Exercise 10: FW-190 Fighter

[Rodney]

Masna,

Now we just need to hook you up with Kyle.

He recently discovered how to convert images to JPG for viewing in the forum.

 

You can use A:M to convert the images of course but free programs like Irfanview (http://www.irfanview.com) are quite useful too.

 

Attached are your images converted to JPG format.

If you note the flesize you'll see they are considerably smaller in JPG format.

 

Save these images and try to go back and edit your post... uploading them instead of the BMP images.

Once you get the hang of it you'll be good to go.

 

Now... on to your issue with the stabilizer?

You were trying to move it into place?

[Rodney]

r4z2,

 

I hope you got your wheel lathing solved. I think I saw that you did.

If not please let us know.

[Masna]

Masna,

Now we just need to hook you up with Kyle.

He recently discovered how to convert images to JPG for viewing in the forum.

 

You can use A:M to convert the images of course but free programs like Irfanview (http://www.irfanview.com) are quite useful too.

 

Attached are your images converted to JPG format.

If you note the flesize you'll see they are considerably smaller in JPG format.

 

Save these images and try to go back and edit your post... uploading them instead of the BMP images.

Once you get the hang of it you'll be good to go.

 

Now... on to your issue with the stabilizer?

You were trying to move it into place?

 

Hey Rodney,

 

I edited the last post like you asked me too. The problem I'm having with the stabilizer is that when I move the stabilizer into place on one view, it's out of place on all the other views.

[Rodney]

I edited the last post like you asked me too. The problem I'm having with the stabilizer is that when I move the stabilizer into place on one view, it's out of place on all the other views.

 

Outstanding. There are two lessons there that people often get stuck on and many of us take for granted.

1. How to upload images to the forum.

2. How to edit a post.

 

You can check those two off your list!

 

The problem I'm having with the stabilizer is that when I move the stabilizer into place on one view, it's out of place on all the other views.

 

I know you said before that you have the rotoscopes aligned but perhaps they are off just a bit?

Are you using your Rulers? Guidelines?

Edit: I see that you are. The guidelines I can see don't appear to be aligned at the back of the airplane but those don't effect the position of the stabilizer problem. I don't see any guidelines that would help align the stabilizers.

 

Also consider that some images may just not be accurately drawn. (This should apply in your case though as you are using the FW-190 images).

 

Its been too long since I troubleshooted this exercise for anyone so I'll have to brush up.

Nothing immediately comes to mind except alignment of the Rotoscopes.

[youngman]

Jason Young

 

10-2-2008

 

A lot longer than the 2hrs stated by the manual...But i enjoyed doing it.

 

I've made a few mistakes while doing this so have decided to post the model in it's current state.I will be going to make this again from scratch as a side project as i promised myself that i would finish TAoA:M this year.

 

Jay

 

[Rodney]

Jason,

Very nice render. (You'd have to point out the flaws as it looks really good to me)

 

I expect the first time someone created the real aircraft they made quite a few mistakes too.

The kept at it and eventually they had something that flew.

 

Your attitude assures me that your journey will be no different.

Keep it up!

 

 

P.S. Remind me that we need to have a animated dogfight with everyones planes one of these days.

[Masna]

Rodney-

I tried alligning the stabilizer with the ruler and I think the problem must be the rotoscopes. If I leave the problem unsolved will it effect the decaling at the end of the lesson?

[MasterFunk]

Name: Sean Concannon

 

Exercise Completed: Exercise 10

 

Date Completed: Feb 26 2008

 

Instructor: Manual

 

Remarks/Suggestions for Improvement: my decals didn't work out quite right

[TheSpleen]

I need help please.

I was doing very good and moving right along with this lesson

till I got to the wheels. <_>

when I do the first lathe I get this...............

I was so pleased with myself till I got to this point.

and no matter what I do I get that huge circle, and not the one

in the manual or video.

What am I doing wrong please?

[Rodney]

For more information about lathing than you need to know to address your current situation check out my old tutorial. It somewhat explains the issue you are running into here.

 

Advanced Lathing Methodologies

[TheSpleen]

For more information about lathing than you need to know to address your current situation check out my old tutorial. It somewhat explains the issue you are running into here.

 

Advanced Lathing Methodologies

Thank you!

