thinking about getting a m

[jedlie]

Greetings;

 

I hope someone here can give me some advice. I am considering purchasing animation master. I am a professional clown and magician, so it would be fun for me to learn a new skill that will help me express my creative side, but I am primarilly considering buying it for my teenage kids. My son is deep into comics, not much of an artist but has lots of ideas he has trouble getting on to paper because he can't draw. My daughter just learned how to use a graphics program and loves creating new pages and posters. Both kids are comfortable with computers and drag and drop graphic software and with acid, the software I use to create music. Is animation master something we can learn fairly easily? I don't want them to be frustrated. Also, does this software play nicely with windows?

 

Thanks.

[MattWBradbury]

Animation:Master is very easy to use. Its user interface resembles that of Windows, so it shouldn't take much time at all for you or your children to learn how to use the program.

 

A:M also works very well on Windows.

[phatso]

You (they) will find any worthwhile animation program a little frustrating at first. The ones which are super-easy to learn quickly become frustrating in a different way: they're too limited to be useful, which means the time spent learning them is wasted (I speak from experience).

 

So, given that it takes a while to master any good program, which do you choose? You choose one that is easy enough for a beginner to use but capable enough for a master to use, so you don't have to go through the learning process again and again as your skills improve. As far as I know, Animation Master is the only such program. The fact that it's inexpensive to buy is just frosting on the cake. You will be doing basic animation literally in minutes. You will outgrow A:M... well, never.

 

A:M works well with windows - a wireless mouse with a wheel is best. Any halfway good computer built in the last couple of years will do. It's worth maxing out the RAM and you need a decent (but not especially expensive) video card. Most video cards are capable of driving dual monitors, which A:M supports and I very highly recommend. Cheapo that I am, I'm using CRTs, which are cheaper than dirt these days.

[Rodney]

A professional clown and magician... very cool!

As an entertainer you'll definitely appreciate Animation:Master.

 

Working with A:M is not unlike juggling... it can be extremely frustrating at the beginning... but as you practice the muscle memory kicks in and the next thing you know you are juggling...er... animating!

 

As a long time comic book collector I can attest to Animation:Masters suitability to that task.

Thats the angle I approached A:M from.

 

Animation:Master can do a whole lot more than comic books though.

I wish it was available when I was a kid.

[jedlie]

Thanks for the input. Here is a question my daughter asked. Do you need to scan images in or does the a:m softeware allow you to create the images directly in the program?

[Rodney]

Do you need to scan images in or does the a:m softeware allow you to create the images directly in the program?

 

You can scan images in or create everything from inside A:M.

An example of where you might want to scan something in would be a background, a building or something from the real world you want to use in an animation. You might also scan an image or drawing to use as reference for building a model.

 

So no... you don't need to but you can if you want.

 

Since you've mentioned your daughter is getting quite familiar with 2D paint programs it should be noted that she can use images created with those programs in Animation:Master too. A:M has a Library where she can keep projects, models, actions and images for later when they are needed. The drag and drop aspect of this is particularly nice.

[KenH]

One of the previous exhibitors of AM at shows was also an excellent magician. His name escapes me right now. Maybe you could contact him through the circle and ask him about it!