TaoA:M and the A:M Technical Reference
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Video Exercises (12,243 visits to this link)
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Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced Tutorials (11,628 visits to this link)
146 topics in this forum
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Okay... extra cool points go to anyone that can remind me how to link to the Tech Ref and Manual found in ftp://ftp.hash.com/pub/docs The URL is: http://www.hash.com//TECHREF.pdf and http://www.hash.com//TAOAM.pdf I've linked to it before but have gone senile. I need the link for a quick test. The size of the files opening online is probably the major obstacle to success.
Last reply by Caroline, -
- 5 replies
- 965 views
I'm working on the It's a Pitch lesson and I'm having that age old issue of stuff moving when I don't want it to. I have made the 1st pose and the 2nd pose at 10 frames. Having not moved that foot yet, I forced a keyframe there so I could start it rotating for the frame 13 pose. The issue is that the foot is now moving from frame 0 to frame 10. I'm guessing this has some thing to do with interpolation method, be it Hold, linear, Spline or what ever. I'm guessing also that I need to use Hold but I'm not sure where to use it. The right foot target? There seems to be so many levels of stuff in the foot and all I want it to do is sit still until I say move. Thanx fo…
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 4 replies
- 793 views
Even though I was doing about 75% ok when I first started TaoA:M, I didn't feel that I was making a dent in understanding the software. It was hard for me to concentrate on the actors when I couldn't even build a set. I've been traveling through the forum and a few things are beginning to make sense. Using three grids, one for the sky background, and one each for the terrain and the water. I don't know if I've done it right but at least I've done it. I'm uploading the project file just in case a good Samaritan would like to tell me how to get rid of the green in the water. Anyway, Exercise 1 down. Myron Keekat_Pr1.zip
Last reply by MJL, -
- 1 follower
- 9 replies
- 954 views
Does anyone know why sometimes the spline curves are smooth but sometime are not?
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 1 follower
- 32 replies
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I do not want to give up exercise11, but this 5-point patch just not seem to work right for me. I have been trying for an hour now to get this decal done, but I found that the distortion of the image only occurs at the area of 5-point patch. I have tried everything by disconnecting the CP and reconnect it, but when I group those 5-point the "Make Five Point Patch" does not get highlighted. Does anyone have any trick on this issue? CHEERS!
Last reply by heyvern, -
- 12 replies
- 1.1k views
Exercise 1. Did this one and the second one in feb 08. Decide to redo and try to stay on track with the manual and the online video lessons. Comments Welcome.
Last reply by asphalt maker, -
- 1 follower
- 3 replies
- 844 views
Hello Everyone, In the tutorial for "FW-190 FIGHTER" I can't seem to get past page 113 (page 121 as a PDF). I am able to Lathe the first two point Spline, but after I delete the bottom (or top depending if you watch video or read tutorial), reposition the Spline in front and side view, then rotate the green axis to be horizontal I can't get the Lathe tool to appear. It's grayed out. Am I missing something somewhere? I've attached a video so you can see EXACTLY what I've done. I'ver tried a couple variations, but if you can tell me something like: "At 1:25 you didn't do X" It would help a lot. Also the video tutorial has a lag in what the person is doing a…
Last reply by El-manchego, -
- 1 follower
- 58 replies
- 4.3k views
This is my my first exercise after following the TAOAM.
Last reply by StormedFX, -
- 4 replies
- 758 views
I have tried to follow the exercise1, but everytime I tried to render by clicking in the choreography I will get an error message when the rendering reach 70%. I am running it on Vista. "not responding" Thank you.
Last reply by StormedFX, -
- 2 replies
- 686 views
My students are using shaggy or the rabbit for it's a pitch because we had the knight with the bad knees. Most students did fine, however one girl has had trouble and she can't really tell me what she did different from the instructions. I have attached the file - Shaggy falls apart and his eyeballs fly out of his head. It's pretty funny, but not exactly what we were trying to do. Any ideas as to what she did wrong? shaggy_pitch.prj
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 reply
- 588 views
I'm working on "the door's stuck" from TAO for A:M 2002, however I have the latest version. My question is regarding the timing of movement. More specifically, I want the foot to start lifting up at 00:04:00 and stay planted on the ground at every frame before that. However, The foot starts lifting at frame 00:00:01 and slowly reaches the door. I made it through "it's a pitch" and rabbit walking without this problem. The solution is probably simple but I cant figure it out. Any help would...as usual...be huge. Thanks for looking. -PM
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 2 followers
- 31 replies
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One of my goals for 2008 was to go through all of the tutorials in TAoAM. Some of them I had actually done in years past, but I wanted to do them ALL. Well, I'm (mostly) done now. (I want to put in a little more work on 11.5.) I know most people post their entries under the topic for each chapter. The thing is, I haven't been doing that all along. But I did want to post them, and I thought since they were all almost done, that it might be easier on everyone if they were all in one spot. Is it just crazy to be thinking that? Anyway, I'm gonna post them one per response.
