Just got Hash AM (CD version - v15) and was pretty jazzed to be getting this app. But . . .

Why do we have to run the CD in order to use AM. I know it is a security (dongle) operation but it slows Am down to a clunker. Is there any chance this is going to change? AM seems to crash quite bit even though I've downloaded/installed V15i off the web.

I also use Lightwave 9.6 and Modo 401. I got AM because some friends have told me it would be a good work-around for CA. Lightwave is great but is weak on the CA side of things. Modo is starting to implement some basic animation. AM I'm told would fill the gap nicely and is priced right.

I know crashes are inevitable but 4 in the first 10 minutes of using it? And using the CD as a dongle is sooooooooo old school.

Any advice or info I'm just not getting at this point would be appreciated. Please don't take my first comments as a knock on AM, I've barely began to use it and I know I'll good use out of it.

Forgot to list my specs:

MacPro (2 x 2.66 Dual-Core Intel Xeon) , 16GB ram, OSX 10.5.4

well, you only need the disk in to load the program, once opened, you can remove the disk. Now I haven't used the newer versions of AM, so crashing could be a compatibilty issue. i thought i heard 15.i doesn't work on a mac or something like that

read this, this might be pertinent:

http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showt...=36887&st=0

Thanks for the quick reply Darkwing! I've not heard of issues with v15i, can you point me in the right direction? Also good to know CD can be pulled after startup.

There is a usb dongle that you can get to work with AM, which allows you to load the program and never have the CD in the drive again.

Thanks, I'll check into that. One other question — Whenever I startup AM a window pops up with the following message: invalid password. Any guesses?

Welcome to A:M!



You just answered your question.




A:M doesn't really run off the CD. It runs off the program it installed on your HD. After it starts it will only need to go to the CD if you are accessing some file off the CD.




We probably are entering a period of somewhat less stability than we're used to in A:M because the code is being revamped to make better use of things like multi-core and larger RAM. It's gotta happen but it won't be painless. Save often.

If you find a crash or bug that you can repeat, that you can write down the steps to make it happen, definitely submit that description to AMReports. I've done a lot of those and they do get fixed when you can tell them how to make it happen.


Since you have the CD version and an Intel Mac... if you also run Windows on your Mac I'd suggest installing the PC version too. It is faster and less troublesome.

There used to be an option for a physical dongle but it was quite expensive. The CD is the best compromise and it lets you install and run A:M on any computer you can carry the CD to.

Welcome aboard!

I use a MacPro as well, and have very few crashes these days. What I learned from my early days is that there is a "rhythm" to using A:M and if you follow it, it works fine. Learning it takes time, though. When I first started, the easiest way to bring A:M crashing down was to click around quickly. There are things that take time to happen, so patience is key. Being deliberate is a plus, too. Give A:M time to do what you want it to do and it'll do it.

That aside, A:M is very powerful and when you learn the rhythm, it's very reliable. I frequently run with several copies of A:M running at the same time and have zero crashes.

For a new user, you probably would have been better served starting with the subscription version. It's only $80 and it doesn't require a CD.

Thanks Robcat!

Any chance you might know why I'm getting the "invalid password" pop-up at startup?

Thanks for the insight largento. I don't mind the CD issue now that the process has been made clear. I'll post bugs per Robcat's request. Yes, I do know the potential for Am and that's why I purchased it. I'll spend the next week pouring through web and manuals. I'm excited to see where this app can take me as far as CA is concerned.

Thanks again.

I'll guess that has something to do with the "Community window". A chat window that isn't used much. Ignore it for now.

Cool.

Or just close the community window.....