The Seven Tutorials Series

[seven]

Why not a new Forum called Tutorials?

 

To this Forum you can send your tutorials and/or links to tutorials on the web.

And it will be easy to find tutorials on different subjects knowing where to search for tutorials.

 

A:M is an easy program mostly - but sometimes there are a lot to explain.

 

Text and Images are good - but being able to show some more action - it will be easier to explan and understand. There is a free program called WINK you can use to make a little more Action Tutorials with Screen Capturing. Download it from here to test it:

http://www.debugmode.com/wink/

 

Thanks to Emilio Le Roux I discovered the program.

He has done a great tutorial with WINK:

http://www.moscafilms.com.br/emilioleroux/...spherizecat.htm

 

With WINK you can make FLASH-tutorials, HTM-tutorials and PDF-tutorials. And the program is FREE!

 

And it is EASY to use. Download it, install it, start it and go to Help on the menu to choose:

View Tutorial Project 1

A HTM-file and a SWF(Flash)-file is created and you can learn the program in a quarter of an hour. And creating something it is just to click the Pause-Key to take Screen Shoots of what you are doing in A:M. Then ready you have to insert some text to explain what you have done. That is all!

 

Perhaps using this program - we can begin to explain - how to do it yourself - to each other a little better. I have made a try. Not perfect. But a try.

 

It is about Smart Skinning in A:M. Because you cannot upload files to this Forum you have to fetch the ZIP-file from this topic discussing WINK:

http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showt...t=0entry98840

[jon]

the current official place for tutes is http://www.lowrestv.com/arm/

 

the forum would be a good place to let the community know about a tute, but it's not really a good place to keep zip files.

 

wink sounds an awful like techstudio's camtasia. if i'm not mistaken, thats how hash makes their video tutes.

 

but as long as it creates an easily viewable movie, then it sounds like a great option!

 

-jon

[brainmuffin]

I've got ULEAD video studio(it came with my video capture device) and it does desktop capture too.

 

Desktop video capture is perfect for tutorials, it takes so much less time to prepare one than to prepare a text-based one..... I'm also thinking of learning powerpoint, also, since it got magically installed the last time I brought my computer to the shop for repair...

 

Now I just need to be proficient enough with A:M to write some tutorials!

[seven]

wink sounds an awful like techstudio's camtasia. if i'm not mistaken, thats how hash makes their video tutes.

 

the current official place for tutes is http://www.lowrestv.com/arm/

 

but as long as it creates an easily viewable movie, then it sounds like a great option!

Camtasia - you use to make tutorials with sound.

Wink - you use to make tutorials with only text.

 

Sound is good - but text is also good - the file size will be smaller - and you can go through the tutorial faster just clicking the next button.

 

Lowresty is a great place - but being on the A:M Forum I found it easier to go to a Forum on the A:M Forums to found out something about eg Smart Skinning.

 

And if you want to give some advice to someone on the A:M Forums it would be nice to direct that person to a special Tutorial Forum. And why explain the same things about eg. rigging time after time - better to direct the one wondering about how to do it to a special Tutorial Forum.

 

And Lowresty can have the tutorials also!

 

I believe it is a great option to have a Tutorial Forum.

Now - You are told that You can UPLOAD SWF-files to the A:M Forums - but I cannot get it to function???

 

If you were able to upload SWF-files made with WINK you could have a look on the tutorials without having to first download a ZIP-file and then opening it. OK! Not so much difference - but a little faster... if it was possible to upload swf-files!

 

Brainmuffin wrote:

Now I just need to be proficient enough with A:M to write some tutorials!

So what do you think about a Tutorials Forum?

[nyahkitty]

Brainmuffin: do you know if Ulead MediaStudio Pro can screen capture also?

 

How does video studio do this?

[Rodney]

Now - You are told that You can UPLOAD SWF-files to the A:M Forums - but I cannot get it to function???

 

Well... you can link SWF files into the forum but that requires your SWF files to reside on *your* webspace.

[seven]

Well... you can link SWF files into the forum but that requires your SWF files to reside on *your* webspace.

