[Exercise 19: Flying South]

To give you an idea about how wacky the render is going here is a screen capture of how my screen looks as I rendered these frames. It has never given me trouble except on this flocking exercise. In fact, I went and opened another file in the middle of this nightmare and it rendered fine. It is just this exercise.

 

Thanks ahead of time for any suggestions,

-Den

[Exercise 19: Flying South]

Name:  Den Dotson

 

Exercises Completed:  Nineteen (Now to pick out my cap and gown)

Date Completed:  Saturday April 9, 2005

 

Instructor:  Rodney (professor emeritus) and that guy on the web tutorials (I couldn't have done it without you)

 

Remarks/Suggestions for Improvement: This exercise was the nightmare or all nightmares. The application would only let me render two (2) frames at a time and then I had to assemble them in Quicktime. I didn't render them all but here is enough for you to tell I completed the exercise.

 

Here is a link to the 19th completed exercise:

 

http://homepage.mac.com/animateden/hash/theBirds04sm.mov

 

Thanks Rodney,

-Den

[Exercise 18: Waving the Flag]

Name:  Den Dotson

 

Exercises Completed:  Eighteen (and one to go!)

Date Completed:  Saturday April 9, 2005

 

Instructor:  Rodney (a true patriot) and that guy on the web tutorials pretty used to the new web guy by now

 

Remarks/Suggestions for Improvement: Patriotism should speak of itself.

 

Here is a link to the 18th completed exercise:

 

http://homepage.mac.com/animateden/hash/WaveFlagsm.mov

 

Thanks Rodney,

-Den

[Exercise 17: Cosmic Bowling]

Ah you want secrets....

 

Here ya go it is really more about math and patience than anything else. I keyframed the animation on top of the already running dynamic simulation.

 

I decided a bowling ball should rotate about three times a second. That is a complete rotation every ten frames. So I did some math. On each frame I added 36 degrees to the ball's X rotation.

 

It took awhile but in the end it worked the best. I tried an action and it didn't look right. The simulation seemed to fight with it and the ball wobbled instead of rolling.

 

-Den

[Exercise 17: Cosmic Bowling]

Now we are rolling...

 

I just couldn't leave this one alone until I got the ball rolling. Keep prepping that certificate I can smell the ink on it from here.

 

Here is a link to the rolling version of the Cosmic Bowling Exercise.

 

http://homepage.mac.com/animateden/hash/CosmicBowling04s.mov

 

Thanks Rodney,

-Den

[Exercise 17: Cosmic Bowling]

Name:  Den Dotson

 

Exercises Completed:  Seventeen

Date Completed:  Friday April 8, 2005

 

Instructor:  Rodney (my Bowling Buddy) and that guy on the web tutorials still kinda gettin used to the new web guy

 

Remarks/Suggestions for Improvement: Need to find a way to make the ball roll the whole way.

 

Here is a link to the 17th completed exercise:

 

http://homepage.mac.com/animateden/hash/CosmicBowlingsm.mov

 

Thanks Rodney,

-Den

[Exercise 16: Smoke, Wind and Fire]

Rodney,

 

That is one of the things I love about you, a natural teacher, as I get close to completing my lessons you give me plenty more to fill my days when I am done.

 

Thanks,

-Den

[Exercise 14 - Playing Marble]

Thanks Rodney,

 

I will visit the Lab after I finish my lessons. I am near the end and can't wait to frame that certificate up on my wall.

 

-Den

[Exercise 16: Smoke, Wind and Fire]

Name:  Den Dotson

 

Exercises Completed:  Sixteen

Date Completed:  Wednesday April 6, 2005

 

Instructor:  Rodney (where there is smoke there is fire) and that guy on the web tutorials kinda gettin used to the new web guy

 

Remarks/Suggestions for Improvement: No comments.

 

Here is a link to the 16th completed exercise with the night strutting his dusty stuff (dust cranked up to show on web):

 

Thanks Rodney,

-Den

 

No link to Smoke, Fire exercise so here it is....

SmokeWindFiresm.mov

[Exercise 15: Eat My Dust]

Name:  Den Dotson

 

Exercises Completed:  Fifteen

Date Completed:  Wednesday April 6, 2005

 

Instructor:  Rodney (ready to hit the dusty) and that guy on the web tutorials kinda gettin used to the new web guy

 

Remarks/Suggestions for Improvement: No comments.

 

Here is a link to the 15th completed exercise with the night strutting his dusty stuff (dust cranked up to show on web):

 

http://homepage.mac.com/animateden/hash/eatMyDustsm.mov

 

Thanks Rodney,

-Den

[Exercise 14 - Playing Marble]

Name:  Den Dotson

 

Exercises Completed:  Fourteen

Date Completed:  Wednesday April 6, 2005

 

Instructor:  Rodney (losing his marble) and that guy on the web tutorials hey is that a new web guy?

 

Remarks/Suggestions for Improvement: I miss the old web guy, we've been through so much together.

 

Here is a link to the 14th completed exercise with Thom trying out a new look:

 

http://homepage.mac.com/animateden/hash/Marble.jpg

 

Thanks Rodney,

-Den

 

P.S. The link for the Marble exercise goes right to the web tutorial with no place to post so I posted here.

 

Still,

-Den

[Exercise 13: Show Some Backbone]

Name:  Den Dotson

 

Exercises Completed:  Thirteen

Date Completed:  Tuesday April 5, 2005

 

Instructor:  Rodney (make no bones about it) and that guy on the web tutorials

 

Remarks/Suggestions for Improvement: Only a half dozen to go it seems like I just got started.

