fae_alba

the only thing ontoward was a slow down in response time. My usual process is to save the model/project, close am then restart. No errors, no warnings. The model saved as the empty file. I do have the backup option turned on, but it doesn't seem to work. No files are being written. Local folder, saving over existing file. When I reach a "milestone" in the model, I make a copy of it as a backup This is definitely something worth looking at more closely. I assume you are suggesting that if you were to save the model again the file might then contain the same data as what is displayed on screen? I'm not sure. I don't think that is true. Putting on my developer hat, it feels like there is a disconnect with what is being used to "draw" on the screen, and what is being used when saving the file. Variables or memory registers, are getting re-initialized in error under some condition not being reflected to the user. When that happens, saving as a new file name wouldn't help. When this happened last, I saved multiple times. Since you have no warning when this is happening, you have no idea that you need to react. A:M does this every time we select "Save As' and attempt to overwrite an existing file. I have never trusted direct saves in any program and definitely don't trust Save icons (who knows where those really go?... and worst of all... they are intentionally designed to automate (and take the user out of the process) of Overwrite and Destroy!). At least when using 'Save As' the program lets you be in control. And when something inevitably fails you'll know it was you and not the computer. That's not a bad idea, but again, under this particular case, I don't think it would save the model. I think a check for an empty file when using the Save option before writing to disk is a good one. If the user chooses to create a new model, and before doing anything wants to save the empty model, they wouldn't get a warning, since the Save option is disabled on new models.

For the second time I've had A:M hiccup and save an empty file of a model I had been working on. The model exists on screen, but what is saved is looks like this: ProductVersion=17 Release= PC FileInfoPos=162746 This obviously is wrong. I would suggest a warning message be displayed and a prompt to continue before actually destroying what is on disk. Fortunately I didn't lose much work, but it is frustrating when it does happen, and could be (and has been) catastrophic. Just sayin.

I'm already working on it!

Materials is one of those areas I haven't mastered yet, so over the years I've built up a library of canned ones, just in case I needed them. But for the life of me I can't seem to get my hands on a decent felt material, or any felt material. Anyone happen to have one kicking about in the dusty corners of their 'puters?

way too easy to use up time playing with this!

Yes, the Mac version of TextWrangler can do it. As always Robert you have produced two more excellent videos. Very helpful and interesting... If I find the time I will use PHP to create a huge line with that approaches... maybe tomorrow or the day after that... we will see. See you *Fuchur* I would use excel and a macro. The macro can build out the xml-ish string for the cps and bones...make it as long as you like. Perhaps today at lunch I'll work it up and attach post it..

Ok, so I tinkered with the force settings in the chor...switched y from 100% to 0 and x from 0 to 100% and get the following result. Getting there. Going to read up on Roberts' tuts now to see what sage advice he has on pendulums. swimtest0.mov

Mark, the motion is strictly from the dynamic constraints...dropped the fish in the chor and viola, the tail wags. I'll have a look at the gravity setting, that sounds promising.

Papa Bear is going fishing in a few days, but he needs some fish to catch before he can. I've modeled up the fish, and am at the point of coming up with a rig that will best give the impression of a swimming fish. I started out with a simple backbone rig, adding some dynamic constraints to help simulate the swimming. The movie below is the result. While i kind of like the result, the fish swims more like a dolphin than your run of the mill trout. But for the life of me, I can't seem to suss out the best approach. Ideas? The rig: The result: (no keyframes applied, the result is simply the dynamic constraints at work) swim_test.mov

More than likely his book is the reason for being on the show. Gone are the days where publishers promote new books; it's now left to the publishers to do the stumpin'.

not a mac only bug, since I've noticed it as well. Just sort of dismissed it as yet another feature i wasn't familiar with! of course the definition of a bug is an undocumented feature....

along the water idea..one thing I've always wanted to see is "believable" (notice not realistic) rain drops in a puddle. and too, ( along other conversations of "want it to look like Pixar"), the look and feel of Disney's original movies (specificaly Bambi, using the multiplane camera). While I'm giving up on my original script idea (Rodney has already given a viable demonstration of it), I'll just throw these ideas over the wall as well.

