Admin Rodney Posted January 5, 2007 Admin Posted January 5, 2007 Hello and Welcome to the New Users forum! Our goal here is to provide help and support for those working their way through Hash Inc's manual; The Art of Animation:Master . Animator Tony White stated in his recently published book; From Pencils to Pixels: What particularly impresses me about this program is its manual. Unlike all the other software manuals, this one actually speaks to you with the soul of an animator, not a techie. It is a perfect starting place for the aspiring young animator who, for relatively little cost, can one day make their Hollywood dreams come true. We encourage everyone to take advantage of the resources at your disposal. Post your exericises in the TaoA:M forum. You'll learn from the experience and feedback you get. You'll have a whole lot of fun! The entire community of A:M users is here for you. They'll guide and encourage you as you explore the world of animation as only they can. Remember we are all in this learning process together. Everyone starts out as a beginner, so don't be shy. You'll soon see how amazing the A:M Community really is. In case you didn't already know: After completing the exercises online you will recieve a TaoA:M Certificate You can further explore the principles of animation in Animation Bootcamp. Now you can even work on a fully animated movie production; Tin Woodsman of Oz! So what are you waiting for? Don't spend your life lurking! Introduce or reintroduce yourself to the A:M Community and find out why purchasing Animation:Master was such a really great idea. Welcome to the A:M Community! You've definitely come to the right place. (These introductions continued from December 2006) Quote
the_black_mage Posted January 7, 2007 Posted January 7, 2007 YAY I"M FIRST!!!!!! isiac dagraca 15 had A:M for 2 years i got A:M at some computer expo for 200$!!!! i love A:M an I'm inspired to pursue a carrier in cg too. my web site is wolfworks.co.nr Quote
PostTribber Posted January 21, 2007 Posted January 21, 2007 thanks, Rodney. I'll have my copy of A:M this Monday AM. just recently interested in doing animation, and was looking for an affordable program aimed at beginners, and A:M looked like a good place to begin. I have the desire to become proficient at it. I'm running a Mac G4 with a 64 MB video card, which 6 years ago was 'top-o-the-line', so I think I'll know real soon what the hardware requirements will require. already have several music video projects in my head, so I'm anxious to get rolling soon as I master Master. wish me luck! Quote
Admin Rodney Posted January 21, 2007 Author Admin Posted January 21, 2007 Good luck Tribber! (Sounds like Trevor... with the Ta) I'll have my copy of A:M this Monday AM. just recently interested in doing animation, and was looking for an affordable program aimed at beginners, and A:M looked like a good place to begin. I have the desire to become proficient at it. I'm running a Mac G4 with a 64 MB video card, which 6 years ago was 'top-o-the-line', so I think I'll know real soon what the hardware requirements will require. already have several music video projects in my head, so I'm anxious to get rolling soon as I master Master. Boy are you about to embark on a journey! Take advantage of this forum. Here more than anywhere on the net you can find information on Animation:Master, meet others with similar (and diversified) interests and thoroughly learn the ropes. Every time someone new posts here I get excited again. This is where we get to animating! Quote
Tigerblue Posted January 21, 2007 Posted January 21, 2007 Hello, I'm completely new to A:M and am excited about starting to learn. I've always had an interest in 2D cartooning so it will be interesting to see if that helps or hinders me here! I have a background in live action film, though I'm guessing that the egos of KeeKat et al are easier to work with... I've just posted my first exercise in the TaoA:M forum. It's great to be able to work towards the certificate, it will help me to stick at it and not skip the bits I don't like! There's so much information on these forums, it's great; though a little overwhelming at first. But your links to various bits of information have helped me already, Rodney, so thank you for that. And I too am on a Mac, PostTribber. Pip Quote
Admin Rodney Posted January 21, 2007 Author Admin Posted January 21, 2007 I've always had an interest in 2D cartooning so it will be interesting to see if that helps or hinders me here! I have a background in live action film Pip, I can't see how it could hinder. It should be a solid foundation from which to build on. If you have any experience in live action film then you'll have an edge when it comes to setting up choreographies and cameras. Thats certainly a good thing. It would seem to me that your most immediate hurdle might be the interface. Great news here... thats really easy to learn! Definitely work your way through TaoA:M... take your time and dig as deep as your interest will take you. Follow the lessons... but experiment too. Click those icons... ask those questions.. break stuff if thats what you want to do. Have fun with this initial learning stage and you'll enjoy it even more. Make some memories to take with you. 'Cause you are only a newbie once. Grrr... now go get 'em tiger! Quote
