Error in HTML Tutorials

[Rob_T]

I keep getting an unhandled exception 001 when I try and open the advanced tutorial. It locks up the whole program and shuts it down. It happened once when I was doing something else as well.

 

Anyone know why this is happening?

[robcat2075]

the HTML tuts I'm not sure about but it's probably best to follow the tutorials in "The art of Animation:Master". They cover more ground.

[Rob_T]

the HTML tuts I'm not sure about but it's probably best to follow the tutorials in "The art of Animation:Master". They cover more ground.

 

I'm not sure you understand what I mean. The tutorial is built into Animation Master. It's one of the tabs like Models and Textures. When I open it there are three tutorials. Four if you count the welcom. The first two work fine but when you click on the advanced folder as soon as it opens it crashes the entire Animation Master program with that unhandled error thing.

 

I've got the extras disk and I'm going to try and use the tutorials off of there.... I'm just concerned because I know it happened in one other area as well and I'm afraid to get hours into a project only to have a buggy program lock up on me. Has anyone else heard of this issue?

 

I'm running version 15.0b

[robcat2075]

Those are left over from an old plan for teaching A:M that didn't catch on. The TAoA:M booklet supercedes that.

 

The only item in the advanced tutorial folder seems to have been "Create your own HTML tutorials" which wouldn't be a good use of your time.

 

TAoA:M has the better tutorials. And this forum. Most tutorials are good old text or Screencam movies.

 

Also... get the 15.0e update

 

 

Welcome to A:M!

[HomeSlice]

I'm afraid to get hours into a project only to have a buggy program lock up on me.

When you are working in ANY program, it is always a good idea to save often - and save in versions (MyProject_v1, MyProject_v2, MyProject_v3, etc).

I've had Photoshop crash on me a few times too. If I hadn't saved different versions of my work, all my work would have been hosed.

I save my work in A:M every time I change something [Ctrl - S]. And every time I make a major change, I save a new version. It has saved me many times.

[Fuchur]

I'm afraid to get hours into a project only to have a buggy program lock up on me.

When you are working in ANY program, it is always a good idea to save often - and save in versions (MyProject_v1, MyProject_v2, MyProject_v3, etc).

I've had Photoshop crash on me a few times too. If I hadn't saved different versions of my work, all my work would have been hosed.

I save my work in A:M every time I change something [Ctrl - S]. And every time I make a major change, I save a new version. It has saved me many times.

 

Steffen programmed a plugin which has to be turned on and after that will save after a specified time to a backup-directory...

It can help too... however you should really learn to save often and in versions...

 

That is the most secure way and it will keep you from trouble and frustrations...

*Fuchur*

[Rodney]

Rob,

I'm just now getting caught up on my forum reading and see you are having trouble in this area.

Don't sweat this one. The area you are running into is for those that want to create new tutorials.

Your interest is in creating tutorials is it?

 

If it is I'll be glad to work with you there.

 

 

I see that you are on a PC so I can confirm that you shouldn't be seeing the problems you are experiencing there.

Contrary to popular belief the .tut files are considerably powerful, very versatile and you should not be having any stability problems you are having there.

 

Its important to separate the browser... from the program.

Its quite likely you've got something interfering with the internal browser on your computer. Find that and the problem is history.

As most users don't view tutorials in A:M... there is little interest in going there.

If you aren't interested in creating tutorials I doubt you have plans to stay there either.

Note that the .tut file you are having problems with is almost 10 years old.

After implemented few had interest in supporting what was there.

 

For my part, I'd love to champion more use of the HTML tab.

As far as I know I'm the only one interested in going there. (I was thrilled to see you'd been there!)

I use the HTML tab often and even enhanced my workflow with A:M's renderer through it.

There are some amazing things that can be done in that little HTML window.

Some day I may get enough together to show what I've been doing there.

[Rob_T]

Rodney,

I'm glad you are so helpful. It's a real boon to have someone like you here in the forum. I guess I was confused. I thought the Tutorial tab was for learning how to use the program; not creating tutorials for others, you are right I have little interest in the that since I have no idea what I'm doing myself. I agree that saving is important and I think we've all lost work from time to time due to bad saving habits. I know I have. What concerned me was that I had this brand new program that was locking up and crashing on me as soon as I touched one of its features. Not usually a great sign. Since it isn't an important part of the program though I'm going to go into ostrich mode, ignore it, and hope it doesn't come back to bite me in the ass later.

