heyvern

The first thing I said when I saw the wireframe was.... "WHOA! WHOA! That might be it!" I don't think you have enough splinage for the decals to "stick" to. You only have one gigantor patch for ALL those decals. This... well... theroetically this should work... in a perfect world... ... but in reality you may want to increase the patch count so all those decals aren't trying to live on just one patch. If you right click on all of those decals and "select CPs"... they all use the same 4 CPs... well almost all... anyway... I am guessing... I don't really have time right now to play with it... but that is my best guess... I would say... 85% certainty... maybe 90%... room for being wrong in there. [Edit] When you decal a very big single patch... I have found there to be some issues with stretching and distortion... this was ages ago so that might not be a problem any more... but I generallly don't decal large single patches. I like to have at least 2 or 4. Or if you don't want to add the patches... you could just create a giant image for that one patch and stamp once. It is a completely flat patch... so no flattening issues. Do a very large "low quality" render from the top view of what you have currently and use it in Photoshop for placing the images... ... that would save a bunch of work. If you planned it right you could stamp the tops of the buttons with the same single decal.... whole thing... one decal... just a thought. Vernon "!" Zehr

Yes this is extremely hard to figure out. I looked at the model... with those decals... I don't see why you are having to stamp so many times. It looks like they should cover the whole thing in two shots! I will say that in the past I have had "trouble" with decal "ordering" and display. Sometimes a decal "on top" appears correctly... or incorrectly... if I change the order in the PWS, the appearance over other decals changes... Sometimes it gets confusing and I can't keep track of which is on top... is it under in the PWS to be over on the model?... or the other way around? Sometimes I need to save before the reordering changes my model view. Sometimes closing and reopening the project will snap things back. ------------------ If you are stamping decals to "cover" other decals... not the ideal way to work... you would want to think about how you want things to appear then... modify the decal to match your "plan". I have a feeling the problem is related to the order of the decals and which patches they are assigned to. If you find that a decal stamp is showing on patches that they shouldn't... select those CPs, right click and select "remove decals". A list of the decals and stamps for those patches/CPs is listed and you can remove the ones that shouldn't be there. You can remove the whole decal or only selected stamps. I often rename the stamps so I know which part they cover. Screen grabs would be great. Vernon "!" Zehr

Nixie that was not rubbish by any means at all. I know why you "think" it is rubbish... but you are wrong. Nicely done. Nicely done. p.s. I am both the guy chasing the money and the guy sleeping on the street... depends on the day of the week and which client hasn't paid me yet. Vernon "!" Zehr

Keekat in the library causes no problems with sound files. However if you load Keekat from the library that is linked to the CD and try to save it... you may encounter an error since the original linked file is on the CD. This would happen either way... from the library... or loaded "by hand". Libraries are just short cuts to files in a directory specified in the AM preferences. You could just as easily load keekat into a project by navigating to the CD or to where ever he might be on your hard drive. Some people reuse a lot of things and store them in libraries for easy reference and access. For instance the ExtraCD content has a library file that can be loaded into AM so all the content shows in the library window. --------------- Sound file/s do not need to be in a library to be used. They are like any other file external to AM that needs to be loaded into a project for use. You could have Keekat loaded from the library and a sound just imported from the hard drive... actually they are both the same thing. When you load something from a library it is exactly the same as right clicking on the model or sound folder in the PWS and importing that item. Libraries in AM just make it easier to view and access frequently used items. I personally don't use libraries... don't know why. I just don't use them. Personal preference I suppose. Vernon "!" Zehr

No, as far as I know, AM v10.5 doesn't handle mp3. On location... it doesn't matter where on the computer the file is. You can load it into a project from anywhere on your computer. You need to load it into the sound folder in AM, the same way you load images. Unless you are doing something with libraries. I don't use libraries myself. Like I said before... sounds are external files in AM just like pictures. Just right click on the sound folder in the PWS and import the sound. ---------------- 48mg sound file!!?!?!? 384mg ram!?!? Yes... this could be a problem. Don't know for sure but that is a HUGE GIGANTIC SOUND FILE. Generally I create really small low res versions of sound files for animating purposes. At the end you could then use something for the PC (don't ask me what... I have no idea) that allows adding in the hi res version of the sound to your final render... or if AM can handle the larger file, you could just switch it out before doing the final render. There is no reason to use such a large file while you are in the beginning stages of animation. I do the same with decal images. Real tiny to start... upsize at the end. This can speed up the process. 48mg sound file? I would seriously think about some way to chop it up into manageable pieces. You probably won't be animating to the whole thing all at once. Think about how you might chop it up. Vernon "!" Zehr

Is this 21 images? Or 21 decals? I would say there is no "stated" limit on decals. But there is a limit on what your computer can handle. Each image or decal requires memory... at some point you reach a "hypothetical" limit. It would be different for each user. ----------------------- Try to see if there is a way to combine some of those decals. If you are stamping the same image over and over... put them in one decal. If you are are stamping multiple different images... see if you can combine several images into one image and stamp with one decal. If the decals are in a small area... and you are scaling the decal down a tremendous amount... scale the image down in your paint application. A larger image uses more resources in AM. 21 decals... that is a LOT of decals. It would be easier to manage if these could be combined in some way. Vernon "!" Zehr

