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.
953 topics in this forum
-
- 1 follower
- 7 replies
- 1.4k views
I found my old A:M disk and inserted it in my not as old Windows 7 PC, and it says: The version of this file is not compatible with the version of Windows you're running. Check your computer's system information to see whether you need an x86 (32-bit) or x64 (64-bit) version of the program, and then contact the software publisher. I thought this PC would run both 32-bit and 64-bit. Is there a way to get this to work? The disk says ©2002. Can't afford a new version. Thank you. --Roger
Last reply by KingVidiot, -
- 8 replies
- 1.2k views
When I want 2 points perspective, I must set height image size than I need, Can camera in A:M shift image plane? I found it easy way in Blender, but I love to do in A:M. Shift_Image_plane_take_01_0000-0144.mp4
Last reply by Shelton, -
- 1 follower
- 11 replies
- 1.1k views
The manual states (but doesn't show) that you can use the Pose of a bone to change color.(page 75 of the Tech.Ref.) Been trying to change the ambient color in the pose dialog but has no effect. Any help would be appreciated.
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 3 replies
- 952 views
This program can be very useful for collecting references (and rendered images) and displaying them over/under and beside other programs. Use of shortcut keys is highly recommended. https://www.pureref.com/index.php It's name your price so feel free to enter $0 to try it out. Add a few more $ to support.
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 1 reply
- 695 views
Long ago I had a really good UV mapping tute for AM using a cartoony Yak which disappeared thru the maelstrom of misadventures over the years and am hoping to find it somewhere out there in the ether. Any help would be appreciated, even if it's news that I have gone truly mad and imagined the entire memory. Help me find that Yak again and thanks in advance.
Last reply by serg2, -
- 1 follower
- 5 replies
- 1k views
Greetings Folks, Been a few years since I have worked with my AM so these will probably be stupid questions. Couple years ago I bought the program ( v. 18.Oo SSE4 2008). I run a iMac 'High Sierra v. 10.13.6 My problems are 1 I can not import images for Rotoscopes or backgrounds 2 When ready to save I can not choose a name or a location to save at. (see attached image) Any suggestions? Please.... Thanks
Last reply by Walter Baker, -
- 1 reply
- 747 views
Trying to figure out how to use mirror mode in AM modeling. Any help would be appreciated.
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 follower
- 1 reply
- 883 views
I received an activation code but got a message: Error writing license file /Application/Animation Master 19.0/master0.lic I am on an iMac running Mojave. Can someone help? I also did not hear back from my support email (or fax)
Last reply by Jason Simonds, -
- 1 reply
- 747 views
My computer went haywire again. Everything had to be cleared off. I have my data files and program files backed up, but that doesn't do me much good in installing the program. I am reinstalling A:M version 18. (I have the permanent one, rather than the subscription.) It says my activation key has already been used. I also have a file named "master0.lic" I put that in the folder. I also have a folder called Get host id for license. I have forgotten what to do with any of this. Thanks for your help. I sent a request to support@hash.com but have not heard back. There is more information in my email. I think I heard before that sometimes answers come a little more quickly…
Last reply by Pitcher, -
- 1 reply
- 766 views
Seen on ebay. This is a used Wacom Cintiq from a studio being liquidated.
Last reply by Wildsided, -
- 1 follower
- 12 replies
- 1.7k views
Hi All, in the process of upgrading my computer with a new video card and processors, ram etc. Mac Pro 2009 - Flashed with 5,1 firmware so this will let me make it a pretty beasty machine - as always AM is on my mind when it comes to 3D work, and the question I have is should I get one of those Nvidia Titan 12gb cards ? or something like a GTX 680 - my current card is an ancient Quadro 1.8gb FX 4500 - the last time I tried to use AM on the Mac side it had so many issues that I had to load up boot camp and install win 7 and use it on that, it was OK - but I defiantly felt the video card was not being used fully, there was a lot of slowdown even on the windows side with…
Last reply by pixelplucker, -
- 2 replies
- 852 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, -
- 4 replies
- 1.1k views
Ive just installed AM on my Mac Pro and my MacBook Pro. Yes I bought two licenses. On both systems I am running the latest 0S. When I launch AM I cant select anything on the left side of the software. If there are any icons on the left I cant select them such as open and save and I also cant select any primitives. Also, I cant select anything on the left side of the viewport unless I move it over to the middle or right of the computer screen. Has anybody else experienced this? Its happening on both computers.
