Rodney

Looks like Walt Disney may have caught a glimpse of that other universe back in '29 as recorded in 'Mickey's Follies'. The Elastobone universe... not the Spockmullet universe that is. Wow. Sorry for the huge gif. Let me see if I can shrink it. Hmmm... got it from 12.5MB down to 6MB with a few tweaks... more testing required. Edit: Looks like 5.7MB is the best for the moment without losing too much quality.

That new deadline is appreciated. I started strong on my entry... or so I think... but then faded fast. The concept and initial setup was easy. Then the details started getting in the way.

Robert, you are on to something there. I shall now go and up my investment in rare earth metals. Nice demo BTW. That's what is so great about 3D software. It's great for showing off things both real and imagined.

It's nice to know someone on the cutting edge. Looking forward to what you discover.

Yum. Looking good! That image is making me hungry.

Interesting! More information please.

This is a second foot stomp on this application. I note that comments entered into tasks can include images and html links. That's a definite plus. Not only can images then be added to comments for each task/subtask but easy links to references both online and off. For those that don't want the full/Pro version (or miss the offer) there is a free version but it lacks the higher end features such as sync. I didn't get my phone to sync yet but haven't tried very hard. I do note that the mobile version of this application is said to be free (so the PC will have something to sync with). Hmmm... This could be useful for tracking folks going through TaoA:M and making sure I've acknowledged progress. Or for making sure I meet that contest deadline.

Okay, this is probably a pass for most people but I see some potential in it and therefore value. Since availability of these offers are of limited time I want to let people know it's currently available. The gist: This is via Shareware on Sale (I've definitely warmed up to this company and their approach although standard disclaimers apply when installing any software) Offer Efficient To Do List (Efficient is the software company) What it does: Creates basic To Do lists and allows organization of those lists Normal cost: approx. $30 Free through SOS offer for the next two (2) days. This program is almost too simple and yet it has a few things that catch my eye. 1. Import/Export The ability to export to .cvs format which allows for use in other programs to include Excel (tested), Tiddlywiki (presumably). etc/ 2. Attachments I need to investigate this more but... seems straightforward enough 3. Links This is a big plus in my estimation because the links can be html/shortcuts, programs, etc. Good for quickly and easily launching an application or reference associated with a Task listing. 4. Syncs with ioS and Android phones (I haven't tested this) More stuff I haven't investigated. Could be useful for Project Management or just basic organization. It uses Getting Things Done (GTD) principles which is popular these days. Find out more and download here: https://sharewareonsale.com/s/free-efficient-to-do-list-100-discount The company website and info: http://www.efficienttodolist.com/

Jason, Let us know if there is anything we can do to assist.

Nice approach!

Thanks John!

Its crazy the cat walks in its own footprints without even consciously thinking about it.

Heheh. That is indeed silly.

Interesting. They must have been trying to do one of those Disney projections that make the house look taller than it actually is. Nice modeling all around Robert!

Ohoh. Hot off the presses. As predicted... Blackmagic Fusion is back (with version 9) and the price point for the Studio release dropped from just short of $1K to $299. Even without any major upgrades to the software, in my estimation that is yet another game changer. And... the free release is still available with most of the upgrades included. Using the free version with A:M is a no brainer. Do it. I sense purchasing the Studio release has just appeared on my radar. Link: https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/fusion/

Thanks to Steffen for addressing a minor concern with the Save upon Render feature. Much appreciated. https://www.hash.com/reports/view.php?id=6744

It's more than fine not to answer now (or at all even!) because it's mostly just impulse reactionary marginalia. Sometimes I wonder if critiques are even worth venturing into... After viewing your video multiple times I find that many of the points I raised are in fact there in the video. For instance, you've put considerable effort into varying the color of the clothes the characters are wearing... transitions from one shot to another do connect better than I originally comprehended... the narrative flows better than I thought. Some of the questions I raised I still don't have any insight into but again, much of that will be supplied by the audio and voice tracks. There is something I read not long ago that may be useful concerning critiques and that is (roughly): When someone critiques a thing it's not very important to consider the details of what they suggest but rather to consider the areas that those suggestions occupy. Most of these equate to things you already know and will refine if/when you have the time. For instance, transitions. Each transition is important but they all must work within the context of the greater whole... which only you have the bigger picture of. Another example: Character differentiation is important. No surprise there. Much of that will be brought to light with the recording of voices. Yet another; things that aren't clear at the beginning often crystalize into fuller clarity by the end of the telling. Having said all of this I would therefore amend my thoughts to suggest that anything you can do to direct the viewers attention to those things that drive your narrative of "Happy Families" and what that means from the various perspectives of the characters will be time well spent. I look forward to your next update!

