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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.
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961 topics in this forum
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Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 7 replies
- 941 views
Hey guys & gals finally got around to getting back onto AM to chip away at some old projects, just got myself the new V18 subscription no 64 bit version for mac ?? Running slow as on my twin processor dual core xeon with Nvidia Fx 4800 - what is the SSE4 for mac ?? Or should I just boot camp it, which is what I did last time. Another thing, when I apply decals in shaded wireframe view it doesn't show the texture previews until I render them - is that a mac thing or is it a setting in options for video card ??
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 follower
- 1 reply
- 938 views
Nothing to do with A:M - not even CGI, but a beautifully made and inspiring stop motion short by estian artist Anu-Laura Tuttelberg. Partly done in wet clay, thus the main character had to be completely re-modeled for every frame. No lamps were used in the shooting, only the existing daylight coming through the windows in the studio. https://vimeo.com/89515712
Last reply by Simon Edmondson, -
- 2 followers
- 8 replies
- 936 views
Mari 2.0 was released. It's "our" 3D Painter with more tools.
Last reply by zandoriastudios, -
- 2 replies
- 934 views
I hope someone out there can help me...I want to render my animation with a full alpha background for compositing reasons. The ground i simply turned off, the sky is another thing...how do I get rid of it???
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 3 replies
- 928 views
Due to a computer crash I'm forced to install Am on another computer. When I want to start the programm it asks for an activation code. Then it says the code is already used. It is a lifelong version with an internet activation. Now I have it installed, but what file should I send to activate the code? regards, Rien.
Last reply by Fuchur, -
- 8 replies
- 927 views
Disclaimer: The title of this topic may change as the subject matter is refined. This is a spin-off topic from Robert Holmen's 'It can't be done' topic. The target appears to have moved a little but here's a beginning: Paul Harris:
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 1 reply
- 925 views
I LOVED the Neverhood. Doug TenNapel has teamed up with a few old friends and is creating another similar game. Terry Taylor is onboard for the soundtrack! They're looking for support, I thought I'd help spread the word. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/194953...=home_spotlight
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 2 replies
- 924 views
http://www.theverge.com/2014/10/9/6951375/david-letterman-hatsune-miku-anime The other night David Letterman featured a band led by a hologram, Hatsune Miku. I had never heard of her, have you? You will. This video compares pop idols like Justin Beiber to, and suggests the future may be dominated by 'entities' like Miku. Animation plays heavily thruout the scheme, and it is going-on BIGTIME as I write. INTERESTING.
Last reply by nemyax, -
- 0 replies
- 924 views
Got these links in my email today: You can download a bunch of different LUTs here for free: 35 free LUTs And this page on using LUTs and color grading: Color Grading 101
Last reply by largento, -
- 1 reply
- 923 views
A user of brand X finds that on one computer his file opens normally but on his other computer it looks like this...
Last reply by Roger, -
- 6 replies
- 922 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, -
- 7 replies
- 921 views
Just recieved this notice from Kinetic School of Animation: Note: I assume this to be west coast time. Time is: 2:10 PM Central Daylight Time
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 1 reply
- 921 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, -
- 0 replies
- 921 views
I'm posting this mainly as a reminder to follow up on this. Attached is a comparison of two sound files. On the bottom, the original "I've got a Secret" audio and (above) a quickly edited version that accomplishes a few things: 1) Removal of unwanted noise 2) Adjusted timing 3) Adjusted volume* 4) Separation, removal of sound/sound bytes on a frame by frame basis 5) Keyframe and Spline-based refinement (Free!) *Appeared to work well but need more testing. Not yet explored in any depth but available for use: - Automatic Time Stretching (All or by Selection) - Integration with Papagayo and Magpie Pro Also attached are the original and updated wav…
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 3 replies
- 918 views
Hello there, when a decal in AM is done, it gets saved in the AM model or project file in a special decale section. I did not analyze this entirely, but the info here must be the nr of the patch, the cps involved, the positition of the cps in the xy space, and that should be it. This equals basicly UV coordinates as they are stored in an .Obj file. Now it comes: If it would be possible, to parse the UV information of an .Obj file into the file format and the order as it is represented in an AM model file, it should be possible, to get the UV information out of an .Obj file and integrate it into the AM file by putting it at the correct position in the file. As far as I…
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 2 replies
- 918 views
The current forum banner (over the Latest Info forum) is a single frame from a 500 frame sequence rendered straight out of A:M with one exception; it was resized (to a lower resolution) in an image utility called Irfanview. Where I have the option I prefer to use images rendered directly out of A:M; this is something of a 'purist' view. I would relate this to what most would assume is the approach of PIXAR which is to forego any compositing, post production etc.; what comes directly out of the renderer is what will be used. This is the A game of animation. The ideal environment in which to produce. The B game is what most of us tend to use if for no other reaso…
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 6 replies
- 917 views
hmmm . .. when I add a diffuse colour to a selection it shows up on only some patches when I toggle the decal it shows it properly but then the decals disappear - when I render it shows it as above on only some of the patches is this a bug report or am I not doing something Im supposed to ??
