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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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- 2 replies
- 498 views
First off, I'm brand new here -- I just bought the package last night and have had a few hours to use it. I am just using the basic models/actions but whenever I try to use more than one (for instance, walk for 5 seconds then "idle" for 3 seconds), the idle action messes up the models figure during the walk sequence (usually arms going out of place, etc..) I've tried everything I could think of (including having the 5 second walk, 10 blank frames, then the 3 second idle) but it always seems to happen. How would I do this? Thanks!
Last reply by KenH, -
- 2 followers
- 102 replies
- 6.3k views
Hey folks. I have a bit of a delima. I am making a short subject film, and the render times are a little out there for the small choreographies that I'm doing. I just spent 72 hours with my computer tied up rendering an eight second choreography. Unfortunately, it was a 75 hour render, and when it crashed at 72 hours, the avi was unuseable. It is clear to me that the most memory expensive bit in the choreography is the warehouse-brick-front and the street/sidewalk. Attached is a copy of the image. The building, street/sidewalk, and fire hydrant are the only non-moving items. The horn character and the van (on the right) both move. The character moves behind the…
Last reply by HomeSlice, -
- 2 replies
- 537 views
Hi guys, I was in the q and a this weekend and tried to ask this question, but I don’t think I communicated it very well. Attached below are scans off the tutorial I’m trying to follow. The main question is: How do I select modeling mode from inside the choreography? I can’t, it’s grayed out. What is bizarre is that somehow or other I got it to work briefly, I have no idea how… I was testing things out, pressing a number of options at the top and all of the sudden it became selectable. I selected it and started building the cube as instructed, and when I turned my head (or whatever), it went back to being unelectable, and the cube I had drawn could not be selec…
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 5 replies
- 885 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, -
- 1 follower
- 4 replies
- 599 views
Any one know how to do UV mapping in Animation Master? I can't find the function that allows me to do it. By the way, I do know how to add a material on the object, but I want to add something to the arms, legs, body of the character. Thanks, J.W.
Last reply by jweinrub, -
- 1 follower
- 6 replies
- 505 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, -
- 2 replies
- 465 views
Hey, Can anyone help me out? I downloaded the latest version (yes, I have the yeti CD), but I get an error message on startup [Master.exe - Unable To Locate Component. This application has failed to start because MFC71.DLL was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem.] Well, I tried that, twice, and nothing. What am I doing wrong?
Last reply by Joe Gamblin, -
- 4 replies
- 1.1k views
Does anyone know where to access the "Post Effects" for V.19? I thought that there was a folder with them, but when I looked I didn't see them anywhere.
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 5 replies
- 688 views
I appologize if this question is in the wrong place, but I couldnt find the info through several searches. I currently use version 12, and am seriously considering upgrading to 13. I was just curious what the new features are in 13 and if you guys thought it was worth the money to upgrade??
Last reply by KenH, -
- 16 replies
- 2.1k views
Is there a forum here where computer jocks and motivated users can really work together on computer/AM compatibility problems in the interest of finding obscure workarounds if necessary, rather than just abandoning the computer or buying expensive new hardware? I'm having more display problems with my Vista laptop, but I don't want to give up. I feel there must be some workaround, such as a special OpenGL compatibility driver that can use low-end chips, even if slower, or DirectX option, or some other trick like using an older A:M DLL or such. My main problem seems to be repainting the screen. The latest showstopper is that when using a rotate manipulator, the…
Last reply by Fuchur, -
- 1 follower
- 17 replies
- 1.8k views
This is just a nitpick, but: (Using A:M 11.1i) I noticed during rendering there is a small animation of a couple of aliens "boxing" during the rendering. Is there a way to disable that animation? -SB
Last reply by sb4, -
- 10 replies
- 846 views
I'm having problems when first opening A:M. I click on File, New, then Model. According to the book, a grid is suppose to open, yet all I am getting is a blank screen with scales on the top and side, but I'm not able to draw anything. I tried opening multiple new model windows, then minimize and maximize the windows at random and MAY eventually get a grid. Any help would be appreciated.
Last reply by jason, -
- 1 follower
- 1 reply
- 679 views
From this thread... If anyone knows of additional tuts or discussions on these areas please post here or in the above thread so they can be added. My list so far: [attachmentid=16606] Cheers, Rusty
Last reply by martin, -
- 2 replies
- 531 views
I'm wondering... Was there a change in the standard chor and lighting in ver 12 from ver 11.1? I've been rebuilding something that I lost in the translation between 11.1 and 12.0 t and when I put it in the standard chor, the render finishes "overexposed" washed-out... But not until after I click on the finished chor. It's darker (a more "normal" exposure) until I click on it or pan with the scrollbars. this is not a big deal, I'm going to change the lighting anyway. but just a curiosity.
