Avimator released as open source

That might be partly right, but only until the next version is out. Right now (unless I'm behind in the news) you can't very easily identify keyframes, and I admit that does make it pretty tough to manage complex animations. Not impossible, but it's a little tougher. I'm not sure why someone said it's not suitable but that could be what they were thinking.

Yeah, I was thinking that the other day. A little flag on the timeline where the keyframes are would be really handy. Perhaps you could also click on a flag to clear it and remove the keyframe.

The big suggestion on the forums involved changing the color of parts of the model on frames where keyframes exist. The reasoning being that keyframes are set on body parts of the model and not just the entire model. But I don't see why it couldn't also have a flag like that, at least to show that there's a keyframe. The other good suggestion was to have a "go to next keyframe" button which would be really nice even without any other features.

First, thanks SO MUCH for making this! I can see the potential and it looks really super! I'm compiling resources for educators to develop instructional resources in SL. This will prove to fill a very needed gap for the "average person" in the creation of instructionally specific animations.

OK.. my dumb questions:

I am completely unskilled and unfamiliar with Poser or any other animation program. I downloaded Avimator to my Mac PowerBook with no problem. When I open it up, I get a Terminal window (a new experience for me) and the Avimator window. However, I can't use any of the usual tool bar commands (File, Edit.. etc) from the Avimator window. I can't open a default animation for modification. I can't save to the appropriate format. .. and obviously, I can't upload.

Needless to say, having no training or experience in animating, I'm only making jerky flapping animations at the moment!

What am I doing wrong? Did I not download something properly?

I realize there might be those out there that are thinking.. "What a dolt.. It's so easy!" For you, yes.... For me, no.

Here's why this is potentially so important: I'm representative of a segment of a growing population of "regular" educators that are wanting to create really interesting, effective learning experiences for our students in SL... both on the adult and teen grid. While we're skilled in designing effective and evocative instruction - we're not always up to par with every tool available. By training, we are not graphic artists, animators.. etc. .. and we value any tool that makes acquiring those skills easier!

I think Avimator has a ton of potential in this area. If anyone would like to work on any sort of documentation .. kind of an "Avimator For Dummies" type of thing.. I'd be more than thrilled to work alongside as a dumbo SME and guinea pig.

Well... I searched the Avimator.com forums and found the Mac/terminal problem documented. I did download the latest fix you have available and VOILA it worked! Now, I have a working copy of Avimator... although I can't seem to access the default anim files there.

Moral of the story: If you're a Mac user and having problems, check the Avimator.com forum.

Still needed however is training documentation for the uninformed user. Thanks again for making this available. Financially and timewise, Poser was not even on the radar screen for me.

This is a very good program.
I made a "perfect" backflip 360 (fulltwist)
I dont have much knowledge of computer animation but it was really easy

I believe that the licensing terms for academic discounts for Poser prohit commericial use. This may mean that you cannot peddle your animation wares in SL.

Yaakov Glass

I don't think that's the case. It's true of a few programs distributed by academic resellers, such as some software from Macromedia and Waterloo Maple, but I don't think it's true for Poser. The Poser EULA, both online and in the manual shipped by the resellers, contains no such restriction on use that I can see. The only restriction is a standard restriction that the program not be used in violation of local laws, and I don't know of any laws against commercial use by students or educators. See

http://www.e-frontier.com/article/articleview/1491/1/635?sbss=635/

The academic resellers, for their part, simply say to consult the manufacturer's website or documentation for any special restrictions on licensing. They add that some programs, likes 3ds Max, might not have all the functionality of the commercial version, but again that doesn't seem to be the case with Poser. The default rule at academicsuperstore.com is that discounted programs are not subject to restrictions on use, commercial or otherwise, unless the manufacturer has said so specifically. See

http://www.academicsuperstore.com/faq.html?faq_id=5

Even Microsoft, which is hardly passive about its licensing, seems to place no extra legal restrictions on copies of Microsoft Office bought by students and teachers. Should a student who buys Word at a discount be stripped of her royalties if she uses it to write a bestseller? Even Microsoft doesn't seem to argue that. Likewise, I see no indication that Poser can't be used for commercial use by those enjoying academic discounts.

Ok I d/l and installed the animator. I dont have poser and I dont know how to make animations but i want to learn. My question is? where can I get some info on how to use the animator and make animations??
tyvm
Sasha Dasilva

These may or may not be complicated to add, but some things that I really found could be *really* useful:

* The ability to clear all manual changes to a frame (if that makes any sense.) This would probably fall under the heading of "clearing a keyframe" but I seem to be having difficulty with SL recognizing keyframes. Unless I make some small movement in body parts (1 degree or so) it refuses to recognize any keyframes on body parts that are static throughout the animation (and yes, I made sure it was in the second frame, as it doesn't recognize the first.) Sometimes, I make a frame and then realize, oh, I'd rather space that out to be a longer animation.. but then it's really really difficult to go back and make that frame approximate where it would be in the interpolated animation between the last keyframe and next, given the changes. Which brings me to suggestion two:

* The ability to insert frames. Particularly handy if the first suggestion isn't possible. Sometimes you really just want to make the animation last longer (or be slower) than it turned out to be, but don't want to just tack onto the end and start all over again. You can copy/paste existing frames, but not clear what is already in them.