On second viewing a lot more is clear. There are several things that I noticed that I didn't think I did the first time. For instance. I didn't read the title "Happy Families' is the cards. I had just seen the cards and photo images of people and thought... that's neat. I caught that the two characters were together but then drove away one in car and one on motorcycle. I had blinked and missed that they started together. Not sure where the guy went. (I'm not too sure it's important so... perhaps we don't need to see him driving off etc.?) In this way the narrative would follow/emphasize the importance of the woman. I'm still not entirely sure who the neighbors are... the fancy woman appears to be Mom of the son mowing the yard. But not sure why they go in house on other side of road.... Now... that terrorist with binoculars... not sure what he's up to.... Okay... accident. How did I miss that the first time? Got it. I think... grandson, husband, fancy woman/daughter and... a granddaughter? are gathered. Is grandma going to be okay? Maybe she should stop pulling wheelies and pissing the neighbors off. Maybe the terrorist guy ran her off the road? I didn't see him in the hospital but someone better inform the cops that he may visit her. This has the makings of a thriller! Okay... I'll stop there.

That's a lot of work! I think what I write below is already things you know but... for what it's worth I offer my thoughts: I didn't really feel I caught much of a narrative until near the end because the visuals very definitely set the scene for illness/injury at the hospital. I think I lost track of who was who just a little and some of that might be due to similar coloring on the characters. For instance, I remember a car driving from right to left but I don't recall who might have been in that car and I don't know what became of it or it's driver. In hindsight, perhaps it's the guy who runs across the road and hugs the motorcycle driver. There is a guy with binoculars but... not sure where he was watching from etc. Is it possible that all of these four are the same four that are in the waiting room at the hospital (I'll have to watch again to confirm). So, at times I wasn't sure if a new character was being introduced, if an known character was reappearing etc. As you suggest, I do think audio will very likely resolve some of these issues. Although I think I know who is in the hospital bed... mostly because I've been following this topic... I am not 100% sure in light of the viewing of the video itself so I need to go back and view the video again to be sure. Similarly, I am not entirely sure what put that person in the hospital although I seem to recall the answer to that from the discussion in the forum too. I will guess that an audio cue may be added later that will lock that down. So, "errors"/"faults"? I think taking a good look at the transitions from scene to seen with an eye for where the viewer's eye is most likely to be and then motivating the camera to move/cut accordingly would be ideal. Upon subsequent viewings I should have more to say but I want to capture my initial thoughts on first viewing. The second thing would be to find some bold contrast to differentiate the characters a little more. An example of the sameness in contrast might be that of the character with a beard. The beard didn't initially register and in the process of confirming the character had a beard I may have missed some important narrative beats. It seemed to me that a few sequences started from a halted/stopped position rather than 'in progress' which might have detracted a little from the narrative flow. When the camera 'clicks' started to kick in and the photos were being taken... that sequence read very well although now that I think of it I recall the bearded guy but am not 100% sure who the other person was. P.S. I was NOT prepared for the audio to suddenly start after the prolonged silence. That definitely woke me up! I need to be more careful with my volume. I will look to see if there is any specific area where I think a transition can be adjusted. At a guess I'd say several could either be shaved by a few leading frames or refashioned via a cross dissolve. A stray thought: I wonder if there might be a few narrative 'tags' that might help the audience to keep tabs on characters. A few possibilities: color (the 'pretty' girl in purple is a good example of this... she was easy to spot). Having the others wear clothes that do not match that of others might be useful. For instance, one character might wear very dark pants but none of the others wear dark pants. One might wear a tie while none of the others wear one. Certain characters might only (or primarily) enter and exit the screen from the same side or 'own' a specific place on the screen more than the others. This might translate to depth where one character (the grandmother) is free to move in any dimension etc. but others are constrained to move only to the right... only to the left... occupy a specific distance from the camera... just random thoughts here... not necessarily suggestions. I think... but will have to check... that it might be good to have a few more closeups of characters so that we can see and recognize them easily. For instance, in the waiting room we see them together so a closer view from one to another might aid in recognition especially if it 'matches' or echos a scene we've seen earlier. Ah, that that guy... that girl... etc. Keep on keeping on. That is an impressive amount of work.

Sketchfab... Artella... Folks that see this will be wanting to make some of their own animated experiences. The biggest news here (besides the successful creation of a 3D VR short film shared online) is that Sketchfab now supports audio. https://artella.lpages.co/artella-lily-snout-giveaway/ The characters (models) are currently available for download. I must assume some other formats besides .ma will be forthcoming. There is a good interview with the team behind 'Lily and Snout' that delves into the creation of the project also online.

