Useful Links (2004 Archive)

Seems like there are a ton of new users lately, welcome to everyone. I thought since we've been seeing the same types of questions lately it would be good to have a place to put some common answers. I'd like to see all users post things here that they wish they knew when starting out. I know I'm still learning every day only having had A:M for a little over a year. So.... I'll start....

Because of the copyright protection Animation Master uses it is neccessary to have the cd in the drive to start the program. After it loads you can remove the cd and spline away.

Parlo · March 23, 2004

I didn't use even the simplest of the keyboard shortcuts when I first started with A:M. I personally think that the following 3 (default) keys are the first thing a new user should learn.

To alter your view of A:M's 3D space:

M - Move tool (or pressing down the mouse wheel if you have one)

T - Turn

Z - Zoom (or the mouse wheel up and down if you have one)

Once you've got these learnt, and can find them without looking at the keyboard, you'll find yourself working a whole lot faster.

And then you'll be ready to learn more shortcuts

Srmjr · March 23, 2004

As embarrasing as this is, I didn't discover Shaded Mode until a year after I had the soft ware and saw William Eggington's creature modeling siggraph demo ('99 I think).

Working in shaded mode was a revolution for me.

Sterling

pleavens · March 23, 2004

Do the tutorials from "The Art of Animation Master" - watching them on video first is even better.

HASH online training videos

Many new users skip these tutorials because they want to get straight to the "good stuff" and think it's just a bunch of boring exercises. This is especially true for users coming from other 3d applications. Don't make this mistake, their not perfect but there is a ton of detailed instruction on using the interface, usage of the modeling tools, particles, constraints and more in these seemingly simple tutorials. I would have killed for them back when I started with AM if I knew their value.

In this same vein, AM provides you with a host of simple yet powerful tools that will enable you to tell your story. The easiest way to find yourself going nowhere with it, is to try to force AM to work the same as other packages you may be used to.

Take the time to learn the usage of decals, smartskinning and the art of Hash patch modeling. Approach these with an open mind and a willingness to learn a different way of doing things and you may become one of the many who wonder why the other packages can't do things the AM way.

Good luck, and feel free to ask for advice on this forum, there are a lot of people here who enjoy seeing others have success with our favorite animation package.

Phil

CreativeAustinYankee · March 25, 2004

Animation Master keyboard shortcuts, learn em, use em. They can save you ALOT of time.

http://www.angelfire.com/mo3/pengwin/3dtut1.html

Steve P.

Dalemation · March 25, 2004

This is just a little thing that caught me out at first and I`ve noticed a lot of new users asking about after they have excitedly attempted their first animation.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Why won`t my animation play past 25 frames?

You need to open the timeline and drag the greyed out bar, right at the top of the timeline, up to or past the last frame of your animation.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

larry_b · March 25, 2004

:ph34r: Hi:

It is hard to say. I learned So fast.

I guess so far once you get over 1 part, the other parts appear harder.. (modeling seemed hard till I got into rigging, riggign seemed harder till I got into animation movement part). Not to discourage you, Materials seemed like it would be hard, but was quite easy.

When I started out, I couldn't find a tutorial that covered basic texturing, So I made one.

www.zrrp.com/tut/mat-1/

Another pointer is make sure you know the right way to lay splines. Keep your BIAS handles on, and make sure you don't have ane splines going in the up direction do a sudden left, or right turn. Keep them up and down (unless it is to go around the eyes and complete a circle, etc. that is a very common mistake of new modelers.

-Larry B

johnl3d · March 26, 2004

My advise is to try to read all the posts..I would say list mail but not everyone has that now. I have tried to read every piece I could and download and save whatever sample projects models etc that people offered. You might think that something you read does not pertain to what your doing now but you might need it later. The other thing is to not be afraid to try to do something. Your computer will not explode if you goof up a project and usually you learn frm your mistakes. But of course you have to a general understanding of how everything works so yes read the manual , do the tuts. and have fun. I usually post simple projects so feel free to visit . Now I'll have to get links to all the version 10 to 11 projects I've posted that would help.

old site

http://www.geocities.com/johnl3d/

current site

http://johnl.inform.net/

johnl3d

latest tut posted

http://johnl.inform.net/pages/toon.swf.html

NickHutson · March 26, 2004

Like larry b I can't stress enough how important it is to get an understanding of "Spline Direction" as quickly as you can. I would put it as my #1 priority when first starting to model. There is a link in the A:M arm that does wonders for beginners.

www.lowrestv.com/arm/search3.asp?bob=Beginners&SortBy=DateAdded%20desc

When going to this link I would make my first stop at the "Basic Splinemanship" tutorial. It covers spline direction and legal patches from A-Z.

ZachBG · March 26, 2004

Modeling tips:

Click on a control point or group, then when you translate it:

Hold down 1 (above the letters) to only move it in the X axis

2 to only move it in the Y axis

3 to only move it in the Z axis

Combinations of the above to constrain it to XY, XZ, etc.

