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GENERAL FORUM GUIDELINES
The A:M Forum is for technical support and the sharing of tips and ideas between users/prospective users of Hash software. It is moderated constantly by technical support representatives.
DO'S!
-Ask questions about the software.
-Assist other users... everyone was new at this once.
-Inform people of your version/platform when asking for help.
-Share resources; tutorials, models, textures, tips and techniques (link to useful websites).
-Post links to your work, or where your art is being used online (on websites, in games, toons', etc.)
-Search the A:M Forum and FAQ. The question you are about to ask may have already been answered.
-Organize and inform others about user groups, IRC chats, image and animation contests, job opportunities, etc.
-Discuss what you are working on and let everyone know about magazine reviews and articles that relate to your projects.
DON'TS!
-Do Not be rude or disrespectful or mean to other forum members in any way. Personal attacks will be removed.
-Do Not post bug/crash reports to the list (send bug/crash reports to http://www.hash.com/reports.
-Do Not complain about forum content. Complaints or suggestions can be sent directly to hash@hash.com
-Do Not reprimand other forum members for violating forum rules, that's the moderators job, which (unless you are a moderator) you are not.
-No complaining or whining on the forum or distribution of misinformation.
-No flames of any kind.
-No Off Topic posts. (Posts in the Off Topics section should be related to A:M in some form or fashion or benefit the A:M community as a whole).
-No soliciting of any kind without prior approval.
-No threads or comparisons related to other 3D Applications.
-No "Wish list" or feature requests, they should be sent to www.hash.com/reports for categorizing and prioritization (User requests define the future development of the software).
-No "me too!" posts
-No discussion of Hash Internal Affairs (finances, advertising, PR.)
-No posting of private email to the forum unless permission of the author is granted. (Private correspondence should remain private)
-No very general questions like: "how do I make a good 3D model" make your questions as complete and concise as possible.
If you have questions as to whether it's appropriate, send it to: support@hash.com, We'll be happy to let you know whether it is, or is not appropriate.
User Led Forum Considerations
Firstly and foremostly, please remember this is Martin Hash's forum and that it is every A:M User's primary resource for information about A:M. In order to remain relevant we need everyone's continuing support and interest.
Secondly, understand there is a distinction between A:M (the program) and the A:M forum. There are some topics and issues that are outside the scope of this forum and most can be deduced by reading through the forum guidelines. These include such things as Hash Inc internal policies, business practices, trade secrets, and specific plans for the future not yet publicly released. Each of these would be fascinating topics of their own but are better reserved for private communications with a representative of Hash Inc.
Related to the second, is purchasing, customer service and other areas outside the purview of the common user who may have no interest in such things; subjects relating to money exchanging hands are beyond the scope of the A:M Forum and often can lead to conflicts of interest between users and/or Hash Inc. (If Hash Inc cuts you a deal on volume purchasing it's really no one else's business). Likewise, individual complaints about a product or service are best remedied by going direct with Hash Inc representatives empowered to make decisions. Please allow them them the time necessary to resolve your specific issue and consider the cost of customized solutions.
This last area is likely the source of much confusion because many see the A:M Forum as the official outlet for Hash Inc... and it is. But the forum is not designed for conducting business and private matters best resolved by going to Hash Inc directly. Similarly, bug reports are best resolved by entering them directly into the A:M Reporting system.
Many problems can be easily addressed at the user level just by asking fellow users in the forum. If someone at Hash Inc suggests the forum as a source, it is very likely a problem can be easily resolved. For tougher issues there is even more reason to take the issue directly to the source... you don't want the issue discussed... you want it resolved quickly.
Finally, remember that we want to pass this forum on to future moderators and generations of A:M Users in the absolute best condition possible. A:M is just that good a program and is worthy of our consideration.
Thanks for making the A:M Forum a great community.
4,168 topics in this forum
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- 1 follower
- 13 replies
- 2k views
planning stage: what's a smart way to have jewels reflect light? i'll be making crowns, they have different kinds of stones in/on them. the light won't be that of the sun or lamp, cheats are sort of built in. i'll be compositing excessively, no problem to add a layer or three. but how to think/plan/execute?
