Anim8or Community

I want to animate a sheet of paper going through a mechanism - like a sheet going through a printer.  I'm trying different methods and I'm stuck on an issue that I've hit a few times -

I've made a mesh 78x0.5x156 (12x 16z divisions) and I want to rig it with a string of 12 bones.  I want each bone to influence a strip across the width of the paper. 

When I choose bone influences the influence zone is set by a tube - I cant flatten the tube to influence the strip of paper (- am I correct or is there a way?)

So I use painted weights.  I need each bone influence to be painted across the width of the note.  This is where I struggle, I need a steady hand to paint a straight stripe and a keen eye to tell when the strip for each bone is not 100% influence - otherwise when I move the bone position the paper distorts because other bones still have a small influence.  (I use influence 1.0 with a brush smaller than a face) By trial and error I get a better results but is there an easy way? (e.g. It occurred to me that if I understood the weights syntax in the anim8or file I could edit it to get the desired strips)

Is there an easier way?

When I paint weights, is if affecting the points or the faces?  What I mean is for best results, should I be trying to paint stripes on the centre of the faces or along the edge points?
thanks

I've just started looking at this by trial and error but which settings should I be looking at:

Object - cube 192x108x2, 192x108 face has a material from an image (16 shades of grey test image), put the cube in a scene, centre the camera in the middle of the image 200 away, change FOV so the image (1920x1080) exactly fills the camera, render (I used scanline), save the image.

When I compare the rendered image to the image used on the material (I want them to be identical), the rendered image is darker then the original. 

What is the best way to get a perfect match?  (which material settings / lighting settings / etc.?)

(I'm experimenting using anim8or to create custom video editor transitions) 
edit: Attachment - with an infinite light (default settings) at the same location as the camera.  Top is the original image, bottom is the rendered image. Black matches but the lightest shade is darker.
thanks 

Occasionally I get this - the cursor keys stop working - i.e. stop the frame from changing in scene mode.  (Maybe after particular actions the function of the keys changes to something else and I have to put it back to advance / go back a frame?)

Today I found a way to make them stop working on build 1263 so I thought I'd post to see if this is me or if its a problem.

New project, create and object (sphere). Scene mode, build add object1, animate on, position key at frame zero, change frame to end of scene - 5 frames, move the object (second position key), select the 2 position keys by click and drag in the time track, Ctrl+C, go to end of scene - 2 frames, paste Ctrl+V, anim8or asks do you want to extend the scene to make room, click yes. Click in the time track to deselect the pasted segment - hit cursor forward / back and the frame does not change.  I have to close / open anim8or to restore operation.

Does anyone else get this - is there a "use cursor keys for frame advance / back" button that I have to click??

Thanks
A   

If I have a sequence on a figure in a scene, how do I delete the sequence?  I tried selecting it in the time track and pressing delete, all the keys go but if I save the file and reload they re-appear.

This happens on version 1150.  It didn't want to call it a bug since I don't know how to delete a sequence.

thanks
A

Has anyone got any tips for getting the best results from a stereo 3D render?

I just tried a quick test with a sphere, box and a cube and moved the camera around and then over the objects.  The result on my TV is very hard to focus on and something goes horribly wrong when the camera goes over the objects.

I cannot see any settings for the stereo render, can the distance between left and right be set anywhere?
thanks
A

Is there a working issue list so I can check that I am not reporting a known problem?

Versions in Anim8orEnv.jpg (Win7 32, OpenGL1.1)
Open GL 1.1 shown top RHS.

I thought this was repeatable but as I write it up I find its 50-50.

I’ve had this problem with a number of recent versions.  This is tested on 1071.
Open the attached MorphTargets.an8.  Go to scene mode. Switch to view camera. Set loop scene under options loop scene.  Click play in the left tool bar. Watch the frame indicator in the lower panel and click stop when it is at about 1s (not sure if the location is relevant).  If a wait cursor is shown, Anim8or is hung.  It does not always hang, if not repeat play / stop.  I get typically 50% anim8or will hang.
Sometimes if I leave the scene playing it will hang without clicking stop.  I first noticed with Spinning cube and thought it was related to rendering the texture, not sure.
Open the attached SpinningCube.an8 (needs Penguins.jpg for a material).  Go to scene mode, view camera. (The image fills my screen). Click play. The cube rotates to about frame 36(ish) of 96 and the scene freezes. After about 10s the frame marker appears at the end of the scene and the last frame is shown.  Repeat with loop scene: Anim8or hangs.  Today this is not very repeatable - typical.  While playing click stop or click in the frame indicator (lower panel on line +scene01 :00…) and it will behave as I describe.  With loop scene on it hangs indefinitely.

Ctrl-N to use original OpenGL interface.  Similar problem caused by clicking in the frame indicator at about frame 36 while playing. Stop button appears more reliable (gut feel = luck) but will still hang in the same way.
Hope this is useful
A

Hi all

I've made an object by combining meshes / linking up points / filling in faces, etc. pic attached.
(I want to "print" a 3D object via an stl file)

In my attached picture one face is shown much darker than the others.  This is not intentional and I cannot find what I have done to it to make it appear this way.  If I apply a material to the whole object this face shows a darker shade of the applied material.  What could I have done to cause this?

Thanks
A

This is a scene script.  I have a rotating shaft with 36 spikes sticking out of it (36 instances of a spike object).  The shaft is the parent of the spikes.  As the shaft rotates the spikes rotate with it.  The spike has a morph target.  Im just working with one spike to try to get this working. As the shaft rotates the spikes hit an object at 12 o'clock above the shaft - I want the spikes to bend as they go past it, hence the morph target. The scene is 3s long, the shaft only rotates during the middle second.

I have an ASL script in the spike morph target controller. This script calls GetAttributeQuaternion("ShaftObject","orientation").  From the result I calculate the yaw angle, when it's between 350 and 10 degrees I set the morph target to true.  The problem is that the GetAttributeQuaternion call returns info saying the shaft is rotating when its not, i.e. during seconds 0 and 2.  The rotation information appears to be related to another object that is moving idependantly in another part of the scene (its a rectangular block falling from the top to the bottom of the scene.).

I rebuilt the scene with the minimum number of objects and it works as I expect.  Looks like a bug to me    
Has anyone seen something similar and know of a work around? 
Thanks
A