Hi!
I’m new to 3D and I’m going to buy a 3D character animation software, and A:M seems like a very good choice. But I’m a little worried about the support. I don’t find so many forums(in fact only this). And it’s not that many books that I can buy.
Or am I wrong?
There aren’t a lot of forums dealing with A:M because most users who need help join the Animaster mailing list, which is run by Hash, Inc. There is considerably more help available there than anywhere else. This forum was started as a complain and commiserate forum, really, when users became so upset with the “unusable” v9 and 9.5 and didn’t like being told not to post their negative comments to the Animaster mailing list.
Thankfully, things have turned around big time in the stability of A:M in v10.5 and the new tools and features are fantastic IMHO.
You don’t even have to have A:M to join the Animaster mailing list. Go to www.hash.com and click on the mailing list link. Follow the instructions and soon you will see what you might expect to get as support for A:M.
Jim
Wow, that’s sounds nice. Maybe I should test the mailing list and see how it looks.
One more thing, what does IMHO means? So many people writes it and I can’t figure it out. Please forgive me for my stupidity.
Originally posted by NiPeR
[B]Wow, that’s sounds nice. Maybe I should test the mailing list and see how it looks.One more thing, what does IMHO means? So many people writes it and I can’t figure it out. Please forgive me for my stupidity.
[/B]
IMHO mean ‘In My Humble Opinion’
There are also some websites that have tutorials and usually a wednesday night chat with several people using AM.
If you sign up to the list, you will find out more about both and other things like contests.
One thing to note about the A:M list is that some of the questions get answered via individual private e-mail. This means sometimes it’s difficult to determine if an e-mail that appears to have been unanswered truly wasn’t. I say this because I got a lot of great help to rather newbie-ish type problems through private e-mail after posting to the list. Not just “try this-try that” type answers, but people offering to load my projects and test renders on their machines if I sent it to them.
Thanks everyone. I was very wrong about the A:M community.=)The mailing list sounds awesome.
One thing to remember… the list is made up of “people”. Which means it ain’t perfect! Personality conflicts can and do arise, but overall it’s a great community.
Jim
Thanks.
It looks like the A:M community is really good, but I have one more question:
-I’m a student and want to buy the student version of A:M, do I have to be a student in a 3D school or in any school?
Thanks for all your answers.
Originally posted by NiPeR
[B]Wow, that’s sounds nice. Maybe I should test the mailing list and see how it looks.One more thing, what does IMHO means? So many people writes it and I can’t figure it out. Please forgive me for my stupidity.
IMHO = I Must Hurt Olaf
LOL = Look Out Larry
BTW = Bomb The Welsh
:surprised
Originally posted by NiPeR
-I’m a student and want to buy the student version of A:M, do I have to be a student in a 3D school or in any school?
Any school, you just have to show proof of enrollment to the reseller that offers the educational discount.
-David Rogers
Thanks Obnomauk!
I was planning to buy your book when I buy A:M. Just wonder if you are going to release a new book for the 2003 version, or is ‘Animation:Master 2002: A Complete Guide’ good to use with the 2003 version too?
You can access an archive of the hash mailing list here http://venice.killernuts.org/animaster/
WARNING!!!: Be warned that the A:M list can be overwhelming if not checked on a daily basis, you can easily wind up with several hundred emails on various diferent topics. The list is… for lack of a better term… Super-mega-colosaly overwhelming =) if you are not prepaird for it. Make a seperate folder spacificaly for list mail, and set up filters. Otherwise you will be hit by a tidlewave of email that might be imposible to sift through for stuff not from the list.
Originally posted by NiPeR
[B]Thanks Obnomauk!I was planning to buy your book when I buy A:M. Just wonder if you are going to release a new book for the 2003 version, or is ‘Animation:Master 2002: A Complete Guide’ good to use with the 2003 version too? [/B]
The book has free updates in a ‘Reader’s’ section accessible via a password found in the book on am-guide.com where I cover new features etc. There is a 20+ page update for v10 up now and I am working on a v10.5 update at the moment.
as far as future versions of the book go… well Charles River Media and I have no agreements right now and the amount of time/effort put into the book is not really compensated by the terms of the contract that i did it under. So I’m not sure that I really want to pursue a new edition with them.
I am thinking of some alternatives to working with a publisher, however, the time i have available to work on writing is limited to those hours when I am not working on paying the rent or looking for gigs so I can work to pay the rent 
so it will take some time.
in the mean time 2003 and 2002 are close enough that the book should give you a foundation and the updates should clear up any inconsistencies
-David Rogers
If you set up the mailing list in Digest Mode you only get six e-mails a day that has all of the individual e-mails consolidated. At least it works great for me.
Definitely get David Rogers’ book.
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