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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
- 12 replies
- 889 views
Go thru this every year when I renew (Got a new Computer and trying to get AM on it.) but run into this every year, I buy it-money is charged from my card- and ??????? no serial number, no download and no instructions- just a receipt in my email with no serial or download instructiions. Is it just ME? What am I doing wrong? Any help appreciated. Admin update: Jason has fixed this license mishap and Edward is back in operation!
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 reply
- 388 views
Hello Princes and Princess 1:how can i had some plugins as a shortkey ? 2_When i want to load a model, i can t see it in the preview windows ! any idea ? Mad
Last reply by Eric2575, -
- 10 replies
- 1.1k views
how can you make sand with the partical emmiter i want to make some thing like in the mummy.
Last reply by kylemb, -
- 5 replies
- 666 views
First off, thanks to Robcat for giving me the link to answer my last question. As usual in the learning process, it answered the Q, but brought many more. My most pressing, currently, is that above: Any links for this one? I am REAAAAAly close to getting this one...I may even have it but it's just too late to try it again tonight, and I wouldn't mind finding out that there is a tutorial that addresses this one, as well. Thanks, in advance. Mr. Bill
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 follower
- 3 replies
- 435 views
how do i make a red satin material, any suggestions ? thx
Last reply by Caroline, -
- 1 follower
- 6 replies
- 1.3k views
I'm still learning expressions. Is there a simple way to save a randomly generated value so that it can be used throughout the animation after it's been generated at frame zero? I have a "flock" of stars, and want them to rotate about the Y axis by a constant amount of between -1 and +1 degrees per frame - a bit like they are hanging from a child's mobile. I've used the flocking plugin to generate all my stars - would each have its own variable or would they all rotate by the same amount?
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 7 replies
- 623 views
For various reasons I am slowly moving over to using Macs instead of PC's, wherein I discovered a problem today and wondered if anyone might have a solution ? I have set up and tested the animation on a Mac then, while I prepare the next part, was going to get the old PC to render the stills to the best quality because it doesn't matter how long it takes ( relatively ) as I'm preparing the next part. I've tried to keep the same file structure on both platforms but, when I came to rendering on the PC the project file had 'remembered' the destination as being the Mac HD and, although I tried repeatedly, it would not allow me to change the drive ID to suit the …
Last reply by Simon Edmondson, -
- 1 follower
- 2 replies
- 570 views
A real newbie question. I have looked in manual and can't see where it is on how to save as an avi or mpg to play animation outside Animation Master.
Last reply by C-grid, -
- 13 replies
- 1k views
hi there i now am the proud owner of AM v16 i did lesson number 2 the chorus line but it wont let me save the animation, i keep getting ( aviFileCreateStreamError ) then i get ( unableToSaveFile ) anyone know why????????? thanks Mike
Last reply by HomeSlice, -
Okay, this is prolly stupid, but... How does one save a .mov file? I have no trouble saving AVI files, but of course they're huge. (Just finished Ex. 6, it's 18meg) But when I try to do a compressed .mov file it only saves the last image rendered - not an animation. So what exactly are the steps? You may be as condescending as you choose, and I'll deal with it, as long as I get the answer. BTW I've tried it both with V13 and V14.
Last reply by phatso, -
- 3 replies
- 498 views
On my iMac, I have opened the model 'Kid.mdl' from the extras DVD and I want to save it to my hard drive so I can give him some speech pose sliders. When I right click on kid in the objects section of the PWS, I get the option to 'Save As..' I choose that and the window opens for choosing where to save it. It does not let me select ANY different location to save on my computer. Am I missing a step?
Last reply by thumperness, -
- 6 replies
- 606 views
Am I missing something obvious...how do I edit and save (overwrite) just a model? For example: I start AM Go to File > New > Model Then I drag into the modeling window one of the CD based models, say the DUCK for example. I edit the model a bit I right click, and "SAVE" is grayed out... so I cannot save the model My CD Library is on the local hard drive. Thanks
Last reply by bill0287, -
- 4 replies
- 507 views
i dont know how to save a model seperate of a project, i know how to use libraries, i just cant find that save option, please pretty please someone help!!!
Last reply by LeadTaco, -
- 3 replies
- 608 views
Hi, I am new at this and I am really interested in learning how to animate 3D. I have a little problem and I tought may be some of you can help. Can someone tell me how to save my animations under actions? I just made my first animation and i coul not save it to reuse it. As far I understood once you have made your animations you sould be able to reuse them. please help. Seduar...