 

I was gone for two months but now I'm back with a vengeance. I really want to learn this program as quickly as possible. I've moved from my laptop to a significantly more powerful desktop so hopefully that will speed things along as I noticed some slow response on my laptop.

 

Probably the biggest challenge I've had so far in trying to figure out how this program works is understanding the control points and splines and how they behave. It's hard to think in three dimensions when you've only ever worked in photoshop and other mostly 2d programs. I've had a devil of a time figuring out how to get splines and control points to move and connect with each other the way I want them to. Every time I think I've got a control point lined up with something I want to join it to I turn the model and findout I'm off on one of the axis and nowhere near the point I wanted it to join.

 

My biggest challenge at this point is trying to figure out how to make a model and how to assign a skeletal structure to it.

 

As for the HTML stuff you were talking about... are you referring to my webcomic? I think you may have lost me there.

[robcat2075]

Probably the biggest challenge I've had so far in trying to figure out how this program works is understanding the control points and splines and how they behave. It's hard to think in three dimensions when you've only ever worked in photoshop and other mostly 2d programs. I've had a devil of a time figuring out how to get splines and control points to move and connect with each other the way I want them to. Every time I think I've got a control point lined up with something I want to join it to I turn the model and findout I'm off on one of the axis and nowhere near the point I wanted it to join.

 

Yes, it is challenging to work in 3 dimensions on a 2D screen.

 

Have you done the modeling tutorials in "The Art of Animation:Master"? Those are an essential starting point.

[Rob_T]

Probably the biggest challenge I've had so far in trying to figure out how this program works is understanding the control points and splines and how they behave. It's hard to think in three dimensions when you've only ever worked in photoshop and other mostly 2d programs. I've had a devil of a time figuring out how to get splines and control points to move and connect with each other the way I want them to. Every time I think I've got a control point lined up with something I want to join it to I turn the model and findout I'm off on one of the axis and nowhere near the point I wanted it to join.

 

Yes, it is challenging to work in 3 dimensions on a 2D screen.

 

Have you done the modeling tutorials in "The Art of Animation:Master"? Those are an essential starting point.

 

You know that brings up an important question that I wasn't even sure I should ask. The tutorials seem set up to teach you how to animate from the get go and I started working my way into them a couple months ago and immediately lost interest. Maybe it's because I'm so familiar with programs like Adobe Premier Pro I didn't want to go on and on about things I kind of understood like camera angles, drag and drop effects and the like. All that stuff seemed like putting the cart before the horse to me. I feel like, before I want to know how to animate and move my characters around and film and render the motions, I really want to understand what all these buttons do, I want to know how all these different structures are formed (bones, frame, hair, lips and probably a bunch of stuff I don't even understand enough to mention yet) and what thier purpose is.

 

The tutorials have me playing with models I have no understanding of and I find that a little frustrating and I keep getting sidetracked when I find a bone joint and I ask myself "ooh what does that do? What will happen if I move that up and down? Can I sever it from the main body of the model and if I can how will it behave when I try and move it then? And what about these control points; if I break them off here will it significantly alter the look of the model? And what's this Halo of circular control points that appears around the model when I click on the hand and what happens if I grab one and drag it until the Halo gets bigger?"

 

I think you can imagine what happens next. KeeKat ends up looking like a butchered Quasimodo and I've completely lost track of the intent of the tutorial.

 

With all this in mind if anyone has a better idea of a place for me to start I'm open to suggestions. I really want to make this work.

 

I'm signing off for the night but I'll be on in the morning and throughout the day. Thanks for any help.

[robcat2075]

You know that brings up an important question that I wasn't even sure I should ask. The tutorials seem set up to teach you how to animate from the get go and I started working my way into them a couple months ago and immediately lost interest. Maybe it's because I'm so familiar with programs like Adobe Premier Pro I didn't want to go on and on about things I kind of understood like camera angles, drag and drop effects and the like. All that stuff seemed like putting the cart before the horse to me. I feel like, before I want to know how to animate and move my characters around and film and render the motions, I really want to understand what all these buttons do, I want to know how all these different structures are formed (bones, frame, hair, lips and probably a bunch of stuff I don't even understand enough to mention yet) and what thier purpose is.

 

You dont' have to do TAoA:M but later when you ask a question that was covered in one of them, don't be surprised that no one leaps to answer. TAoA:M is there to get new users all up to the same basic level such that they can begin to pose more individual questions.

