Kelley

Thanks Ken. That did it. I have no idea how those numbers got there. I didn't know you even could set values for lights in the Objects. And 'Width' was set at 600+ on my laptop. No wonder things were acting different.

This should do it. Thanks. THE_CORNER_STRIPPED.prj

I take this to mean that I'll be deleting the models, and their textures, and just sending on the lights themselves as they stand?

'The Master Rim Light'? I'm assuming you mean the one in the Objects folder? Here's two shots at it. I set the values in the Objects and then pulled them into the Choreography. In the first, the Rim lights and the headlights overlap in order to get rid of the dead space between the model's headlight and the beginning of the light cone. In the second, I re-sized the Rim lights so they did not overlap at all. In the last we get to see the the full effect of 'Volumetric Light Hell". Not only do the truck lights not match, but the light from a motorcycle [the MC is turned off] which has always been a soft volumetric, has erupted in 'full glare/burnout' and another overhead light, which I do not recall being volumetric, has become so. [in this shot, it's cropped out at the far left] I'm probably mis-remembering, but I include it to show how the lights can differ from each other, and change from one day to the next. Not always, but often. Is it possible, by 'Baking All Actions', to fix the value on a light and re-use it?

I'm trying to make headlights on a truck using two Rim lights. However, to work, they need to be Volumetric lights so I can see the projected light cones. From the moment I turned on 'Volumetric', they were out of sync. I cannot get the light on the left [our left] to throw a beam as far as the right. Last night the left looked more like a yellow plastic cone and the right had dark banding in it. Both are more well-behaved this morning. I'm looking for something like the light on the wall [streetlight] which, in itself, is was an adventure of chasing numbers. Seems even the size and shape of the Rim light has a huge difference on how the light projects. Is Volumetric lighting an effect generated on-the-fly? Is there a 'seed number' involved. If so, and I get a light that I like, can I 'Bake All Actions' to fix it in place? Can it be then saved and re-used?

Thanks very much. We'll track it down.

we looked on downloads.com and couldn't find it. Could you give us a link to the program?

Usually it does. But on my laptop, it doesn't. I try to 'paste' into the Paint program, and nothing happens. Does A:M have an internal way of saving screen snapshots?

All that...on 1 Gb? You must be moving 1's and 0's by hand. But your main point is being implemented as I write: duplicate Choreo's and delete everything that the camera won't see in the current shot. Thanks.

The Whippet Tank just got its textures back. Time to bring it on stage. EDIT: Here's a test clip with the new treads for the Whippet Tank. WHIPPET_TEST_02.zip

On the self-propelled guns:no. Not the armored car either. The troopers: yes. But Vern...what you're saying really sounds right. I notice that I start getting 'untoward results' [otherwise known as 'wierd s***'] happening on a rising curve as the number of models in Objects goes up. As the number of instances in the Choreography grows, as the amount of time goes up for screen refreshes, screen renders, changing views, etc. I can feel the system straining to drive A:M. [part of this will get solved in the coming week, as I've just oredered parts to build a PC tailored for 3D: fast, Blu-Flame screamin' everything with 4Gb RAM] But holding down Choreo. size...it'll take forethought, but [i think I can. I think I can.] and Folders...definitely. I twigged to this as a way to manage the incredible number of Groups that some models get. [all those unnamed color chips] This would be a way to store multiple sections of street, all house on the left side, then the right, then the lighting. Thanks.

Sorry guys. My Bad. The models aren't disappearing, they are defaulting to the 0,0,0 position. [which, in itself, is weird enough] My town model started at near 0,0,0, but now the action is taking place at closer to -2200 on the X and -800 on the Z so when I highlight the object in the PWS, it's off the screen. Still...anyone else have this happen?

Over the last two months, I have, on three occassions, found models missing from the Choreography. They are still present in the Objects, and in the PWS. They are still lisrted among the Choreo. objects, but do not appear in the actual set. In this instance, the Armored Car is gone. Before that, both self-propelled guns were gone; before that, one of the troopers. Has anyone else had this happen?

Looks like it must be the Pose Sliders. I deleted the shoulder boards on both troopers, and the choreographys updated instantly. 'Guess I'll go back and delete the Sliders and re-build. EDIT: It was the "AHH" slider. I deleted while watching the Choreo. window. Once I deleted AHH, the model updated instantly.

Here's one of the Ping-Pong balls right now. When I originally built the MG gunner, his mouth was supposed to be slightly open, which was not a problem until it comes time to try a little lip-sync. Now, the test sentence ["I'm gonna transfer outta this outfit."] starts with the mouth in an "AHH" shape and returns to it when the sentence is done. Not good. So I went back to the model and closed it. The problem is that something is stopping the model from updating in the Choreography . The mouth remains open, both in "UPPER STREET" Choreography [which you've seen in this thread] but also in another [Choreography 1] with only the two troopers. I've deleted, and re-installed the character. I was [am] suspecting something in the mouth Pose Sliders which were built over the old head and may be remembering old CP positions. But I opened the last one [the UUU sound] and the mouth's default position is the newly modified face with the first keyframe at 00:00:00 and 0%. Any thoughts?