Last reply by seduar, -
- 1 follower
- 12 replies
- 863 views
When I save a file it gives me a saving error saying exception #005, and it may not have saved right...anyone have this happen or know what to do... thanks.
Last reply by Stronghorn, -
- 2 replies
- 345 views
im making a spaceship and wanted rays of light to come out of the bottom. i made one light that i like. is it possible to copy the bone light to make multiple lights that have the same properties?
Last reply by frosteternal, -
- 6 replies
- 937 views
I have been working on making a path for my camera to follow in a choreography. I have "discovered" that when, after making the path, I move one of the control points to tweak its position, AM does not seem to realize that I've changed something and so no asterisk appears by the filename and I cannot save my project. If I do undo, then the control point moves back to where it was, so AM does realize I've moved it for purposes of undo. And if -- after I have changed a control point's position -- I then change something else, including something related to this path (like rotating the entire path), then the asterisk appears and I can save and the changed control point's …
Last reply by RoyBU, -
- 1 follower
- 4 replies
- 568 views
Hello, I'm still working out of the David Rodgers book. I set up a choreography, put in some model buildings, etc. Saved it, embedded the files. When I go to open it up.....nothing. The computer keeps asking me to find stuff. Do I have to put(or copy) all the models, decals, etc, into one project file when I make something? Thanks, Andy
Last reply by Dhar, -
- 1 follower
- 10 replies
- 665 views
Hello All, I've been trying to save an image with an Alpha channel, bring it into AM and loose the black background. I think I finally did it. I created a set of directions, so far this process has worked for me. If anyone knows of an easier method, please let me know. Andy leaf.mov Alpha_channel_directions.pdf
Last reply by rusty, -
- 7 replies
- 506 views
I think I know the answer on this one But I will ask any way and see if you guys have a quick fix. If you copy/paste a part of your model or in the case if you selected a couple of groups and lose the pivots. Is there a way to reset the pivots on a groups without redoing them. So I can use them to update material. Or in the case if you selected a couple of groups and lose the pivots.
Last reply by DJBREIT, -
- 3 replies
- 737 views
Wanted to say hi. So um... Hi. Also, I was thinking of picking up AM. It really is very impressive. I had just a question. I'm running a 1.6g antholon with 1g ram, with a geforce fx 5200. does that stack up as a decent machine to run AM, or should I look to upgrade? I understand the Minimum requirments for the system that are listed in the program info, but I was just curious what those of you who use it regularly would suggest is an ideal pc config.
Last reply by DarkLimit, -
- 1 reply
- 292 views
Hello, my name is Sergio, I would like to thank Jason for helping me to install the Animation Master on my computer, since I was having problems installling it. Thank you for the support. And I also want to introduse myself as newbie since I am new at this. I've been reading on this web page and and I think I found the right product to learn to animate 3D Characters. I can see there is people with a lot of talent here and I hope to become one too, to become an expert and start my own mini movies.
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 9 replies
- 670 views
Hey, When I model an object, there doesn't seem to be a means of seeing it's dimensions in any system...Inches, centemeters, feet...etc. The "Scale" settings in the properties panel is not adequate. Why is there no numeric system display for this??? William
Last reply by detbear, -
- 3 replies
- 461 views
Hello, I'm treating to render in Toon mode and I think I have put all the correct setting in the Rendering Options, Camera, and Model Surface Properties, so Lines are showed in renders but I have some Scale Compensation problem or something like that, cause when the camera moves near or far of the model, it seems like if the Toon line always maintain his... same width??? So when the camera is near, the lines show very "thin" and when the camera is far the line is very "thick", and... How can be possible??? Well, as I say I must be missing something cause it's simply not possible get a decent/coherent line all the time in this way, so... HELP! And thanks
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 follower
- 5 replies
- 655 views
I'm just kinda going hmmm? Why not? When you open a model from the libraries (or, if you don't have your libraries set up; from the data folder)... Why, when you alter the model in wireframe mode, are you not also altering (scaling/translating) the skeleton? Since you are not actually changing the basic geometry, except to make it taller, skinnier, and thicker here and there; I don't understand why the skeleton doesn't scale as well. I think I'm missing some important aha moment here... because it seems logical to me that both would scale/translate at the same time. hmmm? why not?
