Rodney

Video Blocks has been around for awhile... long enough to spam my email account for quite awhile. I'm not sure how this fits... but for those who might make a few pennies on creative works it might be worth a look... or at least pay for the video blocks subscription if you have one of those? Video Blocks' Members Only Marketplace let's creators retain 100% of the fees brought in from those who purchase their content. They can do this because their primary source of income isn't from the content itself but from the subscriptions they sell that let's others access the content. While I can't speak to the amount of money this might generate (it could easily be nothing in a vast sea of other... especially free... creative content) it does reflect a trend that one could hope to see more of... less of a take by the distributor with more $ going to creators of content. Video Blocks (or their parent company) seems to be positioning themselves for a lot more than just short video content and the underlying trend is that of digital distribution of all forms of content via subscription; think in terms of old world cable distribution but upgraded to take advantage of technology in the current digital age. The primary categories in Video Blocks are 'Footage', 'Backgrounds' and 'After Effects' which limits the scope of content but does leave room for enterprising folks to add their content to the mix. At a guess I'd say the primary opening for A:M Users would be 'Backgrounds'/'Motion Graphics' but an innovate animator might be able to establish a niche for character animation. One of the areas of interest is owner Joe Hollands focus on selling fewer videos more times... so the focus hasn't been fully on gaining more content. While I'm not sure how much of this philosophy is long term it does allow content creators a view into how best to approach this specific site/market; getting into the game with high quality product. At any rate, it will be interesting to see how this model for content distribution effects others especially those in the area of day to day entertainment and animation (i.e. not the same niche as the blockbuster/holiwood type). Video Blocks appears to be positioning themselves squarely in the realm of the creators who will service and supply those that create that content. Other posts here in the forum have pointed to services such as Digital Tutors and such which have similar content distribution models but with a focus on specific markets with specific types of content. The continuing trend appears to be not only catering to creating entertaining content but also being in the supply chain of providing the necessary tools to create that content. Added: To make this post of value to everyone, don't forget that services such as Video Blocks are great for reference. You might not need a specific thing but by running a search you might discover a specific look you are after... then go off to create something of your own from scratch. For instance, if wanting to plus up your scene that has a storm brewing you might run a quick search for Lightning. (on the page scroll over the images to see the short video)

NIce one John!

That's good to know. While I'd liked the Eye Target before the whole idea of leveraging its use was brought home to me when I saw Don Bluth use the equivlalent of that Eye Target for characters during a lesson where he consistently drew an X on the sheet of paper to force a perspective (from the character's viewpoint) as to what was of interest to them at that specific moment (the moment captured in that frame/drawing). It's so easy to have a characters eyes not go where they ought to go and his emphasis on the point of interest for the character in a scene (literally and figuratively) struck a chord with me. Perhaps better yet, in CG we get a lot of eye movement automagically when they are constrained to a (intentionally placed) target/Null. Having the second Null allows for additional change via a number of other locations (at the eyes themselves (Character), at the Eye Target (Gazing Point) or at the Point of Interest (actual Point of Interest). I have a theory too that one of the issue with the uncanny valley has a lot to do with the failure of a characters eyes to properly focus. There is such a subtle difference between what eyes change from near to far focus that it can be really hard to capture. This can be complicated by a vast number of variables such as our tendency to look 'through' people rather than at them (especially when nervous, avoiding engagement etc.) A useful technique I've found in getting head turns and eye placement is to establish the target for the eyes first, position/orient the body (which at this point will likely have the eyes not quite in the right position. THEN turn the head until positioned appropriately. When positioned right you'll know it. This doesn't automate anything but does provide a useful framework (starting point) to work from. Then just like we would work pose to pose we establish our extremes and move on to our breakdowns. The breakdowns of a necessity including those moments when a character might look away from where they were focused before... which shows they are thinking... reacting... adjusting to what they are seeing, feeling, hiding, planning on doing next. Character motivation.... Important stuff! There are a couple other points about the Eye Target etc. worth noting but one is perhaps more important than most and that is that the eyes need to be easily manipulated to the right position *from the vantage point of the audience*. This is so much easier to do with that Null right up there on the screen between you and the character that it deserves some foot stomping. As we are trying to give the audience a sense that characters exist in a dimensional world it's important to remember that the character is seeing things that aren't in the audiences view. It has been said that the most important character in a story is the audience... and in the interim until someone else gets to see the show that's you!

Ha! Well there you go then.

