Rodney

I should have addressed some of this so I'm adding this separately. What you've written here makes me think this is perfect for the WIP forum. In the WIP forum everyone is free to post their own projects and invite others to join in. That way the projects can stand and fall on their own. The better the start the more likely a successful outcome. (IOW - It helps to plan ahead)

Glider, I know you have the right spirit intended so that isn't at issue here. Thanks for understanding my concerns. I personally like your idea. Now its just a matter of making your idea work for everyone and still remain true to the spirit of the forums we are in. The Newbies forum points people to TaoA:M. (the surest way of getting up to speed quickly with A:M) The ToaA:M forum promotes mastering the basics of A:M (and graduating newbies into the community at large... TaoA:M provides a solid foundation to build on while there.) Modeling props must fit into this scheme somewhere. We just need one good hook to make it stick. So... Let me ask you this question (I have my own theories): If you were a holiday prop modeling challenge where would you fit in? Lets not waste anyones time here... lets have a lot of fun modeling, animating and filmmaking instead.

I'm not sure it'd be all that... ... but we could make the supreme effort in that direction. I'm not entirely convinced documentation is the answer but it seems a waste to not utilize what we already have and what has been proven to work. (Conservation and Recycling I suppose it could be called!) So far the fans aren't rattling the cages to get into this thing but based off the feedback thus far we've got a look at one possible future of the Tutorials Forum: (Slightly reworded) - Spur discussions and reveal resources. - Bring together existing tutes on a given subject. - Archive, sort and organize information to help A:M Users get up to speed. - Demonstrate features and benefits through a comparison of how things get done by diverse users. - Inspire and educate those who 'just don't know' (Give users a chance to see the information they don't know) Did I miss anything? That gives us a general direction. Not bad so far!

Gerry wins the prize.

Books I don't have in my library but probably should have: http://store.doverpublications.com/0486429806.html

I'm hardly an expert on horses so I'm not sure how to convince you that this is an incorrect statement if you are talking about the base of the horse. Weight on the other hand is pretty evenly distributed with a 60/40 ratio with dead weight in the front. Horses have a base in the rear that they do not in the front. (Examine the differences in their front and rear legs closely and this is readily apparent). Hardly Trex porportions mind you but if that comparison helps... there you are. Combine that base with the musculature and weight in the main body versus the head and natural leverage of the bones supports the weight down and to the rear. More than anything this is a study in anatomy and bone structure. The bones carry the weight no matter what the weight distribution is. In this case, with the base being at the rear legs... the leverage flows from there. Its interesting to note that a horse kick rearward demonstrates the legs operating very differently. For instance, a horse can continue walking forward while using its front legs but when using its back legs the front legs tend to stay firmly planted on the ground to maximize stability. I'm not sure I've ever seen a horse walk on its front legs. My initial look for websites didn't turn up anything ideal for the discussion of weights/counterweighting etc. There is a lot of information out there. I did find this article from 3D world that introduces the subject of anatomy for 3D artists: http://mos.futurenet.com/pdf/3dworld/TDW89_t_tips.pdf If you purchase 3D world you may have already seen it.

Not mysterious... a horse's weight/base is at its rear. Shift that weight/draw it back and the front will automatically lift. The problem with mythic creatures is that they don't quite fit into the realm of real world physics. Case it point the Satyrs with the backward bending knees. If you joined a Satry with a horse... that'd probably be closer to the reality of 'centaurs' than having human legs on the front of a horse. The front legs of a centaur would be more like arms than legs. If you try this at home the results will be the same. Go on try it. I'll wait. Unless you are a considerable athlete...you can't push up very much with your arms. It'll be your weight and base that helps shift your torso and your legs/base will take over to push everything upward. As the horse has considerable weight and base at the rear the front is easily lifted. Like most quadripeds Horses can walk on their hind legs but they usually have to be trained to stand on hind legs for more than mere moments unless provoked to fight or in heat.

