Tralfaz

Onwards and upwards... Quick update of the legs with front and back views. C&C always welcome. Al [attachmentid=21517] [attachmentid=21518]

Here is the foot imported into A:M after being exported from Anim8or into a Wavefront .obj format. It did retain the quads and is a bit better than .3DS. It was still missing some patches and other problems. Wavefront .obj imported into A:M [attachmentid=21489] What I don't understand is why the same .3DS foot model will import as a Prop correctly, but not as a model? The image below was imported into A:M without any tweaking or anything like that. If only A:M could import a .3DS file into a model as well as a Prop.... .3DS model imported as a prop [attachmentid=21490] Thanks... Al

Case: My plans for the AT-AT do not include Hoth. The film will take place at an AT-AT construction facility. Ken: I am attaching some screen shots of the AT-AT foot, exported from Anim8or to .3DS format and then imported into A:M. Some patches were missing and the bias would have to be adjusted on almost all of the control points. When the control points were peaked, then the foot had a very segmented look to it. This is why I opted to re-create the AT-AT in A:M. It will also help me with learning the modelling tools. Thanks... Al Initial import into A:M [attachmentid=21484] CP's peaked [attachmentid=21485] Rendered foot [attachmentid=21483]

I started working on a fan film a while back using Anim8or, a free animation and modelling software program. Due to some limitations in the animation portion of the program, I purchased Animation Master to continue the project. Unfortunately, the models did not import very well into A:M, so I am starting the models from scratch. The first model is the All Terrain Armored Transport (AT-AT) Walker. I am starting with the feet and will work my way up. As I gain more experience with modelling in A:M, I will go back and tweak parts that I am not entirely satisfied with and add detail that I am not quite sure how to do yet. This is the same process I used while learning Anim8or. Thanks... Al AT-AT Blueprints [attachmentid=21464] AT-AT Modelled In Anim8or [attachmentid=21465] [attachmentid=21466] AT-AT Foot Modelled in A:M [attachmentid=21462] [attachmentid=21463]

Thanks for the tips folks. I tried some of fixing some of the splines and control points and things started to look a bit better. Then I continued to fix things to the point where it is worse than when I started. I think I will give this a break for now and try doing the exercise again a bit later. Thanks... Al

Name: Al Dinelt Exercise Completed: Exercise 11.5: Make A Face Date Completed: October 11, 2006 Instructor: TAoA:M I spent tonight working on Exercise 11.5 - Make A Face. Semi-pleased with the results except for the creases and bumps that I could not get rid of. That and the Copy/Flip/Attach added a ridge down the center of Cooper's face that makes him look part Klingon. (I used the Cooper rotoscopes for the decal) Any suggestions on what I could do to get rid of the creases would be greatly appreciated. I now have a greater appreciation for those who can do organic modelling! Thanks... Al [attachmentid=21334] [attachmentid=21335]

Go figure. I am at home now and just downloaded the zip file and it unzipped without any problems. Al

Thanks very much Rich for posting this model and zip file. When I tried to unzip the file using WinZip, I got an error that the .mdl file was corrupt and not the same size as the original. Has anyone else had this problem? I am going to try downloading the file again and see what happens. Thanks... Al [edit] I just finished downloading the zip file for a second time. The .mdl file is now okay, but WinZip is saying that head.psd is now corrupt. Strange... [/edit]

Nancy: Prior to using Animation Master, I was using a free program called Anim8or for a couple of years. It is a great program, but was lacking a couple of features for some films I would like to do. The first film is a Star Wars fan film. Anim8or models and test animations on it can be found here... http://www3.sympatico.ca/al.dinelt/fanfilm/index.html The second film is called 10-100 and is based on a mural that I did around 30 years ago. Again, tests were done in Anim8or, but it was going to be very difficult to animate the characters for the film. Once I get through the exercises and become better with A:M (in both modelling and animating), I hope to do these two films using A:M. Robert: I think what I need to do is concentrate on just one aircraft and get the timing correct on it. Trying to crame 3 aircraft into a short 6 second clip is just too much. Do you know how would I go about adding specular reflection to the aircraft? Thanks... Al

This is a test animation of the P51-D Mustang I built for Exercise 10. I wanted to see how the propellors would look spinning as well as play around a bit with the motion blur. The movement of the plane is not quite as smooth as I would like (still need lots of practice). The third plane moves a bit too fast when it dives. I have posted the model for download in the Exercise 10 post (it is down a ways on the page). Feel free to use it however you like. http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showt...3215&st=120 C&C always welcome... Thanks... Al [attachmentid=21254] P51Mustang.mov

Thanks everyone. Here is final scene rendered in all its glory! I am pretty happy with the way things turned out. It is great to be able to have real reflections and cloth and wind and, well the list goes on and on. And as always, C&C welcome. Now it's time to get back to the lessons. Looking forward to getting into the modelling portion of the lessons. [attachmentid=21004] schlitzy.mov

Another update. Added a rug, extra slipper and book for Schlitzy to read. Tried playing with moving the camera and constraints to switch the book from one hand to the other before dropping it on the table. A lot of the extra stuff does not appear in the video right now, due to the longer render times. As for the gentle breeze, I pretty much followed the waving flag example in the book, except toning down the force of the wind. (Width = 50 cm, Fall-off = 200 cm and Magnitude 50%) Thanks... Al [attachmentid=20874] [attachmentid=20870] al_wip_001.mov

I tried importing a .3ds model into a chor as a prop, and it worked quite well. In fact, a whole lot better than importing into a model. Is there any way to now take the prop in the chor and save it as an A:M model? Thanks... Al

Quick update... The tips you provided helped quite a bit! I hope to have the first stab at animating my WIP done by the weekend. Thanks again... Al

