WARNING! DONT LOSE YOUR SEVEN YEAR OLD CD!!!!

[cgarlick]

I bought Version 8 a long time ago. If I rember correctly I paid over $400 bucks for it. I tried to use it but after working for 6-8 hours on something and just when I went to fine tune the modle, BOOM! "Program has preformed blah blah" and I would lose all that work. I got frustrated with the program so I took some time off from it. I had it in my CD case at work. We had someone steal a computer from our department and ya they got my CD case with my AM cd in it. I called hash and figured I would just pay to have them send me another CD since the program will not run without the CD. WRONG! I was told the only way I could get the software is if I upgraded for $150..... So buyer beware! Dont lose your CD or the only way you will have working software is if you throw AM more $$$$.

[Rodney]

Sounds like yet another reason to purchase the v15 web subscription.

v8 is pretty old.... 7 years too old.

I'm sure Hash Inc doesn't maintain or support CDs that old.

 

For $150 you could websubscribe for 3 years and end up with v18/v19 in the year 2011.

Even though $150 is considerably cheaper than fully price for the v15 CD ($299) I'd recommend the websubscription.

 

$49 to stay current and operational is a pretty good deal.

[adam&oliver]

I feel your frustration but... I don't think any software company will give any type of support in software that is 7 or 8 years old. Do what rodney says and buy the web subscription its a lot cheaper and doesn't require a cd.

[Fuchur]

I feel your frustration but... I don't think any software company will give any type of support in software that is 7 or 8 years old. Do what rodney says and buy the web subscription its a lot cheaper and doesn't require a cd.

 

On the other hand, a update-cd has some advantages too... I dont want to feed the troll here, just think about it carefully.

 

*Fuchur*

[Rodney]

On the other hand, a update-cd has some advantages too

 

Agreed. I'm a big fan of the CD. (As of this moment I prefer the websubscription)

Perhaps somewhere down the line Hash Inc will consider offering an option where we can purchase the CD with a 12 month websubscription included. That would be the best of both worlds perhaps.

 

In the meantime the equivalent would be a package deal of both for $389 (plus shipping).

Hmmm... I may have just figured out my next A:M purchase.

[John Bigboote]

Over $450 dollars??? Wow. You might be remembering wrong, Hash has never sold for more than $299 (Correct me if I'm wrong) V8 was a bit buggy, but 'bugginess' in general was an issue for ALL 3D applications in that day(Anyone remember the notorious V9???)... Hash has committed many-many man-hours to the smooth operation of it's product, and the current V15 is quite stable, thank God! AND- at only $50 for the year 'script with an activation that requires no CD--- a bargain.

[KenH]

No company would have 7 year old cds lying around. Not possible. It's an unfortunate/unlucky situation, but let's not forget, the bad guy here is the thief.

[Tralfaz]

Since it was stolen at work along with company computer's, see if your company or their insurance company will cover the cost of the new CD.

 

Al

[mtpeak2]

How much did you expect to pay, for Hash to send you another copy? Did you think they just have copies of v8 lying around? I don't know any software company that would give you a new cd for nothing because someone stole it. As Rodney pointed out, you can buy a 1 year subscription for $50 and you don't need a cd. Upgrading to v15, with a cd, for $150 is a bargain. The upgrade price, with cd, is $299 now. So, I don't think you have anything to complain about. It's your own fault that the cd got stolen, not Hash Inc, you shouldn't have left it at work (for 7 years?).

[Eric2575]

My car got broken into several years ago and the thief got my laptop and my AM cd among other things. The insurance company asked for nothing else other than some kind of proof that I had a laptop and AM software. I provided the proof and received the current value of everything that was stolen. Your company should have no problem putting such a small claim in for you and getting you a dollar value equal to what you would pay now to have the cd subscription.

[robcat2075]

You didn't make a back-up copy of your V8 CD? Doh!

 

Back then you could make a personal backup with a regular CD burner.

 

Legal, but I imagine many people were not just making backup copies for themselves; the non-copyable CD came in soon after that.

