[Multi pass "sub frame" render...]

Vern,

Look into Xtas's MUFOOF technique. It might do the trick.

 

Xtas's Multiple Frames within Frames (MUFOOF)

 

Hm... dont knwo exactly what you are looking for, but you could although increase the FPS.

Just dont use 25 or 30... use 60 and you have faked 2 "Sub-Frames" in 1 "Main-Frame"...

(you can do that at the options)

 

*Fuchur*

[models compatible for game?]

Hey do any of you guys know if 3D max is compatible with AM?I am asking this becouse i want to import a model from 3D max into AM.

 

 

Once, I tried to export to 3Ds, all I got was CP's translated, with triangle patches, not splines and patches - much to my dismay. I have not successfully imported a 3ds file. That was about a year ago, so perhaps 3DS has gotten better at exportations, as well as AM.

 

The *.max-format can't be important (from any application with some exceptions if you have Max installed).

*.3ds is a Polygon-format, so you won't be able to import or export splines/patches/nurbs or whatever.

Best way to export/import would be to use the *.obj or *.x-format.

There are quite good plugins for A:M for these formats. The plugins have been renewed lately with a better algorithm for 5-point-patches and hooks.

 

From A:M to 3ds is not the biggest problem anymore, but the other way round you will cause problems...

The problem of too many polygones wont be solved by this new plugins, that means: If you go from 3ds to A:M, your Polygon-count should really really be small.

 

*Fuchur*

[all my weeks of work... gone :(]

Once I lost my work of three weeks too...

I hope you will find yours, but if not it will teach you to save in several version...

 

Other tipps:

Dont save the models externally from you projectfile, or if you do, save your models in several version too... (more work, but if your projectfile will go corrupt, your model will still be alive...)

 

How I do it:

- I save everything embedded in my projectfile.

- I save my projectfile with a number (like project_01.prj, project_02.prj) at every major-change...

 

You should do this with every document, file, etc. you will create. I lost several *.docs, *.psds and some other files because of some problems... today even if I loose a file, I always can go back to a slightly older version and I dont have to start all over again.

 

I know that wont help to get rid of your frustration, but this properly will:

If you start again with your project (if your motivation is back) than the new project will most likeley have a better result than the old one had. You now know, how to do it or where the problems of the old project were.

So make it better this time!

 

*Fuchur*

[microphone picture]

looks like a mic.

 

except the wire mesh looks painted on... is there a wire mesh?

 

dunno if a bump map would work, splinage would be Heavvvvy, so I don't think that's the answer either.

 

Otherwise. looks quite realistic.

 

You should have a look at the UV-editor in A:M, because there are some distortions from applying the decal of the wire... otherwise: nice modell!

 

*Fuchur*

[Mac Vs. Windows]

As far as I know, the PC version of A:M renders slightly faster...

I think, AMD is faster than a Intel-CPU for rendering.

You can shut down some of the processes in the TaskManager, but that will just decrease the rendertimes in a very little way... so I dont think you have to...

Only thing you can do, and which will have a noticeable decrease of rendertimes is to minimize A:M while rendering or even go to the task-manager and kill the explorer.exe.

When A:M has finished, you have to go to the taskmanager again and tip in the cmd "explorer.exe"... it will be back than.

 

CPU-clocking... that is quite a difficult thing and can be very harmful for your PC, so dont do it, if you dont have a big knowledge around that topic...

 

RAM-usage... I think that will be different from project to project... if you, for example have a project which includes many big textures I think you will see a increased use of your RAM.

 

For performence-increasing: look for fast acesstimes at the RAM and the HDs...

Realtime-rendering has nothing to do with A:Ms final rendering... Realtime-rendering is a graphic-cards-task, rendering is a cpu-task... (+ RAM)

So, an alienware will properly give you a very good performence in A:M at working with it (for shaded-view, hair, etc...)...

 

*Fuchur*

[Website - Advice wanted]

Don't know about that (but I am pretty sure hash will allow you that...

 

I just wanted to stop by and say: Nice looking page... clean and prof looking...

 

*Fuchur*

[I'm Back After An Extended Absence]

I think, on a make, most people use Final Cut for cutting their movies, etc.