Can you be more specific? It doesn't show in what "directory"? Where are the sound files suppose to go? WAV files in AM are just like images or any other external file. Some people have had problems if the WAV is in the "wrong" format... don't know the specifics... never had a problem myself. Size doesn't matter... uh... well that's what they tell me anyway. Of course a huge sound file may slow down or even crash AM depending on how much ram you have since it uses more to load the sound file into memory. Vernon "!" Zehr

My concern is the file name. Probably I am barking up the wrong tree... Would a "." in the middle of a file name cause any trouble with AM? SOV.POSTER_01 Vernon "!" Zehr

Actually... You may want to storyboard first... get an idea about the EXACT actions the character needs to perform. This would also tell you how the camera will "see" the character. The angles used in the film. Then a "rough" character before shading could be used to test those positions. This might actually save time in rigging and decaling. If you never see his feet up close... no need for a detailed decal... or spending a thousand hours making a special rig so he can wiggle his toes. I have heard here on the forum from extremely talented and experienced animators say that they will actually do smart skin or tweaking specifically on poses within a specific scene that has some problems. Rather than trying to cover every situation possible before you begin. ------ I have found I try to make my characters capable of every single motion possible under the sun, with gorgeous textures from every angle... only to find they don't need all that. I often build parts of models for the Image Contest only to find hours of work are facing away from the camera... that always makes me feel sleepy. Vernon "!" Zehr

I can remember loooong ago when I was just learning AM... I had the exact same question... for a while, I too was trying to "line up" multiple decals... I had more hair back then too. Yes... one image can have one attribute assignment in a decal but you can load as many images into one decal as you like as Mr. Davis has explained, drag and drop... or the "Add Image" right-click thingy. Many of my current projects have maps assigned to almost EVERYTHING in that darn list in one decal! Uh... things get complicated later when you assign a decal to control a hair emitter... then you CAN assign more than one attribute to an image... save that one for later. Vernon "!" Zehr

There was an "online" meeting for TWO set creators. If BrainMuffin comes to our meeting... I could catch up on what I missed. No MAAM, I would never miss a MAAMUG meeting. Vernon "!" Zehr

I converted 6 episodes of some shorts I am working on to pdf and submitted the whole batch to the writers guild as a "tv series" script for $20. Now if I ever see "Happy Bear in the Enchanted Forest" on Fox... I can sue their pants off... -------------------- Another "trick" to have written proof of copyright by a specific date is to print out your work and mail it to yourself. When you receive it... don't open it! Just file it away. This could be used potentially in a court setting to prove that the date on the postal precessing stamp indicates it was "original" and yours at that time. Vernon "!" Zehr

Cool! Can we talk about my ku-klip set for TWO since I missed the meeting? Vernon "!" Zehr

Just off the top of my head. Not entirely sure it will work... You could create a single spline render as lines, that is controlled by cloth. It would be connected to the end of the rod. You would need to experiment with this technique... the "cloth" spline would need to be weighted on the end some how. The good thing about this technique is that it requires minimal rigging. You won't need a chain of bones to control the "string". However the cons are... you won't be able to control "exactly" how the string behaves. You can modify the motion after the "cloth" is simulated. ---------- Another technique would involve a bone rig... a lot of bones... a whole lot of bones in a chain with a dynamic constraint to control the "spline" line... once again a single spline render as lines. The drawback to this technique is the "limpness" of the chain. To get that really stringy feel, you would need a lot of CPs in the line and a lot of bones. ------------------ The reel of string is simple. Just a model with "fake" string wrapped on the surface... possibly a bump and color map to make it look like wound up line. The line from the reel to the end of the pole would just be static. You could get really fancy and have a pose slider that makes the reel of string get "smaller" as the string "unwinds". ------------------- If any of these "ideas" seem completely alien to you... you may want to practice with simpler items first. Build the rod and reel first before attempting the string "effect"... or... you could jump right in and play around/experiment with the string cloth first. Vernon "!" Zehr

I am currently working with a client who has a similar problem... only much worse. Overseas shipping adds around $2,000 to the price of his product... he offers free shipping here in the states because he adds the minimal shipping charge to the price (like $12)... overseas sales quadruples the price of the entire product (very big and very heavy). ... so... he has contacted some distributors and plans to ship like a whole... SHIP load of product at one go. Makes my job a pain with the web site e-commerce thing. I suppose this would all depend on if Hash can actually sell enough product in these areas to make it worth while to a retail outlet. Also, what about updates? I would assume the update is probably the same problem. Would a distributor sell updates? Vernon "!" Zehr

