MikeV

It's gobsmackingly easy to attach splines in the right way but if you don't know how to do it, it's impossible. There's a lot to be said for doing the modeling tuts in (free, included with A:M) "The Art of Animation:Master". In order. As trivial as they look they do teach everything you need to know to make shapes and connect them. The cool thing about A:M is that there isn't much to doing that, but if you don't know it... it will seem impossible. I strongly suggest you do those before you frustrate yourself more. And there's a thread for each TAoA:M exercise where you can ask questions if you get stuck. Err, are you getting on the defensive here, or am I reading your post wrong? I'm not getting more frustrated and I'm not saying "I'm doing everything right". I'm just explaining what I'm experiencing when I'm attaching splines, etc. At the time I posted those remarks, yes, the splines seemed to be doing random things, not what I was expecting them to do. I thought maybe explaining what was happening might be a clue to whom ever read them of what was going on (assuming others made similar mistakes when they were first learning). Sometimes experience will teach you that when "x" is happening, it's because you're doing "y", and so you know exactly what the issue is and how to fix it. That's all I was going for giving that info. Obviously I realize I was doing something wrong, and I even indicated as much in my posts. I can see what the results are supposed to look like, and I can see what others are able to do with the software. If I'm not getting desired results, it's because I'm doing something wrong. Anyway, I initially intended to post this message to say that recreating the cup a second time yielded better results. I have more resolution in the cup and two more splines in the handle, so it more closely resembles the screenshot you posted earlier in the thread. Photobucket is under maintenance at the moment, but I'll upload a quick render I did as soon as its available again. It's not perfect, but it's a far cry better than my last attempt. I have the book and I am going through those exercises. At the same time, I always find I learn better by taking what I learn in pre-made tutorials and applying it to my own projects, using my own subject matter. It's easy to follow instructions in a book. The test of whether you're absorbing and understanding it or not is whether you can apply it to something else. At least that's how it is for me. That's why I'm doing these other models and such of stuff around my apt. To test myself.

Thanks for your response! Hmm.. I gave that approach a try, and still no dice. I also re-lathed the cup to get more CVs to work with, to match the 3x3 CPs shown in that sample pic you posted. I'm still getting harsh lines where one patch meets another, and the splines still seem to be wanting to act completely randomly. I'm really not sure what it is I'm doing wrong, since the results are so random every time I attempt it. I think I'll start from scratch and re-model the whole thing, using more splines? I tried looking for a pre-made coffee cup in the library so I could see how that was done, but couldn't find anything like that. I found a genie lamp, but the handle's not attached. I'll give it another go! Let's see if I can get it to work this time.

Hello... So, here I am with my first dilemma.. on my first attempt at a model that isn't from one of the manuals. go figure Anyway... Here's a link to a screenshot I took for reference. I've decided to model a series of objects I have around my house, start simple and get more complex as I progress and gain more skill and confidence. My first object is typical enough, a coffee cup. I get as far as modeling the cup (a simple lathe, nothing big there), and the handle which was only moderately more challenging in that it required rotating, extruding and tweaking of CPs. Where I'm running into trouble is connecting the handle to the cup. My thinking was that I'd line up each end of my handle with the cup portion in such a way that my splines should (theoretically anyway) flow right into the cup without a problem. Not quite working out that way though :-/ Now, I've seen the tutorial on how to do this, by basically clearing a space on the cup, extending the CPs from the handle and then attaching them to the available spots on the cup so as to maintain the flow of the splines. It seemed to me that my go at it was essentially doing the same thing, just with a different cup model. I'm sure it's something I'm doing wrong, but A:M seems to be completely random/arbitrary in what it deletes each time I try to clear out the space. It also seems arbitrary/random in how it handles the resulting patches. Sometimes when I'm deleting the splines, it deletes the area I want and an area next to it. Sometimes it only deletes the point, but not the spline. Sometimes it deletes half a ring of patches around the cup's circumference. Sometimes the resulting patches are smooth and look perfect. Sometimes they're creased. Sometimes there's a harsh line where a new patch meets the existing ones in the cup, as though the smoothing is interrupted. Basically, I seem to be capable of getting every result except the one I actually want lol. So, after going at it for about an hour, reloading a saved back-up of the model, I decided it was maybe time to admit defeat and come to the forums, tail between my legs, asking for some assistance... It's probably some ridiculously simple thing I'm forgetting or failing to do that can be fixed in moments. But, then, figuring those things out is the point of learning, isn't it . If you'd like a different or specific render or setup, let me know. Thanks a bunch!

