Rodney

I believe most of these Star Wars models by Dan Olsson are on the Extra DVD but... not everyone has the Extra DVD. http://ammodels.tripod.com/ There are also some other (non-Star Wars) models on the site and an earlier version of the classic Ed's Head.

I believe more than just the sharing of bears esolc is suggesting that everyone should be better trained and more knowledgeable about how to create bears in A:M. I confess that I don't have an answer to this dilemma short of a step by step tutorial that walks everyone through the creation of a teddy bear. But then... what type of bear? What style of bear? Cartoony? Do the eyes need to be buttons? Can they be cloth patches? And what of the fur? Does that need to be particle based? What will constitute success? My vote for a teddy bear to share would be TWO's Straw Bear, the unrigged version of which can be found in the very last post HERE. He (or a modification of him) deserves more time in the spotlight. I once used him for for a Frazetta-ish test which I called, "the bearbarian".

The wheels have to be seriously turning at Getty and I see this move as only a bit player in a more strategic view. There are a lot of moving parts to this so it'll be interesting to see how it plays out. I see this mostly as a means to redefine the current playing field because there is a lot at stake. They have no doubt seen their revenues drop significantly over the days before digital technology and yet they know they need to press even more deeply into digital in order to remain relevant. This strikes me more as a preemptive move on the fringe of a much deeper strategy. In other words... the article from the BBC says, "They've given up"... "They accept defeat" but that is a considerable oversimplification. This move isn't an act of someone giving up anything but more accurately just trying to reorient to the real world environment wherein they are trying to operate. Let's examine this a little. Another move they could have made would have been to lower the price of their imagery but this would seriously impact future revenue and do little or nothing to stop current hemorrhaging. In other words they don't want to put a tiny bandage on a catastrophic injury. It won't resolve anything. And of course there is the future of higher def imagery and video that is to be considered waiting in the wings. How can they possibly hope to maintain a revenue stream if they can't even maintain their position with legacy imagery. In this light it becomes entirely practical to change tack; to leverage html technology to have everyone embed their imagery in their webpages. A side effect of this is that it also gives them a significant means to track usage; who is legitimately referencing their images. Note here that I assume the proscribed embedding will be the only authorized way to legally share Getty images short of a commercial license. This effectively and further narrows the definition (and playing field) for derivative works because one cannot embed an image into most things other than html. So, any image not embedded can therefore be considered inside the commercial realm. The difficulty with this is that embedding is a very narrow field although HTML5 and CSS do provide some means of extensive usage. This is a long way of saying that this announcement doesn't impact A:M Users very much, especially in the short term, but the effect over all (and movement by Getty's competition) can impact pixel pushers in ways yet to be seen. **It isn't always clear where the legal line is drawn for definitions of derivative works and that appears to still be an area of much contention... the Getty release is not concerned with derivative works so much as usage of the original image or copies of the same.

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. Here's a direct link to Getty's embed tool page: http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/Creative/Frontdoor/embed

This perhaps more than anything is the reason A:M has a Library. Although currently the A:M Library does lack a sufficient quantity of teddy bears. This is one of the purposes of the A:M Exchange area as it's goal is to amass a collection of characters and objects that will be sufficient for every beginner or student of modeling or animation... or at least provide a solid foundation from which to begin. With those assets collected anyone with an interest will be able to drag, drop and animate to their hearts content. It should be noted that A:M Exchange is in the early stage of its existence. The community defines and continually redefines where it is headed.

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. The free version even more so as it would create models with limited vertices. Added: Here is the write up on splines/patches from their manual:

Ed's Head is definitely a classic. Very high quality too!

That fur turned out quite nice. A slight movement/tilting of the unicycle to the left or right into and out of the turn would really perfect that but it would also cause a ripple effect of movement to be needed in the upper torso and arms as the bear compensates to maintain balance.. Great progress Simon.

Rod did not say that. But Robert and Mark said it much better. Sorry for any confusion.

The software won't become useless but your subscription will. You can however resubscribe at any time. For those contemplating short term use of Animation:Master the goal would be to plot your project schedule for the duration of a subscription. At that point you then fund the next subscription from out of the budget of your next project. This makes $79 a year a greater incentive because it helps hold projects to a schedule. For those that wish to have more permanent access Hash Inc does sell the license that doesn't expire @ $299. Disclaimer: I am a subscriber to A:M who finds it convenient to pay $79 each year. Prior to v13 I spent $99 each year for the annual upgrade (and missed one year circa v9... which I regret).

Aaron has posted several more art tips and is now up to #19. (although #19 hasn't been posted to his site yet) In #19 Aaron begins Season 2 where he starts with a demonstration of Squash and Stretch with a focus on what to keep rigid and what to change. This is an area where CG animators have something of an advantage in that the Bones/Rig of a character help to define this rigidity but it also points out areas where the spline/mesh need to allow for change. If the control and changing of shapes is what we are striving for in animation then we need our characters/objects to allow for this. If the rig doesn't allow for the correct rotation, pivoting or turning of a shape then we will struggle in our effort to animate. Keep in mind that the word 'extreme' as used in animation doesn't equate to having no structure or control over our shapes. Quite the contrary, it requires it. 6Vsp2Z1IIy4

Just wanted to say thanks to Bobby for the project file and tutorials (sure wish I could read Thai!) I had missed that being posted. Outstanding. Your website is great as well.

