TaoA:M David P.

[thumperness]

So here's my 1st tutorial

 

Not sure if this file will show up in my post or not. It is attached though.

KeeKat0.tga

[robcat2075]

You appear to have posed KeeKat appropriately!

 

I'll note that if you post JPGs rather than TGAs they will show up directly in the forum.

 

You can choose JPG as the file format in the render dialog.

[Rodney]

And away we go!

 

I've added a PNG version of your render as the TGA format isn't a browser friendly image format.

(Edit: What Robert said!)

 

Exercise 1 is deceptively simple and yet I'm glad it doesn't dive too deeply into the technicalities that is computer animation.

Questions should start pop.pop.popping up throughout these exercises and I would encourage you to write down words or sentences to capture those ideas.

There will come a time when you forget what you don't know. Now is an excellent time to write a few notes down so that you can capture the learning process while it's happening!

 

There is also great opportunity for expanding our learning by providing just the right level of access to our curious minds as we work through the exercises.

 

Three primary areas of interest come to mind as I see your posting of Exercise 1. In no particular order they are as follows:

 

How can we perfect out presentations?

This is a deep subject but primarily I'm thinking of a few technicalities that are necessary from the start; for example: the best file formats for sharing our work online, I'd say PNG and JPG are optimal

 

Cameras

How can we best manipulate the camera to capture our ideas.

I know that Exercise 1 is just a 'point and shoot' presenation but the movement of our camera(s) will become so very important.

If nothing else Exercise 1 should suggest to us that we can master the art of digital presentation.

 

Cropping/Composition

Again, Exercise 1 is 'point and shoot' but as we discover how to manipulate our camera we will discover the variety of ways we can present our stories.

Who is this character? What is he doing? (Completing Exercise 1 of course!)

 

Character presets (personality)

An important concept introduced from the get-go in Exercise 1 is the Pose Sliders that are collected in Keekat's User Properties.

A question should therefore begin to form that asks, "How can we set up such things in our own characters? Or expand on those currently available?)

[thumperness]

Good stuff Rodney and Robert,

 

I'll need to digest this stuff when I get more time. I have finished the Cancan but it is larger than the 10mb max to upload. I remember something about codex(s) and was not sure if there were already some in the software, or do I need to go somewhere online and grab a couple. Which are the go-to codex? (Can't figure out the plural of codex)

[Rodney]

it is larger than the 10mb max to upload.

 

You shouldn't have a 10MB limit... perhaps I need to check into that.

 

A:M is in something of a transitory period along with the industry in that some of the older mainstay codecs/formats haven't kept up with the times and newer ones haven't been fully assimilated yet. Since you are on a Mac you may have something of an advantage as you may have some tools at your disposal for adjusting compression natively in your OS that other users lack.

 

There are a host of tools/utilities/software that can be used to convert and compress:

 

Handbrake is one (available for PC and Mac)

Fusion (v8 now supports Mac) You can setup an input and an output and then point that to a different image sequence or video as necessary. Then adjust the output format to one that is adequately compressed.

 

I agree that we should watch the size of our files and keep them as small as possible BUT in the interim... try to upload the file and see what happens.

 

As for the plural of codex... it's not as pleasing to the ear; codices.

[thumperness]

I am running a Mac but I am using Windows 7 on a partition set up just for A:M and a game. I had read and asked questions on the forum and decided to go with the windows version. There were rumors of the Mac version being buggy, as well as the windows version has some tabs that Robert was talking about that he uses a lot in his workflow.

 

I just tried to upload the file (13MB) and it failed saying the file was too big.

[robcat2075]

I have always known the word to be "codec" (COmpression DECompression) so I believe "codecs" would be appropriate.

 

I'll note that you can render to Quicktime if you open your PRJ in 32-bit A:M which you can also install and run under your license. (Copy the master0.lic file from the 64-bit folder to the 32-bit folder.)

 

You could also load your 64-bit rendered animation into the Images folder of 32-bit A:M and do a "SAve Animation As" and choose one of the better Quicktime codecs.

 

 

Personally i prefer to use Quicktime Pro or all my recompressing needs because it also does audio compression. QT Pro is $29.99

[Rodney]

I have always known the word to be "codec" (COmpression DECompression) so I believe "codecs" would be appropriate.

