Open Forum
Don't know where to ask your question? Post it here and it'll find a proper home
Open Forum Rules
This is an open forum for discussing Animation:Master and discussions should relate to A:M in some capacity.
Ask questions. Share experiences. Outline goals and aspirations.
Discuss what you hope to accomplish with A:M and projects you are working on.
There is one rule: Be kind.
Posts that violate this rule are subject to removal.
956 topics in this forum
-
- 1 reply
- 881 views
I haven't plugged anything from Aaron Blaise in quite awhile (although he's been quite busy). Aaron has just released a video that outlines what I find to be missing from most computer animation lipsync/dialogue and something that quite often character rigs don't allow for out-of-the-box. In short, it's not about the mouth shapes so much as it is squash and stretch and shape change of the whole face and body. Well worth the few minutes it'll take to review the lesson: xhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYPx6sGZzow
Last reply by Wildsided, -
- 4 replies
- 1.9k views
The book on animation by Preston Blair came up in anther topic. I thought it might be interesting to see some of the original art as it was put together to be published. (I'll try to organize these a bit more later) And here's the place where most folks go to find the books original scans: http://animationresources.org/instruction-preston-blairs-advanced-animation/
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 4 replies
- 1.2k views
Even if you don't follow the games world much, these new "next gen" titles are visually stunning. Rendering at 60 fps real time(or something like that.) The real time render world and games show the value of GPU and physically based texturing/ lighting. Light years ahead of CPU. You can catch a look at these all over YouTube in HD. What do you guys think?
Last reply by largento, -
- 11 replies
- 1.6k views
Brendan Bolles, creator of the ProEXR plugin for After Effects etc. has launched an effort to cull together various open source image and audio formats into a new (more universal) media format for image sequences. It looks like he'll easily make his initial funding goal. This is of interest primarily because having a -simple-, -universal- and -patent free- image format that allows for still and moving imagery has long been of interest. Will MOX just be another file format to contend with or can it achieve it's lofty goal? If anyone can do it it might be Brendan Bolles. This video outlines some of the problems and the support behind the idea:
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 12 replies
- 905 views
For those of you that keep track of file formats and other technical aspects of the trade you may want to watch the glTF (Open GL Transmission Format) standard as it seems to be gaining a lot of traction especially in light of current interest in augmented (and virtual) reality. Perhaps more specifically, flTF optimizes assets for rendering instead of modeling frameworks; primarily via JSON (Javascript Object Notation). Of interest, glTF is not a file format so much as it is a scheme to move 3D data from file formats into a standard encoding that can be compressed/decompressed for transmission (primarily over the internet). The example used is that of other standard…
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 1 follower
- 21 replies
- 2k views
I seem to have run into son banding when mixing the Screen Based Ambient Occlusion and Depth Of Field. Is this a biproduct of the two being used or is there a setting in the SBAO that will decrease the dark "halo" like banding on things. Thanks for any suggestions, Kevin
Last reply by NancyGormezano, -
- 3 replies
- 643 views
Slight dust accumulation beneath my CPU fan. I only noticed this because the fan spit out a blade and was rattling the whole case and I had to examine it closely.
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 reply
- 710 views
There are ways to try Windows 10 and get back your old OS if you don't like it. If you decide within 30 days Windows 10 will ostensibly do the roll back for you. Alternatively, you can do a disk image of your OS drive before you upgrade and use it to revert later. I only recently discovered that Windows 7 can make a disk image for that purpose. how to roll back windows 10 to windows 7
Last reply by Wildsided, -
- 1 follower
- 18 replies
- 2.2k views
Octane Renderer is extraordinary. The company that sells it creates plugins for many software like Blender, Carrara etc ... And why not Animation Master. I sent an email to see if they have plans for plugins AM. It would be good that many send an email if interested in this renderer. Octane is a GPU engine Unbiased. User-friendly gpu allows use to make an image from 10 to 50 times faster. I use octane and it's really impressive.