WARNING! Please don't sing that happy birthday tribute using the copyrighted version of that familiar tune! Apparently they could sue us for like $4,000! Uh... I wonder... can they sue you for whistling that tune or humming it in your head? Happy BD dude! Vernon "!" Zehr

helimox, You may want to look at Flash for the flight panel sim. It depends on how "real" you want it. If you want a "real" 3d interactive cockpit that you can pan around... then... some 3d type engine is going to be needed. But... if you just want a "static" animated cockpit with interactive buttons and knobs, flashing lights etc... Flash is more than capable and it is learnable for those of us who are programming challenged... and it's crossplatform right out of the box. Vernon "!" Zehr

Top Ten things for Rich to do at the MAAMUG meeting 1. You can keep me company during smoke breaks! 2. When I show off my stuff... I want you to "oooh" and "ahhh" a lot. 3. Create a polygon import/export plugin that is "perfect" and demo it at the meeting. 4. Tell me I look like I have lost weight even if you don't think so. 5. Come up with the perfect UV/decaling technique that will revolutionize AM use. Keep it a secret so only WE will have this knowledge. 6. Tell me what a waste of talent it would be if I got a part time job at McDonald's. 7. Visit my dead beat clients and tell them you know Kung Fu and will kill them with only your thumbs if they don't pay me. 8. Assure me that all this strange weather is not a sign of the end times. 9. Bring in and show us the painting from your attic of you as an old man. 10. Bring the Yeti AM disk and the Orangutan Disk and do a finger puppet show. Vernon "!" Zehr

Anyone have any clue for us poor Mac users as far as normal map conversion using Photoshop? I have a normal map plugin but it doesn't have any "settings"... it is a one trick pony. I did figure out how to "switch" the red and green channels using it but it has no control on the "height" of the resulting map image. I also have a PC but I don't have photoshop on it... would there be any optional free PCimage editors that use photoshop type plugins? Oh... I just bought a new nvidia card for my PC as well... are there any standalone converters to aid in this process that might work with the card? I am clueless about this. Thanks in advance for any help. Vernon "!" Zehr

Wonderful image. The view out the window is hard to visualize... at first it looks like the road is at the same height as the window... as if the kitchen is "below ground" since there is nothing there for scale or perspective. The kitchen is great though. ---------------------- Are all kitchens the same? That is the exact layout of my parents house... stove... sink fridge... table. Vernon "!" Zehr

Have you done a Render to File yet? You should try that too. The "on screen" render is not the same as render to file. Sometimes it can give different results. ----------------------- This is indeed very strange. Nothing for it but to zip up the project for some of us to look at. Or at least just one wheel. For a really quick look first... zip the image file... the one you use as the decal... don't save it into another format. zip the exact image and post it. If you save it as something else... if the problem is in the image it won't show. I have a funny feeling about the image. The render line artifacts look strange... like they are aliased... Vernon "!" Zehr

DarkTree? No, I don't think DarkTree has anything to do with pixel level displacement in AM. Dark tree does textures/materials. If a DarkTree material has displacement.... BANG! It will look that much better using it in AM now. If I am wrong someone please correct me. Vernon "!" Zehr

You know... I get a funny feeling Martin had this up his sleeve for a while now and just kept it a secret... I kind of like that a LOT better than waiting for something I know is coming. I think all new features should be kept totally secret... ... and then just casually released. This is as cool as hair... go ahead and disagree with me... but I really think this is as good as hair as far as a new feature... as important as dynamic constraints. When a feature has the potential to be used in practically every situation easily... by anyone... even new users... it is important. Displacement in AM just went from hardly ever being used to... displacing everything... p.s. Someone "displaced" my car when they hit the bumper in a parking lot. Vernon "!" Zehr

Charlie, Even before this cool displace ability... the old one had the same problem. I would expect any displaced material is going to have similar difficulties. Displace does push the surface out so you would need to account for that when placing other objects. A while back I was working on a model that needed "quilted" puffy tube shaped "ribbing"... like the Michelin Man or a down vest... or a padded space suit. I tried both techniques... modeling and displacement. They both had advantages... I really liked using displacement though. It was actually better and easier to implement. I had total control over exact placement of the ribbing. I didn't need to worry at all about complex spline placement because I just used very simple mesh shapes... well simple in the placement... they were dense to aid in the displacement. I could easily add or move the ribbing by changing the image. The renders from the modeled version and the displaced version were so close in appearance it was hard to tell the difference. I did have to view in shaded mode with the poly display on the highest setting to "see" where other parts of the model should go so as not to intersect the displacement. I also had trouble with the directionality of the splines... but that appears to be all gone now. Let me tell you... once I get this v13 up and running... it is going to be a piece of cake to finish that project... Worrying about other shapes near displacement is always tricky... but it is worth the price of admission. Vernon Zehr

Eric... yes. Someone did a city scape using displacement. It had buildings with lights and everything. Keep in mind it must stick "straight out". You wouldn't be able to have undercutting or curved protrusions. I think nurnies for space ships and aircraft... rivets... seams... etc... is going to be the biggest use for this... second to landscapes... and maybe clothes. Imagine putting wrinkles and folds on clothes without having to model them!! Imagine putting in grotesque facial distortions in a displacement map... and animating a transformation. You could animate, damage and holes on... stuff... Holy cow... think how much fun this will be.