Glen Crowell
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Posts posted by Glen Crowell
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Now that TWO is "in the can", where should I ask folks who worked on it what lessons were learned on this project? I'm curious how A:M changed when faced with the challenges of a feature film length and scope project. Was compositing used much? Was a version locked down for production?
Thanks,
Glen Crowell
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Thanks for sharing! Keep it up, great work!
I bet you worked hard to get the models to render the features of the face with toon line so well. Well done.
I agree that some more ambient sound design would help tie everything together.
Glen Crowell
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Hi Martin,
Yep, I'm getting pretty close to buying the V13 upgrade. I've been wanting it for quite some time and it looks like some overtime pay will make it happen.
I want to throw my hat in the ring for the TWO project, but I've still got to free up enough time to not let you guys down. Let alone get up to speed with V13.
Thanks for the reply,
Glen
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Old time A:M user here,
Has Biased normals replaced porcelain as an option for smoother model surfaces in the current version of A:M? In the old days there was default/normal patch surfaces, which are great for most models, and there was also a Porcelain.mat that would average the surface for smoother surfaces that worked great for some other kinds of models. Maybe a cartoon baby, for example. They were both great and both had advantages and disadvantages. (Don't worry folks, I'm not trying to avoid good modeling technique).
The technical manual says that Biased Normals is now the default. Does that mean there is biased and unbiased rendering available now? Or is biased normals the one and only patch surface rendering mode?
Jim Talbot or other old time users will know what I'm talking about.
Thanks,
Glen
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Hello hashers,
After a long time in the wilderness I'm trying to get back in to A:M. I feel like a newbie all over again.
I'm very familiar with A:M V8.5 p++, but it will not work on our new WIN XP CPU. I've installed my A:M V9 2002. My old A:M model work uses half traditional modeling and half use porcelain depending on the type of character. Is there a different way of making porcelain.mat to work in V9.5f? When I apply it to a model it doesn't work like i'm used to. It has no effect at all. Any one have any ideas what I'm doing wrong?
I look forward to upgrading to V13 as money and time free up.
Thanks,
Glen Crowell
long time A:M user.
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Wow, where do I begin?
Animation Master is THE program for you if you are an independant animaton film maker, hobbyist, or aspiring proffessional.
It is very powerful and yet the easiest to master for full character animation. A:M IS your 3D pipeline. I can’t think of a style of animation that can’t be done with the right thinking and the combination of A:M, a paint program and a compositing program. (And for many tasks, A:M can double as a compositer if needed).
Features that have had to been purchased separately in the past for other programs, such as particles, hair, toon rendering, lens flares, easy full featured animation tools and more are part of A:M right out the box.
Part of its’ power is all the time it saves you. This is time you can put to use where it should be used: -making your art and tweeking your animation performances.
If you come from the world of traditional 2D drawn animation then A:M is your choice. It comes the closest to working like a 2D animator thinks and draws. It’s spline modeling and animating is akin to drawing in 3D. For character animation it is simply the best method for me out there. For example, it has an awsome animation light table (called Onion Skining) built in to toggle on as a display mode for animating so that you can watch your arcs and refine the relationships between your poses for the best animation performances by seeing more than one frame at the same time.
A:M doesn’t force a style on you. From cartoons to realistic images, the choice is up to you the artist. Take a look at the gallery images to see the wide variety of user work. It’s the best 3D app I’ve seen at getting out of the way of you the artist.
It is priced for artists of modest means. An independent or small commercial studio can afford as many legal seats as they need. Cheap enough so that students can also own a copy.
You can look at the entire manual on line and then ask its’ friendly user base any questions you might have.
Along with many others out there, my A:M work has personaly helped me land many interviews, jobs and job offers. I’ve been flown out to Pixar (twice) and Avalanche Software for four different job interviews. Digital Domain was very interested in my A:M modeling at one point. I worked as a Director of Character Animation for a college and for Eggington Productions. I consulted with Neal Adams in New York and Disney World’s Imagineering in Florida. It’s great for web graphics and as a front end for making frames you can use to make Flash animations. I’ve even taught students A:M who went on to work at Pixar.
There are many many independents and big studio employees who either used A:M to help land a job, or go home at night and use it for personal projects.
A:M is a “Swiss army knife” of a 3D program, but for artists, not programmers. If you want to create it, you can do with A:M. And 9 times out of 10, you’ll also be able to do it faster, easier and cheaper too!
Glen Crowell
www.glencrowell.com
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Edna has an excelent clean mesh made for actting. You *might* (or might might not) be able to delete a few spline rings in places like the arms. That is, if she weren't already boned, rigged and textured. So, ah, never mind...
Her face is a study in animtable light dencity. Nice.
My suggestions for the hands in the animation is this:
1, they need to "drag" more. They are too aligned with the forearms. As if the hands don't move at the wrist. When she wips them forward have them drag back a bit and then come forward as the arms begin to go back. A bit of overlapping action.
2, The hands stay in the same extended postion for the entire animation. I realise she's "On stage" and filling her universe. (GRIN). All I'm sugesting is possibly when the hands drag to relax and close the fingers together a bit. Not closed like in a fist, but move the extended fingers together during the fast parts of the animation and into the "I'm a special whole lotta woman" hand pose in the slower parts and as they "snap" when changing direction.
I hope I'm making sense.
Glen
www.glencrowell.com
me@glencrowell.com
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I hope you finish a short with her and her 'bo'.
1, I want to see more! (quantity, not less clothing!)
2, I think a short like that would have a great shot at interesting powers that be with a cable series. "The life of edna" or some such.
Glen
www.glencrowell.com
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Ha! I'm loving her Mike!
I imagine her walking around her "Florida Room" outside Orlando.
Glen
www.glencrowell.com
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The short answer: Yes, A:M can do it.
Slightly longer answer: While the tools are there right now, you have to have the time, budget and skills of a dedicated team of full time people to actually pull it off.
And remember that the realistic films are a combination of live action creature effects, miniture model sets, live action explosions, matte paintings, compositing as well as 3D CG.
Glen
www.glencrowell.com
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Mats, that is very helpful. I don't have the manual just yet because I have yet to purchase the software.
Thanks
>Mats, that is very helpful. I don't have the manual just yet because I have yet to >purchase the software.
>Thanks
A:M is a great buy, but you can use the manual to decide if you want to buy right now.
Go here:
Then to the "Support" section listed on the left. Select "On line refference" and Video tutorials" to the manual and video demonstrations.
Look for that "web Demo" video as well on the upper left.
Have fun,
Glen crowell
www.glencrowell.com
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This sounds very cool Vern! Toward the path of using your reader to fix bad A:M files I recently fixed an old model that always came in with a display problem. Half of the splines conecting the CP's wouldn't be there. I would always have to manually change the display to "Wireframe" to force the correct display while working. I finally realised I could go into the model file and I found a simple, but tedious, cool Fix for the display problem. When you have bones in a model file make sure they are set to Wireframe = TRUE If they are set WIREFRAME=FALSE then the splines won’t show in wireframe mode. Your reader would would speed up the search and fix. It also could have a check to this kind of problem and ask the user if they want it fixed on a new copy of the model file. (I can't think of a reason that the saved state of a model would ever want WIREFRAME=FALSE under the bones section of the file). Glen Crowell
TWOers
in TWO: General Discussion
Posted
Thanks for the feed back. TWO is a major accomplishment. And, unless someone was part of the process, I'm sure no one will know all the effort it took.
My hat's off to all of you.