I like the idea... thanks for the enthusiasm! But... While I admire the spirit behind the challenge... the newbies forum really isn't the place to initiate such challenges. Imagine what would happen if everyone started their own challenge here in the newbies forum. There really is only one challenge for newbies... complete TaoA:M! That may not appeal to everyone but it is what it is. Once that challenge is conquered newbies can 'officially' move on to other projects. A few words of caution, caveats etc. Soliciting others to help in someone's personal project... no matter how fun... is a little outside the scope of the newbies forum. This is done to protect newbies from getting pressured into working on projects not officially sanctioned or approved by Hash Inc. (Forum rules and such) If you want to complete a Gingerbread project and invite people to join in may I suggest starting a topic in the Jobs forum? If its not a solicitation but a project you have just opened to others then you could post in the WIP forum. Or... we could discuss how to fit your challenge into TaoA:M. I'm certainly not opposed to that but it might not fair well for your deadline. I'm always open to suggestions. (but not always to unsolited challenges) Best, Rodney

Thats a very subtle effect that should work very well. I believe you have the right approach here. Until you hit the exceptions... less is better.

Very nice Eric, I especially liked the one on Jaw Adjustment... very educational. Your animation made me think wearing that stuff for 1 year and 2 months would be worth the process... so it must be a successful animation. Job well done.

I have to agree! The darkness adds a lot to the scene/mood too! Perhaps a mostly transparent rotoscope over the whole thing to murk it up a bit? (Turn the transparency up to 100% for any specific frames that absolutely need to be seen clearly) Edit: What I mean here is to have the image move slightly to convey the direction of water in the foreground. Animating the transparency as the water moves closer/farther away. That might add a bit more texture and tint all the colors a little more in one direction. As it is its very clean and colorful and some saturation might give a sense of looking through something thicker than air. Love the bubbles!

Those guys look like they could be J-Pop stars (like the music stars all the girls adore in Japan) That's a good thing. Because those guys are very very popular.

Very nice. I like the softeness/film grain/blur of the first part. It makes for a very nice film look. Its a nice effect. In contrast the latter images are pretty sharp.

If you find the time please drop a few words here in the forum on the subject of Ease... how you used it... why you think the effort to add it was worth it... (it may seem trivial to write about such things but its pure gold to those who don't know!) Besides... its always good to be reminded of that stuff! If it helps even one or two people to add that to their own work it'll have served its purpose.

A good reason not to do it. (I only mention it to illustrate the point that hte snowman is pretty short) If I just showed you what I mean rather than trying to illustrate it in words that'd probably help. I didn't mean to send you on a tangent. My purpose isn't to distract you! I'm just commenting on my intitial impression of the scene. (Considering it is your projects, your way will always be better no matter what I think!) I do think you underestimate yourself and/or the power of A:M here. Ten minutes (including rendering)... would most likely get you the effect I'm thinkin'. No new animation needed. But I'm gonna shut up about all this before I make myself a pest. When you get done with this holiday extravaganza you really should render out some of your characters in sequences in such a way that you isolate the individual frames for reuse in webpages, and for promotional purposes. Screensaver/Background images, Coloring books, whatever... some of the images could even be used in the comicstrip if needed. As you can see... I may not be the Wannabe Pirates biggest fan but... I've got to be pretty close. Now get back to work on your Christmas special. That thing isn't going to animate itself!

Robert, I was going to say something about quantity over quality... i.e. that you are living proof that quantity is more important... but that'd be seen as a slight on you. Truth is you incorporate large amounts of both into your animation. Regardless, there is a lesson to be learned here. Perhaps it might be: 'Quality without quantity isn't going to be enough to create a film. Everything else can be gained in the refinement." Rock on Mr. Nice Guy. You are the first person -ever- to make me enjoy watching Alice Cooper.