 

I can't imagine any consumer situation where if you buy something and it's stolen 7 years later, the company will send you another one.

 

$50 is really pretty good to get into 3D. Get the new version, it's fabulous.

[cgarlick]

You didn't make a back-up copy of your V8 CD? Doh!

 

You couldn't make a backup, thats the point if I could have the main CD would not have been stolen.

 

Also when I called Hash it was way before this web subscription. (I think it was up to version 8) He agreed I was valid by the serial number I gave him. The whole "have to have CD" thing is what screwed me. I have the backup disk I made but the program refuses to read it as the disk.

 

I am not an artist but I have a story I want to share, I thought I could learn AM but like I said it kept crashing and I got frustrated with it and jut stoped useing it. Its hard to learn on buggy software and I am not a troll I just wanted to put something up here warning others like me unless you have experiance with 3D I would touch this software.

 

I think your right about the software, I think the $400 was all the software I lost combined. Plus did you know you can buy old versions of Windows software from Microsoft for $10. I figured I could get the same here, guess not.

[zandoriastudios]

...I am not a troll I just wanted to put something up here warning others like me unless you have experiance with 3D I would touch this software....

 

For the record, you ARE a troll.

[cgarlick]

...I am not a troll I just wanted to put something up here warning others like me unless you have experiance with 3D I would touch this software....

 

For the record, you ARE a troll.

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

"Do not feed the trolls" and its abbreviation DNFTT redirects here. For the Wikipedia essay, see "What is a troll?"

An Internet troll, or simply troll in Internet slang, is someone who posts controversial and usually irrelevant or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum or chat room, with the intention of baiting other users into an emotional response[1] or to generally disrupt normal on-topic discussion.[2]

 

So for the record, by calling me a troll you are the troll. My post is about the secuirty and how it kills this software, it isn't my fault people started calling me names. By trying to anger me by calling me names is exactly what the Wiki defines as a troll, I didn't attack anyone here and I didn;t ask to be attacked.

[KenH]

I am not an artist but I have a story I want to share, I thought I could learn AM but like I said it kept crashing and I got frustrated with it and jut stoped useing it. Its hard to learn on buggy software and I am not a troll I just wanted to put something up here warning others like me unless you have experiance with 3D I would touch this software.

 

You've got a whole forum of people (and more) that say otherwise. If AM was so bad, why would you care if you got sent another cd or not?

[cgarlick]

I am not an artist but I have a story I want to share, I thought I could learn AM but like I said it kept crashing and I got frustrated with it and jut stoped useing it. Its hard to learn on buggy software and I am not a troll I just wanted to put something up here warning others like me unless you have experiance with 3D I would touch this software.

 

You've got a whole forum of people (and more) that say otherwise. If AM was so bad, why would you care if got sent another cd or not?

 

The version I bought was buggy, I tried to update it in hopes it would stop crashing. People in this same thread have agreed with me that version 8 was buggy. If you pay $300 for software and it has bugs in it, would you not expect the company that wrote it to fix the bugs? Hell even Microsoft does that and everybody knows how buggy Windows is.

[KenH]

It's immaterial now as v8 isn't supported. No (3D) company will support/sell a version of it's software that isn't "active" any more. Hash does fix bugs but perhaps not your bugs. See v15 for evidence of a rock solid version.

But the issue isn't the bugs. You wanted your cd replaced. Again.....they don't have the cds to send you. It's not their fault your cd was stolen. You signed up to that risk when you bought it.....and then let your cd out of your sight.

[Ganthofer]

Going on the assumption that you are in fact not a troll, there are a few in consistencies in your story.

 

Not making any judgements here, just looking for clarification.

 

If the call to HASH was long before the Web subscription, then the upgrade would have only cost $99 (plus shipping). This was A:M's renewal price for a very long time , until the recent change to the Web subscription. To get this price, all that was needed was the serial number. You stated that they verified that you were a customer, Yes?

