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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.
4,141 topics in this forum
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Not so much a question, more just a cautionary tale! I was working on a character and noticed some rendering artifacts on a 5-point. Shift-1 and sure enough, normals were flipped the wrong way. Corrected it and then noticed that there were some MORE normals nearby in the neck facing the wrong way, too. Started fixing them and was surprised at how many there were. So, just to be safe, I went and turned off "show back facing polys." EEP. Embarrassingly, there were quite a few normals facing the wrong way. Extrusions in particular seemed to be pretty nasty. This got me wondering, so I went back and opened up a model I had finished a while back. My reaction: …
Last reply by Fuchur, -
- 1 follower
- 2 replies
- 1.2k views
I am sitting in a Maya class (No fights intended, just part of my degree) For texture mapping, you take the model, cut it into parts, make a seam, and unfold it flat so you can add the texture. What is the equivalent in A:M? Do we have a way of flattening?
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 follower
- 21 replies
- 1.2k views
i made another face; i think this one is less flat. How does it look? Still not my final production; sorry i lied in that other forum saying i wouldn't post again, but now i think i need to so i can learn more.
Last reply by phatso, -
- 12 replies
- 1.2k views
The A:M Community always stands ready to help each other out and this is indeed one of the reasons why I devote time to the community. I've been on the recieving end of the community's generosity more times than I can count. Having said that... a word of caution to new users might be in order. The knowledgeable among us (old and new) can certainly help us through the trouble spots but carelessly abusing the graces of others is guaranteed to put a stop to such excellent assistance rather than see it prosper and get us to the goal (whatever that may be in each case). Of course, A:M Community members can defend themselves so I'm not attempting to speak for th…
Last reply by vf124, -
- 16 replies
- 1.1k views
I'm at a bit of a loss understanding why I'm getting the results I am with the index of refraction. I know all the theoretical aspects of it (that is, learned from college physics). What I don't understand is the rather profound deepening of color I see with applying even the smallest index of refraction (1.01). [attachmentid=16239] The two objects in the image have the same color and 95% transparency. The item to the right has 1.01 index of refraction a it gained a deeper-blue color. In another model I made, a small bit of transparency and a bit of refraction produced a profoundly deep-colored plastic that I liked. However, this time around I want to keep …
Last reply by ArgleBargle, -
- 1 follower
- 14 replies
- 1.1k views
Hi sorry to ask probably a silly question. But I have just finished a short film that is about 1minute long and it took 22hours to render is this normal or could it have anything to do with that fact I used an extra light and so created two lots of shadows. I'm using a MacBook with AM v15. Any help or advise will be great thanks.
Last reply by Gorf, -
- 21 replies
- 1.1k views
say i want to create my own anime or do fan-work of existing anime from japan. i want to create a look to what they use. i want to use mecha robots as well something like the animes of Naruto, Bleach, Code Geass, etc. so far AM has a somewhat disney cartoon look to it. im looking to something like this http://mofandom.wordpress.com/2009/01/02/t...-of-anime-2008/
Last reply by north, -
- 20 replies
- 1.1k views
Hello. long time. Have two problem now start. My project file come so big and more and more slow my computer. file is nov 5..936kt (is that normal) and i try do some avi movie clip. 5sec render 9hours and first i try do 30sec (that was rendertime 57hours ) nice... so is any tips how i can meke project file smaller than computer work better. or is my setup option somethin wrong... here is picture on what i try do and file too (if that open) A:M is ver 13.o and computer intel core E6850 3.00GHz 4G ram and 2x GeForce 8800 GT / 512Mb and vista 64bit. And extra guestion: is that ver 13 newest what i can get in this. (yeti 2006 cd) (sorry my englis is not…
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 18 replies
- 1.1k views
I've had this problem for quite some time now, but it's getting irritating of late. Imported models - regardless of format - basically have every ex-polygon separately shaded. Even if I change all the CPs to Peak, the shading is still all glitchy. For example: How do I keep this from happening? It makes the import completely useless. Thanks!
Last reply by Moden, -
- 1 follower
- 21 replies
- 1.1k views
i was wondering if any of you professionals out there could make some tutorials for certain "3d" type skins or textures, or to even make them. but, just for now, i was wondering how you would make a '3d' texture for reptilian type skin. if you did an replied that would be great.
Last reply by animation man hi, -
- 9 replies
- 1.1k views
I want to know how to make an eyeball. I tried to follow some tuts on here but they really did not show me what I needed to do on some parts. Thanks.
