Rodney

Thanks to all users old and new for joining in the fun. 2006 is going to be the best year yet in the A:M Community. You don't have to post regularly to be valuable member of the A:M Forum but we certainly hope you feel welcome. We are glad you are here. Still having too much fun lurking? There is no better time than now to say 'Hello'. Say "Hello" now and you'll even get the chance to win a free A:M 2006 upgrade. ...and if that isn't enough... winning entitles you to download all A:M updates from Hash Inc released in the year 2006. Lurking is fun but winning is better. Best, Rodney

Mike, Thanks for the link to this... I had missed it back when it was first posted. Beautiful economy of splines... great characters too. Vampires are one of my least favorite subject matters as they have been done to death and mostly done badly (IMO). Yours is a refreshing look at the subject with great style and design contributing to the story. You've definitely found a great (and I'd say unique) style for it. Great stuff! Rodney

Thanks guys! Very fast and friendly service.

Sorry Gus I should have been more specific. I spelled Mundo wrong too. It's actually Mundo3D I believe. http://cole3d.net/am/curso/archivos/reportajes/mundo3D/ The links with 'forbidden' access appear to be on the Publicaciones A:M tab. There are several which look intriquing but I haven't been able to access. It may be more links to articles from the trade publications that aren't appearing perhaps. Rodney

No. I actually said those who have completed the TAoA:M exercises are entered once automatically. Those who have completed the TAoA:M exercises *and* post here recieve two entries. Finishing the TAoA:M exercises is not only fun and educational it can also pay off in the form of a free upgrade. Rodney

What you lose in rendering time you certainly will not make up in modeling time. Animators first and foremost need to animate. If you get stuck in modeling you are more likely to ensure the failure of your aspiring animators rather than their success. There are many ways to reduce render time. Follow Will Sutton's suggestion or reduce the size of your imagery. Then as the student finds more computer time they can attempt higher quality renders. Modeling should not be ignored but it can be delayed until the artist knows what success looks like. My 2 cents. Rodney

Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! There are now 15 days* remaining for the free v13 upgrade giveaway. Why let someone else enjoy your free upgrade? Don't be shy... join in the fun. *Give or take for time difference

Ah... but purchasers of your book will be able to find even more cool (exclusive) content on your site right? Will you be doing the site content thing again? Rodney

Gus, Can you clarify something for us? There are a few resources on your site that require a login. In particular I think the Mondo tutorial is the one I'm thinking about... Are those available to us or are they exclusive content? Your site is quite impressive. I like! Rodney

Doood. 99% of the resources on the site were translated *from* english. Try: www.google.com Note that some of the tutorials are proprietary content and you have to be enrolled/registered for access. I'd say those are probably commericial tutorials that Gus and friends have translated. Translation: Not free. Rodney

yup. Dhar is TAoA:M alumni which entitles him to not one... but two chances to win. See rules in first post for additional information. Rodney

Nancy... Sorry you were born to feel guilty... so you are in. You are however now required to feel guilty if you win. K? Kuep, I haven't forgot your certificate... I'm about 5 certs behind right now and hope to get them finished and linked soon. My days off have been occupied lately but I'll reprioritize soon! Sorry I'm not hitting you all by name here but you are all in the running. Two entries for all you alumni (Hi Gale!) and the ever important one entry for all youse other guys. Someone has to win this... who will it be. Last year it was Alo... Alon... Alonzo... what was that guy's name??? Yeah that was it... Alonso Soriano! What ever became of that guy? The creator and visionary behind the Animation Bootcamp. Great stuff! Somebody contact Alonso and let him know he only has only one of his entries for this raffle active at this time. He needs to post to get the other and go for a repeat. Best, Rodney

Aren't you eligible for that second chance Leo?? You should be close at least! Stian, Trine, JM (Is that you Jose? Pardon the bad memory), Greg, Paul, James, Marc, Chris and Leo. (Did I miss anyone?) You are all in! Dandy... I have no idea if your post is meant to sign up or not... what the heck... you are in too! Rodney P.S. Chris... do I dare guess what a 'chrimbo pressies' is? No... I got it. Took me a second though.

David, 'REESE' and Ken... You is in! Now... go win!

It is that time again. Time for upgrading to the latest edition of Animation:Master. As a way of saying thanks for your continued support of the New Users Forum I will again be raffling off a free upgrade here in the New Users Forum. This year the rules have changed a little in order to include more A:M Users and to thank everyone for supporting new users of A:M. The rules: 1) Only legal owners of Animation:Master (any version) are eligible. 2) Hash Inc is not affiliated with this contest and no connection with them should be inferred. 3) A:M Users can enter their names in the contest twice* 3a) A:M Users must post in this thread to indicate their desire to be considered. Note: This all user provision is courtesy of the 'Starving Artist Fund' and is in special honor of A:M User; Genocell. Here's hoping you win! Every artist needs great tools. 3b)* TAoA:M Alumni are automatically entered once in the contest. A:M Users that have completed The Art of Animation:Master are entitled to a second entry in the contest. Their committment and support of the New Users Forum should be rewarded. This is one way I can try to say thanks. There is currently no provision for completing TAoA:M more than once. Two entries per person is the limit. Please note in your post that you are TAoA:M alumni to double your chance of winning! 4) If for any reason the upgrade cannot be mailed or otherwise delivered other arrangement will be made or the prize will have to be passed to another winner. The value of the prize should not be expected to exceed $99 plus shipping and handling. For Netrender users arrangement with Hash Inc will be made to adjust the cost of your upgrade in the amount of $99. 5) I reserve the right to amend these rules to keep the contest fair to A:M Users. 6) The drawing will be held on or about 1 January 2006. Contest clarification will be provided as required. Rodney