 

If you have spent any time in the Forum, you would have seen the occasional question about the CD and needing it to start the program. And most of these posts also contained sage advise to take care with your CD. So the information that you shouldn't lose your CD (and also by the way you shouldn't destroy your CD either) is nothing new.

 

As for Microsoft selling old versions of software for $10, please provide a link. By the way, Microsoft is a slightly larger company than HASH (not necessarily better though

 

Regards

Glenn

[robcat2075]

Microsoft is not selling old versions of Windows for $10. Show me a link on their site where they do that? They don't even support anything before W2000.

 

On ebay you can buy old versions of windows for $10 but you can buy old versions of A:M on ebay for $10 too.

 

 

But I wouldn't buy a $10 A:M because the features in new A:M are far better and the stability is way better too.

 

 

You're just won't get much mileage out of complaining you can't get V8 around here because

 

1) nobody here is shocked that you need the CD to run A:M. It's been that way forever.

 

and

 

2) nobody here is shocked that Hash doesn't have a stockpile of seven-year-old CDs.

[Tralfaz]

Before this digresses too far into the depths of name calling and bad feelings, it seems you have your opinion and no amount of persuading or comments from the folks here will change it. Your story seems to have a few inconsistencies in it, so I am not really too sure what to make of it.

 

I have the A:M 2007 CD, and if something happened to it, I wouldn't expect Hash to replace it. If the disc was defective, than that would be another matter. If it was stolen, I would try to have the insurance company cover the cost. It was your responsibility when you took your CD to your workplace.

 

As Hash doesn't even offer upgrades via CD anymore, the fact that they would give one to you for $150 is more than generous. If you do decide to go the web version route, make sure you understand what it is you are getting for $50 before you come back here complaining again. The web version is good for 1 year from the time you activate it. Once that year expires, you need to pay $50 for another year and so on. Also, the activation key you get for your web subscription will work only on that one PC. If for some reason your hard drive crashes, Hash will re-issue a different activation key. But keep in mind that you can have it installed only on one PC.

 

As has already been mentioned, the latest version of A:M is rock solid. I started with version 12 and have noticed how much more stable version 14 is and version 15 is even better. No software is perfect and 100% bullet proof. I am a software developer by trade and have used a lot of software over the years, but A:M is the closest thing to it that I have used (except my own software of course ).

 

If you do decide to upgrade, you will find the folks at this forum amongst the best there is. They are extremely helpful and some of the most talented people you will ever run into.

 

Al

[Fuchur]

Just for the record: I used v8, I started with it and I could use it.

And just to state it: A:M is the most affordable commercial 3d-package even at a price of 299 Dollars. (I bought it for 299 Dollars at that time...)

Other software in that sector can cost many many times more. The full price of A:M is most often even less than the upgrade-price of other packages for 1 version differences.

 

But I think we should keep the voices low here...

 

Conclusion: 150 Bucks for something that wasnt the fault of the company, for a customer who hasnt supported the softwaredevelopement over so many years, etc.

I think you should be grateful for that offer... it is very nice. And if you dont want to pay that much: Buy the websubscription... noone can steal you that one and it is even less expensive.

 

*Fuchur*

[jzawacki]

I apologize if this was said, I didn't read the entire thread.

 

I can't imagine any consumer situation where if you buy something and it's stolen 7 years later, the company will send you another one.

 

7 years old or 2 days old.. It doesn't matter. You, sir (referring to cgarlick ) purchased a license to run A:M on your computer. The fact that you need to insert the CD is irrelevant. If you purchased a Ford, and it was stolen, do you think you can call Ford and they will send you a new car? Of course not. Why would Hash be any different. Your CD is out there and could be getting used right this minute. You purchased that license and even if you are not able to use it, it is still valid.

 

And, to be honest.. Even if your "backup" CD did work, you would most likely be violating the license using it. For backups to be used correctly, you have to create the backup and put the original into a locked safe (for example). Therefor the original can not be stolen. If the backup is damaged or stolen, the person using the stolen copy would be violating the license because they don't have the original copy available.

