#Probs w/ PPC Versions
6 messages in this thread
well, I STILL think the interface sux…but sline based modeling and animation
is VERY powerful..
What kind of stuff are you doing?
Joe 😉
Joe,
I just finished a CD-ROM for chryslers 1995 Neon. It was done in Director 4.0
and runs on both Mac and Windows. There is also seven hits songs (licensed from
Sony) on the CD and the jewel case is a 16-page printed catalog. We tried to
hit all possibilities with this one. It will be in chrysler dealerships in
about a month.
I am a fairly new A:M user, so I am just starting my first "real" project
using it. This project, again, will be for distribution on Cd-ROM. There will
be five short animation pieces in this project (again a Director 4.0
cross-platform production).
This first piece I just finished is a Magnifying Glass hopping across a stack
of dummy reports, stopping, and bending over to look at the reports.
The Oak Material that comes with A:M looks GREAT!! I used that for the handle.
I was also able to simulate the Magnification by using a very high refraction
value.
All in all, I really like A:M. Yes it did take a minute to get used to the
interface, but once I did, I really like it. (Think of the "Project" as having
Boomerang built in)
The Channels are turning out to be be INCREDIBLY powerful. IK is great, the
raytracing is much faster than StrataStudioPro, etc…
I can't wait to see what HASH has up its sleaves next (Fonts, special effects,
Illustrator import maybe (hopefully, Steve are you listening??).
Anyway, did you get your preview thing worked out??
Jim Jonah.
Jim, Hiya! Yeah I'm listening as always 🙂 I'm gonna make you wait in suspense
to see the new changes though…. (think all one interface and no more projects
and boolean and…)
Steve, Hash Inc.
Steve,
>>I'm gonna make you wait in suspense to see the new changes though….<<
Any ETA?? hint, hint, Santa would love to deliver an upgrade with:
Some way to get Illustrator files into A:M.
Displacement Mapping.
Special effects.
Randomization of paths, possibly in the channels.
Support for photoshop plug-ins.
The ability to animate textures that are applied to an object. Change them
over time, Move them over time, apply varying levels of a Photoshop filter
(paint alchemy!!), resize them and change the opacity over time.
The ability to tie in with Newtons Law, when they release there PC, or
preferably Mac version. (I would even consider using a PC for that capability,
EGADS!!!)
A "Make Face/patch" command.
etc….
I'll think of more probably as soon as I mail this.
Anyway, glad to know you are listening.
Jim Jonah.// lovin' this program and pushing it whenever possible//
Jim, most of your requests should be met next year… unfortunately this
release won't cover most of them….BTW we are going to try and accomodate
Santa but I don't know if we'll make it…
Steve, Hash Inc.
Steve…you should have received my returned AM package…It's unusable for me
right now…perhaps when it's interface matures I'll come back…
I'm enclosing a thread of mine on the multimedia forum about interface…
Well, I must admit I gave up on AM
After building a SINGLE tube and watching it creat a 500M temp file to render
it, and all the grief trying to make it work and hassling w/ the interface (see
below..) i gave up and sent it back…I may buy it again next year when they
fix the interface but for now i'll stick w/ strata – with which I've been able
to produce some great looking scenes (no anim yet…i know what' you said )
I'm not really looking for character anim right now and need the money (like
for a spigot board)
Now, not to get to snobbish/spoiled or lecture-y, but I've been devleoping sw
and consulting on CASE related sw projects for clients for 7-15 years…the
truth is that:
IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT THE PROGRAM DOES, HOW WONDERFUL IT IS OR HOW MUCH
"BETTER" IT DOES IT THAN ANOTHER, IF THE USER FINDS THE INTERFACE TOO
DIFFICULT, THEY JUST WON'T USE IT. period. end of story (i've seen this over
and over again in corporate/enterprise systems (since it doesn't get used, who
cares how great it is).
To be honest, when I found myself in the same situation i gave extra effort to
overcome the UI and i just gave up. and I bet i'm not the only one, too.
Again, not to sound too preachy, but there IS a reason the mac has the UI
standards it does – because it works! not just to look "cool"
Maybe this is just user preference and design philospohy and "religious pref"
but i don't think so…
the project model is weak and having to open 8 programs (albeit quickly) to do
stuff is terrible…they couldn't take the time to integrate it?????
so we'll see..myabe next year.
…
joe ;-0