rusty

For true multi-persons you need a lot more then the linked material show here. This material is for one person with a fairly steady stream of small to medium size projects (1 to 5 minutes of video) who might on occasion work with someone else. Going without a file system is a breeze for first 4 to 10 months or so... depending on what you're doing. But slowly with gaining momentum you'll find yourself spending more and more of your time looking for files -- and/or opening projects looking that embedded material you spent so much time creating. Or going nuts trying to open a project you last worked on a couple of weeks ago; searching for files, correcting dozens of image links because you happen to move or remove some seemingly unused folders. After a year 80% or more of you're time will go to looking for stuff. Or... I could be wrong... this was my experience and that of many others as well. Perhaps you'll only do small projects -- like what john3d does. I know John well and worked with him for years. He had no consistent organization for his files and he gets by... though perhaps 2 or 3 times a year he'll have to spend days looking for a file. Or, perhaps you'll realize your mistake early on or grow into some system as you go that's mostly the same from project to project. My very first project with AM -- Mantis -- I had no organization. I started Mantis, then got into other stuff for six months -- easy to do -- then returned to it. I'm not kidding you, I spent over two months trying to find stuff; where are those renders, the reset of the scene or shot, that series of images, or materials, or relinking project files. I was trying to save the work I'd already done. At the end of that period I decided to cut my losses; I salvaged perhaps 3 scenes out of 16... I moved out the dozen or so scenes I couldn't figure out and started from stretch on them. My second project had an organization system but it was half ass and I paid for that too. My 3rd project I had my shit together and from that moment, no problems; I knew exactly where every and any file would be, no matter what project, no matter how mush time passed and image links were never again broken. In fact, for projects, I know exactly were I left off and what needs to be done next. Do yourself a favor sooner rather then later get the following zip and look it over, it takes care of everything. You'll think way too much at first but later you'll feel less this way. http://www.virtualmediastudios.com/00_VMS%...%20Template.zip The best 15 Mb file you'll ever download (not because its better then anyone else's but because your downloading something to use). Both my new and older 'file structure' is are included you'll see the difference. You put this somewhere and make it Read Only then you make a copy of it for any new project you start. Always use a copy! Rename the top folder to the project name. Once you start a project never move the project folder. In the Models and Scenes folders are Model and Scene standard file structure templates that you do the same thing for models and scenes. Oh, same goes for Shots I think. That's my 2 cents and if I've talked you into using some kind of standard file organization... that you always use project to project... then I've just done you a huge favor! Cheers, Rusty

Assuming Windows... 8 1 Do Tools->Customize (or right click on a tool bar and select View->Customize from the context menu) then click on the Keyboard tab. On the right are all of the commands in a scroll down box, on the left side somewhere is the shortcut key combination if there is one. This Tab also lets you assign keyboard shortcuts and tells you if the keyboard combination you specified is already in use and for what. You can just click on the top command and use your arrow down key to run down the list and show you all of the shortcuts. Cheers, Rusty

What does this pertain to? The arm flexing? What expression? Where did you correct it? I don't want to reinstall the rig on this model again: can you post the fix (what changes, where) so I can modify the rig I have installed? Thanks, Rusty In this part of my post: I was referring to that explanation...the Expressions in the rig haven't been changed. I had left out part of it when I initially posted it. Don't scare me like that! ;-) r

My children (30 and 28) are over with friends and visiting and in the 103 degree heat we are all out back doing the pool/spa. I won't be able to work on anything until this evening or maybe tomorrow. I was brought a fancy Caribbean drink and, a blast from the '60s'! After a few minutes, exactly how that odd fan bone works came to me... so, a rig built with CP weighting in mind huh? Who'd of thought! Neat. Later, Rusty

That was a stupid or rather a lazy question... it took all of a second to find the constraint and enforcement percentage. So it rotates 50% of the arm (or orientates 50% of the right/left_bicep). Kind of tones down and adjusts the influence of the right/left_bicep_fan_geom bone. I have not dealt with a rig containing a bone like this before. I have no experience with using a bone like this. I have looked at other Squetch models and it seems like it is only used to adjust the ring of splines that crosses the pivot of the bicep bone (the splines normally assigned to the right/left_bicep_fan_geom bone). Still, I'll be stumbling my way though this one guessing at its purpose and usage. r

Absolutely! Thanks!