Will, I didn't notice anything odd with the hand but there's something a little strange about the trajectory of that axe. I know we aren't really critiquing these exercises but if interested I can show you what I mean via video draw over better than I can describe it here. In short though, at the point where the axe leaves his hand the trajectory lifts about 33 degrees from it's previous movement downward to move horizontally across the screen (like a magic force or magnet is moving it in that direction. At first I thought the effect might be enhanced by the camera angle but looking again I'd say it's accentuated more by where the hyena appears to be looking, more down at the ground than off screen. As he's looking at where it appears the trajectory should be when the axe doesn't go there but moves to exit screen right it makes me wonder if I've missed something. Now you've got me wanting to go back and review my animation to see if my axe's trajectory is within reasonable limits. When I was animating I kept wanting to raise the high point of the trajectory to suggest it could travel that distance. In other news (not related to any posting here); have you ever noticed how the Eye Target moves with the pelvis of most rigs. I use to think that was okay but now not so much. I understand why it's done this way... because the Eye Target is part of the character/rig but this makes it nigh impossible to keep that target from moving when the character's pelvis rotates. The fix I found... and perhaps it's SOP for most animators(?) is to constrain the Eye Target to a Null and then place that Null where the character should be looking. That or not use the Eye Target at all which I is too bad because that target is so important to suggesting where the characters attention is at any moment. Constraining the Eye Target(Null) to another Null at the actual location may not be a full solution but it works well in most cases.

Reference my post above. That was just a quick conversion of the image to test the theory that it was the lack of alpha channel that was the culprit. We (i.e. someone with a better eye for perfection than me) will have to create a better sprite image to go with modern day approach. The modified image (with transparency) does work pretty well with proper opacity set in the Sprite material (at a guess I'd say somewhere in the 20-33% range).

Makes me thing of Doc Brown from 'Back to the Future'!

Yeah, I see he's raised it to $79 for today. Says it'll rise again (toward the full price of $129 I assume) tomorrow.... maybe $99 tomorrow? Those that don't get access to resources like this often still benefit though... through osmosis. There have been a lot of shared resources over the years and we (collectively) gain knowledge from those. Aside: Quite awhile back I was postulating about an A:M Foundation of sorts. This is somewhat what I'm talking about in that esteemed body could release grants and such that would 'gift' resources like these to talented folks in the community like yourself. It's a tall order and no small matter to run such a foundation but one could dream of a day where a majority of (mostly financial) obstacles to learning animation are removed. Money is an important thing... I don't want to downplay it... and it's got its proper place in the exchange of goods and services. But the idea is for the entire community to benefit from limited resources. One of those 'take a weakness and turn it into a strength' approaches. Now as to computers going nuts and not letting folks in on deals that should not be missed... I see that as a sign the deal was worth passing up at that moment. Not all good things are expedient nor fit for every purpose. No hard sells from me folks. There are lots of resources out there!

I hadn't had a chance to download your last videos. I must say that I don't see much of a difference between the two. Perhaps I did something wrong on my end downloaded the same file... I do note those unrendered pixels are showing up here and there in the smoke and I hope that is just a fluke. I've attached a side by side comparison of the two. But this is mostly neither here nor there. The important thing being that you are getting the results you want! comparison.mov

I didn't spend a lot of time creating the alpha channel... so it's mostly just there to test the theory. If tweaked enough via opacity etc. it turns out pretty decent though but 'as is' the images have hard edges where the alpha channel whites/blacks meet. Sorry about that! Here's part of a test I have rendering out now that uses those two images: smoke and fire.mp4

Nice! Maybe an artifact from where the looping stops and restarts?

Here's one for smoke... The original tutorial may have used a selected key color (black?) instead of alpha channel transparency. The key color isn't as robust as alpha channel and so was mostly deprecated in more recent versions of A:M. smokev18.tga

You might try the attached image as a sprite image and see if it makes a difference. I note that an image from a tutorial that may be the same as yours doesn't have an alpha channel in it even though it is TGA format. flames_v18.tga

No spare cash or just not in the mood to buy stuff? Don't dispair! Aaron has lots of free tutorials online as well. Here's a recent one of him exploring TV Paint (but the lessons apply to stopmotion and digital animation in A:M too): Dialog animation 'Stop it!'

