rusty

Hi old frineds, This is Rusty and since the return of NetRender I'm upgrading from V14c. Can anyone pointout any new features added since 14c or links to same or links to tuts on these. I kind of remember some kind of water function being added to 15 but that's about it. Thanks for any help! Rusty PS: I'm sure most of you have seen my new book (paperback due out by end of year) and the book trailer I created in AM V14c: http://www.amazon.com/The-Spiral-Slayers-E.../dp/B008STATCO/

So do I...but my rates haven't changed in many years. I charge $50 an hour unless they expect me to burn the mid-night oil for a rush and then it's $100 for over-time and I won't take projects that require more then a week of OT. A client wanted to know what the current screen second rate was and I have no idea. One job is an intro to a pod-cast...pretty simple really. Another is a 60 second book trailer...no details yet on this yet.

Hi, Ten years ago, from this forum, I got some costs per screen second for animation. Does anyone have anything a little more recent? Thanks, Rusty

Hi, I hope everyone has awesome 4th of July! As an aside, I started a small test of Google's AdWords creating a $50 campaign for my book trailer ( ). I've asked four people I know who actually write and, create plays and films for a living to advise me on the trailer and am leaving some room for changes. This light weight campaign will run until Aug while a more aggressive and concentrated campaign will run two weeks before the release and two weeks after and this one could use a modified version of the trailer. If that makes sense. Have a great day! Rusty

Hi, As per suggestions... I added a little color to the book cover. I'm rendering the completely redone book trailer now... no audio yet... probably post without to see what everyone thinks. Thanks again for all the help!!!!!! Rusty

robcat: So what you did here is to bump the frame rate to 960fps then animate a camera moving through the sprite system in say a 100 frames (far less then a second), render then take the output (say tga files) and process them at 24fps... is this the idea? Thanks, Rusty

That's pretty cool! r

Very awesome stuff!! I see three different ways to go... probably rendering at high speed will be the ticket... if I can piece together what robcat did in universeH900.mov this will work. After that I just need to ace the effect (going from galaxy clusters to super clusters to... well see below image). Thanks so much!! Rusty (view of 3D universe)

THE PEOPLE ON THE AM FORUM (YOU) ARE TOTALLY AWESOME! LOOK AT ALL THE EFFORT AND TIME FREELY GIVEN. l am in bed using my wifes new Nook Tablet (amothers day gift) which is new and still awkward--can not view mov , bummer. When pain pills hit l will go to my deskutop to see them and respond properly! R

Hi, It's me again. I need to freeze a sprite system so a camera can move though it. Searching I found: "Set initial velocity to zero." Hmm... seems to me like in the chor you'd let the sprite system form then at some frame you'd 'set the initial velocity to zero' and maybe 'rate of emission' and 'spin' and ???? as well but this isn't working for me. Of course if I set these values in the material section... nothing happens in the chor (as one would suspect). However, sprite systems are tricky devils and I haven't played with them for many years. Is there a way to do it? And pretend I'm a complete idiot and assume I know nothing (I need where, how, when and why). Are there any tutorials on this? I've attached the prototype I'm working with: a zip with the project and the image (which may need relinking in the project). 3D_Universe.zip Thanks for any help! Rusty

Hi, In the book explosive charges that have been planted within the asteroid explode (due to an accident) almost killing our hero. In the trailer I show Adamarus (our hero) in a mining craft inspecting the asteroid then zoom out to show the explosion. It been pointed out by several people that I'm not conveying that (which is really OK for the most part) and it looks like the asteroid (one of many orbiting the planet) hits the planet (which is really far below) and explodes (which is not OK, LOL). Suggestions, comments? Keep in mind I only have time for minor changes. Thanks, Rusty

