Minimal configuration IBM-PC or Compatible

Pentium 32 Mb RAM 65 Mb free on the Hard Disk Screen with 32000 colors Screen definition 800x600 pixels Windows 95 / 98 or Windows NT 4.0

Minimal Configuration Apple Power Mac or Compatible

Power Macintosh 32 Mb RAM (20 Mb for Amapi) 65 Mb free on the Hard Disk Screen with 256 colors Screen definition 800x600 pixels System 8.0 or upper

Is Amapi bilingual ? May I change the language of the Amapi Interface?

No problem: in the Edition/Preferences/ Workspace (or Interface) menu you may change the language. like this, you may switch English to French and the reverse.

Is Amapi working at the same speed with Windows95 or Windows NT4 ?

For rendering, Amapi is about 3 times faster with windows NT4 than Windows 95

Amapi best known Users : Who are the Amapi best known Users ?

Schools using Amapi: - Art College San Francisco - Ateliers de Paris - ENSI - Ecole des Mines de Paris - Parsons School of Design - Strate College - Tokyo National University of Fine Arts - Créapole - Ecole Superieure d'Art et de Design d'Amiens - Ecole Superieure de Réalisation Audiovisuelle - Ecole Superieure Estienne - Ecoles d’Architecture de Lille, Grenoble, Paris - Ecoles des Beaux-Arts de Rennes, Strasbourg, Aix-en-Provence, Bordeaux, Grenoble - ENSAM - Universite de Lille - Universite de Technologie de Compiegne

Companies using Amapi: - Aerospatiale - Calor SA - Casterman – Walt Disney - Infogramme - Kalisto - Oxbow - Renault - Salomon - SEB - Warner Bros - Waterman - Institut Français du Pétrole - Peugeot - CNES - CNRS - Cryo - Design Art California - many DDE - Forster Digital Imaging - Groupe Editions Mondiales - Groupe Zodiac - Ifremer - EDF Gascogne - Mecatec - Paris Match - Roland Digital - Stereomagic Co. California – Tekila – Decathlon – Gaumont Multimedia – Sephora – Euro RSCG Design – Eram – Journal Le Point – France Telecom – US Robotics – Sextant Avionique – Disneyland Paris – Aeroports de Paris -

Mac, extensions needed to run Amapi 3D

If Amapi 3D can’t be launched, it would be necessary to restart without extensions, but: QuickDraw 3D Quicktime Your graphic card driver Your printer driver, if needed

The Constraints don’t work with Amapi 3D: shift or control + Shift

Verify the Constraints Preferences and check if the 2 boxes are enabled.

CatalogObjects/Materials bookmarks

When you open the Catalog, it always opens on Objects, even if the previous time you worked with the Materials. That is more, if you open the Materials and you select an Objects Bookmark, nothing is displayed. It is the same in the reversed case if you open the Objects and you select a Materials Bookmark.

What can I do if I get a Damaged File or an Amapi Crash ?

With Amapi or any other program (graphic or else) take the following method : Save your file at any step of its realization : call it gizmo1, gizmo2,… gizmo n). If you get a problem about a Damaged File or an Amapi Crash with the gizmo n file, take the gizmo n-1 file to restart without any problems and avoiding to loose a lot of time. Don’t forget to set up : Edit/Preferences/ Security Settings Backup file (with time interval) Crash file (give it a name !)

Why the Hull tool doesn’t work with my curves ?

About "Hull" surfaces (3 curves): - All the curves MUST have a null dimension (x or y or z = 0) and each curve MUST lie in a different plane: xy (z=0), xz (y=0) & yz (x=0). - Section & outline must share a common point: you have to apply one point of the section curve to one point of the outline curve with the snap tool, or when you are beginning to draw a curve from the last point of the previous one, hold the SHIFT key to be forced on this point. If it doesn't work, check each curve with the single axis scale to be sure when a curve had been drawn on xy axis, the z value is 0,00. So, you have to decide by yourself (depending of your project and how you see it) which is the Section curve, which is the outline and which is the profile. Tip : Use a cube or modify its dimensions to make a bounding box for your curves ! You will be sure to draw 2D curves. Remove 3 faces if you want to work easier.

Why I can't generate a Coons Surface from the curves I drawn?