I will watch it immediately.

[TheSpleen]

Name: The Spleen / Robert Thompson

 

Exercise Completed: Exercise 10

 

Date Completed: Oct. 01, 2008

 

Instructor: Manual and Video

 

Remarks/Suggestions for Improvement: I need to work on my latheing and the decals didn't

come out perfect but I think that will be an easy fix as I work with them.

Overall I like my plane. How do I save it as a model I can use? Right now it is only in my prj files.

 

(BTW: This is an incredible program! I am in love)

[HomeSlice]

Congratulations dude! I see you have caught "the disease" -- the 3D disease

[number]

Name: Tim Roberts

 

Exercise Completed: Exercise 10: FW-190 Fighter

 

Date Completed: Oct. 16, 2008

 

Instructor: Manual, forum

 

Comments: The model was completed last week, but I couldn't resist a small animation for the takeoff! I just completed the sky texture and the ground texture today. Not seamless, but learning a lot. Nice exercise for a mechanical model. Using Adobe Premiere as Vegas had issues w/ the quicktime out of A:M

 

exercise_10_2.mov

 

[TheSpleen]

Very nice job number.

nice prop rotation and landing gear retraction.

[robcat2075]

Good looking plane. Looks like you had fun with that!

[Rodney]

Tim,

As has been said, the extra touches go a long way in making this exercise a great success.

 

Very nice!

[Zidim]

I just wanted to say how helpful this forum and the TAOAM doc is. If I'm having a problem I can normally find the answer here.

 

Here's my fighter and I'm off to the next exercise.

 

[Zidim]

Spoke too soon - lol.

 

I just noticed a problem with my decal on the side of the fighter. Any suggestions?

 

Thanks

[Rodney]

You might check the direction of your Normals. (If you aren't sure how... ask here)

 

It looks like you've got more than one decal stamp applied.

[Zidim]

Thanks,

 

I removed and reapplied the decals and it came out fine. Now on to the Giraffe!

(I have to split my training time now. Just installed the Adobe Master Collection. Sigh, I've spent more time training in the last few weeks than I have spent working.)

[Zidim]

Ok, time to ask a newbie question. Is there a trim function where you can use an object or group to trim another object or group? An example would be to rotate the strut into the fully retracted position in the basic wing. Trim the wing with the strut. Return the strut to the fully extended position again. The wing would now have an indentation that matches the strut.

[Rodney]

Ok, time to ask a newbie question. Is there a trim function where you can use an object or group to trim another object or group? An example would be to rotate the strut into the fully retracted position in the basic wing. Trim the wing with the strut. Return the strut to the fully extended position again. The wing would now have an indentation that matches the strut.

 

The equivalent of 'Trim' is going to be Boolean functions.

For this you'll want to investigate Boolean Cutters.

 

Booleans don't effect the model until rendering so if you need the actual model changed you'll need to model the ability to change shape in. This change can be accomplished via an Action if the Model is designed for it.

 

Full a realistic effect you wouldn't want the indentation to just appear however. You'd want it to open. That suggests to me that the best way is going to be to the build the indentation into the model.

 

In some cases a Displacement map (using negative values) will work.

Displacment maps are much easier to implement than Boolean cutters.

[Zidim]

Thanks for the info. I think you partially misunderstood the idea though.

 

<snip>

 

Full a realistic effect you wouldn't want the indentation to just appear however. You'd want it to open. That suggests to me that the best way is going to be to the build the indentation into the model.

<snip>

 

In other software a "trim"tool would appear along with the lathe and extrude tools. The big difference is that it uses an object instead of a spline.

 

Another example would be dice. For quick rendering dice you just use a cube and apply decals to the sides. If you need a true 3D set of dice you start with a cube and a small sphere. You insert the sphere part way into the cube at the appropriate location then "trim" the cube. When you move the sphere you see that an indent has be created on the surface of the cube. (I believe that the indents in dice have their very own name. No idea what it is though.) In a couple of minutes the simple cube has be converted into a complex object covered with indents.

 

(In case you're wondering, yes I've done this before. I did 3D work back in the late '80s and early '90s. I first met Martin Hash at SIGGraph in Boston. I think that was 1990. I left the field in the mid '90s. I'm having great fun getting back in. I've fallen in love with A:M. It is so easy and fun to use!)