 

It's true that the first group are more about animation than modeling, and personally I think modeling should have come first but they are all so brief that the precedence of one over the other hardly matters.

 

Well, #6 is a bitch but the others are mostly brief.

 

Most new users are eager to see something move. TAoA:M gets them there ASAP.

 

TAoA:M isn't intended to answer ALL possible questions, it is intended to answer the initial questions that almost everyone will have.

 

You will certainly have additional ones after TAoA:M. That's what the forum is for.

 

The tutorials have me playing with models I have no understanding of and I find that a little frustrating and I keep getting sidetracked when I find a bone joint and I ask myself "ooh what does that do? What will happen if I move that up and down? Can I sever it from the main body of the model and if I can how will it behave when I try and move it then? And what about these control points; if I break them off here will it significantly alter the look of the model? And what's this Halo of circular control points that appears around the model when I click on the hand and what happens if I grab one and drag it until the Halo gets bigger?"

 

Nothing wrong with experimenting. The results will be pretty evident in most of the cases you mention. And some you wont' even have to try if you've done TAoA:M because it would have acquainted you with the matter already.

 

I think you can imagine what happens next. KeeKat ends up looking like a butchered Quasimodo and I've completely lost track of the intent of the tutorial.

 

A simple "save" before you try something daring would be an easy solution. I frequently do daring things and always save a new version of my work before I do.

 

 

 

With all this in mind if anyone has a better idea of a place for me to start I'm open to suggestions. I really want to make this work.

 

You've heard my opinion about the best place to start. The accomplished users you will need the advice of later on may start to dismiss you as a problem child if you are frequently here asking questions they know are already covered in TAoA:M. Don't say i didn't warn you.

 

Of course if you get stuck on something in TAoA:M, that's a fair thing to ask about here.

[Rodney]

What Robert said.

 

TaoA:M is set up to get people animating quickly (It is called Animation:Master after all). As such the very first exercise deals with animation.

 

Most manuals begin with modeling and as such most aspiring animators never... let me repeat that for emphasis... NEVER... get around to animating.

 

TaoA:M is broken up into 3 parts; animation, modeling and technical direction. While you can start wherever your interests are its very much by design that the books starts with animation.

 

I can say without a doubt that working through TaoA:M won't make anyone a great animator, modeler or technical director but it will provide a solid foundation for putting basic theory, processes and procedures of computer animation into practice.

 

The manual mearly exposes A:M users to those things they need to be successful. Putting its lessons into practice is entirely up to you.

[Rob_T]

I've made it through the first two lessons without a great deal of difficulty and since you guys seem so sure that it's the way to go I'll continue in order. Thanks for the advice.

 

I'm not a problem child I'm just.... impatient.

 

[Gerry]

Hi Rob- Welcome to the forums and Animation:Master! I know this app (like most 3D apps) can seem frustrating and counterintuitive at times, and like robcat said most new users just want to see something move! You can do that easily without bones or rigging, but of course the bones and rigging are what real animation (and not just spinning logos) is about.

 

Check out Largento's excellent tutorials in this thread http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=32833 for a super-simple method of learning a little more about splines and cp's. He shows a number of shortcuts and pointers that I didn't even know about after using AM for nearly ten years.

 

Also, keep in mind something I've said in some other threads recently that I've decided to put in my sig: "Learning Curve" is a euphemism!

[Rob_T]

Hi Rob- Welcome to the forums and Animation:Master! I know this app (like most 3D apps) can seem frustrating and counterintuitive at times, and like robcat said most new users just want to see something move! You can do that easily without bones or rigging, but of course the bones and rigging are what real animation (and not just spinning logos) is about.

 

Check out Largento's excellent tutorials in this thread http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=32833 for a super-simple method of learning a little more about splines and cp's. He shows a number of shortcuts and pointers that I didn't even know about after using AM for nearly ten years.

 

Also, keep in mind something I've said in some other threads recently that I've decided to put in my sig: "Learning Curve" is a euphemism!

 

I actually saw those linked elsewhere and they are excellent. I actually know Largento a little bit as we are both Webcomic guys and I bumped into a lot of his posts over at the Half-Pixel forum. That forum died in a site revamp which was a shame because of how many of us used it on a daily basis but I was thrilled to find him here.

 

I'm going to do what I'm told and go through the lessons in order. As much as I want to know how to do everything right now I realize that it will take time... but I don't have to like it.