And the lesser known constraint keys:

4 to only translate in the direction of the selected spline

5 to translate in the direction perpendicular to the selected spline

6 to translate in the direction of the surface normal--EXTREMELY useful when attempting to make models smooth.

These work anywhere, actually, not just modeling mode, and when working in camera or bird's eye view in Choreography, there's an added bonus: if you want to move something in screen space, as opposed to along the ground plane, hold down 1, 2, and 3, and you've got it.

Parlo · March 26, 2004

....The other thing is to not be afraid to try to do something. Your computer will not explode if you goof up a project and usually you learn frm your mistakes.

this couldn't be more true! (Check my sig)

It all boils down to this - don't be disappointed if the first thing you try doesn't come out exactly as you wanted it to. Most advanced users would say pretty much the same thing. The key is to learn from each attempt or project, and take that into the next. You can't expect to produce stella work immediately but the more you try, the more goes you have at it, the better you'll be.

Don't be afraid of making mistakes (as long as you save often!) - The more you fall over - the better practiced you'll be at standing up.

KenH · March 26, 2004

Great tips Zach! Didn't know all those....

Q: If you make 2 separate groups with the one patch and set the surface properties of each group differently which group will take precedence?

A: The group furthest down the hierarchy line in the PWS(Project Work Space)

Also, the best way to make a clean patch is to draw a line and extrude it. Then you can shape it.

Here's what support says when you only have 2 groups: "when you've only got two items, drag the one you want to re-order, directly on to the groups folder"

ZachBG · March 26, 2004

You can't expect to produce stella work immediately but the more you try, the more goes you have at it, the better you'll be.

Every time I try to produce stella work, it just comes out like Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire...

"Stella! STELLA!"

It's gotten so bad I have to unplug the speakers when the kids are asleep...

Zach

starving4rtist · March 26, 2004

I don't have any huge things to add, but I really like the idea of this thread. Sooo...

Yes, I agree with everyone above about laying splines. It took me about a year to really understand how splines work. Looking at tutorials will really help you pick that up faster.

Also, simple keyboard shortcuts for selection like / (group selected), and . (select inverse) will quicken things up a lot.

zandoriastudios · March 26, 2004

If you have a wheel mouse:

scrolling it zooms in and out

hold it down and drag to pan

hold it down+shift to turn the view

Use the numberpad to switch views. Starting in the center with 5, as though the sides of a cube had been unfolded:

5-top

2-front

8-back

6-right

4-left

0-bottom

7-birdseye view (the last view you had when using the turn tool)

1-camera views (keep tapping it to cycle through all of the cameras in your choreography)

3-light view. (tap it to cycle through the other light views)

When looking throug the camera:

holding down shift while using the hand/pan tool[M]will dolly forward and backward

Hold down control while using the hand[M] will shift the camera sideways and up and down.

Holding shift with the zoom[Z] tool will adjust your focal length.

Holding shift using the Turn tool[T] will aim the camera.

Holding control while using the Turn [T] tool will tilt the camera.

robcat2075 · March 26, 2004

Back when A:M came with a full technical manual, I found it very helpful to actually read the thing from beginning to end. I didn't understand it all, I didn't use it all immediately, but it planted a lot of seeds in my mind about the tools that were there.

Actually trying all the things in the manual came much later, but reading gave me a global sense of the program that a quickstart tutorial couldn't do.

Although you can still page through the electronic docs in "Help", I hope the print-on-demand scheme proposed for the future will get the manual back in the hands of new users. (And I hope they will read it )

Pengy · March 26, 2004

Thank you all very much..great advice so far,plz keep em coming. Another 1 I've thought of and has saved my bacon is to name groups as you progress through modeling. I found myself a few times moving something I had just modeled into place to check the size or orientation and then not being able to get back at it. When a group is named click on and that lovely bounding box appears and then no problem to move it again. And once you've got it set right then you can just delete the group in the project workspace (pws) and you're good to go.

KenH · March 27, 2004

When you embed an object, it is stored within the project file. Therefore if you delete your project, you lose your model. It also takes longer to load and save the project file.

Unembedding saves the model to a folder of your choosing.

A good tip to make variations of a model is to unembed it first and have that as the "master model file". Now when you start a new project, you can refer to that model and embed it into the project. You now have TWO models....the master one and one in the project file. Changes can now be made to the embedded model without effecting the master model.

If you unembed this altered model, be sure to save it to a different location to the default original.

Kevin · March 27, 2004

When starting your first major project (one with props, backgrounds, paths, character animation, sound, etc.) remember that scale size is very important. You can always scale up or down in the coreography, but, this will bog down render times a lot. Its better to have everything to the right scale from the start. Also, things like materials, particles, image maps (decals) do not scale with the model. character animation (depending on how much you scale) might not work. If you plan on using an effect: Dust, Material Effectors, particles, it pays to experiment with these first so you can optimize what scale size to use. I worked on a project were the principle character was a fairy sprite. I made her three inches tall. I went to add particals (Tinkerbells flying-fairy-dust effect) only to find it wouldint work. Particals are governed by a: Emission Rate, Distance property (there are more than these two) that would not allow for the slowing down of the particals that I needed - the character was just to small. With the character at five six, the particals would float as I wanted. I had to rework EVERYTHING! to fit the new scale - work that took at least two months.