 

Anyways, thanks for the help. I'm just starting to attach the legs on my Giraffe. See you on that thread.

[robcat2075]

In other software a "trim"tool would appear along with the lathe and extrude tools. The big difference is that it uses an object instead of a spline.

 

While A:M booleans dont' change the mesh, they do make a real indentation like you woudl want for a wheel well on that wing.

 

Alternatively, it's not hard to splice that wheel well shape into the larger wing. The giraffe tut is very much about splicing two shapes together.

[Rodney]

When you say 'trim' I fully understand what you mean.

There is no equivalent in A:M.

 

The program that I most associated with A:M while learning A:M was Coreldraw. That was the baseline of my experience. Coreldraw's use of Bezier curves and 2D objects allows for use of Trim, Weld, Intersect and other similar tools. Those functions don't directly equate to A:M. Trying to get A:M to act as Coreldraw was a fool's errand. (However! I like to use Coreldraw with A:M every chance I get. A:M imports Corel's bezier curves just fine via the AI Wizard!)

 

To understand why these tools don't exist in A:M might take more time (and knowledge!) than I can give but consider a simple 3D cube and you might begin to understand the more complex aspect of it. If another shape were to cut into that cube new splines would have to be generated for every aspect of the new shape created by it. What about those areas without splines? What about the new splines? Where does the computer place them?

 

Keep in mind that trimming would only be one aspect of it. As users we aren't going to be satisfied by that. Of course we want 'weld' and 'intersection' to go along with that.

 

Will A:M ever get such tools?

I think that's a good bet.

But think long term (10 years ahead).

You can see the possibilities with Steffen Gross's plugins (in particular CutPlane and Connect).

 

So... what to do about it now?

Break through the paradym and approach the subject differently.

Work backward from what the end result is going to be.

Determine what will be seen in the final film/image.

Find out how can you get there the quickest.

 

Booleans are an option.

Displacement will work.

Modeling everything in is going to create the most perfect fit.

[AMkyle]

Exercise 10: FW-190 Fighter

 

Name : Kyle Peterson

 

 

Date completed: Friday, January 2, 2009 (happy new year)

 

Instructors - book and Instuctional video.

 

Remarks/Suggestions. I had quite a few problems, mostly the lathing, and twisting the propeller's

Also the decaling, had a few problems with scaling the decal to make it fit (was unable to see scaling box) on the front and right view (numpad 2 and 6)

 

 

[Rob_T]

I'm enjoying this lesson. I do have a couple little questions that are outside the lessons scope but as I'm putting the finishing touches on my plane now I think I'll ask them now as mybe you guys will answer me before I'm done so I can make even more improvements.

 

1) I think this was mentioned in a previous lesson but I can't find it so I'm just going to ask. How so I snap control points to an axis? For example, when I was shaping my plane I definitely wiggled it here and there and now when I look at it from the front I can see all the control points at the top of the fusalage that are spread out ever so slightly to the left and right of of the "Y" axis. I can select them, sure; but how do I snap them all back onto the "Y" Axis (and I'd also like to know how to snap control points to "Z" and "X" if it is a different process)?

 

2) Is there any way to layer materials by using the project workspace heirarchy? For example, I'd like to make my Props wood (there is an "oak" material in the Hash library) the nose cone aluminum (yep, that's in the library as well), and I'd grouped the last two rings on my props as I was hoping to make them look like Chrome (there's something close to that in the Library). I can apply any one material to the model and the decals and group diffuse color isn't affected. But I cannot add more than one. I tried "hiding" the rest of the model and only applying the material to my "props" group but that didn't work. Any help with this would be appreciated as using multiple materials on a model is something I'm keen to learn.

 

3) This lesson shows how to use decaling and rotoscope. But it does not tell me how to create a decal (make an image a decal) or how to make an image a rotoscope. Also, I'm curious how rotoscopes work in animation (for combining live action and animation like I've seen done in the A:M preview with the dinosaur walking through the parking lot).