Mark, I enjoyed your description of how you approached (and changed direction) on this sequence. Watching the sequence itself was even more interesting though because my mind had build up static images based on your description. To see your characters in animated action... really a treat! I don't know what else you still plan to change here and I only know a little of your schedule but I do have a few suggestion if time and interest allows you to pursue them. First, I would suggest making the snowman taller. There are several reasons for this (mostly because having a short snoman cancels the effect of needing the wheelbarrow in the first place). It might be more effective as is just to have Mr. Sneeze lift Poco Boco up? If on the other hand Poco Boco was precariously perched on the very end of the wheelbarrow... really reaching up there and Mr. Sneeze pushed down (instead of pulling up) Poco Boco could get some pretty good height! (Don't forget to move Cutthroat's hat just a little to show that it has just been placed!) Second, I love the chase sequence! I think you can gain even more from it. You've got Cuttthroat running to the left then arcing forward toward the audience. This makes me think you will have Mr. Sneeze and Poco Boco run (in a flash) from left to right across the screen. The benefits of adding this might be considerable if it doesn't interfere with the next scene. Note that I'm not suggesting you add more frames but rather just add that to the current frames. It would obscure Cuttthroat for a few frames while they dash across but the addition would add even more depth to the scene. If its a fairly tansparent dash... Cutthroat would still be seen throughout. Hope my suggestions make sense. I'm really enjoying seeing your production come together!

I'm entertaining the idea of sponsoring/promoting a 'Theme of the Month' here in the Tutorials forum to highlight and refine topics of interest. This would be something in the tradition of 'Useful Links' and FAQs of the past but with a published theme to heighten interest and provide a focus for review and discussion. This would be a general theme connected to an area of interest in the community for that month. For instance, Lighting has been a very popular theme this past month. Perhaps it'd be be nice to have related information collected for viewing in one easy to find spot? Those wanting more information on a different subject could champion that theme for the focus in the coming months. The theme with the most accurate and compelling information would pop up to the top and get in the spotlight here in the Tutorials Forum each month. Other related forum areas, topics, challenges and discussions throughout the forum could be linked into the ongoing discussion. As new themes were published the older themes would drop down one notch but still be avialable for continued discussion. As appropriate, they'd be available to pop right back up. I'd like your input on this. Is this something of interest to others? (Edited for clarity)

Thats a risk easily accepted. I always look forward to seeing more of your projects posted. My assumption is that you've got the Shark's basic movement animated on a circular path in these examples?

I think this is a footstomping opportunity. This is the place where most people go wrong. [stomp] [stomp] If there was an A:M test... this'd be a good question to ask on it.

Very nice effect! I like the in-A:M version much better. You have more control of the final image that way and the difference really shows. The glow is a nice addition. I can see benefits to producing the masking out of the TV screen with your other technique. If for instance, you are trying to set up a mask for use with other programs to quickly replace the TV screen without rerendering everything over and over again or building fancy webpages (PNG images with transparency) then that could be an effective way to go. But that's a stretch. In most projects, its so much easier and effective just to add the images in with A:M itself. Now that you've got that aspect down... keep experimenting with image sequences in A:M. You'll be amazed at all the options available.

Thats a nice collection of Tutorials Robert. Very useful stuff so I hope people are paying attention.

I'll try to grab a screen capture the next time I win a free WII. Yours is the only signature that activates the ad and I wouldn't even notice it except for the sound. The ad may have got stuck in my cache and is currently not playing because in an effort to stop the sound I cleared everything out. For what its worth, the ad doesn't always appear. When it does its always accompanied by the voice congratulating me again. The good news... all is quiet for now.

Mark, If I win one more free Nintendo WII from your banner ad I'm going to go into business. I think I've won a couple hundred now. (Perhaps you can at least kill the sound?) Edit: It occurs to me that your banner may not be at fault but rather it might be triggering the launch of another ad on my end... dunno.

Thats a pretty tough character to animate from the get go. We work with what we have here but the design of the character makes this one hard. On most centaurs I would expect the front legs to act more like arms. This isn't so much a crit of the design as it is a possible insight into the animation and the jump. If the rear legs can be seen as bearing the majority of the character's weight during the time of the jump the rest of the diagnosis should be a little easier. At a minimum the character's rear quarter/butt should move forward more to assist with the jump. The entire body crouching down in support of the anticipated effort to push the characters weight at the front upward as the front legs push up. I'd say an anticipated movement back via all four legs should be followed by a movement down with the front. The rear should then follow through and assist as the front quarter launches up and off the ground. Thats my initial diagnosis of the jump up. There should be an adequate recovery as well. Thats a fun one.