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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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- 9 replies
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It's been awhile since we've seen a post about 3D Printers on Kickstarter... Here's one that recently launched that is already exceeding $2 million of their initial $50K goal with 24 days still to go. At a glance I'd say there is some interest in the technology... It's certainly small. Added: It seems the majority of folks are opting in to one of the various $299 options. AND NOTE... MOST OF THESE OPTIONS ARE GONE. What they appear to be doing is adding new $299 options but with subsequently later release dates. As of this moment it looks like that tier would expect a February 2015 shipping date. The Micro: The First Truly Consumer 3D Printer …
Last reply by robcat2075, -
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- 908 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, -
- 2 replies
- 1k views
For those of you wth money to spend... Zurbrigg has released their video player that is enhanced for filmmakers and animators. Their site states that introductory pricing is $25. Keyframe MP is currently available for 64-bit version of Windows (Vista or newer) with an OS X version in development. http://zurbrigg.com/keyframe-mp There are several videos that demonstrate usage: [vimeo]90056692[/vimeo] Getting Started with Keyframe MP (Direct Link) [vimeo]89196777[/vimeo] Keyframe MP Overview (Direct Link)
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 0 replies
- 1.6k views
Disclaimer: I haven't tried this out yet but spotted it and wanted to see if anyone had given it a shot. Anyone? http://www.greentoken.de/onlineconv/ Obviously when you upload a model you have shared it with the server. If the model you want to convert is precious to you and you don't want it out there then don't use these types of converters. Here's the basic info (from the website): If enough people upload .MDL files (which will fail to convert) maybe they'll write a converter for A:M model files. One can dream. The author is a/the developer behind the Open Asset Import Library (Assimp) and associated viewer (C++ etc.)…
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 3 replies
- 842 views
I can see why they are doing this but... The BBC reports that Getty images is releasing 35 million photos from its collection for use by bloggers, etc. but will still charge for commercial use of the photographs. There are some prid pro quos and caviets attached. http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-26463886 The plan is to have those using the images embed them with code through which they may eventually be able to generate revenue. Although not likely to dissuade pirates and producers of derivative works at least that part of the plan is innovative. Providing a means for everyone to legitimately reference their image collection is a good idea.…
Last reply by Clipping Path Specialists, -
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For both PC and Mac... I don't know a lot about this so wont comment much except to say I'll put in a recommendation to check this out. (translation: Go get it!) Especially for those of you included toward music, foley and audio effects. What's the skinny? Unless your budget is $100K or more you can now use these tools for free. If over $100K then you'll need to license. Note: FMod was free for non-commericial projects before but now it is officially free for independent commercial projects. http://www.fmod.org http://www.fmod.org/download/ The pitch here is more toward realtime audio for development of games but this can be leveraged…
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 8 replies
- 2k views
I almost hesitate to share this because I'm a firm believer that you shouldn't go into any major expenditure unprepared... so this only applies to you if you are already prepared. Animation Mentor is currently offering a 'one time only' discount on their Animation Basics course. Some caveats (in my opinion): *If* you already versed in Maya at least to the point where you can find your way around easily, or... *If* you've already taken a course in Maya (preferrably the intro to Maya course at Animation Mentor), and... *If* you have a lot of free time in your schedule, and... *If* you've currenty got the spare cash on hand, or... *If* you were planning…
Last reply by Rodney, -
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- 709 views
This app for androids was available for $2.99 but I believe it has reverted to $11. Of particular interest is that it appears to support splines and patches. (It can reportedly create 2 sided, 3 sided and 4 sided patches) As it only exports to .OBJ I'm not sure how well that will work but it makes sense that a quad/spline/patch based model exported to .OBJ might import into A:M better than most. I don't have an Android based phone or tablet so can't test this out. There is a free version that limits the size of the model that can be saved. From their site: http://www.scalisoft.com/ Could be useful for creating assets for A:M while on the go.…
Last reply by Wildsided, -
Mr Homeslice
by Xtaz- 1 follower
- 11 replies
- 1.9k views
I'm missing Mr. Holmes Bryant. Does anyone know where he is? He doesn't appear here since 2012
Last reply by thefreshestever, -
- 0 replies
- 461 views
While I'm in the mood, I'm looking for some real projects to model (characters or soft body - not hard surface). Not talking designing the characters - if you have model sheets or well drawn concept images - hey I'm looking for something to do (free of charge). I need to hone my skills. Cheers
Last reply by higginsdj, -
- 1 reply
- 538 views
Skip ahead to 12:35 This is the first time I've ever seen him on film. 9JpfUK53lug
Last reply by largento, -
- 1 follower
- 4 replies
- 991 views
The folders of my Windows 7 can show me thumbnails of .jpg, .png and .bmp picture files. But when it comes to targa files (which I nearly always use) there is no thumbnail. Anybody know of a way to get .tga-thumbnails?