 

4) Also, the fellow who does the video lessons mentioned "Painting" the decals to fix rough edges and whatnot and that kind of confused me. I know I could easily grab a still and bring it into Phostoshop and fix any rough edges (or for that matter do all kind of things) to my plane... but that doesn't really help me with A:M functionality. The model would still have that flaw and it would certainly be much more difficult to fix that flaw with an outside program in an animation as opposed to a simple still image. Is there an ability in A:M that I don't know about that allows you to "paint" models and or decals for use in animation and stills? I had thought about painting my plane crimson red and making it look like the Red Baron or something and just using the German symbols from the decals to add authenticity but while I could easily apply the crimson color as the diffuse color for the model areas I want there are limits to how much of the model I can hide while applying the decals... and it isn't enough to just get those German plane symbols only.

 

I was having trouble with the underside of the plane wings. I didn't want to do what the video did and just use the top image on the underside of the wings as well so I made a new decal (not an actual new decal but just a new version of the top decal... if I knew how to make decals I wouldn't have asked above LOL) out of the top, (you have to do the underside of the wings first for this trick to work) then I sized the image so large that my wing fit into an area with no detial, just the color gray. Then I did the top of the wings but I used the lasso tool to hide all of the wing except the top surface (in essence cutting the wing in half lengthwise the same way the guy in the video lesson does with the fusalage only horizontally instead of vertically) area and applied the decal to that. Then any color inconsistancies or wierd tears in the decal got hidden inside the wing that way.

 

Anyway. I'm almost done. Just thought I would ask the questions that were on my mind.

 

Thanks for any help.

[robcat2075]

1) select the CPs you want to align. Then in the Properties window (better have it open already) you can scale them to 0% on any axis. Set the "pivot" to Y=0 if you want to squash them to Y=0

 

2) if you have named your groups in the PWS you can drag a material onto it (in the PWS) and ti will affect only that group.

 

3) anything you can paint in a paint app or shoot with a camera and save as a TGA or JPG can be used as a decal or rotoscope. Vid in the tuts link in my sig.

 

4) i'm not sure what he meant by "rough edges". I haven't watched the vid in a long time.

[Rob_T]

1) select the CPs you want to align. Then in the Properties window (better have it open already) you can scale them to 0% on any axis. Set the "pivot" to Y=0 if you want to squash them to Y=0

 

2) if you have named your groups in the PWS you can drag a material onto it (in the PWS) and ti will affect only that group.

 

3) anything you can paint in a paint app or shoot with a camera and save as a TGA or JPG can be used as a decal or rotoscope. Vid in the tuts link in my sig.

 

4) i'm not sure what he meant by "rough edges". I haven't watched the vid in a long time.

 

Thanks a load. Can you actually drag the material into the project workspace to apply it? What I was doing wrong... I was selecting my group and then I was hiding the rest of the model. When I did that it deselected my group (as they were the only active and visible control points on the screen anyway) and then I just dropped the material onto them. I figured out what I needed to do was select them again. Once they were green and selected the material stayed on them and didn't transfer to the rest of the model.

 

The tutorial was fantastic. I put my nephew in the plane. I assume that all the artifacts are due to the spectacularly crappy job I did erasing the background around him. Next time I'll put more into it. I've never been good at erasing backgrounds in Photoshop. Long, tedious work.

 

I took, WAAAAAaaaaayyyy too many pictures of my plane. I'm very proud of it. I'm only going to upload the few I think are best though. I'm especially proud of the engine plate and air intake I made for the front and the rims I made for the tires. I think my decaling job was pretty good too (although you can see the seams on the leading edge of the wings so I'm not delerious about it).

 

Now that I understand the materials stuff better I had fun with that. Wood props. Chrome on the nose cone and rims. I forgot to chrome the prop connectors into the nose cone but so what.

 

I enjoyed this one.

 

The lesson said 2 hours. I took about 12. LOL.

[Rodney]

Outstanding work Rob!

 

The more pictures the better.

 

You've ask some excellent questions but I fear they all may get lost 'down' here.

At least Robert does a good job juggling them.

 

I'm trying to think of a good way for you to ask all these questions and yet allow them to be answered in some detail.

Most of the answers to your questions could be quite lengthy.

 

One thing I would encourage everyone to do concerning decals is to try to create a few simple decals from within A:M.

Create an Object... Render it out as an image... Apply it as a Decal.

Smile or Frown... adjust settings... and try again.