Last reply by Caroline, -
- 2 replies
- 580 views
I need flocking to work in this project. I need my bats to fly around the objects in this project. The flocking system is not working in this project. the camera is all ready animated and the trees are already animated, but the flocking system stopped working in the certain project. I can't get the flocking system to populate at all now. I need about 3--40 bats flocking aournd. I can't animate 30 bats like the flcoking birds systme can. The particle system is on. I have no idea what to do now.?? I can't believe it has to be this difficult. The flocking system stopped working in my project. It was working, now is will do nothing. I need serious help in getting the f…
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 9 replies
- 1.3k views
I need to have 30 flocking bats in my choreography. I used the flock/birds and drop the bat on the flock manipulator and it worked. I had 30 flocking bats and everything was working well. Then a few days later, my bats were nolonger in the flock manipulator. I tried to delete the flocking and bats and start completely over, but my flocking will not work at all in my project now. If I open a competely new project, the flocking will work. problem. I can't drop the bats in the flocking manipulator influence now, it will not populate at all in my needed project. I'm not sure how to get around this or correct this. Any ideas of why i can't get my flocking to work in my …
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 1 follower
- 5 replies
- 724 views
there doesnt seem to be a fs+w video tutorial. anyone know if there is one
Last reply by kylemb, -
- 1 reply
- 593 views
i have a candle project and i need help making it appear like it's Wax is melting on the candle please help me with this
Last reply by noober, -
- 1 follower
- 5 replies
- 970 views
ok i tried to do my sound for my final animation; i had to make two files and convert the audio with a audio convertor. when i finished with this animation the sound started to get sqeaky at the end anone who can please help me so i wont screw up like this in my next project. p.s. how long can my audio file be
Last reply by Jeffnewc, -
- 1 follower
- 3 replies
- 686 views
ok i tried to do my sound for my final animation; i had to make two files and convert the audio with a audio convertor. when i finished with this animation the sound started to get sqeaky at the end anone who can please help me so i wont screw up like this in my next project. p.s. how long can my audio file be
Last reply by Dhar, -
- 2 followers
- 2 replies
- 542 views
im new at this so i have been doing this for 4 or 5 months so how do i and pictures to my backgrounds p.s. anyone know an easier way to make mouths on there characters
Last reply by Caroline, -
- 1 follower
- 6 replies
- 827 views
I'm on exercise six and I've spent weeks on it, because I keep encountering something. All goes well with having the guy turn the doorknob this way and that. He pulls on the door. Then he lifts his foot to put it up on the door frame. And it all goes bad from there. Suddenly his foot is curling up and lifting up from the very first frame rather than from the frame I wanted it to - frame 00;00;03;20 in my case. All movement is now going back to that first frame instead of where I wanted it. I don't like that and it's discouraging me. Why is it happening? What am I doing wrong - every time?
Last reply by loggydoggy, -
- 1 follower
- 2 replies
- 711 views
Just finished Exercise 1. Planning on doing at least 1 Exercise per day until done. :-) I had some fun experimenting with the various controls defined for Keekat and getting a feel for how A:M combines changes on many sliders at once. It's actually VERY predictable, as you'd want and very intuitive.
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 1 follower
- 4 replies
- 801 views
Hello, I have a student who drew his giraffe but when he went to apply the decal it came out really weird. Any ideas what we are doing wrong? Thanks, Short Circuit
Last reply by phatso, -
- 1 follower
- 3 replies
- 732 views
I'm working on just a simple action, the resolute walking.. and when I add a .wav file, the choregraphy becomes larger, which is expected, but the action slows way down. I can't seem to fix that. What do I do to make it work right?