Last reply by largento, -
- 5 replies
- 1.2k views
Here's an example of Sound Marks that generally should be avoided in a creative endeavor: https://www.uspto.gov/trademark/soundmarks/trademark-sound-mark-examples Most of these fall into the common sense category but a general rule of thumb is to steer well clear of sounds made popular in jingles and advertisements for commercial products. When I consider some of these and how simple they are (such as NBC's three note sound mark) I am reminded of just how precarious the road forward can be in establishing recognizable themes that identify specific products or services. This isn't to say that the three notes from NBC's title cannot be place anywhere else. It …
Last reply by robcat2075, -
Window Tabs
by MJL- 1 follower
- 3 replies
- 895 views
It used to be that when I had multiple objects open, there would be tabs at the bottom of the viewing window that would let me easily switch between them. Since I re-installed the tabs are no longer there. How do I get them back?
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 6 replies
- 1.6k views
There was a limited release of "2001: A Space Odyssey" in film theaters last spring but not near me. However it was in IMAX theaters this weekend and may be thru Wednesday. If you've never seen it on the big screen or haven't in a long time, I certainly recommend it. There were many nuances and details I did not recall, especially in the ape performances. The whole thing is not nearly as dry and technical as I remembered it. I loved dry-and-technical when i was eight, none-the-less. Biggest surprise... "Reginald Perrin" is in it. But I have my own fleeting contact with this movie... I have touched a "2001" Oscar! My father's long-time employer, 3M, wa…
Last reply by largento, -
- 9 replies
- 1.6k views
I have a couple of problems and hopefully someone may be able to help. I tried updating my Hash system to the latest ver 19e (i think) because my license was about to expire. I am running Windows 7 and had both the 64-bit and 32-bit processes active. I updated the 32-bit version to the newest ver 19 but not the 64-bit version. Immediately, Hash stopped working in the 32-bit process. In the meantime, I renewed my subscription and got a new access code, but I cannot seem to remember what you are supposed to do with the License file in the Hash folder in order to get it start. But things will not work unless I can return to some previous version of 19 or whateve…
Last reply by RS3D, -
- 10 replies
- 2k views
This just came acrosst my radars: https://www.adobe.com/products/dimension/features.html?mv=product&mv2=accc#! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML0i68H-Xos https://www.adobe.com/products/dimension/features.html Adobe's foray into 3D rendering, still in beta- but highly functional with a great orientation interactive to get you up-and-running very swiftly- the beauty being that it is quite a simple program with no animation features... main use is for photorealistic still renders. It should be, however- compatible with A:M as a 3rd party still-renderer for anyone that wants to see what rendering with Vray looks and feels like...(via obj file format) …
Last reply by John Bigboote, -
- 2 replies
- 1.1k views
Looking for A:M users in Charleston, SC area. You out there?
Last reply by John Bigboote, -
- 16 replies
- 2.2k views
I’m trying to get to grips with Sub Surface Scattering, but at the moment I’m at a loss on how to get it to work properly. What I cant quite understand is that the sss effect seems evident in the modelling window when rendered out in final, however not all evident in the default choreography window. I’ve been using some of Yves Possaint’s sub surface scattering value examples and testing them out on basic primitives with no luck. I was told by Robcat that John Bigboote uses sss a lot, any help from anybody would be greatly appreciated.