[LOL] Over on this side of the mouse, it seems more like an arm-load of ping-pong balls, but Thanks, all of you, for the support.

Quick Update: Had to fill a visual hole in the street. Just big enough for a 1910 Rolls-Royce armored car. Just happened to have one handy.

The whole story is an expansion on a WWII cartoon drawn by Bill Mauldin, best remembered for his 'Willie and Joe' characters. That cartoon is my #1 favorite Mauldin and, of course, I can't find where I archived it on my hard drive. So I attach my #2 favorite. This will give you the flavor of Mauldin, Willie and Joe. The #1 cartoon has Joe waist-deep in a foxhole he's digging, Willie sitting up on the pile of dirt, as a Sherman tank rolls by with a neat, clean 2nd Lt. in the turret. Joe eyes it wistfully, but Willie will have none of it, saying "Nah, I'd rather dig. A movin' foxhole attracts the eye." Trying to tailor my version to the classical six-minute format, I'll have my guys walk down a short length of street, past the two self-propelled guns, turn left at the corner and down another short inclined section of street. They're walking on the left side. They're passed by a short convoy consisting of a Whippet tank [now fully animated by my Sorcerer's Apprentice, Scott] [Get'em young. Teach'em A:M] and two, maybe three 1910 Rolls-Royce armored cars. They pause, waiting for a break in the traffic, waiting to cross over to a pedestrian tunnel on the other side. All this while, the MG gunner has been grousing about being dirt-infantry. He rails at the mud, the walking, the rain-filled holes to sleep in, the walking, bullets, blisters, walking...obviously Armored Cav. is the modern way to go. The little Sargent snorts and treats the whole litany with disdain. The gunner persists. He ticks off the advantages: riding instead of walking. A dry place to fight from. A nice warm engine to sleep next to, and best of all...armor plate on all sides. As they wait, he challenges the Sargent, saying, "What, exactly, could you possibly have about going into battle inside a big, solid, steel box?" The break in the traffic comes, the Sarg. waves them forward and as they get to the middle of the street, there comes the shriek of incoming rounds. They bolt into the tunnel. Outside, behind them, there will be a series of flashes, horrendous 'booms' and pieces of tank, wheels, rivets and tread plates fly past. Except for the turret of one of the armored cars which strikes the edge of the tunnel mouth and ricochetts [never could spell that] into the tunnel spinning like a top, looses off tracer rounds from its Lewis gun, and comes to a stop a few feet from them. When they discover they're still alive, the Sarg. pokes his finger at the gunner's chest and says, "HAH? Thay's what I keep telling you...a moving foxhole attratcts the eye". From time to time, I wonder about doing something similar with the tank cartoon. It would have to involve a dialog between the troopers and the Fire Control Officer and the battery, and static on the line which they exploit as they play for time. You, the viewer, would know they're under a shelter of some sort, and that there's a s***-storm going on outside, but not until the end would the camera pull back to reveal the tank. Who knows? EDIT: Just noticed that the caption is missing on the cartoon. It says: "Able Red One to Battery? I got a target for you...but you're gonna HAVE TO BE PATIENT!"

...and so it proved to be. Twice over. I turned off everything but the troopers and the road and there it was. And then the shadows. How could I have missed it?

Thanks much, robcat. Thanks to all.

Not bad. The little guy on the right is a sargent-type. I'll make him bellow. Let's not jump to any rash conclusions, but things seem to be improving, albeit by lurches and stumbles (or so it seems at 1:00 in the morning) These guys are the ones you rigged for me three years ago, so if they don't move right, I'll have no excuses. I'll check Tubb's feet. Thanks. EDIT: It's his back foot that's on the ground, but hidden by shadows. The front heel is about three frames from touchdown. These two troopers are the first things I ever modeled in A:M. Since then, I've put the project aside, added to it, put it aside again...until by now it's acquired sufficient 'gravitas' and momentum that I think we may see it finished in the not-too-distant future. The experience makes one appreciate what Pixar must have to go through and why CG films take years. And by the way, thanks for posting the models of your kids. There too, is some really nice modeling.

Well, maybe not completely...just a change of pace from The Sentinel. [The house at the far rear seems to have lost its textures, but that's for tomorrow.]

The Mail Packet: an automated re-supply drone that periodically brings everything needed for the Sentinel to survive on Kibble XXI...except there's never any mail. Which keeps him in a stew about whether there's anyone out there anymore, or is the system running on 'auto' and his efforts all for nothing? This is one of several establishing shots for the opening while a voice-over explains the Sentinel Program. MAIL_PACKET_04.zip

NICE WORK! I'm coming to appreciate how much work went into that.

Here we go! Got some bounce in the snowflakes. The secret being: just keep punching in bigger numbers until something happens. In other scenes the flake size and wind direction will vary. Force_test_Kel_01.zip