Whoops. Thanks. r

Hi all!! From all the comments, all of which I agree with but, considering I have almost no time left, as a way to put forth my best foot on this, I'm considering the following: 1. Nuke the robot scenes. 2. Instead of using text blurbs to describe 'certain elements' of (just) 'book one' that I'm currently using, use blurbs to describe: a) special and/or unique aspects of the complete story (all 4 books) my own conclusions (salesperson huff and puff) c) the story that all 4 books tell. The resulting text blurbs and there order in the trailer would be as follows (note: '//' indicate scene breaks): 1. A NEW BREED OF SCIENCE FICTION... // FOR THE NEW CENTURY 2. QUANTITATIVELY TAKING... // AN EXPONENTIAL STEP… // BEYOND ANYTHING BEFORE IT. 3. YOU WILL GO… // WHERE YOU HAVE NEVER GONE BEFORE. 4. YOU WILL SEE… // THINGS YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN BEFORE. 5. WHERE IT IS THEORETICALLY POSSIBLE… // TO KNOW AND UNDERSTAND… // EVERYTHING. 6. WHERE SCIENTISTS… // HAVE JOINED THE ALCHEMISTS BEFORE THEM… // REPLACED BY SOMETHING ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. 7. WHAT'S AT STAKE… // IS MORE SIGNIFICANT… // THEN ANYTHING BEFORE. 8. SPANS MORE TIME… // THEN ANYTHING BEFORE. 9. TRAVELS FURTHER… // THEN ANYTHING BEFORE. 10. THE TOTAL KILLED IS GREATER… // THEN ANYTHING BEFORE. 11. A SPECIES MORE ADVANCED... // THEN ANYTHING BEFORE. 12. THE LONGEST CHASE… // IN HISTORY. 13. THE LARGEST BATTLE… // IN HISTORY. 14. ONE OF THE GREATEST SPACE EPICS // EVER WRITTEN! 15. TWELVE BILLION YEARS AGO… // SOMETHING DARK… // ENTERED THE VISIBLE UNIVERSE. 16. THEY HAVE BEEN COMING… // AT JUST BELOW THE SPEED OF LIGHT… // PERFORMING INCONCEIVABLE ACTS. 17. AT LAST… // THEY ARE HERE. 18. AND AT LAST… // WE WILL FIND THE ANSWER TO,,, // WHY ARE WE HERE? I can only use a small numeliminatese so I'm forced to elleminate most. Comments...? Thanks! Rusty

Weird. Haven't received it yet. I just sent myself an email, not there yet either. You can try rusty@znet.com --proceed the comment with about 20 underscores so I can pick it out quickly from the hundreds of SPAM I get. Thanks, Rusty Resent it to the second e-mail address with twenty underscores preceding the comment. Since I haven't heard back, I'll assume this one is buried somewhere in your e-mail as well, Rusty. I just resent again to both e-mail addresses. If it doesn't make it after three tries, then there is something wrong with your e-mail accounts. My comments are just my opinion, so they aren't necessarily valid and it's no great loss if you don't receive them. I'm sure you are getting enough input from other sources, making my assessment redundant. david, 1st very hard to type/tumbled down a slope doing yard wk/mangled arm/dislocated fingers lol. read it yesterday/ but in er till late/doped up today... ok... thanks jerk ***just kidding*** you put lots of time in & i applicate it/most valuable review award for sure. really thanks!! hurts to type lol talk later r

Weird. Haven't received it yet. I just sent myself an email, not there yet either. You can try rusty@znet.com --proceed the comment with about 20 underscores so I can pick it out quickly from the hundreds of SPAM I get. Thanks, Rusty

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'm sure all of you know how can be too close to your work and not see the obvious. Your comments are helping a lot! Rusty

Thank you for your thoughts and the kind words! I guess you're right on the story but in the first part of my story it is what it is. Re the cover, LOL, what I really want is a completely white cover, the art/text only raised out of the white. I know that's not a good marketing strategy. I have some pretty cool spaceships I tried on the cover but fell back to simple. But, I'm always debating and thinking about that one. Call it style over common sense and proven marketing techniques. Thanks, Rusty

Thanks for the kind words!

Where should I e-mail the critique, Rusty? rrw4rusty@hotmail.com Thanks!

Hi! I'm still working with the music but it won't change much. I'm still working on the brief voice but this won't change much. There are a few quirks to correct but this is the form for the finished product. I want you to compare it with anything Hollywood and professional studios put out and, if possible, tell me where I fall short. Please, tear it to pieces! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yXteHySTok...eature=youtu.be Enjoy! Rusty

Hi, First I'm on AM V14c which probably won't matter in this case as this will probably be a memory exercise anyway. I've rigged characters in AM 14c using TSM2 before just fine but this time I got an error when I did the rigger. I did the builder, the flipper but when I did the rigger it said "No System Found"??!!?? Anyone?? Thanks so much, Rusty Edit: BTW, I can't find a manual so I'm doing this all from memory which might be the problem.

Hi, Everyone has beeimmenselyly helpful! I think I've got it nailed (as well as I can anyway). Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rusty

GOT IT!! HOORAY!!!

So, based on the real intent of the feature, LOL, I have placed another copy of the model in the chor to receive the shadows from the original model. No luck yet but I don't know where the front projection is supposed to go, (using a normal scenario) it would seem like it would go on the ground (in my case the copy of the model I want to receive the shadows). Anyway toying with all the variations on options, settings and output format (btw jpg can't work for this as jpg's have no alpha channel). Rusty

Hm... I only have one model in the chor and I want the shadows it's casting on itself. A problem? I'll turn front projection on anyway if I can. Thanks for all the effort!! Rusty