[cgarlick]

If you purchased a Ford, and it was stolen, do you think you can call Ford and they will send you a new car?

 

No but if I bought another ford at cost of the car would it not run because it was the same as the old car?

 

When I called Hash I think the software was up to version 10. To use your example:

 

If ford had the car I bought wouldn't they be better off to get to to buy a newer one for more money then to sell me the modle I had for less?

 

Or

 

If I lost the keys to my car would ford refuse to sell me a new set of keys and inisist I pay the price diffrance from my modle to the new one they want me to buy?

 

I think everybody is misunderstanding, I dont care if I have a new CD or not. What bugs me is I have software I paid for and I cant use it because of the secuirty they use. I have a valid sreial number, I am a paying user but I am treated like I stole the software. I just want to use the software I bought. I asked if my company would replace the CD but since I worked in Internet tech support and it had nothing to do with my job they said no.

[cgarlick]

You, sir (referring to cgarlick ) purchased a license to run A:M on your computer. The fact that you need to insert the CD is irrelevant.

 

Irrelevant? How so? Not haveing the CD makes the software useless.

[Ganthofer]

It has been said many times since I started using A:M and probably many more before that.

 

A:M is a SUBSCRIPTION based software package (please pardon the scream). This is something that many people fail to fully understand.

[Tralfaz]

The more that cgarlick posts, the more that I feel he is posting just to irritate the responsible and mature members of this forum.

 

If he has a beef with Hash, then let him handle it there, and not in this forum.

 

If he persists in bantering here, then I recommend that Hash delete this thread and terminate his user status.

 

If this happened such a long time ago, why dredge it up here now.

 

This is a great forum, and personally, I don't see any purpose in crap threads like this.

 

Al

[Fuchur]

I am more than sure that they wanted to sell you the new version, not 8.

But even when not: SOFTWARE is something else than a car in that circumstances. In most cases it doesnt matter that you are driving a newer car... newer software is not always what you want.

Lets say you are in a productionteam which is using v8... than it doesnt help to have v10, because the others wont be able to use your files, etc.

 

Anyway... I think you are no longer objective here... you are argueing to win, not argueing to gain anything else.

And that is more or less the defintion of a troll... so lets keep quite... you cant make a point here, because we doent see it in the way you do.

 

So you got two different ways to handle that:

- Fight in a useless battle against a whole forum and everything you can gain is, that the people here wont take you serious anymore...

- Use one of the possibilities we told you (we cant do much more than that).

 

Lets face it: 50 Dollars - Without the problem of the CD in the drive and with many new features. I cant promise you, that it wont crash from time to time... but v14 and v15 are two of the crashproovest versions ever.

That is what is offered. If that isnt good enough for you, where is the point in talking about it any longer? Than 3d-software or at least A:M isnt the right thing for you.

 

We would be happy to see you again, but if not I wish you the best luck with some other software.

 

See you

*Fuchur*

[mtpeak2]

But it's not Hash Inc's fault you do not have the cd anymore. If someone stole the tires off your car, do you think the dealership will give you new or used ones for free or even a discounted price? I don't think so. The car is useless without tires. That's what car insurance is for. As someone mentioned, you should have gone through your works insurance to get compensated, but that may be a little late after 7 years.

 

Come to think of it, you don't even have any proof it was really stolen.

[Rodney]

The version I bought was buggy, I tried to update it in hopes it would stop crashing. People in this same thread have agreed with me that version 8 was buggy. If you pay $300 for software and it has bugs in it, would you not expect the company that wrote it to fix the bugs?

 

Version 8 was/is considered by most as a very stable version.

Version 8.5p++ is considered the gold standard in stability.

(as v8.5p++ is an incremental upgrade it was available to v8 users (and you) for free)

 

$400?

$300?

Your memory is getting better.

 

As others have stated $299 has been the going price for many many years now.

And if you picked it up at a tradeshow you probably paid $199.

 

As the current version is only $49... what to say here.