Last reply by zandoriastudios, -
- 1 follower
- 6 replies
- 689 views
this question is of the large kind; how do i plan for the size and proportion of things in this spaceless place that is 3D? what should be taken into consideration? does the intended detail in materials matter? (and by materials here referring to all things not wireframe!) if so, is it custom to, say, make another model for extreme close-ups? does the intended proportion between objects shown matter? if so, is it custom to speed up the process by, say, using postproduction? does the camera present us with certain rules, as in 'you want "macro" with distance blur, scale the model x10 for starters'? does rendering enter the equation or is that j…
Last reply by dblhelix, -
- 2 replies
- 447 views
Hi, I have used the standard Eddie character, set up an action for him, added some voice and then added a dope sheet. Adjusted the widths to sync lips with voice, everything worked fine but the lip movement is far too large for what I want - in fact it looks totally unrealistic. I went in and adjusted the percentage for each phoneme at each change in the timeline, so that action looks OK, but it will be very cumbersome if I have to do this every time I do lip syncing and I am sure there must a cleaner way around this problem. Maybe I was dreaming, but I seem to remember a slider that could be used to change the range for an action - as I said maybe I was dream…
Last reply by LensOnLife, -
- 2 followers
- 3 replies
- 493 views
I have two characters, and I want one a certain sized compared to the other. So I'm applying the 2001 skeleton to the smaller one, but I don't want to make him bigger so it fits. Is there a way to scale down the entire 2001 skeleton? Or am I just going to have to size down all the bones individually? thanks!
Last reply by zandoriastudios, -
- 1 reply
- 435 views
I assume from absence of any real information in guides that it is not possible to use any form of scan software (eg on clay models) to develop character in Hash... characters must be created by the stitching method described I think. Any advice welcome. also about importing characters from other programmes outside Hash... I understand that inanimate objects can be imported. Are there any tools for converting an inanimate object from say 3dstudio max into an object that can be animated in hash? Many thanks. Look forward to responses! Sorry, I am an AM newby and just learning the ropes here... and clearly this is much the best character animation software on the m…
Last reply by Rodney, -
well, i did the advice on the magnifying class one, and it looks all blury( i use it for a sniper rifle scope). does anyone know how to make something appear at least 3x larger by looking at it through a model (or patch) without looking blury like under a magnifying glass? (hope i'm not being complicated) NEVER MIND FIXED one more thing, how do you make something completely transparent and have a reflection, like a glass window? thanks again.
Last reply by Bruce Del Porte, -
- 4 replies
- 430 views
ok heres the deal when ever i create a model that is some what complicated ( more that 50 CP) i will try and rotate the image to color something or to add mor e and only a small part of the screen keeps up the rest (95-98%) of the previous image stays locked in place and wont let go for a few seconds and by then iv lost any points i was cusrrently working with , has any one experanced this or fixed it?
Last reply by sponger, -
- 3 replies
- 1.5k 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, -
- 3 followers
- 43 replies
- 4.5k 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, -
- 1 follower
- 4 replies
- 620 views
So... I am making a fencing mask. I need for it to be transparent in the places where the mesh has holes in it. I am making a bird's egg model and then putting a cookie cut decal over it. Is that the way to go?
Last reply by c-wheeler, -
- 3 replies
- 736 views
When I open A:M, I get a message that says, "Error running scripts on this page. Do you want to continue running scripts on this page?" Then, while I'm working, I keep getting an annoying ding-a-ling chime. Over and over. What's happening here Johnnyb
Last reply by JohnnyB, -
- 7 replies
- 614 views
OK really two question 1st can i take a image say 500X500 pixels and have it applied to the entire model 2nd once done can i get the image to move around it , kinda like a chain rolling around a gear curenty im trying to come p with a worm hole effect , the model itself consists of really distorted donut shapes but i cant seam to get them to you know look worm holeish with out the use of textures, and then i get into the problem of there being a big square just sitting there.
Last reply by Gerry, -
- 4 replies
- 586 views
I get some terrible results when scrubbing my video. The animation is not timed and it is difficult to see if you have an accurate layout. For example, when doing the "Can You Say That" tutorial, scrubbing to verify the lip sync is just about worthless. So the solution is to render to see how it works. The problem is the render takes 1 1/2 hours to complete. Is there any kind of "quick render" that you can do that will do the entire 6 second video but quickly so you can just see how it looks. I am using an Athlon 64 dual core 4200+ CPU with 2GB of matched RAm and v13C of A:M. Thanks for the help.
