robcat2075

Here's my quick take on nf1nk's idea with a succession of cones poking thru each other to give the effect of the sand cascading down the sides. sand.mov sandcones01.zip particles are troublesome in that they seem to be emitted in regular clumps rather than truly randomly.

If you search in the Help on Poses you can find quite a bit of info. first save your model. Don't overwrite this saved version because you will want to go back to it when your first try doesn't turn out right. -right click in the model window -new>pose>percentage pose -a new window will open with your model in it. a highlighted pose slider should appear in the pose sliders window , set to 100% -switch to muscle mode animation (F7) -carfully adust the cps around the jaw and mouth to make the mouth look open like the character is saying "ahh". You'll move some CPs more than others to get a smooth effect. Your first try will not look good. (using a distortion box will help in making smooth adjustments. The help file does cover distortion boxes.) -close the pose window save the character unde a new name now you can use that pose slider to vary how open the mouth is that's the simplest solution i can think of without properly rigging the character.

You'll have to add something if you want to move that mouth. Without knowing what your model looks like I think a making pose slider that does a simple mouth open would be easiest. 0% would be the original, 100% would be the mouth and jaw adjusted to be open. make keyframes with the slider to match your sound. At the internet level, it's sort of like... do whatever you think you can get away with.

Are you trying to add a CP where there wasn't a CP in the circle? Look up "Stitch" in the help file

TAoA:M: Dont skip it just because it's old, you still want to know it: ftp://ftp.hash.com/pub/docs/TAOAM.pdf Colin Freeman's character tuts http://www.colins-loft.net/tutorials.html the classic "Skylark" tut is ten years old and A:M has added some modeling conveniences like 5-point patches since then but still worth a read. http://www.hash.com/users/jsherwood/tutes/SkyLark.pdf

The problem occures independently of how "Show Backfacing polygons" is set. And it only happens when the rotate manipulator is used which, with no correlation to how "Show Backfacing polygons" is set. It doesn't happen on every installation fo A:M. But it does happen on mine.

Well you're not wanting much are you? you can also buy a 1 year license for $50. It is locked to one computer unlike the CD version that you can travel with. Martin says A:M can render anything in Pixar's first 5 movies. And a lot of stuff in the other ones. A:M has just about all the tools that one needs in a modern 3D app. The workflow is sometimes different for a particular5 goalthan it might be in another app. (For example: "beveled" edges are not something you add as a final step in A:M, you incorporate them in your model as you build it.) A:M's stability is dramatically improved since when people said bad things about it. 3D is for people who like to really concentrate on a project. The only "easy" 3D apps are the ones that dont' do much. That said, A:M is about as accessible as a full-featured 3D app is going to be. Do all the TAoA:M tuts and pose specific questions here on the forum and someone will usually help you out.

I have that also at times. I'm told it's a graphics card problem, but I've always wondered why the graphics card would display differently when I'm using the rotate manuipulator instead of any other manipulator. My guess is it is related to graphics card memory getting misused after some repeated operation since rebooting temporarily makes the problem go away. You might try closing the model window while you work on the action. Or rebooting. Or updating your dirvers if they are not already. But otherwise you need to do your rotation move then go back to another mode to see it properly.

It's a powerful program that defies brief coverage but the Animation:Master Demonstration on their support page would be a good intro. (broadband required) the other videos on that page show a person working thru individual tutorials regarding specific features. the full manuals are available online also: http://www.hash.com/2007web/reference.htm

You don't have to render "final " quality every time. If you are just checking your motion you can render "shaded" for much faster results. Checking "advanced" in the Render Settings makes it easier to choose individual render options.

That office should change their carpet color so their dinosaurs will show up better. Nice looking test!

And i think they are working on making constraints work with velcro instead of laces for you old timers too.

Weathering is no longer a feature, but upgrading to the current version is still a good idea. Stability has improved greatly since the V9 days. You can still bring in your old models.

Hey heyvern, Under Tools>Customize>toolbars there's a "Large Buttons" option.

But thanks for posting the screencapture. That made it quick.

is it because you have magnet mode on? The button is pressed in your pic.

not sure of whole list. Many things that are "plugins" in other programs are regular features in A:M. yes. It must be a well laid out quad poly model for good results, however. Most OBJs are pretty poor. www.sgross.com has many no.

Looks good. Booleans might have saved you time on the disc.

If you are not mathematically or expression inclined you can animate the thickness manually with keyframes. Either way, it is a "Show more than drivers" situation. toon render with thickness scaled: toonlinescaling.mov (dont' ask me why the shadow pops out.) PRJ for above: toonlinescale.zip

of course the 1 yr is cheaper initially. If you get the Disc you can carry it around to any computer and run A:M on it, the one-year keeps you on one computer. And if you need to wipe your computer or upgrade to a new one it's easy to re-install from a disc. And the disc doesn't expire, you can keep using that version in perpetuity.

Toon lines don't scale by themselves (perhaps because real hand-drawn toonlines don't get thinner as the object is drawn smaller) but I recall one of the first examples for the use of "expressions" was to use it to scale toon-line thickness. I don't recall the exact details but it can be done.

You really do want to complete the exercises in TAoA:M. You'll find that #16 and #18 introduce you to using forces.

CD emulation software will cause a problem. You don't have CD emulation software? That's what this guy thought but he did. check this thread http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?s=&am...st&p=270840

"The Industry" is a lot of different things. much depends onthe job you are trying to get. an entry-level character animator needs to show quickly that he can do essential body mechanics and acting. He's not going to be asked to do any directing anytime soon anyway. Short clips no music, and maybe a "complete piece" at the end. Shawn Kelly had some good tips for reels near the end of his book A motion graphics animator for corporate media ( i used to do that) might want to show complete short pieces since "message" is a big deal there. This is a very nebulous field in which rules are hard to come by. The people doing the hiring often have no art experience.

Well, that's backwards. You put the sound into your project before you animate so you can match the lip movements to the sound. What you'd have to do now is record someone trying to speak the lines as they watch the clip play. Convert that to a wav file an import it to your animation and re render.