Last reply by ortanu, -
- 1 follower
- 2 replies
- 645 views
Hi everyone- I was able to complete a reasonable Cooper face and I'm continuing with the tutorial to finish his head. My skull is pretty good, but I've run into a snag with sculpting the ears. Please post your favorite techniques, tips, & tricks on how you sculpt an ear! Thanks so much! Erik
Last reply by SirCoffee, -
- 4 replies
- 928 views
I am a clinical psychologist and run social skills groups for children and adults with autism, Asperger's, ADHD and other challenges that affect their social behavior. We create our own simple animations, but it has also been very effective to take existing animations and either narrate them or to create movies based on how different members understand the movie (Imagine an audience reacting to a movie trailer). Here is a sample of one animation my group narrated a couple of years ago (adolescent humor) http://www.bgalephd.com/Practice/LUNCH/200...gbird_all4.html In all animations, we credit the site where they were retrieved from and typically credit the au…
Last reply by jon, -
- 1 reply
- 1.8k views
Welcome to The art of Animation:Master! Word of the new websubscription is going out to all parts of the world and the stage is set for the arrival of many new users. Welcome to the A:M Forum if you are one of those! If you are returning... Welcome Back! The art of Animation:Master is designed to thoroughly expose you to the workflow of Animation:Master with a focus on the principles of computer animation. Its a step by step process to set you up for successful animation from the time you start Lesson 1. There are many additional benefits of working through TaoA:M too. Here are a few: - A certificate of completion from Hash Inc! (Read more about it he…
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 1 follower
- 13 replies
- 1.4k views
I need soo much help on exersise 11.5 make a face i do not understand at all wat to do to make the face. As far as i can get is i make the two photos of the front and side veiw of coopers head. but then when your supposes to move and extrude to make the nose i dont understand at all how to do this!?!?!?!? i need a lot of help. if someone could possibly record a video of doing that part of make a face then that would be soo much help! thanks AmKyle
Last reply by Caroline, -
- 1 follower
- 0 replies
- 653 views
While working thru the EX17 tutorial, the simulation freezes at frame # 2:15. I saw on another thread from August 3 2007 ( User named "someawfulbridge", post "why can't I bowl cosmically?" ) that someone else had the exact same issue. A Hash person responded that they were able to set up/do the simualtion from the top view in the Chor window and make it work. I tried that and had no luck. They also said that the tut file may be corrupted and that they would try to fix it by next release. I just updated to v15a, but still had the problem. Has anyone had this issue and found a way to make the simulation follow thru? Thanks, Niall I am running a PMac G5 dual 2.5…
Last reply by kilkennycat, -
- 1 follower
- 0 replies
- 576 views
I am running a PMac G5 dual 2.5 Ghz, 3G Ram, ATI Radeon 9600 video card. A:M v15a. While working thru the EX17 tutorial, the simulation freezes at frame # 2:15. I saw on another thread from August 3 2007 ( User named "someawfulbridge", post "why can't I bowl cosmically?" ) that someone else had the exact same issue. A Hash person responded that they were able to set up/do the simualtion from the top view in the Chor window and make it work. I tried that and had no luck. They also said that the tut file may be corrupted and that they would try to fix it by next release. I just updated to v15a, but still had the problem. Has anyone had this issue and found a way to ma…
Last reply by kilkennycat, -
- 2 followers
- 4 replies
- 832 views
Folks, So far, loving the ease of modeling! Just finding it tricky to attach the leg to the giraffe. Which control point gets connected with which control point? Once I understand this, it'll be a snap. Thanks for your time in replying! Bob
Last reply by Caroline, -
- 1 follower
- 4 replies
- 654 views
Never completed 'The Art of Animation:Master'? There is no better way to learn A:M than to work your way through the manual. There are considerable benefits too. - You have A:M so lets us it! - The lessons are a whole lot of fun. (Okay... that face one... and that darn giraffe... those two are hard!) - You'll be animating in minutes! (Lets see you do that in Maya!) - You'll exercise your animation muscles. (For hours, days, weeks, months and BAM! Suddenly you are a high fallutin' animator!) - You'll learn a whole lot, make new friends, and mingle with artist and animators with similiar interests. ...and all this you'll accomplish even if you never c…
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 0 replies
- 668 views
Welcome to The art of Animation:Master! Word of the new websubscription is going out to all parts of the world and the stage is set for the arrival of many new users. Welcome to the A:M Forum if you are one of those! If you are returning... Welcome Back! The art of Animation:Master is designed to thoroughly expose you to the workflow of Animation:Master with a focus on the principles of computer animation. Its a step by step process to set you up for successful animation from the time you start Lesson 1. There are many additional benefits of working through TaoA:M too. Here are a few: - A certificate of completion from Hash Inc! (Read more about it he…
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 3 replies
- 734 views
I am working on the third lesson on page 38. I have done all the steps correctly but when I get to "Click Rabbit to select him, and then click the Skeletal button on the Mode toolbar" the button is unavailable. What do I do???? Snowy
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 1 follower
- 1 reply
- 656 views
When I import the Rotoscope Image it is white
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 7 replies
- 1.3k views
Hi Rodney and all, I sat down this morning ready to work on Exercise 8. When I tried to d/l the video I got a page-not-found error. So I said ok maybe its just that one tute......tried to randomly d/l other tutes........apparently the links are all broken, or the server hosting them is down. I'm kinda bummed ;(. Hopefully they will be back up the next time I can make time to use A:M ~Zzzippo~
Last reply by Jeetman, -
- 0 replies
- 710 views
Hey, I am trying to go through the flocking exercise. I am using the latest v14.0. Here's what's happening. I created a flock-birds, populated it with a goose model and used the fly action all just like the book. I keyframed the flock object to start at the left of the camera view from a distance. At frame 30, the flock is keyed closer and to the right. At frame 60, the flock is keyed closer still and to the left again. Here's what the problem is: When I scrub through the animation in the chor, everthing looks good and the geese point in the direct of the flock object's motion. When I render a movie, the geese remain oriented as they were in fr…
Last reply by arkaos, -
- 4 replies
- 1k views
This exercise is a never ending exercise. By that I mean no matter how simple or complex you make the choreography, there is always room to improve the animation (walks, anticipation, follow thrus etc..). Here's what I mean The_Door_is_Stuck_2.mov
Last reply by phatso, -
- 12 replies
- 1.4k views
Has anyone heard from Rodney in the past few days to a week?