 

*Fuchur*

[possible useful feature for new/ intermediate users]

You should post this to A:M Reports, if you want an answer... in the WIP-session, this topic is totally wrong...

Martin wont expect such a thread in here...

 

*Fuchur*

[OBJ and other importing?]

To help you with finding it, because it is not the easiest search after all:

Look into that thread: Thread about Importing/Exporting-Plugins

 

You will find a new obj, dxf and lwo-plugin at Arthur Walasek (hope I wrote it correct)-Website...

-> Website

 

As far as I know, you wont be happy with the results, even with the new much better plugin... you will get too many patches, which will make it more difficult to animate, rig, etc.

Best way: Stay in A:M and if you want to use another programm for anything else, combine the rendered results in post-production (in A:M or for example AfterEffects or Combustion)

 

*Fuchur*

[Missing Fundamentals Here????]

Just a thought, if you didnt use the force-key-frame-in-all-channels-technique...

 

First: Move all the bones you want to animate at frame 0.

After that, go to frame 5 and animate the first arm like you want to.

Than, force a keyframe or just move the second arm very slightly.

After that, go to keyframe 10 and animate the second arm...

 

A:M will only save the keyframes, if there is a channel where it can save them... by moving the bone, you will automatically create such a channel for the bone... (there are several for the different motion-possibilities...)

 

So, if you just move your arms, legs etc. at keyframe 0 slightly (you can even after you moved the bone bring it exactly to the same position... the channel will be there...)

 

*Fuchur*

[attatchments?]

can someone tell me how to attatch objects together? ex: leg to body

Giraffes have legs and bodies. Ooh look! The manual has a tutorial on making a giraffe!

 

In the end you will most often work with 5-point-patches there... but as others suggested before:

Have a look at the giraffe-tutorial... that should help alot...

Or try to find a way by yourself... that will help you to understand how to modell with splines... I did it that way and it helped me alot...

 

*Fuchur*

[Copying and Pasting Keyframes]

Zip and post the prj with the non-working pastes and some one will probably look at it.

 

embed all the models before you save it. That's a property of the models, found in their property windows.

 

-> there is although a "embed all"-feature at the main-navi under EDIT

 

*Fuchur*

[need a good way to do red weed]

is there any way in A:M were i can make red weed like this quickly and not be to difficult to render?

http://forums.eveofthewar.com//photos/disp...m=47&pos=11

 

You should use Sweeper for that...

First you have to make a shape and a spline where the red plant should go along.

After that, you should make a modell of the "arms" going away from the main-root and use sweeper again with

its duplicator-option...

Sweeper is a plugin implemented in A:M since v13.

 

Further Infos

 

*Fuchur*

[Forth polo-movie]

If you dont know what a polo is, you are properly living in north america...

 

From the VW.com-webpage:

"The Polo is one of our most popular foreign models. While it's not available in North America, the Jetta and the Golf are similar to the Polo. You can also get more info on the Polo through the international Volkswagen sites below." -> a bit odd... in germany, the polo is a bit smaller than the golf...

 

Just some background-infos...

*Fuchur*

[How do I get my libraries back?]

so is anyone going to answer the question?

 

You can specify a folder under options, where the libarys should be located at your hard-drive/cd-rom/dvd-drive..

 

Did you check if the entry is correct?

*Fuchur*

["Everything attached"-Function?]

THX a lot!

That makes life so much easier...

 

*Fuchur*

["Everything attached"-Function?]

Actually I am not a new user(i have been working with A:M since 2000), but the question I want to ask is somehow a newbee-question, so I will ask it here:

 

In the cloth-video-tutorial from hash, I saw and heard about a function called: "select everything attached"...

What key is that? I only know the ',' key for the whole spline, but what do i have to push, if I want everything attached?

 

*Fuchur*

[Mov playing inside animation]

I am working on a scene that I want a video playing on a screen inside the animation. I have tried to import the mov file and assign it to the page but it will only show the first frame of the video and the image is flipped and and there a four images pasted on the screen. Any thoughts?

 

Steve

 

Did you use repeat at the decal-setting?

What is setted at the star and end-frame of the video at the image?