Last reply by oakchas, -
- 7 replies
- 813 views
HELLO! Well, as I'm now seriously thinking in bought A:M I wonder... if I buy the software now in October or near the next November (or in the middle of it), will I obtain the v13 of the 2006 or I will obtain the v14 of the 2007? Or I'll obtain now the v13 and I'll be able to update the program to the new v14 for free the next year? Well, I don't know and I'd like know so... THAN YOU!!! BTW: Ningún problema para comprar esto desde España, no? Bueno, si alguien quisiera compartir experiencias...
Last reply by Ramón López, -
- 2 followers
- 2 replies
- 524 views
Dear AMasters, I have downloaded the v13 release and am seeking how to's for the new features listed. Does anyone have any direct links that demonstrate how to use the features. In addition, are there any forum locations or links on how to output alpha channels and how to use the compositing feature I have heard is included? Is there a master technical reference for the new features? I am using Zbrush to create displacement maps for Maya. Has anyone used this tool for Animation Master? Thank you, Michael Angelo
Last reply by artunemedia, -
- 5 replies
- 542 views
Hi guys, I've finding the odd bug in my version of AM, 13.0, e.g. when scaling a spline I get, "error loading string:-1". Is there a software patch that fixes this and any other bugs and, if so, where can I find it? Many thanks. Andrew
Last reply by Fuchur, -
Ok Ive been gone a long time. School and everything. But where can I find info on v14? I see the download but is their a website? Can I buy v14 upgrade yet? Cheers--
Last reply by Bruce Del Porte, -
- 3 replies
- 598 views
I bought AM resently and so i have the 2007 lisence. Should i download the V14 update? If so which one? There are a lot of them. Are there many new features? Animation Master workes fine for me but i want to know if i should get the update? Also will i have to download it this year? Will they not be avalible on my subscription next year? Thanks
Last reply by clonewar12345, -
- 2 replies
- 633 views
Hi. I need to use V 15 for something and can't remember how to transfer license to it, then back to 16. Could someone please tell me how. Thanks Much
Last reply by Douglas Ferrin, -
- 3 replies
- 521 views
Hello! I have a simple model made in A:M v15 and would like to decal it with an animated Quicktime ".mov" file. I created both the model and .mov file and tried to decal in A:M but the decal did not show up on the model. The .mov file successfully imported (I can see it in the Project Window) but it showed up only as an empty frame on top of the model and did not apply to the object. 1) When making the .mov file, are there certain types of compression that must be used (animation, H264) for it to work? Frame rates? 2) Are there special procedures that need to be done when applying a .mov file as a decal? A Screen Grab is Attached Any help wou…
Last reply by nimblepix, -
- 1 follower
- 4 replies
- 610 views
Hi folks, I'm trying to install A:M 15.0c on my Intel MacBook running Mac OS X 10.5.3. I have the yearly subscription version. After install, when I try to open one of the tutorial projects, say, the flag tutorial, I get a message about 'Missing image IO plugin for 'BetsyRoss.bmp'. I checked the Image IO plugins folder preference and it looks okay, with the exception that the capitalization of the path was off. The path that was set ended in 'ImageIOs'. The path on install was 'ImageIOS'. So I corrected the path and restarted A:M and then I was getting 'Cannot load 'TGA.iio' or something like that. This is very odd behavior. This is a fresh install of Mac OS …
Last reply by bighop, -
- 4 replies
- 620 views
I am working on the Cooper face project and am having some trouble with valid patches. I have looked over the Giraffe project and think i am starting to have a better understanding. However, I am running into a few patches that are not working and I am not sure why. If anyone can explain it would be a big help.
Last reply by Darkwing, -
- 1 follower
- 7 replies
- 838 views
I was wondering if there is a way I can recreate the ash effect like when a vampire dies in the Blade movies. I'm making a vampire movie and want to utilize this effect. I'll probably do it half real ash and half CGI but I'm not sure how to do make a person ash like they do in the movies. Can anyone help me out?
Last reply by Gorf, -
- 8 replies
- 716 views
I'm using V11.1 and iIwas using the program like normal when all of a sudden all the things in the Library has been drawn blank. Models, Actions, Projects, ect........all blank. What could be the problem? Should I reinstall the program?
Last reply by TRN, -
- 2 replies
- 490 views
Hey, all-- I'm doing my first (really tiny) animation, involving a B17 flying from the horizon, over and past the camera. The backdrop/cityscape is a simple rotoscope. (This is going to be used as part of a Flash site, so the rotoscope will actually be incorporated later as a layer in the Flash file.) The problem is, no matter how far away I drag the plane model, it never quite "disappears" into the horizon--it will only get so small. Is this something that has to be cheated (scaling down the model in the distance, for instance) or is there some camera or rendering option I need to be checking?