We live in a wonderful time where we have access to great information about the process of animation. I'm not trying to sell you anything but.. if you've got a spare $50 laying around... do yourself a favor and buy this. At regular price of $129 this'd still be a good deal but at $49... the only reason not to buy is if you've got a dial-up internet phone connection. Aaron Blaise is someone I've posted links to before (see his 'Aaron's Art Tips) and he's recently released a 'complete course' in animation. He takes his experience as a Disney animator and outlines the principles of animation and walks through the process step by step. I've just now purchased this and started watching the gigabytes of videos in the course (high quality I might add). We live in a wonderful time where we have access to great information about the process of animation. If you've got a lot of tutorials on animation already some of the lessons will be familiar but the approach (hand drawn animation) is something that computer animators need. Included in the course: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fundamentals of Animation Course In this comprehensive course, master animator Aaron Blaise ("The Lion King", "Brother Bear", "Mulan") takes you through the key principles of animation. This course covers the "12 Principles of Animation" as originally pioneered by the original "9 Old Men" who worked directly under Walt Disney. This course includes 13 HD Video Tutorials covering: Squash & Stretch Timing Solid Drawing Anticipation Follow Through + Overlapping Action Arcs "Slow Ins" & "Slow Outs" Straight Ahead Animation Pose to Pose Animation Secondary Action Staging Exaggeration Appeal PLUS A full lesson on Biped (Two Legged) Walk cycle animation PLUS A full tutorial on Bipedal Run animation Whether you are a traditional animator or work in computer animation this course is for you! We know you'll learn something new! Animation "Scene Approach" Course In this comprehensive course, animator and director Aaron Blaise ("The Lion King", "Aladdin", "Beauty and the Beast") takes you through his approach to animating a scene. Watch as Aaron creates new original animation right in front of you and explains his process for tackling an animated scene. You'll get6 HD Tutorial Videos and learn from his insights on: Scene Approach Thumbnailing & Sketching Character Design Pose Tests Animating Dialogue Mouth Shapes How the "Fundamentals of Animation" apply to an actual scene Breakdowns, In-betweens and Arcs A Complete Animation Demonstration This is a truly unique and original opportunity to learn from a great animator as he teaches you the techniques that were directly passed to him by master Disney animators. We hope you enjoy it. Whether you are a traditional animator or work in CGI we know you'll learn something new! Bonus & Supplemental Lessons As a BONUS for purchasing the Complete Animation Course we have included a variety of bonus and supplemental files. ENJOY! List of Bonus Files: Baseball Pitch Animation VIDEO Baseball Throw “Physics of Animation” PDF Handout Bear Expression Drawings Bear Animation JPEGS (For you to print out and “flip” if you wish to) Bouncing Ball JPEGS Mouth Shapes Jpegs - Breaking down several key sound/mouth shapes to help you Squash and Stretch PDF Handout Animation "Glossary" & FAQ Access TV Paint Source Files: Bounching Ball Character Squash and Stretch “Breakdowns, In-betweens and Arcs” Demo Bear Animation - Fully In-betweened Baseball Throw/Pitch NOTE: This bonus material is NOT available for individual purchase and may only be acquired with the "COMPLETE ANIMATION COURSE" --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The price is said to return to $129 tomorrow. You can find out more here: https://creatureartteacher.com/product/complete-animation-course/

Thanks Will! I know I've got a lot of work ahead but praise from you makes me all giddy inside. It gives me hope to keep pressing on in this crazy world of animation. Hey, does that mean I get the bonus points for 'GET HIT IN THE HEAD WITH AN AXE!'?

For PC users... If you use ImageMagick (or have it installed on your system) I created a little utility program to convert a directory full of PNG images into a GIF animation. It's pretty no frills but has the following features: - Converts a directory of PNG images into a GIF animation - Preserves transparency (most gif converters do not) - Works if setup properly from the Tools/Customize menu in A:M (so converting renders from A:M to gif is a quick process). - Allows user to enter a name for the converted gif animation (pressing the enter key results in only the date/time stamp being retained as filename) -- If entered, the name will be added in front of a date/time stamp (currently no option to bypass the date/time stamp but this can be added) Disclaimers/Troubleshooting: *This is just a fun utility I put together to save me time in converting files to gif animation. No claim of any kind is implied. Use at own risk. *Imagemagick must be installed on the system. The exe simply automates what you'd have to input manually at the command prompt with Imagemagick The specific command used for conversion is: convert -delay 0 -loop 0 -dispose previous *.png %new_name%%fullstamp%.gif Do not use this utility on essential files (when in doubt use copies) *This executable must be in the same directory as the PNG files (I use these utilities with a static Renderfolder file system). The Date/Time stamp hasn't been tested on international systems (the date/time method might not work outside of North America) *I haven't had any issues with this utility but this is no guarantee that you will not. Attached is the first sequence of images I successfully converted with the utility via the Tools menu in A:M. PNG2AGif.zip

Mark may be on to something here.

The Tiffs are just screenshots of what he is seeing.