*Fuchur*

[Computer Specs]

I can't comment about mac.

 

PC:

We use AMD primarily which render faster than Pentiums.

 

PCIexpress video card with 256Mb of memory.

2 Gb of RAM is an OK starting point, 4Gb would be a good target to shoot for.

 

Dual Hard drives 250 Gb each

 

Dual Monitors 17" minimum with 19's being an excellent choice.

 

No experience with Dual Core processors.

 

David

 

So, lets talk about the real question here:

Dont invest too much in the videocard (a mid-range is enough, for me my nvidia cards worked great, but there are some people which had problems with them) and try to get min 1 GB better 2 GB RAM and a fast AMD-processor...

 

Oh... and a big screen or even better two screens...

 

*Fuchur*

[First Spline Model made in AM]

Hm... you are using way to many splines... you could use half as many or less and you would get the same result...

You should try to avoid CPs and try to model with the curves of splines more...

Keep in mind: You cann make a cycle out of 4 CPs... and if you need more, you can insert the CPs where you need them.

A good way to avoid high amounts of splines is to use there curve-behaviour and to use hooks when you need a higher resolution at certain parts of you model.

 

I think you made the model by using the lathe-tool, right? you can set the subdivision-level of lath down under options-> modeling...

To give you a start. Look at his hair. You could do that hairpart with 2 or 3 intersection. So you have 2 intersections(try to use the bias-handlers...) instead of 5.

You will have faster renderingtimes, you can animate your character easier and so on.

 

It is however a pretty nice try for the first time... keep on doing...

 

*Fuchur*

[Options Won't Open! Just for like 1 second.]

Hm... it is more like a general solution for view-problems, but you could try to start A:M with the shift-key pressed. That wil activate software-rendering and may be some other stuff...

 

Try it and if you get in the options then, you should change your realtime-driver...

I cant say, if that will help you, but it is worth a try.

 

*Fuchur*

[Sexy Elf]

Thanks, Guys! I'm going to pump up her booty a little, but she IS an elf, remember... And she'll get the thong, but a flap, too, to bounce when she runs...

 

I like her boobs as they are... more would be definitivly unnatural.... But the string is a good idea...

 

Very nice work!

*Fuchur*

[Master vs. Mentor????]

I think you could do both...

A:M isnt that expensive and at least you need an 3d-programm (okay you could draw by hand or do a stop motion as well, but i think it is easier to start with a great 3d-program) and A:M is the cheapest and at the same time one of the most powerful Animation-Programms which can be bought. Maybe the most powerful at all.

 

So I would start by learning A:M in depth, than try some learning-material like Anzovin, Jeff Lew and some more offer and after that, if you want more, go and do the Animation Mentor-courses.

 

*Fuchur*

[Is there any way to export a Biped skeleton from Max7 to Animation Master?]

I dont think that that is possible...

A:M hast some freeware (and payware)-plugins which can import *.3ds, *.obj, *.x and some more, but I dont think that you will be happy with the results.

*.x or *.obj are the most developed plugins I think, but after all, it is never a good idea to try to import polygonal data to Patch-data-based-programms if you want to animate the model in a complex way.

 

In the end you dont have to... if you are after animation characters, A:M is the better way anyway.

I think biped skeltons are quite equal to a A:M skeleton with SmartSkins and may be CP-Weights...

 

You should try to animate and model in A:M and you wont be disappointed with the results. A:M is much more easy to handle and much more powerful in terms of characteranimation than the plain 3ds is and it is equal or evern better than 3ds with character studio...

 

*Fuchur*

[Cluedo]

I dont know if this has been asked before, but did you find a Director-Plugin (W3C or W3d or something like that is the 3d-format of director) for A:M?

 

Or do you render the images out and use them as stills in director and you dont want to get 3d-formats in director?

 

If you are trying to make a 3d-content-game you should take a look at quest3d, which can import and handle *.x-format. A A:M-Plugin for *.x is available from Obsidan-Games... quest3d is nice, but works in another way than director... Quest3d is available in different version, the cheapest costs about 150 dollars (or something like that) the most expensive one costs about 5.000 dollars.

Here is the link:

 

Link to Quest3d-Homepage

 

*Fuchur*