Rodney

You can download the manual (TaoA:M) from the Hash Inc FTP. That'll get that page back for you. There is also some good information in the help file (I know you mentioned this but just in case I'm posting it here. It might help someone else). http://www.hash.com/htmlHelp/v12.0/Generat...lockEffectA.htm

Hadn't looked in on this project in quite a while. Looking really good. I love your WebHAMR presentation. The activation of the theme music was almost instantaneous. Very nice addition. Keep it up!

Dhar, You are right and in the exercise thread this is discovered (and rediscovered) several times by different people. I know I should just collect all that information into a handy dandy easy to read location but... not sure if anyone would read it anyway. In the meantime the information is there in the Exercise 13: Show Some Backbone thread. In that thread John Booker suggests the following as optimum to turn on in the thread linked above. Linked image: http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?act=A...st&id=15677

T MAC, Read through the posts in the TaoA:M Exercise areas. In particular the second post, assuming the link is still good. Missing bones? If you still can't determine why you can't find the bones let us know.

You'll need a utility/program to make them. They come in all varieties from simple to complex, command line to interface, from free to really expensive. If you launch a search on Google for "animation convert AVI to GIF freeware" you are bound to find hundreds. A while back I used and enjoyed AVI2GIF. There were other programs of the same order such as TGA2GIF etc. Now I use Corel Photopaint but I bought that with the Corel suite of programs for $200 or so. There are a few programs that can create GIF animations themselves but don't convert/import graphics. Those probably won't suit your needs if you are wanting to use images out of A:M. Lots and lots of programs to convert images to GIF!

The plot is certainly thickening... the mood is getting intense... I wanna see more!!!

Locally (on the Hash Inc server that hosts this forum) you can upload an animated Gif file. That would provide you with a small movie. The more exensive movie avatars you see (Colin Freeman and Robert Holmeins are two examples) are Flash (.swf) animations which I believe are linked to on their sites. With this technique you could theoretically set up your movies for interactivity/branching too. Creating Gif animation is pretty easy. Flash animation is getting easier to make especially now as A:M is picking up the capability.

Check with Hash Inc (their contact information is linked via www.hash.com). It may be that your copy is legit. They'll be able to point you in the right direction. In the meantime I recommend looking through the TaoA:M exercises here in the New Users Forum. While none cover flythroughs of 3D Text specifically they do cover aspects that will make your flythroughs even better. For more on 3D Text I suggest a visit to the Tutorials forum. The amount of help you'll get here in the forum with a pirated version I won't speculate on.

Aha! Another lurker reveals himself! Great to have you posting here in the forum. Are you working on any projects with A:M these days or are you just having fun? If interested in really honing your skills I definitely recommend getting involved in 'Tin Woodman of Oz'. I know you've been using A:M for awhile but Welcome anyway!

Sergio, Sorry for the delayed welcome. I'm findiing if I don't specifically look into the New Users Forum these days I miss posts. Thats a good thing though as I need to watch this forum closely. Lots happening in 'New Users'! Welcome to the A:M Community! Make yourself at home.

Peter/Marie, I see that you are using Windows but I'm not sure what version of Animation:Master. For older versions of A:M it may be that you just need to install the DLL files required to run A:M. These files are usually contained in an installer called 'v14Stuff_All.exe' and can usually be found on the Hash Inc FTP site (ftp://www.hash.com Windows Installers). Change the version number for whichever one is appropriate. You may have already got A:M up and running by now so I'll wait here to hear more from you. Let us know how your fare! Rodney

Sam Buntrock created a nice tutorial (in two parts as I recall) on Proxy models. Unfortunately, it looks like Sam's site is down. The tutorials should be winging their way toward you on the Extra DVD sometime in January. I know that doesn't help a lot now but its a great little tutorial. If Sam's site will be down for an extended period of time perhaps he'll allow us to post it on A:M Tutes for the Tutorials Forum.

If you haven't played with the various Interpolation settings (Linear, Hold, Spline, etc) definitely do that. Right Click once you've selected your keyframes and change the Interpolation as desired. You can also tweak the Bias handles to get better Ease In and Ease Out on your poses.

Nice Hammer!

Hey, thats not necessarily a bad thing even if you are! Thanks for taking the time to post your experience with the Channel Editor. I agree that this is something that tends to escape beginning animators... there is a lot to learn! Having people (new users and pros alike) share their experiences is key to breaking through to success. For the new user there is the learning. For the pro there is validation and extension of that experience through teaching. At any given time an animator can look back and remember their influences, experiences (frustrations and confusions too!). At the end of the day its the recollection and collaborations that will stay with you. That and taking time to photograph your giraffe with your kids! Thanks Caroline!

