larry_b

Thanks dan. I'll dig out the little drip later and see what I can do to improve it. Its just going to take a little more time than I was hoping. Work has me full time now -Larry B

Hello Nancy: Actually, I was thnking about a firewater dance, or some other kind of Fantasia type animation. i have LOTS of ideas for this character combo, but the time it takes to work on it is not as much as it should have been. Anyways, This is one of many project sI am running in parelell. -Larry B

Thanks Nancy: I have downloaded the ZIP file and seen hte MOV. I'll look into it a little biut later. If you loved the fire blob, you may love to see the WATER Dude that was created to start me on my first production: Of course there is the rigging, adn the texturing thing that needs to be done on the characters, and the Local (location of action) and Props to make. Not to mention the story but it is a GREAT start. Thanks again for your help -Larry B

Hi Wegg: All I can say is ABOUT TIME! I remember putting the Work Order in like.. oh, close to ONE YEAR AGO! HeH it wasn't that bad. I remember putting the order on hold anyways. It sure is enjoyable to get into the GUTS of this rigg. Moved very nicely. Especially the tail. THAT is very smooth. It will be a GREAT pleasure working with this Dinosaur. For only $59 is Definitely worth the small price for such a High Quality Model! (AND works great in V11 A:M too). Overview: If you love Dinosaurs, Easy to manipulate models Get this excellent model. it is well worth the time and energy it would have taken me to have textured/modeled/rigged! I am sure the Fun Factor will increase once I figure out exactly how to move this heavy thing. Last Note: Rest Assured: Wegg PROMISED me that this Dino is already been House Broken. (I seen pictures of the messes Wegg had to clean up) So, what are you waiting for for only $59 you can enjoy this amazing EggProp! Get it before it's extinct! -Larry B * Wegg.. Thanks for finishing this project .. Now GET ONTO THE OTHER THREE DINOSAURS (please) *

Hi nimblepix: Fun?? Pff... its an adiction!! I do need to add lean.. probably good for when we add squash and strech.. there is what.. 21 or more things to consder with animation. isn't there? Anyways, thanks again.. not much to look at, but it is a great start for a first. Larry B

Hi: Just thought I'd share a first pass attempt at animation. Second step on this will be to add squash and strech to the thing. Then change teh background and add a simple face to the thing and carry on. Just thought I'd share the lill project. -Larry B hopper.mov

Hi Seven: Nice tutorial. However this is using a Quatunian method. With the Euler method I was trying to figure out, all you need to do is rotate the bone a little to set the key at frame '0'. then at frame 1 second you can rotate the wheel 360 degrees. With Quat method (default) the bone will rotate from where it is and take the shortest rout to complete the circle. So it will move backwards a couple degrees. With the Euler method, the bone follows the exact way you turn the wheel So once you convert the drivers from Quat to Euler then you get an unlazy bone (one that goes all around and not look for the shorter way to do what is wanted). I am not putting you down, Just want to help you be a better A:Mer. I AM grateful that you took the time to create this tutorial (with wink ). I remember I once had a Reel player I made in a:m (just before casettes were on a box they were like filmstrip reels). I remember I was fighting with this and did figure that one out at one time. So once I had it done, I found that I had 1 bone, as the seconds number wheel has made 1 full pass I had another constraint move the 10's colum 1 number (roll like i think it was) . Then had it setup so after the 10's colum made 1 round the 100's colum would make 1 number move. Essentially I could animate the 1 bune and as that bone spins I was able to have all the others automatically spin. Next time I'm making a record player instead (no counters on that sucker) Anyways, thanks again -Larry B

Hello again: I have a posted update. but first, the feet are smartskinned. the one is rotated up the other is pointed down slightly. just to give a 2-views of the feet. I have turned up transparency as many were saying, and thanks to Martin I also tried to make it a little see-through. I had trancparency to 100% yet reflectivity was too high to let a see-through apperance. So, here is the new and slightly improved water droplet (not as many pass-rendered though)

I was planning to do that as soon as I figure out how dynamic constraints work. a confusing thing is that the constraint is asking for a target like the other constraints and i thought it just would bob along without being connected to interact with another bone. This is probably the first character that survived. I have many others that are now in my graveyard of characters. The waterdrop has also been the first attempt at smartskinning and will probably be used to start animation training from. 3D is very time consuming. It would be nice to find timesaving tips and ways to automate tasks. anyways back to the digital drawing tablet. -Larry B

Thanks for the suggestion. I believe there is a very little transparency to the model. I am guessing i need to add a little more. I was also thinking about flipping normals (so they point inward) and perhapse adding a blobby material effect so the inside is liquidy (of course i'd need the transparency higher then too I'm glad you like it. Sharing with a few people teh comments I was getting from almost all of them were 'smurfy'. -Larry B