If you don't want the current version of A:M for $49 take the $150 upgrade and get the CD.

You get 7 years of new featurs and enhancements (and bug fixes too).

 

Usually Hash Inc doesn't offer the discount.

I'd take it before its too late. I see from your clarification that this is about 5 years to late.

I don't think Hash Inc will offer the $150 discount to you anymore.

They'll probably give you what is currently available: $49 subscription or $299 CD.

 

Moderator comment:

For those wondering why I'm keeping this topic up (Hash Inc is free to remove it) I think the warning is a fair one... and the underlying themes educational. If you have the CD... secure it. If you don't want the hassle of securing the CD... purchase the websubscription. There is an education to be had here and for cgarlick its apparently been a frustrating one.

 

There are several lessons to be learned here with some options that weren't available before:

 

- Don't wait to upgrade every 7 years or when your CD gets stolen.

- Consider purchasing the websubscription to free yourself from the CD.

- Get your facts straight and don't introduce yourself into a forum by acting the troll.

- Don't expect Hash Inc to support old software (they make updating very inexpensive)

- Contact your insurance agent if your property gets stolen

I'm sure I've missed many good points.

 

To cgarlic... you've got enough information to make an informed decision. Now you just have to make it.

 

You know what Hash Inc has offered.

You know the options available.

You got your warning posted.

Now the ball is in your court.

 

Good luck and hope to see you splining again soon.

[noober]

Let me first say this. I do think that asking for help with any software "8 years old" is a bit much.

 

But I will say that the people that moderate these forums don't like any criticism. I just think all points of view are valid. Just because its not shared, doesn't make someone or there ideas wrong.

[heyvern]

I've read all the posts... and... uh...

 

I still don't know what happened to this guy? Did he call Hash recently or 7 years ago? Or was it 5? Did he call during version 10? (he mentioned v10). v10 was ages ago. Even I don't have v10 on my machine anymore (I have v11!). Version 8 WAS one of the best most wonderful versions of AM (up till now of course!). So even that part of the story might be lost to the fog of time. Maybe it wasn't a v8, maybe it was a... Snapple... or a Nantucket Nector... or possibly v9?

 

The issue about MS selling old software is a bit of a stretch. You can buy old software but MS doesn't like it or support it. They just can't stop it. The only "old" software MS sold was XP (and they didn't like doing that much either. ). Besides... if Hash was like MS that would make Martin like Bill Gates and he wouldn't put up with all the whiners. He would just write a check and have them erased from existence (I looked into doing that and it's VERY expensive).

 

So I'm still confused when all this happened.

 

I assumed it happened recently. Why wait so many years to post to a forum? It would be like me still bringing up how Pixels3D tried to do a bait and switch on me with their software, causing me to tell them to go stuff it up... someplace uncomfortable.... and then I bought v7 of AM (sounds like a character on Star Trek; "I am called v7 of AM, welcome to my planet!")... well... I did say it again... but not on the Pixels3D forum.

 

p.s.

I don't know if this guy is a troll for sure. Having actually met a REAL troll TWICE (the same dang one on two different forums) I have a high threshold. I think this forum is way to big and powerful for a troll to last long here. It would be like one tiny little guy going against a huge viscous army (yes dangit VISCOUS) to throw an evil ring into some lava... and... THAT WAS A STORY! It doesn't happen that way in real life! In real life the little guy GETS SQUASHED LIKE A BUG!

 

Like a troll on the Hash forum.

 

-vern

[brainmuffin]

I had a similar experience.

 

I started with V8 I think. Dennis the dog was on the CD. I played around with it, then put it away. Every once in a while I'd get the urge to try it again, and I'd dig out the CD and try it again. One day I pulled out the CD and it had a small crack in it. After a while, the crack got big enough that the program wouldn't start.

 

I called Hash. They said they couldn't replace the CD, but they would give me an upgrade for $99. Having already paid $249.99 to upgrade a different software package ( that I originally paid $599 for) I saw the bargain and I took the deal. The orangutan from Tak was on that CD. I've upgraded about every other year since then.

