Rodney

Mike, If I didn't know better I'd say you are up to something... first the fish... now the deer... I smell a project going on. It looks like you are going for a high sense of realism. Even so, I think the model could benefit from some additional exaggeration. Save the model and experiment on a copy of it. I'm not suggesting you turn this guy into Bambi but push just a little in that direction until you capture the right level of appeal. If that is what the design and style you are seeking calls for... the appeal factor should soar. Some of what I'm suggesting is sure to be resolved in the rigging and posing. Right now its hard to say as he's in such a static pose. Looking good. Keep pushing!

You came so close to getting this guy into the contest!!! You obviously made the supreme effort and your mastery of splines is growing by leaps and bounds. Its only a matter of time before you take a spot at the top of an image contest. Many thanks for the model!

Very nice splines Stian!

Personally I think subscribing to A:M would be a good move regardless of whether you find your CD or not. The $49 websubcription is available to all regardless of whether they have purchased before or not. Gone is the whole idea of versions when you keep your subscription current. The primary reason I think people should save up their pennies for the CD ($299) is where they are running a small studio where they need to lock down the version as an edge against new features. While most A:M users love to see new features come along as often and as frequent as possible, having a new feature appear in the middle of a production cycle can cause problems. A fix, adjustment, enhancement... whatever... might deliver something you don't need or want. 'Feature creep', as this is called, is generally something to avoid while in production. Don't you know it! The plus to moving of course is that you tend to get rid of a lot of junk. In that sense I probably should move a lot more often. A few more things I want to add to the discussion: One reason Hash Inc won't replace old CDs is that they don't keep them in stock. When a new version is released the old inventory is depleted... expended... replaced... the old stuff... gone. Hash Inc has gone out of the way to provide quality 3D animation software cheaply. The price could have easily stayed at $99 each year or even gone up. As it is, the average A:M user saves $50 each year when they opt for the websubscription(plus postage which on average is about $15!). Its the same program that would have cost a newbie $299 a year ago but now they save 250 bucks!!! One of the ways we add even more value to A:M is through sharing ideas, knowledge and resources with each other right here. You get your $49 back the first day you visit the forum. Its not only profitable though, being a part of A:M community is educational, inspiring and a whole lot of fun.

Kyle, Not just unlikely... but no way! The most current version of A:M (now v15) is available for only $49... think about that for a second. While its pretty common for all of us to expect everything for free these days most of us spend $49 for a good dinner. That's about 50 trips to the Coke machine. Asking Hash Inc to buy the latest version of A:M for us is a bit much don't you think? Save your pennies. Saving a dollar a day would have you into v15 next month. What do you think our answer will be? Hint: v14 was much better than 13.

Kyle, I think you are experiencing why many have found the $49 websubscription fits their needs better than having the CD... no more CD to lose, break or have stolen! Unless you have insured your CD there is little that can be done to replace it outside of purchasing a new one. With the websubscription all the worrying about 'what ifs' goes away. I like it enough I now have three websubscriptions!

Get your rest. We'll still be here looking forward to your next tutorial. Perhaps you can enlist of few of us to help pinch hit or assist from time to time. It can't be easy to produce high quality tuts on a weekly schedule.

Mike, Its always a bummer when anyone experiences problems BUT... There is so much to be learned in the process. If you hadn't posted who knows when I would have learned to check for the tag Steffen mentioned. I don't know if that has been added in recent years but I know I've never encountered it before. Now I know better what to look for. Good luck with your model and good luck with your Mascot entry! Waitasecond... didn't you win the contest last month??? Perhaps I should rephrase that 'good luck' thing.

Update: The first two models appear to only contain: antlers, teeth and hooves. All appear to be present in the third model. I'll update the zip file to include what I recovered from all three models.

