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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.
4,157 topics in this forum
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- 1 follower
- 6 replies
- 2.4k views
First of all, let me say that A:M is pretty amazing-- the very first thing I've tried to model (after being away from 3D art for over 5 years and never having used A:M before) is actually coming out way better than I expected. On the other hand-- it also has some major issues. So-- as the attached images show, I have some weird stuff going on with my topology, and when the model is rendered, it has nasty creases all over it. I'm looking for some pointers on how to manage topology in A:M, and, more importantly, how to go back and fix things after the fact. Can someone point me to some good tuts on this, or where I should look in the manual for guidane? Thanks! …
Last reply by bcgreen24, -
- 5 replies
- 2.2k views
please at first accept my apologies, i don't want to go to blender but export animation done under animation blender TO blender cycles of course .X seems good but i go to find x import in blender and go to animate under animation master someting for demoscene so then ^^^^ kindly regards stéphane
Last reply by stefff285, -
- 6 replies
- 1.2k views
I requested the trial a few days ago and have not heard anything back with the id number requested of me. Is there something else I need to do? Thank you.
Last reply by Jason Simonds, -
- 1 follower
- 10 replies
- 1.7k views
All CG in this video was done in Hash AM http://www.cleanercube.com
Last reply by jason1025, -
- 17 replies
- 3.7k views
hello, i have a question on the fire tutorial. rendering the smoke with a normal background everything runs fine rendering the smoke without a background with an alphachannel in the first instance looks fine too but as soon as i import the rendered clip (w alphachannel) into after effects the sprites show up with the pictureframe i added some screenshots appreciate your help w background.tiff w alphachannel.tiff in after effects.tiff
Last reply by Fuchur, -
- 1 reply
- 1.2k views
Just signed up for trial - none of the links work. No idea where help/support link is... so hopefully someone else can verify the issue? Tim
Last reply by Fuchur, -
- 2 replies
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Working on a model, part of the models points are now a light blue/gray, and I can't pick/choose them, did I lock them, somehow?
Last reply by ovni1, -
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I have a burning question okay maybe not burning. When making a body part like arms and legs for a biped character what is the ideal lathing settings for them? I mean something like a character you will use for a simple animation or for a comicbook like say Largento's? I hope that made sense thank you.
Last reply by Dpendleton77, -
- 1 follower
- 17 replies
- 2.3k views
I would like to be able to control the Enforcement of a percentage Pose from a on/off Pose. Is it even possible? I am constructing a character who is talking trough the corner of his mouth. Witch corner he is talking trough is varying depending on angle to the camera. I am planning to use Dope Sheet to quickly make the basic lip sync before fine tuning it. I am going for this approach: I make two percentage poses for all phonemes, one for each side (Right A I, Left A I, Right E, Left E, Right O, Left O etc.) and form the expressions of the mouth. Then I make a percentage Pose for each phoneme (A I, E, O etc.) In these poses I control the poses above (Pose A I at…
Last reply by Visping, -
- 1 follower
- 5 replies
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I would like to use dope sheets when animating my character. But as my native language is not english I would like to make my own dictionary in swedish. I think I can just replace the dictionary.dic with a swedish dictionary. But there is a problem: I do not recognize the way the phonemes are written. What phonemic alphabet is used in Animation Master? I can tell it is not the IPA by International Phonetic Association. Does anybody know of any documentation that explains the way phonemes are to be written in the Dictionary.dic to work properly in Animation Masters dope sheet? phoneme 'f/oU/n/i/m phonemicist f/oU/'n/i/m/I/s/I/st phonemicize f/oU/'n/i/m/I/,s/aI/z pho…
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 6 replies
- 1.4k views
I was gone for awhile taking classes in another software and I find myself wanting to dive back into Animation master and I see a sub-forum with this my curiosity is peeked. Question so there was a certification in this at one time or is this in the planning? I could not look in the forum as it was marked private. Thanks. TaoA:M (The Art of Animation:Master) Online
Last reply by Dpendleton77, -
- 1 follower
- 8 replies
- 3.5k views
Anyone have a 3D heart model they could donate. My attempts are not smooth. I have attached a shape for roto. and a reference someone made in another package.