Last reply by Tore, -
- 11 replies
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For the second time I've had A:M hiccup and save an empty file of a model I had been working on. The model exists on screen, but what is saved is looks like this: ProductVersion=17 Release= PC FileInfoPos=162746 This obviously is wrong. I would suggest a warning message be displayed and a prompt to continue before actually destroying what is on disk. Fortunately I didn't lose much work, but it is frustrating when it does happen, and could be (and has been) catastrophic. Just sayin.
Last reply by Mechadelphia, -
- 1 follower
- 2 replies
- 627 views
Dusted off my old HASP dongle and was going to mess around with A:M over the break, but it seems that the HASP software isn't working on Windows 7. After getting through a few other hoops, I'm stumped on this HASP error, when I try to open A:M: "HASP not found (15)" My USB HASP Dongle is plugged in and lit up, Windows seems to think the drivers are up to date, but A:M won't see it. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 2 followers
- 11 replies
- 1.3k views
Here is a Theremin simulator that runs in your browser. http://femurdesign.com/theremin/
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 2 replies
- 566 views
Materials is one of those areas I haven't mastered yet, so over the years I've built up a library of canned ones, just in case I needed them. But for the life of me I can't seem to get my hands on a decent felt material, or any felt material. Anyone happen to have one kicking about in the dusty corners of their 'puters?
Last reply by largento, -
- 1 follower
- 9 replies
- 1.1k views
Years ago when I was working regularly with A:M, I watched a video in the A:M showcase with two swordsman on an island. The style was like flat animation built from 3D. Anyone know where that can still be found? The current showcase only has some 200 videos so I know the ones from 6 years ago or longer are not around. Any way to see the archived videos?
Last reply by ArgleBargle, -
- 2 replies
- 644 views
Is there a video of the live AM presentation that is performed at the conventions?
Last reply by edifex, -
- 2 replies
- 598 views
During the live demo, the presenter had a 3D Bugs Bunny. He then did something that turned it into a 2D character which resembled traditional animation. Does anyone know how he did that?
Last reply by edifex, -
- 31 replies
- 3k views
Hello All- Was playing around with this cool old tutorial using "forces" and am having trouble deconstructing how it was achieved. I wanted to upload the zipped project file but it is over the 2Mb limit for the forum. It is 3Mb. What I could do was upload the movie. You can see from the wmv movie what the project looks like. I tried adding another leaf like object to the scene but the forces did not have any effect on the object that was added. The new leaf-like object was added as a dynamic object and told to respond to Newton Physics but it did not move. Can anyone explain how those leaves are made to respond to the force fields? Thanks for a…
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 3 replies
- 660 views
FYI... If you are in the US or get US TV shows, long-time veteran Disney animator Floyd Norman will be on "The View" on Tuesday. It's a very odd place for him to show up but my guess is that his personal experience with Walt Disney will come up and it will be framed against recent claims that he was not a nice person.
