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A:M Forum Rules
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.
4,160 topics in this forum
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- 1 follower
- 8 replies
- 897 views
Hi, I'm needing to make a snowball being thrown at the camera. I'm using the "It's a pitch" tute for the character action (using my own character). When the snowball hits the lens/screen, it needs to splat out (like snowballs do!). Any thoughts on how I can make this happen effectively? Thanks. PAUL
Last reply by Sollywood, -
- 7 replies
- 896 views
Hi fellow Animation Master I would like to know something about purchasing Animation Master but let me first introduce myself. I am Pieter, I live in Holland, 18-years-old,student, hope to study industrial designing after I've passed mu final exams this year and I love to be creative. I am completely new to Animation Master although I've got some 3d model experience. I used to model in 3d milkshape(low poly models) and anim8tor, some of you might know these programs. Nevertheless, I've got some programming experience and I made a few games myself.. Here's my question: I got a question regarding the purchasing of Animation Master. First off all, is there a…
Last reply by Pietervdb, -
- 1 follower
- 6 replies
- 895 views
I have read about somthing called Bootcamp and was wondering what it is and if I can check it out? does it have somthing to do with the certificate? Bob Koonce
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 11 replies
- 895 views
Hey Everyone, I have my render settings with Multipass at 25 passes and I also have Motion Blur ON at 20%... Should I avoid having motion blur on at all since I'm using Multipass??? William
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 4 replies
- 895 views
OK this is a newb question hehe when i try to make a path for a toon to walk on it only want to make it vertical at the start then it will bend after i make a second CP i know i pushed somthing to change this can you please let know what to do to undo it Thanks
Last reply by Tarantula, -
- 1 follower
- 8 replies
- 893 views
Can characters and settings/backdrops be drawn/designed/created in A:M from scratch or is it necessary to create them in another package and then import them into A:M? I ask this because on the Hash, Inc website, mention is made of Photoshop and I wondered if characters, etc, have to be created in this first and then imported into A:M. Thanks
Last reply by Drusen, -
- 1 follower
- 3 replies
- 893 views
I have music I want to put in my animations, but an error message comes up saying it is in the wrong file type. What do I do?
Last reply by nimblepix, -
- 1 follower
- 5 replies
- 892 views
Hello, I have a character face that should be flat, but the surface is actually has "ripples" and little intentations. I'd like to align the control vertices to one plane, to help flatten this out. In Maya, I can simply select the points, turn on the grid and then move the points, which aligns them on my chosen axis. Is there a way to do similar in A:M? Thanks, Tim
Last reply by Stuart Rogers, -
- 1 follower
- 7 replies
- 892 views
OK, so quick question. If I add an image to a model or a layer as a cookie Cut, there is always a light gray "halo" surrounding the images edges that I cannot seem to get rid of. Does anyone know some tricks to get that halo to go away?? It really stands out and distracts from my animation. Thanks for any help!!!