Again, in my mind my script idea was not to "replace" the animation stage of any project. There is no way you can automate the art of animation (like how I worked TOA:M in there?) . My thoughts have always stopped at the animatic stage....And in reading the conversation so far (kind of hit or miss for me right now since I'm in NYC taking some training for work, in a winter storm no less!), I kind of agree that this would take 1) some serious off line discussion on what this might look like and 2) some external coding to accomplish. The dope sheet approach would be one way to do it today, as a POC though. Assuming that the models (or main characters) of a project are being developed at the same time as the script is being finalized (they should be) and at least the rig is in place by the time the final script is signed off on. Basic poses can then be created (perhaps use a naming convention of "animatic_nnnnnnn") and as the script writer can then (with a list of the poses) key them into the script. For each scene in the script, add tags to the scene header say like to call up the pose. Add in camera movements of and for timing.

Hey now... that's a whole new ballgame. Now you are talking some kind of macro language. Very doable as well but... very different than: I'm just sayin'... I downgraded my expectations 'casue Robert said he couldn't do it (throws gantlet down in a theatric way).

Robert, I'm not thinking of building the final animation from the script, only as far as the storyboard or perhaps animatic stage at best. So think along the lines of move to point a, position camera (based on script keyword instructions), render a still, move on to next. So there wouldn't need to be any action cycles to deal with. Aaaaand Action!

I'm not talking about throwing down a path...I'm thinking more along a dope sheet approach. Now that would be a nice way to animate. If you could plop down a null of some sorts and use it as a goal seak for the character. Goals then have the script applied and a timing. Very similar how many game engines work with AI. Exactly! If you could, while writing the script, put down timing markers (even just keywords) that can be read in (perhaps via an expression) tie it to a character and you have, at the very least, a beginning point for blocking out the animation.

this is along the lines of the issue. The pic below is after a copy-flip-attach.

Well, it seems to work in a chor. The eyeball model I imported had a series of bones on it that were out of position, fixed that. In the chor if I rotate the position bone the material moves as it should. But in the modeling window after importing the eyeball model, and positioning it, I had to adjust the material as well. eyetest.mov

Since I am having trouble with decals and v18 on my laptop, and I am working on a new cartoon-ish fish model, I decided to create his eyes with the eyeball material. I had an eyeball model with the material already applied that I imported into the fish model, but of course i needed to move the eyeball and rotate it a bit so it would fit the model. What I discovered is that the material also needed to be translated and rotated as well. My question is when I animate the eye, what is the best way to get the material to move along with it?

It's cool. I'm following you. Full automation of animation using text and such (or if it can be demonstrated... something even better than that). That be the idea.. Straight from script to storyboard to animatic....

I'm not talking about throwing down a path...I'm thinking more along a dope sheet approach.

Something I've been batting around in the dusty corners of my brain: Be able to apply a "script" that describes the actions of a character (enter stage left, walk quickly to point "A", turn towards camera, sneak to point "B", etc. Sort of like instructing an actor on how, when, where to hit their marks.

Paul I wasn't really trying to trash talk the Scots, I was being flippant. I love Scotland and the people therein. My two two most enjoyable holidays ever were in Scotland and I'm probably going back in September to try again to see the northern lights. The Hulk doing Highland games would fit nicely in this theme, and would certainly present a challenge to other peoples characters. Notably my own ! regards simon Ah friend no worries! I have thick skin (have to wearing the kilt and, well, um ya know) Just funnin!

hey! Not's not trash talk us Scots and our dress code! Besides, the sport of choice is, or course, Haggis Hurling! I actually had, at one point in time, animated an a:m hulk character with a kilt, doing a military press, not with a weights, but beer kegs. Worked out well, and that was some nine years ago.

Eureka! Decals are the issue. I was able to remove the decals from the Papa Bear Model, resaved (under a new name) closed A:M, restarted and loaded the model. Worked pefectly in shaded mode, I'll be happy to test the patch if you need me too.