Am I to understand that we (well... those that want to participate at least) are to post character creation here? That is certainly a fun way to do it. Great prizes too! The artificial walls that separate A:M Users internationally definitely need to come down! Great opportunity to spline and meet new people from around the world. I like Pelvis Resley! Much success to you and this contest. Brodney Aker

The 'upside down' star actually works as a subtle element to the chaos of building the elf tree. Its as if they just haven't quite got it together yet... which is otherwise clearly demonstrated. The angled/upside down star supports that theme. The angle didn't bother me as much as the origin of the bottom of the star... the stick. On the other hand, what do I know about elves, christmas trees and stars. I do know I like your pic though. As Nancy says this would have made an excellent entry. Attach notes to your desk/bathroom mirror/throughout the house to remind you about the next one!!! Rodney

I think this is the link Ken refers to: http://www.hash.com/edu/ As far as I know the online videos and the manual are the course. You can find the majority of the exercise videos here: http://www.hash.com/VM/ There is an outline file (MS Word format) at the very bottom of the page. As an introduction to students the Animation history lessons (see links at the bottom of the video tutorials page) provide an Animation:Master-centric view that expertly places the student right in the middle of the world of computer animation. The manual itself is a goldmine of information that isn't limited to 3D computer information. It incorporates elements from traditional animation that students will need to know and it does it in a way that they can easily understand and apply in Animation:Master. That's my initial take on the matter. As Ken suggests you can contact Hash Inc and they can provide more information. Best, Rodney

I think there is a 'brushed steel' material on the A:M CD. Probably several on the Extra CD too. I'm sure you'd have to tweak to taste of course. Rodney

Tim, Well said. You never did say whether you like dopesheets though. I'm guessing that your programming skills could be quite valuable as related to all things A:M. I certainly wish I had that skill. (working on developing that skill little by little... very little by very little) Thanks for finally and officially introducing yourself! Rodney

John, I'm loving your pic. Great character in there... lots of them even. I do think your star is upside down which symbolically could be problematic. Might I suggest the stick be stuck between the legs of the bottom two triangles and tilt in the direction of gravity/motion (i.e. the direction the elves are falling/moving/tilting). No biggie in any case... cool image as it is! A quick sketch of what I mean...

Yeah... but they don't all look "CG". My point is that your models get swallowed up in the "CG" look. In Hashspeak that is one way that you can often tell what program a render was done in. The renders are beautiful as they are though. I will seem to be loyal only to A:M but the truth is that Animation:Master is the first 3D program that was worth anything to me (POV, POV Ray, Polyray etc the early exceptions). Once I discovered A:M I didn't look for any other 3D solution. Your mileage may vary and I think you (and everyone!) should use every tool they can to get the story told. What I'm referring to here is personal style and there is as they say "No accounting for taste". In this particular case I would just like to see your models rendered in what I would call "your own style" whereas they look (to me) to be more in the classic "CG" style. Perhaps the "CG" style is your style. I'm still struggling with my own style as there are so many to choose from. For my own part, I prefer toon rendering for instance because my 2D senses prefer sharp lines and stark colors. I am not suggesting toon rendering in your case however. Only a shift away from the standard (I'd say older) CG style. In any case... Keep posting and I'll keep watching! Rodney

Ooo.... sounds like a great opportunity to get some international exposure and some contest wins for your resume. This is prime time for all of you who missed the Mascot contest too. Rodney

Thanks for the response to all the queries thus far Rodger. Thanks also for the wireframe. That helps us understand. Insights like yours really help us determine what is worth setting up and what isn't in our projects. Rodney

(Testing a new way to compile information) Are you trying to improve your renders in Animation:Master? If you haven't checked out the Radiosity Forum you really should! It's Forum 36 on your A:M dial. Feature Examples http://wiki.hash.com/amfeatures/published/HomePage Radiosity and Lighting http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showforum=36 Topics of interest: Lighting Tutorial (53) The Cornell Box Tutorial (68) Making a room (11) Room (30) Flourescents (15) Reflectivity Dulling (20) personal lighting study (49) Hallway (25) Parthenon (17) Radiosity Leak (9) Cornell Box with Legos (38) Diffraction (34) No Light Radiosity (7) Carshowroom"FinalRender" (11) Another try (20) A little test made with the Cornell Box lighting. (33) My attempt (36) My Own Try (15) Whats Radiosity (4) My Own Radiosity Room (32) Radiosity not Rendering (4) W.I.P. Robot Archie...of course in Radiosity! (22) I don't get radiosity (or Radio City) (6) Calc Surface...for Mac?? (2) Z-Buffer Render (13) methods for getting darker shadows? (8) Light help again, please (20) Different Lighting Set up for my Office. (9) Lets keep this going! (56) How to make a projector??? (7) test your knowledge (12) Image confetti (5) Testing skylights (18) Help me light this still (17) Cabinet (14) Meditation Room (20) Glass-Best settings (6) Fasten up your rendering (4) My Trial and Error (18) Modern Art (21) more fun fun fun (5) Shadow Darkness (2) Render times (5) A First Step (18) What should be turned off for Radiosity (11) Radiosity Still (8) A thanksgiving scene (20) Introduction to Photon Mapping (5) Notes: The number after the Title indicates posts at the time of this listing. Bold is an arbitrary indiction that useful information can be found.