Mr. C Posted January 21, 2007 Posted January 21, 2007 Hello Hello, Mr. C here. I am a novice c++ programmer looking to get into animation. Ive always wanted to make my own 3d series/mini series and I think A:M will let me do it. Quote
Admin Rodney Posted January 21, 2007 Author Admin Posted January 21, 2007 Hello Hello, Mr. C here. I am a novice c++ programmer looking to get into animation. Ive always wanted to make my own 3d series/mini series and I think A:M will let me do it. Welcome Mr. C! (I know I've said that before elsewhere but happy to say it again) I admire the fact that you are aspiring not only to animation but programming too. More power to you. Great to have you with us. Quote
Tigerblue Posted January 22, 2007 Posted January 22, 2007 Definitely work your way through TaoA:M... take your time and dig as deep as your interest will take you. Follow the lessons... but experiment too. Click those icons... ask those questions.. break stuff if thats what you want to do. Have fun with this initial learning stage and you'll enjoy it even more. Make some memories to take with you. 'Cause you are only a newbie once. Grrr... now go get 'em tiger! Lol, will do! Thank you very much for the advice and for the warm welcome in all three threads I'd posted in, Rodney. Much appreciated. Pip Quote
PostTribber Posted January 23, 2007 Posted January 23, 2007 Hi Tiger, I will be upgrading, but after I get firmly acquainted with AM first. by then I'll have a good idea of what system to get, and hopefully have had enough time to have saved up for it. Quote
Tigerblue Posted January 23, 2007 Posted January 23, 2007 Sounds wise PostTribber - something to look forward to and a good incentive to get you there, too. I recently upgraded so if you want to know how it runs on another system at any point, drop me a PM. Quote
honey07 Posted January 25, 2007 Posted January 25, 2007 hey all!! i'm brand new to this, my tech teacher at my high school just got the 2006 version (yeti) and i took it home for a weekend. i also work on it in class. this program is friggin' sweet! Quote
dre4mer Posted January 26, 2007 Posted January 26, 2007 It's 3D's best kept secret , at least it was... Quote
Gorf Posted January 30, 2007 Posted January 30, 2007 Hi, Everyone. I'm not really a new user - this is more of a "reintroduction" as I had an unexpected six month hiatus. Been using A:M since about 2001, but I'm not really very good with it. Hopefully, the new PC I just built will allow me to become productive with A:M for the first time. Quote
Admin Rodney Posted January 30, 2007 Author Admin Posted January 30, 2007 Hi, Everyone. I'm not really a new user - this is more of a "reintroduction" as I had an unexpected six month hiatus. Been using A:M since about 2001, but I'm not really very good with it. Hopefully, the new PC I just built will allow me to become productive with A:M for the first time. When I saw your forum name at the top of the topic I assumed you were just welcoming someone... you definitely aren't a new user. Glad to see you back after your hiatus. From time to time we all need those. I'm sure you'll be settled back in and off and running with A:M in no time. Thanks for dropping in for the reintroduction! Quote
skrilla Posted January 31, 2007 Posted January 31, 2007 Hi my name's Steve, I've had A&M for a few years but never really got too deep. I bought Jeff Lew's video ( just watched it for the 2nd time) lots of good info and reinforces techniques and ideas from the tutorial videos- I loved the dope sheet/graph editor/timeline parts. Does anyone have any other good sources for info? I was wondering about the "Animation:Master: A Complete Guide 200X Handbook" by David Rogers. I happened across the A&M Resource Matrix and Sherwood Forest sites, just looking for any extra info Hopefully when I get my 2007 upgrade (Fed Ex says tomorrow!) the program will help with many of the harder things (old version blues). Anyway I've got a new idea for the Door's Stuck exercise, just need to get the constraints down right. Quote
Admin Rodney Posted January 31, 2007 Author Admin Posted January 31, 2007 Steve, With your upgrade you'll get the latest A:M and the Extra DVD. There is over 3.5 Gigabytes of tutorials, project files and related A:M resources for you to explore. Definitely what you've been looking for in additional resources! Anyway I've got a new idea for the Door's Stuck exercise... Now you're talking. I'll be looking for that! Quote
