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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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977 topics in this forum
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- 1 follower
- 2 replies
- 939 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, -
- 4 replies
- 804 views
I like the look they've achieved. Simple, stylish and appealing. Show You Care
Last reply by largento, -
- 14 replies
- 2k views
A (maya) screenshot posted by an AnimationMentor student. Her character is flying apart and even the technical support at the school can't figure out why. That is life with maya for anyone below the guru level. I feel bad for her, I think she has a deadline of midnight tonight for the assignment.
Last reply by Zaryin, -
- 13 replies
- 1.7k views
Rendering to file that is... Increasingly real time rendering is going mainstream and in consumer markets long render times won't be acceptable. Just in time for SIGGRAPH 2014, Physical Based Rendering is being demo'd without plugins via HTML5. https://labs.sketchfab.com/siggraph2014/viewer.html?model=devastator It's a far cry from fully rendered real time animation but it's getting there.
Last reply by pixelplucker, -
- 4 replies
- 1.4k views
Hello Hashers- I have a copy of Version 18.0F SSE4 on a Windows 7 computer that did not have any animation previous animation software on it. It runs great. I also bought another copy of Version 18.0F SSE4 at Comic Con so I could bring my old computer (which already had an older copy of AM 17) up to the latest version. This machine performs well except that it won't render avi files when rendering.(?) while running V18. I know V18 has no problem with rendering avi files because the first machine renders them easily. My thinking is that maybe there is something that V17 has on the machine which is preventing the newer updated V18 from rendering avi.'s properly…
Last reply by Tom, -
- 7 replies
- 837 views
This reminds me of a few far fetched story ideas I wanted to use in a project many years ago. In those projects I intentionally targeted things that were 'impossible' because the technology added an element of mystery, fantasy, science and fiction and suggested a sense of the futuristic as a point of departure within an otherwise present day context. The trick being to tie the impossible tech into reality just enough to keep it from being entirely unbelievable with the gist of the resolution of the plot being something of a Rube Goldberg approach to problem solving; "How did the hero solve the mystery?" Why, Everyone knows he's a master of forms of science and technolog…
Last reply by Simon Edmondson, -
- 3 replies
- 1k views
I created my first upload video. It is from Disney Frozen. Please let me know how I did. google; Animation Master Let it Go.
Last reply by DZ4, -
- 1 reply
- 622 views
In all but the rarest occasion graphics glitches can be resolved by installing a current/updated driver from the graphics card manufacturer (or third party rising to the challenge). For those currently experiencing display issues, let's get those drivers updated, regressed to an earlier/better state or into whatever configuration needed to maximize performance and stability. Official sites for driver downloads: AMD / ATI http://support.amd.com/en-us/download Intel http://www.intel.com/support/graphics/detect.htm nVidia http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx 3S Graphics http://www.s3graphics.com/en/drivers/index.aspx Want to try out beta d…
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 9 replies
- 1.4k views
Is it me or is this program a lot like animation master. These folks have copied the program. Not cool. Any one have an opinion on this? Goose
Last reply by nemyax, -
- 4 replies
- 924 views
I'm staring at a dilemma that seems to resolve around the necessity of including bitmaps (for decals, backgrounds, etc.) and am actively searching for a solution to set aside or exclude bitmaps from the general workflow. Now, this isn't to suggest that bitmaps would not be a part of the project workflow at all but rather to set them aside for a time to optimize the given workflow. As an example, let's say we have a system where the use of only text files is the norm and is preferred. Let us also assume that text-based image formats (SVG and base-32/base-64,etc.*) aren't ideal either although additional development might allow for them, especially the latter as they …
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 3 replies
- 1.8k views
Well, no mistake about it--I'm a train wreck! I have had two or three issues in the last week or two, and another occurred last night. This time, however, I had the answer, because of the help I received previously. Here's what happened. I use version 15i. It is what I've used since I started in November 2011 when I started into this. I have been working on the same project since then and was afraid to change because I want it all to look consistent. Yesterday, I was updating a file I did about two years ago trying to make it better. It is a scene that is so large that I can only look at it occasionally in shaded or shaded and wireframe. It will not go from frame to f…
Last reply by Fuchur, -
- 1 follower
- 37 replies
- 3.7k views
On Tuesday I met with Paul Harris for several hours and discussed a very wide range of topics. We should have recorded the meeting although it's surely best that some things were off the record as that allowed us to wander far afield in the discussion. One of the subjects of interest concerned financial support (a very broad topic). I have a lot of opinions on this subject which I'll be more than happy to discuss but I am more interested in the thoughts of everyone in the A:M Community on the subject of grants and sponsorship. Some general parameters should probably be stated for the discussion but I don't want to miss important feedback by artificially limiting di…
Last reply by DZ4, -
- 10 replies
- 1.9k views
I was wondering if there will ever be an FBX importer that can import the mesh and bones of an FBX file. I currently use a program called Fuse combined with Mixamo Rigged character models that export into FBX and would love to animate them using A:M. I love A:M, but there's been no progress on any plugins for it in forever... I can understand if it's never going to happen, I just need to know so I can use something else that can handle more modern file formats. The only reason why I'm asking is because I would rather not use something else... I love A:M...