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions. I will give them a try when I get home from work tonight. Al

My computer is a P4 2.6 GHz with 512 MByte RAM, ATI 9000 Pro video card with 128 MByte RAM, Windows 2000 Pro with all the latest service packs and patches. All drivers are up to date. I am working on a WIP project using Schlitzy. What I am finding is that A:M seems to be getting slower and slower as more objects are added to the project. I am now at the point where I would like to start animating Schlitzy in a chor. The response time between mouse click and something happening on the screen is better than a second. I have tried creating a new project with only Schlitzy and the main objects of the scene, but response time is still pretty slow. Does anyone have any recommendations as to improving the response time while working in A:M? BTW, I am using A:M 12n+. It is kind of weird sometimes. For instance, I will go to delete an object, and the warning sound comes from the speaker almost immediately, but it takes a second or two for the window to appear asking me to confirm if I want to delete the object or not. Thanks in advance... Al

Update: I added the window frame and curtains. Below is a quick animation to try out the cloth feature on the curtains. C & C always welcome. Thanks... Al [attachmentid=20636] [attachmentid=20634] cloth_test.mov

Thanks for the C & C folks. I am indeed hoping to animate this scene Nancy. I have an idea for it, just have to see if I can make it happen. The background plane is set quite a ways back from the open window, and is at a 90% angle to the ground. It may be the photo itself on the layer. I tried decreasing the intensity of the layer to make it a bit more subtle. One of these days Dhar, the light will go on in my head and lighting will start to make sense! I added a blue rim light like you suggested. I am always open to any suggestions. I didn't have time for any further additions to the scene, as my wife and I are going out tonight to celebrate our 22nd anniversary. [attachmentid=20598]

"Atomic batteries to power. Turbines to speed." Your Batmobile is looking great! Keep up the good work on it. I tried to load the HA:MR file, and get the following error. When I click on OK, IE closes its window. At work, I am running Windows XP SP1 and IE 6. [attachmentid=20590]

I wanted to take a break from the tutorials and put some of what I have learned into practice. So far, I have modified Schlitzy by getting rid of most of the hair. Built a room, still need to put trim around the window. Added a layer behind the window for the moonlit background. Added a decal to the floor to simulate hardwood, and added some reflection to it. Finally, played around with the lighting (although, I'm still not sure what I'm doing with them). C & C always welcome. Thanks... Al [attachmentid=20568] [attachmentid=20569]

If you are unsure of using Regedit, you may want to export your registry settings before actually changin them. That way, if you kind of mess things up in the registry, you can import your original settings. NOTE: Making changes to the registry can sometimes lead to disastrous results. If you are inexperienced or unsure of what you are doing, you should leave this to someone more experienced. I have exported my registry numerous times, but have been fortunate enough to never had to import the settings again. Use the instructions below at your own risk. I cannot assume any responsibility for their accuracy or how they are interpretted or used. That being said, open regedit. Make sure that "My Computer" is highlighted at the top of the registry tree in the left hand view pane. You can then click on File -> Export to display the "Export Registry File" window. Enter a file name and click on the Save button. Close regedit. You can now go ahead and make any changes you need to in the registry. If you need to restore your original registry settings, then open regedit again. Make sure that "My Computer" is highlighted at the top of the registry tree in the left hand view pane. You can then click on File -> Import to display the Import Registry File" window. Locate your saved registry file and click on the Open button. Close regedit. Hope this helps and good luck... Al

Also, where did you purchase your copy of AM v11.1. There are some unscrupulous people on the internet that are selling cracked versions of AM v11.1. I think the company was called Cheap Software or something like that. The first time I purchased AM, it was v11.1 with an incredibly low price. I figured it was due to it being an older version of the software. However, when I downloaded and went to install it, the docs inside the zip file said to install the cracked Master.exe over the one from the setup program. If I recall correctly, there were no real textures, plugins or models to speak of. Since I try to be as legal with my software as possible, I e-mailed the company back and promptly got a refund from them. I then bought a legitimate copy (v12) from eBay and am very glad I did. Thanks... Al

Howdy folks. My name is Al and have always been interested in film and animation. I grew up in London, Ontario, Canada which is where I still live today with my wife, son and zany dog. By trade, I am a computer programmer, but have always loved animation and special f/x in movies. When I was a young teen, I would make little cartoon flip books. As I got a bit older and was in the camera club in high school, I tried the traditional stop motion animation using G.I. Joes. For the past two years or so, I have been using Anim8or for modelling and animation. A co-worker introduced me to Jeff Lew's Killer Bean 2 video which is where I first learned about Animation Master. The demo and tutorials of the application looked pretty impressive, so I bought a used copy of version 12 off of eBay. There are a few projects that I started in Anim8or, but do not think it would be capable of completing them properly. This is why I am trying A:M. I know I am a long way away from something like Killer Bean 2 or The Adventures of Briar Rose, but one day... maybe... My Anim8or Gallery Fan Film Project

Thanks for the kind words folks. I watched the two tutorials and found them very helpful Rodney. I guess I need to wrap my head around a different way of modelling. I can definitely see the benefits of having smooth control points when modelling organic objects. It will just take a while longer when modelling mechanical objects to start with smooth CPs and then tweak them afterwards. Thanks... Al

I had originally built a Star Wars AT-AT in Anim8or and would like to bring it into Animation Master. I have tried exporting it to a .3ds model and them importing it, but it did not translate very well. The other option I have is to re-create it in A:M. Since the majority of the AT-AT is made up of straight lines, is it possible to have A:M default to Peak instead of Smooth when drawing the splines? Here are some pictures of the model created in Anim8or. [attachmentid=20224] [attachmentid=20223] Thanks in advance... Al