For the Coons Surfaces, the 1 to n curves you draw will make a closed shape. The common ends of the curves must be connected (use the Shift key). Before leaving the tool, you may change the surface orientation by using the + - keys.

Why I can't generate a Gordon Surface from the curves I drawn?

Basically, the curves drawn to make a Gordon Surface must be arranged like a ladder: you need to draw latitude curves connected to longitude ones. Pay attention to not connect longitude curves together.

What are the Smoothing tool options ?

Partial Smoothing : If you select some points on the current object and then you select the Smoothing tool, only the selected area will be smoothed. If you select the Smoothing tool and then you select some points on the current object, the selected area will be excluded of the smoothing.

Bend an object

About the bending tool, you can bend rectangular sections, but they must be defined with more than 2 points (like the bending curve)

(Mac) Quicktime lib missing

On the Mac, enable the Quicktime AND Quicktime PowerPlug extensions or Quicktime for PowerPC BUT NOT Quicktime GX

How can I change the tangents on a Nurbs curve?

In Amapi 3D, after creating a Nurbs curve you can edit the tangents with the Stretch tool: Click the Nurbs curve (to make it the current object), then click the Stretch tool, then Hit CONTROL-SPACEBAR Pick any of the highlighted points along the curve Pick that point again to move the point, or pick the endpoint of the tangent vectors to resize these.

How can I get the 'Circle of Influence' in the Mold tool?

It used to be a toggle with SPACEBAR in Amapi Studio 3.0. Hit the CONTROL-SPACEBAR sequence

(Mac) Problems on PowerMac with the Text tool

On Mac, it is possible that eps fonts (postscript type font 1) into the system folder make problems with the Text tool. If Norton Utilities 3.5 is installed in your system, it could allows you to unfreeze your machine and continue to work with the Text tool

Hint for the Boolean tool

It will be better to smooth the objects BEFORE performing a boolean operation, to get clean edges.

Hint for the Chamfer tool

If you get a problem with the Chamfer tool, suppress the coplanar faces (object information).

Chamfer, point mode

Why did we get weird rendered surfaces when using the Chamfer tool in point mode ? To avoid this problem, generate the chamfered points, then select the Chamfer tool again, select the edges adjacent to the chamfered " corners " and apply a light chamfer to them.

Is it possible to modify an object afterwards (after validation): number of points, smoothing or basical characteristics?

You may change the smoothing by taking the Smoothing tool again, or deleting it with the object information (if it had not been generated). You may rescale the object with the Scale tool. But, if you had drawn a sphere, you can’t change the number of points afterwards. However, you may use the Smoothing or the Tesselation tools to add points or the Decimation tool to remove points.

How to be sure to leave an extrusion opened at the ends, or capped at one end only?

With the Extrude and the Sweep tools: - To get an extrusion opened at the both ends, leave the tool WITHOUT validate (Return) - To close one end, click the end you want with the wand and leave the tool WITHOUT validate (Return) - To close the both ends, just validate (Return)

What is the meaning of Triangulate the curved faces (Object informations) ?

The curved faces (not planes) will be divided in triangular faces (planes). It is useful, for example with the thickness tool to avoid errors if used on objects with not plane faces.

What is the meaning of Triangulate N-sided faces (Object informations) ?

Amapi (like the whole 3D programs) use faces with 3 or 4 points. If could happened, with more than 4 points faces, some tools get problems. In this case, Undo the action (Ctrl+Z or Command+Z -Mac-), triangulate these faces with more than 4 points and do again the previous operation.

What is the meaning of Kill coplanar faces (Object informations) ?

The faces belonging to the same plane will be merged to make only one (certainely with more than 4 points…). This is sometimes useful, for example with the chamfer tool.

What is the meaning of Suppress confused points (Object informations) ?

This is used to "clean" an object to suppress points with the same coordinates to avoid topology errors.

What means " Convert to polyhedral " (Object informations) ?

This button is enabled when the object is a NURBS curve or surface. If you select this choice, the NURBS object will be converted as a polyhedral one. The NURBS properties will be definitely lost. This could be useful, i.e., if you need to add a thickness to the object.

What means " Convert to mesh "  (Object informations) ?