Last reply by Xtaz, -
- 7 replies
- 841 views
Some users finding they are given no choice by Windows update... Preventing Windows 10 Upgrades from Windows Update with GWX Control Panel My AfterEffects is not compatible with Windows 10 so I don't want the upgrade. update: MS claims the involutary upgrades were a mistake... Microsoft is sorry it forced that Windows 10 update down your throat
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 11 replies
- 1.4k views
VFX animator Webster Colcord is interviewed in CGW... Spotlight on Webster Colcord I note it for this interesting portion...
Last reply by nemyax, -
- 1 reply
- 716 views
This one almost doesn't rate a 'tech watch' label but there are aspects to it that certainly lend itself to further exploration. xhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWzurBQ81CM
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 0 replies
- 3.1k views
This may be of interest to those who need more realistic characters... of a variety of body types. It was previously reported that Adobe had acquired Maximo and the latest news shows plans moving ahead to provide Fuse software with Adobe CC. Fuse is a bipedal set of tools used with Maximo (and other software) used to create characters. It's similar in many ways to MakeHuman and other software. For geometry the characters can be exported as OBJ. For animation the preferred format is FBX. In something that reminds me much of Hash Inc's earlier ground work with segmented models, the highlights of Fuse are the quick modification of modular characters (those …
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 3 replies
- 973 views
Data mining features of Windows 10 are now being sent as updates to Windows 7 and 8. Article on how to side-step them... Windows 10 Worst Feature Now Installing On Windows 7 And Windows 8
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 follower
- 10 replies
- 1.4k views
There is severe flooding in Clarendon County, South Carolina where forum member Kevin Detwiler lives and in half the rest of the state, also. I hope he and his family are OK! Clarendon Sheriff: All Main County Roads Impassable
Last reply by Shelton, -
- 0 replies
- 666 views
Here's a brief but good article from the Animated Spirit Blog: http://www.animatedspirit.com/the-five-phases-of-work/ Overview: Phase One: Beginnings Phase Two: Preparation and Planning Phase Three: Doing the work Phase Four: Struggle Phase Five: Completion This process is not unlike any good story-telling worth being told. I can easily see overlap between the phases that suggests similarity between the three (and often four) act structures of theater/film production. And (because things in collections of 5s seem to be important) don't forget to read James Chiang's five part review of the book 'Five Cs of Cinematography'. It's very well worth th…
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 4 replies
- 734 views
This is my kind of movie. I'm looking forward to seeing it. xhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-RgquKVTPE
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 12 replies
- 1.7k views
Hi, Not sure if this is the right place to ask this stuff. If not, feel free to move it to the proper location. I used to use A:M a number of years ago and moved on to polygon modeling (yes, I know polygon isn't a nice word around here). I want to get into doing some animations and am looking back at A:M again. I remember how easy it was to rig and weight a character was and especially to animate it. So, my questions are: 1) In the software that I am currently using, I have the ability to move a point along an edge without having to guess where to place it. Does A:M have anything that would allow you to move a control point along the surface of a spline? …
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 follower
- 6 replies
- 3k views
I'm always on the lookout for useful software and this one has caught my attention. For those with the time and interest I'm going to put OBS on my recommendation list... specifically the multiplatform release although the regular release works well also. Background While not everyone is into broadcasting live events I'd say everyone has a need for video capture and this software does that too. It actually might be overkill in that category in many ways. Although the windows version of the multiplatform release is not considered stable I find it works just fine and in many ways better than the standard release. For those interested in just the screen reco…
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 0 replies
- 1.2k views
Bottom line up front: Everyone needs some type of video capture software. There are a lot of screen capture programs and utilities out there and each one has it'd pros and cons. There are so many in fact that I've debated running something of a comparison in order to highlight some of the options. But... since such a comparison will take considerable time and a lot of information is already available via a quick google... for now I'll just point to yet another of the options. Atomi Active Presenter is a program that I don't recall highlighting and it is one of the more powerful ones out there because in addition to screen/video capture it also has some basic vi…
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 18 replies
- 4.5k views
