Mitovo

That's a very helpful thread! Also interesting to see how you construct your models. It looks like you kinda work your way around, spline-by-spline? At least partially? Some nice visual references there at any rate. So, here's what I have so far. I'm hitting a point where I wonder if I might want to set this aside for now, and work on some simpler stuff, and come back to it later when I have more experience with working with splines themselves. The reason is, some of the stuff I'm doing is resulting in odd spline flow, and I know how to fix it, but I feel like I'm spending a lot of time working around and fixing flow-related issues, and less working on the model itself. I'd really rather not have something like this be my "practice" for the basics. I'd rather work through simpler, less complex objects, or even characters to get that stuff down. But! I'm not discouraged. Though I'm sure there's lots I could be doing better, I'm happy with where I am in such relatively little time. It's coming out better than I'd have thought it would before starting on it. There's other projects I'd like to work on as well, where I can work on the splinemanship, plus work in stuff like texturing, animation, etc. Anyway! Here's the latest result... I set it up in 3 windows, so y'all can see how everything sits.

Okay! So, I'm pretty much caught up to where I was before everything went awry with v12. I also think I've done a better job on the nose this time, and with fewer splines, which makes it immensely easier to work with. I tried to line up the splines on the upper part of the nose with the nodes around the eye, so they should attach easily. I'm having to do some guessing work to make up for missing lines/details in the reference pic, but otherwise, everything seems to be matching up nicely, in both front and side views. Gotta say, might sound like an odd way to describe it, but working with splines just feels so "comfortable". Never quite get that feeling working with polys. Also, working with v18 feels immensely better than working with v12 (even besides the issues I was having). So, anyway, here's a shot of "Character Model 2.0" so in shaded/wireframe mode. Not much to look at, yet, but any thoughts, advice, etc. is appreciated! Thanks!

Ahh, that's not that big of a deal, though. I always render to MP4 (when it's an option). Otherwise, I can use something else. I always use Handbrake (amazing free program) to compress the files, and that exports to a lot of different formats as well. I have 8 gigs of RAM, and I'd like to use it . Need to upgrade to 16 at some point.

Okay! Got things set up to start anew! Front, Side and Back rotoscopes are in place. It's probably that I'm using the 64-bit version of the software, but it "feels" much smoother, even just rotating the view around, etc. Anyways... tomorrow I'll dive back in.

Yeah, I have no idea lol. That it is 10 years old probably speaks a lot to it. I don't know what's going on, either. The file worked fine one time, then won't work the next time, with no clue of what's going on. I mean, this last time it wasn't crashing the program. It would still load the project, it just refused to load that model. I'll try the TGA suggestion and convert the rotoscope images to that format. Also, I've been granted the 18 trial, so I can give that a good go for the next couple weeks, and by then I think I should be able to purchase the $80 sub, assuming all goes to plan anyway lol. The trial installed, detected the license file and starts up without issue, so that's a promising start. I have a three day weekend, so I intend to really dig in and get some stuff done with it. Maybe even finish more of that character head! I think I'm just going to start over with that, though, and forget about the old file. Anyway, thanks for all the advice and help with v12. It is 10 years old, and 6 versions behind, including what is, apparently a lot of major changes to the file format, and t he program's functionality. So it's probably a blessing in disguise, in the long run. Even if I got v12 to behave, could you imagine if I'd put 10s of hours into something, just to have the files corrupt or otherwise not open like that? I'd die. I'll go ahead and post a new pic or two when I have stuff going again. For now I'll go ahead and convert those images to TGA.

lol welp... While I was home for lunch, I'd downloaded the 12w version of A:M. Installed it, ran it, and it worked fine. I downloaded the file I uploaded here, repaired it via the steps Robcat stated earlier in the thread, and it was fine. I loaded in the rotoscopes, saved the project, and everything was fine. Closed the program and re-opened it to make sure the file would load okay, and it did. Then I went back to work to finish up the day. Just tried to load it up again to work on it more, and now I get that the .mdl (which was working fine at lunch) can not be opened. So you know what? I think I'm done banging my head against the wall with this. For whatever reason, this software can't seem to not break its own files, after working fine. Maybe I'll wait 'til I can get the latest sub version and give that a go for a year. Though, I should just request a trial and make sure it works correctly before I drop $80 on it. Edit: I just went ahead and put in a request for a trial of the current version. I really want to work with this software, and will figure out a way if it kills me! Okay.. maybe not that extreme.. but you get the idea.

Okay, grabbed the one out of the 2005 folder. That's the only one that seems to want to work, and it's 12w, so definitely well further into the development cycle. Here's hope whatever that problem was doesn't happen again!