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 3 replies
- 892 views
I am trying to shape Eddie's eyes (Hash A:M stock model) to a rotoscope photo of a face. I select the eyes and pupil groups in the PWS (by control-clicking one after the other using my typical Windows ap habits, not sure if correct for A:M) -- a new group is created simultaneously it seems. Anyway, then I press "H" for hide, and as desired, the wireframe except the selected eye parts are hidden. Now I want to adjust the mesh to better represent the eyes (although there are probably better ways to go about this). My first thought was to group the pupil points and scale then down. The problem is, I cannot seem to select CPs in the Model window -- when I…
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 follower
- 6 replies
- 891 views
I have some live-action footage I am using in an animation. The footage used a green screen and in After Effects I eliminated the green to leave only the actors and an alpha channel. I imported the footage into AM as a TGA sequence. So far, so good. I want the footage to be lit by a klieg light that has volumetric turned on. The problem is that the volumetric effect is lighting up the transparent part of the footage somewhat brighter than background objects, so the actors appear to be in a rectangle that is unnaturally brighter than the surrounding scene. I don't understand what is causing the klieg light to (apparently) reflect off the transparent part of the…
Last reply by RoyBU, -
- 8 replies
- 891 views
im working on this character model, and i was just wondering how could i improove it, or make better ones in the future. does anyone have any suggestions???? http://emar0.angeltowns.com/misc/female_rotationdivx.avi
Last reply by jon, -
- 2 followers
- 3 replies
- 891 views
Exercise 5 Take a walk I did not save the action file into the library. I found it in the catalog menu. Is there a way to copy it to the actions library? HELP PLEASE? ref
Last reply by pixelplucker, -
- 5 replies
- 891 views
Hi, I'm trying to get my work to buy A:M, we are a training centre for children and i knew about Animation master years a go from the media place i used to work in. I loved it!, think it is fantastic for kids as well. We have PCs and Macs available, I downloaded the trial version for the PC windows 7 but have had a few crashes with it and the display seems to go off sometimes. I would like to trial it on the Mac but i don't think thats possible, i have 8 days left of trial on the PC. My question is, is it better running on the Mac rather than on the PC? If i can convince my work to buy it do i have to choose which platform to buy or can it be used on …
Last reply by markw, -
- 9 replies
- 890 views
I made it, but feel free to rip it, I think there are plenty of problems. http://homepage.mac.com/somniac/.Pictures/s08what2.mov Here are a few problems I notice, and I wonder what the solution might be: -the depth of field antialiasing is falling along a LINE!!! That's no depth of field to me. -Weird butt-shadows! What's up with that? I should note: -I have a "fill light" since in the video I've already established the sun is to this character's back. What I'd ideally have is a sort of ambient dome-lighting, like what the blue sky actually does. Is there such a method? -Slightly jerky step? I think my character's motion is mostly tim…
Last reply by Gerry, -
- 1 follower
- 10 replies
- 889 views
Hi all i'm a new A:M user and i have a lot of bvh files (animation capture) and i would like to know if i can import a model and apply this bvh animation file to it ? In case A:M does not not support this sort of file , does exist a plug in or another method to do this ? Untitled_8.mov
Last reply by Dhar, -
- 10 replies
- 888 views
well that wasnt long at all now when i click the format button it drops down and gives me 3 choices avi. mov. tga. but no jpeg and when i try to upload it it says that the file extension is forbidden?? a little more help plz...
Last reply by the_black_mage, -
- 1 follower
- 11 replies
- 888 views
Hiya am a beginnner to this so please bear with me, i want to use a live video as a background, could you give me some advice to this using version 13 as it seems difficult to ad it and when using a rotoscope or layer it doesent seem to work. pete
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 12 replies
- 887 views
I am planning on buying this Animation Master and all the extras very soon. I have watched all the tutorials and the films made by users as well and am very impressed! So I am already sold on it, But my question is Spline modeling. I was a professional Cartoonist for 30 years and have some (little) experience in 3d modeling. I am generally very good at anything I put my hands on and am wondering how high the learning curve is with modeling in this program. I am recently disabled and and this program is what I will be spending most of my time on. LOL Just wondering how fast or slow getting good at modeling was for everyone. Thanks! The Spleen
Last reply by Gerry, -
- 8 replies
- 887 views
quick question , i have been working on trying to build decent looking landscapes and im making some that look ok , but there's one part that i cant seam to make work , and that's the edge of the terrain , is there any way to make it look like a horizon or the such , im generally working with a square at the moment if looking down upon the ground
Last reply by Luuk Steitner, -
- 7 replies
- 886 views
I've been trying to use the Edit->Move Frames-> Scale and Snap to Integers feature to slow down clips of mine, but it seems that this won't work when trying to change the keyframes on the model bone. In fact, I cannot move any of the keyframes on the model bone. Is there something I'm overlooking here or a better way to do this? I basically would like to slow down my movie but keep the keyframes on integers so I may go back and easily edit them. Thanks --Ross
Last reply by jakerupert, -
- 5 replies
- 886 views
v.13 Mac So I did a nice job on the Boneless Thom Lesson. How do I extract him (My Boneless Thom) and save him as a new .mdl so I can use him in other projects? How do you place him in "My Library" or is that not what I want to do? Where do you keep your collection of models after you create them?