Plan ahead, test, experiment, and you can save a lot of time.

Kevin

KenH · March 27, 2004

Highlight a group in the PWS and press delete. The group but not the geometry is deleted.

Now highlight a group, middle click in the model window and press delete.....just the geometry for that group is deleted.

zacktaich · March 27, 2004

I use to have trouble using the stitch tool for bevels and such, because the "stitch" would attach straight to the closest cp sometimes. The solution is simple. Just scale everything up. If this isn't clear I'd be glad to clarify it for you. Either ask on this thread or just email me.

animedia · April 5, 2004

I always wanted to learn about clothes and this one tells us how to and complements perfectly the Flag one.

http://www.iii-d.de/html/tutorial-cloth-englisch.htm

KenH · April 21, 2004

Here's two more:

Options Settings:

The options in the tools menu in the titlebar are saved in AM rather than each individual project. By that I mean if you change the render settings there, they will be the same in the next project you open.

In the next project, if you change them again, they will take on those settings when you go back to the original project.

Spherical Mapping:

I always wondered how to put a spherical map onto a sphere. AM uses a very different technique to other programs....decals. This allows you to project an image onto an object. Very powerful. Yet that was all I could do on a sphere.

Only recently I found a way to do it:

Drag your image onto the model and create a decal.

Don't apply it yet.

Go into the decal folder and change its application method to "Spherical" in its properties.

Now right click on the decal and select "Position".

Apply the decal.

It will now be spherically wrapped round the sphere.

jon · April 21, 2004

never save over an existing file if you can't afford to lose it. use save as with a unique name whenever you can. this goes for projects, models, whatever.

i may be paranoid, but it's been a looong time since i've lost more than 15 minutes of work.

-jon

zacktaich · April 24, 2004

Here I explain the super basics of splines (specifically for people used to polygons):

Splines (and how to make a ball)

KenH · April 28, 2004

To create a circular object...

Draw a shape in the xy plane.

Select a spline(not a cp) on that line

Press L (for lathe)

Voila!

KenH · May 8, 2004

Always turn off Mirror and Magnet mode when your finished with them. It will save you alot of bother!

TheOddfellow · May 8, 2004

using the "hide/unhide" & "lock/unlock" options are invaluable when modeling.

KenH · June 3, 2004

Hooks: These are simple to do and allow you to reduce the geometry without creasing. It's easy to make a mistake while doing them though. The correct method is:

Left click on the cp you want to hook.

** You must continue to hold down the left mouse button. Leting go will allow you to move the cp, but it won't be possible to hook it**

Move the cp over the spline you want to hook on to.

Now right click(also with LMB held down)

-TC- · June 5, 2004

I got Animation Master about 2 weeks ago, and the things that really helped me learn a lot (i still have loads more learning to do ) is reading through the tutorials in the manual, and every now and again looking at the video tutorials on the website to see how other people do that tutorial.

And also checkin the internet for tutorials aswell.

I got the tutorials from A:M Resource Matrix and Sherwoods Forest

Anyway, i best get learnin

-TC- · June 7, 2004

I was lookin for a site that had reference pics for Cars and Weapons, and i found a great website that has loads of Blueprints for both of them and loads more like WW2 Planes, Tanks, Ships.......

Some of you might already know about this website, but i thaught i would just let more people know about it.

Anyway, heres the link -

Onno Van Braam

Oh, and here's another website with reference pics that i found......

Suurland

Hope they help

Robert_Waring · July 1, 2004

I didn't use even the simplest of the keyboard shortcuts when I first started with A:M. I personally think that the following 3 (default) keys are the first thing a new user should learn.

To alter your view of A:M's 3D space:

M - Move tool (or pressing down the mouse wheel if you have one)

T - Turn

Z - Zoom (or the mouse wheel up and down if you have one)

Once you've got these learnt, and can find them without looking at the keyboard, you'll find yourself working a whole lot faster.

And then you'll be ready to learn more shortcuts

Also, on a three button mouse, the middle button works as the move command on my PC. I'm used to using the middle button while playing PainKeep Arena to eat a can of pork and beans for health, so it works out well for me.

John Keates · September 5, 2004

It is possible to do a sheer by holding down 1,2 or 3 whilst rotating. The cps are prevented from moving in a cirdle and can only move in the direction that you allow.

-TC- · November 8, 2004

Hey Rodney, u have gathered quite the colection of useful links

Just thaught that this topic could be added to the "Programs....." section.

Its the "Free Music Maker" topic, quite a few good ones were mentioned there, some free, others not.

Pengy · November 29, 2004

http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=9878 this one is still new but I thought I'd post it incase Rodney didn't

Rodney · January 22, 2005

This is the last post of the 2004 Useful Links.

There is a lot of good information posted here and some of it will be recompiled and brought forward into the 2005 Useful Links topic.

Thanks to all who contributed!

Please post new information and links here.

Useful Links (2004 Archive)

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