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 1 follower
- 12 replies
- 2.4k views
So over the past year or two, I've started volunteering my services to some fan productions. So far it's been a great experience and I feel a sense of accomplishment as I'm now completing projects on a very regular basis. Now I'm considering expanding that practice into something that might make a few dollars here and there. I by no means am looking to quit my day job. Rather, make a little bit of money on the side doing what I already do in my spare time. Thing is, I'm not really sure where to start. Also I'm not entirely sure how to best "get my name out there" so to speak. I'm not looking to do big things, rather target smaller groups that need a bit of work …
Last reply by John Bigboote, -
- 18 replies
- 2.1k views
Recently, I was trying to animate bubbles coming from my scuba divers' regulators. I constructed about 50 bubbles and put them inside my diver in an action file. I then tried to move different sized bubbles from inside the diver to just outside the regulator in groups of 12 or so bubbles that I would arrange in some sort of random formation. I then would try to move the group (mixing them up and changing the arrangement) every 10 frames further away from the diver. When I got them about two steps away, they started trying to come back to the diver. I would advance 1 frame and about 1/3 of the bubbles started shooting great distances back toward the diver. I had to chase t…
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 3 replies
- 1.7k views
Here's a possible point of interest concerning Topic tags... I note that several folks are using the Topic Tags which is a very good thing. When clicking on a tag anywhere in the forum other topics with that same tag will be brought forward. Its a useful way to categorize and retrieve information. This does beg the question however about the usefulness of one of a kind unique tags that are more than likely to only apply to that one instance of using said tag. It may be that folks are using the tags in a similar way as the old subtitles, which have gone away. But note that as those will likely be unique to only that one post or topic, it isn't a particularly go…
Last reply by Zaryin, -
Front view is upside down. All other views and shortcut to camera display correctly. I don't know what I pushed. I cannot find a way to turn the front view right side up. This is not a camera issue as far as I can see. I've done two searches in the forum and did not find this question answered. This is probably something simple, but it hasn't happened to me before. I did not save. I closed out the project and started the file up again in a different project, but the front view still displays upside down, while all other views display correctly.
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 3 replies
- 1.8k views
I was wondering if a steam version was planned. Installing steam and auto installing all my software is like a delicious plate of fluffy pancakes. And... Windows 8.1... seems to want all software reinstalled. I've got curvy3d and allegorithmic software on steam too.
Last reply by pixelplucker, -
- 3 replies
- 2.7k views
My financial misfortune is your bargain opportunity. :-) I've been doing these on Facebook, but decided I'd widen it to here. I'm drawing cartoon caricature faces for $10! Here's what they look like (a few of these faces might be familiar): They make great avatars, profile pics, etc. The files include transparent backgrounds, so you can do with them as you please. If you'd like one, just send me $10 via PayPal (to randarr@gmail.com) and also email me a picture or two to go by.
Last reply by largento, -
- 11 replies
- 2.2k views
I've run into a slight problem. I've added several Klieg lights in a model (as opposed to in the Choreography). However, I'm having trouble rendering them. Sometimes one will render, sometimes three will render and sometimes a different one will render. I can't get them all to render at the same time! Does anyone have any advice on what might be going wrong? Thanks, Dale
Last reply by Dalemation, -
A visionary
by Xtaz- 1 reply
- 809 views
Once upon a time( 1996 ) a visionary guy, called Martin Hash, who said: "3-D character animation will become a multibillion-dollar market. There will be a certain amount of political expression in cyberspace, but primarily cyberspace will evolve into a fantasyland for people with no life. It will be for those of us who always wanted to be whisked into the land of The Hobbit, with all of the trappings but less of the make-believe."