Hi, Attempting to determine the exact purpose of the right/left_shoulder_fan_geom bone I watched the way it moved in an action. I expected to see it rotate 50% of the right/left_shoulder_geom bone but it moves exactly like it. When or why would you assign a CP to it instead of the right/left_shoulder_geom bone? Thanks, Rusty

Sounds good! Thanks! Rusty

What does this pertain to? The arm flexing? What expression? Where did you correct it? I don't want to reinstall the rig on this model again: can you post the fix (what changes, where) so I can modify the rig I have installed? Thanks, Rusty

I'm afraid I need both. The arm muscles were always going to flex and move. And, the shirt sleeves of, the heavily starched, 'sharp-creased', 'naval-type' Khaki uniform... will just... 'hang out'... somewhere outside the arm mesh... in heavily starched looking ways. I wasn't even expecting any kind of built-in system. Can it assist? Undecided... probably just 'turn off' the rig's influence and do it as planned... i.e. by hand... unless something else presents itself. r

Hey Chris, How are things in South Wales? How's the new Dell doing? Too much is going on behind the scenes! I do not really want to know the gory details that dwell between the geometry bones and all the control bones the poses. I envision a tangled mess of pulleys, gears, strings, mirrors, band-aids and bubble gum! Do you have any idea how many bones are in this rig? No? Well that's because no one does and no one has time to count them and... even if they tried to, a new version would come out before they finished! Still the minute I found out that it had at least two different control systems for every limb... I fell in love. BTW, I still have that awesome space ship you built for me... I think I may need to wait a year or so for the 132 bit 7.2 GHz quad processor/quad core 8Gig RAM PCs to have the power to use both the ship and the cockpit in same project file but I love it and as soon as I get these damn outfits rigged the show will begin. Oh, I'm modeling the "Black Ship" as a background project and I'm about to tackle the tentacles (or arms). I thought you had started on these but I never got anything. You have anything? Hey, I miss working with you dude! Cheers, Rusty

Well thanks for thanking me! Now, what horrible questions can I come up with next... oh yeah, coat and shirt sleeves don't have muscles... r

Right after I hit the road running chores it dawned on me what it had to be and that's really pretty cool unless your character is wearing something with sleeves that isn't skin tight... or is thick. Some of the TWO characters, maybe most, have shirts with sleves... now how is that handled? A few things come to mind and I can probably find something to look at. Cheers, Rusty

Perhaps I'm getting lazy LOL. Is there documentation somewhere that would tell me all of these things? I watched all the videos. I think I read all the threads (I could be wrong on this one). I went through the Wiki site and again I could have missed large sections. David suggested all my pestering could be used as the basis as a FAQ. Cheers, Rusty

Hi again! :-) I will be starting on weighting the arms later this afternoon -- have to brave the 105 degree temperature outside for a haircut and other errands first. However I noticed this strange thing and know its a problem I will have to deal with. I know of no reason why, before cp weighting and smartskin, that bending the lower arm at the elbow would morph or change the upper arm in any way. Assigning the CPs in the arm is fairly straight forward, don't think I have that too much wrong. Can someone tell me what I'm seeing here: The upper arm gets skinny and this morph seems to move upward. Thanks, Rusty

Gads, what changed in this upcoming release? r The spine on both the bipeds and quadrupeds will now have an FK option and the neck on the quadrupeds will also have an FK option. There are other updates that are presently being worked on to improve the installation, but those are going to be in the next update...I wanted to get the updates to the spine out so that everyone is on the same page from the development end. If you have access to the Hippogyraf, the updates are installed in him. David, I don't know if I have access to Hippogyraf -- I am not involved with TWO if this is a TWO model . Where would I look? Any documantation or other examples of FK spine? Also, can you kindly give me some idea of the improvements planned for installation in the following release. Is this the items discussed in the "I may have goofed up... " thread or, are these items discussed in another thread? Cheers, Rusty

Besides the background color that Ken talks about the default chor contains a model called 'ground' which is brown -- the way you mention "earth and sky" I think you're talking about this model as well. You can recolor the ground model or just remove it and use something else. Rusty