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 3 replies
- 614 views
Hello again, Ive done it before, but I cant do it right now. I create a spline in front view, grab the CPs, and then go to click the lathe button to create a lathed object, only the lathe button is unavailable. Hiding everything but the spline doesn't work. Starting a new model doesn't work. Even closing the program and opening it again doesn't work ( "Have you tried turning it off and turning it back on again?" - The I.T. Crowd) What am I missing? Thanks!
Last reply by Vogelmort, -
- 1 follower
- 8 replies
- 1.3k views
Myron LeRoy I just got off the phone with Gene "Spleengene" Thompson. He is back in the hospital with another stroke. His balance is severly affected. They cannot do an MRI because of his pacemaker. He will be moved today to the physical therapy building and is sounds like he will be there for a week. For those of you who are the praying kind, he could use a bunch of them about now.
Last reply by Gerry, -
- 5 replies
- 742 views
Hi! New to this forum 8) I did search a bit in the forum to see if anyone had my issue. I didn't see anything. My problem is a simple one. I'm selecting a group of splines with the intention of making another copy of them with the copy/paste feature. I hit Ctrl-C to copy, then Ctrl-V to paste. Nothing happens. I get a new group, but the group doesn't have anything in it. There is no copy of the object. I even tried copy/paste from the pull down menu. same result. What am I doing wrong?
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 1 follower
- 26 replies
- 2.5k views
Just read what gene posted on Face book Good Morning! All my life I have dreamed of being an animator. And through hard work by both myself and you great people I DID IT! now the bad news: Thursday morning I awoke and could barely walk, I have spent till now trying to shake it off.(ministroke) Today I feel no choice but to go to hospital. If for some reason I do not return to Facebook, I THANK ALL OF YOU.
Last reply by Vertexspline, -
If anyone is interested, I'm currently Beta testing an online tool called RGBnotes. Simon recently posted a refernence video of a weight lifter that would be great for testing the RGBnotes annotation and onionskinning modes. So I might use that video for the purpose of sharing RGBnotes with folks here on the forum. (To join the Beta, projects are simply shared with others via an email) The program is very basic....very basic... at this point but the creators hope to make it a very useful collaborative tool and have started adding features. At any rate, during the beta period the way to get other people into the program is to share a project with someone vi…
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 2 followers
- 71 replies
- 5.1k views
Is there something you think can't be done in A:M that it ought to be able to do? Is there something you'd like to see figured out and explained? Perhaps A:M does it already but no one has tried it yet! Here is your chance to nominate a topic or task that you would like to see someone figure out how to do with A:M. I will choose one and make a WIP thread out of it in February 2014. The nominator of the chosen topic will receive some fabulous prize, possibly a copy of one of Martin Hash's "Memoirs" books. (Did you know there's three of them?) My Rules: -Task will be something reasonably appropriate for a full-featured 3D app like A:M. For example, "…
Last reply by Fuchur, -
- 3 replies
- 603 views
Hi. Just downloaded V18(64) and entered the activation code. That part went well, except there's an "ERROR:" message in the modeling window. Project Workspace looks correct. Tried to open other V17 projects, other tabs, and start new ones, but nothing shows other than the error. Was using V17 with no issue. Have an HP Windows 7 machine with an i3, 4G RAM. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, CS
Last reply by Fuchur, -
- 4 replies
- 673 views
I'd like something like this for a musical instrument project and I'm thinking I've seen them before, but I'm not sure what they are called. They would be about a half inch at the base, ideally. Sturdy metal, of course. Am i just dreaming, or is this a commonly available piece of hardware?
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 2 followers
- 9 replies
- 1.1k views
Mr Largento is having a birthday I believe ....happy birthday Mark
Last reply by jirard, -
- 0 replies
- 618 views
Sad news for animation fans and especially for those that followed his blog (splog). Michael Sporn died on 19 Jan after a three year battle with pancreatic cancer. Michael Barrier has a bio up on his career on his blog. http://michaelbarrier.com/Home%20Page/What...elsporn19462014 It isn't clear what will be done with his blog and it hasn't been online for some time. Michael had amassed a considerable amount of history and commentary on animation that was greatly appreciated by followers of animation.