 

Here is a link to the 13th completed exercise with Thom taking his new skeleton out for a stroll:

 

http://homepage.mac.com/animateden/hash/ThomHasBackBone.mov

 

Thanks Rodney,

-Den

ThomHasBackBone.mov

[Exercise 12: Lip Poses]

Name:  Den Dotson

 

Exercises Completed:  Twelve

Date Completed:  Tuesday April 5, 2005

 

Instructor:  Rodney (don't give me any lip) and that guy on the web tutorials

 

Remarks/Suggestions for Improvement: No comment.

 

Here is a link to the 12th completed exercise:

 

http://homepage.mac.com/animateden/hash/Lip_Pose_O.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/animateden/hash/Lip_Pose_A_I.jpg

 

Thanks Rodney,

-Den

[Exercise 11: Giraffe]

Name:  Den Dotson

 

Exercises Completed:  Eleven

Date Completed:  Saturday March 26, 2005

 

Instructor:  Rodney (king of the jungle) and that guy on the web tutorials

 

Remarks/Suggestions for Improvement: As fun as a barrel of monkeys. Really mean monkeys with hangovers.

 

Here is a link to the tenth completed exercise:

 

http://homepage.mac.com/animateden/hash/Giraffe00.jpg

 

Thanks Rodney,

-Den

[Exercise 10: FW-190 Fighter]

Jim Talbot over in the OS X area said it is a known problem with the Mac version of AM. Easy enough to work around. I only had them on because the airplane exercise called for them.

 

Thanks for the help, now I guess I have no excuse for not getting back to work,

-Den

[Exercise 10: FW-190 Fighter]

Here's the weirdest thing. It is the ruler. If the ruler is turned on I can't manipulate the CPs or splines. If I turn off the ruler I am back in business. Have you experienced anything similar? Is this a bug or am I missing something here?

 

Thanks,

-Den

[Exercise 10: FW-190 Fighter]

The patch is only for the Windows install. I installed it on my Windows machine. There isn't a patch for the Macintosh install. I wish it was that easy. I also posted over in the AM for OS X area to see if anyone else on the Mac is having a similar issue.

 

Thanks for all your help,

-Den

[Exercise 10: FW-190 Fighter]

I just installed 11.1e and I am still having the same problems with modelling. You can't select CPs or splines or it takes several tries. You can't click and drag CPs or splines. And after a few attempts the program shuts down.

 

I am running a Macintosh Dual Processor G5 with 2 ghz processors and 1.75 GB of RAM.

 

I have a GeForce FX 5200 Video Card and I am running OS X 10.3.8 with all the latest updates.

 

This makes trying to do the exercise in the book impossible. I will continue on using ver 10.5 but I would like the folks at Hash to know about these issues.

 

Thanks,

-Den

[Exercise 10: FW-190 Fighter]

Oh I almost forgot. The nose cone is just the brass material that comes with AM. It doesn't emit light its just really shiny.

 

-Den

[Exercise 10: FW-190 Fighter]

Yeah I need to try the new version. I wasn't in animate mode it was modeling mode. It just wouldn't work. It works fine on my Windows machine, but works terrible on my Mac.

 

My Mac is my primary machine with Dual G5 processors it should be able to kick but with AM. It really does when it comes to rendering and the early exercise stuff. Just when it came to modelling it freaked out. I even tried to reload it with no luck.

 

I will try the 11.1 e and hope things smooth out. Thats why Hash keeps working on it.

 

Thanks,

-Den

[Exercise 10: FW-190 Fighter]

I was unable to model at all. I tried and failed using 11.1d three times each time I would be able to begin and then I simply couldn't select any CPs or splines. Then the software would shut down and when I restarted it the project would refuse to open.

 

I went back to my old copy of 10.5 and then everything was fine.

 

Sometimes newer isn't better.

 

-Den

[Exercise 10: FW-190 Fighter]

Name:  Den Dotson

 

Exercises Completed:  Ten

Date Completed:  Saturday March 26, 2005

 

Instructor:  Rodney (our pilot for this afternoon) and that guy on the web tutorials

 

Remarks/Suggestions for Improvement: I had to go back and do this exercise in 10.5. 11.1d just kept crashing and acting weird.

 

Here is a link to the tenth completed exercise:

 

http://homepage.mac.com/animateden/hash/FighterPlane0.jpg

 

Thanks Rodney,

-Den

[Exercises 9: Flower Power]

Name: Den Dotson

 

Exercises Completed: Nine

Date Completed: Tuesday March 22, 2005

 

Instructor: Rodney (Gardener Supreme) and that guy on the web tutorials

 

Remarks/Suggestions for Improvement: Like pushing up daisies

 

Here is a link to the ninth completed exercise:

 

Included in post

 

Thanks Rodney,

-Den

flower_power2.mov

[Exercise 8: Custom Car]

Name: Den Dotson

 

Exercises Completed: Eight

Date Completed: Tuesday March 22, 2005

 

Instructor: Rodney (Head Mechanic) and that guy on the web tutorials

 

Remarks/Suggestions for Improvement: Easy as a Sunday drive

 

Here is a link to the seventh completed exercise:

 

Included in post as image

 

Thanks Rodney,

-Den

[Exercise 7: Can You Say That]

Name:  Den Dotson

 

Exercises Completed:  Seven

Date Completed:  Sunday March 20, 2005

 

Instructor:  Rodney (the keeper of secrets) and that guy on the web tutorials

 

Remarks/Suggestions for Improvement: Smooth sailing this time

 

Here is a link to the seventh completed exercise:

 

http://homepage.mac.com/animateden/hash/ca...y_that02_sm.mov

 

Thanks Rodney,

-Den