MIKU HATSUNE'S TELSTAR STAGE SET FOR MMD

Installation Instructions

This is not a tutorial on how to use MMD, some degree of familiarity with the software will be assumed in this documentation.

Contents

Introduction

This set was built because I thought it would be fun to have a stage with animated orbital rings that could add visual excitement to an MMD video. The theme is based at the time in history when the United States began its tentative steps in entering the space age during the late 1950s and early 1960s, hence the use of the radiation warning motif and the satellite/UFO shape and design of the stage and its components. The name "Telstar" comes from the famous telecommunications satellites that were launched into space at about that time.

You can click on Miku's picture below to see a demo of the stage in action once it has been set up following the instructions outlined in this document.

Miku Hatsune's Telstar Stage Set
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Choosing a Background Image

Your choice of a background image will be important with this set. The stage set uses predominantly translucent textures and this was a deliberate design choice. The translucent pieces act like color filters so the "mood" of the entire set up is totally dependent on the background used. For example:

Take advantage of the saucer shape design of the main stage and let your imagination run free. There are thousands of desktop wallpapers available on the Internet, you should be able to find that "perfect" background to use with the set to match the tone for your video.

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Preset Configurations

For users of MMD version 7.39 only

For some unknown reason these files do not work on MMD version 5.24, so users of this version do not need to install, or can safely delete these files.

There are three files that have three different preset configurations of the stage set that can be loaded into MMD without having to setup the components manually (except for the orbital ring). These are contained in the "7.39 only" folder. These standard sets are:

  1. Load up one of these sets in MMD.
  2. Next, load the orbital ring "telstar_ring.x".
  3. Load the "Dammy_Bone.pmd".
  4. Making sure you have this file selected then load "telstar (ring rotation - anti-clockwise).vmd" motion data file.
  5. In the accessory panel, assign the ring to "bone01".
  6. Turn on the screen capture mode, use either "Mode01(M)" or "Mode02(N)"; use the one that has the least distortion with your monitor.
  7. Load up a background of choice.
  8. Play the animation and the ring should begin to orbit around the central dance section of the stage. You can add another ring to circle in the opposite direction if desired. Instructions for this are given below.

The standard configuration files are great for a quick set up, but they only allow for animation of the orbital ring. If you want to animate some of the other components or move individual components around, you will need to set up the stage manually.

IMPORTANT: Adjust the shadow color to match the scene otherwise things may look weird. There should be color harmony between the shadow and the stage dance floor - slowly adjust the slider till it "looks right".

Note: You can double the size of the bandstand with these preset configurations by loading "telstar_bandstand.x" and turning it around 180° along its y-axis which is centered center stage.

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Manual Installation and Variations

The stage set can be assembled manually and customized to suit your video. All components have their pivot points set at the origin so when you first load them, they with be positioned correctly relative to the other pieces. The basic steps are as follows:

  1. Load the stage base (telstar_base.x). This is the basic frame structure for the set and can be animated to revolve.
  2. Next load the dance floor (telstar_dancefloor.x). This is the center stage component and is big enough for as many as three vocaloids to function normally. It can also be animated if desired.
  3. Optionally, load the bandstand. This area is for the vocaloid instrumentalist should you want to place them apart from the main performer. Alternatively, they can just be used as decoration. You can double the size of the bandstand as noted above. If you want to, it is possible to encircle the entire dance floor by loading additional instances of this file and revolving them to fit the space.
  4. There are three different types of motion capture display screens (telstar_bigscreen.x, telstar_LCD.x and telstar_videowall.x). Multiple instances of each display is possible. Just load up additional instances and revolve them to place. Remember to turn on the motion capture function - they all share the same aspect ratio so mixing the types will also work. These can also be animated to revolve around the dance floor if desired (it works but this could put a strain on your video card/CPU).
  5. The backdrop (telstar_backdrop.x) is the last piece that you will normally load. This is centered backstage by default, but you can easily extend/revolve additonal pieces into place. As with other components it can be animated to revolved. Do note, however, that the model shares the same 3D space as the bigscreen motion capture display.
  6. Finally, you can also load the Vocaloid System Video Droid. The file for this is in the extras folder and is named: V2_droid_(TEAL).x. This is just a fun extra and can be located anywhere. It can also be animated to revolve around the dance floor, but as it is centered on the origin, you can be more creative with its movements. Its video screen actually works and is activated as for other motion capture devices. If you want Rin's version of the V2 Droid, the file for this is listed under my MMD Accessory folder in my Deviant Arts gallery
Vocaloid Systems V2 Motion Capture Droid

Note: If you use MME effects, you can light up the lights easily with objectLuminious.x - all the lights were assigned to the same unique material so you will not inadvertently light up the wrong part of the stage.