Last reply by dblhelix, -
- 3 replies
- 791 views
alright this ones a bit out there but bear with me. thanks to the help i have been getting i have managed to get some of my AM skill back and have rendered a few short animations to my liking ( again thanks guys). my main concern now is that i want to put these in a web page, but try as a might i cant find an option to render as a animated gif. that said first question is does AM have this capability. second question is that if AM does not, does any one know of a way to load a small movie file into a web page to auto run and repeat as if it where a animated gif? hopefully with out the pause paly bar?
Last reply by Xtaz, -
- 6 replies
- 848 views
Well i have upgraded to the most current version (V15.0j+) when i encounter a new problem it appears that every time i try and undo a action AM freezes then dies horribly forcing a full restart and reload of the project. while i am generally very good at saving every few changes its beginning to become quite bothersome due to my natural nature of trying different effects and positions and such. that said any one encounter this or have any idea what i can set/change to make am more undo friendly?
Last reply by mouseman, -
- 9 replies
- 1.8k views
ok i used to be able to do this but i think AM is laughing at me...... I have a ball for lack of words, over this ball is another one with a semitransparent material pattern, in the choreography when i try and rotate the material it like AM simple does not want to accept what I'm telling it to do, i have turned on show more than drivers and even made sure that i have placed keys in the time line. i have uploaded the project file as that seams to be able to help more. I know this should be easy ( as i have done this before) but it may be the new version or lack of using AM for a while Game.prj
Last reply by mtpeak2, -
- 2 replies
- 550 views
What are the system requirements for running the latest version of A:M on Mac OSX? Am I just dense, or is this information very difficult to find at the Hash Store or here at the forums. I'm already running one subscription on a Mac running Tiger, but am wondering when Tiger is no longer supported.
Last reply by Meowx, -
- 4 replies
- 916 views
A couple of years ago, someone kindly pointed me to an info file which dealt with "shadows only" rendering. I used it but in the interim have been distracted by many things. I recently reorganised the house and, when I went to get it it again couldn't find it ( it was a big change around ! ). The file described the basic wok flow behind using shadows only and then compositing in AM. I think it was part of the official documentation (?). Could someone kindly point me to the files again, or a good description of the method used? Thank you very much. regards simon
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 8 replies
- 1k views
I am running an IMac 3.03 with 4Gb of RAM, using OSX 10.65 and 15J of AM. I am trying to finish off a project that has had a few difficulties but, I have a recurring problem which, if I was a less affable fellow, would have me screaming. This afternoon ( UK time ) I was rendering out some test QT files of Action files for the project. One file would render and I would select the next one. When I go to save file as, to change the name, the program freezes up and every time I click the mouse I get the fault sound. I can't even click CANCEL . The only way to get out of it is to Force Quit under OSX. Then reload. This happens each time I have rende…
Last reply by Simon Edmondson, -
- 4 replies
- 722 views
Ello I have recently taken it upon myself to get back into the animation business and so once again i am in need of help. having taken a 6 month hiatus from AM i find that my skills with sprites have essentially fallen apart. what I'm trying to do should be simple but it causing me no end in trouble. I'm trying to create for lack of a better word Elemental spheres. as an example an ice sphere would look frozen with frost clouds drifting of it and snow particles forming around it , while a fire sphere would be, well on fire. I know there are tutorials to help do this but i for what ever reason cant quite find them any help you could provide…
Last reply by Master chief, -
- 12 replies
- 1.2k views
hello everyone I am wits end. been tring to download service pack 3 from 1997? my pc won't give me any answers. Havent used AM since 2001 ,should i just get new package?????????????????? iam new here to dont know what to do
Last reply by stonewoven, -
- 1 follower
- 7 replies
- 1.2k views
hi! where did you find the a:m compatible, animatable pidgeon for your fun contribution to the bus stop? my libraries contain 3 birds no pidgeon.
Last reply by dblhelix, -
Data Folder
by bubba- 4 replies
- 740 views
Does this folder "need" to be here? I cannot see anyway that A:M looks inside automatically. So, can it be moved somewhere else?
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 6 replies
- 859 views
If i want to have an object decrement its Y position every frame I should be able to do a standard value reassignment like Y=Y-1, shouldn't I?