I will add... To hit your specific points: - 2d - easy and intuitive UI - vector or bitmap based, preferably hybrid - free or cheap 2D Check. Easy and intuitive UI (Need more info on your experiences and specific requirements) This is open to some interpretation and some folks don't like OpenToonz UI But, it is easily customizable and custom 'rooms' can be set up for any particular need. The UI uses QT and some highly customizable formats. UI enhancement is perhaps one of the prime areas of development as well in order to make usage even easier - vector or bitmap based, preferably hybrid Check There is generic raster, Toonz raster (highly optimized for animation companies) and Vector These formats can be swapped/converted with Toonz raster and Toonz vector conversion as easy as copy/paste. Workflow is definitely hybrid because all three of these formats can be used simultaneously. - free or cheap As free as you need it to be (some developers do hope to fund development so there are ways to pay $) There is also the original Toonz Premium software which is basically the same thing as OpenToonz but costs several hundred $) Added: I see you are on a Mac... the OTX release is Windows only. So, unless you also use a PC you'd want to go with the official Mac release. Some previous members of Studio Ghibli are releasing a film made with OpenToonz which has a preview here : xhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=WfCNyIQ6yzU

Ohoh. Folks won't be surprised by my answer here. OpenToonz or one of it's current flavors (OpenToonz Experimental (OTX) or Morevna branded). This is the software Studio Ghibli used for many of it's animated films. Anastasia (by Don Bluth) also used it extensively. Etc. Etc. The offical release lags a little behind the OTX for a number of reasons but it does tend to be considerably more stable. The big change recently is the addition of a horizontal timeline which can be toggled from the verticle xsheet. The horizontal timeline should hit the streets in a few days as it was recently approved for release. But that and other features such as 'guided drawing' can be found in the OTX release. There are nightly releases (that capture the latest approved additions) and I tend to keep current with those. For maximum stability it is recommended to go with the full realease which is currently 1.1.3. In addition to general design and sketching (and stress relief) my primary plan for future usage is for storyboarding and animatics (and rough sound work) in conjunction with Animation:Master. I've been experimenting with modeling and animating objects in A:M that I then vectorize in OT but I haven't found the sweet spot yet... although I'm getting close. In short, OpenToonz supplies a number of things that I can't get in Animation:Master so they work very well together. The price is right: Free Although the original company behind the software still sells a premium version as well as storyboarding software that integrates. I will recommend downloading and trying the OTX release as that is a portable version that doesn't even have to be installed. It can even be run from a USB stick. https://gumroad.com/l/TZmmM Enter "0" as the price to downlaod for free. The official download (and source code) can be found here: https://github.com/opentoonz/opentoonz/releases For what its worth I rate OpenToonz above any other 2D animation software and that includes products from Adobe, ToonBoom, etc. I've tried pretty much everything out there (including Pencil 2D, etc.) and it's hard to see any software that comes close or that has more (untapped) potential. And... as always other programs can be used in conjunction with OT as needed.

Will do! Thanks.

I haven't attempted to make them dance yet but adjusting your demo poses just slightly made me think of having a dance off... I'm not quite up to that but I am intrigued by the idea. P.S. I'm reviewing your video on the Saucy Rig Hands here: http://mechadelphia.com/wp-content/uploads/videos/Saucy_Rig_Demo/04_Hands.mp4

Very nice. I like. I'm refreshing my memory on the ins and outs of the Saucy rig because it's been quite awhile since I played with a Saucy-rigged character. Too much fun! There is a lot to like about the rig and I especially like how the demo characters seem to already have character even before manipulating but display personality easily with a few shifts/rotations of a controller. Something else I like over all is your addition of Notes/Credits in the User Properties. That's a nice touch. I haven't gotten far into my research yet but I did start playing with the finger controllers etc. to refresh my memory there. I almost feel like I've asked this question before so... apologies if I have... What is the preferred way to create basic hand gestures with the Saucy rig (fist, pointing, etc.)? I believe what I'm looking for is to create a pose set that collects a bunch of standard hand poses from which to initiate further refinement. This may open me to accusations of being lazy but... I am... so I plead guilty. To continue in this same vein my thought is to have a resting hand pose that is roughly that of the character holding an (invisible) baseball (see attached image). I'm guessing I can get at this functionality through an Action (or set of Actions) but I'm curious if such a thing as a pose collection might appropriate to add to a rig such as the Saucy Rig. ...And now I'm off to investigate more... Added: I'm reading back on your documentation especially as it relates to Steve's Hand Gizmo. Thanks much for the update!