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Setting Up the Orbiting Rings

Now for the fun part!

By default the set is designed to have one or two rings orbiting around the central dance floor. Note that the rings will never collide with the vocaloid performers if they are kept away from the red circle around this central area. The steps to set up two rings to orbit in opposite directions are as follows:

  1. Load the "dammy_bones.pmd" file.
  2. With this file focused in the model panel load the motion data files for the rings. These are packed in the stage model's motion subfolder.
  3. Load the first ring (telstar_ring.x) and assign it to bone01.
  4. Load the second ring (same file) and assign it to bone14.
  5. At this point (frame 0) both rings occupy the same 3D space so it looks like there is only one ring.
  6. Play the animation and the rings will seperate and rotate in opposite directions. They will do so for 15,000 frames - more than sufficient for most MMD videos.

You will notice that the rings are translucent. This is a deliberate design solution as I did not want the rings to draw attention away from the performing vocaloids, they are nothing more than stage props and needs to remain in the visual background.

You can be creative with these rings. You can actually stack rings above each other and assign them to the same bones. Just move them up vertically using the Accessory panel y-axis controls. They will retain any of the value registered ... which also means with a bit of work you can move them up and down while they are circling simply by using this panel. Only thing is that the change will be sudden rather than gradual. Other creative options are possible.

As recorded the rings do a full circle in 120 frames (4 seconds), which works fine for most song tempos. Circling faster than this and they become distractive. You can, however, program your own data and this is a fairly simple process as explained further below.

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Making the Stage Revolve

You will normally need to assemble the stage manually to make the base of the stage set revolve. The process is very simple.

  1. Load Dammy_Bones.pmd.
  2. Assign the motion data file (telstar (stage rotation).vmd) to the .pmd file - this affects only bone15 so you can load the other two motion data files without adverse effects.
  3. Load telstar_base.x and assign it to bone15.
  4. Load telstar_dancefloor.x.
  5. Play the animation - the main stage should now revolve at a sedate pace around the dance floor for up to 15,000 frames.

The motion data revolves the stage in a counter-clockwise direction only. You will have to make your own animation if you want to revolve the stage in the other direction.

The same motion data can be used to rotate objects as well. Just assign the object to bone15. Note that you can assign multiple objects to bone15. All you need to do is to register their start position and the object will revolve on a circular path centered on bone15 which is set at the origin point. So for example, if you want to revolve the video droid, load it, assign it to bone15, set an x-axis (and/or z-axis/y-axis) value to put it in its start location. The values you enter will be used to calculate the radius of the circular path it will follow once you start playing the animation.

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Making Other Components Revolve

The following guide should give a good indication on how to make your custom revolution motions.

  1. Load the wave file for the song you're working on - this will give you a visual que for the length of your animation sequence.
  2. Center a dummy bone at the stage origin. Register it. You can use the "marker.x" registration gadget included in the extra subfolder as a visual aid to do this (that's how I did it). Remember to delete the marker after you're done or it will show up in the video playback.
  3. Load a ring (or other accessory object) and associate it with this bone.
  4. Set the screen to "local mode" so you can see the pivot lines.
  5. You will need to revolve the object 1/4 circle over the course of a 4 interval sequence - choose a suitable interval - remembering that (usually) 30 frames=1 second. The direction (clockwise or anti-clockwise) you revolve the bone is important! This is factored in in-between intervals by MMD and it will interpolate animation frames in the direction you revolve in. Note that there is nothing to stop you from creating a revolving sequence that counter moves on itself (or even along the vertical axis), so there's a lot of room for creativity.
  6. Then simply revolve revolve the bone 1/4 circle every interval (and remember to register the change) until you've made a full circle. The object you associated with the bone in step 3 should move as you revolve the bone - if it doesn't then make sure the two are associated and registered. Use the bone maniputator gadget at the lower right side of the MMD workspace to do the revolution - this is far more exact and easier than trying to fiddle with the bone directly. Note that you have to do a full circle or MMD will not interpolate the correct frames into the cycle.
  7. Play back the entire animation sequence to make sure everything is moving correctly.
  8. Save the file so you have a return point should things go wrong in the next two steps.
  9. Next set the bone selector dialog to the bone you are working on and select the entire range and copy it.
  10. Move to the next empty slot in the sequence and paste - the rest is just simple copy, paste, move to the next blank interval and repeat until you get to the end of the song. Allow for a little overlap so the circles don't come to an abrupt halt towards the end of the video.
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Setting up the Video Droid

The Vocaloid Systems V2 Video Droid is just a fun extra that I just could not help making. It is, of course, based on R2-D2 from Star Wars. It can be installed and placed into a video just like any other MMD accessory. Its video screen becomes active once you turn on one of the screen capture modes.