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 6 replies
- 2.3k views
Okay, I stand corrected. Robert had mentioned changing a texure from .png to .tga and my response was that I thought those were hard coded into the .OBJ file. We *can* change the texture format of an .OBJ and we can do a whole lot more too. The secret sauce is in the .MTL file which can be edited in a text editor. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wavefront_.obj_file Look down until you get to the Material template library section. To go out on a limb and possibly be wrong yet again I'll say that perhaps it is that material that is assigned to the .OBJ that is interferring with the rendering of the image/texture? Attached is an image I got out of A:M's rende…
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 90 replies
- 22.1k views
Background HAMR (Hash Animation:Master Realtime) and WebHAMR (HAMR for browsers) was an effort of several years ago (2009) to press A:M content out to new platforms. From the basic write up: The ultimate goal of HAMR was of course to push A:M content to web browsers but the API allowed other access as well (as demonstrated in the standalone HAMRviewer). Some general thoughts: - HAMR tech still works quite well although I don't know the extent of whether the API is used by anyone and some connectivity has been depricated over the ensuing years. - HAMR tech didn't get out of the initial development phase (as such it didn't get to the Mac port phase) - The Mac port and so…
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 5 replies
- 764 views
OK.... I confess....I'm a huge fan of Sky Captain & the world of Tomorrow. So when I saw this John Carter Pitch done by the same director(Kerry Conran).... I have to wonder how awesome it would have been if they would've done the movie. Check out the pitch.....
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 0 replies
- 585 views
For those that might have wondered what legendary Disney animator Glen Keane has been up to since departing Disney, a theatrical release of the immersive application was revealed at Google I/O. Glen was challenged to create a follow up to the very popular and innovative 360 immersive entertainment 'Windy Day' and the result was 'Duet'. The part on 'Duet' to include some technological behind the scenes work as well as the short itself is at the end of this youtube video. Other releases of just the short itself are beginning to appear. As the 'rendering engine' Glen animated at 60 frames per second in order to create the animation for the application. cV8JDSO1…
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 5 replies
- 1.3k views
from the 1970's... MK0ITXBWpHE Edit: corrected link:
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 1 reply
- 639 views
Project management for multimedia production has been a growing area of interest for many years so it comes as no surprise that Shotgun is positioned in an important niche. I've watched Shotgun since it's initial press release and made note of their quality and the potential to go far. The news was just released that project management software company Shotgun is 'joining' Autodesk. I take this to mean the company is being purchased. This is good news in that it should help bring project management for video production to the fore for many more projects. The cautionary note being that it becomes all the more likely that Shotgun will be at least as proprietary…
Last reply by fae_alba, -
- 1 follower
- 2 replies
- 732 views
Here's a clever pricing strategy for all you free-lance types... Freelance pros take the zeros out of project bids. Here's Why.
Last reply by fae_alba, -
- 6 replies
- 990 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, -
there are several external renderer importing alembic files. Is possible to code A:M for export this format ??? http://www.alembic.io/index.html I`m using chronosculpt demo to import OBJ+MDD and expost an .abc file ( alembic ) but the result isn`t 5x5
Last reply by Xtaz, -
- 8 replies
- 1.3k views
Hi, Just wanted to recommend to any and all to consider using the G13 if you're still using the keyboard. I bought it from Amazon and have now set it up for modeling. Later on, I'll set up separate profiles for rigging and animating. Right now, I'm going to get used to the layout by building a bunch of nurnies. Steve P.
Last reply by pixelplucker, -
- 1 reply
- 713 views
So for the first time in ever, I have a pretty decent PC. 3.5ghz Intel i7 quadcore, 16gb ram, 2gb nvidia graphics card. So how come my render for AM still takes 5 minutes? And I'm not rendering anything all that intense BTW. Furthermore, when I pop open task manager, it's only using like tops 15% of my resources. My PC is set to high performance and I gave AM realtime priority in task manager, but that hasn't caused AM to use any more resources. Is this as good as it gets for AM's processing power? Or am I missing something (cause I don't really know much about getting a computer to run at peak efficiency)?
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 3 replies
- 3.2k views
Although I don't think the movie is very good, I love the look of Rankin/Bass' feature "Mad Monster Party." The characters were based on EC Comics/Mad Magazine artist Jack Davis' designs and the sets are great. I came across this image today. And this character design and puppet for Dracula is just plain awesome.
Last reply by Dalemation, -
- 2 replies
- 690 views
Just noticed the Troll?, spinning the words Animation Master round, for the Special Topics forum Was that your handiwork Rodney!?
