MMD Theater Seats Don't Have to Sit on the Floor

When setting the stage for your animation…
You have to “do” what you have to do!

MMD Theater Seats
Don’t Have to Sit on the Floor!

I wanted to set up a scene in a theater with steeply inclined seats so that I could pan the camera from above the stage and still capture some of the audience in the scene. Always, before, I have had to have the camera well back from the stage or close to the floor to catch the audience as I panned into the action … because I have always set the seats … on the floor, of course!

It occurred to me, today, that I could tilt the standard Theater Seats that come with the LearnMMD Auditorium Stage download … tilt them up for a more arena-like appearance. (I was using the Auditorium Stage at 150% size … so I had room for TWO sets of the seats, side-by-side!)

Yes … it looks BAD from a distance … especially when you can see all of those little legs dangling down below the seats…

… but if you position the camera to avoid seeing the underside of the seats, you can make a believable scene!

This realization started me to thinking about what other “reality shortcuts” might be available to us. Things like trees and furniture, and other models in your scene, don’t necessarily have to take a stationary position on your stage … you could mount them on dummy bones and simply wave them past the camera when you need to see them … I feel like I have discovered a great freedom … a freedom that experienced filmmakers have taken advantage of forever, now that I think about it!