Caroline

I think you should go back to first principles and try this: Restart A:M first. 1. Project Menu > New 2. Right click Objects and Import the cube from the disk. 3. In Cube Properties > File Info change Embedded to ON. 4. Right click Images > Import > Image (*thought* did you import the image as an image or a sequence before) 5. Import an image from the disk > Data > Images 6. Drag the image into the Modelling window (don't bother to hide). 7. Click OK to accept the default of Decal. 8. Right click the Decal > Apply 9. Right click the Decal > Stop Positioning. 10. Repeat for the top view with a second image. 11. Save the project I hope that's all the steps - it works for me. Does that work for you? If not, then I don't know what's happening. If it did, then it must be something to do with the image. Edit: I just did a decal like that with a tga sequence, and that worked for me too (that was neat - I hadn't done that as a decal before) - note that when you first open the image sequence you only click the FIRST image in the sequence, you don't select all of them.

Could the lag be particles? You can turn these on and off by pressing Shift + 8. Also, pressing Page Down a couple of times makes a big difference - Page Up & Page Down are the real-time render quality. Animate in the chor is easier, unless it is an action that will be reused by this or other characters. In which case an action is better, which can later be dropped on a character. I'm just experimenting with compositing in A:M, using Twisted Brush to do a background, and seeing how much I can get away with in 2d, like trees and such. You can put tgas on layers in the choreography, or use a tga as a camera rotoscope.

At first glance that looked really good, so you must be almost there. I guess you've seen the Muybridge horse gallops? Your front right leg holds in position for about 5 frames at the top of its stride, so it looks jerky, and the back right leg also holds for a few frames, I think. I can't see them too well, but your left side looks better than the right side - are they the same?

Is the centre spline being continued around the chin? Click a control point along the spline and press the comma key, and the centre spline should be selected. The centre spline should ONLY run from top to bottom. These are the steps that I take: 1. Save the project and model. 2. Click the central spline. 3. Press the comma , key to select the whole spline. 4. On the top toolbar, click on Show Manipulator Properties. 5. Click the Scale manipulator. 6. Change the X scale to 0% - this aligns along the x axis. I also changed the X pivot to 0 - This step is supposed to be unnecessary, but I do it as part of my ritual. If you have a right half to delete: 7. Select the left half of the model up to and including the central spline. 8. Press Ctrl C to copy. 9. Press Ctrl A to select all 10. Press Delete to delete all. 11. Press Ctrl V to paste. end if 12. Shift click the middle spline. 13. Right click and Copy/Flip/Attach. I don't know about the olive green - are you using that colour anywhere in the project? Good face, by the way - maybe a few hooks needed in the forehead area to reduce splinage? Oh, and there is a 5 point patch to the left of the nose that would be better as a hook. And one on the left view on the chin too.

You should be able to choose the root bone in the Project workspace, click on the Scale Manipulator in the top toolbar, and then scale the whole bone structure. (Art of Animation Master Manual - Exercise 13 - Show some backbone.)

I did it here a long time ago, using Robcat's way with a photoshop image and alpha channel. It wasn't a decal - in the choreography I inserted a new layer, which is the image. It is 2d, so you have to aim it flat with the camera. I used Active On/Off for the time when I needed it to show. Thread on creating an alpha channel

Hi, Bob - it's great you're starting out with a simple model. You probably need to 'doodle' a bit with splines, and see what happens when you do things in different ways. These Splinemanship tutorials may help: http://www.alienlogo.com/tincan/

I would suggest The Art of Animation:Master, exercises 10 (decal) and 14 (materials). You can see the videos that go with that manual here: http://www.hash.com/2007web/vm.htm You can see TAoA:M manuals here: http://www.hash.com/2007web/manual.htm

What about putting the image on a flat model, and then constraining the model (Aim At) to the camera in the choreography. That's: Create flat model, and apply image as decal. Create new chor Put model in chor. Right click model, choose New Constraint > Aim At. If you can see the camera, click it, otherwise click anything with the picker, and change the Aim At constraint property Target to Camera1. When you move the camera, the model will always follow it.

Thanks for the tutorial, John. The rendering was a very necessary part of this, which I missed out. I don't remember having to render it in the past, but it is good to know, although I'll probably forget it again. So it does work. Did you get that, Ravager?

I was going to suggest using Key Color (which defines the transparency color), but I couldn't get it to work in v14 even with a tga. Does it work for anybody? To create an alpha channel, you need Photoshop / Photoshop Elements / Paint Shop Pro / Gimp. You create a selection in one of those programs of the areas you want to be transparent, and then save the selection (Photoshop Elements) or save Alpha (PSP), and then save a .tga file, 24 bit, I think. Key color is the easiest way to go, which is defined on the Image properties, but I couldn't get it to work. Tutorial on A:M & alpha

The answer to that one is usually Shift 8 - show particles, but probably not in this case.