 

Heh. You are correct. I grabbed the wrong word.

 

I should have suggested 32bit A:M rendering to MOV but noticed David was on a Mac.

Where I move into Mac territory I'm treading in places I had best leave to others who are more informed.

 

If you are running the PC release on your Mac and can run 32bit A:M definitely look into rendering out to MOV format.

Someone will have to educate us on what codecs are available for that.

[thumperness]

OK. I have downloaded the 32 bit version but can't run it yet because I am in the middle of rendering a 'small' test on the 64 bit side.

[thumperness]

 

it is larger than the 10mb max to upload.

 

You shouldn't have a 10MB limit... perhaps I need to check into that.

 

 

Any Luck on this?

[Rodney]

Sorry. Try again as you should...now... have no limit.

There was a limit set for you and it looks like it was just under the size you posted.

 

13MB is a pretty good sized file so consider compressing where possible.

You'll get more downloads where folks can easily access files.

[thumperness]

OK. I have downloaded the 32 bit version but can't run it yet because I am in the middle of rendering a 'small' test on the 64 bit side.

Well, when it finished rendering, all I got was music and a black screen. Guess I need to run a couple more tests.

[thumperness]

So I run 32 bit A:M and load a project made in the 64 bit A:M. I can scrub the animation and hit the play button...all is well.

 

If I start to render the animation to a file as an avi, it chugs along nicely. But if I try to render the video to a .mov file I am told that Amination Master has stopped working?!?!?

 

I have tried to post a screen grab that was a .jpg. But I am not alowwed to post anything of that file type on this forum.

 

I have installed Quick Time Player Version 7.7.8 (1680.95.71)

 

Am I not loading a 64 bit project corectly into the 32 bit software for rendering?

 

Is there any benefit in running the 64 bit software? Or would I stay just as happy running the 32 bit?

[Rodney]

You sure are running into a host of problems never encountered before...

 

I have tried to post a screen grab that was a .jpg. But I am not alowwed to post anything of that file type on this forum.

 

 

I have no idea why you wouldn't be able to upload a jpg file. Perhaps it has an incorrect file extension (such as .jpeg)?

 

Make sure you are actually uploading the file.

For some odd reason there is a three step process in the attaching of fiies to forum posts... one to select the file, one to actually attach the file and then the clicking of the submit button to launch the post.

Have you been able to upload an attachment of any kind?

Disregard that last one... I see that you've attached a TGA file before.

 

Am I not loading a 64 bit project corectly into the 32 bit software for rendering?

 

A:M's file format is exactly the same for both 32bit and 64bit. There are only some differences in the actual programs.

 

There are many benefits to running 64bit... and there are some benefits to using 32bit.

Luckily you can install and use both.

 

The primary drawback of using 32bit is that RAM is limited/

With 64bit you can use pretty much any amount of RAM you've installed.

 

A downside of 64bit (on Windows) is that we cannot render out to .MOV format.

Another downside might be that older 32bit plugins that haven't been recompiled for 64bit will not work.

Again though... we can install and run both 32 and 64bit versions.

 

I have no idea what specifics apply to Macs that don't apply to Windows as I've never used A:M on a Mac so won't guess at those.

[thumperness]

Just for grins, I redid the cancan completely in the 32bit A:M. Set it to render as a .mov.

 

Still, it shut down A:M.

 

I'm thinking I need to get past this before I can move on.

 

Thoughts?

 

Again I am using Quick Time Player Version 7.7.8 (1680.95.71) if this may make a difference

[Fuchur]

quicktime is quite troublesome and in the end not the best way anyway today... you could try to render to tga first and combine the tgas afterwards.

 

for that render to an tga image sequence, import the sequence back to A:M and click in it with -> save as animation.

 

see you

*fuchur*

[Rodney]

Fuchur has hit upon the core issue and solution.

The solution being to render out to sequential images.

This is usually a good idea even if you aren't having problems.

 

Why?

Well, for one thing, rendering out to mov and avi takes more memory as more than one frame of animation must be stored in memory.

When rendering to an image sequence this guarantees memory will be freed upon the completion of each frame of the animation.