Why can you not upload SWF-files? Are they dangerous? I do not believe that. Do you?

Have you tested WINK? Some tutorial to show us done with WINK? And the idea a new Forum for Tutorials - some opinion?

[nyahkitty]

The tutorial forum sounds like a good idea. I would say that the ARM site is pretty good for actually containing and sorting tutorials while the Hash Inc. Forum is good for discussing those tutorials. Reduces redundancy while getting things accomplished in an orderly fashion.

 

What I would like to see is an online video that introduces the Hash Inc. online community, in depth. This means having a big bold link on the main page of www.hash.com to a video gives a tour of that website, this forum, A:M films, A:M stills, the contests sponsored by Hash Inc. and the ARM. Perhaps the video tour could also point out that there are tens of thousands of Hash A:M users, some of who have websites with more cool video's and useful info to look at.

 

I do wonder if that might serve to side-step what seems to happen to a lot of newbies, myself included when I first started out, which is the feeling of being overwhelmed by the scope of what's available to them. Hopefully this would help them to avoid asking questions that have obvious answers but are not obvious to a newbie because all of this is... well... new, to them.

 

This might serve to alleviate some of the stress induced by someone settling into the online community.

 

I know, a flyer could be sent with each new purchase of Hash A:M. This flyer would be on orange florescent paper and marked with the title, "Please Read Me First"..... or something. The info on the flyer could, among other things, direct the new user to the Tour Video. Perhaps the video could even be included on the installation CD. Then, the first time Hash A:M is started, the user could be invited to watch the tour video.

 

I am aware that there's a demo video of the software. That one is good. It's simply that it might help to also have one that introduces the newbie in a friendly manner to what is available to them besides just the program itself.

[seven]

The tutorial forum sounds like a good idea. I would say that the ARM site is pretty good for actually containing and sorting tutorials while the Hash Inc. Forum is good for discussing those tutorials. Reduces redundancy while getting things accomplished in an orderly fashion.

To me - a Tutorial Forum - on the A:M Forum is an idea to fast and easy explain some detail - the ARM is good for some longer explanations - and it is easier to direct the ones having questions to another forum on the A:M Forum - not sending them to ARM.

 

Sure I like ARM - really good - but perhaps - there can be two places.

 

I have being listening and looking through the new Camtasia - sound tutorials:

http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=13249

 

Sure they are needed - but I think they are too long - better make smaller ones - easier too find what you are looking for.

 

Sound is good for explanations - but you need some kind of Camtasia program and that is not free - and you will have a lot of bytes to download - using free WINK with only text that is fast and you can show the mouse clicks needed - not just have to stay to some words and an image to explain what you are doing.

 

So I hope someones will test WINK and realize the possibilities to explain their own way to use all this new and fun stuff:

 

Tech Talk #8 "Duplicator Plugin" - Ken Baer 33Megabytes ** NEW **

Tech Talk #7 "NetRender" - Steve Sappington 109 Megabytes

Tech Talk #6 "Font Wizard" - Ken Baer 38 Megabytes

Tech Talk #5 "Expressions" - Bob Croucher 124 Megabytes

Tech Talk #4 "Relationships" - Noel Pickering 38 Megabytes

Tech Talk #3 "Dynamic Contraints" - Bob Croucher 165 Megabytes

Tech Talk #2 "CP Weights" - Bob Croucher 72 Megabytes

Tech Talk #1 "AM v11 Hair" - Randy Croucher 201 Megabytes

 

Well I believe their can be many ways... or what do you think?

[itsjustme]

There is a tutorial section in AM Films that isn't populated yet...actually, I think there is one tutorial in it at the moment. I'm hoping that when I get a video tutorial done that Hash will let me post it there, I haven't asked yet though. As soon as I finish the one I'm working on I'll e-mail Hash.

 

 

- but you need some kind of Camtasia program and that is not free -

 

The Camtasia codec needed to view the tutorials is free, the program to make the tutorials isn't. There are cheaper alternatives though, Capturepad is $25 and there is still a free version of Camstudio on the net if you hunt for it.