Last reply by Xtaz, -
- 1 reply
- 655 views
Hey there, something I've always wondered about... does anyone know how AM decides which patches should be shown when hooks are involved? For example: I'm adding some pants texture on these legs. You can see the patch with a hook is also making part of the skin decal show up. When I select the hook, it automatically brings that extra CP along with it. When I specifically click that CP and make it go away, the hook's patch ALSO goes away: However, on the other leg? Exactly the opposite. Here, you can see that the "skin" patch is hidden, but the "hook" patch shows up just fine. I'm planning on just decaling over the skin on the one side and then remov…
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 follower
- 2 replies
- 595 views
RC02 works Great Just need to make sure the ip address of the server is up to date on all messengers.
Last reply by jason1025, -
- 2 replies
- 589 views
I just spent the last several days making the dust for the left leg in a five step walk. Is there anyway to copy the keyframes from the left leg to the right? I know I have to off-set the start and change the x,y,z starting co-ordinates, but that my only take several hours not several days.
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 follower
- 12 replies
- 1.5k views
Here are two short animations of my BattleMech. This is an 85 ton machine so it should kick up a lot of dust. But I am having trouble deciding which is best or how I can improve them. Any help would be appreciated. Cone: Side_View_Dust_v3_cone.mov Sphere: Side_View_Dust_v4_sphere.mov Thanks.
Last reply by bubba, -
- 4 replies
- 652 views
Where does A:M set the default value for Channel Interpolation? In the Channel CP Settings dialog box it lists Default, linear, etc.
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 reply
- 609 views
I know this subject (copying frames) has been covered before (again and again) but I did not see anything about restricting what keys are copied. I am creating dust for my BattleMech and after I do it once for the first step I would like to copy just the keys attached to the dust object. Does hi-lighting the object in the timeline restrict what is copied?
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 14 replies
- 2.1k views
I was trying to hide none animating bones in a model which i was rigging I edited their visibility property But when i tried to save , it is not saving and it is giving me the following error message : "An Invalid argument was encountered" I repeated the process more than one time and it kept on giving me the same message . I appreciate your help
Last reply by Nik, -
- 9 replies
- 1.3k views
When you render to an image sequence A:M creates a .sinfo file to somehow connect sound that was in the chor with the image sequence. How do i get that to work when I import an image sequence back into A:M?
Last reply by HomeSlice, -
- 3 replies
- 734 views
This topic is for Gary who is having some problems posting a new topic. Hopefully he'll see this topic and be able to post here. Here's Gary's first question (somewhat rephrased) for those who would like to lend a hand and welcome him to the forum: Welcome to the A:M forum Gary!
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 3 replies
- 574 views
Hello. below is a question I emailed to Hash. Thought I'd throw it out here to see if anyone has the answer. Hello. I purchased a copy of Animation Master about 6 years ago at a comic book convention. The price of your software attracted me and the demonstration at the convention displayed it's user friendliness. I later learned that I needed the CD Rom to unlock the program each time I wanted to work on it. So I hesitated installing it on any computer fearing I would loose the disk. Needing the CD Rom in hand to unlock the program is very impractical for me. Does Hash offer a new version of Animation Master that does no…
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 16 replies
- 2.3k views
Why is the background to my choreography different when I render-to-file than when I am working with the choreography? This is my working screen. This is the rendered file. Walking_Lower_Body_F1.mov
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 7 replies
- 1.1k views
I've toyed around with hair and cloth dynamic's a little bit and they need to be setup with a deflector. But now I want to try and have two object to not pass through one an other like they ain't there. Did some searching, but not really sure what the right search terms are. Most hits I'm getting are hair and cloth threads. I'm starting simple, a Sphere what will act as ball and the ground. How do I proceed from here? (Is there a tutorial, online or may be even in the AM documentation/guide what I've missed?)
Last reply by HomeSlice, -
- 8 replies
- 874 views
I created two relational poses (percentages) within one pose window to two different bones within the model. Both showed up under user properties. But when I apply them individually within a keyframe they seem to interfere with each other. When I set the right one to 100 the left one goes to some positive value (it is supposed to be zero) Think of toes on a foot. I want to squeeze them at some point in a walk. But when I set the right foot toes to 100, the left pose slider has moved also. Should I have created each percentage pose separately in a different pose window?
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 13 replies
- 810 views
I have an IK chain of two leg bones. The knee has a null target. I noticed in a chor that the null does not follow the knee as it moves forward. Because it doesn't, I believe that it is causing the knee to bend inward somewhat. Here are three screen captures of what I am talking about.