 

So what to do with that sequence of images once it is rendered?

Simply zap in into the appropriate animated file format in A:M or any other program you have available.

With A:M you have the option to reassemble into .AVI or .MOV but there are a host of other options available.

I like to use (free) programs like Fusion (now available for Mac) as additional effects, color corrections can be applied while converting the sequence.

 

It sounds to me like you are running afoul of memory limitation when you render out to .MOV.

 

As for converting image sequences to .MOV or .AVI in A:M... that can be done quickly via Right Click on the image sequence container (under images) in the Project Workspace listing and choosing 'Save As Animation'. Then choose the format and codec you wish to use.

 

 

Another consideration: Because you are using Windows under Mac this eats up additional RAM that would otherwise be available for A:M to use.

 

For a number of reasons It's almost always better to render out to sequences.

Consider for instance that you might be rendering a hundred frame sequence happily out to .MOV (of high resolution) when suddenly the power goes out on your computer. The rendering may have gotten almost to the end of the sequence but because it didn't finish... you'll have to start rendering again from frame 1. If rendering out to image sequence all you have to do when the power is back on is determine which frame the rendering stopped on and start rendering from that frame.

 

.

Again I am using Quick Time Player Version 7.7.8 (1680.95.71) if this may make a difference

 

Your installation of Quicktime should not make any difference.

Quicktime is just a useful program for playing and converting.

As you are on a Mac I believe you have the full Quicktime (while running on Mac).

Quicktime player itself (i.e. the one that is not the Pro version) cannot convert/save files.

[thumperness]

quicktime is quite troublesome and in the end not the best way anyway today... you could try to render to tga first and combine the tgas afterwards.

 

for that render to an tga image sequence, import the sequence back to A:M and click in it with -> save as animation.

 

see you

*fuchur*

Does the audio get added back in when you do this 'save as animation'? Or do I have to use some video software to put them together?

[thumperness]

... import the sequence back to A:M and click in it with -> save as animation.

 

see you

*fuchur*

I can't find an option to import the sequence.

 

Note: I am using 64bit A:M

[Fuchur]

Audio is not edited back in automatically (there was something I am not sure about right now... some kind of file which got exported... maybe it is even edited in witht he help of that file. I can not remember right now...), but it may be that it can be added... I never tried that...

 

Reimporting is quite easy:

1.) Right-Click on the "Images"-folder in the PWS, choose "Import Imagesequence" (or Import Image and select the small checkbox at the bottom left), select the first image and hit okay.

2.) After that, the image-sequences is imported as a new entry under images. Right-Click on it and use "Save Animation As".

3.) Click on the button with the 3 dots on it to change the position and to which fileformat you want to save the animation. (for instance AVI or Quicktime or even another kind of image sequence).

4.) You may want to click on "Compression" then to set the AVI / Quicktime options too...

5.) Then just click ok.

 

See you

*Fuchur*

[thumperness]

Thanks man. Now I just need to decide what I want to use to put my sound back in.

[thumperness]

Here's the CanCan.

 

I got the thing working with images getting changed into an animation. Thank you Fucher.

 

I'm still plaing with the compression to see how small I can make it.

CanCanTest.mov

[NancyGormezano]

I'm still playing with the compression to see how small I can make it.

Good job.

 

I used quicktime Pro to compress your video (H264 - quality low) - less than 120 KB! Yes, there are some artifacts - but for these tests - who cares? When there is not much changing from frame to frame - one can get pretty good compression.

 

You can also use Quicktime pro for adding the sound back in. (I didn't). Sound of course would up the size, but you can use mono, and lowest frequency you can stand.

 

I'm on a pc so I'm stuck with the last 32 bit version that I could install on my system (suits me fine). Not sure what version of QT pro you can use on a Mac. It was only $30.

 

And animating at 24fps will also cut down the size - no need to animate at 30fps. (frame rate is set in the project)

CanCanTestcompressedlow.mov

Edited November 12, 2015 by NancyGormezano

[Fuchur]

I recommend to use something like:

http://www.mirovideoconverter.com

 

It is free, easy to use and works great especially for videos you want to show on the web.

Be aware of what you are doing while installing. Uncheck anything unwanted!

 

See you

*Fuchur*