jaydog Posted January 31, 2007 Posted January 31, 2007 Hello all, I just heard about A:M through a friend and am looking into the product. I've been using Maya for the past three years and enjoy it but I really like some of the features I see in A:M. I just had a couple of questions. 1. Are the models provided with the software free to use in shorts and or demo reels? 2. I've read that A:M is rather "buggy" and crashes often. Is this true in the newer releases? 3. If I purchaes A:M 2007 how long can I use it without upgrading? ex. I've had Maya 6 for three years and still use it daily, is A:M the same? thanks Quote
Admin Rodney Posted February 1, 2007 Author Admin Posted February 1, 2007 1. Are the models provided with the software free to use in shorts and or demo reels?Sure are. Some may have some restrictions (don't make millions of $) but all can be used in shorts and demo reels. Its usually best to credit the author of course. 2. I've read that A:M is rather "buggy" and crashes often. Is this true in the newer releases? Patently false. No software is perfect but if I could find one... just one... of these sources I'd love to have a crack at them. I've had no takers yet and no one seems willing to provide their sources. 3. If I purchaes A:M 2007 how long can I use it without upgrading? ex. I've had Maya 6 for three years and still use it daily, is A:M the same? You can use A:M forever and pass it on to your grandkids. In order for your grandkids to have the best A:M possible in the year 2070 its recommended you upgrade regularly. (Once you make those millions that'll be easy.) If you even like Maya... you will absolutely love A:M! Quote
skrilla Posted February 1, 2007 Posted February 1, 2007 I upgraded from the 2002 version (9.5) and it would often times crash for no reason. Maybe once every hour or so if you rotated or added a new model etc. I can assure you that after a day of using the new 2007 version that problem has been fixed ( I wonder how many years ago lol). Check the date on those "complaints" I was looking over some of them from sales sites and all the technical complaints were many years old. When you get an upgrade you get all updates put out that year for A&M the next year you renew your subscription and get all new updates for that year. The updates are still on the website in case your HD crashes, so rest easy. Quote
largento Posted February 5, 2007 Posted February 5, 2007 Hi, all! I'm a newbie on my 2nd time around. :-) I bought A:M for the Mac (v10, maybe?) a few years ago and really enjoyed it, but something else shiny came along and I was distracted away from it. Just recently my short attention span spun me back around and I decided to upgrade. Wow! I am really having fun with it. I'm sure having a faster computer is a part of the better experience, but it's clear the application has improved, too. The DVD of extras is FANTASTIC! I learned more about A:M in a few hours of digging through the tutorials than I learned in the months that I played with it a few years ago. It's a fantastic resource and big thanks for compiling it and to all the folks who contributed! I foresee huge chunks of my free time disappearing. :-) Largento Quote
GDblEK Posted March 7, 2007 Posted March 7, 2007 Hello, I too am new to using A:M. I've been reading about animation for some time, and recently started reading 3D World regularly as I've been feeling the urge to get back to my artistic side. I've read in their reviews that A:M is a good program for its price and that some of the professionals that use the higher end programs at work use this at home. So I finally bought a copy in December. I've gone through the first few exercises and skipped straight to the modeling section. I am hoping to learn to use this program to its full potential, and maybe a bit beyond... Quote
Ullis Posted March 7, 2007 Posted March 7, 2007 Hi everyone, after a long, long break with a lots of other work I'm back too. I just hope that there will be time enough now to do some more excercises ... I'm looking forward to the weekend to sit down and have some fun with AM. Quote
tbenefi33 Posted March 11, 2007 Posted March 11, 2007 Hello Newbie I"m Tbenefi33 I've been looking at animation master site for a while and just found the link to this site a few day ago just wished I've found it sooner. I have version 9.5 probley will upgrade later on. I use a dell laptop. Hope to get a lot better and will appreciate any help yall give me. Yall have an awsome software and its keeping me busy for hrs. Here is the Fw-190 Fighter project not sure what I did wrong on the decaling. Quote
