Here are my notes on the procedure I used after extensive ArchiTalk sessions;
VIDEO FLY_THROUGH
To create a fly-through video, first determine what path you want to show during the video. Set a number of Camera objects along the path and adjust the individual camera direction arrow so that the path flows in a logical manner ( not flying through walls and such). Adjust the individual camera height, angle, depth of field, and zoom so each camera produces a frame in the video that looks good. Set light objects so that architectural features are lit. It helps to place an “Under Sun” at -90’ below the zero level. This “Under Sun should not cast shadows, aim up and have a wide enough angle to light up the under side of the roof and other objects. You may need sun objects set in the windows to simulate natural lighting. Otherwise the windows are black or blank. I used Halogen down lights that produced a cone of light that made a circle on the floor and a parabola on a wall. The lights have to illuminate the inside of the building in the same way the sun object illuminates the exterior.
Under Document > Creative Imaging, go to PhotoRendering Settings and choose the LightWorks Rendering Engine. I set the resolution at 150 dpi and the size to 5 x 7 inches. You can do larger sizes, but they take longer to render. Under “Effects” I chose “Best” under Method, Reflection, Transparency and Smooth Surface under “Effects” and lamp settings under “Shadow Casting”. Under “Light Sources” pick Sun, Ambient and Lamps. Under “Shadow Resolution” I left the check in the box for “By Lamp Settings”. I played with “Antialiasing” if I got any noise lines in the frame. Under LightWorks Environment I made some adjustments like picking a sky color and a ground color. Then click on OK.
Next go to Creative Imaging> Create a Fly-Through and select the Photorendering Window for the source, Perspectives from the Camera Path and "With in-between frames. I set the keyframe to pause one or two frames and I put 35 frames between keyframes. Some of that comes up in a later dialog box after you click OK. I choose the Video Movie file under "Result" and leave the default "true Color - 24 bit. The frame rate works OK between 10 and 15 frames per second. You don't have to rebuild the model for each frame - it adds to rendering time. Then I click "Save" so I create a file I can view later.
The next dialog box is "Save Images as Movie File" and you choose where in your computer you want to save the file. It will have a .avi file extension so Windows Media Player will run it. Had you chosen Quick Time in the previous dialog box, you would create a Quick Time file. I didn't have much luck with that, but it worked for me using the .avi.
I then get a dialog box "Video Compression" that defaults as "Microsoft Video 1" which I left alone, and compression quality that I also used default. I set the key frame to every 35 frames and left the data rate alone. There is a configure button that I haven't messed with successfully. Hit OK and go home to supper. It will take quite a while to render especially if you have several cameras. I had 35 and it took about 11 hours.
I hope this helps and that it isn't overkill for you.
Roger
