Any further thoughts about pros and cons of 5.6

Mohlar · Post by **Mohlar** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 3:45 pm

I've now trawled the forum and have found several interesting (and often woe-ridden) posts about the merits or otherwise of 5.6 (eg: not recognising registration details; timeline bugs; not reading existing 5.5. files etc. etc).

A few months have passed since those posts, so what are users' current thoughts?

IS it worthwhile upgrading from 5.5 Pro to 5.6 Pro or are there still bugs and pitfalls which suggest it might be better to wait until some future release sorts them out?

Any specific tips and warnings for anyone who does decide to upgrade?

heyvern · Post by **heyvern** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 5:01 pm

I gave my answer in your other thread but will reiterate it here.

No problems opening 5.5 in 5.6. It's the other way around due to the layer ordering.

Don't know of any time line bugs except for one that has been around for ages and is not related to 5.6. If all the channels are visible in the time line for a bone layer, the last two camera channels get cut off in the time line window.

Animated layer order is fantastic. Real time saver.

Image texture bone warping is okay but requires flexible bone binding to work well. Region binding doesn't cut it (just like image layers).

Moving the points on path animation for layers is nice. Like that one.

Overall it's a good upgrade. I don't know about the registration problems. Mine updated perfectly... twice... for my Mac version and my PC version.

-vern

Mohlar · Post by **Mohlar** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 5:33 pm

Thanks. Those earlier posts didn't sound too positive, but maybe people were just being a tad pessimistic.

heyvern · Post by **heyvern** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 5:37 pm

I have had ZERO problems with 5.6. None... nada... love it! Animated layer order.... Yeee-freaking-haaaa!

Opening 5.6 files in 5.5 is a fairly simple fix with a text editor. You would only have this problem if you work with others that don't have the update or have two computers with different versions.

-vern

Mohlar · Post by **Mohlar** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 6:36 pm

Ah - I recall seeing in some earlier post elsewhere in the forum that after updating, someone couldn't get the program to recognise the registration code. That just happened to me. I didn't Copy/paste and the code was typed in accurately.

My Anime Studio folder is efrontier, but I doubt that that has any effect.
So did I upload the wrong PC updater file? I used -

http://my.smithmicro.com/mac/anime/updates.html
[ Anime Studio 5.6 Win - 13.2 MB (zip) ]

Or is there a specific routine for updating? I simply selected the current efrontier folder and everything seemed OK .... until I hit the unrecognised registration number problem.

I managed to uninstall the update but then had to reinstall the original 5.5. However, no files were lost and everything just went back to the way it was.

Any clues?

heyvern · Post by **heyvern** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 7:40 pm

Do you have Pro or Standard? I think there is a difference. Two different installers. I think it should say Anime Studio Pro or something in the link.

Also many people had problems with "0" and "O" on the serial number. Zero and cap O.

Are you upgrading from 5.5 to 5.6? I don't recall needing the SN for that. I did need it for the FIRST 5.5 update.

I just don't know. I had no problem at all updating... just me being lucky I guess.

-vern

mkelley · Post by **mkelley** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 7:48 pm

Yes, the Pro version says Pro in the title of the zip -- that link is for the normal version (which will indeed not accept a Pro serial number).

Add me to the voices who won't use anything but 5.6 anymore.

synthsin75 · Post by **synthsin75** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 10:10 pm

5.6 is a must have. I mentioned one broken functionality in your other thread.

I love 5.6, but I am glad I kept a copy of 5.5. Someone not too long ago was asking how to do the equivalent of how 5.5 handled image textures (i.e. a static image texture on a moving shape). And I can see wanting that at some point.

Since 5.6 can use 5.5 files, I just installed 5.6 to a new location. Best of both worlds.

Mohlar · Post by **Mohlar** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 10:34 pm

heyvern wrote:Do you have Pro or Standard?

I have Pro.
And yes, it looks like I didn't grab the correct updater. So at this very moment I'm downloading the alternative file:

http://my.smithmicro.com/mac/animepro/updates.html
[ Anime Studio Pro 5.6 Win - 108.9 MB (zip) ]

Thanks once again. Here's hoping. (Think I'll leave actually installing it until tomorrow when I may be slightly more alert)

Mohlar · Post by **Mohlar** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 7:45 pm

Just a quick update.

Yes - that last upload worked perfectly and just like Heyvern said, the updater installed without a hitch and without asking for re-entry of the registration code.

My problem was caused by downloading the wrong updater (the one for the Standard version).

So, next job ----> trawl the Help files to find out what new information there is about the updated functions. Methinks a few coffees or beers lie ahead of me in the coming few days as I get down the task-in-hand of re-learning the ins and outs of using ASPro.

It's a hard life!

synthsin75 · Post by **synthsin75** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 9:55 pm

Sadly, the help files weren't updated to explain, or even mention, the new features. This forum is about the only good place to learn about them.

Mohlar · Post by **Mohlar** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 10:35 pm

Oh well. Thanks for saving me the time.

Now I'll start trawling the forum for anyone who has posted some tips, walkthroughs or tutorials. Failing that, it will be DIY (or in my case DIM). I'm sure you can work that acronym out!