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.
939 topics in this forum
-
- 4 replies
- 1.1k views
I have several stories I've always wanted to animate where I needed a crotchety old man as the main character (I relate to them oh so well!). Ran across this facial reconstruction of Copernicus on Mental Floss and thought now there is a roto to build a cool old man from!
Last reply by Simon Edmondson, -
- 1 follower
- 29 replies
- 5k views
The irony of having a modeling program with infinite resolution is that its stl export is lower resolution than any of its competitors. Its unfortunate because Animation master could if presented / marketed the right way could have a second wind because of the the 3d printer revolution. within 10 years 20% or more of hose holds could have a 3D printer. The bottleneck right now other than price is lack of easy to use 3D modeling software. But in our case we have the software and know how to use it but we cant get a high resolution stl file to the printer. Most people are using google sketchup, this program takes about 8 minutes to create a wine glass, as s…
Last reply by pixelplucker, -
- 3 replies
- 771 views
I'm wanting to get a really nice caustic like crystal ball texture on a shere. A sphere with the look of colored glass. Anyone know of a really nice way to get this done?
Last reply by largento, -
- 1 follower
- 10 replies
- 1.9k views
6WZZARzpckw This looks pretty incredible! Done in realtime! Can this be supported within A:M? Developer info: https://developer.nvidia.com/physx Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PhysX
Last reply by pixelplucker, -
- 0 replies
- 768 views
I thought this was an interesting breakdown of Lord of the Rings characters and their movement through time: http://xkcd.com/657/ Starwars, Jurassic Park, etc. included too. There are a lot of other visual breakdowns of time/space on the site. The reason this appealed to me was that I have at various times roughed out stories in a similar way via A:M splines.
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 5 replies
- 1.7k views
Just the last week I found this site and I think is a good option for show your models, 100 mb for free, and the navigation to the models is with the mouse, as closer as you want in any degree, you can see the wires and turn 360 degrees as well, all you need is to export the model in OBJ with the normal outside and ready...I uploaded some without textures... here the link... http://p3d.in/8BYBB
Last reply by nino banano, -
- 1 follower
- 3 replies
- 1k views
There is a filter, plugin for Photoshop that is great when using alpha channels. it spreads out the images edges with the same color. anyone remember the name?
Last reply by jason1025, -
Just updated to windows 8...don't know why. I guess I'm a OS junkie LOL. Will let everyone know how it works with AM.
Last reply by ruscular, -
- 0 replies
- 681 views
This one is for the Mac users amongst us primarily those that use Final Cut Pro X, Motion 5, or Compressor 4. http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1396
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 1 reply
- 775 views
I stumbled across this software that is free on sourceforge called Sweet Home 3d. http://www.sweethome3d.com/index.jsp You can quickly layout rooms and even multiple floors with furniture and export them out as an obj from the 3d window. They seem to import ok into the latest AM as props. I'm sure some fiddling and texture work would need to be done but might save some of you the daunting task of making this stuff from scratch in splines for quick scenes. Typical of the opensource stuff watch the installer and make sure your not installing any extra programs that aren't needed such as Real Player or any other garbage. Anyways it's worth checking out.…
Last reply by steve392, -
- 2 replies
- 412 views
Here I am again fishing...this time for help. Everyone knows I'm working on the Woke Up Dead movie (check my signature) So I'm making progress with the models but now comes the part where I need to do phenomes and such....(think I spelled that right) Beyond the basic phenomes what would the rest of you guys recommend as a base line set of facial expressions that are a must have in the line up. I guess what I'm doing is trying to compile a complete list of what really comes in handy. So go ahead and hit me. Doesn't matter what anyone says this is all good stuff to know.... (all this stuff I'm learning will one day become a video tut for future AMers)... …
Last reply by higginsdj, -
- 5 replies
- 899 views
Thought I'd post this because it represents several trends in software of late. A few of them include: Higher Resolutions (including support for 4K) Screen Capture Motion Tracking Video Layering These represent must-have technologies in my estimation. In this case, I see Corel is pressing into the market more fully by enhancing their Video Studio products and at $79 that makes for an affordable solution when similar products can easily range toward $399 and upward. dYWGQnjFWmk They have a trial version for those who want to explore. (Trial Link) Disclaimers: I have not used Corel VideoStudio in years so cannot attest to its current ea…
Last reply by Vertexspline, -
- 1 reply
- 459 views
This is my 1000 post on the AM forums!!!! I've been coming here for years and I'm just as excited about it now as I was years ago!!!! Here's to 1000 more
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 8 replies
- 700 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, -
- 1 follower
- 9 replies
- 1.3k views
I need a model of the Earth, or if not, the best way to decal an earth map onto a sphere. Anyone?
Last reply by John Bigboote, -
- 4 replies
- 745 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, -
- 8 replies
- 1.7k views
the language in the patent is pretty dense, I'm not sure what it is they are patenting that is new... http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8358311.html
Last reply by largento, -
- 7 replies
- 1k views
I'm wanting to capture the A:M desktop icons but Windows blurs them, even the smallest versions. Is there a way to get Windows to not try to anti-alias the icons?