Last reply by Schloss, -
- 8 replies
- 885 views
I'm following the Take a Walk tutorial in the manuel using a model I made. I made the first 4 keyframes, and now I want to use them to make the other 4 key frames using the paste mirrored command, but everytime I use it the the frame number I want to paste mirror the keyframe in, nothing happens. I never had this issue using the rabbit model, so is my model at fault?
Last reply by KenH, -
- 9 replies
- 885 views
When exactly do you want to use an action? I have a bit of confusion as to when you would want to use them. I am guessing something like walk or run cycles would best be handled by an action, while blinks, winks or hand clenches could be driven by pose sliders. Am I correct in assuming that most animation you are (in general) going to want to do pose-to-pose in the choreography?
Last reply by Fuchur, -
- 14 replies
- 884 views
One day I noticed that the top menu bar was missing. How do I turn it back on? I can not find the menu item for that.
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 2 followers
- 5 replies
- 883 views
Does anyone know of a good set and background tutorial? Some help would be great. Keith
Last reply by BUDDHABUCK, -
- 6 replies
- 882 views
Hello All! I have created my first model mesh and I'm happy with it. I created the model in centimeter measures, and now I'm ready to add my decals. I plan to create the decals in Photoshop. Here are my questions: 1) If my model is 1000 cm tall according to the rulers in A:M, should I also start with a 1000 cm file in Photoshop, so that when I'm decalling, the proportions are correct? (Ignore the fact that I might only decal some parts. I just want to know if the measurements in Photoshop should be the same as in A:M). 2) If the answer above is yes, what should the pixel density/resolution of the file in Photoshop be? (300 dpi? 72 dpi?) 3) Finally, is …
Last reply by Laconic, -
- 7 replies
- 882 views
For my mini-movie entry for the contest I've been trying to add several layers of sound. One audio file is for the background ambient noise, one is for footsteps, then a few for other random noises. In the realtime playback of the scene, all of the auido is lined up perfectly, but upon render the audio gets shifted. Secondly, when I try changing the sound volume or changing whether the sound is muted or not... it seems to have absolutely no effect in the realtime or rendered version. Any help or ideas on how to add sound properly? I've heard about rendering to TGA's and then loading them into quicktime pro to add the audio in there or something... but I would …
Last reply by rossk, -
- 8 replies
- 882 views
I'm trying to use A:M on a laptop that does not have an optical drive built in, is there anyway that I can make an image of the cd and store it on the drive so that I can start A:M? Or am I just out of luck? Thanks Brian
Last reply by arkaos, -
- 10 replies
- 882 views
Okay... I've been futzin with this off and on for days... I've looked in the Tech Ref, I've looked in the TAO A:M. I've searched all over the forums and I get different answers. I think it would be beneficial to all newbies to "get" this... so I'm posting it here, hoping that an old tar like me will get an answer... I'll even do a tute on it once I get it figured out. Just as a test animation, I took Thom into the default choreography. I placed him on a figure-eight path to see him from all angles as he completes the walk along the path. I applied the resolute walk action to Thom. I want the finished render to be 3:00 long (that's 90 or 91 frames (another min…
Last reply by T-Dogg, -
- 1 follower
- 6 replies
- 882 views
Hello, There is an important procedure that I do not understand in animating a character and his poses. 1 - I created a model: the head 2 - I created a bone to be able to move my eyes horizontally or vertically. 3 - I assigned the points of the eyes to the bone 4 - I created two poses (vertical and horizontal) for the eye movements. When I place the head object in the choreography, the pose sliders work but the eyes don't move !? Is there a basic tutorial (exercise) that allows you to follow the different stages of a simple creation chain: from modeling to the calculation of movement in the choreography ? The tutorials that I find always c…
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 follower
- 7 replies
- 881 views
I was trying to import a rotoscope of some 2d blocking for a shot (using v13.0t) and noticed that all of the sudden, my lipsync didn't seem to match up. I then added frame numbers on my imported image sequence and noticed that animation master would skip frames, seemingly at random. Any idea why hash just won't bring the sequence in like it should and would skip frames? What am I doing wrong? thanks for any help
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 4 replies
- 881 views
I am rendering a scene with 2 models and a targa imported as a layer in a choreography. The tga image appears with a "white" outline when rendered. I have edited the image in photoshop, making sure all of the edges of the image are black, and included an alpha channel and played with the layer's options settings - "flat shaded", "occlusion", etc. - but the white outline continues to render. The image I've attached is a render using the"white render" settings I just found in another post in these forums (very beautiful, soft rendering style! - thanks, Jason!), but this "white outline/edge" I'm describing appears on the targa no matter what rendering options I choose. H…
Last reply by cribbidaj, -
- 8 replies
- 880 views
i'm just curious; how do you add eyebrows and eyelashes to a character? i've tried using the hair systems but they are to thick or just don't show up in the group (i guess the area is too small; when i apply it to the whole face it shows up then.) or would i use decals? if you use decals, how would you position them correctly on the face? also where would i find eyebrow/eyelash looking images/materials? is there a website that supplies that kind of stuff for A:M? thanx - hisako ps - also looking for skin & hair textures too.
Last reply by phatso, -
- 2 followers
- 13 replies
- 880 views
Hello to all, I'm new, just bought the program from the demonstrators at Comic-con San Diego. This looks like fun and not too hard to get started. Don't know if I'll end up doing something great but I'll have fun trying. I hope to meet new friends along the way.
Last reply by Blue, -
- 6 replies
- 880 views
i was fooling around with some skin texturing in A:M and i can't get it to look photoreal. Can A:M produce photo real graphics or do i need to invest in another program? i have seen some amazing images done with A:M so maybe it's the images i am using. if it's me and not the program what could you all recommend to me to make the skin textures look more realistic?
Last reply by Gerry, -
- 2 replies
- 880 views
Welcome to the A:M Forum! I'm Rodney, your host as moderator of the Newbies Forum. I'm a user of A:M too! The priorities I've set for myself in the forum are as follows: - Help New Users transition into Animation:Master as smoothly as possible. - Assist A:M Users as they work through The Art of Animation:Master (TaoA:M) - Encourage everyone to learn while doing through participation in a full length feature film! (For an example see Hash Inc Film projects such as 'Tin Woodman of Oz') For over 20 years Hash Inc has been producing the best in software, service and assistance to computer artists. They know the heart of the animator and have provided u…
Last reply by johnl3d, -
- 6 replies
- 879 views
i was going to render something in the dark with a model of mine, having glowing eyes. but for some odd reason, the glowing color of the eyes seem to "leak" out some cracks.... is there a solution? you must zoom to actually see the problem...
Last reply by Ravager, -
game modding
by Akai- 12 replies
- 879 views
Hi, I'm new here and just picked up A:M about a week ago; as such still going through the tutorial guide. When I was in school a couple of years back, I had a small team working on a total conversion mod (demo) for UT2004. Back then we were using 3DS MAX... It was on all the lab PCs. I'm looking to start working on it again, soon. Any pointers on workflow, stuff that A:M does well for UT modding or not, cautions and pitfalls are appreciated. Thanks guys!
Last reply by Akai, -
- 1 follower
- 12 replies
- 879 views
Sorry to bother you guys again, but.... do you know if there is a way to move a group of keyframes in the choreography (possibly by using the timeline) to a different time in the choreography? kind of like Flash? And... if that isn't possible... could you make that possible in a future upgrade of A:M?
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 follower
- 4 replies
- 879 views
I purchased the web version 15.0j and recently noticed there is a version 16. Can I update my software to version 16 without having to pay another web "fee"? Is it a free update? thanks. Just getting confused by this web fee and CD version updating...
Last reply by Steven547, -
- 9 replies
- 878 views
In short, I need to apply a texture onto an object, but within the shapes defined in an action. I think this may be possible using poses, but couldn't find the answer. (For a few more details, I'm trying to apply one image to the end of a morphing shape's action, then render that out; apply the other to the beginning; once those two are moved in the same way, a simple fade between the clips will create a smooth, 3D morphing transition between them.) Thanks.
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 2 replies
- 877 views
I use to have under properties a way of adjusting hair density, but My computer ran into issues and had to do a fresh install of XP SP2. However when I reloaded Hash V11 with Upgrade to AM V13.0 suddenly that Density option went missing. I tried reloading it, and will try again after I get done posting this. But its a real problem, I can't find any software update links other than for VS 17 web version, which I refuse web subscription, I only want hard copies of software. Anyway if you guys know what possibly happened so that I can undo it that would be great. Thank you.
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 2 replies
- 877 views
I probably have some setting dinged somewhere but not sure. I'm just doing basic spline practice in a Model window. In pure wireframe mode, the splines look like normal smooth curves. In the shaded modes, each spline becomes a double line segment instead of a smooth curve. What do you think I have wrong? -SB
Last reply by sb4, -
- 1 follower
- 14 replies
- 876 views
Does this feature work? I am using a Jpeg image sequence on a few monitors in a chor. Sometime some frames render the first frame of the image sequence regardless of of what frame in the time should be rendered.
Last reply by jason1025, -
- 4 replies
- 875 views
After buying a new computer I installed AM2005. Made some animations and wanted to save. Suddenlly programm ends. Tried again, but for some reason the programm terminates. Iyt isn't a big animation, trying to make a wheel for a carmodel. The computer runs under WinXp Media Centrum. Second is my concern I can't copy my AM2005 disk, so is there a way to make the programm start without the CD input? When installing the whole CD on my computer there's still the question NO CD found. I would be glad to understand these questions.
Last reply by Atomike, -
- 1 follower
- 10 replies
- 875 views
Hi everyone, I am begginer in 3D and I have AM2003 V11. I have some video presentation of AM in wich tutorial guy made in modeling mode wireframe model and then by pressing "some" button he made it becom grey and mashed like a real object. How to do that? Thanks
Last reply by Fuchur, -
- 1 follower
- 9 replies
- 875 views
http://www.digitalproducer.com/pages/jack_...tion_master.htm I tried this tutorial about 7 times now, I follow it word for word and I keep hitting the same snag over and over, I sail smoothly through it then I hit the part where I'm supposed to see the inside of my pumpkin through the eyes; nose and mouth. I keep reading over and over and try different things but it just doesn't want to work. One thing I don't get, is the face supposed to be the color of the inside of the pumpkin? Or is it some "window" effect through the facial features I need to create? Knowing that would help a great deal. I really wanna do this thing properly, I've been at it for so lon…
Last reply by Telvak, -
- 6 replies
- 875 views
Hiya. A couple of Q's regarding workflow stuff... Just wondering if there is a way or a plugin that allows the selection of a patch straight away? Basically, I want to select a patch or series of patches and have the CP's attached to that patch selected. Thinking in polygon terms, it would be like selecting a polygonal face, but using hash patches. Is there a way to us "raytrace selection" or "only front-facing" selection? Say I have a simple vase. I want to move a few patches outward. If I drag a rectangle selection box around the CP's I want, it selects the CP's 'behind' the ones I want. I don't want those ones in the back. Is there an option for this somewh…
Last reply by pming, -
- 1 follower
- 12 replies
- 874 views
I just wanted to post a special thank you to all the nice folks that I have met here at Hash and online in the community chat room. A special shout to Martin, Rodney, George and Mark for all your assistence. I am going to be having brain surgery next week and won't be around for some time. Thank you for your kindness. Keith Buck BUDDHABUCK
Last reply by the_black_mage,