Last reply by NancyGormezano, -
- 2 replies
- 340 views
Hello - I am taking a stab at photorealistic modeling of a person. My question is when it comes to the skin of the face and body what is the best thing to do? Let's say you don't have an actual pic good enough to use the actual photo as a decal. Would us use a material combining 2 "skin" colors - and then use seperate decals possibly for eyebrows? Any help, suggestion or techniques that anyone uses would be much appreciated. Thanks - Eric
Last reply by flashawd, -
- 1 reply
- 397 views
...and the 2004 support files reference an 'Orangutan' on the CD. Will these files do for my ver 11? I believe ver b was the one that comes off the CD. Thanks, C.
Last reply by Dhar, -
- 1 reply
- 460 views
This is really a non-important question, but does anyone know why they changed the interface from version 11 to version 12+? I really liked the collapsable panels and the cool Office 2003 look.
Last reply by pdaley, -
- 1 follower
- 9 replies
- 858 views
downloaded animation masters 2005 version 11.1 succefully but when i try to open it an error messag come up that says "This application has failed to start because KSAPI32.DLL was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem." but i reinstalled it like 3 times and it still is not working so i looked here and i found an older thread that said that i need to download the ksapI32.DLL but the link was inactive. im hoping someone can help.
Last reply by tommycs, -
- 1 follower
- 4 replies
- 766 views
Hi, Just got back into AM11.1 was wondering what Rendering options are available for this version? I read something about net rendering and it comes with so many licenses however i don't even see that option in my version so maybe its to old. 2nd Question: I have a duel Core CPU, is there anyway to make AM11.1 use both cores? Thank you in advance for your answers. Wayne
Last reply by NETech2470, -
- 2 replies
- 415 views
I've installed the new version (14), but when I open the program, I have no libraries to select models, etc. The folder to select is grayed out as well. What happened? Any ideas?
Last reply by Steven547, -
- 10 replies
- 1.2k views
Long time no talk here. Nice to be back! I've been absent for awhile (job move to california, etc), and I had to reset my CPU. I currently have the 13.0 version on disc and want to update that to 14.0 c, but I can not find that update. Anyone have a link or know where I can get those updates? I went to the "latest info" on the forums here, and that link it mentioned for 14.0 doesn't work. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!
Last reply by Zaryin, -
- 3 replies
- 594 views
Well finally took the plunge and upgraded to ver 16 web sub from my old version 12 cd. My first impressions are very favorable. Everything seems faster, tighter , snappier. It feels very nice to use and renders seem faster indeed and have not even figured out net render yet. I even like not having to have the cd handy but will miss the functionality that brought. Anyhow the purchase and installation went super smooth! Maybe as I move past learning to producing I will face the idea of the more perm solution. I wondered if HASH Inc sold extensions to their versions in case someone was working a big project and did not want to risk a new version an…
Last reply by Vertexspline, -
- 5 replies
- 811 views
Ok, I purchased what was listed as Animation:Master 2006 a couple of weeks ago. The box has a witch and broom on it. The CD has a Yeti on it. The software version is 12.0 and everything in it states that it is AM 2005. (Help/About), etc. Now, I somehow came across Version 13 Alpha and have been using that (as I am a bleeding edge kinda guy and love to debug things). Today, it said my "trial" is over with and to call a 1-800 number. So - What am I supposed to run? What did I purchase? How do I work on the TWO project without version 13? IS AM 2006 even out yet? Thanks all! -Tim
Last reply by T-Dogg, -
- 2 replies
- 485 views
I'm not sure if I'm blind or something, but where can I find the info on a model after I'm done with it. I'm required to tell my superior the vertex amount and.... well, don't know where that would be. Or if there is one... Or I might end up counting them...
Last reply by omtay, -
- 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, -
- 4 replies
- 516 views
Alright so anyways, on the characters, when im trying to move their bones, or pose em, on choreography, there is this huge bone at their feet getting in the way. I saw it a while ago, then didnt see it, and now im seeing it again. Heres a picture of it do you see that large black bone right at his feet, it is really blocking the view from bottom view, side views, top view, birds eye, and even camera view. and if i accidentally click on it, it rotates my whole character. Can anyone lend me a hand?
