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General
 

Subject	Question	Reply
Minimal  configuration	IBM-PC or Compatible	• Pentium  • 32 Mb RAM • 65 Mb free on the Hard Disk • Screen with 32000 colors • 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 • System 8.0 or upper
Amapi  is 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.
Windows95/ WindowsNT4	Is Amapi working at the same speed with  Windows95 and WindowsNT4 ?	For rendering, Amapi is about 3 times faster with WindowsNT4  than Windows95
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 - CrÈapole - Ecole Superieure d'Art et de Design d'Amiens - Ecole Superieure de RÈalisation 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 - Excelsior - Haiku Studio (Philips Media) - Infogramme - Kalisto - Oxbow - Renault - Salomon - SEB - Warner Bros - Waterman - View by View - Institut FranÁais du PÈtrole - Peugeot - CNES - CNRS - Cryo - Design Art California - many DDE - Forster Digital Imaging - Groupe Editions Mondiales - Bruno Vaerman - Groupe Zodiac - Ifremer - EDF Gascogne - Mecatec - Paris Match - Pierre Bretagnolle - Roland Digital - Stereomagic Co. California - Tekila

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Modeler
 

Constraints	The Constraints don’t work with Amapi 3D: shift or control + shift	Verify the Constraints Preferences and check if the 2 boxes are enabled.
Catalog	Objects/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.
Damaged File  Amapi Crash	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 !)
Hull tool	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 the 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.
Coons  Surfaces	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 orintation by using the  + - keys.
Gordon Surfaces	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.
Smoothing tool	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.
Bending tool		About the bending tool, you can bend rectangular sections, but they must be defined with more than 2 points (like the bending curve)
Quicktime (Mac)	Quicktime lib missing	On the Mac, enable the Quicktime AND Quicktime PowerPlug extensions or Quicktime for PowerPC BUT NOT Quicktime GX
Editing Nurbs	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.
Mold tool	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
Text tool (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

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Imports/Exports
 

Imports		• 3D Studio 4 • Artlantis Render (exportÈ par Amapi sur Mac)  • IGES 3.2 • 3DMF (Mac) • DXF 14    • Illustrator 3.0 • Pict • STL  • 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 3.0 Softimage (PC)=Optional
Exports	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 30ƒ) for the selected format.
Amapi files conversion	How to convert Mac Amapi files to PC?	To convert Mac Amapi files to PC, you just have to   add a .a3d suffix.
Amapi files conversion	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
DXF 2D Export	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
DXF Format	What is the DXF Format level supported by Amapi 4.0	Amapi imports and export the DXF 14 Format level
IGES Format	What is the IGES Format level supported by Amapi 4.0	Amapi imports and export the IGES 3.2 Format level
Export from Amapi to Adobe Illustrator	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.
Export from Amapi to Adobe Illustrator	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

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Printing
 

Print in plane perspective	Why, when the scene is forced in plane perspective (orthogonal mode), the printing windows is not scalable?	When in Amapi 3D 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% ; ...)
Printing modes	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

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Rendering
 

Rendering	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.
Rendering	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.
Rendering /Materials	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
Rendering /Materials	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)
Rendering/Mapping	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.
Rendering/Mapping	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

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Animation
 

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

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