Last reply by markarjun, -
- 3 replies
- 974 views
Hi! This model was created many years ago and originally the eyebrows were dark brown and not so long (before image…the head hair is left out of now image). Don’t get me wrong lol, …I kind of like the new look! Still, anyone know what the problem might be? Maybe something added to hair systems along the way or, when passing through decals hair now reacts somehow? I’ve not dealt with hair systems in years, lol…I had hoped never to deal with them again. ☹ Thanks, Rusty
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 2 replies
- 967 views
Hi, Re the face controls…the nulls in boxes drawn via splines…what keeps the nulls within the spline boxes???? Where do I find it? I thought it would be bone translation limits but no…nothing’s set there. What, LOL, and where the heck is it???? Thanks, Rusty
Last reply by rusty, -
- 1 follower
- 12 replies
- 1.9k views
hey folks, i'm trying to recover some ancient models with am13, and can't get the bugger to run on windows 10 it installs fine, demands admin rights when i first try to run it, then further run attempts do nothing. no error, no flicker, nada. anyone have any luck running a:m 2006 on a modern machine? the scarecrow and tin man await your response! -jon
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 8 replies
- 1.5k views
I'm told this is Shark Week? Here are a few of my old shark tests... more shark: My shark-themed entry in last year's "Summer Memories" Image Constest
Last reply by Roger, -
- 1 follower
- 10 replies
- 2k views
Time was (in previous versions of A:M) when you were working with a BVH file in an action and you had it all setup with all your constraints, you could change-out the underlying BVH animation with an alternate BVH and not have to re-constrain everything. When I try to do that now in V19 and V18... the 'Capture Sequence' option is unavailable (greyed out) but I seem to remember being able to do this in older versions. To be clear- Capture Sequence DOES work initially when you bring in your BVH file... that is all fine. It is just when you want to alternate to another BVH file that the option goes away. This makes it so that every time you want to use a BVH action, you …
Last reply by John Bigboote, -
- 8 replies
- 1.2k views
I have a render situation where I am using volumetric light(klieg) shining at camera thru a .png sequence with alpha channel of little doors opening and closing. I am noticing the effect of the volumetric seems 'incomplete', unless I am seeing an illusion. There are areas close to the matted opening where the light does not appear and I feel it should. I have tried many various settings, Zbuffered vs RayTraced etc but as the sequence renders sometimes it looks right and sometimes the light appears cutoff like in the attached image... Known issue? Bug? Am I misusing the feature? Same results in V18 and V19.
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 2 replies
- 1k views
I have several fires going in a picture. I want to make some minor changes in another part of the picture, but every time I make any move, the computer goes into calculating dynamics. It is taking almost forever to get the changes made. Is there any way to turn off the calculating dynamics until I am ready to render? Thanks.
Last reply by Pitcher, -
- 1 follower
- 1 reply
- 1.2k views
My mac crashed and burned so I will be receiving my new iMac in a week. I will be boot camping it so I will have a win 10 side and a Mac side. When I contact Hash and ask them how to get my subscription moved to my new machine, I'll have to make the age old decision. Mac side or Windows 10 side? What is the current leaning and why? Are there better codex on one side or the other? Is one currently more stable than the other? Does one have the always asked for 'Make a cool, rigged dragon button? Thanx for the relevant input.
Last reply by largento, -
- 3 replies
- 825 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 reply
- 857 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, -
- 3 replies
- 1k views
Hi, I haven’t done much with A:M for years. I need to install a head control rig like the one I installed on the model in the attached image (don’t remember if it has a name) on other models but…lol, that was years ago and I don’t remember exactly how to install this puppy. Is there instructions or a tutorial around somewhere? Thanks, Rusty
Last reply by rusty, -
- 4 replies
- 914 views
European animation fan website Zippy Frames is highlighting Dušan Kastelic's subterranean A:M animation "Perk." Perk was quite an advance in detailed texturing in 2002 and still looks detailed today. Perk by Dušan Kastelic
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 6 replies
- 1.7k views
This might be a question for JohnL3d... I may have a use for a 'sound triggered' action... and remembered that A:M V18 has a new feature called 'Amplitude'. IS THERE any instructions on enacting this new technology? I searched the forum, found some movies that John had made... just wondering what the process is to find it, get it to work, and what properties it can control. ?