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 5 replies
- 916 views
Hello fellow hash'ers, I'm creating the cover for my next book and also it's book trailer. Unless I'm missing something, it seems that the most awesome sweeper plug-in, in copy mode, will not copy the model's surface attributes (color and I presume materials or decals...nor group names which would also solve my problem). I have a long complex tentacle with hundreds of parts strung along it and I'm looking for a way to create these with surface attributes (or like group names) without having to do each individually as this would take a long time. Anyone know of a way to accomplish this? Thanks for any help you can offer! Rusty
Last reply by johnl3d, -
- 1 follower
- 1 reply
- 916 views
Hi guys, I finally got windows running on 2008 mac and installed AM 18 64 on it, I was going through the process with Jason to transfer my Mac since over to windows and have left it a bit late, so I just bought a new subscription now, I removed the old license file and put in the new activation code and it tells me the code is invalid - am I doing anything wrong - or has the procedure changed ? I have uninstalled and reinstalled from a fresh download and still the same - I did notice that when the panel containing the company names etc. comes up it has the test name I used for Company Name / User Name / Email ect. Can anyone tell me how to completely reset AM - e…
Last reply by a.quaihoi, -
Much like Scultpris but this sculpting application is WebGL and Javascript based. If you need to make some quick topology for use with the Snap to Surface tool in A:M this might do the trick for you as it exports to OBJ etc. Very interesting. http://stephaneginier.com/sculptgl/ Source code is hosted on github: https://github.com/stephomi/sculptgl Added: A quick paint job on Thom...
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 1 follower
- 6 replies
- 915 views
Do anybody know the story behind the small animations running next to the abort button when rendering in A:M? Some very nice animation in all of them. Are they made by the same person, are they made specifically for the render window, etc.?
Last reply by John Bigboote, -
- 2 replies
- 911 views
Can 3D printed objects (plastic or otherwise) without batteries and electronics be connected to the internet? Apparently so although that may depend on what you define as electronics. The approach uses ambient wifi to absorb or reflect signals and communicate in a binary (on/off) manner. With this method buttons, knobs and sliders can 'talk' to each other and other devices via wireless connection. So basically, anything that can move or rotate can relay it's current state. Obviously power is present somewhere in loop of the greater system (via smartphone, router etc.) but no power is required in the sensor itself thus suggesting almost any object can become a s…
Last reply by Rodney, -
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, -
- 8 replies
- 909 views
This is somewhat related to Robert's 'Painting with Light' series but the methodology is very different (I'm not as smart as Robert!) It's something I stumbled upon last night while exploring things in A:M I've never considered beyond the tried and true and defaults. At the end of the video I show some other stuff that can be done with this technique that goes beyond painting clouds. Midway through the cloud painting portion of the video you can see the shape that I'm painting with. It looks like two oval shapes, one inside the other. Everything is created in real time directly in v18d with no plugins or extras. Strickly A:M stuff. cloudpainting.mp4
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 6 replies
- 909 views
Hey all! I've been progressively trying to get to the point of being able to do freelance work to some extent (I even made a website!) but I still feel like there is much to learn before I'm ready. Certain concepts I've gotten pretty solid (with much help from you folks!) but there's always more to be learned! Anyways, I was wondering what the top 5 books are that you might recommend for doing CG work. It can be ranging from any topic from lighting, to animating, to modeling etc. Just what are the top 5 books you think anyone like myself should read when doing this sort of work? Thanks!