I hope this was coherent enough.

Also, I don't know if this is a bug, or intended, but I have noticed that if I have an animation completed, I run it through to watch it and decide oh, that part wasn't quite right, and go to that frame and click the body part to adjust, that body part falls completely out of line, and loses all of its animation data for the entire animation. Has anyone else had this problem, or know how I can avoid this?

Sasha, Avimator now has its own documentation page: http://www.avimator.com/wiki/

One of the links in there points to a very good tutorial at the "official" Linden Lab help wiki as well.

Happy animating!

Thanks alot Gwyneth and Im sure gonna need all the luck I can get trying to make animations but I really wanna learn

This is a weird problem. AVIMATOR used to work for me. Now, suddenly, it doesnt reload my saved animations properly. In the PREVIEW window, I see the BVH codes, like HIERARCHY^M, instead of a preview of my animation. When I reload the animation, none of the saved frames load. I just get a default first frame.

These saved animations load and work properly in SL, but not in AVIMATOR anymore. Is anyone else having this issue?

Hmm. The included anims in the AVIMATOR "animations" folder load and play properly (I still see BVH codes instead of PREVIEW when loading them), but my own saved anims dont load or play properly.

Hi all, sorry for not posting here for a while. I've been on vacation last week and will be busy this week with grad school work, but I'll try to do some work on Avimator after that.

Paulie, other users have reported that bug too, but I can't seem to reproduce it. Can you email one of the unloadable bvh files to [email]support@avimator.com[/email]?

Thanks.

Paulie, I have had this happen too. I find that if I keep trying, in different ways, eventually it will reload the file correctly. I do things like click the filename, wait, then doubleclick, or click, then hit OK, sometimes I have to do "New animation" and try reload.. Just keep trying, it does eventually load correctly.

I've released a new version of avimator. More details here:

/52/14/98675/1.html

This version supports a new save file format that stores keyframes.

I'm working on another new version that allows deleting of keyframes, setting FPS, turning on/off looping in playback, prompting to save on exit, and setting all frames of a loaded BVH as keyframes so that they can be edited at all, and various bugfixes. Check back in the Animations forum in a few days.

I've downloaded and tried my hand at Avimator. I created an animation using 30 frames and only moving each body part 5 or 6 numbers on the scales of the sliders, X, Y and Z coordinates. I.E. if Z is 0 I would put it to 5 for the frame and move it to 10 the next frame etc. When I run it in SL the animation zips right by, how can I slow this down?

If I step through any slower 30 frames wouldn't give much of an animation.

Thanks

On the bottom right part of the screen when you start up avimator, it says "Frame # 1 / 30", correct? Click the 30 until it is highlighted, and write in your own number of frrames you want to make the animation; no more then 900.

The frame rate of an animation is 30 fps.

Just wanted to bump this up.

I downloaded the prog and made my first anim in about 5-min. OK, it's just a pose, I'd made a car and wanted a 'driving' position pose.

Real easy, just started with New, left the first frame as it came and made all the changes to the second frame then uploaded to SL.

Now working on a 'waving' passenger, so a bit more andvanced

Seriously.

And this is a drag, but I get the page:

<pre>
Application Error
typo failed to start properly
</pre>

I know it's freeware and all, but it would be nice to be able to d/l

- C

sorry about that... i think the database server is having problems at my hosting site. in the meantime, i put up a temporary page at http://avimator.com that lets you download the app.

can somebody please tell me how to make the animations and poses i make with Avimator
work without SL's default animations going over my animation or pose? the default standin poses overide my animations or poses and ive tried changing da priority for da animation when i upload em. oh and for some reason sometimes when i upload an animation or pose that ive made with Avimator it comes out all funky in SL. If anybody can help me out i'd appreciate it, thanx.

hi just downloaded Avimator and was so excited to doing my first pose but then i cant get it to upload to SL. I'm sure i have over looked something maybe. every time i try it... i get a "Failed to initialize motion" i have looked all over the website but dont see any one with the same problems.. please let let me know what i'm doing wrong. thanks

Make sure the first frame is the default position. Make your pose on the second frame. Do not modify the first frame. SL ignores the first frame.or something like that.

Awesome program. I fired it up and made few animations in a matter of minutes. I love it! Thank you!