 

Once we see how an effective decal (with transparency) should work it becomes much easier to apply those principles in programs like Photoshop as well. For the most part it then becomes just be a matter of searching in the program until we determine how to best achieve the desired effect.

 

In decaling there are some very specific stages:

- Creation of the Image

- Preparation of the Image and Surface

- Application/Placement of the Decal

- Adjustment/Refinement

- Final Rendering and Post Processing Effects

 

Artists will often apply a temporary decal while working out the details.

[robcat2075]

That turned out real well.

 

 

Off hand, I'm not sure what is causing the windshield to get colored.

 

I think something is wrong with the decal that looks like ||>

 

It has a white halo around it so maybe it lost its alpha channel.

[Rob_T]

I understand I'm going to be working with decals again in the next lesson (Giraffe) so I should get some more hands on with that.

 

As far as my questions getting lost... I've gone to lengths to read through several pages of each thread for each lesson but usually there are a dozen pages or more... a lot of reading. There is definitely some benefit to what I've read but Robcat is the man. He's been Johnny on the spot with answers from day one with me and it's made a huge difference.

 

If I were a moderator here, I would probably sticky the lesson threads in order so that additional threads aren't started and the lesson gets fractured over multiple threads (which I've seen) and then, I'd edit the first post in each of those threads with questions that have arisin and links to the posts with the answers.... kind of a first post FAQ for each lesson. That way, newbies have a starting point if they run into trouble.

 

"Can't figure out how to adjust your walk cycle? Here's a link to the post where someone already asked that question and the answer follows."

 

That sort of thing.

 

But that would require someone sifting through hundreds if not thousands of posts.

 

I don't know how many moderators there are on this site... maybe if you split up the lessons.

 

Just a suggestion.

 

The biggest thing I've noticed is communication failure. As a newbie there are some terms, some questions I don't even know how to ask properly. That's why I went and got the screen cap software I needed. I noticed that folks who have used this program for a long time see some things as a "given" or obvious when they may in fact not be to the newbie (like me). And that was my biggest source of frustration. Even the video lessons occasionally gloss over a tiny detail as if it were "common" and it has led me to make mistakes.

 

For example, something really simple and silly. In this lesson, when I was loading the rotoscopes I loaded the side view from the view associated with number pad #6. The instructions in the book said to use the view associated with #4 (and so did the video... it said "Left view") but the file was called "Side" and I remembered that from the video more clearly than anything else.

 

I've been using the "Right" or #6 view for my side views a lot more than #4. I don't know why, it just worked out that way in the other lessons. So when I thought to myself "ok let's load the side view" I hit #6 and loaded the side view.

 

Everything seemed fine. I splined most of the fusalage. But when I went to check on the overhead view, and the front view, I found my splines were going in the wrong direction.

 

At no point in the lesson did it say "You must use the left #4 view to place this rotoscope or you will be modeling in the opposite direction of your other rotoscopes."

 

Once I figured it out it was something that I comprehended immediately (in that I understood why it needed to be the left view or flipped horizontally and moved if I really wanted to do it on the right) but BEFORE I figured it out I was looking for the "global rotation button."

 

No. Sadly I'm not kidding. I just assumed that I must have rotated my workspace 180 degrees somehow. In retrospect I feel dumb even saying it but it's true. I thought I needed to flip my virtual world around. It was such a small mistake but it caused me huge problems.

 

And you guys don't even see stuff like that because you are used to thinking in three dimensions. I went and got my screen cam open and documented the problem, copied the files to JPEGs and was all set to post them on the forums with yet another "help" message when a flash of inspiration came and the answer occurred to me.

 

But that is how you learn this program. I suppose if all the answers were in the manual it would be a bazillion pages long and quite boring. And someone (probably me) would go outside the lesson requirements and still find a way to have a problem.

 

The fact that you guys are here, this knowledge base, this brain trust, for when I'm really stumped makes all the difference.

 

If I knew for sure that a reference existed I would check it first but since nothing like that exists I just ask questions.

 

I don't think I'll be asking anything else without checking Rob's Brilliant Island page again (brillaint is right).

