Rodney

Steve, I'm curious about the Sub Surface Scattering settings you are using. If it's not too much of a pain can you share them with us? It looks a lot like one of Nancy's tests from back awhile but it's hard to tell from here. Regardless... I like!

Congratulations Will! That is an great tribute which suggests that Animation Magazine is keeping their eyes on talented folks. Well deserved. Now... get back to work!

There was a recent change in v18 that altered (or should I say implemented) the Shift Y for adding masses to Spring Systems*. According to Steffen: *There are 137 references to 'mass' in the Tech Ref. Here is a reference from the 'Spring Systems' link above:

Yes indeed. Very nice!

I'm loving these renders Steve! Looking very good! I'd like to suggest adding a slight extrusion at the base of this last guy's jacket/sleeves/pants to suggest thickness. It wouldn't have to be much and wouldn't even need to be further extruded inwardly (as in the example on the right) although that might work better in many situations.. Something like the one in the middle but with the inner ring moved closer to the edge would provide 'thickness' enough. The example of an object without any visible thickness is on the left. Looks like with the new speed and realtime improvements I'm going to have to do some experimenting with rendering!

Excellent idea. That is exactly what that area is there for. As far as birds go. Don't forget that there is that goose is your Library. He is very easy to modify. Just drag and drop into a Choreography window or double click to open in a Modeling window. There is an eagle and two other birds hiding Here.

Looks good from here. Nice texturing. As far as the sound goes... perhaps there is something wrong with my computer but I'm not hearing any sound. I don't doubt that it might be something on my side because I've had some issues with sound of late. Perhaps someone can confirm. Edit: Got the sound to work. Nice. If it was a little longer it would be very relaxing. Keep it up!

Hi Jeff, It's great to see you again. The first thing that comes to mind is that you might have your render setting set to render with options from your Camera and are changing the settings in the Render Panel instead. The thing to check here would be the setting under Tools/Options on the Render Panel where it gives us the option to use "This dialogue" or "The Camera". If yours is set to 'The Camera' then that's a likely culprit and you can either set it to "This Dialogue" or adjust the settings in your camera. If not we'll have to dig further to find out what is going on.

It's whatever you need it to be. I simply tend to ponder these things. For instance, I can easily see the vessels klien flowing from the head to the navel which would form a slightly more natural connectivity. It could connect to other parts of the body as well depending on any given 'deeper' meaning or frivolity. Such is the eternal yet short-handed interpretive nature of symbols and allegory. Regardless, I'm not trying to read too much into this. I'm simply examining and contemplating what is there in the presentation to see. One thing I often consider is how we as creative types can broaden or narrow the viewers ability to interpret a given presentation. Having the flow move both ways would be an example of broadening and opening the interpretive nature whereas a one way flow specifically directs the viewer to one particular interpretation of the scene. Through layering (or further clarity through simplification) we affect the interpretation viewers have of our scene. It's a very interesting concept and is executed well which results in a fascinating animation that really draws the viewer into the cycle/sequence of imagery.

In my estimation it's even more than that. The responsiveness of v18 combined with the new aspects of the Onion Skin toolbar equate to better animation workflow IMO. It's subtle changes like this that seriously enhance our ability to animate and convey stories.

That's kind of scary... but cool at the same time. Nicely done Serg! Edit: I'm not sure if there is a deeper meaning but I can't help but wonder if the 'flow' shouldn't be going in the opposite direction? (i.e. out of the arse and into the head versus the other way 'round) Perhaps you could get two different flows going both directions?

I'm not sure about what you are seeing at this point Mark but... Can you right click (command click) on the toolbar and go to View/Toolbars and add to your toolbar menu there? Edit: The dragging and dropping of menu items to the Toolbar does seem to be broken. I can select but cannot move/drag and drop onto the toolbar/menu. That seems ripe for an A:M Report. or perhaps not. Added: As far as the Onion Skin toolbar is concerned if you go to the Toolbar tab (first tab) you should also be able to select the checkbox to turn it on.