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 follower
- 7 replies
- 619 views
twice this problem has arisen I am using a character and everything is fine with rig got em posed and for some reason/ I hit a button or something and the character goes into T pose and will not respond anymore. ??????? very frustrating what key turns rig off?
Last reply by Mechadelphia, -
- 3 replies
- 705 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, -
To Youtube
by novice- 1 follower
- 0 replies
- 460 views
I am interested in posting my work on YouTube. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to save the animation so I can do so? (ie: save in A and convert to B, etc.) Respectfully, novice
Last reply by novice, -
- 1 follower
- 21 replies
- 1k views
First of all, I've been out of it a while. Pretty much ever since school started, I've not done anything animation related or been around on the forum even, so hello again! So, I have a question, which I'm sure is a question many have had who've attempted to produce anything at all, which essentially is this: how does one successfully produce their own animated short? First I suppose I should define successful. By successful, I mean, have completed in its entirety (so basically script straight through to release) a short film (maybe no more than 5 minutes in length). Furthermore, how long did it take to produce it? What are certain goals a person should set f…
Last reply by Vertexspline, -
- 1 follower
- 2 replies
- 410 views
A thoughtful article about the complications of Kickstarter campaigns... http://www.thebaffler.com/past/whos_the_sh...ur_kickstarter/
Last reply by largento, -
- 5 replies
- 509 views
Okay.... this is cool: [vimeo]54967505[/vimeo] More on how the sculpts are put together: [vimeo]55336193[/vimeo]
Last reply by NancyGormezano, -
- 2 replies
- 404 views
There is more 'making of' out there on Avengers but these sequences in particular show more of the simplicity in geometry/meshes that were textured and lit for the movie than other references I've seen. [vimeo]56664953[/vimeo]
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 3 replies
- 569 views
If you have one of the programs that support FXFactory you likely know about this already but... FXFactory is a plugin interface for a large number of free and purchasable effects for Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere, Adobe After Effects etc. Some of the effects are demos while others are entirely free. For those interested, check it out here: http://www.noiseindustries.com/fxfactory/ These are supposedly free: http://www.noiseindustries.com/fxfactory/free/
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 1 follower
- 9 replies
- 625 views
I'm new to A:M and the forums but I was amazed at the quality and diversity of the body of work done by former member Paul Forward whose untimely passing occured this June. He seemed to be very revered on the board and I wondered if A:M could somehow commemorate his passion for animation, creativity and skill with A:M by posthumously designating one of his creations as the 2013 A:M Mascot. Perhaps if his son, Josh, could give access to one of his best models. Someone could render it out in a suitable pose for the splash screen. Let me know what your thoughts are on the possibility of this idea are and if it is something the forum members would be in support of. Sin…
Last reply by KJ'd Beast, -
- 2 replies
- 564 views
Pretty funny!
Last reply by TheSpleen, -
- 7 replies
- 743 views
Installed AM and I swapped to DirectX. Then I went to software render instead of hardware. Now when I launch I get ERROR at the top of the screen. I go to options and attempt to try to get hardware back but the graphics tab isn't even showing up. I can go to OpenGL but I get the mystery gray box when trying to select anything. I uninstalled and reinstalled but no good. I'm stumped. Any ideas how to fix this?
Last reply by robcat2075, -
It seems that dream has come true animators )))))))) We try. Sharing experiences http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4964558/rigmesh_v1.01.zip
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 2 replies
- 430 views
Have a nice Holiday everyone !
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 5 replies
- 611 views
Hello everybody , My xmascard for this year is ready. Entirely made in you guess what... a merry xmas. Marc
Last reply by itsjustme, -
- 2 replies
- 426 views
I've been watching a lot of older movies lately. Its a study on camera, lighting, and most importantly acting. The latest has been Fried Green Tomatoes! The best scene I think is near the end where Jessica Tandy's character points out Ruth's grave site. There is very little dialogue between the characters, but the acting is superb. Little has to be said I think. The actresses convey so much with just facial acting. If anyone gets a chance go and check out that small part. Really great scene.