 

As for my decal with my nephew. I took the photo of him this afternoon and got some ghosting on the image. I used Photoshop to erase the background but I know from experience that no matter how much of the background you think you've erased there is always some stuff you miss. I should have used the block eraser. The wall color and my nephews hair were too close for the magic eraser and the background eraser so I just used the standard eraser and I know that always leaves some junk behind and that junk gets included in the alpha channel.

 

Then I applied it to the cockpit which has transparency and reflection attributes. I was not surprised when some funky stuff showed up.

 

In the future if I do anything like this I'll be more diligent in my Photoshopping. This was just a fun thing to make my nephew giggle (and it worked).

 

Thanks again for all the help and feedback. Onward to the Giraffe (no vid Tut but I see Robcat's got some stuff for it).

[Rob_T]

That turned out real well.

 

 

Off hand, I'm not sure what is causing the windshield to get colored.

 

I think something is wrong with the decal that looks like ||>

 

It has a white halo around it so maybe it lost its alpha channel.

 

I thought that white stroke (at least I thought it was a stroke) was supposed to be around that symbol. I don't know.

 

As for the stuff on the windshied... the only time I had any stuff show up on that windshield is in the image where I decaled my nephew to the cockpit (and I only did that in one image) so that leads me to believe that, that decal is the culprit since it didn't show up in any of the other images.

 

I didn't know something could lose its alpha channel. But considering that before I saw your tutorial I had no idea what an alpha channel was or how to use it I'm going to let it go. LOL.

 

EDIT: I almost forgot about this.

 

4) i'm not sure what he meant by "rough edges". I haven't watched the vid in a long time.

 

He meant patches where the decal doesn't fold right or tears or the seam is really visible or something like that. Look at my car in the customized car lesson and the horrible state that decal is in and you will see what he meant. Other than reapplying the decal and splitting stuff open to hide the seams I don't really know how something like that can be fixed. I was wondering if there was an actual "paint" function in this program where you could whip out the proverbial spray gun and blend decals into the surface attributes like diffuse color better than simply leaving a seam? The way he talked in the video he alluded to it but I assume that's not a real thing. I must have misunderstood.

[robcat2075]

But that would require someone sifting through hundreds if not thousands of posts.

 

 

Our members have made a total of 288,072 posts

 

I don't know how many moderators there are on this site... maybe if you split up the lessons.

 

It's Rodney.

 

 

As a newbie there are some terms, some questions I don't even know how to ask properly. That's why I went and got the screen cap software I needed. I noticed that folks who have used this program for a long time see some things as a "given" or obvious when they may in fact not be to the newbie (like me). And that was my biggest source of frustration. Even the video lessons occasionally gloss over a tiny detail as if it were "common" and it has led me to make mistakes.

 

Every new user sees them slightly differently. TAoA:M tries to hit the common middle. Beyond that, ask.

 

 

Onward to the Giraffe (no vid Tut but I see Robcat's got some stuff for it).

 

Read the tut all the way thru first. My vid is just a portion from the middle. I've been meaning to make a full Giraffe vid, but Spring, sunshine, life... all that.

 

 

 

 

I didn't know something could lose its alpha channel.

Someone mighta resaved it as 24 bit instead of 32.

[Rodney]

If I were a moderator here, I would probably sticky the lesson threads in order so that additional threads aren't started and the lesson gets fractured over multiple threads (which I've seen) and then, I'd edit the first post in each of those threads with questions that have arisin and links to the posts with the answers.... kind of a first post FAQ for each lesson. That way, newbies have a starting point if they run into trouble.

 

"Can't figure out how to adjust your walk cycle? Here's a link to the post where someone already asked that question and the answer follows."

 

That sort of thing.

 

But that would require someone sifting through hundreds if not thousands of posts.

 

I don't know how many moderators there are on this site... maybe if you split up the lessons.

 

Just a suggestion.

 

Suggestion taken.

 

The problem with Stickies is that once you get more than one or two the purpose/utility of the Stickies is negated.

Then you need a Stickie within the Stickies to point out the highlights of the highlights.

 

As the sagely Steve Sappington once advised, 'Post a sticky if you want the information in it to be ignored'.

 

If you are offering to moderate a forum that blogs the Stickies... just say the word.

This offer is availabe to others who want to organize the information in the forum.

Just remember... no matter how much information you organize someone will always want more.