Several years ago, I bought the blu-ray of "How The West Was Won," one of the few movies shot in true Cinerama, using a camera with three lenses and magazines, able to record a 146° viewing area. These three strips of film were then projected by three projectors onto an enormous curved screen. The results were supposed to be spectacular. I've never seen Cinerama in person, but to simulate the effect, they mapped the movie onto a 3D curved screen and presented it on the blu-ray in what they called "Smilebox." The effect is pretty spectacular. Got me to wondering if a Cinerama Camera and screen could be simulated in A:M, so that you could end up with a Smilebox movi…
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 0 replies
- 681 views
If you aren't following the Animated Spirit blog... you might want to add it to your list of resources. There have been quite a few useful and interesting posts there since James Chiang first launched the blog back in June. James is a 17 year veteran of animation. In the latest post James analyses a shot from Pixar's 'Ratatouille' where he delves into how the audience is directed right to the place you want them as well as what that means relative to characters /elements in the shot. There's too much to summarize here so go see for yourself. Amongst other topics James emphasizes that "Forces begin internally" and that "Understanding forces is the key to belie…
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 0 replies
- 468 views
You are now free to sing "Happy Birthday" and use it in your movies without paying royalties. The rigorously enforced copyright, which all the facts indicated was invalid, has been declared invalid by a Federal Court. This one has actually been all they way to the Supreme Court before with a win for the copyright claimants, but now that is over... for now. ‘Happy Birthday to You’ copyright thrown outand ‘Happy Birthday’ Copyright Invalidated by Judgealso... Old Colbert Report on "Happy Birthday"
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 13 replies
- 1.5k views
I want to make transparent windows with sign letters across them. For example, there might be individual letters saying "Bill's Barbershop" that we could see from the outside or from the inside. I don't want a rectangular sign that I decal on the window. I want only the individual letters or perhaps a logo to show. Is there a way to do this in A:M? How?
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 6 replies
- 974 views
How does one get a character rigging job? I've been giving this some thought for awhile and wondered what may actually be involved in finding a character rigging job. I am not nessesarily talking about getting a job with one of the more well known studios; I just want to know in general terms what kinds of things are involved in the process. What are some of the aspects involved in making oneself an attractive prospect to potential employers? What kind of things do you need on a resume? I imagine that we all need to start small and then work our way up along the way. I find plenty of information on various websites on information about finding character …
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 6 replies
- 973 views
I've been meaning to post a few examples from a book I picked up years ago at a Library book sale. The book, part of a series of lessons on learning how to lip read... with accompanying video... which was missing when I purchased BTW... echos what most animators have been taught about lipsync but adds a few descriptions to assist with categorization. Those categories include: Blowing Wide Smiling Sealers Pinchers Forwards Lip Biters Peekers Pushers Teethy Lifters In theory, all dialogue can be shoe-horned into one of these categories. This is perhaps something to consider when rigging a face to achieve articulation for dialogue... although they very l…
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 2 followers
- 27 replies
- 3.7k views
Hello, Years ago I played with using bvh MoCap files with AM and various rigs. I also purchased the entire Truebones collection and started indexing the files. I'm looking into bvh MoCap w/AM again and wondered if there were any tuts or other information on the subject. I remember stumbling onto a way to scale each part of a bvh mocap rig to the model rig and also got whole mocap thing working pretty well (though I didn't document any of this...DUMB!). So I want to research it all and try it again. If I get it all working again and find that none of the current AM/BVH MoCap tuts cover any of my own methods/discoveries I'll add a tut to demonstrate these. S…
Last reply by rusty, -
- 6 replies
- 1.3k views
I have been trying to make a chianti bottle. For whatever reason the 4 point patches are not filling in. I have tried rendering, but the patches don't fill in there either. I am not sure what I am doing wrong. Any ideas? A picture of the bottle as it exists now follows:
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 follower
- 12 replies
- 1.3k views
I am currently running A:M V18.0M (avx) on Windows 10, and everything seems GREAT except I notice my render time indicator is being 'cut-off' by the program... happens in A:M render and A:M NetRender as well. I have 2 montitors... one is a 4K and the other is a 1920 X1080 Dell... it happens on both. I have tried adjusting the little sliders that would make the column bigger, but with no luck. It's a very-very small issue- and if I hover over a frame or the current render frame it will show the time elapsed or total frame render time..., anyone else have this? If more people see it this way- I will submit as a bug.
