Many thanks @giku. No Mac here so first way would be only option for me.
Yes, I’ve suspected that Gemini isn’t going to be the best and have only been using it as it’s so easy to access and is free. Generally speaking, I’m thoroughly against AI within the creative industries so I’m kinda conflicted about using any of them at all. This is why I’m only asking them to produce tools for me to use rather than asking them to produce finished visuals.
I presume the better options have free tiers as well? We are doomed and the last thing I’m going to do is pay for the privilege! Cheers.
Just as feedback, what I would find really useful in the manual would be some sort of table which detailed some possible use cases and what would be the best way to approach that type of use?
‘To do x, you are best off using a shader’ (with explanation why);
To do y, you are best off using a scene’ (with explanation why);
To do z, you are best off using a 3d shader container’ (with explanation why) etc.’
I know there’s not just one way to do things which complicates the suggestion, but such examples would really help illustrate the differences between the approaches which can be taken. For example, if I’m honest, I still don’t fully understand what a Scene is and what its capabilities are which make it the best option for some things.
Maybe the recipes section of the manual will be similar to that but I’d still recommend laying it out in very plain terms as well somewhere.
I’m always happy to proof read anything if you want to test whether something is actually understandable and illuminating to someone who doesn’t understand already. Cheers.
And thanks @gravitas for all your kind words and your contributions to the forum. I might not thank you guys enough but I really appreciate, and if I thank one I’d have to thank all, and who has time for that, since there’s so many of you 😅
Hey @gravitas, thanks so much for posting these examples and including the modules used in the screenshots, that really helps to see what order things are placed in.
Yes, you’re right, I should - and will - revisit the tutorials now that I’m a bit more familiar with Visual as they will probably make even more sense than they did when I first bought it.
And yes, a great deal is to do with familiarity and getting used to the bewildering amount of modules and terms. I must admit sometimes the module names aren’t as helpful for the uninitiated as they could be. For example, see yesterday’s discussion about the 3d shader module where it turns out that the module isn’t a 3d version of the standard shader module (not unreasonable for a beginner to assume that would be the case is it, based on the name?) but should rather be thought of as a container.
Part of my problem is probably that I’m interested in using it in ways that are perhaps atypical. I very much want a handmade-feeling result and am not personally interested in having it generate the standard ‘shader imagery’ because, to me, that type of imagery tends to look like the work of the computer rather than the person using it.
As such, I’ve been exploring what Drambo Visual can possibly do for me rather than exploring what it can do per se and maybe, admittedly, that’s been the wrong approach to take initially. I certainly want to run before I can walk!
I’m going to stick with it though so I massively appreciate the help and advice you’re all very graciously offering here, even though most of my questions (and creations) are child’s play to the rest of you. Cheers.
There is no harm in asking questions, in the early days of dRambo I used to ask questions all the time and then disappear
to experiment and then surface again with something that I was happy with and then moved on to the next thing.
In you asking questions we all can see where the strengths and weaknesses are (because everything has those including people)
and what we need to build upon or what we already have.
"As such, I’ve been exploring what Drambo Visual can possibly do for me rather than exploring what it can do per se and maybe, admittedly, that’s been the wrong approach to take initially. I certainly want to run before I can walk!"
Agreed, one must learn to walk before one can run and that's with everything.
Even though I am a self taught musician and composer I did learn other peoples music before I really started composing my own work.
Learn the language first then write poetry, a hammer is just an object until one is shown what to do with it
Comments
I will add, I use Claude, CoPilot and Google A.I Studio in combination.
Google A.I Studio is the worst of the three, it takes days to get something right
and it will change code almost on a whim even with precise instruction snot to do so
I basically drop in the dRambo Visual manual, the Scene and or Shader A.I contract,
take a stock 3D mask, 3D camera or 3D raymarcher preset, change the file extension from *.drmodule
and replace with *.xml and load that as a working template.
Tell the LLM whatever it is I need generated and then carry on from there.
Claude will save code generated as a direct *.drmodule,
CoPilot you have to copy and paste and Google A.I studio
will save the created file as a text file which you then manually change the file extension.
I’ve been hearing the end of times is near since my childhood, it seems now it’s finally here, ffs what took it so long
Whatever the end means. Will be probably the end of my job, also I can't really tell my sons to go to university :)
There is that ancient chinese story called Sai Weng losses his horse, that I'm ready to read again haha
Very helpful, thank you very much again @pedro, really appreciate you taking the time to write that.
@Robin Don't hesitate to ask, it also helps me to improve the manual. It's a complex system with a toy manual :)
You’re full of surprises, thanks for reviving that old memory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_old_man_lost_his_horse
also a white horse is not a horse 🤷♂️
and tell your children to go to university. I went and it was not so bad. Lots of booze and drugs 😎
and pussey
Many thanks @giku. No Mac here so first way would be only option for me.
Yes, I’ve suspected that Gemini isn’t going to be the best and have only been using it as it’s so easy to access and is free. Generally speaking, I’m thoroughly against AI within the creative industries so I’m kinda conflicted about using any of them at all. This is why I’m only asking them to produce tools for me to use rather than asking them to produce finished visuals.
I presume the better options have free tiers as well? We are doomed and the last thing I’m going to do is pay for the privilege! Cheers.
Many thanks @gravitas, really useful information there, cheers.
Thanks @giku, I appreciate you saying that.
Just as feedback, what I would find really useful in the manual would be some sort of table which detailed some possible use cases and what would be the best way to approach that type of use?
‘To do x, you are best off using a shader’ (with explanation why);
To do y, you are best off using a scene’ (with explanation why);
To do z, you are best off using a 3d shader container’ (with explanation why) etc.’