clonewar12345 Posted March 11, 2007 Posted March 11, 2007 Hi My name is Daniel and im just getting started with the program. I will order the 2007 version soon. I used to use a different 3d program (truespace) but it was hard to make things. I mostly just glued primitives togeather. With A:M i can make much more stuff. The patch system is much better and more intuitive. I also love the community here Quote
Liero Posted March 19, 2007 Posted March 19, 2007 Hello to all AM users Sort of not a newbie Had AM for 7 years now, tho i had a 5 year break so i guess i'm still a newbie, atleast again I had a sudden brain function that urged me to update my AM to 2006 version and now i have the time to start learning to use it again Hoping that i will get my current weird and whacky imagination to 3D form maybe in the near future Thanks for all of you that will be suffering from my unimaginable stupid question here in the forums and survive it without a nervousbreakdown Hope someday i will be able to help someone too So hello and prepare Name: Eero Laine Age: 22 Location: Helsinki, Finland Occupation: Student(Car Painter) Learn more of me by asking directly Cya! ---Edit--- Ps. Sorry for the smileys, just notice when i posted a lot... Quote
Admin Rodney Posted March 19, 2007 Author Admin Posted March 19, 2007 Tbenefi33, Daniel and Eero... Welcome, welcome and welcome back! I think this is the place to be while learning computer graphics and mastering 3D. Its great to have you with us. Quote
catsqueezer Posted March 25, 2007 Posted March 25, 2007 Hi all My name is Brent Lowrie and I am a new user of Animation Master. I have been animating for over 15 years and have used other, more expensive applications for 3D animation over the years. I am starting a new studio on May 1st... Anomaly Animation Studios and will hopefully be using AM2007 as my primary 3D tool as Avalanche Software and Momentum Animation Studios have. To that end, I will be running through the exercises to get up and running and will be going for my certifications as well, so you can lok for my work in the exercise threads. I also hope you take the time to check out some of my work at www.anomalyanimation.com. Thanks! Brent Lowrie Anomaly Animation Studios Quote
Geoff Posted March 28, 2007 Posted March 28, 2007 Hey everyone, My name is Geoff I am new to the program i got it for christmas and now i am trying to really get to work and start making stuff. Any help i could get would be really appreciated. Thanks Quote
Logrus Posted March 28, 2007 Posted March 28, 2007 Hi all My name is Brent Lowrie and I am a new user of Animation Master. I have been animating for over 15 years and have used other, more expensive applications for 3D animation over the years. I am starting a new studio on May 1st... Anomaly Animation Studios and will hopefully be using AM2007 as my primary 3D tool as Avalanche Software and Momentum Animation Studios have. To that end, I will be running through the exercises to get up and running and will be going for my certifications as well, so you can lok for my work in the exercise threads. I also hope you take the time to check out some of my work at www.anomalyanimation.com. Thanks! Brent Lowrie Anomaly Animation Studios Welcome, An let me say i cant wait to see what you plan on cooking up.. Hey everyone, My name is Geoff I am new to the program i got it for christmas and now i am trying to really get to work and start making stuff. Any help i could get would be really appreciated. Thanks Welcome aboard Geo, Best advice i can give you is to work hard on those projects that comes with the books. An when your done, post it in the Tao:A:M section, you can find the projects listed there.. Quote
Admin Rodney Posted March 28, 2007 Author Admin Posted March 28, 2007 Could Brent's endeavor be a sign that the time is right for the 'new studio' concept? Stay tuned to find out! If you fully absorb the concepts and call to animators found in TaoA:M I think you are assured of success. Well that and the business side of things will have to be ironed out. You could do a whole lot worse than follow the lead of Avalanche and Momentum! Go Brent! Quote
Admin Rodney Posted March 28, 2007 Author Admin Posted March 28, 2007 Hey everyone, My name is Geoff I am new to the program i got it for christmas and now i am trying to really get to work and start making stuff. Any help i could get would be really appreciated. Thanks Geoff, If someone gave you A:M for Christmas... wow. What can I say? Thats such a great idea. I may have to follow up on that myself. Push yourself (at your own pace of course) into the TaoA:M manual. Download and view the videos from the TaoA:M course (http://www.hash.com/vm) Post your exercises, ask questions and you'll get a lot of help. Welcome to the A:M Community! Quote
catsqueezer Posted March 28, 2007 Posted March 28, 2007 Thanks guys, I appreciate the welcome. My next 3D project with a decent timeline will be done in AM as a trial by fire... my favourite way to learn a new piece of software. Nothing like motivation I'll keep you posted. Cheers! Quote