[seven]

There is a tutorial section in AM Films that isn't populated yet...actually, I think there is one tutorial in it at the moment. I'm hoping that when I get a video tutorial done that Hash will let me post it there

 

and there is still a free version of Camstudio on the net if you hunt for it.

Hunting for a free Camstudio I found it here:

http://www.brothersoft.com/Multimedia_Grap...tudio_3944.html

 

Sure video tutorials and Camtasia ones are good - but doing them are a bit time consuming and downloading them too...

 

For me WINK has become an alternative - fast and easy - just text - few bytes - and you can follow what you are doing in the program - due to screen captures.

 

Why screen capture all the time? Mostly nothing happens - just the mouse moving sometimes - and you can use Flash to move the mouse - no .avi needed.

 

And going through a WINK tutorial is fast - just clicking and reading - not having to listen to all the speaker having to say - sometimes snuffling and gusting...

 

And just explaining a few clicks - that was my idea with a Tutorial Forum - not explaining eg everything on rigging - the whole body - just eg rigging the elbows!

[Rodney]

Seven (is that because you have seven logins?),

 

The easiest way to promote Wink tutorials would be to *make* Wink tutorials.

 

Get to it! Then others are sure to follow.

The tutorials you create need not be complicated.

They could be basic... model this... lathe that... learn.

 

FWIW: One of the reasons I'm not a big fan of Wink and SWF tutorials is that I can't cut them to pieces on my end and add them into my personal library as I'd like... but that is a minor quibble. Any tutorial that illustrates proper usage of animation tools is fine by me.

[seven]

Get to it!  Then others are sure to follow. 

The tutorials you create need not be complicated.

They could be basic... model this... lathe that... learn.

You have done something really good, really good.

http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?&act=ST&f=22&t=11392

 

You have collected a lot of useful links!

 

But, but, but.... Sorry to say!

It was just by chance I happened to find them. Why not have a new Forum called Tutorials and everyone can find your really good collection!

 

Well, I had a look on rigging - perhaps you have seen my try to rig a coffee cup?

http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=13668&st=15

 

I found two links not functioning:

More of Dem Bones by Raf Anzovin (Note: Link to Dem Bones is broke on the A.R.M.)

A:M Bones Notes by Joseph Firestine 3D Animation & Design

 

And I did not found anything about eg. nulls - when to use them - how to do them - perhaps you can help me?

 

My conclusion is if tutorials were sent to a Tutorial Forum - You know you always could find them. Why not have a try with a new Tutorial Forum - if it is not used - you can skip it.

[Rodney]

You have collected a lot of useful links!

 

But, but, but.... Sorry to say!

It was just by chance I happened to find them. Why not have a new Forum called Tutorials and everyone can find your really good collection!

 

By chance? Gah... a link to 'Useful Links' is at the bottom of everyone of almost 5000 of my posts in the forum.

 

There are none so blind as those that cannot see.

 

Concerning a new forum for tutorials... I personally like the idea. However, as mentioned, there is even now a place in A:M Films for Tutorials... it just needs to be populated. In order to be populated the tutorials must first be created.

 

Who will create these tutorials? How much money will we pay them?

Free you say... well then... it may be best to be patient.

 

Or... we can work through the issues with others in the forum and then share the knowledge we gain with each other.

 

The easiest way to prove to Hash Inc that they need a Tutorial Forum is to create content that will fill it.

 

I'll start... you can follow. What shall we tut first?

[Rodney]

Spending as much time in the New Users Forum as I do I have a soft spot for the basics; things that many A:M Users would think were just too darn simple.

 

- Basic Spline Modeling*

- Applying a Rig*

- Lathing*

- Font Wizard **

- Duplicator Plugin **

- Basic Expressions **

- Basic Materials ***

- Basic Constraints (i.e. Path, Orient Like, Translate, etc)*

etc.

 

* The Art of Animation:Master Video Tutorials cover these

** Tech Talk video exists

*** Forum area exists

[seven]

a link to 'Useful Links' is at the bottom of everyone of almost 5000 of my posts in the forum. 

 

There are none so blind as those that cannot see.

