Rodney

Most are available via the Hash Inc FTP (ftp://ftp.hash.com/pub/movies/) But the interface isn't there to keep them together. The dirty hack I mention would be to take the old framework and combine it with the files on the FTP. With modern tech the way it is we could probably reduce some of the video sizes considerably as well.

The site has been offline for quite some time now... But I wonder if I can't perform something of a dirty hack to bring it (or something equivalent) back. Hmmmm.... The old site (updated from the old url that is) was http://vintagefilms.hash.com/ and while it will come up in archive.org the videos aren't there. If you have some of the old A:M CDs (or SIGGRAPH videos/DVDs) many of the videos will be there.

Oooo... I don't know if that is what Rolf needs but that is great stuff regardless. Very clearly and concisely demonstrated.

Superbly demonstrated Robert. That carriage return... gah! That has eluded me for a long time and I thank you for bring its code (in spreadsheets) to our attention. (I've actually just been too lazy to look it up in the past but now thanks to you have it delivered straight to me!). There are several things that this latest demo brings to mind (beyond just this latest 'It Can't Be Done' focus on painting with light): - Fluid drawing with splines without constantly clicking works very well in real time (I hope that angle on spline technology can be further leveraged in the future in A:M). - The approach you outline using a spreadsheet or other program to automate text can be used to solve many other 'It can't be done' scenarios. The one that immediately springs to mind is the automatic scripting of animation via xsheet/dopesheet... even easier to implement than constraining bones to CPs in a spreadsheet. - It can be useful to maintain the entire A:M file structure inside the spreadsheet (with different elements on different tabs) all feeding into one master spreadsheet. Then when data on one tab is updated the master sheet is updated as well. - Immediately after opening a file created externally from A:M it is a good idea to save the file from inside of A:M as A:M will often 'repair' elements that aren't ideally formatted. (example: an empty value might be filled with a default value because A:M knows 'something' must be there. - Programs such as Visual Basic for Applications can further automate A:M file creation. (I'm not sure what macro/basic language is used with Open Office) You've given us a lot to consider and I am indebted to your patience. Taking time to create files in the way you've demonstrated can be difficult and running through it step by step even more so... especially with such clarity! Thank you Robert for delving so deeply into this. It is very illuminating.

Yes, it's good to get feedback. The licensee would be wise to put you to work. Hmmm... which makes me think of of something I missed about your cover... you forgot to sign your work! And thanks for the wirefire. If I hadn't already been impressed with your splineage I would be now.

Looking at your project file Simon I see just how complicated this scene is in all it's various movements. You've done a great job with it.

Nice point Mark, you've got a good eye as I surely did not see that but (of course) now that you identify the lack of drag/delay in the knight just before he launches it seems so obvious. This nature of slow and fast, fast and slow... is something I hope to capture in my own animation but confess I haven't been able to achieve yet. I'll think a sequence is playing out nicely with good timing while scrubbing through keyframes only to have it play back too slowly or too fast in realtime playback. In Simon's animation there is wonderful opportunity for contrast by adding that 'weighted' delay. Looking at this animation reminds me that I've got a long way to go in mastering animation. Simon's skill is improving by leaps and bounds these days because he's actually animating! This is a very good suggestion as well. The natural tendency to follow moving objects causes a little confusion between following the original movement (that of the horse and knight) to following only the knight. Getting rid of the horse in enough time to let us fully focus on the knights performance would indeed be ideal. Nice. I'm trying to get away from using muscle mode and use bones more extensively but confess that I still lean heavily toward muscle mode manipulation. The downside of muscle mode animation is that going back in and fixing things later can be a real pain. When something goes wrong it's often better to just delete everything (the muscle mode animation that is) and start from scratch again. At this point I see muscle mode animation mainly as a place to suggest settling in of an organic object to suggest follow through and the effects of weight. In your animation you don't appear to have any issues there! I see this one as a very successful animation. There are a few things you could experiment with to strengthen the storytelling; a little camera zoom for instance as the knight moves forward at the very beginning. But such things are more finesse and icing on the cake than anything. I'll download your project file and give it a look-see.

Nicely done Mark. The thing I especially like about your cover is that it doesn't appear to be created from 3D models at all. That and you've done a great job of blending everything together. Very nice.

Ha! That's a good one Simon. As far as critical feedback goes: The over all story is clearly told. As such any additional feedback from me can be disregarded, but here goes... My primary criticism might be that there is too much movement going on and so it's difficult to maintain focus. A fix to that in the first shot (that of the knight and horse moving forward) might be to stabilize the point of the lance so that it remains pointed forward (at it's target preferrably). This isn't to say it cannot move but keeping it stable also would suggest the knight is trying to stabilize it for a purpose (which we discover in the next shot). As some movement of the lance might be preferred it could go from being lower... to higher and then slowly begin it's decent to bridge the gap and progress it's movement into the next shot. You do have this now but it's only a few frames of the lance lowering at the last moment before the camera cuts away to the side view. There is an element of the horses run (especially in the second shot) that seems off to me but I don't know enough to know. Here I assume you used a running action that came with the horse rather than animated it using your own reference. It may be that the horse's movement forward doesn't quite match what the legs are producing to propel it forward. In other words, for the leg movement the horse's advance seems a bit too slow. One thing I really like is how you've got each of the elements isolated enough to read clearly: - The horse moving forward continues forward - The pole moves as one would expect... it even has some nice settling. - The knight is very nicely animated and his final (resting) pose I find to be superb. Finally, I know the purpose of Sports day is animation but a little custom lighting would go a long way in this sequence. Your animation deserves it! Nicely done Simon!