Last reply by Simon Edmondson, -
- 3 replies
- 403 views
Here's a playlist of talks on "story telling". I haven't watched them all, but I have no doubt that there are some tidbits (for me, and probably others) to be found at: http://www.ted.com/playlists/62/how_to_tell_a_story.html
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 7 replies
- 762 views
I have a question that I'm hoping some of you can weigh in on, especially those that actually has experience in making and finishing stuff and even more importantly, finishing big stuff (feature films essentially). But I'll take all opinions. First off, I'm going to post a script in CeltX format. Please don't redistribute the script and on top of that, if you're willing to read it at all that would be impressive (it's 130 pages.) Before I ask my questions, first make a couple of assumptions. One is that there would be minimal changes to the script, no reducing it to a short film or anything. The second, imagine it's a perfect and hypothetical world. So the ques…
Last reply by Darkwing, -
- 60 replies
- 3.8k views
Source: Heavily adapted and reordered from SIGGRAPH educational notes: The five key elements of a good story: audience, content, motivation, semiotics and timing. Audience: The goal of a story is to share knowledge (and experience) with the audience. If we are sensitive to an audience we can even use stories to move people from one understanding to another understanding (more often than not without their conscious awareness). Telling a story with no one in the audience is not storytelling. Consider the old adage, "If a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it..." If the event doesn't resonate with an audience it will be of little significance. …
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 4 replies
- 673 views
There are many ways to approach the breaking down of scenes in a film but one of the best is to study what has worked (and worked especially well) in the past. For many years Hans Perk has posted the drafts from classic films on his blog where the films can be examined in light of these production drafts. These drafts attempt to break down the assignment of scenes as they are doled out to the various animators. Much can be learned from these drafts. As a means to understand the breakdown of timing in a shot or sequence we can see the timing of any particular shot from the vantage point of any animator or director. In this assigned shot, M…
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 1 follower
- 2 replies
- 773 views
Far be it from me to recommend anything from Autodesk but this is really quite impressive; send Autodesk a series of quasi-random photos surrounding an object and they ship back a polygon model of that object, for free. This explains it well. Normally we`d be shut out but the V17 retopolgy tool makes it potentially useful to an A:M user.
Last reply by thejobe, -
- 1 follower
- 14 replies
- 929 views
I asked a few months ago about file structures for people working on a project and was very appreciative of the responses received. I'm trying to plan a project which I hope to spend next year working on, could anyone kindly point me to a resource for overseeing the running of a complete project? I have no real experience in this area and have always relied on memory and catching up when needed. I'd like to try to do it better this time. Its not so much the particular details of individual areas such as models but the overall structure of a project and how to keep track of it as it unfolds? Any help gratefully received. Thank you. regards simon
Last reply by Simon Edmondson, -
- 6 replies
- 598 views
Im doing hair on a charector and set the face cammera to 70 but think I need to change it but can,t seem to find it now anyone have clue to where its gone
Last reply by steve392, -
- 2 replies
- 428 views
I want to move some bones in a head with the geometary ,is there some keys to hold ,Im sure Ive done this before cheers Steve
Last reply by steve392, -
- 6 replies
- 866 views
I'm running on a Mac and I can't figure out how to change .mov or .m4v files to .wav. Can anybody help?
Last reply by purplegirl, -
- 1 reply
- 474 views
I'm working on a Mac so all the sound files I am able to make come in .mov or .m4v format or something to that extent. However, Animation Master only takes files in the .wav format, as you probably already know. How can I convert the files I have to the .wav format? Also, if possible I really don't want to pay for additional software to convert files. Thank you for whatever help you can give.
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 5 replies
- 567 views
Hi, Ten years ago, from this forum, I got some costs per screen second for animation. Does anyone have anything a little more recent? Thanks, Rusty
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 0 replies
- 427 views
I saw Skyfall this afternoon. A few shots have CG animals that are pretty cool. Specifically, the scorpion and the Komodo Dragons.
Last reply by KJ'd Beast, -
- 4 replies
- 517 views
http://www.animationbrain.com/2d-model-sheet.html While preparing some character designs for next year I found these. Its mainly aimed at 2D but might be of interest to otherstoo ? regards simon
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 0 replies
- 406 views
If you visit the Adobe site or attempt to update to the recently released Adobe Reader XI you'll currently get an update to Adobe Reader X instead and if attempting to update via the Reader itself a message that says you are currently up to date. This despite the fact that the Adobe site showing the XI version available for download. Since the XI release has been out since late Sep I can only assume the current buglist is large enough to keep Adobe from promoting/releasing it fully. For those interested the XI release is available at the following location: http://www.adobe.com/devnet-docs/acrobatet.../11/11.0.0.html DISCLAIMER: YOU SHOULD READ THROU…
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 4 replies
- 584 views
I'm on the tutorial exercise "Show some backbone" and I'm working on the smartskin. I did some work on the arm, but when I tried it out, a bunch of the splines disappeared! I'm not really sure what's wrong. Can you help? By the way, here's the project. Thanks for any help you can give! Exercise_13.prj
Last reply by purplegirl, -
- 8 replies
- 638 views
Corel has followed suit with other companies in offering subscription services. The going rate for the latest Coreldraw Suite appears to be $24.99 a month or $198 a year. The areas I see as most beneficial to A:M Users are: - Publishing (many formats to chose from but PDF is a standard) - Compositing (composite back and forth between vector and raster via Coreldraw and Photopaint) - Textures - Limited Animation (there is a useful but very limited AVI to GIF capability) - Font Creation (Fonts can be imported into A:M via the Font Wizard) - AI export (these lines convert very well to splines in Animation:Master) - Power Trace (Raster to Vector con…
Last reply by pixelplucker, -
- 3 replies
- 581 views
I would love to find some fellow A:M users down here on the South Coast of Mass. I live at the tip of the red arrow, between Fall River and New Bedford. I know that confidentiality precludes giving out names and phone numbers, but if I could discover whether or not we have other users close by (or, reasonably so) I'd get on Craig's List, or tap into a friend's Facebook page. Any help would be appreciated.
Last reply by KJ'd Beast,
