AM to Lightwave pipeline

[Wegg]

Thank you all.

My new plugin is here.MDD Export Plugin
If you can, bug reports please.

Wowa. Very cool. I can’t wait to try it.

[Ejecta]

Still no word on the update to get these plug ins working on 11?

[MBStudios]

You know after reading all these posts I think its just way to much work for this AMtoLW pipeline. Its crazy to model in AM then bring it to hammpatch just to get the model in LW? I dont think its going to look all that great by the way. Or even using Wings. Until you can bring the bvh file from AM to LW easier the best thing is either stay in AM or stay in LW. All this work to move one to another will be like all the time wasted in just one app to do the work. Like its going to take 5 hours to go from AM to LW. But in that 5 hours you can just stay in one app and save headaches. Then you have to worry about post and to many things. I hope your plug in can do this! Maybe just use LW or AM. The fun is choosing which one.:twisted:

I agree with what you are saying and another point comes to my mind.

I am a LW user, my purpse for the software was mostly Modeling and rendering realistic stills, and gaming of a non animate type.

As of late I have really taken an interest in building characters and animating them. Knowing LW’s modeler, I find designing Characters quite easy to do with the Powerful tools LW has.

But I find the ANimation not as strait forward as what I see done in AM. SO I have been cotimplating purchasing AM. But, imediately when I begin to explore the modeling of AM, I found myself somewhat intimidated by the process. Thus, I begin searching for a way to bring models from LW to AM so I could use AM’s powerful Animation tools and ease of use.

This brings me here!  I am at an impass, I am starting to lean toward just staying with LW completely and maybe expand it by getting MEssiah Studio, but not sure that is the answer either.

Truthfully, I would much rather use AM because of seems much simpler learning curve on the animation side. But the idea of having to learn to model all over again isnt to desireable.

Havent give up yet on the idea of AM, being a noob to Animating I may be willing to give the modeling in AM a try.

MBStudios

[chikega]

This brings me here! I am at an impass, I am starting to lean toward just staying with LW completely and maybe expand it by getting MEssiah Studio, but not sure that is the answer either.

You may not have heard that pmG has lowered their prices - so, messiah:animate is now $239. It’s a great compliment to LW’s own animation tools and works seamlessly with LW’s native object format .LWO. Something to consider, should you stay with LW. But A:M is nice also.

[wata]

Sorry to be late.
My new plugins did not work correctly.
I recreated them.
Now you will be able to load the plugins in v10.5 and v11.

LWO Export Plugin
MDD Export plugin

[ClingFree]

It still does not work for me. I get a message that says “unable to load plug-in [C:\Program Files\Hash Inc\V11.0\HXT\m2l_am10.hxt], The specified module could not be found.” I tried it in 11.1 too. I couldn’t get it to work in 10.5 either. Is anyone else having trouble with this?

[jorx]

I will support this in any way I can! Me and a friend are planning a short movie, him animating in AM and I’ll use LW.
Keeping an eye on this.

[Wegg]

I have made the video tutorial available on eggprops that was there a while back.

It demonstrates how to convert your geometry from Animation Master to Lightwave. It discusses all the princaple differences between Hash Patches and Lightwave Sub-D technology and demonstrates how to make them work together.

This is a direct link.

[ClingFree]

Excellent…you’ll see my order tomorrow. My only question before I order is that in the page you have linked it mentions taking your AM models to LW. I actually want to do the opposite. Is this covered in your tutorial? Thanks

[Wegg]

It walks you through the difference between patches and Sub-Ds. . . so that would help. But getting from LW -> AM requires a re-wire of your model’s topology once it is imported. Unless your LW mesh is really really light. . . this can take a long time. Much longer than converting an A:M model to a Lightwave Sub-D model. If a LOT of people are interested in this I could probably do another tute but. . . I don’t think there would be any more than. . . 1 ;). A:M users are “do it myself to see how good I am” type people. Importing a model from another package throws all that thinking right out the window. Ya know?

[ClingFree]

I just really like how easy it is to animate in AM. LW is not always as much fun to animate, but it is getting better. Do you still model in AM? Do you find it easier to work with hash patches and convert to sub-d’s or just start with subdivision surfaces in any other modeler? Thanks for your help and tutorials.

[Wegg]

I just really like how easy it is to animate in AM. LW is not always as much fun to animate, but it is getting better. Do you still model in AM? Do you find it easier to work with hash patches and convert to sub-d’s or just start with subdivision surfaces in any other modeler? Thanks for your help and tutorials.

Personally. . . for me. I love Animation Master’s modeler. . . but I find it is much slower for the “nitty gritty” high detail stuff that I end up doing a lot of. But for building a character. . . A:M is the first app I launch. Well besides the “pencil app” to rough out what I’m thinking. The wall built up between no other apps supporting Hash Patches and Hash not supporting Sub-D objects is something I fight with EVERY DAY. If A:M’s intuative workflow and amazing animation tools werent so damn. . . . amazing. . . it would be easy to drop it and just stick with a “one app” pipeline. And then they had to go show me whats in 12 and my whole damn world is upside down. Bloody hell its frustrating. I feel for ya m8. Hopefully my tutorial will at least help you understand the battle. :-/

[modernhorse]

Alain -
How is the progress? Is this still on your list of things to do?

[DrRIEGER]

Apologies for the delay, but Yes, the converter is still in progress but I had to make many other works before and kept my medical activity too.
Furthermore, I’m certainly not the best programmer even seen, and the goal to give a PC and Mac solution adds some contraints.

I will post in this thread the first results as soon as possible.

Best regards.

Alain

Note : Mark’s Mdd compiler is fully working, and that is already a great part of the project. Although I do not had tested Weta’s Mdd exporter, it seems to be a very serious piece of work too.

[modernhorse]

Excellent ! Thanks for the info.

[pequod]

Has anyone had success exporting an animation sequence from A:M of a reasonably complex character into LW for rendering? And if so, would they care to show us the results?

[Morty]

Was Alain’s AM2LW converter ever finished?

[DrRIEGER]

Was Alain’s AM2LW converter ever finished?

Not yet, sorry. This project is one of several 3d projects I must solved and it is not the first in order of importance here at EIKON Medical.
But for now, each element movement of the choreography is fully imported into LW in one single pass (a lws file is generated). The models in mdl format are also fully converted, and the converter take into account Middle Hooks, 5 point patches, Mesh groups and … using another converter in developpement AMPatche to Subpatches conversion with no loss of volume (and trust me, that is not simple to make). All these conversions are done in one click (no point, no poly, no edge to edit : AM and LW are closed). I have taken care to keeping Loops and Rings during the conversion so the softwares can really be included in a professionnal pipeline (I mean additionnal polygonal modeling in a polyModeler -LW, Modo, Hexagon, Silo, Wings3D- is possible and then re-importing the more detailed mesh into AM with Hooks and all the needed topology : the unique goal is to Animate into AM).

BTW, The converter will also offer a impressive (because so simple) way to connect AM and Vue d’Esprit with no effort.

Best regards, and apologies for this delated reply,

Cheers,

Alain

[Polou]

Thanks Alain
Take care.
Cheers

[Flog]

this will definatley be something great to wait for.

I can’t wait!! Give me now, LOL!!!