Last reply by AMkyle, -
- 1 follower
- 15 replies
- 1.2k views
this is not a project i'm working on now, but i'd like to understand something and find out what that something is . to make a model come apart at the seams, think "Sarah's Asylum Nightmare" in T2, the nuclear explosion, she's at the playground fence or Iron Man says to computer "exploded view" - is there something called exploded view in reality? (yes i know where this might point and yes i might stray but it's a:m for me, period.) - is there a simple way to use the patch information to perform this type of operation in a:m? boiling down to, can i blow up any model, or should i for instance go find a polygon model and then explode it in a:m? i'd …
Last reply by jimd, -
- 1 follower
- 0 replies
- 398 views
To all those that helped me with my other question, THANKS~~~~~~ here is what I got to work. First I took my video and converted it in QT to TGA sequence Image Sequence format: TGA FPS: 30 Then opened AM New Project New Choreography Went to Images Images Import Animation/Image Sequence find files ( just saved from QT ) Click the first Image in the sequence ( it will import all the rest ) Open Then 'Short cut to Camera 1' right click New Rotoscope Select Image At this point the video should appear in the chor. window Go to the…
Last reply by Walter Baker, -
- 2 replies
- 554 views
I've had A:M in my hands for over a year now ever since our Man with the money met (I think) Martin Hash at a trade show and came back with the software and told me to check it out. I regret that I've failed to take advantage of this forum the way I should... ditto with contributions. I'm trying to make up for lost time. Anyway, to the point: when I started out rendering, I went directly to AVI/MOV files. I've since realized that's wrong. I'll skip the long stories about how I learned them, but here are things I've learned: Products like Sorensen Squeeze (or Divx products) do a heckuva better job as a post-process product than any part of a direct render outpu…
Last reply by Slipin Lizard, -
- 1 follower
- 23 replies
- 1.8k views
I am trying to animate an item that has moving video on it within the animation. Plan 'A' is to have a television in the background. I have tried to use one of my previous animations as a decal. I can import it, I can apply it (although it is a blank image at time of application) and then it's lost. Still shows up in the image folder in the decal area but doesn't show up rendered or in choreography. Ideas? Plan 'B' is to build a movie projector in an animation. Thorough the manuals, It would seem I can just import a video and use it as a light gel, but I am running into the same issue: I can import it to the image file, even adjust/crop etc. But nothing…
Last reply by Glider, -
- 3 replies
- 459 views
Hello everyone, this is my first post since I have only been using the program for a few hours. I'm understanding everything so far from the tutorials (no problem). My question is, How can I make my personal videos (from video camera) as the backround to my animations? I just bought this program this week at a convention, and the demonstrator showed us an example that you can do it with this program. Thanks for the help...
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 follower
- 2 replies
- 390 views
I have tried many video players from the internet and even found that AM when importing jpgs animation can play clips by opening the image and hitting the "play" button in the playback bar at the bottom. (something that would have been handy to know yrs. ago.) But it plays slowly first time and then at hyper speed or unpredictable speed after 1st time. And the windows playback is just as unpredictable. My question is-Anyone know of a good player? Need'nt point out how much an animator needs to see stuff play in real (correct) time. Any help appreciated (sorry, no cash awards)
Last reply by robcat2075, -
Video Codecs
by greg- 1 follower
- 6 replies
- 616 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, -
- 0 replies
- 340 views
Hi, another question....being a noob and all, is there any way to loop a video decal, you see, im doing this 10 secs animation and on the background i aplied a video decal, wich is only 2 secs, is there any way to loop it to 10 secs?
Last reply by chuchi_disturbed, -
- 2 replies
- 647 views
I have a small issue with video decals. I have three separate quicktine decals that load and play no problem. Two of them sit off screen for a bit (inactive) for a delayed entry. I don't want the decal to "play" until I activate it. Right now, the third video is finished playing before it even gets on screen. Can someone tell me how to set the playback start for a video decal? Thanks!
Last reply by albee01, -
- 7 replies
- 826 views
I am having trouble rendering a video with horizontal lines (siding) on a building. The horizontal lines appear to swim across the building as the camera moves towards it. I’m not sure what you would call it, Aliasing? Video Noise? Once the camera gets within about 5 to 8 feet of the building, it suddenly stops – (actually it drops to a reasonable level). I have tried changing the focal point & depth of field – see below. I’m planning to do a virtual walk thru of several buildings. The camera is constrained to a path for its movement relative to the buildings. The building is a simple rectangle with decals applied to it. The decals are bitmap images …
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 4 replies
- 354 views
How do I actually get a video for rotoscoping purposes to play inside AM? Yes I have converted to .mov file. Thanks for any help.
Last reply by Stronghorn, -
- 1 follower
- 3 replies
- 424 views
Hello all, I'm trying to put an AM character into a video. I'm trying to import a video file (quicktime) but nothing works. I have quicktime pro so I can export the video into different formats. However none of them seem to work.
Last reply by robcat2075,
