> The first thing you need to do is build your mesh in Animation: Master. I would assume you're at least proficient in the program, but I will give you a few tips to help you along...

> As any A:M user knows, a patch can consist of three or four connected splines. However, a Quake 2 model can only consist of three sided polygons. Whenever an A:M model is converted into a polygon based one, it's patch count will translate into a higher number of polygons. Since a four-sided patch will be split into two polygons, the more four sided patches your model has, the greater the increase of patches to polys. If all of the patches in your model are four sided ones (which is usually not the case), your patch count will simply be doubled into polygons.

> Whenever modeling a mesh that will eventually be converted into a Quake 2 model, (or any other format that uses only peeked splines), it's generally a good idea to build it with peeked splines. Sometimes, it's useful to use a curved spline, especially when tracing a line from a rotoscope.

> Whenever you build a complex model, it's a good idea to apply rotoscopes as references to whatever you're attempting to model. If you're modeling a commercial cartoon character, the best rotoscopes will usually be the character's official turnaround model sheet. Such an image can be found on the Internet, or from the official artwork book of whatever show or movie the character is from (The Making Of...). If you can't find any such official model sheet, you can improvise by capturing screenshots of the character, and use those as your rotoscope. (Of course, you need access to a video adapter card or a TV tuner to take screenshots.) This method can be tricky, because it's not always easy to tell if an angle is exactly the front, profile, or whatever angle you're trying to capture. Even if the character is facing the right direction, a slight tilt can throw you off when used as a rotoscope. So take several shots of each desired angle, taking your best guess as to what the exact front view, profile, and back view should look like. As a guide, you can use a turnaround model sheet of another character to choose the best screenshots. When applying the rotoscopes, make sure all the angles are consistant with each other. (The nose on one rotoscope has to be consistent with the nose on the others, and so must every other part of the character.)

> The ideal rotoscopes you can use for modeling a character in 3D are full body shots of the exact front, side, back, angles. Sometimes, it may be helpful to use a top view of the character, but such an angle is usually not included in an offical model sheet, and is by far the most difficult find a screenshot of. It's not always possible to find a screenshot of turnaround model sheet quality (with the character standing upright, with his/her hands to the side, with both legs straight, shot at the exact angle desired, and with none of the body cropped out of the shot), but there's a way to get around this issue. Here's what I do whan I run into this problem. I take screenshots of the head, torso, and legs, and apply them as separate rotoscopes. First, I apply the head screenshots as rotoscopes to their appropriate angles, then build the head portion of the model. Next, I delete the head rotoscopes, then apply those of the torso, then build the model's torso. Finally, I follow suit with the legs.

> If there is a hole where there should logically be a patch, delete a spline of the missing patch. Use the Add Lock  feature to create separate a spline with four control points. Attach the second control point of this line to a CP of the spline you deleted, and the third to the other deleted CP. This should cause the patch to appear properly. You can now delete the first and fourth CP of your new spline. I have Strykerwolf at Polycount to thank for this method.

Sometimes, there will be a seemingly valid patch that just doesn't exist.

Delete one of the splines of the uncooperative non-patch.

Create a new spline with four control points.

Attach the second CP of the spline to one of the CPs of the spline you previously deleted...

...and the third CP to the other deleted CP. This should cause the patch to work properly.

Delete the now unnecessary first and fourth control points of the temporary spline.

> A major ass itch that 3D animators must face is abnormal creasing in their models while animating them. Fortunately, Animation: Master 99 and all versions following it have a feature called SmartSkin. SmartSkin allows you to assign control points to particular locations depending on the rotation of certain bones. Here's how it works...

> During the building of your mesh, make sure you build its joints a certain way in order for it  to take advantage of SmartSkin.

Your model's elbows should each consist of two unconnected rings of splines...

...while the knees should consist of two rings connected at the back of the knees.

Here is an elbow joint bending at 90 degrees and 135 degrees without the assistance of A:M's SmartSkin.

This is the same elbow bending at the same angles above, but with the aid of SmartSkin.

> After applying a skeleton to your model, apply a SmartSkin to one of your model's bones. Select a bone, right-click it, and select 'New SmartSkin'. After selecting an axis in which to apply the SmartSkin on, a new window will open, in which your selected bone will be bent at a 90 degree angle. In this window, you can manipulate control points to suit the angle of the bone with a minimum amount of creasing. After the SmartSkin is applied, it will take effect in all of the model's animations. Here is a list of the bones and angles I use the SmartSkin feature on...

