Anyone using AM for production? What version are you sticking with?

#1

Right. I’m trying to go into “production mode” for my silly little projects, and the latest build of AM isn’t cutting it for me, see the previous thread for a bunch of funny little bugs that I seem to be sole owner of, no stepped rendering, no changing model shortcuts, no more than one instance of a model in chor, etc…

I reinstalled 10.5 and all those problems are gone, but I seem to recall it had it’s own little foibles like no realtime rendering and a persistend cloth bug that got fixed. I’m not keen on reinstalling previous 11 versions on top of the current one but I guess I’ll have to. I’m wondering if anyone (The soulcage people rendered their chicken short in a specific v10 letter and swore by it) has done the legwork already and is sticking to one particular build.

Also was 10.5r the last 10.5? I can’t find any later ones…

#2

Hi Bugle,

I have AM 11.0t installed with the latest 11.1b without no problems.
They should create separate folders when installing but check this if you are going to do so.

I do not know what is the latest v10 release. Has your subscription (1 year or so after purchasing) over?

I have seen lots of pro stuff done, the Mahou Yuugi (Magical Play) anime was amazingly done with AM (character modeling and animation) with LW used for only backgrounds i believe.

#3

Well, since we’re in 2005 my subscription is over, last year they released versions that were usble by the 2003 CD for a couple of months after, but I’m not counting on my bugs being magically resolved since support can’t reproduce 'em.

You’re right of course, I can always install in new directories… dunno if that’ll cause grief at the registry level though…

#4

I have 8.5, 10, 10.5, 11, 11.1 and Alpha 12 installed. They all run just fine.

#5

Right, the question is, if you were starting a paid project today, which one would you make it on?

Tried 11.0t, and it’s the one I’m liking so far.

There’s another issue I’m not 100% if I should call a bug, regarding layering actions, in 11.0 I can tweak a bone, say a cycle action causes geometry to collide in a specific frame of the chor, I can move the bone out of the way, but in 11.1b the bones cannot be moved as soon as an action is applied to them, no matter what options are picked in the action properties tab - this also does not happen in the previous version.

11.0t doesn’t seem to mangle hair materials from 11.1b like 10.5 does, so I think I’ll stick to it.

I don’t want to sound too negative, and in fact I’m fairly happy with the results I’m getting with AM lately (I’ll post some renders later on) but the constant introduction of new bugs in new versions is a major factor in my “user fatigue”, so I think getting off the update bandwagon will do my nerves a power of good… :slight_smile:

Edit: Gah, model staining is still there in 11.0…

#6

I’ve upgraded to the 2005 CD, so that I can work with V12, but otherwise am using the last V11 version. 11.1 stripped out all of the Foss libraries to make the Mac and Pc versions compatible, but didn’t add anything otherwise. I really like V11, am am going to keep using it for production. I will migrate to V12 later in the year, after it goes through a “shakedown” for a few months.

#7

I think we need some sort of battery of tests to run on every new version of AM to decide wether it is in fact an improvement or not. Apparently 11 has had this staining issue with 2 model shortcuts since it was released, but I only found out in november when I decided to use a model that could be changed to look different through pose modifications.

Anyone run some sort of standard tests? Rendering the toys chor seems a fave, but I think it would have to be something more comprehensive than that…

#8

that just doesn’t make any sense… You saw the HAIR feature introduced in V11? If you don’t think it is an improvement from not having it, then you must be posting from a mental institution somewhere:rolleyes:

Releases between versions are accompanied with a bug-fix list, so are you saying you prefer to not get those fixes?

Are you just trolling?

#9

Wegg you said you are running a alpha of 12? How is it running and when are they going to release it? Does it have the rendering in passes?
Cool:thumbsup:

#10

One word. Cloth.

OOooooo baby. Save up dude.

#11

Whoohoo! I can’t wait! I hope they address fluid sometime soon too. I’m sure they’ve done a top notch job on cloth as they did with hair. It’s like Christmas all over again. From what I hear, the release is due very soon. But don’t quote me.

Bugle: I’d like to test the problems you’re having with v11.1b. If you want to post projects/models here I’ll take a look. I don’t understand what you mean by staining.

#12

Chill, man, chill. The hair as you’re using it in your avatar is cool, but I haven’t used it so far. You are one of the lucky ones who has the right system specs and never gets any problems with AM. Luck of the draw - my previous PC had less issues than the one I’m using.

But the fact is, FOR ME, 11 has a number of deal breaking bugs that, so far, it looks like I have to roll back to 10.5 to avoid. Since aside from hair materials the 2 versions seem to be largely compatible I might leapfrog between them for a while.