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 2 followers
- 9 replies
- 3.4k views
I am rigging the fingers of a hand and I know of 3 different ways to make the CPs move in a controlled fashion: Smart skin Fan bones CP weights I have found tutorials for each of them but I have not found the overall explanation how to think when choosing between them. In my case of the fingers, I started weighing the CPs and planned to do some smartskinning in the next step to tweak it more precisely.... But in the middle of the work I asked myself; Is this a good approach? I am worried that if I combine smartskin and CP weighing it will be confusing, for me, if I afterwards need to correct some unwanted behaviors of the fingers. What is the best pract…
Last reply by zandoriastudios, -
- 1 follower
- 7 replies
- 1.8k views
WOW! Hello folks. I've been away from the forum for a while, and things have sure changed up while I've been gone. I'm using version 15.0J+ There have been a couple of new versions released. Is it possible to purchase a new CD version or is the only way to upgrade the yearly download option? Although I haven't been animating, I've been using A:M as an artistic tool to create "photo" borders. Before I left I was fairly confident in my modeling skills but stalled out learning rigging. I've decided that I want to attempt to animate a short piece, and to do this I'm gonna need to call upon the generosity that I've always found with the members of this forum.I'll n…
Last reply by Shelton, -
- 14 replies
- 3.2k views
Hi, everybody. been a while. I recently upgraded to win 8 and need to recover my version 16. how do I go about this? thank you
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 7 replies
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Hello, when does one animate the model bone in a choreography?. say a character spins on his heels, would that be the model bone doing the main rotation and the bones making it look real or..? i dont like the idea of 'leaving the model bone behind' when the animating just the bones, however whatever constraints are on the model seem to become less than useful if the model bone is used to move from a to b (not including paths here) anyway am mighty confused about this. and what about a somersault. ? or blocking out a scene.
Last reply by Clipping Path Specialists, -
- 21 replies
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Did you know... There are more than 12 different ways to add a spherical shape or model into a project in A:M? (and there are a few more when we consider the variations on those). Here are some basic approaches: - Double Click on a Sphere in the Library - Drag and Drop a Sphere from the Library to the Choreography window - Drag and Drop from anywhere in your computers file system or desktop into A:M - Use the Primitive Wizard - Import a Sphere Model (via one of the many different ways possible) - Import a Sphere Prop (STL, 3DS, OBJ, etc.) - Borrow the Sphere from another project (copy/paste from Model to Model) - Use the Duplicator Wizard (also very u…
Last reply by Clipping Path Specialists, -
- 2 replies
- 3k views
So I finally got around to installing my AM v18 update, thought I would check out some of the tutorials however they just pop up a "404 not found" error when launching the tutorial. Are you supposed to just download them from the website instead? As rusty as I am I thought I might benefit from a refresher.
Last reply by Fuchur, -
- 23 replies
- 3.6k views
Is there a quick way to redirect the flow of two splines at an intersection? For example, to go from the left state to the right (and vice versa) in the screenshot below: I haven't been able to find a solution that doesn't involve detaching and breaking stuff.
Last reply by pixelplucker, -
- 4 replies
- 1.2k views
Greetings all, been a couple years since I was here and wanting to get back to my 3D fun, quick question, what is the net render thing I keep seeing? Or getting additional Rendernodes???? Whats this all about?
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 13 replies
- 2.6k views
Hello Everyone, I have a question about how A:M can be like Auto CAD. (if there is a section about this then please let me know or direct me) (sorry) Years ago I used Auto CAD / Inventor and it was the easiest program to use to make any object. I liked how that in the program I can make a basic object and edit it in a breeze by clicking on parts and setting a measurement and it would auto correct and align itself. An example would be a simple Lego piece. I can make a block and add 1 cylinder at a corner. Then I can simply click on the block and type in the measurements to make a rectangle, and then click on the cylinder and input how many to copy/ paste and …
Last reply by pixelplucker, -
- 1 follower
- 12 replies
- 1.9k views
Hi folks, I decided to play around with A:M v18 (I've been an on/off A:M user for many years) and I'm faced with the same dilemma when I buy a subscription: should I use the Windows version or the Mac version? I'm primarily a Mac person, but I have Windows 7 installed under BootCamp as well. I've had stability issues with the Mac version of A:M in the past. In general, what is the consensus with stability regarding OS X vs Windows version? I don't want to start a platform war! I use both (and Linux), but I'm just looking for a recommendation since I have a choice. Also, it's not explicitly mentioned, but is the Mac version of A:M 64 bit? Thanks folks! -Sean
Last reply by seancwall, -
- 1 reply
- 938 views
Hi, I've installed the 2008 Skeletal Rig into one of my characters (as best as I could). However, it's a really complex rig with lots of constraints and other things going on with it. Other than the install instructions, are there any other instructions, or tutorials on how to use it properly? Other than that, is that the most up to date character rig publicly available for AM? Thanks! Tommy
Last reply by markw, -
- 2 followers
- 7 replies
- 1.2k views
I'm having a problem. When I render in the modeling menu w/ the letter Q, everything is rendering dark. Isn't there typically a default source light? Why is it rendering black?