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 0 replies
- 669 views
THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE UNDER THE EXERCISE # 2 TOPIC. SORRY Name: F. David Puthuff Exercises Completed: Two Date Completed: Friday August 3, 2007 Instructor: Rodney Remarks/Suggestions for Improvement: Loving it! Here is a link to the second completed exercise: Home of My Excercises Click on the videos link near the top left Thanks Rodney, - Thumperness
Last reply by thumperness, -
- 0 replies
- 723 views
I have decided to restart the TAoAM class as I've been gone for a while. I'm doing it a little different than before. I am posting everything on my 'Myspace' page. http://www.myspace.com/fdputhuff You will find the stills under the picture section in the TAoAM book and the videos under the video section. Here is exercise #1 (See Attachment) 8-3-07 If I am posting this in the wrong place, please let me know where I should be putting this stuff. Thanx
Last reply by thumperness, -
- 6 replies
- 1.7k views
Once you have completed TAOA:M, drop me an e-mail (steve@hash.com) with your name and I"ll send you one! also, if you completed TAOA:M in the past, and didn't get your certificate, I'd be happy to send you one as well!
Last reply by stinkyu111, -
- 36 replies
- 2.8k views
Hey Rodney, We have a couple of local students who are doing a crash course over the next couple of days to get signed up to TWO. I thought we would post their renderings here to get them comfortable with the Forums and excellent Animation Master Community. There working on their tutorials as we speak! James critique away folks!
Last reply by ssappington, -
- 1 follower
- 6 replies
- 843 views
Hello I'm working on exe 7 can you say that was wondering what is a MCI device error 289 ?
Last reply by tbenefi33, -
- 1 follower
- 13 replies
- 1k views
We've tested this twice before but this time there is a difference... TaoA:M now has a forum area of its own. As such I'm interested in your feedback. For those that have worked their way through TaoA:M before or those that will be working through it later. What are the pros and cons of the various choices? How would you prefer to complete the TaoA:M exercises? All feedback is welcome and will be used to enhance the TaoA:M experience.
Last reply by mfortunato, -
- 1 follower
- 60 replies
- 4.3k views
I'm working on exe: 6 the doork stuck and I need a Nucklear Explotion mushroom cloud I foud the shiitake and been trying to do the for a couple of days and haven't figure it out yet here a clip I have so far of the cloud Its no whear near what they done shiitake just wondering if any body could help me tell me what I"m doing wrong from the clip. Nuke_Um_test_1a.WMV
Last reply by tbenefi33, -
Exercise 7
by THS- 0 replies
- 485 views
Two problems with this tutorial - Often computers lock up when we drag secret on to KeeKat. Seems like it happens when a lot of students are working at same time. Does having all computers running off of one system with the dongle affect performance? The larger problem is there are no words in the dictionary - all words are in red box. I read a post about the .dic file being missing - and available on the ftp site - but I could not find it and I'm not sure what to do if I find it. Thanks! UPDATE - I found the .dic file on my CD and had to load it on each station. I think that solved one problem. But the systems still lock up when adding the secret.
Last reply by THS, -
- 1 follower
- 2 replies
- 699 views
I'm working on exe 4: Its A Pitch and I have the 9.5 version was wondering how do you make a grass effect I done a search on here there like only a couple came back. I tryed the hair material but someone said don't the hair effect to make grass. Here what I got so for I'm making a baseball field.
Last reply by tbenefi33, -
- 1 reply
- 511 views
Exe 1 : Your the director done. I like this programe keeping me busy
Last reply by Logrus, -
- 1 follower
- 11 replies
- 843 views
I've been working on the project 11 giraffe on an off this past weekend an im stuck. The last two parts of the projects are confusing me. Im not very sure where exactly my last few slines are suppose to go to finish the back part an front part of the hind leg. Ive tried multiple angles an attaches but im apparently missing something.
Last reply by Logrus, -
- 11 replies
- 826 views
Need help please How do make the bones stay on the flower when I turn the flower model they dont stay with the model here a pic of what I'm talking about.
Last reply by arkaos,