Last reply by John Bigboote, -
- 5 replies
- 1.2k views
This most likely includes your broadband modem at home which is often a router itself. F.B.I.’s Urgent Request: Reboot Your Router to Stop Russia-Linked Malware I'll note that whenever the tech support for my internet provider said i needed to reboot my modem, they said it needed to be unplugged for several minutes to really clear it.
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 4 replies
- 1.1k views
For those that have the latest Windows 10 update there is a new feature called the Timeline. It's basically an updated Task Menu (and Microsoft's way to potentially sift through a ton of user usage data). Many of the programs I use don't seem to work in the Timeline. I must assume the reason they don't is because they are not native Microsoft applications. They don't appear at all in the Timeline except while active. Those that do can be reverted to the time they last saved something (at least that's what it looks like from here but there is strange stuff going on here) Of all the programs I've tried A:M is the one that works best. I think this is because A:M…
Last reply by pixelplucker, -
- 12 replies
- 2.1k views
Installed the Win10 Creators update and everything appears to be working fine. My primary interest of course is gaining access to Paint 3D and testing that out and while it's basic beyond belief I must confess that I'm excited by the prospects of the average Windows user being able to paint 3D models. I chose as my first model to paint the Goose from the A:M Library. Painting is pretty straightforward but minimum size for paintbrush is limited to 5 pixels in size. For smaller detail a pencil, pen or marker must be used. So... laying in a base color with the brush and then zooming in and adding detail is a must. Format-wise the trip from A:M to Paint 3D is n…
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 4 replies
- 1.1k views
Hello does anyone know if the current version 19 is backward compatible with older versions like 13 and 14? I spent months building models for a short film in the older versions and want to know if the new version will read those old project files before I spend money. Any help would be appreciated. Have tried sending support emails to Hash but no response. thanks
Last reply by svetlik, -
- 4 replies
- 1.3k views
Hey all, have a landscape with quite a bit of grass, and grass is doing something I don't understand; from frame to frame, it will just extend and go crazy, taking up half the landscape. This is what it looks like before and this is after most of the time, I simply remove and readd the patch, but it seems to be doing this more and more, and I can't figure out why. Any help is appreciated. Thanks, Rich
Last reply by Xtaz, -
- 5 replies
- 1.3k views
The user interface for this program isn't exactly intuitive but I thought it might be useful for those that don't have a dedicated viewer to open and adjust EXR renderings outside of A:M. Being able to relight images easily is very useful. https://sourceforge.net/projects/mrviewer/?source=typ_redirect The program can do a lot more than just open, display and convert EXR images so may be worth a look. Listed features: A video player, interactive image viewer, and flipbook for use in VFX, 3D computer graphics and professional illustration. Features Flipbook player HDRI viewer Multichannel Support in OpenEXR, PSD, MIFF and TIFF formats MultiView OpenEXR …
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 1 follower
- 7 replies
- 1.4k views
For those interested, there is now an Animation:Master Discord Server. Visit the Animation:Master Discord - Collaborate - Chat and share files - Share News and information - Search for topics of interest - Edit documentation in real time. - Initiate group or private chats (voice or video) - Develop your personal projects and explore your ideas These channels are meant to supplement the A:M forum with capabilities we don't have.