> In order to make your model's wrist twist properly while your model's hands twist, it's a good idea to rotate each ring of splines down the arm all the way to the shoulder. (This belongs to the Z-Axis of the hands.) This should be done gradually up the arm. It may take you about an hour to find the right rotations for each ring of the arm, but patience can pay off big time.

First, find the right rotations for the 90 degree mark of the wrist's Z-Axis...

...and then for 180 degrees...

...and finally for -90, then -180 degrees respectively.

> The SmartSkin can be used to conveniently animate certain parts of a model where the conventional use of bones isn't practical. For example, a model's eyelids can be fitted with a SmartSkin so that they can open and close with the simple movement of a bone. In order to make this work, a bone must be created for each eyelid. These "eye bones" should be detached from the rest of the model's skeleton.

> Create a new SmartSkin for the Z-axis of one of the eyelid bones, and set the axis to 0 degrees. Rotate and translate the eyelid to cover the eye completely, so that the eye looks like its closed all the way. (Whenever I first model the eyelids, they are in closed position by default. So applying their SmartSkin is just a matter of creating a new keyframe instead of manipulating the control points. Sometimes, I select the eyelid, then press the up key once, then the down key once just to make sure the keyframe is created.) Then set the bone's Z-axis to 179 degrees, and manipulate the control points of the eyelid so that the lid is turned upward just above the eye, and buried completely inside the head. If the SmartSkin is applied correctly, turning the Z-axis during one of the model's animations should cause the eyelid to open and close; the lower the number of the Z-axis, the more closed the eye will be, the higher the number, the more open. If you notice any irregular movement of the eyelid, it can probably be fixed by setting a half-open value on its Z-axis at 90 degrees. Of course, you will have to repeat the entire process on the other eyelid.

The blue and pink bones you see, which are parallel with Brandy's eyes, are the Left and Right Eye Dials, which will control the opening and closing of the eyelids. Notice that in the Project Workspace, they are independent from the Pelvis tree.

Right click on one of the eye dials, and in the this case, it will be the Right Eye Dial. Select New SmartSkin, then Z-Rotate. A new window will open. This is where you will create the SmartSkin.

The number on the frames scroll bar indicates the value of the Z-axis, and will start at 90 degrees. Set this value at 0 degrees, and move the control points of the right eyelid, so that it covers the eye completely. If the control points are already in place, select all the control points for the eyelid, then press up on the keyboard once, then down once. This will ensure that a keyframe is created for the 0 degree value of the SmartSkin.

Now, set the Z-axis to 179, and rotate and translate the eyelid, so that most or all of it is buried inside the head, just above the eye. This should give the appearance that the eye is open.
 

Finally, in order to create a middle ground between your SmartSkin's two keyframes, set the Z-axis to 90, and manipulate the eyelid so that the eye is exactly half open. It is often necessary to go back and forth between the 179 and 90 keyframes to make further adjustments to the eyelid, so that it opens and closes smoothly.

> For my Dib model, I used a different method for the eyelid SmartSkins than my other models. In the case of most of my models, the eyes are part of the model's skin, and the eyelid moves to cover and uncover it. I find it easiest to initially model the eyelids in the closed position, because this position needs to be modelled more accurately than the open position. (When closed, the eyelid needs to be the right size and shape to cover the eyes completely, and be only as big as it needs to be. When open, the eyelid will be hidden inside the head, and doesn't have to be as accurate as when it's closed.) However, in the case of the Dib model, I initially modelled the eyes in the open position. Dib has no eyelids, but instead, the eye itself is a separate part of the face which changes shape based on how open or closed it is. Each eye also includes a 6 patch segment that shows the eye in its fully closed position, and this segment is buried within the head until needed.
 

Because the default position of Dib's eyes is open, I started with a Z-axis setting of 179. Like my other models, I created the keyframe by selecting the control points of the eye, then pressing up once, then down once.

At the 90 degree mark, I pulled the top part of the eye down, close to the middle of the eye.

At the 1 degree mark, I pulled the bottom part of the eye up, close to the middle of the eye. This gives Dib a squinting look, and the eye is almost closed. I also made a keyframe of the closed eye segment on this frame, still buried in the head.

At the 0 degree mark, I buried the eyeball within the head, and brought out the closed eye segment.

After the keyframes of the SmartSkin are completed, I straightened all of its curves in order to eliminate any awkward in-between frame activity. I did this by making sure no control points were selected, and then I went into Edit Channels . I selected all of the control points in the Channels window, and in the Group window, I clicked on the Linear option button.