Last reply by Dpendleton77, -
- 19 replies
- 1.1k views
Ok.. I'm still confused on the "keyframe". I'm looking through my manual and not finding what or how to do what I want. I'm creating an action with a Penguin. He lifts his right foot, moves it to his right, THEN he is supposed to move his LEFT foot and move it to his right. However, his LEFT foot is moving at the same time his right foot is. Where do I find how or on screen, where is it, on how to lock this left foot until I want it to move? Thanks Steven
Last reply by Steven547, -
- 1 follower
- 12 replies
- 1.1k views
pretty simple i have a jet plane that has jet engines and i need an effect to show that its working something like this would be nice Image location i know that this image is attached to a modeling guide but the guide is to the wrong part of what i want , i want the flame effect not the how to build a nozzel
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 follower
- 12 replies
- 1.1k views
As a test for my first animation in A:M, I want everything to happen around a group of rocks [underwater]. What's the easiest way to make the camera revolve around a center? In other programs, I could move the 'geometric center' of the object. In this case, do I need to move the 'camera bone'?[attachmentid=12848]
Last reply by ArgleBargle, -
- 21 replies
- 1.1k views
This model has rendered fine in the past. Now certain patches do not render in some frames, creating a flickering effect. I've uploaded a .mov file so you can see what's happening. I've also uploaded an image that I rendered previously. You can see that it rendered fine. I've been using A:M for years and this is the first time I've seen this happen. Any insight is much appreciated. Thanks
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 18 replies
- 1.1k views
Ok guys, How would I go about creating a Disc Brake like this one? [attachmentid=19942] Any help is much appreciated! Kel
Last reply by the_black_mage, -
- 18 replies
- 1.1k views
Hi all, Back to working on the project after too long away from it. I am doing the last bits of cleaning up the rigging on my penguin character, and I have a pose that I have no clue what it does (or was supposed to do). I want to delete it, but can't seem to. If I hit the delete key on the keyboard with it highlighted, nothing happens. If I right click it, there is no option to delete. This happens in both the Properties area and in the Pose Sliders pane. Also, something I thought was strange, it does not show up in the Project Workspace. My other poses do (pose 2 and Leg Constraints) but not pose 1. I really want to get rid of pose 1, because if I tu…
Last reply by Roger, -
- 7 replies
- 1.1k views
For the last day or so I have been trying to render a simple scene with a decal. But I cannot get the decal to render correctly. origenal render
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 1 follower
- 4 replies
- 1.1k views
Just on a High Level, I wanted to make sure I knew what I am supposed to do in each window so I'm not trying the wrong thing in the wrong place. I only have 3 actions, that I can think of, in my current short but they involve what are now 3 different models. Mdl Window: Place the CPs and Patches (Make the model) Bones Coloring? Materials? Act Window: Make repeatable actions Chor Window: Place Models Lights Cameras Add Sound Effects? Make non-repeated / non-cyclical movements I have a mechanical contraption (model 1) that is firing a Bow (model 2). The arrow(s) (Model 3) will follow a path to wherever I aim the path at that time. Actions: Preparing …
Last reply by thumperness, -
- 1 follower
- 12 replies
- 1.1k views
Here are two short animations of my BattleMech. This is an 85 ton machine so it should kick up a lot of dust. But I am having trouble deciding which is best or how I can improve them. Any help would be appreciated. Cone: Side_View_Dust_v3_cone.mov Sphere: Side_View_Dust_v4_sphere.mov Thanks.
Last reply by bubba, -
- 16 replies
- 1.1k views
my mom is an artist (on paper no 3D for her), and i can draw a little, but i'm not remarkable. my question is - are any of you who use this program are remarkable artists? can you sculpt things out of clay and draw realistically? my mom thinks i should use modeling clay to sculpt a face before i model one in A:M. did any of you do anything like that? i don't want to model photo real looking people, but people that are slightly realistic (anime-ish) i'll give you a picture of this doll; just slightly realistic like her.