 

Or... we can work through the issues with others in the forum and then share the knowledge we gain with each other.

 

The easiest way to prove to Hash Inc that they need a Tutorial Forum is to create content that will fill it.

 

I'll start... you can follow.  What shall we tut first?

Thanks to beiing so "nice" to me!

Sure I am blind - all my four eyes are blind! - somedays...

I have missed your beautiful link - to the link of links...

so by chance I discovered it!

 

I can see that you - as a Master - is not a 100 percent against a Tutorial Forum.

That is a good start! Some more Masters and perhaps you can become the Moderator of the new Forum! Or someone else?

 

You are telling me - I´ll start... you can follow. What shall we tut first?

OK! You have started a long time ago being nice to the Newbies and everyone else... trying to give some help!

 

Now I have done a new WINK - tutorial - the third one - Emilio Le Roux - made the first one and inspired me to use WINK - then I made a Smart Skinning tutorial and now the third about Fan Bones.

 

It is a little long perhaps - but there are some steps - I hope it is correct - and it is possible to understand it. It took me about two hours to do it.

 

This new Tutorial Forum I mean can be used for a little longer tutorials but mostly I think just for short ones - You can do the next one on Key Colors and Alpha?

which I have understand that you are an expert on... Just a suggestion... do what you want - just something small...

The tutorial on Fan Bones you can find here:

http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?act=S...st=0#entry99138

[Rodney]

Mr. 7,

I finished looking at both your tutorials and have to say... well done.

It looks like I owe you 2 tutorials now.

 

Decisions... Decisions... all the things I like to do most are so obscure...

[seven]

It looks like I owe you 2 tutorials now.

Why not do something about:

Key Color and Alpha - just a little example!

 

And you can help me and everyone else with some nulls!

Look here pixelmech having a question about null:

http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=13662&hl=

 

Perhaps you understand that null - just a little example.

Or you know best yourself what to do!

 

A little WINK tutorial and ask Dr. Martin about a new Forum. I will vote for you as the new Moderator. You are really a nice and helpful guy I think You deserve to become Moderator in the Tutorial Forum to get a lot of new tutorials - now all the good advices they are gone after a week or two - and most of the advices are to difficult to understand for Newbies - and the same questions about rigging and nulls coming back and nowhere the answers are saved as good tutorials.

 

You can find old things here - some good advices:

http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showforum=42

But I belived it was some Happy New Year Forum first!

A new Tutorial Forum, thanks - ask Dr. Martin - I believe he will be grateful!

[Rodney]

Sorry Mr. 7... must have mistaken you for someone else.

 

My first test... very ugly and basic... is finished.

 

Lets see how it links:

 

Custom Tools Menu Tutorial

[seven]

That was really nice!

And I believe it was really, really instructive! And so much better than just telling it with words and just one or two images.

How long did it take you? Half an hour?

 

I like the yellow signs best. The grey backgrounds are so grey...

 

One thing I do not understand - why are the text on the menus in A:M so small?

It is hard to read the text...

Have you scaled it down by writing some new values in the .htm-file?

That is not good.

Before starting WINK you have to resize A:M!!!

You are just a newbie on WINK I believe...

Next tutorial - do not make the same misssstaaake!

Just remembering to scale A:M down before you begin,

because scaling it down by writing new values in the .htm-file

will make it hard to read and a lot of unnessary bytes to download.

But I believe in you and everyone else... we are all new beginners sometime.

The next time we are masters all of us... and in a Tutorial Forum it is easy to tell everyone what to think of...

 

Show Martin this and he will be glad! I believe... and you too I believe...

And the Tutorials Forum can be up next week!

 

And hopefully so many small and big tutorial contributions can be made.... fast and easy with WINK. And so many more will understand the possibilities in A:M!

[Rodney]

Well... I did say it was ugly.

 

Obviously if I plan on continuing with mini-tutorials I'll have to make them a little bit prettier and standardize some fonts and add a little style.

 

I redid the tutorial about 3 times from scratch in about 45 minutes... each time finding it easier to start from scratch rather than edit what I had... I learned a lot.