 

The fact that you needed to have the CD in the drive to start should really not have been the issue that people have made it out to be. There are STILL plenty of games that require the disk to be in the drive the wloe time the game is running.

[cgarlick]

All I wanted was for Hash to know my frustration, I dont know if they view these fourms or not. I guess I wanted to vent my frustration and since I did not get any good answers when I called to get the replacement. I am not one to buy software especaly when it cost as much as A:M. It just left a bad taste in my mouth with the crashes and I guess I did not explain the crashes very well.

 

I was working on a face modle and I would have spent 6-8 hours getting the face right. I would go in to make a few last minites touch ups and I would go to move one of the ..(Cant rember what they are called its been so long) Pixles and I would get the "Program has preformed blah blah and will now close" and lose all that work. I reinstalled the OS, tried it on other computers and got the same thing even after patches. Thats why I got frustrated and didn't touch the software for so long.

 

I guess I also wanted to hear negitive feedback from others but you guys did not bite. Since I am hearing good reports and have been given good choices I will presue the web upgrade...

 

But my question there would be, since my version is so far behind if I buy the web upgrade..

 

#1 Will it run then without a CD?

#2 Will I jump from version 8 that I bought to the newest one?

 

I guess thats what I was afraid of was a big investment to get working software again. Plus I have the Tapes and Manuals for v8 so I guess thoese will be useless with the new versions. Thanks for the feedback and sorry if I seemed like a troll, like I said I wanted to see what kind of feedback I would get.

 

Thanks

[Ganthofer]

answer #1 - Yes - it is based on a license key number.

 

Only runs on 1 PC, no swapping between multiple PC (e.g. HomePC, OfficePC, Laptop gotta pick 1 or $50 per machine)

Valid for 1 year from the date of purchase/license.

 

answer #2 - Yes - currently version 15c I believe.

 

It is a complete software installation package and all the updates, fixes, improvements are free for a year from the date of purchase/license.

 

The basics will be useful of course, but many of the features have evolved. The manual/tech reference is downloadable. The tapes may or may not be useful, depending on which tapes they are.

 

Glenn

[Caroline]

I'm glad you are considering coming back - it's a great software. But like anything worthwhile, it takes a long time to become a master. Despite what it says under my avatar, I've been learning for 2.5 years, and am still just gradually grasping the complexities.

 

And definitely worth $49 (and no shipping costs).

 

What you get for $49 is the full program for twelve months. After one year the program will not work any more until you renew. It is a subscription based software. No CD in the drive.

 

For $299 you can buy a CD, which will give you updates for one year (I don't know if that is Jan-Dec or 12 months). But the program will still work after one year. As long as you have a working CD in the drive.

 

As for your V8 tapes, I came in on V12, and there were a lot of V8 tutorials floating around the net. I found these very useful, as long as I remembered that some things have changed. The principles are still the same. Splines are the same.

 

You can go to the Hash site and check out the manuals too. The first thing to do after purchase is to do The Art of Animation:Master course, which will take you through all the basics.

 

One other thing. Even though this program is solid, it will occasionally crash. Not as often as Internet Explorer, or MS Office. But with anything, A:M or not you should get used to making different versions rather than saving over the same thing all the time. That's advice not only related to A:M, but to all software.

 

We look forward to seeing your contributions in the forum.

[Fuchur]

Nice to hear that

Welcome to the hash-community.

 

I recommend the same: Save after every bigger change in a new version (my_new_projekte_01, my_new_projekt_02, etc.).

I didnt see any broken files for a long time, only a few crashes but they didnt corrupt the files.

 

If you want to be even more secure: Save in different files and on top of it use this auto-save-plugin which can help too.

But I recommend to save by hand... that will change the way you work and you will be much less frustated in future.

 

Plugin by Steffen Gross: Autosave.

(As all plugins from Steffen it is free.)

 

If you want to learn the software, I recommend the videotutorials on the hash-site.