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 0 replies
- 909 views
For those who watch such things... LucasFilm and ILM (read: Disney) have open sourced their MaterialX code. What is it? According to the release: Here's the general spec: https://github.com/materialx/MaterialX/blob/master/documents/Specification/MaterialX.v1.35.Final.pdf It's an interesting read on many levels. The specific areas of interest (to me) include: LIghts, Collections and 'Looks' which relate more to the area where textures/shaders meet geometry. Two focus areas reserved by the specification are 'twosided' and 'matte' which address issues of rendering that are not commonly implemented. Those are welcomed areas of interest. Exam…
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 0 replies
- 908 views
Some of you may recall Jeffrey Dates 'Day Off the Dead' short from many years ago when he was an avid A:M user. Like many others Jeff used his time with A:M to move into the animation industry and is still quite active in animation. He has been working for The Mill of late and their efforts at The Mill to promote real time character animation has recently made the news https://www.cartoonbrew.com/vfx/how-the-mill-is-embracing-real-time-for-character-animation-157603.html
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 2 replies
- 907 views
Hello all- I just saw a news article that says a UPS store here in San Diego (Kearny Mesa) is now having a 3D printer on the premises. People will be able to walk in with a file and print out their work as a 3D prototype. The 3D printers seem high end, meaning they are a cut above what the lowest pro-sumer models presently are. Don't know what the cost will be but the fact that you can walk in with a flash drive and walk out with your creation is pretty cool. If you don't live near San Diego, you might check the UPS store website and see if they are planning a 3D printer for a store near you. Best, Tom
Last reply by pixelplucker, -
- 4 replies
- 906 views
Hi everybody. I sure could use a 2012 Chevy Silverado standard cab long bed white in color. Black seats, boned so wheels turn & as functional as ur time allows. Never paid for service like this before so hit me up at tomross2002@gmail.com if you think this is something you'd like to preform. We can discuss price. Oh. .. Silver painted factory wheels. .. Thanks!
Last reply by detbear, -
- 3 replies
- 906 views
Can I turn an action into a percentage pose and if so, how? I think I need to take the basic tuts again. 8-o Rusty
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 follower
- 1 reply
- 897 views
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Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 reply
- 897 views
Here is a very fun and quite astonishing project by Microsoft: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/project-zanzibar-blurring-distinction-digital-physical-worlds-via-tangible-interaction-portable-implementation/
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 7 replies
- 895 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, -
- 3 replies
- 894 views
This is a SIGGRAPH presentation on how the body deforms during breathing as applied to animated characters/avatars. Perhaps a bit more technical than routinely necessary... still, it contains some information especially useful for those striving to create 'realistic' performances. I wonder what qualifications one must have in order to be a 'breath actor'...
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 follower
- 1 reply
- 891 views
Finally finished with school. So now I can get back to my real show. I am working on getting a bunch of still images turned into a video. The version of FCPX that I am using is: The directions I am using are: In your FCPX preferences/settings, change the default still frame duration to 1 frame. Import all of your still image files into FCPX. Create a new project and drag all of your still images into the timeline. ‘Select All’ so that every image in the timeline is selected. Right click and select ‘Make Compound Clip’. Use your new compound clip as a video file in any regular project. Line 1 mak…
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 follower
- 2 replies
- 889 views
No details yet, but the official Star Wars website has announced the awards for Star Wars Fan Films is returning next year. Wikipedia has a page about past contests, rules and winners.
Last reply by largento, -
- 1 reply
- 889 views
Why did I think of Nancy when I saw this... http://www.disneyresearch.com/project/printed-teddy-bears/ Of course, automated sewing has been around for a very long time...
Last reply by NancyGormezano, -
- 5 replies
- 888 views
Pretty amazing stuff. As amazing as this is we can come pretty close to that stuff where they draw on top of the guys hand and it inbetweens the rest automatically with A:M's new 'Snap to Surface' feature. Of course there is a lot more going on than just the matching of animation lines to surfaces in 'Paperman'...
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 3 replies
- 888 views
I have forgot its been a long time and can't find it in my notes any where . . . is there an object / node align feature in AM now ??