That's cool, then. I'd come to the conclusion that there seems to be a podcast for just about anything you can think of, so I assumed A:M might have one as well. No biggie! I do see there's the chat box inside A:M and I've been logged in there. Hasn't been anyone else on though at the times I have. Is that used with any regularity? Would be cool to get to talk "real time" with some other folks. It is being used. Robert may not use it, but I like it too. It is a personal way to communicate and sometimes it really is helpful. See you *Fuchur* Cool! Maybe I'll catch ya on there sometime, then.

That's cool, then. I'd come to the conclusion that there seems to be a podcast for just about anything you can think of, so I assumed A:M might have one as well. No biggie! I do see there's the chat box inside A:M and I've been logged in there. Hasn't been anyone else on though at the times I have. Is that used with any regularity? Would be cool to get to talk "real time" with some other folks.

Hmm.. well it doesn't have to be tutorials or "nuts and bolts". Just general discussion about the software, its community, the ways it's being used... Interesting relevant information about the software, the people making it and the people using it.

Hello again, Just popping in quick to see if anyone knows of any podcasts related to Animation Master? I have the privilege of being able to listen to music or what-not at my job, and so I usually like to keep myself entertained by listening to music or podcasts/interviews about various topics of interest. Since A:M is back on my list of interests, I'm wondering if there's anything about this program I could listen to? Google search hasn't really yielded anything, but sometimes it's just a matter of finding the right oddball combination of terms... Thanks!

Hiya! Thanks! I actually have seen your videos on YT, just last night, in fact. You have the series of modeling the Gorilla on your channel, right? I also recognize the hippo. Those vids are definitely helpful.

Thanks! Yeah I was looking at what the newest version's features were and saw the whole subscription thing. I think at this point, the 2006 version should more than suffice for my needs. It's nice and zippy on my system and it has enough features for me to get the results I want. Perhaps down the road I'll look into a newer version.

Hey, thanks! Looking forward to getting my hands "dirty". That's quite the treasure chest of A:M related stuff you have in your signature there. I wasn't even aware they had exporters from A:M to other formats. Very interesting.

Hi all, So, as my subject says, I'm a returning member here to the world of Animation Master. My last trek with it was around 2007 or so I guess. The last version update of the software I own is 2006, the Sasquatch CD. I also have the 2004 disc with the Gorilla. I took time away from pursuing A:M as I was really devoted to working on my own upstart game projects, and life very rudely interrupted me a few times in the interim (lots of moving around). I am still interested in getting into game design, however, not with something of my own. I have the goal of being hired at a major game studio as a level/environment designer. I veered away from "doing my own thing" because, really, there's so much that goes into game design and development. Tons of work, even for a small project. So much minutae and management of other designers/developers, making sure things stay on track, that people "stick to the vision" and so forth. I've realized that what I really want to do, ultimately, is tell stories. All of the other things I'd have to deal with in a game development situation, I fear, would really detract from that focus. I've been working with Blender3D for the most part in that time and have become fairly comfortable with it. What I'm not comfortable with, however, is its non polygonal modeling systems. Its nurbs are weird. I don't enjoy working with Sub-D surfaces, they're not quite "tactile" enough for me. Low poly modeling can get really heavy resource and scene-wise after a while. I wanted something that would empower and enable me to tell these stories I have in my head. Blender, while it's certainly capable of creating fantastic results ("Sintel" and "Big Buck Bunny" were both created with it), it's not quite "immediate" enough for my liking. I've always been attracted to A:M's idea of being created with the specific focus of making the creation of animated movies as easy as it could be. And I dig the whole Hash Patch thing. It's a really neat technology. So, that's what brought me back to A:M. I went digging through my PC software collection, found both the 04 and 06 install discs, as well as my "Animation:Master QuickStart 2" discs from Anzovin. I dug out my "Art of Animation Master" book and flipped through, refamiliarizing myself with it. So, I have everything I need to get started again. On a related thought, I looked online (YouTube, Google) and was surprised to see that A:M doesn't have more of a presence out there in Web land. I was expecting to find a lot more than I did. I was a bit concerned until I came to the site and saw that the forums are still pretty active and up to date with people's questions, WIPs and such. So that was heartening. Anyway! I see that there's been a few new versions out since 2006 and I'll likely upgrade to the latest at some point. I think for now the 2006 version will do just fine for me, though. Thanks for reading and lookin' forward to speaking with y'all on the forums and hopefully having some cool stuff to show ya's before too long!