Last reply by phatso, -
- 9 replies
- 1.1k views
Hello All- If you view the attached picture you will see that the goal is to create a rigging whereby a Pose Slider can cause a larger tube to cover up a slender hose over time. I tried rigging the larger tube with a simple parent child boning situation however, because of the curve in the line, when the first parent bone is scaled down, it causes all of the children to collapse vertically and so the larger tube does not adhere to the curve of the slender hose. I thought of constraining to a path but was hoping that it could all be done with a simple Pose slider. Any suggestions are appreciated!! Thanks! Tom
Last reply by johnl3d, -
- 7 replies
- 1.1k 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 reply
- 1.1k 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, -
- 12 replies
- 1.1k views
I'm currently working on a 2d game that supports alpha channel PNG/TARGA files and I was wondering if there was a way I could render to TARGA and have only the model itself reder and everything else be a "blank" background. This is a vital process for my game and I'm hoping it can be done in A:M if it helps, I'm using v11.1H Thanx guys.
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 1 follower
- 3 replies
- 1.1k views
Has anyone created a keyboard shortcut .pdf for new users? With things like what to press and click to attach CPs to each other How to connect bones etc...
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 5 replies
- 1.1k views
Not sure if this is possible or makes sense, but I'm working on a beveled cube example from "A:M A Complete Guide", and I made a beveled cube with straight splines by setting peaking. Now I want to slightly round the bevel, so I want to selectively set some gammas on the bevel splines. But first, I want to set all the alphas to zero and all the magnitudes to 100% just for uniformity. If I "select all" with ctrl-A and then set the bias properties for all, some of the biases on the model do not change, and are still odd-ball values. Is this supposed to work, setting all at once? -SB
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 follower
- 15 replies
- 1.1k views
I have opened AM, but every time tO try and draw a spline, I cannot see the control points. Am I doing something stupid?
Last reply by HomeSlice, -
- 4 replies
- 1.1k views
In this PRJ, Model 1 has two groups, "target" and "original" SimpleSnapTest02.prj I want to Snap the CPs in "original" so they are on the surface of "target" and I want to do it in a Pose. They don't have to be in some exact spot but i do want to get them on the surface of "target" What is the proper way to use Snap TO Surface for that? I haven't had much success with it.
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 4 replies
- 1.1k 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, -
- 16 replies
- 1.1k views
Is there a way to force a spline of your choice to connect to another one on an intersection when adding points? It's frustrading to have to delete everything else then connect it and re-order, etc.
Last reply by teh1ghool, -
- 3 followers
- 15 replies
- 1.1k views
Hello, This is my first post, I was wondering if anyone could make a suggestion how to attach bvh file into character model? I already know how to import bvh file, but couldn't make the character model to attach to each other. Thank you, Richie
Last reply by Paul Forwood, -
- 14 replies
- 1.1k views
Pretty much what the topic says, I'm trying to export my model I made in Animation Master into Maya, so how do I do that?
Last reply by FlyingMonkieBoy, -
- 1 follower
- 15 replies
- 1.1k views
question, can any one tell me, how to make the "lighting" in the first piture look like the "lighting" in the 2ed picture?????? how is it possible to make the lighting brighter? thx paul
Last reply by LIGHTBEING, -
- 9 replies
- 1.1k views
Help! I have two error messages I have researched and can't fix. 1. When I open A:M I get the message "unable to load plug-in [/applications/animation master 16.0/textures/simbiont2.atx], -err- This one doesn't seem to cause any problem, but because I have another error (below) I thought I'd mention it. 2. When I create a new dope sheet, I add a sentence then get the message "dictionary modified or index file missing. Recreating index file" This message takes me to a "locate file" dialog box, and at the bottom of the dialog I can see that it's expecting a *.i file. SOOOO, I can't make my characters talk! Btw, I have version 16.0b and I'm ru…
Last reply by purplegirl, -
- 8 replies
- 1.1k views
Just a workflow question -- it seems you can't drag a model from the library into a model window to work on it. Instead, you must "open" the model. Then I presume use "save as" to make a copy if you don't want to affect the original, or if the original is from the CD. -SB
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 14 replies
- 1.1k views
Hello, I have been working with AM for about 4 months.. First time ever to explore animation, modeling etc.. I have really enjoyed the process and plan to continue learning and working on animation. Here is the video I made, hope you like it. David...