heyvern Posted March 28, 2007 Posted March 28, 2007 I love seeing the names new members come up with. As the years go by it is harder and harder to come up with meaningful and distinctive online names. catsqueezer... ... good grief. I have never squeezed a cat and I believe this may be illegal in many places. The story behind that name would make an... interesting if possibly disturbing animation. As I see from your avatar this may involve overly affectionate canines... or something in that area. -vern Quote
rojon Posted March 29, 2007 Posted March 29, 2007 Hi My name is Rod , i just picked up A:M this morning at the post office.. order last wednesday 21,, very happy to have it.. I have been lurking in these forums for a few years,, finally decided to buy A:M.. also been downloading all the tutes i can. looking forward to doing the exercises... Quote
Admin Rodney Posted March 29, 2007 Author Admin Posted March 29, 2007 With a name like Rod you've got to be welcomed. There were at least 4 Rodney's in my school as I grew up. I think they all preferred to go by Rod. So I tried my best to stay with Rodney. Great to have you with us Rod. 'Bout time you stopped Lurking! Quote
spacecomics Posted April 2, 2007 Posted April 2, 2007 Hey everyone, I got Animation Master a while back because it was recommended to me by an industry professional who has since won an Oscar (not with A:M, but he recommended it for me because it's less expensive than whatever they use). I went to grade school with the fellow 25 years ago and in a 5th grade class we animated the old fashioned way. stop-motion. Well, I've been too busy workin' to get anywhere with A:M until now, but inspired by this old friend I just got the upgrade to the newest version and I'm rarin' to go. -Roger Quote
loydkool Posted April 5, 2007 Posted April 5, 2007 Hello Me too am new using A:M. I always read my manual but still cant get somethings right.I am interested in animation and the 3d world.So i chose A:M and i know i made the right choice.Thanks to animation master. I know i will make it and come out with what A:m has given me very soon. Quote
Admin Rodney Posted April 8, 2007 Author Admin Posted April 8, 2007 I believe I've sent my intial greetings to Roger elsewhere so Lloyd... this one goes out to you. Welcome to the A:M Forum. If you are still struggling in any way please know that there are others just like you struggling too. Its usually not because the information isn't available trust me. Ask those questions... get those answers. In the process it'll help a whole new generation of newbies. Everyone of us was a newbie at one time or another. Some of us still are. The difference between the old and new is that newbies these days have no good reason to lurk in the background of the forum. The resources available in TaoA:M, ABC, Tin Woodman of Oz and more... just discussing solutions here in the forum will get you through the rough spots. You've discovered A:M now show us what you can do with it. More power to the newbies! Quote
swooster Posted April 13, 2007 Posted April 13, 2007 Hi, my name is Steve. I got A:M this Monday and have been enjoying learning it. I did "Anyone Can Animate" before finding out about TAOA:M certification, so I hadn't saved anything except the walk-cycle and stuck door exercises... on the bright side, I bet the exercises will go much quicker the second time through, and it'll be good practice for me. I'm learning A:M as part of a potential internship, but I'm also looking forward to trying to use it for some personal projects too. For a long time, I've had a huge phobia of high-end modeling software despite wanting to be able to construct models/animations. I started to learn such software twice, but both times I ended up very frustrated. Fortunately, this hasn't at all been the case with A:M and so far it's extremely easy to learn. Quote
c-wheeler Posted April 13, 2007 Posted April 13, 2007 Yay, welcome to AM Steve! I think you can learn something new every time you do an exercise.And it is good practice. It is easy to learn, but you'll find the more you learn, the more you find to learn, so it never stops being interesting. Chris Quote
Rheanne Birss Posted April 17, 2007 Posted April 17, 2007 Hi there my name's Rheanne, I'm starting Animation:Master today actually, and i thought i would come on here to introduce myself. I'm probably about as new at 3-D animation, as you can get, so i expect a lot of annoying mistakes. At any rate, I've started "Chorus Line" this morning so we'll see how that goes. Have a great Day Quote