Last reply by robcat2075, -
Facial Rig
by Xtaz- 1 follower
- 12 replies
- 3.4k views
This is for the Rig´s Gods Itjustme, mtpeak2 !!!!! 8qeOFibRmoo
Last reply by John Bigboote, -
- 0 replies
- 577 views
This is a Star Wars fan film put together by two school mates over the period of six years. The film is in french with subtitles and contains some harsh language not usually seen in Star Wars films. hChZObLRPRc Of interest, there are hundreds of stormtroopers in the film but no one wore a stormtrooper costume. All appearances where 3D models animated and composited into the film. There are several making of videos that are well worth reviewing as well. Here's their website that has links to several: http://1k0.blogspot.fr/2014/03/versus-twts-making-of.html Here's one thatperhaps outlines the effects breakdowns best: CG4AV5UIk…
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 0 replies
- 703 views
I ran across this short video and thought... that sure looks like it was designed as a showcase for a renderer... and sure enough it is. What I didn't guess is that the renderer is open source with an MIT license. The short is... very short so check it out: [vimeo]92172277[/vimeo] Direct Link The appleseed renderer is currently in Alpha testing: http://appleseedhq.net/
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 1 reply
- 619 views
my subscription to A.M ran out.I was wondering if is possible to make a metallic paint texture. If so can someone please make me a metallic blue ,red ,green render it in jpeg 1080p this is for a template for a car simulator game. You can do custom paint jobs on the models with photo shop. thank you here is car I have done all ready
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 16 replies
- 2.6k views
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-27677712 Sounds great, is animation master easy to export to renderman? or would extra work be needed to export it to renderman. I know this is not a commercial license but it would be great to use it as another option.
Last reply by frosteternal, -
- 1 reply
- 633 views
U.S. Leads Multi-National Action Against “Gameover Zeus” Botnet and “Cryptolocker” Ransomware, Charges Botnet Administrator According to this article you have two weeks or less to undo your cryptolocked computer... Global police operation disrupts aggressive Cryptolocker virus
Last reply by pixelplucker, -
- 2 followers
- 2 replies
- 790 views
This looks to be a positive development: jR8XBZRkkao The video doesn't go into detail but the general idea is to allow viewers to assist and support directly (translation, captioning and funding).
Last reply by zandoriastudios, -
- 2 replies
- 800 views
Of possible interest... As of April of this year Autodesk released Toxik (now named Composite) and MatchMover which runs on Linux, Mac and Windows 64bit for free. Composite is a node based video/image compositor. As the UI isn't exactly intuitive I highly recommend reviewing all available videos and tutorials BEFORE diving in. The learning curve is a bit steep and the UI doesn't always react in accordance with the tutorials. Aside: I'm not aware of any way to access the custom channels created for the EXR format but that doesn't mean it can't be done. Accessing standard RGBA channels is straightforward enough. MatchMover is a 2D/3D tracker for …
Last reply by Rodney, -
Its a bit early to release this but some major changes to configuration and pricing are pending for Renderman and the Renderman suite of tools. A few details are now emerging at the Renderman site. Of note is the (free) non-commercial license. A commercial license is now a much more accessible $495 per seat. Ed Catmull has a (very) short video making the announcement here: http://renderman.pixar.com/view/non-commercial From the site: Note: I registered with my current renderer entered as "Animation:Master (Netrender)". One never knows when someone's interest at Disney/PIXAR might be piqued enough to experiment and further bridge the g…
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 6 replies
- 883 views
This is the oddest beginning-of-the-film studio logo I've seen today... It's at the very beginning of this movie... A440DsuM8iQ
Last reply by robcat2075, -
Big Hero 6
by Rodney- 2 followers
- 14 replies
- 2.1k views
My kind of fun... from Disney: vco0SpSz17g This certainly isn't everyone's cup of tea but there are some themes that are core to capturing the imagination of a youthful spirit. Such themes of creativity and invention... righteous empowerment even.. and the other naive curiosities that inspire us when young are often set aside as we enter adulthood. Returning to such timeless fascinations is why we watch movies in the first place.
Last reply by Shelton, -
- 1 follower
- 89 replies
- 9.7k views
A review of the Surface Pro 3 I didn't even know there was a 3 yet.
Last reply by pixelplucker, -
- 4 replies
- 717 views
or... 'Why PIXAR movies really cost that much'. EL_g0tyaIeE Direct Link
Last reply by John Bigboote, -
- 3 replies
- 647 views
So does "mad science" count or is it more spaceships, robots, aliens and such? I'm interested in doing an entry but need to pick something g I can pull off with the new deadline.
Last reply by Roger, -
- 7 replies
- 684 views
Just got in this afternoon to find four notifications from the forum in my mailbox, Only to find that the messages they relate to are from 2013... Is there a glitch with the new server setup ? simon
Last reply by Rodney, -
Tiny Nomad
by Rodney- 0 replies
- 718 views
My kind of short film... [vimeo]93537717[/vimeo] Direct Link to Vimeo video This is Toniko Pantoja’s fourth year project at Cal Arts. See more via Toniko's blog. His first year film is impressive as well: Link
Last reply by Rodney,