If you select this choice, the Dynamic Geometry properties will be lost. If the object is dynamically smoothed, the smoothing will be generated (all the faces). So if the object is a NURBS one, it will hold its NURBS properties (it will not be converted as a polyhedral one).

How to create the intersection point of 2 curves?

You may do a boolean operation with 2 secant curves and you will get their point or intersection (so you will get 4 curves)

How to delete easily the hidden objects?

There is a hint (not documented) to delete the hidden objects: Click on the "Show" tool to see the hidden objects and press the "Esc" key. These objects are displayed now as the current scene and you may use all the tools, or select all the objects (Ctrl+A or Command+A -Mac-) and delete them. Then, do once the same operation and the scene is displayed as the current one.

Thickness tool (not documented)

Before to apply the Thickness tool to an object, you will have to triangulate the curved faces: The curved faces (not planes) will be divided in triangular faces (planes). To do this, you will get the object informations (double click on the object, or select the "Question Mark" icon in the Control panel) and click on the "Triangulate curved faces" button. Then, use the Chamfer tool on the object.

Gordon surfaces generated from interpolated polylines (limitation)

Why is it not possible to modify a Gordon surface with the Dynamic Geometry if it was generated from interpolated polylines ? It is a limitation due to the fact where the central curves are not connected to an interpolation point, but on any one. If the end point of a curve is confused with an interpolation one, it is not possible to locate them on the middle of the curve when you are connecting another curve. So, the best way is to avoid this kind of curves and to use, for example, a simple polyline on which you will define the control points and with which you will be sure to connect them right, and then apply the smoothing tool : you will get a net of smoothed polylines which will be connected through their interpolation points and which you will will be sure to be able to modify them with the Dynamic Geometry.

Imported/Exported Formats

Imports • 3D Studio 4 • Artlantis Render (exported from Amapi on Mac) • IGES 3.2 • 3DMF (Mac) • DXF 14 • Illustrator 3.0 • Pict • VRML 1.0 Exports • 3D Studio 4 • 3DGF • 3DMF (Mac) • 3D ZAP • Amapi 4.1 • Artlantis Render 3.02 • Cinema 4D • IGES 3.2 • Illustrator 3.0 • Lightwave 4.0 • NeMo • Open Inventor • PICT • POV 3.0 • RayDream Studio 5.0 • RenderMan • DXF14 • STL • DXF 2D • Strata Studio Pro 2.0 • FACT (Mac) • Truespace2.0 • HPGL • VRML 1.0 Plugin 3D Studio Max 2.5 et 3.0 (Windows 98/NT4)

Some files with smoothed objects in Amapi, are facetted when Exported

In the <Edition/Preferences/IO Settings> menu, activate the I/O Smooth objects check box and enter the smoothing angle (default 30°) for the selected format.

How to convert Mac Amapi files to PC?

To convert Mac Amapi files to PC, you just have to add a .a3d suffix.

How to convert PC Amapi files to Mac?

To convert a PC Amapi file to Mac, you must edit it with a ressources editor on Mac and give it the following ressources: Type: AMAS and Creator: AMAP

Why the shapes of the curves generated by Amapi as DXF 2D files are sometime altered?

To export curves as DXF 2D files, when the printing screen appears change the 72 dpi value to 1 000 dpi. This will avoid to alter the shapes of curves

What is the DXF Format level supported by Amapi 5.0 ?

Amapi imports and exports files up to the DXF 14 Format level

What is the IGES Format level supported by Amapi 5.0 ?

Amapi imports and exports the IGES ISO 3.2 Format level

When exporting an Illustrator format file from Amapi, an error message appears when trying to open it with Illustrator

If a file exported from Amapi 3D at the Illustrator format returns an error message when trying to open it with Illustrator, clear the measurements (even they not appear) in Amapi 3D before exporting the file.

When imported into Adobe Illustrator, the file is not in a perspective view but in orthogonal View

The Adobe Illustrator export is linked with the Printer preferences : If the Print to Scale check box is enabled, the scene is forced into orthogonal view

Why, when the scene is forced in plane perspective (orthogonal mode), the printing windows is not scalable?