But that's the thing of it... and where confusion comes in... the latest release is not free for current v17 users. As subscribers we've already paid to use it via our subscription.

I had missed this in the list of new features and thought it was something recently added but not listed. Yet another nice addition that is sure to be used frequently. Wrong guy wink.gif => All done by Steffen. This one is in A:M and not referenced. Only if you click on the button, the website will be opened. But yes v18 is great... performance wise and for the export-features it introduces (like very high poly-export options, etc.) See you *Fuchur* I stand corrected. I saw the php and figured that was your signature. In hindsight I recall Steffen was closing in on a solution. Looks like his research finally paid off and we are the beneficiaries.

What Mark said. Don't overthink this where the subscription is concerned. The subscription allows us to move right into v18 and beyond. If Hash Inc releases a v18.1, v18.5 or a v19 while the subscription is still active we can use that too. Just install, activate and spline on! Short answer: You sure are!

A classic!

Love the screenshot tool. While it seems to be pretty straightforward I'm still learning more about it, especially the differences between it and the standard Print Screen approach. I like! A great addition to A:M. I happened to take this screen shot while noting Robert's suggestion for new default values in Onion Skinning and wondering what those values were. Another subtle change that will hopefully help newbies utilize the tool. Having the ability to adjust the settings of Onion Skin via the toobar menu... VERY NICE! That 'Onion Toggle Mode' that allows us to see the difference between flow and keyframe positions... SWEET! That is sure to change my workflow.

The primary benefit to purchasing the CD is that when Hash Inc moves to the next version (as they are doing now in the move to v18) we don't have to move with them. If you purchased the CD you will always have the CD (this is the 'lifetime' you speak of). This is in contrast to the subscription that is renewed every year.* There is often confusion between updates and upgrades. An update sticks with one particular version or release (i.e. v17) whereas an upgrade moves you to the next release (v18). Unfortunately, at least in every day communication, we tend to use these two terms interchangeably. Note that we get a one year subscription with the CD so if you purchased less than a year ago you can definitely move into v18 for the remainder of that time period. Note that I assume the 12 months begins when you purchased the CD but that may not actually be the case. How long ago did you purchase the CD? When in doubt you can launch an email to Jason@hash.com and ask what your options are. *If you are looking for a recommendation: Because you have the CD this gives you a solid foundation to return to at any time. I recommend supplementing that CD with a current $79 subscription to v18. Note that subscribers can install previous releases (back to v13 at least) and use them as long as the subscription is current.

Nice job on updating that Intro screen so that it no longer requires the button Fuchur.

I will note that this copying of the master0.lic file is not often required. Here are the steps I prefer: - Install release(s) of A:M Then while A:M is installing... - Via your browser, navigate to the Hash Inc Store, login and retrieve your current activation code* - Launch A:M and enter the code to activate the new installation when prompted (activate both 32bit and 64bit releases using the same code) Done. I only recall one time where I resorted to copying the master0.lic file over to the new installation folder. While any method that works and gets you up and running is good, the activation method may be more intuitive for the average user. Also, it's good to know where your activation codes are should you ever need them. Especially for folks that have more than one code... where keeping track of master0.lic files might get confusing. If the activation process returns an error that states the activation code is invalid then I would copy and paste the master0.lic file. *Skip this step if you already have your activation code.

I'm not Jason (obviously) but if you have the subscriptions all you have to do to move into v18 is install and activate it. Use the same activation code that you used with v17. That's one of the benefits of subscriptions! I have no idea what you are referring to with regard to free life time upgrades. If Hash Inc let you purchase such a thing you'll want to contact them (Jason) directly.

Hehe! I'm like a kid in a candy store. This is awesome. Outstanding work Steffen!

It's great to see you Tom. Love the bighead!

NICE! You always inspire and impress Serg.