Admin Rodney Posted April 17, 2007 Author Admin Posted April 17, 2007 Steve said: For a long time, I've had a huge phobia of high-end modeling software despite wanting to be able to construct models/animations. I started to learn such software twice, but both times I ended up very frustrated. Fortunately, this hasn't at all been the case with A:M and so far it's extremely easy to learn. I've heard similar statements from quite a few people. My experience is a little different (almost in reverse). After working in A:M and then trying to work in other programs I quickly realised that wasn't what I wanted to do. I've settled into A:M for the long haul. Rheanne said: I'm probably about as new at 3-D animation, as you can get, so i expect a lot of annoying mistakes. At any rate, I've started "Chorus Line" this morning so we'll see how that goes. From the opposite the Steve's spectrum. Rule number one: Make a whole lot of mistakes! (Just save often and incrementally) You'll learn more from diving in and testing things out than anything. Hopefully they won't be annoying though! To avoid frustration follow the path you've already embarked on. You've set out to do that just fine by tackling the exercises from TaoA:M first. Steve meet Rheanne. Rheanne... Steve. Welcome to the A:M Forum! Quote
Rheanne Birss Posted April 17, 2007 Posted April 17, 2007 I've already progessed to The "Exersise 5: take a walk" exersize. so far it seems easier than anything else... I actually kind of enjoy these little assignments. Thanks for the warm welcome, and Hi steve. Quote
swooster Posted April 18, 2007 Posted April 18, 2007 Thanks for the advice Rodney! I'm currently up to redoing exercise 6. I figure I'll post all the exercises at the same time once I complete them. Hi Rheanne! Quote
phatso Posted May 2, 2007 Posted May 2, 2007 I've been around for a while but never really said hi. I'm using A:M12, trying to find the money to upgrade but every time I get some scratch I take a hit from somewhere. (Medical, mostly, it comes with being an old fart.) I work at a nonprofit museum where we teach a basic electricity course to 10-13yr olds. A parent suggested that we put it out on video - public schools offer none of these "extraneous" courses any more so parents are looking for other options. But a video in any technical subject has to be updated every couple of years, which would mean hiring new actors (10-13yr olds age fast) and reshooting everything. Aha! - let's use animation, animated characters don't age! And with animation, you can show atoms and chemical reactions and fields and things that you can't see otherwise. So that's how I got into this. Gawd, what a project it's turning out to be, but the psychic rewards make it worthwhile, even if it never goes to completion. BTW, you should check out the museum. Google Pavekumusem.org Quote
spacecomics Posted May 7, 2007 Posted May 7, 2007 I've been around for a while but never really said hi. I'm using A:M12, trying to find the money to upgrade but every time I get some scratch I take a hit from somewhere. (Medical, mostly, it comes with being an old fart.) I work at a nonprofit museum where we teach a basic electricity course to 10-13yr olds. A parent suggested that we put it out on video - public schools offer none of these "extraneous" courses any more so parents are looking for other options. But a video in any technical subject has to be updated every couple of years, which would mean hiring new actors (10-13yr olds age fast) and reshooting everything. Aha! - let's use animation, animated characters don't age! And with animation, you can show atoms and chemical reactions and fields and things that you can't see otherwise. So that's how I got into this. Gawd, what a project it's turning out to be, but the psychic rewards make it worthwhile, even if it never goes to completion. BTW, you should check out the museum. Google Pavekumusem.org Sounds like an interesting project. Do you need any help, like making models of electronic components or anything like that? Quote
Admin Rodney Posted May 8, 2007 Author Admin Posted May 8, 2007 Hey Phatso! (We've just got to get you another name Sir) Your project does indeed sound exciting and the educational side of it is definitely good stuff. I still remember my visit as a kid to the Electric Company. They had rooms set up where we could connect our own lights and switches. Boy was I relieved when my light switched on. Some poor kids probably still have scars from that defeat. Seriously though... I remember the folks that were there seemed genuinely interested in seeing us succeed at turning that light on. Its guys and gals like that that give teaching a very good name. I haven't visited your site yet... a bit busy at the moment... but I will when I can. Start up a WIP in the forum and you are bound to get some great feedback. ...and by all means complete TaoA:M too. You're never too old for TaoA:M. Note to the kids: Yes we had 'lecticity back when I was a kid. Quote
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