In the meantime, just below the surface, is a world full of knowledge to explore.

Its all part of the cyclic nature of learning.

 

Its a great thing to have all of the wonderful information at our fingertips but the content itself makes it harder for everyone to navigate through the forum. That is of course why forums have search functions of course.

 

Ultimately the only way to get an answer is to ask questions.

 

Everyone is free to ask and answer a question themselves through the process of experimentation or to seek solutions from others elsewhere or here in the forum.

 

Communication goes two ways.

Very few people who ask a well formed question fail to get at the answers they are looking for.

 

Here's how the cast of 'Tin Woodman of Oz" might explain it:

1_03_34 SCARECROW

 

Ah, yes. Well, if it's any help… I've found that… learning is easy, young Woot. Begin with is asking questions.

 

1_03_35 WOOT

 

Oh, I do ask questions! Constantly, Sire!

 

1_03_36 TIN WOODMAN stands listening.

 

WOOT (OS)

 

I've learned people don't like having them asked.

 

TIN WOODMAN waves dismissively, then does a handstand on his axe.

 

TIN WOODMAN

 

Personally, I make it a rule to answer any civil question that is asked.

 

1_03_37 SCARECROW, seeing the virtuoso juggling exhibition, applauds vigorously.

 

SCARECROW

 

Oh, well, done. Very nice indeed.

 

1_03_38 With a flourish, TIN WOODMAN dismounts then leans on his axe.

 

1_03_39 TIN WOODMAN

 

So, ask Woot. Whatever you should wish to.

[Rob_T]

I hope you guys didn't see any of that as criticism. Rodney you seemed to be lamenting that my questions would get lost or buried or whatnot. I was just making a suggestion. Personally I couldn't be happier with things the way they are. I get answers to almost all my questions faster than I have any right to expect.

 

As for moderating the TAO lessons myself, I believe I'm not qualified. And, as long as I'm plowing through the lessons myself I'm way too busy. I have a webcomic site that just lost its artist, a job to search for and at least ten more lessons to go.

 

Maybe once I've completed TAO I might take you up on it.

 

Rodney, poor Rodney... the only moderator? Thank goodnesss people here are so nice and civil (at least so far in the newbie area... I haven't ventured outside much). I ran a community for Rooster Teeth Productions that had thousands of teenagers in it. I was getting over a hundred e-mails a day from complainers. I only had to do it for one Grifball season... like 3-4 months and it nearly drove me insane. God bless you.

 

As for Robcat bringing up that you have almost 300k posts on the site, I think if you stuck to filtering through the TAO lessons area it would be better. Still a ton of posts for one guy though.

 

As for stickies being ignored... I never do. But maybe I'm the odd man out. Yes you probably would have to make a sticky explaining the knowledge bank contained in the first post. It might save time, it might just be another one of my hairbrained ideas. It was just a thought.

 

As for the search function... In my experience forum search functions have never been great. They either find too little or too much and when you are dealing with someone like me who doesn't necessarily know how to ask the question properly the search function becomes even more problematic.

 

So I'll stick to asking questions.

 

Robcat, as for the Giraffe lesson goes, I'm going to take this one nice and slow. It seems like one of the biggest if not the biggest apple in the Tao pie so I'm going to take it slow and try and do it right, especially since it has less instruction with the lack of a vid. I appreciate the advice though.

 

Thanks again for all the help guys.

[robcat2075]

I remember when the forum first opened anytime a new user would ask a question someone would always reply with something like

 

"PUH-LEEEEEZZZZ USE THE SEARCH FUNCTION ***BEFORE*** YOU POST!!!!!"

 

That was probably the second post on the forum.

 

But it's a somewhat more helpful crowd now. Search is often unproductive unless you know quite a bit about what you are asking and know essential keywords to look for.

[Fuchur]

Yes and the search-function it is always a good way to make a forum quiet... people have slightly different problems and I think it is better to ask for the stuff by yourself, so that people can answer you directly and suited for exactly your needs.

Just keep asking if you have a question... that is learning by doing and doing by learning and exactly what I think it should all be about

 

*Fuchur*

[Rodney]

The word 'criticism' frightens people but we should invite informed opinion and share what is learned. Accept what makes sense... set aside what doesn't... and prepare to move on. Don't get bogged down in 'I can't believe he believes that'. In criticism its best not to get too personal.