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 8 replies
- 925 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, -
- 2 followers
- 5 replies
- 967 views
People sometime ask why A:M isn't frequently mentioned in the magazines. Short answer... you have to buy advertisements in magazines to get treated as newsworthy. It's a very expensive way to generate not very many actual sales. Here's a documented example of the practice from the music industry press where the same thing is common... How to buy a record review
Last reply by largento, -
- 5 replies
- 632 views
Since I am having trouble with decals and v18 on my laptop, and I am working on a new cartoon-ish fish model, I decided to create his eyes with the eyeball material. I had an eyeball model with the material already applied that I imported into the fish model, but of course i needed to move the eyeball and rotate it a bit so it would fit the model. What I discovered is that the material also needed to be translated and rotated as well. My question is when I animate the eye, what is the best way to get the material to move along with it?
Last reply by John Bigboote, -
- 31 replies
- 3.3k views
I'm getting intrigued on the way to use alpha channels on models to obtain partial transparance. On the Extra-DVD there is a tutorial about it and while I'm following the example my results fail. Point is that I can't save a *.TGA file with an alpha channel. I'm using Photoshop 7.0 and when it transports the file, I can only use *.TIF and *.PSD to implement the alpha channel. Using *.TGA saves the file, but AM0.16 doesn't show it as an alpha channel. Afterwards this "*.TGA" file doesn't have the alfa channel when I import it back to Photoshop. I tried another graphic program CorelPainterIX, but there also I wasn't able to export a *.TGA file with a…
Last reply by Fuchur, -
- 1 reply
- 538 views
The Tinkering Gnome is one of the few who have bravely ventured into the realm of midi music and A:M and I've long thought to exploit the technology. I still haven't. I am however, moving in that direction. Here is a site that has a 3D keyboard that plays midi music that may be of interest to some (especially programmers as the code is available via github). Of specific interest to me is that this is similar to several sites where you can simply drag and drop the midi file into the browser window and the page's code takes it from there. http://qiao.github.io/euphony/#211 The song that should play by clicking the link above is Tchaikovsky's Sweet …
Last reply by johnl3d, -
- 0 replies
- 517 views
Here's a really quick tip (inspired by an excerpt from the book 'Professional Storyboarding' by Sergio Paez and Anson Jew) Change in size The underlying thought being that objects that do not change size on a 2D screen are static, unmoving and suggest the scene has little or no depth. Changing shapes is a fundamental of animation. When analyzing animation that appeals to you pick a shape on the screen and follow it... (a nose, a mouth, a hand... pick something. Anything!) How does it change position? How does it change shape? How does it suggest motion and depth in a scene? If change of shapes is so important in animation what does that say abou…
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 1 reply
- 637 views
For no particular reason today I found myself doing a little reseach on gaits (human and animal) and I ran across this walking alligator. It's interesting to me because I know I tend to think of alligators as being on the ground more and only moving quickly in the water. Wanna see how the dinosaurs moved? No mystery there. They didn't move much differently than modern day animals. MR8UO-Y0Ca8
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 3 replies
- 739 views
FopH8W10a7s
Last reply by Roger, -
- 2 replies
- 479 views
Recent US court ruling in favor of ISP allowing them to favor some traffic and disadvantage other. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/14/n..._n_4597831.html I don't know where an independent presence like Hash, Inc would fall on the favored/disadvantaged line. I'm going to guess that Youtube might go into the disadvantaged hole unless Google starts paying ISPs to favor it.