On the Help Menu, you can Reset Settings. This should put everything back to its default state. It will reset any customizations you've made, like changing the colour of splines, etc.

That would be "draw mode". You can use 7/8/9/0 keys for draw modes (the numbers above the letters) - not the numeric keypad, on the numeric keypad, the numbers are used for different views - 2 front, 8 back, 4 & 6 side, 7 birds eye, 5 top and 0 bottom.

What you are describing is applying decals. This is where you apply a jpeg or tga picture to the model. The easiest way to learn is by doing the exercises in The Art of Animation Master manual - exercise 10 the fighter, and exercise 11, the giraffe. The video tutorials are here: http://www.hash.com/2007web/vm.htm Decaling, or texturing, is a difficult art to learn. There is an advanced tutorial here: http://www.zandoria.com/uv.htm. You can also purchase a video that makes it all seem rather easy: http://www.cafepress.com/zandoria.74254839 or For $99 you can purchase a great program, where you can paint directly onto your model, called 3d Paint from: http://www.pixosaur.com/ It doesn't do all the work for you, but it does make the decaling and stamping aspect a bit easier.

Go to new Materials, Change Type To, Particle System, Hair. The best place to start EVERYTHING is in The Art of Animation Master manual, then go through the tutorials. The last one is about hair. This is the excert from the Technical Manual, which tells you everything about hair: http://www.hash.com/Technical_Reference/v110/Hair.htm and here is a Tech Talk (with video): http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=26614

The best way to learn A:M is The Art of Animation Master, and do all the lessons, and post your animations from them in the TAOA:M thread. When you've finished, you even get a certificate! I finished that, and I still refer back to it when I forget how to do things like particles, or poses. However, the older manuals are still very good as a secondary resource. I say secondary, because where things have changed, it may be confusing if you don't already know how to do them. I do refer to the Jeff Paries 2nd edition (2000, I think). Post them to The WIP Forum. Here in the Newbies Forum. Post a new thread, and if people know the answer, they are happy to help. However, most of the questions have already been asked, so try searching first, with various keywords. Tip - If you use more than one keyword use the + character, for example +particles +tutorial. Welcome - the learning experience will be fun.

I think mine was on the registration card that I mailed back. (?) I know that I had to write it down, so that I wouldn't lose it, and it's not printed on my manual.

That's a good effect - I felt a great disturbance in the Force. Edit: and looking at the simplicity of animating the displacement map, it's something to remember.

The Bow property handles that. You can see all these properties in action at: http://www.hash.com/Technical_Reference/v110/Hair.htm

If you right click the Images Folder, then left click Import > Animation or Image Sequence, then click on the first tga, then all the sequence is loaded. It looks like only one is loaded, but if you have a look at the properties, it says Start 0 End 91 (or however many tgas). If you then apply that one image, - for example , a rotoscope for a camera, or a layer so that you can use the alpha channel, - when you move the timeline along, you will see the animation. (The tgas I just tested are numbered Thom000.tga - Thom090.tga) I tested it with v14 beta 9, but I'm sure I used to do it with v13 as well. How are you wanting to use your sequence?

Hi, Stew - Welcome to the forums - I'm looking forward to seeing how you use A:M in your indie. Mixing it with live action?

This is v13 - I can't help you with earlier, or a Mac

A couple of ways: Either by Bump or Displacement decal, or use a material, (or just change the surface property roughness in the model). The manual entries for Bump / Displacment: http://www.hash.com/Technical_Reference/Ge.../DecalClipP.htm http://www.hash.com/Technical_Reference/Cu...isplacement.htm And the brilliant AMFeatures on surface properties, including roughness: http://wikiold.hash.com/amfeatures/publish...face+Properties I found a tutorial on creating Rust, from Enhance:AM: http://www.shaders.org/enhance:am/tutorial1.htm I haven't done that tutorial, although I might just have to go and do it now. You can download the AM_fBm texture from the Enhance:AM Animation Master section, the demo - enhanceam.exe, and when you install this, you can change the Material's Attribute to Plugin > AM_Noise > AM_fBm (By the way, does anybody have Enhance:AM who could recommend it?) Decals gives you a bit more control over the model, and renders much faster. To make a bump map, you just paint in shades of black, white, and grey to indicate the height. Difference between bump & displacement - if you do bump, then it doesn't actually move the pixels, whereas displacement does (??), so if you look at it in silhouette, the bumps won't show, but displacements will. To apply, you just apply a decal in the normal way, and change the Decal Image Type from Color to Bump or Displacement.

To change the light type, you go to the actual Object in the PWS - you can't change the type in the choreography. But it should appear in the properties of the actual object.