Fuchur

The first step would be: Make a drawing or get some reference-images. You can model from scratch, but it is hard to help you with that... If you have something, please let us know and upload the image... The drawings should be from left and front or something else... *Fuchur*

Could you upload an image? *Fuchur*

Looks cool... so what exactly do you want to know? I would start modeling it and if you are that far, we can talk about the model, splinage and after that the rigging. Just upload some WorkInProgress-images and we will help you if you need it *Fuchur*

Excellent. Thanks again Ken. The Lights are more or less like a model. If you use it in a choreo, a shortcut is created and you can animate iit in the chor, while if you make changes to it, it will effect the shortcut too. You can easy use that behaviour for example for a light-dome by using one light in a chor several times. Now you can adjust every light in the chor simultanious by changing the attributes of the light under "Objects" And if you right-click on "objects" you can easily go to "New Light" and set a new one too. The same happens if you use the command on a Chor itself. *fuchur*

It is so amazing how well you texturings work... you should write some tutorials for your unwrap-processes and the textuering itself... *Fuchur*

Nice one, but I had to download the file and rename it. When I tried to open it in the browser, quicktime didnt seem to work. Then I downloaded it and the extension of the file was .mp3 (.mpg.mp3) That wouldnt work because it is recognized as an Audiofile which it isnt. After renaming it to only .mpg / .mpeg it worked in the windowsmediaplayer. *Fuchur*

It should be under ->Wizard. *Fuchur*

What are targa images? TARGA (or *.tga) is a fileformat which allows alphachannels and 8 bit per channel... For example XnView can handle and convert this fileformat. And of course, A:M can. It is the prevered fileformat for A:M because it is loseless and has transparency through the alpha-channel. *Fuchur*

I haven't tried AVIs for a while, but when I did, it balked at a DV type 1 AVI, but the same movie uncompressed was fine. If you're using a file captured from a DV camera by firewire, try converting it to Type 2 using one of the many free converters out there (such as the one by Paul Glagla). I wouldnt use AVIs in A:M... if you have the possibility use a image-sequence or convert you videofiles to a image-squence (for example *.tgas) See u *Fuchur*

Or right-click on the decal-imagefolder, say "new image", browse it and set the at its attributes (at the decal-imagefolder) "bump" or "displacement".

I have one more: Use a Dynamic Constraint for the Ears... if they are that long they just have to move a bit with the movement. You could do it by hand too, of course. *Fuchur*

I would use a patch-image for the skin... this will only work if your patches are more or less the same size. Just make a group right-click on it and select "Add Image". You will see what happens. With "Rotate Image" you can rotate the image for each patch. The stripes should be done with a decal. 3dPainter isnt a way to apply better decals... it is a way to create decals. But you need to unwrap the model anyway, even so there is a way to unwrap it automatically. After that, 3dPainter can give you distortionless decals and very well looking models. *Fuchur*

Okay... you do it this way: 1.) Go to your modelling-window. 2.) Go to Bones-Mode. 3.) Rightclick on a bone an say: "New Smartskin" or something like that. A new Action-Window will open automatically with the bone rotated in a certain way (for example X-Rotation = 90°). 4.) In this window you adjust the smartskin you like to have, by going into the CP-Animation-Mode (dont know the exact name for it now... it is next to the skeleton-mode in the action-window). 5.) Go to a choreography and add the model in. 6.) Try the bones out. If you already have the model in a choreo, you may need to hit the space-bar or close the choreo-window again and reopen it. That is the way a smartskin is done. It is not done in the modelling-window but in a special Relationship-Action-Window which will pop up if you hit "New Smartskin" or the relationship itself in the PWS. *Fuchur*

Just a question but... Is he touching his ear with the lightsaber? *Fuchur*

As far as I know, there is always the last A:M-version for download till v6 or something like that... can be found on the FTP-server. So he can download the last version of v11.1 easily. You should look on the FTP-server for the am-stuff.exe for your version... the dll will very likeley be in there... if not, you can google for it on some of the DLL-file-sites... I looked it up for you: Download this... I hope it can help you. It is for windows... See you *Fuchur*

You should use the Sweeper-Plugin instead of the Duplicator-Plugin for this... it is integrated in A:M since v13 if I am not wrong. But the bone-solution is very good too... more flexible... *Fuchur*

In Maya and Max you group OBJECTS together... in A:M you can group ControlPoints of a Spline, Splines and Patches in one model and save the group to reacess it later on or to set certain attributes for a specified part of a model. The Group-Connect-Tools from Maya and Max are more like the selection-tools in the choreography-window, but in this term I am speaking about the group in the model-window of A:M... Unlike Maya and Max, A:M has several "moduls" like the Model-Modul, Action-Modul and Choreography-modul(lightwave had this for a while too)... that keeps the work separeted and easy to access and handle while it can have some disadvantages if you need to interact between models... (but there are ways to do that too...) YOu should have a look at some of the basic training-videos and tutorial-videos on the Hash website and the manual... Videotutorials *Fuchur*

You need to insert your CD in your cd-rom-drive to start Animation:MAster... after that you can take it out again, but till it is loaded, you need to put the cd in... it is the copyright-protection of A:M *Fuchur*

Give the emitter-surface 100% transparency by making a group for it and editting the surface-properties. *Fuchur*

Yes, Mudbox and ZBrush are amazing, but A:M's Patches are just better suited for characteranimation than polys are... patches are more controlable than many polygones or even nurbs... *Fuchur*

And one of the most useful shortcuts for me is the group-connect-shortcut ( / )... It will select everything connected to the cp / spline you selected. *Fuchur*

Hi... just wanted to ask a newbee-question... When I use hair on a group, the hair gets often the surface-attribute "transparency" of the group underneath it... If I set the group for the hair 100% transparency, the hair gets that too... even when I set the hair-property for it to 0%. I couldnt find how to overwrite that... Any ideas? *Fuchur*

And you can specify it by a pose of course... I like it that way the most... *Fuchur*

Wow, wow, wow, wow..... There the aliasing goes and god that it is good VERYVERY Cool rendering... I am very impressed... *Fuchur*

Isnt shift the Stitch-feature? Left and Right-Click should make a hook... *Fuchur*