Last reply by a.quaihoi, -
- 3 replies
- 886 views
ILM released this short video today about the making of the New York scenes in the Avengers and holy crap, it's pretty mind blowing the amount of CG work and detail they put into it! I knew obviously some of it was CG, but I actually had no clue that it was almost entirely CG.
Last reply by Gerry, -
- 0 replies
- 886 views
I just returned from seeing the new movie and... This is an impressive movie on many levels. What perhaps surprises me most is that I didn't think I would enjoy it as much as the original animated version that is such a classic. No spoilers here except to say the film remained faithful is significant ways to the animated film. I was surprised by that too. Two other things that was a bit wary of going in but turned out to be just fine and well executed: - The film intentionally exaggerates scale on and they work that element like it's almost a character itself. As such it enhances the experience in significant ways and enlarges our view of the jungle especi…
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 1 follower
- 4 replies
- 885 views
I'm revisiting an old topic. As I'm learning more Python stuff, I want to find a way to make a new Python 3D mathematical model plugin for A:M like Petr Sorfa's from years ago. Is there a way to peek inside the HXT so I can code a new compatible version? Otherwise I will have to use the A:M SDK and try to re-create the plugin. What is the best way to do this? I'm still a beginner in the programming/plugin arena but I'm motivated. Thanks...
Last reply by KingVidiot, -
- 8 replies
- 885 views
I have gotten no email response from Customer Support after I purchased a license in February. Any hints? Also, I can't seem to get the sound to work, it says no sound object loaded in the Options page, but it does show the waveform etc. Thanks, Rolf
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 reply
- 884 views
I missed this news back in January... Algorithmic, the company behind Substance Painter and other related tools has apparently been purchased by Adobe. https://www.fxguide.com/quicktakes/adobe-acquires-allegorithmic-substance-joins-creative-cloud/ I'm occasionally thought it'd be nice to have Substance Painter but wasn't interested in the price of admission. Gaining these tools via the Adobe CC subscription that I already have though... hmmmm. Adobe has been trying to move further into the 3D realm and it looks like they are doing just that with this purchase. Related to A:M, the ability to paint even OBJ files wi…
Last reply by pixelplucker, -
- 0 replies
- 883 views
TED Talks presents a talk with PIXAR's Danielle Feinberg on Lighting in PIXAR films. Well worth the watch (especially for those that had their dreams of being artists crushed as young children): LINK Note that is you see a download link that allows subtitles don't opt for the subtitles as the download appears to fail. Download without subtitles instead or simply stream the playback.
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 8 replies
- 881 views
I noticed today that there is a sequence featured in the banner of what looks like a large transformer, kicking a car. Clicked on the link but it went to the forum section rather than the animation itself. Could someone kindly direct me to theanimation itself ? regards simon
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 3 replies
- 878 views
Alan Becker has posted a series of videos covering the 12 Principles of Animation (according to Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston). The imagery is simplistic and actually enhances the lessons. (For those familiar with the principles make sure you get past the first few videos as they get better as they go) 1. (Squash and Stretch) 2. (Anticipation) 3. (Staging) 4. (Straight Ahead and Pose to Pose) 5. (Follow Through and Overlapping Action) 6. (Slow In and Slow Out) 7. (Arcs) 8. (Secondary Action) 9. (Timing) 10. (Exaggeration) 11. (Solid Drawing) 12. (Appeal) Well worth a look! He plans to continue with videos covering walk cycles etc.
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 0 replies
- 878 views
Sketchfab... Artella... Folks that see this will be wanting to make some of their own animated experiences. The biggest news here (besides the successful creation of a 3D VR short film shared online) is that Sketchfab now supports audio. https://artella.lpages.co/artella-lily-snout-giveaway/ The characters (models) are currently available for download. I must assume some other formats besides .ma will be forthcoming. There is a good interview with the team behind 'Lily and Snout' that delves into the creation of the project also online.
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 1 follower
- 2 replies
- 876 views
British BFI has recently released a 3 DVD set with the Czhec animation legend Jan Svankmajer's complete filmography. 26 fantastic animations plus interviews and documentaries etc. Highly recomended and very inspirational! Here is a cut from one of the shorts "Dimensions of Dialogue" from 1982 https://vimeo.com/15308509
Last reply by Tore,
