.prj vs. .mdl? No color in rendered files?

[mr_matt138]

I think I've seen people introduce themselves on the board before they go and impose upon the senior users with silly newbie questions...

 

Hi, I'm Matt

G5 1.5 single & G4 667 powerbook

Animation Master 12 - just picked it up at WizardWorld Chicago this past summer

I've been full on Adobe 2d/static up until this point and this is my first foray into 3d/animation

 

and now my newbie questions...I appologize if I'm not getting the terminology right, or being unclear in my questions.

 

I made a model...but it's not really a model, it's a .prj file. It's a building...the Lincoln Memorial to be exact (sans Lincoln himself for the time being), so there aren't any joints or bones. How do I convert that .prj file to a .mdl file so I can use it in a choreography?

 

also...

 

In the project, I would like to start adding color. I select control points, the windows on the roof of the building for example, and when I change colors, the color of the selected group icon changes in the Project Workspace window, but the selected area in the actual model stays shaded mode grey.

 

I think these are strange issues, but I'm sure it's something simple I'm doing wrong.

Thanks.

[J Man]

hey Matt. I too fall under the category of newbie, (just got v12.0 last march) but I hope I can help you out. first of all, right click in the window where your model is, and choose the save as command (don't use the File>Save as). Second of all, if you don't have the Project Workspace open, select that by going to View>Project Workspace. Just in case you didn't know, the Project Workspace is a comprehensive "outline" of the Project you're in. You can find any Choreographies, Models, Materials, or Decal/Rotoscopes in that particular project in the Project Workspace. You should be able to open your lincoln memorial model from there. In order to create groups, just select all of the control points you want in your model using the Shift+click command, and go into the project workspace. it will bring up a group called "untitled" under Objects>model1>groups. to make this group permanent, rename it. you can use the submenu of that group to change the color and all of that nonsense.

 

Hope that helped!

 

Peace.

J Man

[Luuk Steitner]

How do I convert that .prj file to a .mdl file so I can use it in a choreography?

 

You don't need to save your model as an .mdl file. Just drag it from the objects to the choreography in the project workspace. You can you the "save as .mdl" feature if you want to import your model in other projects. I also save my models as .mdl files when they get very big. That way the file size of the .prj stays small and I don't have to wait long when I save each time

[Fuchur]

Okay... an *.mdl-file is a file to save models. That is right.

BUT you can although save a model in a *.prj-file if you want, and this is the standard-way A:M does it.

(*.prj-file is the project-file, where everything will be saved in the standard-way, IF you dont import other models, actions, etc. or save a model out of it...)

 

An *.mdl-file has some disadvantages and some advantages:

 

pro:

- You can go and use the same model in another project

- You can save certain backups.

- You can better share your model.

 

con:

- IF you use your file in another project and you change it in the other project, that will although have an effect on the first project.

- You should make some backups now and than. If you now save your project like this: "Project1_a.prj", "Project1_b.prj" and so on, you dont save the *.mdl in different files... that means... if your *.mdl gets anyhow corrupt, your model will be lost. If the model would have been embedded, you would have saved the model in different project-files and you could go back to one of the backups and start from there again.

-> That means a higher hd-requirement but it is much saver.

 

 

EDIT:

-> Open the PRJ in A:M by loading it as a project.

Right-Click in the PWS on the model you want to use and choose "Save as"

 

*Fuchur*

[mr_matt138]

Thanks for all the help, right clicking on the project window did allow me to save as a model. Seems silly not to be able to get to that through the file menu though...oh well. I think I'm going to finish the project, burn both the prj and the mdl to a disc and load what I need onto my hd for the actual animation. If I only had the one file I know I'd find a way to screw it up.

 

I deleted all of my groups and started over to solve the color issue. I don't know if there was something assigned improperly on one of the levels, but once I got rid of them it worked as advertised

 

Thanks again,

Matt