Last reply by Tore, -
- 3 replies
- 635 views
I don't recall seeing John Lasseter's Cal Arts video before. It's a fun little... at 5:25 minutes actually a rather lengthy... piece. xhttps://vimeo.com/86365423 There are many things that could be said of the short film but one is that... like everyone else who gets the itch to dive into animation... you've got to start somewhere. The prevalent thing on display in the short from my perspective is John's ability to imbue inanimate objects with character followed with a knack for putting those characters into a story with multiple emotional payoffs. Yet another is his extensive use of repetition. In this short... repetition is a major element handled ma…
Last reply by John Bigboote, -
- 6 replies
- 1.2k views
Things I've just noticed in the Quicktime TOS. Even if you have the "Pro" version you can't be "pro" with it. Professional use of the important codecs isn't allowed without an additional license from the patent holders. It is even a violation if you watch some commercial content made by someone who doesn't have the additional license to do it.
Last reply by largento, -
I've decided the best way to make progress is to try small projects, not necessarily related to my main film, to at least keep my skills up. The kind of thing that could be completed in a night or weekend. Hence, a fishbowl. I was curious: how would the rest of you go about handling water inside the bowl? Model it as a separate object, or try and use the fluid feature? Or some combo? I'm going to post my fishbowl model by midnight CST, if anyone is interested. At least the glass part.
Last reply by Roger, -
- 1 reply
- 533 views
http://www.cgtextures.com/
Last reply by johnl3d, -
- 2 replies
- 649 views
I purchased the latest update for A:M and ran the installer program. Hash sent me the access code after they processed the payment. The installer appeared to do something because the settings got set to the default conditions. I expected that the program would ask for the access code and do some process to renew the license, but that has not happened and now the system says that the license expired. What am I missing? It is probably something pretty basic because I have updated the system in prior years without any problem. Does anyone have have an idea of what I should do?
Last reply by RS3D, -
- 3 replies
- 1.2k views
Hi! I tried an action with my overly complex character models last night and the action worked differently in the chor. The Torso control bone key frame gets dropped. There are no key frames on this bone in the chor. Can you think of anything I'm missing or anything I can check? Thanks, Rusty PS: Note the head is attached in the chor.
Last reply by rusty, -
- 1 reply
- 2.6k views
http://www.digitalproducer.com/pages/explosions_in__animationmaster_.htm
Last reply by johnl3d, -
- 16 replies
- 1.8k views
My daughter is interested in going to college. She wants to learn character design and level design for games. I am just a novist designer for cg animation. I would like advice from people in the biz. (I'm going to teach her what I can. She's already getting better than me. I feel like Yoda in "Return of the Jedi".)
Last reply by DZ4, -
- 1 follower
- 10 replies
- 1.1k views
Hi, I have a head model (the way I do things, this is the character), a hair cap model (what hair-do I want to use) and a body model (what 'wardrobe' is needed). Currently I constrain the hair cap to the head model in an action (the hair cap being the action item) so I can just drop the action on the head in the chor and then I constrain the head to the body in the chor (involves 6 constraints). I'd like to use an action to do this however, if I do, either the body model or the head model would be an action item and of course I need to be able to select the head and body models in the chor to animate them (and perhaps I can somehow select an action item in the chor to…
Last reply by rusty, -
- 20 replies
- 1.6k views
I took the plunge and decided to install the Windows 10 preview. Just prior to installation I tweaked a few settings, cleaned up a few things and moved important things to an external drive. As I was installing an uneasy feeling crept over me... what if this doesn't work out so well? My primary concern in updating Windows being how well A:M will run (of course!). While installation moved along it seemed to stall at about 2/3rds through so I browsed and continued to organize files on my other monitor (which I'd thought to turn back on and make sure was working prior to install. Still stalled at the same location for entirely too long I bit my tongue and initiat…
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 2 replies
- 1k views
Pixar has teamed up with Khan Academy to offer a free course on how animated movies are produced. Introduction: https://www.khanacademy.org/partner-content/pixar/start/introduction Course page: https://www.khanacademy.org/partner-content/pixar The folks at Pixar can now point aspiring creators to the Khan Academy when they ask those inevitable questions about CG animation. The basic breakdown of course material: Environment modeling Explore how blades of grass in Brave were created using parabolic arcs. Modeling grass with parabolas Calculating parabolas Character modeling Explore how clay models are transformed into digital characters using weighted averages. …
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 4 replies
- 1.2k views
I have decaled quite a bit with good results, but today I encountered a new problem. I used a 32 bit TGA as the decal on a character that I made using the decal as a rotoscope. (In other words, the figure fits fairly well with the decal.) When I apply, I see actual holes in the model. It looks as if the picture has worn through with ragged edges. I'm using Version 18j (64 bit). There are no holes in the model before the decal is applied. I have attached a picture of the model below. I'm interested in how to avoid the problem and how to fix it. Thanks.