In Amapi 3D, when the scene is forced in plane perspective and be sent to printing, the same function as "print to scale" is used, even if it is not selected in the "Printer Settings". This function works with the paper format available in your printer. Amapi will use the scale factor parameter (100.00 = 100% ; 25.00 = 25% ; ...)

Could I print and render an image with measures, dimensions

Amapi allows you to print in wireframe mode only with measures and/or hidden lines and/or scale (in this case, the view is forced in orthogonal mode). If you want to print a rendered image, you must use the menu Render/Render to file and give a name to make a PICT (Mac), BMP, JPEG, TIF or TGA file. This file should be printed trough an other program like Photoshop or else, but not with Amapi. A rendered image doesn't show the measures

Check boxes in the Printer Preferences

In the Printer Preferences, there are some check boxes to set the printer form: - Print the measurements - Print in hidden lines mode - Print with scale If this box is selected, the printing window is shown as your printer paper sheet, and it will not be possible to resize it. You will have to modify the scale factor to adjust your scene with the paper size. This feature forces the scene in 2D orthogonal mode (it is not possible to take measurements on a perspective model).

Why do I print in wireframe mode only, when I am in the Amapi working area ?

In its working area, Amapi holds vectorial objects only and send wireframe to the Printer. It can print with measurements, with scaling… (see Printer Preferences). So, to print a rendered picture go to <Render/Render file>, render the image to a file (e.g. BMP) and then use other imaging tool to open the image file and send it to the printer. You may even be able to drag-and-drop the file directly to the printer icon.

Why do I get an "Internal error" when I launch a rendering ?

If you get an "Internal error" when you launch a rendering, verify the amount of memory allocated to Amapi (Mac). Close Amapi and launch it again to free the memory filled by the " Undo " levels if you work on heavy scenes.

What kind of pictures may I use to map my objects? Why can't I use CMYB pictures?

You computer uses the RVB (Red Green Blue) to generate perfect True Colors images. The CMYB (Cyan Magenta Yellow Black) system was created because the inks of printers are not perfect and now some printers use 6 or 8 colors to improve this.

How to record a rendered picture ?

First of all, open the Render/Setup Render menu and set parameters : Shadows, Background color, Anti Aliasing, … Render file : Picture size in pixels. The pictures is generated in 72 dpi definition. If you need a better definition (i.e. 300 dpi) for printing purposes, generate a picture with a bigger size. When, on your screen you have the good picture (perspective, light, shading, …) open menu <Render/Render file> and you can record it as a BMP, TGA, PCT, TIF or JPG. Then open this file with Photoshop (or equivalent) to change the picture resolution (i.e. 72 to 300 dpi), change the mode from RGB to CMYB… and print it.

Why do some materials are not displayed in the catalog ?

The materials displayed in the catalog are procedural 3D textures (shaders) and they can be applied on objects by Drag & Drop. The materials not displayed in the catalog are pictures (bitmap) and they can be applied on objects with the Apply an image button in the Rendering interface. You may save them as new materials after applying them on an object.

Why do when you try to map some pictures, Amapi 3D shows an error message or leaves ?

The pictures used for the mapping must be in RGB or grey levels modes but not in indexed colors (Leaving risk on Mac)

Why the plane mapping doesn’t work with some objects ?

In this case, double click on the object to get its infos and click on the "suppress the confused points " button.

Why do an object mapped with a bitmap material loose it's material when opened after being saved ?

If you use bitmap material with your object, the pictures must be copied in the same folder than the object on which they are applied

How to change the texture on an object which was already affected with an "Active Style"?

To apply a new texture, first delete the Active Style, then apply the new texture you want.

Does Amapi import any of these files : gif, pict, or jpeg ? Can it open Photoshop files?

Amapi can use the bitmap files like bmp, tga, jpg, tif, pict to be mapped on objects for rendering purposes only, or to generate a rendered bitmap file. So, it can't get one image to make a 3D object with it.

Key framer Limitations

The Key framer doesn’t work with 2D curves : it works only with the meshes and volumes

Scene with some animated objects

Into a scene with some animated objects, take care to set the same number of frames per object in each object’s Key framer

Camera Animation : Why do the scene remains steady when seen trough a moving Camera

Into the <Render/Setup Render> menu, you have to select camera0 (or camera1…) instead of Amapi view.