Last reply by Clipping Path Specialists, -
- 1 follower
- 11 replies
- 1.7k views
The Copy/Flip/Attach command is mirroring my half-model across the XZ plane instead of the YZ plane. How do I fix this? It doesn't happen for all models, but it does for this one. On a related note, is there a real instancing-based mirror mode? The face-icon mirror mode (although useful for gluing points to YZ) doesn't cut it, because it only mirrors transforms.
Last reply by Clipping Path Specialists, -
- 6 replies
- 1.4k views
After reading about poses in techref.pdf, I'm trying to set up a pose slider: Plop a cube into the choreography pane. Right-click the cube's bone, select New | Pose | Percentage. In the relationship pane, rotate the bone and scrub the slider to make sure it works. Back in the choreography pane, set keys on the pose channel. As a result, the pose slider value changes over time, but the cube isn't animated. What am I doing wrong?
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 follower
- 3 replies
- 1k views
I seem to remember a setting so that I could see my decals in Shaded mode, but I can't for the life of me find it again. Isn't there a way to get your decals to show up in shaded mode instead of having to render them all the time? thanks, tommy
Last reply by TommyDAQ2, -
- 7 replies
- 1.1k views
Is there any way to bevel after the fact? I'm racing to finish my contest entry, and one of the parts is looking really awful with knife-like edges, but I'm not sure how best exactly to bevel it. I could try adding more CPs and then smoothing the points, and seeing if that helps. It looks really rough right now, though.
Last reply by Roger, -
- 7 replies
- 1.2k views
Is there a way to somehow group, mark or label bones that have a particular meaning (such as indicating bones that are exportable)? For example, object layers or user-defined properties would do fine. I'm only seeing colour labels (which can be put to better use) and the visibility toggle (which is not suitable for the purpose). Of course, a naming convention can always be made up, but something less intrusive and hackish would be better. Apparently some things can have shortcuts in choreography—is this supported for individual bones?
Last reply by nemyax, -
- 1 follower
- 13 replies
- 1.4k views
Is there a way to control the Bezier handles (or bias handles if you like) in the timeline's f-curve mode? Here's a picture of what I mean—see the point on frame 19: I wasn't able to find anything on the topic in TAOAM.pdf. And if A:M doesn't let you do that, how do you ease in and out?
Last reply by nemyax, -
- 1 follower
- 4 replies
- 1.1k views
How do I set the Launch Associated Application? For example I want to open images in photoshop? where do I set this?
Last reply by jason1025, -
- 1 follower
- 25 replies
- 4.2k views
Is there a reason AM would be doing this? I think that might be why I'm having display problems.
Last reply by Tore, -
- 2 followers
- 7 replies
- 1.6k views
I just received a copy of Animation Master from a friend and am just starting to learn the ropes. Although I am not new to animation (I come from "Infini-D 4 days). Any tips and tricks you might can give me to get familiar with the interface and flow I would greatly appreciate it.
Last reply by Clipping Path Specialists, -
- 8 replies
- 2.1k views
So I managed to settle on a project for the sci-fi contest, and if I finish it early I may do another entry. It seemed like a relatively straight-forward bit of modeling, but something isn't working quite right. It could be that I haven't sat down in front of AM for so long that I'm missing something obvious. Here is my problem: I've got one rectangular surface with another rectangle inside, and I'm trying to push the inner rectangle inwards to create a depression or indent in this robot (I would post an image but it will be immediately obvious what my project is, I think). I thought I knew what the problem was, I didn't have any splines connecting the 2 a…
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 3 followers
- 43 replies
- 4.1k views
Is there a Vid tutorial on Screen Space AO? I cant get a result when I turn it on. Can someone with experience in getting results make a quick tutorial?