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 5 replies
- 672 views
My BattleMech model has three two-jointed "toes". When the foot pedestal rises, the "toes" should flex downward. And when the foot is planted they should return. Each joint has a bone. I am looking for someway to "flex" just one "toe" and have the others follow. Which constraint would accomplish this? Is there some other "easy" way? Thanks.
Last reply by bubba, -
- 14 replies
- 1.7k views
I have a model that has bones and CPs assigned to these bones. Or so I thought. When in bone mode and I click on the top level object in the PWS, a black bone shows up. According to what I have read, this is the default bone to with all "unassigned" CPs are assigned. I have looked and looked at my model and cannot find any black CPs. What can I do?
Last reply by Muff, -
- 10 replies
- 1.1k views
I started this a year ago as an exercise in splinemanship. Had a few minutes last night and have missed playing with A:M so I finished it up.
Last reply by John Bigboote, -
- 2 replies
- 615 views
On the 1st wk of next month, i am organising a workshop and it is going to be focused on modelling shapes, pliz can any body tell me types of shapes that will be good for beginers to learn with. thz
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 6 replies
- 701 views
When I render to file a choreography that I have not touched except for placing a model in it, I get a different background color depending upon the file type I have chosen. Tga get me gray; mov gets black and jpeg is green Any one know why?
Last reply by John Bigboote, -
- 1 follower
- 2 replies
- 776 views
Hi everybody, Well, I'm back once again! I'm picking up where I left off after finishing exercise three, and I really want to get through the entire AoA:M this time. Actually, I'm working in a much less stressful job now, so it should allow me more time to work on my animation skills. I just want to say, the A:M community is one of the nicest bunch of people I've had the pleasure of talking to online, so I'm glad to be back. -Sean P.S. - TWO is looking awesome!!
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 4 replies
- 601 views
I just copied a model that I had placed bones in into another model. The CPs and splines copied but not the bones. Each model was in the default model setting. Should I have changed to the bone setting first?
Last reply by bubba, -
- 3 replies
- 679 views
I am using vers. 15.0j+. I am able to render output files in MOV format with sound, but not in the AVI format. I seached the archives and this is similar to another person's problem from March 21, 2010. In that case, he just decided to keep using MOV. However, I would like to use AVI. Does anyone know where I can find some way of figuring out what the problem is?
Last reply by RS3D, -
- 1 follower
- 20 replies
- 2.6k views
Hello all Im looking at AM for my game creating projects, waiting on a return email from support on some questions. I would like to make a suggestion that one of the Admins or the webmaster make a quick webpage with the specifics of AM, file formats for import/export, video formats import/export etc so that folks can get a quick glance to see if AM will suit their needs. So AM is spline modeling? And doing searching on the forum I see that X format is supported, as I use Unity 3D Im thinking perhaps converting x to fbx. I would not need the advanced material support, just basic materials and I know those usually carry over in X. And video export seems to be Avi …
Last reply by RU2D4, -
- 5 replies
- 1.4k views
Hey everyone, I wachted the 2006 training video. It talks about Dennis Borusso's game Froggy Boxing. It was supposedly made in A:M and then converted into Game Studio. I was wondering if this was actually possible. If anyone has any info. about Game Studio that would be great. P.S. I have posted this same topic on the Game Master forum. Thanks for your time, Masna
Last reply by brainmuffin, -
- 13 replies
- 1.3k views
As some of you know, I had a few problems in December with files going awry. Fortunately I haven't had a recurrence of those problems yet but I have noticed a curious factor with the current iteration of AM. If I work in the current project, save, close the project and shut down AM. When I reopen, there is a little asterisk on the actions folder indicating there has been a change which needs saving ? When I open the folder it varies as to which action has the change indicator showing. Has anyone else noticed this and, has it given any problems ? Pt two Working on an action file I noticed that there is an option to 'Smooth' the interpolatio…
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 reply
- 553 views
Hey everyone, This is a basic question I have about the channels under the choreography of the PWS. Specifically the choreography action channels for the characters bones/controls keys. I have a character that I've animated in the choreography already. BUT...the bone/ control keys are seperated by unrelated controls..... Is there a way the move the channels around so that all the say.....left wing controls are stacked together. This will allow for much easier selection and tweeking the keys. Is this possible to do? William
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 follower
- 8 replies
- 1.1k views
Hi all, I was asked to do the opener animation for the local film fest here and had a blast animating the fesival's logo rocking out. However, 'm getting unwanted artifacts in my renders that I aren't visible when rendering a Quick Render (file below, "quick_render.jpg). When rendering the same frames to any format (AVI, BMP, TGA), they always come up with these unwanted artifacts, most visible in the light circle on the floor and the character's shaded side but if you look closely you see it's all over the character (test_render.jpg. I tried adjusting different render settings, changinging to Multi-pass (16x), etc., but no real change. My render settings are: …
Last reply by Meowx, -
Not so much a question, more just a cautionary tale! I was working on a character and noticed some rendering artifacts on a 5-point. Shift-1 and sure enough, normals were flipped the wrong way. Corrected it and then noticed that there were some MORE normals nearby in the neck facing the wrong way, too. Started fixing them and was surprised at how many there were. So, just to be safe, I went and turned off "show back facing polys." EEP. Embarrassingly, there were quite a few normals facing the wrong way. Extrusions in particular seemed to be pretty nasty. This got me wondering, so I went back and opened up a model I had finished a while back. My reaction: …
Last reply by Fuchur, -
- 5 replies
- 758 views
I bought Hash Animation Master in 2003 and it is very outdated now. Is the $300 something I spent on it just gone? How do I update it? Do I have to buy it all over again to get the current version?