I know there’s not just one way to do things which complicates the suggestion, but such examples would really help illustrate the differences between the approaches which can be taken. For example, if I’m honest, I still don’t fully understand what a Scene is and what its capabilities are which make it the best option for some things.
Maybe the recipes section of the manual will be similar to that but I’d still recommend laying it out in very plain terms as well somewhere.
I’m always happy to proof read anything if you want to test whether something is actually understandable and illuminating to someone who doesn’t understand already. Cheers.
I hear you on that.
The change of the century was a classic example.
Now I'm just "get it over and done with, we're bored already."
Both yours and mine, why pay musicians when you have subscription and Suno.
I'm not quitting by the way but it is true.
I will certainly agree with the "send your sons to University."
Though they may not learn anything there the piece of paper is useful.
I didn't go to University so it's much. much harder to prove that you know your stuff
and even when you do it's still not recognised except by the people with the eyes to see.
Anyway, I've discovered the Feedback modules and they are creating some interesting variations on the 3D shapes.
I can't get them to repeat objects like you can do using the Mask repeat module but the effects are certainly interesting visually.
Back soon.
Feedback modules
@Robin in this example I'm using the Mask repeat module, X/Y/Z module,
Distance blur mask module and a Box 3D Mask module to create this image.
I still to this day haven't read the manuals for both the DSP and the Visuals.
Explore what is at hand with the stock modules and eventually with repetition
you will be able create interesting imagery from even the simplest of shapes using the stock modules
and the inbuilt tutorials go a long way in describing what you can do especially with the text descriptions
that you find in the Visual Rack preset modules.
This one I've called "Crayon"
Using a custom raymarcher and the rest are stock dRambo modules.
Picture in full.
This one using only stock dRambo modules is called, "And then there were".
Nice! Love the palette
Thank you.
I'm starting to get the hang of how the outputs from the modules can change the Hue via the Colour processor.
What is useful is to take the output from the XYZ Transform module to modulate Hue and Saturation
or if one is using two or more 3D Masks in combination to take the output from one of them to modulate the Hue.
@gravitas I really like your style and you’re getting better each time! 👍
This reminds me of back then when I first realized I could use an LFO to modulate another LFO’s rate and thought I discovered powder
it’s so nice how Giku managed to keep it modular, it surely wasn’t an easy task I imagine
I still to this day haven't read the manuals for both the DSP and the Visuals
the map is the territory
But really, what you learn from just trying stuff is perhaps more rewarding. And if it crashes (which it pretty much doesn’t) send the report
This splatter thing looks really interesting, but I have no idea how it works :D
Thank you.
Agreed.
Agreed for sure, though I didn't read the manual I did read up on what the real world modules do
and what I did and am still am enjoying is routing things into things and if it doesn't crash or explode then I'm doing okay.
I'll list some of those references in my ongoing thread at some point.
Exactly, which was the point I was making, dRambo is a audio visual laboratory and it's perfect to play around with ideas,
concepts and like I said earlier if it doesn't blow up then we're doing okay and somewhere on route music and art is created. :)
This is very cool.
Oh and btw, that’s where we’ll be hosting #DramboFest2027
been trying this idea for a few years 🤷♂️
So have I actually.
I tried a meet up here in London and only two people turned up.
dRambonauts are a strange bunch myself included. ;)
And thanks @gravitas for all your kind words and your contributions to the forum. I might not thank you guys enough but I really appreciate, and if I thank one I’d have to thank all, and who has time for that, since there’s so many of you 😅
Hey @gravitas, thanks so much for posting these examples and including the modules used in the screenshots, that really helps to see what order things are placed in.
Yes, you’re right, I should - and will - revisit the tutorials now that I’m a bit more familiar with Visual as they will probably make even more sense than they did when I first bought it.
And yes, a great deal is to do with familiarity and getting used to the bewildering amount of modules and terms. I must admit sometimes the module names aren’t as helpful for the uninitiated as they could be. For example, see yesterday’s discussion about the 3d shader module where it turns out that the module isn’t a 3d version of the standard shader module (not unreasonable for a beginner to assume that would be the case is it, based on the name?) but should rather be thought of as a container.
Part of my problem is probably that I’m interested in using it in ways that are perhaps atypical. I very much want a handmade-feeling result and am not personally interested in having it generate the standard ‘shader imagery’ because, to me, that type of imagery tends to look like the work of the computer rather than the person using it.
As such, I’ve been exploring what Drambo Visual can possibly do for me rather than exploring what it can do per se and maybe, admittedly, that’s been the wrong approach to take initially. I certainly want to run before I can walk!
I’m going to stick with it though so I massively appreciate the help and advice you’re all very graciously offering here, even though most of my questions (and creations) are child’s play to the rest of you. Cheers.
@Robin "Teacher student, Student teacher"
There is no harm in asking questions, in the early days of dRambo I used to ask questions all the time and then disappear
to experiment and then surface again with something that I was happy with and then moved on to the next thing.
In you asking questions we all can see where the strengths and weaknesses are (because everything has those including people)
and what we need to build upon or what we already have.
"As such, I’ve been exploring what Drambo Visual can possibly do for me rather than exploring what it can do per se and maybe, admittedly, that’s been the wrong approach to take initially. I certainly want to run before I can walk!"
Agreed, one must learn to walk before one can run and that's with everything.
Even though I am a self taught musician and composer I did learn other peoples music before I really started composing my own work.
Learn the language first then write poetry, a hammer is just an object until one is shown what to do with it
and most importantly enjoy the process.
Not sure what’s happening here but it looks like I could make something of it
Another half baked idea, a DNA helix except this one is perfect for the scene module, I’ll try that instead
the helix part looks promising