An animation project can generate hundreds if not thousands of files! Organization is very important. You might want to check out these threads. I had put my own animation project folder structure up on the web... I think the link was mentioned in these threads and I think it is still out there. http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?s=&am...st&p=111818 http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?s=&am...st&p=240820 http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?s=&am...st&p=210792 Cheers, Rusty

No, it isn't playing in Pinnacle before I burn the movie. I see it as just a solid color on the timeline and playback. So probably the avi file is blank as well or, Pinnacle (which I know nothing about) perhaps does not take the avi format or the codec you are using (after you select avi in AM click on settings to set the codec). r

No, it isn't playing in Pinnacle before I burn the movie. I see it as just a solid color on the timeline and playback. So probably the avi file is blank as well or, Pinnacle (which I know nothing about) perhaps does not take the avi format or the codec you are using (after you select avi in AM click on settings to set the codec). r

Gads, what changed in this upcoming release? r

I'm going to be sleeping until sometime tomorrow.. pulled an all nighter and still going! I no longer have the chart as it was though I can reconstruct it. I'm attaching a zipped excel file that has all of the latest 'compensates' plus the chart for step 1 (at the beginning) and the chart for the last step (at the end). For my own self I renumbered the steps and there is even a yellow marker that can be dragged down as each step is done. Actually I don't use this directly anymore, I use a crazy system of my own design. Warning: I am 99% sure that I checked all steps against the latest instruction sheet however as I do not use the head portion of the rig yet, I am 1% unsure (that's the way I talk when I haven't slept in 2 days) that the last two sections dealing with the head got any changes that might have been made (if any). If you do not have excel I will be alive again sometime tomorrow. r

Hi, I apply mine when I compress the final take in Cleaner -- I've never really thought about the best way to do it in AM through there must be a dozen different ways. It could be as simple as placing an image on a layer and constraining it to your camers so that it appears in the lower left hand corner. There is probably a better way but nothing really comes to mind. You might do a search of this forum. Rusty

David, There is an issue with the ‘resetting compensates’ document – nothing that serious perhaps but for us newbes enough to trip us up. As we new Squetch wantabes wade into the ‘resetting compensates’ document our first instruction is: “1. Turn off the following Poses (if they aren't already turned off): . After 50 some odd steps we come to the last step which says: “Now, you can turn back on all of the Poses that were turned off during this process.” Here we groan because we don’t know what poses we turned off so we go back over all the steps looking for “poses we turned off”. I think all of them are in step 1 but we don’t know that until we check. Finally we turn ‘on’ all of the 13 poses listed in step-1 but… based on the settings of these 13 poses in the v13_Squetchy_Sam_08_10_2007 model, the settings seem to turn out wrong, plus there is the potential to even turn out ‘wronger’ (a new word) which probably, if not corrected, will equate to added posts to you down stream. Below is a graph containing the 13 poses we turn off in step one. To the right of the pose names the columns are as follows: 1. how the poses are set when we start (factory settings if you will) 2. how the poses are set after following step 1 3. how the poses are set if we follow the last step and ‘turn on’ the posts ‘verbatim’ (at least how I did) 4. how the poses would be set if we recorded the original settings and went back to these 5. the correct settings based on the v13_Squetchy_Sam_08_10_2007 model Oh, on the poses that started at 50%, they get 100% at the end in column 3 because that is ‘turning on’ ‘verbatim’ and no one would know up front to note that they only needed to go back to 50% (at least for me 1st time around). Differences between the outcome and the correct settings are in red. There is one other way to interprete the last instruction; only turn on poses you had to change to off... but this does not work either. I’ve been up all night working (25.5 hours straight) so my mind is mush – kindly forgive typos, rambling and whatever else. I just gathered the data so I could get the settings right and, because I have it in a pretty chart, I thought you’d appreciate it if I passed it on to you. I hope it is correct and helpful. Cheers, Rusty

Ahhhhh... the final instruction: "Now, you can turn back on all of the Poses that were turned off during this process." I had meant to carefully go back through the some odd 50 instructions and weed out all of these and make a list but never got back to it. Thanks for reminding me. Now that I've followed these things 4 or 5 times it doesn't see so daunting... probably these poses are all in step 1 and perhaps another step (the half dozen or so elsewhere are done in a relationship edit so are not a concern). Thanks, Rusty