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 follower
- 8 replies
- 1.1k views
If you purchase a yearly subscription and wish to purchase the program, will that year subscription be applied to the purchase price?
Last reply by Fuchur, -
- 5 replies
- 808 views
I am following through the tutorial and I have just finished the first one which results in a short video .avi file. If I select "Play Animation File" in the A:M top toolbar, I can see the video file. It has a small lock in the lower left hand corner which I imagine means it's read only. Anyway, if I select the file, I get an error in the media player. I first tried WMP 12. Then I installed VLC media player and still get an error. The strange thing is if I use windows explorer to navigate to the directory which contains the video file, I don't see the video file listed in the directory. I am getting discouraged since I can't even get past the first tutorial!?!? …
Last reply by Fuchur, -
- 1 reply
- 631 views
Hey everyone. I'm attempting to simulate an object colliding with an airplane in mid air. It gets hit from the side rather than head on or from the rear and there is no explosion....just a physical hit that needs to break it apart. My question: Can some type of dynamics/ simulation break the plane up and simulate the pieces falling with drag? **Additional complication is that the airplane appear to be moving at about 100mph even though it's only moving up and down with a little rotation. So when the plane breaks up, there is no forward speed for the simulation to work with as far as the pieces dragging..... Is there a way to do this in A:M without goi…
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 follower
- 8 replies
- 1.2k views
I'm not new to 3D modeling, I've owned Animation master for 6 years but sadly never used it as I found it intimidating at first. I am now at a point in my skillset to be able to create cartoon characters but need to be able to add bones and rig them for posing, maybe even export as rigged models for resale. The thing is I use another 3D app to model with and import my models into AM via 3ds, so the question is can I use an imported mesh in AM if yes how? I'd like to assign bones and rig them if possible.
Last reply by Pete Stoppel, -
- 8 replies
- 718 views
I need help. I set up the surface properties (color, transparency, etc) on several parts of my model. I then deleted the groups, not realizing what they do. I "Undo'd" and the groups came back but the properties are still gone from the model. Is there any way I can get the properties re-applied easily?
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 14 replies
- 1.5k views
Hello, I have been working with AM for about 4 months.. First time ever to explore animation, modeling etc.. I have really enjoyed the process and plan to continue learning and working on animation. Here is the video I made, hope you like it. David...
Last reply by nino banano, -
- 7 replies
- 894 views
Is there anyway to detach (using the detach button) just a CP and spline segment. What I am asking is there anyway to select a spline segment and the associated CP and detach just the selection from a nexus of other splines?
Last reply by DJBREIT, -
- 4 replies
- 720 views
I am having trouble with hooks. I get them when I don't want them. Is this an option that can be turned off and on? Also, if I try to put a new CP and spline very close to an existing CP/spline, A:M makes the new spline an extension of the existing CP/spline instead of making a new one. Is there a setting that I can change to change this behavior? Thanks.
Last reply by bubba, -
- 5 replies
- 1.1k views
Hi im just join Today and getting started on animation. im like seriously animation illiterate atm ,but i consider my self as a fast learner. If u can help a fellow member out feel free to post or add me thanks...
Last reply by TheSpleen,