I'd tried downloading a couple of those, and every time it asks me to put the correct disc in the drive, though it's already in there. I'm not sure which one I should be downloading, and the FTP folder structure is a bit confusing, what with all the different files in there. The last one I tried was here ftp://ftp.hash.com/pub/updates/windows/Am2006/v12/ And I believe I tried the one from here as well: ftp://ftp.hash.com/pub/updates/windows/Am2005/ which didn't work, either. I downloaded the am2006.exe and am2005.exe respectively. My current installed version, from disc, is 12d, if that's any help.

Yep. It's the version installed off the disc. It was fine through several tutorials from Ao:AM, and was fine through a few other doodles I did. It was also fine through the entire eyeball/eyelid and up to the nose.. Then it happened. So, it's not something that's happening constantly. It really just started with that one save file. Is it possible for a rotoscope image to cause an issue?

You put a copy of it on the forum. How can it be gone? Do not keep resaving over old file names. I mean that working on it and saving it, as a different file, it became corrupted again. I know I can download the file I uploaded earlier, but if my install is prone to corrupting files, then it kinda becomes a moot point. Also, I'm not saving over old files. Not sure why, but you've made a few assumptions about what I'm doing, then commenting as though it's fact. It comes across like you think I'm an idiot or something, and it's a bit irritating. If saving over the same file is a concern, then *ask* me if that's what I'm doing. Don't just assume I am. Thank you.

It's the witch and the cat. Nope, only have 12 on my system.

Okay, so I had it working... And now that file got corrupted, and I don't have the other file to restore from. So, I'm back to creating the nose from scratch again anyway. I honestly am at a loss here. I want to stick with A:M, and probably get the new version when I can, but is this instability going to be an on-going thing I'm going to have to deal with in the meantime? If so, I'd rather just leave it alone and get 18 when I can.

Ah okay, that's what I thought lol. I was about to say to Rodney, "so you're telling me Hash shipped a version of A:M that saves in an incompatible format?" lol. That would have been more than a little concerning. That makes me wonder, though. If the file version is 11, but it's version 12... which upgraded version would I grab? I know in the Support FTP area, there's older versions, and that I could update my current one to the latest-and-greatest build. I was perusing those folders, and was a bit confused, as the 2006 folder also had a v12 subfolder. Does that mean I could download the version in that folder, and it would work with my registration key?

The $79 itself isn't separating me. The bills that $79 has to pay for this pay cycle is Do we? I don't know what caused it. I just know how to fix it lol. I mean, obviously it was something going bad elsewhere in the file, since the model itself is okay. Still not sure why the original got messed up. Ah well..

Okay! That worked. Got the model into a new model file in A:M. That's a handy trick. Hopefully I won't have to use it again

Really? That's odd. The installation says it's Version 12. Hmmm... I'm working off my old/original version for now. Wanna give myself a chance to get used to things and make sure it's something I'm enjoying and doing enough to warrant the $79 sub. Anyway, let me try the text surgery thing and get back to you.

Here's the latest file. The other corrupted one was far enough back that I might as well start over if I have to revert to that. Also, I do save them as a progression of file names, and further, I'm separating them by what part I'm working on. So, this one is "Start02-Nose", the first set is "Start01-Eye" (and then Start-02-Eye), for when I was specifically working on the eye, etc. Kind of a weird naming convention, but it's just what I ended up typing, so I went with it. When I try to open the file, I get an "Unhandled Exception" error. Not sure what that means, but, well.. it certainly means I can't work on it lol. Character_Start02-Nose.zip

Well, I'll keep that in mind for next time. Seems I have to do the whole nose phase over again, because the files I'd saved with all that work are corrupted, and A:M won't open them. It crashes when I try. 2 files.. both corrupted. Were working fine right up 'til my last save. Now they're corrupted. Lovely. I hope this isn't going to be a thing I'm going to have to worry about going forward.

Welp, some more work tonight... Nose! I decided to focus on getting the nose created, and then when I'm happy with it, I can either work down into the mouth... or work on the cheeks. Not sure what way I want to go, yet. Rather like the way the nose is coming out though. I almost restarted it a couple times, but thought "No, just keep tweaking 'til it looks right". It lines up pretty nicely with the side and front views, at least as far as I can tell from the rotoscope image; it's not as clear as I'd like it. So far so good, I think!

Hiya, Robcat, Yeah, I've been using the "Lock" function for now. I was just thinking that, as things get more complex, and more splines are involved, it might be easier to have certain parts solid/shaded, and others as wireframe, etc. I'm sure I'll get used to it either way though. Thanks! Everything in a model window has the same render mode. You can Hide unwanted portions to reduce clutter. You can also Lock portions which makes them grayer and unselectable so they are easier to distinguish from what ever portion you are working on.