I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask what measures people take to decide on a version to stick to for production. Your option of running the latest version off the press hasn’t been doing it for me, unfortunately. I’m glad it’s working well for you. If you have anything constructive to add, feel free to post, but if you try puffing up your feathers at me again I invite you to put me on ignore and I’ll extend the same courtesy to you.

#13

11.0t is very stable for me, as with 10.5.
I will probably go to version 12, but I too, will wait a while.

11.0t rocks!

#14

Bugle,

I’d tend to agree with your assessment of going with 10.5, most probably 10.5r. I am a very low end hobbyist, but I have had zero problems that I can recall with 10.5r. The hair is really nice in v11 and I have played a bit with it, but if you aren’t using it…

On the other hand, I do have to say that 11.1b is pretty good, but there are probably a half dozen significant issues that I could name off if pressed and I’m not much of a power user, so statistics would tend to lend credence to the belief that there are perhaps as many as a dozen more significant issues that are in more obscure areas. As I have discovered issues and had time to help AM via the AM reports mechanism, I’ve always double checked them on 2 very distinct systems so I know with a high level of confidence that the issues I’m thinking of are AM and not system related. Of course, I do have to admit that perhaps a little over 30% of the things I find are only on one machine, some of which I have fixed by updating or changing my system or avoiding.

Now that being said; I ,myself, am using 11.1b for some little projects and I have been keeping ‘cutting edge’. While some of the issues have affected my productivity as minimal as my output may be, I can live with it. If I was using it 10 hours a day and counting on it for food, I think I would stick with 10.5r. But maybe if I was using it 10 hours a day, I would discover where those dozen or so issues lie exactly and have it ingrained in my head how to avoid them. I sometimes wonder if this is what some people do subconciously.

I have to say that on the whole, I do like v11 and look forward to v12. It does frustrate me a little that they are working away on v12 and v11.1 doesn’t seem to be over 95% yet, but that’s their business decision and my only real sway is ‘voting’ with my upgrade dollars. Hopefully there will be enough releases in the short term to allow me to make an informed decision as to whether I should upgrade or not.

eric

#15

Actually, I said that I was running the last release of V11, which is 11t. That isn’t the hot off the press one–11.1b is. I’m not puffing up my feathers–well OK, maybe a little… Sorry you are having trouble with the latest versions, they have been really great for me.

Wait till you see the new cloth, it is soo freakin cool!:buttrock:

#16

Come on guys where do we get v12?:bounce: I want to play with cloth. Where can we download it come on be nice:)

#17

I don’t know WHAT your talkin about. . .

:rolleyes:

#18

:slight_smile: Wegg you did say //I have 8.5, 10, 10.5, 11, 11.1 and Alpha 12 installed. They all run just fine.// And then posted//One word. Cloth. OOooooo baby. Save up dude.// And Zandoria posted //Wait till you see the new cloth, it is soo freakin cool!//

Can we at least see some test?:thumbsup: You guys are probably working on some masterpieces:buttrock: that will blow us away. Can you at least hint?

#19

thats what we have been doing. . .

#20

Man, I am just soooooo grateful some power-users are testing alpha 12! :stuck_out_tongue: 'Cuz I really don’t want to wrestle with a half-baked version of A:M. The whole v9 experience was harrowing. I didn’t do anything with v9 but send in bug reports. I don’t want to touch alpha 12 with a ten-foot pole is what I’m saying. No sarcasm here: Praise to the guys who are pre-testing 12. :bowdown:

Speaking of bug reports, I noticed a bug in v10.5q yesterday. So I joined the A:M Reports forum. I reported the bug, but I accidentally said I was using v10.5r. :blush: I don’t know how to edit my report. What can I say? I’m a dumb artist. We already know that.

Anyway, I’ve attached a prj file here. I don’t have v11. Can somebody load this prj file and see if this bug is still around? If it’s gone, I’ll heave a sigh of relief, and I won’t pursue the matter further.

Here’s the problem: If you lock a child bone of an FK chain, the parent behaves in a goofy manner. Please load the attached prj. There are two Action files.

In Action1, no bone has been locked. Select Bone2 and move your cursor close to the bone’s origin (where it is attached to Bone1). Please wiggle Bone2 a bit. Everything is normal, right?

Now switch over to Action2; in this Action the last bone of the chain has been locked. Repeat the above step of selecting Bone2 & wiggling it near its junction with Bone1. What happens with me is that Bone2 shoots out. This is the bug. The FK chain ought to behave the same way as it does in Action1, with the exception that Bone3 remains frozen, since it’s locked.

Would some kind soul check this project out with the latest build of v11? Or with alpha12, maybe? If you don’t see a problem, then everything is hunky-dory.

Thanks,

Carl Raillard

PS: And the A:M reports forum is not fool-proof. The fool has spoken!