Saving paths

[RoyBU]

I have been working on making a path for my camera to follow in a choreography. I have "discovered" that when, after making the path, I move one of the control points to tweak its position, AM does not seem to realize that I've changed something and so no asterisk appears by the filename and I cannot save my project. If I do undo, then the control point moves back to where it was, so AM does realize I've moved it for purposes of undo. And if -- after I have changed a control point's position -- I then change something else, including something related to this path (like rotating the entire path), then the asterisk appears and I can save and the changed control point's new position does get saved.

 

So why can't I save right after moving a control point? Is this normal behavior or has something gone wiggy with my installation? (Version 12.0w)

 

Another weird thing that makes me wonder if I should reinstall is that upon opening my project the asterisk appears as if I have already changed something even though I haven't (of course, since I just started a new session). When I tried opening other projects, this doesn't happen. Does that suggest something weird is lurking in this project?

[ddustin]

I have been working on making a path for my camera to follow in a choreography. I have "discovered" that when, after making the path, I move one of the control points to tweak its position, AM does not seem to realize that I've changed something and so no asterisk appears by the filename and I cannot save my project. If I do undo, then the control point moves back to where it was, so AM does realize I've moved it for purposes of undo. And if -- after I have changed a control point's position -- I then change something else, including something related to this path (like rotating the entire path), then the asterisk appears and I can save and the changed control point's new position does get saved.

 

So why can't I save right after moving a control point? Is this normal behavior or has something gone wiggy with my installation? (Version 12.0w)

 

Another weird thing that makes me wonder if I should reinstall is that upon opening my project the asterisk appears as if I have already changed something even though I haven't (of course, since I just started a new session). When I tried opening other projects, this doesn't happen. Does that suggest something weird is lurking in this project?

 

All those "features" have been with us for a while.

 

To get A:M to save your path changes. go to frame 0 and from a top or front view, grab any model in the chor and (using the arrow keys) move that model one key press in any direction, then moe it back. The save icon will be on now.

 

The second problem really is not a problem at all, just ignor it.

 

David

[RoyBU]

Well, OK, thanks for the reassurance, but as a relatively new user it sure seems unexpected that every little change I might make as I work on a project causes the program to asterisk the project EXCEPT for changing the contours of a path. I had already come up with your suggested work around, and, well yeah it's not that big a deal, but I see no reason for this behavior.

 

Thanks again for the response.

[Rodney]

Roy,

You can always put in a Feature request to A:M Reports.

As I understand it the change would need to make the Project file read as 'dirty' prompting the save.

 

You never know... it might be a quick fix and implemented in the next release.

 

Of course just saving every once in awhile will make all this unnecessary too.

In many cases it's enough to know that you've recently changed something and need to save (or abandon) the changes prior to moving on.

[RoyBU]

Thanks, Rodney, I may just put in that feature request. I realize it may seem a bit silly to experienced users, but when something unexpected like this happens to me as a new user, I don't know whether to start worrying that I've screwed something up or not. And I do try to save frequently, sometimes after making just one change, so that if I mess something up I know I can go back to the most recent good-up-to-here state. Since AM will not save unless it perceives something has changed, having to change something and change it back just so I can then save is a bit distracting.

 

Thanks for the response. This community is definitely one of AM's best features.

[Rodney]

Since AM will not save unless it perceives something has changed, having to change something and change it back just so I can then save is a bit distracting.

 

Not to press on here when I think you are finished but there is one important point that could be made yet.

 

You correctly note that A:M will not allow a save unless it perceives something has changed. This is true but many A:M Users will rarely notice that Save isn't an option. As many A:M Users save incrementally (I think someone else already mentioned this) the default to Save As seems intentional. It is actually better to not have the Save option available as it encourages the practice of incrementally saving your files.

 

I hope this makes sense because Incremental Save is definitely something the A:M Community seems to endorse. It will save a lot of heartache in both lost and overwritten files. The more I think about having the Save option default to Save As the more I like it.

 

Sorry if this one is being beaten into the ground.

[RoyBU]

Your point is a good one; I guess I can see it both ways. The choice AM has made seems valid, my only suggestion is that it seems inconsistent to prompt a save (not "save as") for virtually every little change one makes, no matter how minor, but NOT for a change to a path, which in most cases will be significant. Once a user finds out about this quirk then it is easy to deal with, but quirks are what can make a program frustrating to learn.