Daigoro- From what I could tell, using them is only useful in real time graphics, where the GPU can help out. . . how would this be useful in CS? Markd

So do you want to use CS to GENERATE this kind of thing, or are you trying to display them? Or something else? I think it might be possible to do a shader that modifies the normal based on RGB to XYZ mapping. . is that what you are looking for?

Attached Link: http://www.monitorstudios.com/bcloward/tutorials_normal_maps1.html

What is normal mapping?

Cool- so the mesh is distorted (sort of unwrapped) for UV purposes, then moved back. . . Looks like you might want to expand the area over the eye and do the same thing? Markd

Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/messages.ez?Form.ShowMessage=1509462

http://www.renderosity.com/messages.ez?Form.ShowMessage=1744882

Not exactly a technique for making gears, but a good source of ready made ones- Somebody made a gear font which you can use with the CS text tool to make a set of gears- I don't know where to find it though. . . anyone? Try asking over on the yahoo group if nobody here has it, I'm sure someone there does. Markd

From what I've seen it is a pretty generic error- the fact that it happens in the exception handler points to that too. I've gotten it with divide by zero conditions, and trying to go down links that don't exist. (ie the link returns a 0, and you go ahead and try to use it) markd

Unfortunately the animate button doesn't do any of these things. All it really seems to do is prevent you from adding keyframes if it is disabled. if you could set it in prefs it would certainly help people from getting into state 1. ;-) Markd

Right, but all the animation information is still there. Cases I've run into- 1) Someone has mistakenly created an animation, and now they want it back to a still. 2) Modifying a texture or object when the scrubber is not at time 0 and messing up an object that you wanted to be static throughout an animation. 3) Wanting to start a new file for the next take/scene of an animation (all object postioned where they currently are) BTW falconperigot- I just tried your technique, and it does work. However, CS doesn't really do what it looks like it is doing- take a look at what it does to the .car file. All the old keyframe data hangs around. UUUUUgly! There are definitely dragons lurking in the timeline. Markd

Cool! Didn't know the nudge trick. Depending on how many keyframes you have to remove though, it could be a lot faster to edit the file. What I'd like to be able to do is to place the scrubber at any point, then have an option to make that state frame 0 for any object selected, or for the entire file. I think that would be useful, but maybe not? Markd

You could bring the splines into the VM and fix the normals there. . . Markd

You can use IK on bones. . . IK just control the relationships between parts. If you want smooth, organic limbs, you need to use bones. If you are using mechanical type joints, you don't need bones. Either way, if you want the elbow to move when you move the hand, you need IK. Markd

What I noticed is that if you already have a shape number used (in a given cross section), and you try to re-use it, CS will happily do it- and renumber the original. I never noticed the compound problem though. . . There are certainly some areas in CS where there be monsters.. . ask any animator about frame 0. Markd