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 follower
- 31 replies
- 3.3k views
lovely new forms of life - Strandbeests Organization doing Kinetic-DIY creatures inspired by the above Image shows details for the leg mechanism (taken from strandbeest site)
Last reply by Shelton, -
- 1 reply
- 579 views
And the trend continues as more animation legends offer video lessons. These are of personal interest to me because they focus on hand drawn animation. Of course the classic concepts can not only be transferred to 3D... they must! Instructors: John Pomeroy Tony Bancroft Tom Bancroft Michel Gagne At $10 a pop... affordable. http://taughtbyapro.com/courses/all/ Added: At 24 minutes they appear bitesized enough to assimilate quickly and incorporate into one's workflow. (I assume all lessons are roughly the same length)
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 2 followers
- 9 replies
- 1.2k views
I hope you all have a fine holiday! My 2013 musical Christmas card. Gustav Holst's "Cranham" also known as "In the Bleak Midwinter" uy26H7oMGZg
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 1 follower
- 4 replies
- 714 views
This is the first I've heard of this next big thing... 21:9 format TV. http://www.redsharknews.com/technology/ite...reen-is-instead How long before it just wraps all around you?
Last reply by Shelton, -
- 2 followers
- 7 replies
- 1k views
A site I like to keep an eye on is 'floobynooby' which collects a lot of animation related content similarly to sites such as onanimation.com Quite often the links that appear on one site will appear on the other. Every now and then however the content differs and I'm reminded again why I visit both onanimation.com and floobynooby.com regularly. In this case the posting of the first part of a three part analysis of the cinematics of PIXAR's 'Incredibles': http://floobynooby.blogspot.com/2013/12/th...les-part-1.html For anyone interested in filmmaking and animation, the article is well worth taking the time to purview. Folks pay good money for this kin…
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 0 replies
- 494 views
Here's something to put on your radar. Not long ago I said, "The time is coming and now is that rendering (as we know it) will be obsolete." or something to that effect. This site is an example of the moving in that direction. Although this is not a renderer as we know it the site does purport to encode media with a hands off approach. What does that mean to you? If you've already rendered a file and need it converted to another format you don't have to spend time rerendering or searching for proper programs and codecs if you can drag and drop the file and get the conversion done while you do other (more important) work. Concerns about security? …
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 11 replies
- 708 views
Edit: Apparently a false alarm with regard to A:M spitting out German shortcut key listings. However, you may have a German Shortcut Key listing in your installation directory. Now here is a learning opportunity. If you want to learn some snippets of the German language, v18 is currently spitting out the german words for A:M shortcut keys. In the attached I've translated all but one which I think is 'SPACE'. For those in the know what say you all... does "LEER" translate to "SPACE"? At any rate, if you wish to get a shortcut key listing in German go to Tools/Customize and on the Keyboard tab click the Export button. The shortcut key listin…
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 8 replies
- 1.4k views
I noticed this with 17g and simply reverted to v16. Yesterday I jumped on the V18 bandwagon, hoping it was a transient issue, but found it aint. It seems that my laptop, which happens to be my only workstation since I am a road warrior, has an Intel HD graphics card with OpenGL (here is a sys check) Video Card Vendor: Intel Renderer: Intel® HD Graphics OpenGL Version: 2.1.0 - Build 8.15.10.2104 GLU Version: 1.2.2.0 Microsoft Corporation Current pixel format: 6 Card name: Intel® HD Graphics Manufacturer: Intel Corporation Chip type: Intel® HD Graphics (Core i3) DAC type: Internal …
Last reply by fae_alba, -
- 5 replies
- 838 views
Hello everybody... Perhaps you have seen this video before on Youtube or perhaps not, anyway I want to share it here cause may be we can make use of this idea somehow... If anyone has a comment or knowledge about this technique... Perhaps it could be implemented in A:M with some Mouse Motion Capture and something else... Note: It's interesting what is written in the description of the video on Youtube... Good day, bye
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 1 follower
- 5 replies
- 815 views
It's always interesting to see how tech folds back upon itself. The latest buzz word in cg hair is something of a convergence between hair and cloth. Super Space Clothoids Whitepaper SIGGRAPH 2013 There is tech/math going on here which I don't claim to follow but when I suggest folks consider using geometry for hair this is the general idea and when one considers the possibilities much of what is outlined can already be created with A:M.
Last reply by Rodney,