Here is my latest and best creation yet. I still need to make a couple other characters. What do you think? -Larry B

wow 5 pages already man I miss those Rants and Raves pages.. .. .. It is wonderful to see how well people of all cultures races and religion can all get along here talking and sharing their animated pictures. I have always wondered what the outcome to a question of mine is. I now sort of understand it better.. .. .. the question: what would happen when you bring a Mormon, a Jehovas Witness, an athiest a jew, and just for good mesure, a muslim together for a religious biblestudy. (no offence to either religions above). Anyways.. .. .. .. there is a time, and a place for everything under the sun. This is the place for animation master collaboration. a place where people can come and share their artworks made in A:M. I have seen all kinds of presentations here (A:M films) from the claymation like Snake animation which recreates the garden of eden right to the dancing of the Hunter gal. Here in the forums we all come from different religions, cultures, and backgrounds. It is similar to me going to an athiests church (if they have one) and beat them over the head with bibles till they see visions of Mary and Jesus What I am trying to say is A:M forums is a place that is for artists using A:M to come together to share their sucesses and failures of A:M. there may be a place where people go to and dig deep into their beliefs and mix them with artforms. but not here. A suggestion is to perhapse goto yahoo groups and start your postings there and from within the forums invite people interested to join there. those interested can join and you can dig as deep as you want. as for others, thanks for providing me with great entertainment well, happy hashing

Hi: There would have to be some talk about time available from both the Master animator and the Apprentice to be able to plough through the production in a year. but to answer your questions.. I would GLADLY spend a year working on another persons production just for the ammount of knowledge I would get through the production (as long as I am learning, and not just doing repetitive stuff and getting nothing out of it). If the production is BAD, or low quality I may opt-out of being in the credits (to preserve my name). If the production is abandoned or nobody sees it that is OK too cause I still got hte knowledge I can apply to my other productions TO answer you on Apprenticeships as 'valid training' From my understanding Studios are more interested in Quality of work and usually request a Demo reel to be submited with a Resume. I have had interesting chats with someone who was on Management end of Studios. One of his jobs was to watch Demo reels and from them choose whom to hire. He gave me a few good tips. But geting back on topic If someone is to apply to a studio and has all the training in the world and NO talent then the self taught/apprenticeship taught person with talent will get hired. Even if I work long and hard under a PRO animator who shows me tips and tricks along the way and his production is never seen, I am not worried about getting recognised or discovered (even if it is a production that is below my standards). After I get the training, and the Other person gets his production all is ok. After that you can start work on YOUR production with the developed skills and THEN get all the recognition you want so, how does someone find a master animator to work with? Larry B

Hi: I jumped in about half way on this thread... There are many choices to learn A:M. 1. Struggle along at your own pace and learn at a very slow pace. 2. BUY CDs from Studio 45, Anzovin, and other people to watch and learn. This way is faster than on your own but there is no feedback/question time you can ask the CD for an answer 3. Apprenticeshiping. This method is the fastest, and probably the best way. Apprenticeshipping costs money. Either go to school and pay Tuition and have the professor give you a project to model, and then critique it. The prof may know animation but he may not know the industry, and how it works (or at least have limited knowledge in that field). The other way would be to Pay your time in helping a MASTER animator with his productions remembering htat the mentor is taking time away from getting the production finished quicker alone than walking you through it. Since you are spending time at school anyways it IS cheaper without having to pay both time AND money. Another bonus of Apprenticing is that you develop relationships with people in the field where school, or on-your-own style of learning will not permit. Way back when I was learning I was talking to another person about coming there to visit and learn from him (and work on a project he may be working on as some form of payment). If you are NEW, you WANT ot learn any way you can and even the best ways such as having someone take you by the hand. Lastly, it is a two way street. If a Mentor is helping me larn, adn I am helping him get productions done that is great, but if it comes down to the mentor having a project to do and you are willing to do the work yet are not learning anything it is pointless. Like if you are larning modeling, adn after you know all about the modeling and are not moving into another area then what is the point in mentoring. Same as if you are making NOTHING and the master animator will feel the same way that they are just being used. It MUST be a two way street. Anyways Keep me posted on the progression of this idea. If there are not many people wanting to learn by giving time to another persons production then that means hat It will be easier for me to find a master animator to help me learn (I only have the animation/Choreography/lighting/special Visual FX to learn what a rough first few years). Larry B

Hi: It is hard to say. I learned So fast. I guess so far once you get over 1 part, the other parts appear harder.. (modeling seemed hard till I got into rigging, riggign seemed harder till I got into animation movement part). Not to discourage you, Materials seemed like it would be hard, but was quite easy. When I started out, I couldn't find a tutorial that covered basic texturing, So I made one. www.zrrp.com/tut/mat-1/ Another pointer is make sure you know the right way to lay splines. Keep your BIAS handles on, and make sure you don't have ane splines going in the up direction do a sudden left, or right turn. Keep them up and down (unless it is to go around the eyes and complete a circle, etc. that is a very common mistake of new modelers. -Larry B