 

You guessed right on the scaling... I scaled the image down 80%.

For an update on this tutorial I will show only the menus as the whole A:M screen is unnecessary. That will make it easier to read.

 

As far as scaling in the HTML... WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU TALKIN' BOUT! I didn't do that... Wink has a setting to scale the whole thing down.

 

...and as far as Martin liking these little tutorials... Lord I hope not! Like I have free time as it is...

[seven]

I have contacted Martin - and I think he is positive to a new Tutorials Forum.

We will wait and see...

 

I have made a tutorial on WINK

just a .jpg-image with the eleven steps needed to do a WINK tutorial.

 

The tutorial image is here:

http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showt...t=0entry99372

 

And here is the two WINK tutorials I have made so far:

 

Smart Skinning in A:M

http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?act=A...e=post&id=99374

 

Fan Bones in A:M

http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?act=A...e=post&id=99375

[Rodney]

Since we are on the subject of Wink it might be good to point out that the creators of Wink also put out some other graphics programs of interest.

 

WAX (a movie editor)

WINMORPH (morph images from one to another)

and more...

 

I've used both WINMORPH (Long time ago) and WAX (More recently) and thought they were quite useful.

 

http://www.debugmode.com

 

Hard to beat the price (free) and usage is free for personal and commerical use.

Distribution of the programs require consent of the creator.

[DarkLimit]

I have seen tuts done with this wink program and I find it very easy to follow and understand; it has a nice clean professional style... Def something I would use for a few tuts am working on....

 

thanks for the links and surggestions seven.....

[pixelmech]

I have to say this is a good idea after seeing a couple of them. It lends itself well to tutorials. I'd like to see more of them made. This would be good for some of those tougher topics like rigging too where you could actually see what is happening.

[seven]

Rodney now you have got three WINK tutorials on yours USEFUL LINKS:

http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showt...indpost&p=99372

The third about modeling, rigging and animating a wheel in a simple manner.

Perhaps someone will make a tutorial on rotating it wiht Euler instead. There is already one on it - but is over 1 MB...

 

Still I am hoping on a new Tutorials Forum. I hope Martin likes the idea and it can be up in next week. The moderator of the forum, who?

[seven]

Now there are four WINK tutorials. The new one about seamless patterns.

http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showt...t=0entry99372

[seven]

One more WINK tutorial on images with alpha channel to use as Decals and Layers.

The tutorial is in two parts. You will find them here:

http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showt...indpost&p=99972

[KenH]

Mr 7, If you get a vote on what tutorials people would want, I'd help with making some of them. As soon as I learn how to use Wink. I seem to remember a while ago someone setting up a site to make tutorials on. He didn't seem to get many entrys. Maybe he might contribute on this.

[seven]

As soon as I learn how to use Wink.

Glad for your reply! To learn WINK is really easy! After starting WINK have a look under Help > View Tutorial Project 1

Takes you ten minutes and you can do something giving us a little of all your knowledge about A:M.

 

And I have seen your WINK tutorial - very good - learnt a lot from it.

 

Or have a look on this "tutorial image" telling you all you have to know about WINK.

http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?act=A...e=post&id=99372

 

A tutorial on rigging I believe would be popular:

http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=13854

 

Or perhaps just on rigging hands!

[KenH]

Ah...thanks for the link. I think I have it now. I'm sure there must be WINK tutorials on how to use WINK somewhere.

[seven]

Ah...thanks for the link. I think I have it now. I'm sure there must be WINK tutorials on how to use WINK somewhere.

Yes, just download and install WINK. Start it and have a look on WINKS menu:

Help > View Tutorial Project 1

[seven]

KenH, I saw your new Flash tutorial - not many bytes do download - just 150 kB to learn something - many has had questions about - me too - stopping a character following the path for some frames. Here it is:

http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showt...indpost&p=99606

[seven]

KenH - one more WINK tutorial and this is really a good one!

explaining things I never had figured out where to find some help on...

Action Transitions!

 

http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showt...ndpost&p=100107

[seven]

Thanks Rodney and Martin for the new Software Tutorial Forum!