"New Users" on Hash.com

 

I have some on my website too.. All free of course, but I recommend to get to know the basics before you try them, even so you dont need to do that, it is just better to understand.

Tutorial Section on my Website

 

*Fuchur*

[heyvern]

YES!

 

Save often. Save versions. Back up versions. We all lose work sometime, 5 minutes here, an hour there in ANY AND ALL applications. How much time or effort we lose depends on our working habits. I learned to save different versions for ALL my applications by using AM. If I had not learned that very important way of working with the computer I would have lost more over the years than just AM files. ALL programs will crash at some point. It's not a matter of IF but when. Better safe than sorry.

 

AM is 3D... that's a lot of stuff for the computer to manage. A lot of memory is cranking away crunching huge amounts of data. Best to plan for the inevitable.

 

I use a text editor called jEdit. It uses a minimum of 64mb-128mb of memory. It requires something like 3 times the size of the text files while working. It crashes too. A text editor. The cost of an application doesn't determine its stability. The OS, the extensions, the hard drive, the ram, etc, etc. All of those things have an impact on performance. Your problems with AM v8 may have been the result of bad video drivers, bad ram, unoptimized disk drive, weird drivers installed by games or other software... any number of system related issues. Keep that in mind. Be realistic with your expectations.

 

----------

 

p.s. This just happened to me yesterday. FireFox crapped out on my Mac right after one of those automated updates. It wouldn't launch at all. Unexpectedly quit... before it even loaded. I changed my profiles, made new ones, deleted preferences, restarted, launched FF in safe mode (didn't know it had THAT) did everything I could find on the web short of just reinstalling FireFox. That did the trick. Reinstalled. Dragged my BACKED UP PROFILE back in to the profile directory... BINGO! Back online. Had to use Safari for a while... ick. I hate Safari.

 

-vern

[KenH]

Good to see you come to your senses. I assume you know AM is spline a based 3D package while others are poly based. And that you know the implications of that.

[Rodney]

Having made it through this little gauntlet I think its safe to say you can be very successful with A:M and will be quite happy with v15.

There are quite a few major features that have come on line since v8 as well as little enhancements that I simply could not do without. 'Stitching' of splines alone is one reason I could never return to v8.

 

If you have any questions whatsoever... that's why we are all here.

 

Since v8 there has also been significant enhancements in the Manual and Technical Reference too.

Take the time to download and work through them first.

Success will follow your effort.

 

You can download the Manual (The Art of Animation:Master) and the Tech Reference via the first two links here:

http://www.hash.com/2007web/reference.htm

[cgarlick]

LOL! I just noticed someone changed the title to my post..

 

Ya I am gonna give A:M another try, thanks for all the help offers!

[Rodney]

LOL! I just noticed someone changed the title to my post..

Sorry.... that was me. I usually don't edit a title other than to add a subtitle for clarification (in an attempt to make subject matters easier to find)... but I found this time that I couldn't resist. I'll try not to make it a habit because its really bad form for a moderator.

 

My apologies.

Thanks for being a good sport about it.

[Mike Hart]

I relate to the frustrations of both camps, in this thread. I'm glad Rodney let it ride.

As I read, I was thinking of sayings like, "said the the spider to the fly" & "thrown to the wolves" but..., it has such a happy ending. Hopefully, it's "happily ever after". The hard-part is just beginning; it can be done, though never finished.

 

Secondly, I was called "Troll", when I was in the 6th grade by a guy, not so much of a bully, but just a jerk-of-a-guy in my class. He had an inflated opinion of himself and I was able to ignore him for most of the year but one day, he underestimated me and, said it once too often. He never called me "Troll" again (I whupped his ___ and then glued his prized pen to his desk). Clearly, his expectations of me were not jibing with reality and he simply needed some "gained-perspective". Just like this fellow's unrealistic expectation of support for 7year old software and a sympathetic ear to his complaint in this forum. The forum gave it to him (perspective) and he responded well and now we're all friendly. That's very cool.

 

Perspectfully yours,

Mikey