Mike, Thus far I haven't been able to get the original models to open but got one to import into another (empty) model. The error I get is a 'realtime rendering' error that may have something to do with your rotoscopes. As none of your images are included in the zip that may be contributing to my inability to get the files open. I'll keep trying and post whatever I can get. Nothing looked amiss initially upon looking at the files in a text editor but I haven't looked too deeply. I'm proceding with a hunch that the error is tied in with you images. There is a considerable size difference between the first two files (77kb) and the third (292kb). Its the third file I was able to recover the deer from. I suspect the first two don't have enough data. I've attached the (partially recovered?) models here. Kamikaze.zip

Now I see. I was assuming the lines where part of the inside material of the ornament. As you hadn't pointed to the shadows via arrow I assumed that brushed metal effect was desired in the render. The same effect is indeed very clear in the shadows. It does appear to be something in the lighting setup. Eric and John may be on to something here. If you have any materials in the model (especially brushed metal!) check there as well.

I must not have a very discerning eye... I don't see any artifacts where your arrows are pointing. What are we suppose to be seeing? Its hard to tell by your wireframe but just to check... make sure your objects are closed to get the best effects with booleans.

There are sure to be several reasons but I suspect its mostly because that was the nearest download to grab once the topic got bumped up. In my browser Michel's post is also at the top of the page. This hides previous posts from view. I can't really speak for others but I downloaded Michel's because I was curious about what he was doing with your rig. I suspect that may be what some others did too. Two people just now discovered this topic. New people are discovering your rig! I wouldn't read too much into the download numbers. Those numbers will lie to you. For instance? I haven't even had time to open Michel's file yet. At least I opened yours!

Looking good thus far. More please!

Pocket rig? You sure are meticulous David! I'd say that's a successful test.

Other benefits of the forum over chat include: - More permanent record (the chat cache must be cleared from time to time) - The forum is searchable - Everyone can benefit from the information posted in the forum (you don't even have to be logged in to read)

A:M can always use more highly motivated Users Groups. Good luck in the endeavor! As others have suggested A:M does have a chatroom. New users can often be found there. I do wonder what becomes of the members of this proposed group when they are no longer new users. Do they scurry over to the house thats made of sticks to work through their manuals? Will they eventually join in the brick and mortar animatin' going on at Practical Pig's studio and create a feature film? I haven't read ahead enough in the story to know. It is true, sometimes the best help a new user will get is from other new users. No one knows new users like new users. Just make sure that crazy wolf don't eat you. He's hungry to animate! Keep blowin' down the houses ya big 'ol bad 'ol wolf you!

Welcome Nigel! Your experience will serve you well! I'd love to here more of your experience. As far as making a mistake using your real name... I understand the difficulties involved there but encourage the use of real names. There are legitimate reasons for using pseudo-names of course just as there are reasons to avoid anonymity. Even then its not a bad idea to go with perhaps just a first name or a variation of it (provided its not taken). If anyone needs to change their login name contact Will Pickering (willp at hash.com) and he'll get you straight. (Don't everyone flood him today... wait a month! Then flood him! ) I hope so too. It has been for many years!

You've got some nice subtle movement in there. Very successful I'd say. I feel like I'm still years away from understanding enough of rigging to utilize it correctly but you give me hope Mark. Thanks! (I'm going to buy A:M Track this month!)

Nigel, Robert is correct. There is no demo for Animation:Master. At $49 and a money back guarantee there is little need for one. Take some time to read through this forum. Check out A:M Stills and A:M Films. That will help inform your purchasing decision. If you choose to purchase A:M you'll find a receptive community here.

Gorf, Your Judge Dredd was immediately recognizable. A bit more work on texturing and lighting and that scene would be over the top! I hope you'll return to that project and finish it off.

You'll want to investigate the Targa format (or any other format that maintains an Alpha Channel/Transparency layer). I would guess that Flash will import that. The final product you produce can be JPEG format. Once you set your rendering format to Targa you can turn the Alpha Channel buffer on in the Render Panel. There is quite a lot of information on Alpha Channels here in the forum. A workaround for when you absolutely cannot use an image with Alpha Channels would be to render the background with a color not used in the part of the image you need (hot pink!) then have the program you use mask out that color. Alpha Channels are definitely the way to go when compositing. For your second issue there are several possibilities. We need a little more information. At first thought it sounds like your Choreography isn't set to the correct length.

I learned something new by you posting this interesting problem. THANKS! Glad to see you got it solved.

Can you post a screen shot of your entire work area w/ the A:M interface showing?

Sure thing! He'a the creator of the Font and AI wizards as well. Its good to see you too!