock/Unlock objects.

• Enable/Disable objects Individual

objects or entire subgroups can be disabled. Disabled objects are not visible on the Edit Window and their attributes cannot be modified. To disable/enable objects, click Enable/Disable objects.

Editing object style

There are many ways to customize the physical appearance of your object in COOL 3D. The controls are accessed in the EasyPalette file directory, under the Object Style category. The easiest way to style an object is to use one of the presets in Object Style: Material Attributes or Material Gallery, all of which combine many attributes. Or you can control each attribute individually with extensive options on the Attribute Panel. This section shows you how to customize color, texture, bevel, and transparency attributes.

Color

It’s easy to apply color to your object. You can use one of the presets that include both light and color settings, or customize the color yourself.

To apply color to an object:

1 In the EasyPalette file directory,

select Object Style: Material Attributes - Color.

Drag the color thumbnail from the EasyPalette to the object.

User Guide

2 In the Attribute Panel, select Color in

Property List. You can modify both

the surface and specular colors of your object by clicking the Color square under Surface or Specular. This opens a standard Windows Color dialog box where you can select a color.

3 To the right of the Color square, adjust

the Brightness, Saturation, and Hue of the color until you have the effect that you want. Under Specular, you can also use the Property Controls to adjust Luster.

Texture

By applying a texture map to your 3D object, you can give it the appearance of being made from a specific material, such as wood or metal, or you can apply a pattern or design to it. A texture map is a *.JPG or *.BMP image that is wrapped around the surface of a 3D object.

You can also create more dynamic compositions by wrapping your object in full motion video. COOL 3D allows you to use an *.AVI or *.MOV file as texture that will play within the boundaries of the 3D object where it is applied. A project with a video background can also contain multiple objects with video textures. Imagine the effect of all video clips in such a project playing simultaneously .

To apply an image texture to an object:

1 In the EasyPalette file directory, select

Object Style: Material Attributes - Image T exture.

Drag the preset image texture thumbnail from the EasyPalette to the object.

2 T o use your own image file, select Image

and click Load texture image file in the Attribute Panel. Select the image file that you want to use for your texture (*.BMP or *.JPG) in the Open dialog box and click Open. The image will be applied to the object.

Ulead COOL 3D Production S tudio

3 Click Show texture color only to remove

any color that was previously applied to the 3D object, leaving you with just the color in the texture map itself.

4 Select a Wrap mode for your texture. This

determines how the image is applied to the object. For instance, if you have an object with a cylindrical shape, you might want to choose Cylindrical. For shiny or metallic textures, using Reflection often produces best results.

T extures are fitted around the object depending on the Normal vector that you select.

T extures are initially applied around the Z- direction. If you have a cube, this results in the texture wrapping from the front to the back of the cube towards the back.

Choose X- or X+ if you want the texture to wrap around from the sides going left or right. Choose Y- or Y+ if you want the texture to wrap around from top to bottom.

5 If you selected Flat mode, you can click Fit

to width or Fit to height to resample the texture to fit the object's horizontal or vertical dimension. You can also use the Fit to height feature for Cylindrical mode.

Select Keep aspect ratio to maintain the image’s proportion when fitted to the object's dimensions. Keep this option clear if you want to separately modify the width or height values of the object.

6 Use the Mapping tools to place the image

exactly where you want on the 3D object. Position, Rotate, and Resize the image by clicking the desired button, then drag the mouse in the Edit Window until the image is the way you want it, or enter values on the Attribute Panel under T exture property.

Texture applied in the Y- direction.

Texture applied in the X- direction.

Texture applied in the Z- direction.

User Guide

7 Select the Filter option to create a softer,

more blurred effect.

8 Textures in Object S tyle also feature the

Emboss function which gives the image a more tactile and raised texture. Select

Emboss then adjust the following settings:

- Width The horizontal offset of the texture.

The greater the value, the more stretched out it will appear.

- Depth The appearance of the thickness of the texture. A higher value will result in the texture having a greater raised appearance.

To apply a video texture to an object:

1 In the EasyPalette file directory, select

Object Style: Material Attributes - Video T exture.

Drag the preset video texture thumbnail from the EasyPalette to the object.

2 T o use your own video file, select Video and

click Load texture video file in the Attribute Panel. Select the video file that you want to use for your texture (*.MOV or *.AVI) in the Open Video File dialog box.

3 Click Duration to set the Mark In/Out

points on your video/audio file.

4 Click Info to view properties of your video/

audio file. You can also preview your selection by clicking Preview.

5 Click Open and the video will be applied to

the object.

To run your video continuously, simply click Loop video playing in the Attribute Panel. Select the wrap mode and method, map your video texture, and apply Emboss the way you would with an image file.

Emboss is applied to the sphere in lower right.

Ulead COOL 3D Production S tudio

Transparency

Creative manipulation of transparency levels among objects can create dramatic effects especially when integrated with a play of light and motion. You can control the opacity of individual, multiple items, or entire subgroups by modifying Transparency property.

Select the object you want to render transparent and open the Attribute Panel. Select Transparency in Property List. Drag the slider to control the opacity or transparency of your selection - you can also enter a specific value for percentage of transparency.

The actual transparency level of an object within a subgroup is the combined value of its own transparency and that of its parent group.

Bevel

A bevel refers to the edge of a 3D object. You can add depth and character to your text and graphics objects by applying bevel styles. You can select from EasyPalette presets or customize your own by selecting Bevel in the Attribute Panel Property List and adjusting its characteristics. Once you become familiar with bevel attributes, you can even animate them. This section gives you a glimpse into the anatomy of a bevel as well as basic bevel styles.

An object with no bevel (left) and the same object with a flat bevel (right)

User Guide

To apply a bevel style to text and graphic objects:

1 Insert a text or graphic object into the

workspace.

2 Select Object Style: Material Gallery -

Extruded Objects. Drag a bevel style to your object in the Edit Window to apply it.

3 T o customize your bevel style, select Bevel

in the Property List in the Attribute Panel.

4 Change the settings for Extrusion, Weight,

Border, Depth or Precision until you get the effect that you want.

Basic Board Bevel Styles

Round-Round

Chiseled-ChiseledChiseled-Round

Round-Chiseled

ChiseledRound

Ulead COOL 3D Production S tudio

Object precision and quality

Adjust the smoothness of your 3D objects by selecting Precision & Quality in the Property List in the Attribute Panel. A higher Precision value increases the mesh density of the object.

This way you can deform objects to create smoother surfaces. Click Wireframe to observe this.

Keep in mind, however, that higher precision means slower rendering time, therefore it is a good idea to wait until you’re finalizing your project before setting this.

Modifying individual faces of an object

The great thing about applying texture and color in COOL 3D is that you can apply them to individual faces of your object. Click a Bevel Face option on the Face Property Toolbar to select the side of the object to edit. Then, drag a color or texture from the presets to the Edit Window. Try applying different colors and textures to the different bevel faces of an object. The illustration below shows you this effect when applied to an object with a Flat bevel style (see the following section for more on bevel styles).

Lower object precision (left) and higher object precision (right)

Front Face

Front Bevel

Side Face

Back Face

Back Bevel

+ 70 hidden pages

Ulead COOL 3D, COOL 3D PRODUCTION STUDIO User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual