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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
- 6 replies
- 730 views
Greetings; I hope someone here can give me some advice. I am considering purchasing animation master. I am a professional clown and magician, so it would be fun for me to learn a new skill that will help me express my creative side, but I am primarilly considering buying it for my teenage kids. My son is deep into comics, not much of an artist but has lots of ideas he has trouble getting on to paper because he can't draw. My daughter just learned how to use a graphics program and loves creating new pages and posters. Both kids are comfortable with computers and drag and drop graphic software and with acid, the software I use to create music. Is animation master som…
Last reply by KenH, -
- 6 replies
- 810 views
I have a choreography where the Knight character is hanging from a wall, and he needs to swing his body up over the top. I've studied videos of "urban" climbers, who climb walls, buiding etc, and what they do is swing their legs so that they can hook one leg over the top of the wall. To do that the pivot point is centered at about the neck and shoulders. No matter what I've tried, I can't get the knight to swing properly. I have the hands constrained to the wall so that they don't move during the swing. I've tried swinging the model bone in an arc, and moving the feet and hips in an arc, both to no avail. Most of the time, the hands get really screwed up, and…
Last reply by Geophizz, -
Video Codecs
by greg- 1 follower
- 6 replies
- 620 views
Hi there, I've been trying to get a video clip converted from WMV to AVI so that I can bring it into A:M. I've tried Movie Maker, which I understand from another thread here that it probably won't work, Ulead Video Studio and Virtual Dub. Working with the A:M support people they suggested I might try a more standard codec than the ones used, Virtual Dub uses Microsoft DIB and the Ulead codec was not obtained by AVICODEC. Does anyone know of a rendering package which will create an AVI movie which A:M can bring in? Or, can someone tell me how to change the CODEC on the packages I am using? I can't seem to find a place to change the COODEC to one of the ones sugge…
Last reply by greg, -
- 6 replies
- 424 views
Hi - I am smart skinning my model and everything in the upper body looks great, but it is a girl with a skirt on and I need to have her walk without her leg coming out of her skirt - what bone do I smart skin to fix the skirt when she is walking? When I click on one of her thigh bones and right click New Smartskin it bring me to the screen to do the smart skinning and her thigh bone has dissapeared. I don't know what I am doing.. help ;-) -Eric
Last reply by flashawd, -
- 1 follower
- 6 replies
- 749 views
I have a problem with simcloth. Why the red model glues at the blue and the ground and how I can change that. The ground and the blue model have a deflector 16 and the red model have a cloth-material with the default value. glue.mov glue.prj
Last reply by ftu_de, -
- 6 replies
- 482 views
Hi - I have run into this issue several times and not sure if it is correct or there is a better way of doing it. For example I am working on a "Teddy Bear" for a client and at the tip of his nose there are 6 CPs - in a case like this what do I do. Should I add a CP at the tip and bring the 6 into 1 or zoom way in on the 6 and scale them close so when I zoom out it isn't noticable. Would love any input on how to work with this situation. Thanks - Eric
Last reply by flashawd, -
- 2 followers
- 6 replies
- 682 views
Hello, I was trying to follow this tutorial: http://hash.com/lib/mac.html and I'm not having much luck. I'm using a Macintosh, and I wanted my libraries to all show up in my library file. So I tried this, the HASH library shows, but mine and the one on the extra CD does not. Anyone ever try this? Thanks Andy
Last reply by bighop, -
- 6 replies
- 368 views
Hi - I am having a rigging issue again, I rigged the character using the 2001 skeleton from the library. I would use the new squetch rig, but haven't had enough time to play w/ it to be comfortable - and I need to get this project done. Anyway when I pull the model into an action if you look at the legs they are off center. If anyone knows what I have done wrong, or haven't done with the rigging please let me know. Thanks - Eric
Last reply by flashawd, -
- 6 replies
- 520 views
Hi - I did the Smart Skinning for a character I am working on for the Thigh, Calves, Pelvis and Back bones - that all came out great. So I bring the T Bear character into an action w/ the IK Leg Setup Turned "on" and I move the Hip Target down and it result in what you see on the pic - as if I didn't Smart Skin anything. Can you Smart skin a Target? What am I not getting here? Thanks - Eric
Last reply by Mechadelphia, -
- 6 replies
- 746 views
Not really sure how this happen since i cant recreate it. I was modeling and decided i needed to zoom in on a part and then move it a bit to center it in the screen. Then i looked down at the picture for just a moment an all of a sudden i had another window open in A;M. It was like those T.V with the picture in picture. An all it had was the area i had scrolled in on. I am not to sure if i can do anything within that window because when i clicked outside it on my main model it vanished. At the time i wasn't using my keyboard or any on screen functions. I was just using the mouse wheel. So is there a function like this in A;M i didn't know about ? IF so how do i re…
Last reply by Fuchur, -
- 1 follower
- 6 replies
- 435 views
I was trying to add a materal to the ground without any luck. 1. I dragged the materal to the ground in the object menu 2. The ground darkened, but did not change. I also noticed that when I add a materal to an object, it doesn't show until I render it. I have a Mac, with a 733 processer. Am I missing a setting or something? Thanks for any help! Andy
Last reply by phatso, -
- 6 replies
- 598 views
Building my own walk... I was able to do the excercise for TAO A:M with KK... even made him moon walk... But now, trying the excercise on a modified Thom.... I get this.. and I don't understand why. I refreshing myself with the TAO A:M excercise, and using it to reference the "how to" and getting this. Frames 0, 5, 10 and 15 are all okay... copy frame 0, paste mirrored in frame 20... Mod thom almost floating in mid air... and not mirrored from frame 0. Is it because I am past the Y axis "home"?
Last reply by oakchas, -
- 6 replies
- 634 views
I was asked by one of the council members at a local public school (Maryvale Public School). To come in and show some animation work done in a program that was easy to learn and use for kids starting off in the animation field. I was just wondering what coupon codes where available to me to purchase AM since the primary use wasn't for me but for students at this public school. I believe AM to be the best and easiest for me to show them since I'm comfortable using splines in other applications and I could adapt to AM quite easily. I will be using AM for myself as well, but the primary reason why be to show the kids what it's all about (It may even lead to m…
Last reply by phatso, -
- 1 follower
- 6 replies
- 496 views
I'm just not getting this light thing. I made a space type ship. In modeling mode, I added a light in the center of the ship. I wanted the light to shine out. The light shines out but the model turned black. Is this normal?
Last reply by Ramón López, -
- 6 replies
- 479 views
Well, I guess I'm a newbie (again). I started using A:M with V1 back in 1994 and used it very regularly though '98 then less frequently through 2000 and only occassionally until 2002. That was the last I had upgraded and the last version I currently have (until my '07 upgrade arrives ). Anyway, I've been away from it for so long, I totally forget the ins and outs and nuances of this delicate software package. As I make my way through rudimentary modeling and lighting, it's starting to come back to me but it seems I've run into a problem. First, I'm working on a 2.3Ghz Duo Core MacBookPro running Paralells (as the '02 version isn't available to run natively in …
Last reply by TommyDAQ, -
- 6 replies
- 600 views
how do i "hide" the particles or hair of an object, but i will see it in a render? because in choreography mode, there is many particles, and it is slowing my computer down greatly, could anyone help?
Last reply by johnl3d, -
- 1 follower
- 6 replies
- 505 views
ive added streaks to a model. when i put them into a Choreography they dont move with the model. is there a method to make sure my streak Materials stay with the models when i move them about in the Choreography? im worried that my models with hair will have the same problem..
Last reply by johnl3d, -
- 6 replies
- 1.1k views
Does anyone know how to use the PlanetGlow diffuse shader??? I've been trying to get it to work and I can't do it. I tried making a planet using the Darksim Planet_Terran plugin, and then adding the PlanetGlow to it. That doesn't work. So I tried making a second, larger sphere and givng it the PlanetGlow but that doesn't work either. How do you do it?!?!?! HELP!!!
Last reply by DeltaCommando5, -
- 6 replies
- 514 views
So far nothing has stumped me as much as this one--- I would like my particle emitter (smoke) to begin on <x> frame. How can I do that? Every time I try something, it just keeps blowing out smoke starting on frame one and ending on the last. For example, how would you get someone to have a cloud of green smoke come out of their mouth when they open it, and stop when they close it? muc appreciated.
Last reply by johnl3d, -
- 1 follower
- 6 replies
- 559 views
Hello, I am attempting to import Ai files into animation master via the plugin wizard. However for some reason it will not import the files. With recent Ai file formats it will exit the wizard, but not import anything. With older files, the software shuts down. I can't figure it out. Has anyone else had this problem? I'm using Windows xp pro. service pack 2. Any idea's/thoughts? Thanks. MC Also are there any plugins that allow the import of an .eps?
Last reply by mclemster, -
- 1 follower
- 6 replies
- 348 views
Can anyone link me too any good materials tutorials? - I am trying to figure out the basics of creating them. Here is a link to a really good one, but a little advanced for me at this point. http://www.colins-loft.net/free/mats/Demon_Skin_Material.htm Thankyou - Eric
Last reply by johnl3d, -
- 6 replies
- 601 views
Hello. I have been working on the "Flower Power" Tutorial. I have viewed the video tutorial and gone through the book. I can't get my click-drag to select all the points in, as example, the stem. I am in front view in model screen and I have lathed my spline. It looks fine. However, when I try to group those points together by click-dragging as he does in the video, it only selects visible points. It does the same thing with the rings: I will resize the middle of the top 3 rings, then look at it from a different view and realize that it is oblong. Can anyone tell me why this is happening? Is there a function turned on or off that I am …
Last reply by KenH, -
- 6 replies
- 738 views
Hi to all and excuse me for the bad english. I would like to know if there is some way to close the holes in the 5 points patches without selecting them. I use also Hamapatch and where this is possible. Thank you Art
Last reply by Fuchur, -
- 6 replies
- 680 views
I've gotten the streak emitter to put out acceptable blood, and it's worked in other projects. Now it's time to incorporate it into the current project and I'm hitting a brick wall. The attached image shows a portion of the project immediately after starting AM. As you can see, the emitter has done its preroll function and produced a half second's worth of blood. The problem is: As soon as I click on the Chor window, (or in the case of start up -- upon removing the hint window), the blood streaks disappear and I can't get them to reappear. (Not in the Chor windor or when rendering). It's not just a matter of rendering particles, because the cigarette smoke …
Last reply by wingalls, -
- 1 follower
- 6 replies
- 1.2k views
What other software do you guys use with A;M software. I know some use Photoshop but whatelse? What video editing software do you guys use ?
Last reply by the_black_mage, -
- 1 follower
- 6 replies
- 536 views
OK, so I am rendering a scene where one actor shoots at another actor. I have bullet/laser model that emits particles, and motion blur turned on. My animation is rendered and plays at 30 frames per second. ...with me so far? Because my bullet travels fast, at 30 frames per second it is only in frame for say, maybe two frames. Problem is animation Master is only calculating its motion blur and particles at 30 frames per second, so the bullet only emits particle at the two points in space it appears in frame. Is there any way to have animation Master calculate the particles and motion blur at say... 120 frames per second, with out actually rendering 120 …
Last reply by MattWBradbury, -
- 1 follower
- 6 replies
- 653 views
I build a model for a book. I then did a save as, so I could use the base model for other books. I got this message:
Last reply by bighop, -
- 6 replies
- 701 views
Hi all! I've got this skeleton I'm working on and I want to make the surface look older. I'd like to keep it simple and found some of the tutorials rather complex (like UV mapping). Anyone have a good suggestion on how to weather his joints? It looks like the weathering option is gone from version 13; is there something similar?
Last reply by agep, -
- 6 replies
- 935 views
Does any one know a way to animate a bicycle chain. I've puzzled over this for some time. I even tried placing a bone in each link with not much luck. All the other parts are working fine, but it just looks silly with the chain not moving. Camillo
Last reply by Camillo, -
- 1 follower
- 6 replies
- 871 views
I'm looking to create the heat distortion you get from jet blasts. I have some ideas about doing it in post production in After Efects or frame by frame in photoshop. Has any one done this yet? And how was it done? Thank you, Camillo
Last reply by Camillo, -
- 1 follower
- 6 replies
- 536 views
Hey I'm trying to make a fire sprite system that i created appear in the choreography during the middle. I dragged it into the CHO window at the frame i wanted it but it apeared at the beginning of the CHO. How can i make it disappear until the frame i want it at? Thanks for the help, MasterFunk
Last reply by Rodney, -
Hello AM, So Im looking for somefeed back. I use to use other 3d programs in the past. Now 7 years later im finding myself interested in 3d again. I have been working with some polygon modeling software lately and I am very limited to modeling. So I'm asking for some advice. How hard is it to create custome characters in AM as to creating with other 3d software. I can create characters in 2d till the world ends, but now its time to turn them into 3d, will AM complete this task with basic knowlegde of modeling. Also will just modeling bog down my system, because im on a older laptop. Or will i be fine intill I start rendering animation. Thanks AM members
Last reply by Ludmasson, -
- 6 replies
- 446 views
Hi - I made a military gorilla model and put together a quick animation of him shooting a gatlin gun, and to make it more realistic wanted to have a gun "fire" effect at the end of the 6 barrels (although a gorilla w/ a gatlin gun isn't the most realistic thing to begin with . Does anyone have a sample of one I can play around with or know of a tutorial for "gun fire"? I can probably run through the smoke and fire tutorial again and figure it out from there, but I was looking for something more specific. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks - Eric
Last reply by higginsdj, -
- 6 replies
- 652 views
Ok i need help making a bone and making a dog move, when i say make a dog move, i need to make the model dalmation move somehow
Last reply by heyvern, -
- 6 replies
- 503 views
Hi i suck at modeling and i need a alien and it needs to look real and scary any help.
Last reply by thefreshestever, -
- 1 follower
- 6 replies
- 507 views
I just tried to work with the uv-editor and created a blank 800x600 tga which I imported and applied it cylindrical to a head mesh, then stared the uv-editor and expected to see the headmesh in order to be able to push the CP`s like in the Zandoria-Tut, but instead I only get red dots see picture attatched. What can I possibly be doing wrong?
Last reply by brainmuffin, -
- 6 replies
- 446 views
hey i have one big problem, i dont know how to change a .avi file taht i have for an animation to a .mov file. could someone show me how. also i got a sound recrding program called audacity that i found on these forums and i made some sound files from it but i dont know how to change the format of the sound to .wav. if anyone has any comments or suggestion that'd be great because i have no clue how to change the format.
Last reply by AMkyle, -
- 1 follower
- 6 replies
- 455 views
i have a complexe model thats set to a grid of 5X5 and have a circle with 8 points , the whole lathe thing , but i need it to be connected to a specifing point as to not and seams , is there a way to select say the bottom point and snap it to point A with the others folowing but the circle not being destorted
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 follower
- 6 replies
- 556 views
I made a flour sack with a skeleton and made an action of it kicking in the sky then coming down. but the skeleton was really hard to use, unlike the models that came with AM already. if u got any tips then itll be great if u can tell them.. anyways heres the video. Flour_pack_kick.mov
Last reply by SplineSoup, -
- 6 replies
- 769 views
I keep getting a message "Exeption #033 Realtime Render" everytime I try I try to do something with the model I'm making. (selecting it, turning, adding CP's, ...anything with the model I can't do.) I've tried the www.hash.com/reports, but it wouldn't let me log in. Anybody ever have this problem before?
Last reply by HomeSlice, -
- 1 follower
- 6 replies
- 610 views
I am having trouble with multiple control points. I'm using 2005. I create a sphere by making a 2 point line, latheing it (lathing?) then I delete the bottom cps. I then highlight all the cps and rotate by typing in 90 degrees. The result is a perfect sphere with the exception that multiple cps are created at each point. When I pull one cp away, there is 1 or 2 more where I pulled the first one away. Can anyone help with this? Thanks
Last reply by bravo2080, -
- 6 replies
- 512 views
Hi - I am trying to get the effect of bright light bursting through a triangle shaped window - any suggestions - would I set the window transparency down and what type of light should I use. I have tried several things and can't seem to get the light concentrated or "glowing" through the window. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks - Eric
Last reply by frosteternal, -
- 6 replies
- 641 views
In an action window, when I use the copy keyframe and then paste a keyframe, the bones are copied onto the selected keyframe but the nulls are not. This also applies for the paste mirrored option. Does anyone know if i'm doing something wrong? Thanks for your time. Sincerely, Masna
Last reply by Masna, -
- 1 follower
- 6 replies
- 505 views
ok i know that an action is pretty much the model doing something on a miniture coreograph ( yes i cant spell) which is done repetadly in the animation and i have some questions 1 is there a way to have a action play , say a fire truck deploying its stabalizers , do nothing for 5 mins movie time, then do a reverse to pack up 2 is there a way i can have a action automatical continue so i dont have to ad it in every 5 seconds, such a a trning wheel 3 is there a way i can have an action turn the transparance from 100 (solid) to 0 ( not visable) as i have tryed with poses and have had no success
Last reply by Master chief, -
- 1 follower
- 6 replies
- 511 views
ok for a while during testing the time line thing was ok , but know im starting to get confused when 00:30:00 = 01:00:00 and so on , is there any way to set it to use normal time setting ie 00:60:00 = 01:00:00
Last reply by Master chief, -
- 6 replies
- 523 views
ok im not sure if the topic that was posted meens the same as this one but how do i make something on the model light up. like say i had a gountlet, and i wanted "power" comeing out of a spacific point in it. the power i want is a red light. so how would i make the red light look as if it was comeing out ofthe arm pice?? EDIT: should i just constrain the light inside the models arm and have a transparant part red?
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, -
- 6 replies
- 805 views
Dear Animation Masters: I'm new to A:M and this forum and I'm getting the modeling and such down but the technical stuff...not so much. I hate to say it but I have that love/ hate relationship with A:M. I love the creative side but hate the technical/ computer side. I know several of you feel my pain. Anyway, I'm interested in making a very simple memory game using A:M and I was wondering if there's a plug in that allows a user to interact with the animation...meaning I model the objects, set up the animation and choreography, and during the animation you can click on the objects with a mouse to make them do certain things (flip over, stop, change colors, etc). Has a…
Last reply by Ilidrake, -
- 1 follower
- 6 replies
- 611 views
Oi !!! I just purchased AM and am having problems when I try to run it. It comes up with the following error message: This action cannot be completed because the other program is busy. Press 'Switch to' to activate the busy program and correct the problem. When I select 'Switch to', it opens the windows menu in the bottom corner, which does not help. I installed AM on 3 other computers that belongsto friends and only one of these computers had the same problem. My computer has the following specs: GeForce 8800GT 512mb, 4gig RAM, 500gig HDD, AM2 Dual Core 4.2Ghz. Help!!! I need to get it running for exams.
Last reply by Darker Cucumber, -
- 1 follower
- 6 replies
- 496 views
Is it possible to turn particle sprites on and off on command?
Last reply by Masna,