Great to hear your Bismarck model got extended life as the Tirpitz. I had been wondering what you might do with it. If you ever get a chance to save it out as a binary project (.prjb) for HAMR that be a great way to let people see the detail close up without releasing the model itself. I'd sure love to see it up close and personal. I'm sure most people would be put off by the slow response of the full models realtime drawing time. It seemed like Jody K's Golden Gate Bridge ran a bit faster in realtime via HAMR than via A:M. I didn't do any extensive tests however. For some reason your modeling makes me want to break out and (attempt to) build a physical/plastic model or two. I probably haven't done that since a teenager. In a few shots I can almost smell the glue and plastic on your model. Beautiful work Stian!

Its not released yet. Is it?

Writing out a dope sheet eh? I'm embarrassed to say I have never seen anyone do that. I've seen examples... but never the real deal. If you ever find loads of spare time I know a discussion of dopesheets and planning of a shot would be magic to many of us. Your Hunchback of Notre Dame project is intriguing. I can't remember if you said this was a personal project or if it was otherwise. I do know that you've got the project set up with some really nice models and sets. I look forward to seeing more as you find the time. (Hey look everybody... someone else that uses dopesheets!!!) Woo Hoo!

Andy, You have gotta be kiddin us. Outstanding work on that short Quasi piece. My daughters Jessica and Julia were captivated and I had to explain the story of the Hunchback of Notre Dame. (Jessica knew it from Disney's version of course... so there was that eureka... "Oh I know that story" moment.) If I had to pick at anything in your messin' with Quasi it might be to have him keep his gaze on the statue for quite a bit longer. Those lifeless stone gargoyles are his only friends and he's been reminded of it. How long did that take you to animate?

This will often happen when geometry is not assigned to a bone. The software will then move the splines and CPs in a linear fashion creating the scale. Would this be true in your case? Even with bones the object may scale depending on what method A:M uses to rotate the object. You should investigate 'Euler' drivers to better understand what is happening. Generally in an action you can Right click on the Object's rotation attributes and Change the driver to Euler. Here is the writeup from the online Technical Reference: Euler Rotation Drivers

Craig, First, welcome to the A:M Community. Glad to see you are working your way through the manual. Concerning the white box... This is most likely related to your graphics/video card. Some cards will just need to be updated to the most current drivers while others may need to be replaced. One thing you can do first is check to see what driver A:M is using in TOOLS/OPTIONS. Look on the Global Tab at the bottom left for 'Real Time Rendering'. You should see either OpenGL or Direct3D. Try one... try the other. You can switch back and forth if some things work better while others not as well. Ultimately it might be your card... that is always a consideration. Others here in the forum may be able to steer you in the right direction should upgrading/purchasing a new video card is an option. To save some money I'd first visit your graphics card manufacturers home page and download the most recent driver. Rodney

Lolly, There is no demo version of Animation:Master. Hash Inc does have a 30 day money back guarantee. Visit their contact page for more information if you want to call to find out more about purchasing options: Contact Information

Bravo Dhar! Outstanding!

Simple yet effective Gerry. Hope you plan to flatten the word 'community' upon landing though. (I'm sure you've already done it)

I think I was of that opinion way back when too. The short hair probably had something to do with it. You've made Bella an interesting character and at this point its hard for me to picture her any other way. There is something so right about a character that doesn't have to be the sex idol... glamour girl... whatever... to still have appeal. You've gone your own direction with these characters and while I would certainly have done it differently... yours is the style that best fits Bella and Friends. I think yours is one of those projects that has to sneak up on success. Once lodged in the hearts and minds of the audience (which I percieve as fairly young kids) the corporate suits will have to take notice. I like that you've been thinking about publishing. The market may be saturated but the stories you tell in book format can be repurposed to go with your animation. Another benefit... if Bella catches on you've already got at least the book idea ready when the suits come calling. Bella and Friends aren't anywhere near the style I would use in one of my own projects. I think that is one of the reasons I like them so much. I never know what to expect either! (Now... back to the mandatory TWO pitch for a moment) If you did get a nice juicy contract to produce a couple shows... are you ready for that kind of success? Success scares the pajamas off me... I'm no where near ready to deal with it! Luckily success is only a problem for me when I'm dreamin'. The people you work with on TWO won't work on it forever. When TWO is finally released they'll all be moving on to other projects. Who knows... some might even be interested in working with you on Bella Bear.