The model file is in the extras folder: V2_droid_(TEAL).x. The Miku (TEAL color scheme) version is included in this package. Rin's version (YELLOW color scheme) is available seperately as a download in the MMD Accessory folder of my Deviant Arts gallery. The models are identical except for the color.

For reference the droid's pivot point is centered immediately behind it's front foot (ie. directly beneath the body). You can attach a dummy bone to it and make it move around, this will not (normally) adversely affect its video playback function.

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File List Reference

Filename Notes
marker.x Registration marker tool used for locating bones. Not normally used as an accessory during video playback so remember to delete it after use.
V2_droid_(TEAL).x Vocaloid System V2 Video Droid model file.
telstar_backdrop.x Stage backdrop model file. By default located center backstage.
telstar_base.x Main stage model file. Can be animated to revolve.
telstar_dancefloor.x Main (center) performance area. This is nested by default at the center of the model listed above. Can be animated to revolve.
telstar_ring.x Orbiting ring model. Should normally be animated when used.
telstar_bandstand.x Elevated platform model. By default located to the left and right of the central dance area. Intended to be used as either an area to locate animated Vocaloid instrumentalist/band members or simply as decoration.
telstar_bigscreen.x Big movie style screen. Located on outer rim by default. (Motion capture playback enabled).
telstar_LCD.x Widescreen LCD model. (Motion capture playback enabled).
telstar_videowall.x Multi-monitor video wall model. (Motion capture playback enabled).
telstar (stage rotation).vmd Motion data for revolving telstar_base.x. Assigned to "Dammy_Bones.pmd" bone15
telstar (ring rotation - anti-clockwise).x Motion data for revolving telstar_ring.x. Assigned to "Dammy_Bones.pmd" bone0
telstar (ring rotation - clockwise).x Motion data for revolving telstar_ring.x. Assigned to "Dammy_Bones.pmd" bone14
telstar_full stage w bigscreen.x Preset stage configuation using the movie style screen. For use with MMD 7.39 or higher only.
telstar_full stage w LCD.x Preset stage configuation using the LCD style screen. For use with MMD 7.39 or higher only.
telstar_full stage w videowall.x Preset stage configuation using the video wall style screen. For use with MMD 7.39 or higher only.
demo.avi A short music video showing everything the stage and the animation motions in action.
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Display and Other Issues

Draw Order

Although the model has a lot of translucent objects I have not found too many display issues with it. I have noted that from some angles there may be draw order conflicts. Most of these can be fixed by changing the draw order of the models. But somethings can't be fixed as either this is either a problem with the video card or a shortcoming of MMD or DirectX.

Somethings, just don't work like for example on my laptop you can see the background thru the bottom of the floor, but not the Vocaloids dancing above - there does not seem to be a fix for this. It could be just my graphics card or whatever, I am not so technically competent as to be able to figure out why this should be the case. In anycase, this is not a normal viewing angle so I will not be losing any sleep over this ... in anycase, I've painted the bottom black for those odd occasions when a camera angle swings too low. There was no real reason to build a bottom as normally you won't see the stage from that angle unless you're a ground hog; so it will be just a waste of system resources to build those surfaces and have the computer calculate for something that won't normally ever be seen.

Colors

Due to the translucent materials the model looks rather boring when set against the default white or black backgrounds. To bring it to "life" load up a suitable background image. The model was designed as basically a large color filter so this was deliberated design choice.

Lighting

I have not run into any significant lighting issues with this model. It lights up well from most angles without any noticable problems. It works really well also with the MME shaders and lighting effects that I've tried with it.

Shadows

IMPORTANT: change the color of the shadow to match the scene! Otherwise, things will just look weird. Also keep shadow transparency ON.

Demo Video Notes and Credits

The example music video clip (demo.avi) included in this package in the extras subfolder demonstrates how everything should look when the stage is set up properly.

The music is a clip from the theme from Hawaii 50 by the 1960s pop group The Ventures. Dance motion was adapted from the "circulation" motion data; all other motion data is original work. Miku model is one of MMD defaults. Background used is a freeware abstract art desktop wallpaper from wallpapersup.net. MME effects used were objectLuminous and adult shader.

Other issues

If you run into a problem, feel free to drop me a note on the home page for this stage set in my Deviant Arts gallery.

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Copyrights © trackdancer.deviantart.com 2012
Version 1.0
04/10/2012