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 8 replies
- 1.5k views
I am having trouble getting two constraints: AimAt and Path to work together for the camera in a choreography. I have done this successfully in the past, but it seems that it has become more complicated now. I load a model into the choreography located a little left of center - see untitled-1. I then add a constraint AimAt the model for the camera. see untitled-2. Notice that the camera does not work unless you change the animate mode property from -not set- (evidently the default) to 'On' . You also need to change RotateOffsets for x,y,z to 0 in the properties of the constraint, otherwise it will not directly AimAt the model (evidently the default is not…
Last reply by John Bigboote, -
- 4 replies
- 1.1k views
Tonight, I was putting different hands on one of the models I made several years ago. I imported the hands into the model file, and some of the patches on the model turned solid black and others were spotty and looked singed. I tried refinding normals and that helped some, but I still have areas that are a problem. I was wondering what might cause this and how to fix it? Is there a setting that has gone haywire? I will attach a picture showing an area that was affected. Thanks for your help.
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 3 replies
- 1.5k views
I used to be able to get a reference grid to appear when using the stride length option in an action. The one I am referring to is: (from the A.M. reference manual) From a Bird’s Eye view, a reference grid is visible beneath the character’s feet (it can also be seen from a side view, but offers better visual feedback from Bird’s Eye). Stepping through the frames (use the scrub bar, frame buttons, or the and keys on the numeric keypad) will cause this grid to move forward/backward. By lining the foot up with one of the lines on the reference grid, any adjustments that are necessary can be made to the character’s stride to prevent slipping. It no longer appear…
Last reply by robcat2075, -
- 4 replies
- 1.3k views
Change is in the wind... As of yesterday 13 April 2018 Amazon Studio is no longer accepting script submissions. Any currently submitted scripts will be available until 30 June. For more information: https://studios.amazon.com/help/faq Their recommendation to aspiring filmmakers is to submit to festivals via without-a-box.
Last reply by largento, -
- 12 replies
- 4.1k views
I couldn't locate the previous topic on Davinci Resolve bSo... Black Magic has announced the release of Davinci Resolve from Beta testing. It is now available in free and paid versions. If you don't have a dedicated video editor this is well worth a look, especially as Black Magic also produces the compositing software Fusion (which is not a dedicated video editor) and integration between the two will surely continue as time goes on. The primary difference between the free and paid release ($995) is higher resolution capabilities used in professional studios. The free versions (of Davinci Resolve and Fusion) operate on Mac and PC while the full version work…
Last reply by Xtaz, -
- 1 reply
- 821 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, -
- 11 replies
- 1.9k views
Let me preface this by saying that I have not used A:M for quite a while. I do keep tabs on it though because it does hold a special place in my heart, I've still got a few buds around here, and I'm still seeing kick-arse art made with the program. Let's begin... ----------------------------- CPU+GPU rendering was a way to increase render speed for the Cycles render engine inside Blender. Now that EEVEE is coming on the scene and is basically a game render engine, Cycles will probably be used only for specific tasks that EEVEE can't handle (yet), such as caustics, etc. I don't know what went down when trying to get A:M to render on a GPU, or why there wasn't m…
Last reply by nemyax, -
- 4 replies
- 1k views
I'm wondering... Is anyone here in the A:M forums also in the Philadelphia Pennsylvania area and may be interested in meeting up to discuss all things Animation Master? There used to be a group here years ago called the MAAM (Mid Atlantic Animation Master user group). We don't meet any more and it seems that all of the members of that group, except for me, no longer use A:M or have moved on to other things. I think that it would be nice to actually meet other A:M users face to face again. It was pretty cool back then and I think that it could be pretty cool now even though it would not be the same group of people as before. I could go over some rigging stuf…
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 3 replies
- 1.1k views
Here's a free program that might be useful for those that want to get at quad based topologies quickly. It's based on fairly recent paper about 'instant field aligned meshes' (Link to project page here: http://igl.ethz.ch/projects/instant-meshes/ Binary files are available for Windows, Mac and Linux here as is the source code: http://igl.ethz.ch/projects/instant-meshes/ The quick tests I did turned out quite good. DIsclaimer: Don't think this will keep your textures mapped.... it won't as it's not that kind of program but rather one that works deeply on topology.
Last reply by Rodney, -
- 0 replies
- 838 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,