Last reply by Kurrykid, -
- 1 follower
- 9 replies
- 958 views
Hi all I am having a problem in trying to get seamless decals to work in v13 and v14 on my computer, can someone confirm or assist in showing how its done. here are the steps I have taken without any success. 1 Made a patch surface 2 Import an image tba or jpg and applied to surface 3 In the image properties I applied 4x4 images and selected seamless 4 Quick rendered or full rendered resulted in seamless not working, leaving it in normal tiling effect. I might have a virus! Please help Oh I really love this program, thanks Mr Hash
Last reply by chopper, -
- 8 replies
- 982 views
I was just wondering if there were any good seamless texture generators you guys may know of. I've tried the genevia or whatever it's called and it was a tad confusing. Anyonoe have some input on this subject or available seamless texture creation programs? Thanx guys.
Last reply by pming, -
- 31 replies
- 1.9k views
Hi, I had the 2003 CD version and some plugins but unfortunately I didn't use it much. Now I started again with animation, so I bought the subscription to have more features (or less bugs). Currently I'm using (trying to learn) 15.0G because there was a bug with real time rendering in shaded mode with the 15.0H version, so I'm sorry if the following problems have been corrected: 1. If I try to customize the toolbars just by adding more toolbars to the window (Tools/Customize/Toolbars), when I press "OK" all changes disappear (my screen resolution is 1920x1200 if that helps). 2. While there is enough space on the existing toolbar line for more toolbars (~4…
Last reply by dllb, -
- 7 replies
- 717 views
ok iv been experimenting with the boolean cutter and know can make some pretty good looking impact scars now, what i need know is the ability to apply a secondary material to the model so that the inside of the part that is cut away shows the secondary material. ie i blow up a metal wall and the freashly showing metal has a differat texture than the normals wall
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 2 replies
- 430 views
What is the best (or preferred if you prefer) codec to use for QT and for AVI? Also, I accidentally rendered to a JPG sequence, how do I make them into a movie? thanks in advance.
Last reply by Fuchur, -
- 4 replies
- 576 views
I'm working on exercise 7 in the "Art of Animation Master", and I'm having a little trouble. When I open the dopesheet in the new action, it appears in the project workspace, but not in the timeline. In the manual and in the video tutorial, the words can be moved around in the timeline. I can only do that in the project workspace. Is this a difference between PCs and Macs? I've included a screenshot of what I'm seeing. Thanks. Bruce [attachmentid=18105]
Last reply by ytsorf7, -
- 9 replies
- 1k views
Let me ask another question. I have my objects set to be rendered as wireframe. They look like they are drawn as vectors although they should not be. The edges are straight and not curved. So when i look from my camera, i see a square object with straight lines. If i rotate the object, it becomes rounded. How can i make the wireframe not look like vector through my camera view? Hope i am making sense? When i go in the modeler, the object is all rounded, no straight lines? I checked all the settings and they are all set to wireframe. Thanks. Pierre
Last reply by pierrotsc, -
- 2 replies
- 428 views
I am searching for a rigged Crash Test Dummy. Does anyone have one or know where I could find/purchase one? Vegas_Skippy
Last reply by MMZ_TimeLord, -
- 6 replies
- 887 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, -
- 4 replies
- 2.3k views
Hey there, Hashers. I purchased a copy of A:M way back in 2007, and am only now getting to the point of learning it. I know it’s 13 years out of date by now, but it works for me and I have no immediate desire to upgrade. I am learning by going through the ANIMATION: MASTER, A COMPLETE GUIDE book by David Rogers. It’s as old as the version I’m using so everything seems to synch up well for the most part, but I have hit a snag in Chapter 4 (Action Basics) that I just can’t move past. In the process of animating my model (a flower sack), it instructs me to copy frame 0 and paste it on frame 24…. OK, HOW? I don’t mean how do I do a copy and paste, that’s comput…
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 5 replies
- 785 views
Please help refresh my memory - since I am just learning A:M - is it possible to draw a bounding box around (with the Right Mouse Button) in the Choreography window same as in the Model window?
Last reply by HomeSlice, -
- 3 replies
- 899 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, -
- 2 replies
- 437 views
is there a method that i could use for selecting empty groups in the project work space?
Last reply by C-grid,