Last reply by nino banano, -
- 15 replies
- 1.1k views
I am really making headway with this program. After many months of frustration, I am finally making this program work for me. I still have a couple issues with my animations. I know this must be such an easy fix, and is something that is very basic, but I am having alot of troube with it. I want a 5 second walk cycle. I can only get my actor to walk for 1 second. Isn't there a way to make the cycle loop? I can get other models to do it, but for some reason this one does not. I have checked the manual and can't seem to find an answer for the problem. Is there a certain place on the timeline in which I drop the walk cycle? Is there a setting I need to change? Proble…
Last reply by LurkerAbove, -
- 9 replies
- 1.1k views
Typically, the initial mesh I plot out looks just fine. Of course, I have to move it around to get it looking right, and once I do, crinkles and creases start showing up from some angles - even though the splines look perfectly smooth. How do I fix/avoid this?
Last reply by Meowx, -
- 10 replies
- 1.1k views
Casting shadow but not seeing the object. I need to make an object cast a shadow but it need to be invisible. I did it in the past for composite scene but I am overlooking something.
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 22 replies
- 1.1k views
Afternoon everyone. I'm getting back into this again after the clean up here in California from the fires. So, I apologize if i'm rusty or sound stupid, but, I have an animation (simplistic), using the lamp (the pixar looking one). I want to animate it (which i've done so far). I want to have that light bulb turn on or stay on. How do I add a light source to the lamp? Thanks!
Last reply by Steven547, -
- 2 replies
- 1.1k views
A while back I had to create a box and add subdivisions to it. It took some time. So I created some subdivided boxes with a bevel on the edge. This is certainly not the best way to create a beveled box I'm sure....But may save some "spline time" It's a lot easier to erase splines than adding them in. Also, the "Split patch" wizard comes in handy. Bevel box sub divisions.mdl
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 6 replies
- 1.1k views
Hello folks; greetings from Brisbane Australia, I've used Animmaster since V10 (currently V15). The model densities I am now generating exceed the limitations of 32bit OS. The checkdiskCD makes for a portable application that can be tried on various OpSystems. (I use XPSP3 rather Wind7 due to better behaviour from AnimMaster. I can't find a lot of information about the new downloadable application format (or much else that may be related). I would be highly appreciative, (perhaps remember you in my will), if someone could point me to where these answers lay... I need a 64bit version. How do I know I am downloading the 64bit version? I run AnimMaster on an …
Last reply by painterpete, -
- 13 replies
- 1.1k views
I want to convert 3D files from other CAD programs such as Pro Engineer. More specifically i want to convert a file format called IGES that is commonly creaded by Pro E into MDL that can be pulled in by Animation Master. What application do you recomend for converting CAD formats such as this?
Last reply by Jeetman, -
- 1 follower
- 10 replies
- 1.1k views
Hi all, it seems as if its the great time of the comebacks. Looking trough the forum is saw that not only me, but some other users are coming back to A:M. So, i had to use other software for a couple of years. Wrote books about and managed to get hired by one of the major developers of 3D software as a technical editor. Now, established in my new job, i return with my personal projects to A:M, because A:M still rocks. One of my clients will sponsor me the latest version, and for the time beeing, i monitor the forum for interesting topics. I am especialy interested in building work pipelines, which involve A:M and other software. Since …
Last reply by Fuchur, -
- 10 replies
- 1.1k views
I have the Orangutan 10.5 disk which I installed, then applied the 2004 11.1i upgrade to. When I launch the 10.5 version, the help menu works fine. With the 11.i1 version (2005), everything seems to work fine except the Help menu -- it gives the error: "Failed to launch Help" I'm hoping it is some simple file missing from some place during the install. Does anyone familiar with old versions have an idea what could be amiss? My work around is to install and run both versions, just to access the help menu, which is awkward and space-busting. Is there some way to view the help without the program? That could be another workaround. Regards…
Last reply by sb4, -
- 18 replies
- 1.1k views
Hi Everyone, Does anyone know the biggest resolution AM can render? I tried to render Panavision (2048x871) and AM crashes every time. It does render 1080 every time. Is 1080 the highest resolution AM will output/render? Thanks in advance.
Last reply by Gerry, -
- 7 replies
- 1.1k views
Is there a model that blinks that we can study the bones in? -SB
Last reply by sb4, -
- 2 followers
- 7 replies
- 1.1k 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, -
- 5 replies
- 1.1k views
Hey everyone, I wachted the 2006 training video. It talks about Dennis Borusso's game Froggy Boxing. It was supposedly made in A:M and then converted into Game Studio. I was wondering if this was actually possible. If anyone has any info. about Game Studio that would be great. P.S. I have posted this same topic on the Game Master forum. Thanks for your time, Masna
Last reply by brainmuffin,