#Animator Studio Guide?
25 messages in this thread
Dear Animators:
The May 1995 Morph's Outpost has a review of Animator Studio which mentions
that the author had a pre-release version without a Reference Manual. My box
only had the Tutorial Manual. Should I have received a Reference Manual? I
first thought that perhaps you were letting your hot new Help system serve as
the reference manual, but I still feel the need for a manual I can flip through
for command descriptions. Should I have received one or will one soon be
available?
Peter Nowell
Animator Studio does not have a reference manual – just the "Basics of Digital
Moviemaking: Installation/Concepts/Tutorials" book.
The plan for Animator Studio was to provide an extensive amount of on-line
help, and a consequent lessening of hard copy. This seems to have caught a few
people by surprise. I believe that the on-line docs trend will continue, so
any feedback is important. Right now the impression I have is that it seems
hidden, that on-line help doesn't have the impact of hard copy. No one has
said they don't like the help, particularly since it can show animations.
Thanks.
Something like 3DS Ref, Manual would be great. So far I have not seen anything
like it anywhere.
-Kouros.
Nik,
I would prefer a manual to online. I am printing the thing out piece by piece
and having to manage all that loose paper anyway. I realize online saves lots
of $$$ but it is not the greatest for the end user.
Will
I am very disappointed that AS has the "manual" on-line. I really prefer
hard copy and find that it is disorienting to have to go to on-line help
for what is essentially reference material.
My personal opinion of on-line help is that a company is saving $$$$ at
the expense of the end-user!
Also other than the TGA support I have been "under-whelmed" with AS as
opposed to Ani-Pro which I still prefer over AS.
Judy
"My personal opinion of on-line help is that a company is saving $$$$ at
the expense of the end-user!"
I doubt it – I attended a lot of the meetings prior to the shipping of the
product, and that wasn't ever brought up. The focus really was on the general
wishlist items for all our products to have more online help. I've always felt
that If people need to read the manuals, it could be because the program itself
may not be written well.
quote of the month <<I've always felt that if people need to read the manuals,
it could be because the program itself may not be written well>> Nik, I've
heard some good ones in my time, but that takes the cake. [gasp][thud] tenderly
cleaning the covers of my 3-DS documentation, Ani-Pro lives and is more
appreciated than ever, supplemental literature is always nice, I am clearly
getting worked up into a snit.
I second your post!
Long Live Ani Pro!
Judy
Judy <<Long Live Ani Pro>> Use it every day. It will be my only app still
running in DOS after the R5 migration. Do ya think those vundercoders could
just write it to NT (puuuuuleeeeeeez). At this point my profound luuuuuv of
Ani-Pro and Video Post within 3-DS know no bounds. I wonder what video post
will look like in NT? My imagination runs wild with the possible
elllllllegance, as it remains one of the most robust features for the 3-DS
developer. Jeffrey
I have just uncovered the fact that the reference manual is available for
$19.95 + $3.00 S&H. See my post to Nik Grant.
Everything sounds like "sticking it to" the end-user to me!
Judy! <<+$3.00 S+H>> very cute.
Please tell me more. You mean to say you have discovered a manual that exists
but is not with the package???? 🙁 Where did you get the information?
Thanks,
Will
Look at the car labeled Customer Service/Technical support – see where it
mentions on-line help. Read that section closely. It will tell you how
to print pages AND THEN – IF YOU PREFER hard copy
$19.95 + $3 (S&H)
Isn't that nice 🙁 NOT!
Judy
I agree completely. Good documentation is one of the real strong points that
adds value to Autodesk's excellent products. Online documentation or (God
Forbid) print pages then punch holes in the text to put in binder, is truly
UGLY no matter what angle you look at it from.
So! Enough said about that one. the bile is puked out.
Will
I would like to know who was at those meetings! I bet it was the "bean
counters" and their abacus 🙁
<If people need to read the manuals, it could be because the program itself may
not be written well.>. Does this statement apply to 3DS also? Sorry I don't buy
that one – as a matter of fact it may be the joke of the week :-). If you
believe that one – I have bridge for you! It's located in Brooklyn and is for
sale REAL CHEAP!
Judy
Nik, I personally teach classes in animation. I allways point out to
students that one very good reason to use Autodesk products is that
they come with the best manuals in the business. Animator Studio is a
disappointment on the manual front. By the way, I sent you a request
last Thursaday for information regarding saving a file mapped to a
256 color palette. No response and now the message seems to have
disappeared. When I save mapped to 256 colors, when opened in the
media player it is a 24 bit file. This is a real production issue for
me. I am in the middle of a production cycle for commercial software
that includes 256 color avi files and I am currently having to go to
Premiere to map them, unless there is something in the Documentation
I am missing? 🙁 Will
Will –
Both your messages to Nik are still on the forum (170653 and 170656). Nik has
been off for a few days. I'll flag your messages and see if someone else can
jump in on them. The messages here in this forum last almost three weeks.
Anne
<< I'll flag your messages and see if someone else can jump in on them>>
Thanks Anne. Since this is such a new product and I am trying to use it as a
production tool it really is important to me that some form of help be
available when the online system doesn't do it. I had the company I work for
purchase several copies of Studio and I am taking heat from the users to get
answers to the questions about the issues being raised. I'll leave it at that.
🙁
Will
Will –
Just an aside – most questions put up for a technical type answer get answered
well within 24 hours. Sometimes the person who has the best knowledge of what
you want is away and answers take a bit longer. From time to time, I've
wandered in quest myself for answers to a problem. Main one was a failure to
connect on a new modem card so I posted in the forum that supports that
manufacturer. Probably sounded like a raving lunatic after two weeks of no
answers to repeated postings for help. Returned the card, got another and
happily modem away. Same with a software question once elsewhere. Makes me
really proud to be part of the forum here and see how both members and Autodesk
personnel get the questions answered.
I know it's frustrating when you don't get a really quick answer when you are
on a deadline of some kind. But it's pretty rare.
Anne
Nik,
While trying to load a series of .tgas into AAS, I get the message
Animation Error: An internal error occurred.
I have tried many times to load these .tgas and it happens each time. Any ideas
why?
BTW, are you still accepting wish list items for AAS here?
Thanks,
Alec Jason
"BTW, are you still accepting wish list items for AAS here?"
Yes! Thanks
Nik,
<< The focus really was on the general wishlist items for all our products to
have more online help. >>
Okay fine, but MORE online help doesn't mean forget the printed manuals.
<< I've always felt that If people need to read the manuals, it could be
because the program itself may not be written well. >>
So what you are saying is that 3DSr4 with it's close to 1200 pages of reference
manuals (not even the tutorials) is not written well?? I really don't think
so.
All I probably can do is just pray that those same people that think Autodesk
products don't need manuals don't start messing with 3DS's award winning
package.
Oh ya, one more thing I do know about purchasing the reference manual for AAS
but I still think people should receive it automatically. Remember you said
the survey report that people want MORE online-help and NOT LESS manuals.
Mark
You can rest assured that 3DS will always include high quality (and thorough)
printed documentation.
– G
Gary,
<< You can rest assured that 3DS will always include high quality (and
thorough) printed documentation. >>
You don't know how happy I am to hear that, THANK YOU! BTW, yesterday I went
to see Johnny Mnemonic and I thought the 3DS work was well done and high
quality work.
Mark
I'm sure Jack will be glad to hear that!
Dave