Bottom line: A:M leverages Spline Technology and focuses on ease of use. Animation can be done without even knowing what is going on underneath the user interface. While should you choose to dig deeper you can leverage that as well. Also note that it's not an either or situation. There is nothing to keep folks from using A:M with other programs... especially if they are free, although I've found that I cannot use Blender because use is beyond frustration for me... even for some of the simplest things. One thing that many programs lack is A:M's context sensitive nature (most of which are available via menus accessed via a simple Right Click). Welcome back to A:M! Added: That's awesome. We need more musically oriented folks here in the A:M Community. Audio is such a very important part of filmmaking we all should be pressing into it. I think that is the rule of the day for most folks... there is a lot to distract us these days. I suppose you could join in some of the challenges, collaborate with others, refine your skills and then you'll be more than ready once you do have stories you want to tell.

Hope it's a happy one! It should be noted that Ken has more high quality models in the A:M Exchange forum than can reasonably be counted! Here's one of the many he has shared with us: Chess Set Thanks Ken! Live long and prosper.

The postcard would then be a variation on this theme with a bevy of images on the front... mostly ghosted to fit in with the black (along with the same text and link from the business card). Not sure what to do with the back... Note that the attached are just templates with (no images incorporated save the business card as a placement guide as of yet). Postcard_Front.psd Postcard_Back.psd

While an image or images from recent work created in A:M would be ideal something crazy simple with just text works just as well. The key would be to put something on the back (via a stamp) or quickly penned link to something of personal interest to the person who is given the card. Example: www.hash.com/freebies *this assuming there would be a freebies location for the browser to land. Perhaps Gerald could hook up a link to the A:M Exchange area for that? Because sales and relationshiops are the thing I would think the following would suffice and be able to be quickly written on the back: www.hash.com/store Additional information added as needed related to the interest of the person being handed the card. Pen in a discount code as appropriate, forum link, phone number(s), etc. Here's an initial shot across the bow. Folks can improve upon that. Business_Card_am_generic.psd

The first chat of 2014 is popping up on my schedule and my attention is gravitating toward it. This first chat will be a test of sorts to determine interest as well as the chat rooms ability to host. What to expect in chat: Limited capacity (10 to 20) We want to test this capacity so the more the merrier. Lead in General instructions on chat as well as a link to the forum so that those who are having any issues or concerns such as trouble logging in to chat or getting bounced from chat will know where to go. Intro/Topics of Interest If there is something hot going on in the community those issues can be highlighted in the Intro Interview Historically, official A:M chats of the past have started with an interview. If there is someone you'd like to see interviewed let us know and we'll invite them to chat. Additional Information This is the stuff that is designed to encourage folks to stay through the entire chat. Freebies, Secret Tips, etc. are shared in a more personable and informal setting Resources Leading up to the chat is open discussion and welcomes to the chatroom with general links posted for the chat. For instance, someone may be new to A:M and not be familiar with links to the latest and greatest going on in the A:M Community. This is an opportunity to highlight recent works. Aftermath After the event the general transcript is posted for those that could not attend as well as those that could to review. Follow ups on questions, links and information are added as well. Dates and Times to be announced and will most likely be a month or so down the road. Note however that you don't need to wait to chat. Login to the A:M Community and away you go.

BUMP Hopefully everyone has submitted to Jason already. Just a few more days until Emerald City Comicon!

This is a continuation of the Open Games event from February

As we are already well into March we are already into a new month of sports day challenges. I suppose the question then becomes... How can we best review the events from February? Perhaps put the highlights up there ^^^ in the scrolling filmstrip/banner? Compile them into a single .MOV? Both? Something else? I do like the idea that folks could practice their editing and storytelling skills with what they have available.

Wow. That was impressive.

That is crazy impressive! Way to go Charles!

I think it was Ken Citron in an early post today that said he had v16 and then subscribed to v18 saying, "I never had v17".* To which I respond, "Well you do now!" One of the great things about A:M is that just because a new release is out doesn't mean you cannot fire up a previous release. This is important because it helps future proof every release. It is also a best practice in the software industry others would do well to emulate. *My apology if it was someone else.

A new release (v18.0b) was posted so go get it! Latest Information Before you install a new release there are some things to consider: - Are you in the middle of a production? - Are you under a deadline? - Are your settings perfect and you don't wish to see them change? Consider these and other factors carefully before installing new software and when in doubt... login to the A:M Forum and ask questions. That's why we are here. Rather than post to the squeekly clean notification of the v18.0b release I thought I'd start a topic here to capture thoughts on the current release. But first, thanks for this latest update. It is much appreciated! I'll grab one item from the change list: This is a good move as I've often wondered what connection there was between .ply models. Thanks Steffen for all you do. I'm off to explore more from v18b!

Aha! So that's were those superheroes fit in. Looking very good Steve!