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 2 replies
- 962 views
A while back I discovered a bug with the way my GPU handles displaying animation playback/scrubbing in AM. There is a bit of a lag and/or dropped frames which can make it difficult to tell what is going on. I'm not sure if this is a problem with the Intel HD graphics, the Nvidia GPU, or the Nvidia Optimus feature which is supposed to switch between the 2 (I'm assuming it may be due to Optimus, but haven't been able to confirm by testing all cases yet). Currently I've got only the Nvidia discrete GPU enabled and am looking for my project file to scrub through the timeline to see if it is still an issue. Does anyone else with a similar setup on their laptop e…
Last reply by Roger, -
- 60 replies
- 7.2k views
Hello, I have a quick question. Can you hook up an external renderer to A:M? Thanks, Steve
Last reply by Elm, -
- 6 replies
- 1.7k views
Hi I am following the Modeling Tutorial and making the vase. It came out nicely. But when after I "stitched" the holes in the bottom of the vase in wire view, they were still holes in shaded view. It's just joining 4 CP's correct?
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 follower
- 2 replies
- 1k views
Hi, I wonder if there is any issues running A:M in windows 8 and if we change computers, how to reset license for new installation. Anyone use laptop and what is the machine spec recommended? Thanks.
Last reply by Philip Fong, -
- 1 follower
- 17 replies
- 2k views
I am having strange encounter, my prj is made in version 13, the prj won't render in ver 18b so I create a new prj and import the models but it still crash when I render to file in avi or png, screen render is fine. Things made in the new version render without problem, what have I missed in these few years?
Last reply by Clipping Path Specialists, -
- 1 follower
- 6 replies
- 1.3k views
So if I buy the subscription License for $79.99; What happens when it expires? Does the software become useless or I just don't get the latest updates/patches? Thanks
Last reply by Blickfang, -
- 3 replies
- 1.4k views
Hi all, I've been using screen space ambient occlusion and it keeps crashing on me. I have an Nvidia gt540m graphics card on my toshiba core i7 laptop. I try to use just the cpu to render the screen space ambient occlusion but it still fails. Any ideas or setting I might be able to use? Does anyone else have this issue?I have a deadline coming up, so any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Mark
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 follower
- 15 replies
- 2.3k views
Hello everyone, its been YEARS since I've been on this forum and used A:M. Quick Question(s)... When I make a model, What kind of file can I export it as? How many types of model files can I export? This 3D printer takes STL files. Can I export A:M Model Files as STL too? Thank You everyone! I hope to be using my A:M program soon!!
Last reply by TRN, -
- 11 replies
- 1.4k views
I've got another one for you guys... I search these forums but just can't come up with the right answers... I need to put about 20 to 40 Thoms on my stage, each at about 20% scale. I tried using the "duplicator" plugin wizard, but doesn't seem to work. It scales relative to the last copy each time. Also need to add the same action to them all. Can I add the action to them before I bring them in??? Please help. Running late!!! Thanks!
Last reply by TommyDAQ2, -
- 4 replies
- 1.1k views
I requested a trial license on Monday, and never heard back about it. I also emailed support@hash.com a few days ago, with no response. I was wondering if there was a problem? Thanks Daniel
Last reply by squirrelhavoc, -
- 18 replies
- 2.4k views
I wonder how many people use the Mac version of A:M? A:M is turning out to be the best animation package I have ever used, but the interface is in desperate need of an update. First, I can't get the Mac version to work in a window; it just goes full-screen and hides the dock. This is a no-no in Mac Interface design. Second, I would prefer a darker GUI, and more eye pleasing icons. Third there is a big bug in the Mac Version. After the first time you use the Open/Save dialog, it becomes unusable. It just won't let you choose another folder or do anything else with the mouse. Clearly this is a great program, and probably very few people use the Mac version, s…
Last reply by Jeetman, -
- 6 replies
- 1.4k views
Description says it all... Just not sure how to do it. How can I have a decal turned off on one frame, then turned on on the next - or even just turn it off once it's been applied without deleting it? Thanks tommy
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 4 replies
- 1.1k views
Rob, Just watched the rigging basics video and have to admit you make it look so easy. Was there a reason you chose to use a fan bone instead of a smart skin for the knee joint? Also, if you were rigging Thom's torso, how many bones would you use for the spine? Would you use 2, 3 or more? I'm curious because it seems kind of arbitrary and I noticed that TSM seems to add a lot of spine bones, and I've seen other people using a lot of bones for the spine.
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 7 replies
- 1.5k views
I was impressed to find some basic primitives like spheres and cubes. What I was surprised to find out was the cube objects had rounded corners. That isn't something your average modeler expects when initially creating a cube. I was wondering what the philosophy surrounding this is, so I could better understand the mind of a A:Mer. Thanks, Steve
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 4 replies
- 1.6k views
Just wondering. A floating horizon line in the Choreography window would be a help in visualizing perspective in outdoor scenes. Is there an option to add one?
Last reply by robcat2075,