Thanks for the response Robert. Yeah, the issue is as I stated above where multiple Projects may have a material named 'Material1' but they are in fact very different materials. Only the names are the same. The same can be assumed for any asset that keeps the default name (Action1, Action2, Choreography 1, etc.. I had a little success with Transforming a Project into a Chor via a text editor and that could lead to an easier collecting via import of the Chors. I messed up though in that once I imported the Chor into a new (empty) Project I forgot to save and A:M crashed because of the little things that I hadn't accounted for. Saving the Project should allow A:M to automatically repair those as they aren't essential to any Project.

Here's an example of A:M particles (the resulting images that is) working in other programs. Note that I used Fusion to comp the particles because it takes awhile to open and setup After Effects (doing that now). This test also uses the PNG format (as as means to get the animated gif with transparency) so PNG does work... I just don't recommend the format if use can be avoided in the early stages. As you can see the transparency is maintained all the way through the pipeline. In this test, I rendered the particles out of A:M using the TGA format. Click on image for animation.

I converted your Tiff images to PNG as Tiff isn't a browser friendly format and folks may not want to download to see the images. I'll have to refresh my memory here but... if you can supply one of the original images/frames from your sequence put into After Effects that will help. At a guess I'd say there is a setting you'll need to adjust in After Effects but there may be something you can do on A:M's side as well. Added: Make sure you are rendering out of A:M with a format that will properly save the Alpha Channel. I recommend TGA or EXR. PNG will usually work but is not as robust a format for use with compositing. Formats to avoid (unless you plan to add a mask to act in the place of the Alpha Channel) include: BMP and JPG. AVI doesn't store transparency and while the Quicktime format stores the alpha channel it's usually to use image sequences.

Late night thinking here so bear with me... The term 'best method' is relative here but I'm looking to find a good way to combine a whole lot of Project files (hundreds?) into one single Project file. There are some difficulties in this. One of the primary obstacles: Same name assets (i.e. materials named material1 in more one project etc.) Those may have to be dealt with on a case by case basis. One method that works fairly well: Embed everything in the Project and then save as a Choreography Do this for each Project Import all the Chors into one Project (I tested this with good results but I believe an important step will be to rename all assets before exporting to Chor to indicate what part of the new Project they belong to. I believe this has the downside of not exporting any asset in the Project that is NOT in the current Chor. Those assets would not be transferrred.) I'm curious if I'm missing something simple here. For instance, can we import a Project into another Project? Going the text editing route is an alternative but with that approach the chance of breaking stuff increases dramatically. A similar approach might be to use a text merge tool (i.e. with Notepad++) and keep those parts of the file that are required.

I like. That one reminds me of your freezing effect. Now you've got me trying to recall how to apply an effector to one object without it effecting the other without resorting to compositing multiple renderings. For instance, effecting Thom but not the ground...

I'm embarrassed to post this but it's all I could salvage of my all-in-one sequence and I said I would post it. The feature I was testing was 'set camera from bird's eye (view)'. I like that! This was something of a no-frills approach. The scene setup uses: - The default ground plane (I wanted to see if I could make it into sanddunes) - Three lights (a sun and bulb/point light to light Tar and an additional point light to light the hyenas) - Not that you can tell from the posted animation but the entire sequence consists of one moving camera that moves around Tar and then zooms in on the hyenas -- I didn't manage to get a long enough sequence at the beginning to show Tar actually picking up the axe... although it's staged for that. I figure he's got a bunch of weapons laying there at his feet and he chooses the axe - I (obviously) didn't put much into the hyena's movement so it's mostly blocking the action out. I'd like to see a bit of reaction in the hyena leader's arms and hands that would signal that his brain stopped functioning upon impact with the axe. - The hyena sequence reminds me a little of the look of early 1970's japanese stop motion (like those Johnny Socko - Giant Robot reruns). Perhaps the lighting also has something to do with that. Edit: I should have mentioned that the herky-jerky look of the animation is due to deleting the majority of bad frames out of the sequence manually. When recompiled it resulted in a slightly better playback. Perhaps good enough to serve as a initial animatic? The big contributor to failure was my inability to control the constraints I placed on the axe. I had two constraints; one to Tar's hand and one to the hyena's leader's head. While they worked intially I had problems rotating the axe inbetween leaving Tar's hand and approaching the hyena's head. If I had it to do all over again I might constrain the axe to a Null and then animate that. Alternately, although not optimally, I might just manually place the axe. As it was a simple setup, I might just start this entire sequence over from scratch. But... there you have my attempt. Now it's time for someone else to post their axe throwing animation!