Last reply by Pitcher, -
- 4 replies
- 666 views
I've noticed ever since we switched to the new forum, it seems laggy as all get-out. I'm on a Core Duo system with 2gb RAM and while I realize that that level system is getting a bit long in the tooth, it isn't hopelessly obsolete. Just wondering what accounts for the slowness. Does the new forum software use a bunch of Flash?
Last reply by Fuchur, -
- 2 replies
- 647 views
My major complaint about Youtube for animation is that you couldn't step thru something frame-by-frame to study the motion. But now you can, at this site (and Vimeos too) http://anilyzer.com/ I'm not sure it's frame accurate but it seems to get most of them
Last reply by fae_alba, -
- 3 replies
- 634 views
The oldest versions of AM I have are the hold MH:3D version 3 and AM version 5. Version 5 is probably the oldest version I would consider the modern version we all know and love. I'm trying to remember if v3 was a win 3.1 release or if it was the first to require 95. I know v5 was 95/98/NT. Anyone out there know?
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 reply
- 507 views
My subscription ran out, I'm low on cash and can't afford to update right now. Are there any problems with AM 2006 on Windows 7 with the latest update?
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 6 replies
- 856 views
This is pretty neat technology that will have many applications. In a way it's not unlike a very different technology 'seam stitching' but from a very different approach with different applications. Article: http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/08/05/429720274/obstructions-vanish-from-images-treated-with-new-software-from-mit-google Video: xhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoyNiatRIh4 Of specific interest (and a bit scary... although sure to be useful to reveal who took a picture/video) is the ability to pull the obstruction out of the image as a separate Alpha Matte. For those that recall the movie's look at technology.... shades of Bladerunne…
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 1 follower
- 8 replies
- 3.2k views
We live in a wonderful time where we have access to great information about the process of animation. I'm not trying to sell you anything but.. if you've got a spare $50 laying around... do yourself a favor and buy this. At regular price of $129 this'd still be a good deal but at $49... the only reason not to buy is if you've got a dial-up internet phone connection. Aaron Blaise is someone I've posted links to before (see his 'Aaron's Art Tips) and he's recently released a 'complete course' in animation. He takes his experience as a Disney animator and outlines the principles of animation and walks through the process step by step. I've just now purchased…
Last reply by fae_alba, -
- 3 replies
- 819 views
Lately I was working with a simple model, where I tried to add the 2001 skeleton rig. In the manual is said to make a new bone subdirectory in the new model and drag the root boon of the rig model into it. After done so, I can attach the bones to the model and use it as the 2001 skeleton rig. The advantage of this is that I have all properties of the rig model. After doing this for some time I experienced a strange loss of these advantages. Sometimes the hip model movements loose the attachement of the feet's gravity. I seem to have a model that moves the same way I would move the root bone. I tried to understand what makes these null pointers keep the feet …
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 3 replies
- 1k views
In the process of upgrading on same machine to 64 bit ..had installed 7 32bit originally but machine is 64bit so replaced windows to 7 64 bit and will upgrade to 10 soon I will then download latest AM 64 bit but wonder if new license will be necessary since same machine but ....
Last reply by johnl3d, -
- 0 replies
- 799 views
For any of you Android phone users. from NPR... Major Flaw In Android Phones Would Let Hackers In With Just A Text
Last reply by robcat2075,