 

Rodney you seemed to be lamenting that my questions would get lost or buried or whatnot.

 

I'd say I'm more concerned that someone's questions won't get the answers they deserve.

And in missing those questions the information fails to reach a broader audience with a desire to learn.

 

In my opinion there really can't be anyone who is 'self taught'.

Most of us learn from others who have already been where we want to go.

 

I still remember what its like to want to learn. I still recall how I struggled with concepts and definitions... alone.

In this sense we all have the capacity to moderate ourselves and ask and answer questions in turn.

I'm not the only moderator. I'm just the only one that is consistently stubborn.

 

I believe I'm not qualified

 

The level of knowledge I held when I first started moderating is living proof that you are.

Your willingness to learn and to share your experience with others is your greatest qualifier.

And you have something I didn't... and don't. You know what you want to learn.

 

Apparently the best way to learn something new is to ask the questions apt to help us rise above our current level of competence.

The Animation:Master community has always thrived using the mentor/apprentice methodology. That way of learning is time tested and proven and far better than RTFM.

 

But everyone should read through the manual too of course.

[Mad0dog]

Whew! That was a major project! And than I look ahead at the next - argh - a giraffe?!? yikes!

 

Project: FW 190 - my favorite WWII fighter of all time! Awesome lines and incrediable performance!

 

Name: Mike

 

Issues: Only one I had was getting the front and side rotscopes to line up, so I eye balled the modelling. I absolutely love decals. What an amazing concept! When I put the first one on I just stared at it in awe.

[HomeSlice]

I absolutely love decals. What an amazing concept! When I put the first one on I just stared at it in awe.

I love that quote It reminds me of how magical so many aspects of 3D are.

[robcat2075]

Whew! That was a major project! And than I look ahead at the next - argh - a giraffe?!? yikes!

 

you'll love the giraffe. There isn't a full vid for it but there's a partial one in the tuts link in my sig.

 

Project: FW 190 - my favorite WWII fighter of all time! Awesome lines and incrediable performance!

 

Name: Mike

 

Issues: Only one I had was getting the front and side rotscopes to line up, so I eye balled the modelling. I absolutely love decals. What an amazing concept! When I put the first one on I just stared at it in awe.

 

That turned out well!

 

It's good the Germans didn't have A:M or they would have made too many of these.

[Timekiller]

Exercise 10: FW-190 Fighter

Complete 18 Jan 2010

 

Here is is. I have never made it beyond this point on the exercises. I will start the Giraffe next weekend.

[robcat2075]

I have never made it beyond this point on the exercises. I will start the Giraffe next weekend.

 

 

 

Looks good. Onward!

[robcat2075]

I'm doing the FW-190 exercise.

 

My first bump is that there seems no way to size the front and side rotoscopes so that the various parts of the plane align in the two views.

[markw]

I'm doing the FW-190 exercise.

 

My first bump is that there seems no way to size the front and side rotoscopes so that the various parts of the plane align in the two views.

Yes I found that as well, most frustrating

 

The FW190 came in 5 or 6 versions and the one in the tutorial is a FW190-d. I found lots of good colour side views of it on the internet but very few in plan or front.

In the end I found some line drawings and scaled them all to match and used those for the modelling rotoscopes. I just used the TGAs that are in the tutorial for decals.

I did have plans to come back to it one day and do a better job but I never did.

 

Anyway I'v attach a zip with the all TGAs I could find that I used for rotoscopes if you, or anyone else for that matter, wants to use them.

A note in passing, the original front and side TGAs in the tutorial are the wrong way round and need to be flipped horizontally.

 

Sorry I probebly should have posted them a long time ago

New_FW190_d_TGAs.zip

[R Reynolds]

At the cost of a free registration, you can have almost two pages worth of views (orthogonal line and painted side) of many, many types of Folke Wulfs.

[robcat2075]

I'm also finding that in v16b, Lathing the tire with a moved and rotated pivot doesn't work. It works properly in v15. Another AMreport!

[robcat2075]

I did finish my FW. The propeller blades were the part I had most trouble modeling based on the directions.

 

I think this is a good project we'll want to keep .