Happy Birthday Bob! Thanks for making A:M what it is today. Out of all software offered of any kind or variety, it's still my favorite program. (Is Bob serious about this being only 50 years? I always pictured him as older)

Nice progress Steve. Looks like everything is coming together nicely. (This is a good time to say... Backup... Backup... Backup!)

Yes, I figured that. It's hard to gauge some things without seeing them in context and it's easy to assume the camera is the vantage point of another characters in a scene. Something that may have thrown me off as well is that while it's obvious he's looking up, his eyes are concealed when he roars so it isn't clear where his attention is at that moment, especially as his roar/snout appears to be toward camera. I know this will be more obvious when placed in context with the adjoining scenes but wanted to share what I am sensing/seeing. If the rest of the short is of the same quality... and knowing your standards it clearly will be... we are in for a real treat!

Very smooth animation Will. Impressive! Added: There is one thing that you could add that would really heighten the shot and that would be a fixing of the eyes toward (I assume) the hyenas which are (again I assume) at or near the camera. Tar's eyes roll upward and back but just before delivering his roar it'd be nice to see his eyes point toward his intended target. It'd signal a little projection that Tar is considering what he is doing before he actually does it. Not unlike the rolling of his eyes previously which seems to signal he is masking his intention. This shot happens quickly enough that you can get away without that anticipatory element but if you ever rerender the shot perhaps that might be something to consider. P.S. I enjoyed your write ups on your blog. More please!

Thanks Robert! You expertly demonstrate how we can extend A:M by creating our our utilities in A:M itself or via integration with other programs. Open Office (or a similar suite of tools) should be on everyone's computer whether for the purpose of indirectly manipulating elements in A:M or simply crafting a script, storyboard or framework for holding rendered images (i.e. through html). The fact that A:M's file format is accessible in this way is powerful and the results only limited by one's creative imagination. Thanks again for these videos! Edit: For those with the propensity to dream big dreams, I hope through videos such as these they can see how they can take the first step toward realizing those dreams. Creating a workable prototype (in Open Office or any program) can be a critical forerunner to programming a plugin and utility. If the process can be broken down and demonstrated to someone with a talent for programming then that process can then more easily be transferred, streamlined, automated and extended in other (programming) languages.

I'm enjoying these Robert and looking forward to seeing how you automate rigging in Open Office. Which leads me to my next sentence... Your latest link points to Open Office rather than youtube (along with your link that corretly points to Open Office that is) Looking forward to seeing Episode 3!

NICE! Boris and Natasha were always those strange characters that you knew you weren't suppose to like (because they were the villains!) but could not help and sympathize with (because they always lost) anyway. Kinda like that 'ol Wile E. Coyote thing (some kind of ultra captivating carefully crafted and maintained cartoon implementation of ze stockholmzyndrome).

That's awesome. It's great to see him getting some screen time. I'm guessing Floyd will also take advantage of the time to get the word out about his recent book: Animated Life: A Lifetime of Tips, Tricks and Stories from a Disney Legend

Nicely done.

Nice reference! I was thinking of animating a pole vault but I thought the weight lift would be easier. As I'm not even working on the weight lift right now I'll have to pass on the pole vault. There is superb comedic opportunity in all of these...

Awesome news Tom. We may have to mark your old computer as one to avoid purchasing! Glad to see you are back in operation.

Thanks to Gene's niece for the update. Someone get Gene a pencil and sketchbook (or two or three) and have him doodle ideas while he's away from his computer. No slacking there Gene! (Okay, maybe you can rest a little... but channel that creative energy into rehab and recovery! Okay? ) And speaking of Myron... he's sure been too quiet/absent as well! (We miss you Myron!)

Glad to hear it!

Happy Birthday Mike!

I did not see that one coming. Your animation is getting very smooth these days! This is yet another reason why sharing project files is a good idea. I see from your file that you created that camera cut... in camera. Nice. I half way expected to see the Timeline quite messy but you are very organized. Nice job!

Glad to hear you are back in action. As this will remain a mystery it may be worth noting that some folks experience problems with the Paste offset set in the Options Panel. If this is the case they can get back on track by either typing in different numbers or hitting Reset Settings on the Help menu. When in doubt and bad interface settings are suspected reverting to the factory installation settings can help.