Ah that's interesting. Hmm.. Well, I don't know if I'll get to a point where that's a "thing" just yet. But, good to know it's at least an option if/when I do. Thanks!

So, I'm determined to model a character in A:M. I went on Google and found a character reference that has simple, sharp enough lines for me to follow, and decided to just do it. It has front, side and back views, so I have that covered. I've seen a few different tutorials now, and it seems each one has its own style/approach, and so there's not "one right way". So, I'm picking up things from each that I like and make sense to me. For example, using a sphere as an eyeball proxy to model around, from t he Bill Young face modeling CD. Not very far in at all, yet, and I'm expecting to have lots of mistakes along the way, but I'm saving a lot, so I should be okay. Just going to keep doing this kind of stuff until it becomes familiar. I'm not expecting it to be "perfect", or even "great", when it's done. I just want to actually get in and start doing it, learning as I go. Here it is so far! Looking at it, I realized I have to shift the rotoscope, and the eye/skin over a bit to the left. It's not quite on center. Question... is there a way to set rendering level on individual objects? Like, if I want a reference object (like the eyeball sphere) to remain as wireframe, even when I have the active model shaded/wireframe.. is there a way to do that? I've looked around, but can't find anything for that. Thanks!

Twitch.TV is about live streaming, so you're doing it as people are watching. It's a cool process, though. People will hang out, and you (or whom ever is doing the streaming) can sorta discuss what they're doing, how they're doing it, why they're doing it, etc. etc. People might ask questions, and then you can answer them. It's not unlike the live demos y'all have recorded over time, where people are doing various projects at conventions. Only instead of being at a convention, you're on the Internet. For example, last night I was hanging out on a stream of a guy doing digital painting in Photoshop. There were others there, and we were asking questions, which the artist was answering. In turn, he was taking suggestions, and asking us what ideas we'd like to see, or if we had any specific thoughts on what he was doing, etc. Over time, as more people find your channel, on their own, or by word-of-mouth, you can get a nice community of regulars who come around anytime you're streaming. Some of the bigger channels will have over 3000 people hanging out while they're doing whatever. Takes time and dedication to get to that point, but it's possible. Some do it for free, some accept tips via Patreon, and some who have met certain criteria with Twitch (not sure what that is) are allowed to have people subscribe to them. Most will at least chat with their viewers, but some don't. Some have a face cam, some don't, etc. It's all up to the individual. Twitch offers the option to have your stream archived for a certain amount of time, but the original footage is done live. You'll notice a lot of streamers keep a pretty regular schedule. People who do it full time (seriously, there are people making their living as Twitch streamers) are on 5-6 days a week. Some people, like myself currently, only do it when the mood strikes and I'm playing something I think might be interesting for others to watch. Also, you can download that stream, and then upload it to something like YT, etc. So, it doesn't have to be "lost" once it's done. For example... Here's a Creative channel I found at random: https://www.twitch.tv/derptyme In the event they're not streaming by the time you go there, they have past broadcasts archived on their profile page: https://www.twitch.tv/derptyme/profile There can be trolls that will come around and try to start a ruckus, esp. as you get more viewers and/or Twitch features you, etc. But, theyr'e easy enough to deal with - just don't acknowledge their presence, and quietly ban them. As viewership grows, it helps to have a mod who'll keep an eye on the channel and make sure stuff stays orderly. There's also some apps that can help automate that task.

Also... Just found this page, while browsing the AM Facebook page... https://www.twitch.tv/animation_master/profile So, it looks like someone has already laid the foundation over there! Was that you, Rodney?

It's something I'm definitely putting thought into. For my own sake, though, I want to get more comfortable with A:M, to where I feel like the problems I'm working through have to do with what I'm creating, rather than re-learning the software. In the event of questions from viewers, I'd like to be able to provide informed answers, rather than coming across with "I don't know that, either" lol. That point may come sooner than later, though, because I'm finding myself falling back into A:M with more ease than I had last time. I remember struggling a lot with stuff back when I last worked with it (some years back at this point). Now, at least with the modeling part, I'm finding it actually relaxing. Skinning and Animation is still going to take a bit to get to that point, but I'll get there. I think it might be because in the time I've been away, I've been working with Corel Draw all day, every day at my work. My job entails taking customers' pictures, drawings or descriptions, and turning them into digital art that can be converted into patches, labels, pins, etc. Many times, this involves tracing over their work, basically rotoscoping, to get cleaner lines, etc. So, maybe it's my familiarity working with splines and cp's now that makes it so much more comfortable. Whatever it is, I'm not knocking it! So, yeah, I think once I get through AoAM, and some small self-assigned projects, I'll take to Twitch and start working on things. I'd like to have an interesting project to work on when I begin, as well.