CreativeAustinYankee

I like his over-all look. Because this is animation, you might get a better effect if you enlarged the hands a bit. Larger hands, especially when they're covered in fur, would allow for much more expressive gestures. As they are now, you lose some of the ability to effectively convey the subtle character nuances that make animation so much fun in the first place. Just my two cents, Steve P.

Wow, this has come along way! Great work and very inspiring. Steve P.

Sharky, This shows quite a bit of promise, the body language seems right, though it's hard to be sure because I don't speak the spoken language. There are times, like where he spreads his arms, that the motion seems a bit robotic, go into the graph editor and give those areas abit more ease in/ease out. I'm sorry, but at this resolution, it's just not possible to offer tips on lip-sync. I recommend creating a second clip of this with just the head of the character, make the head fill the screen. At the current resolution, it's a bit difficult to really read the character's face. Add a blink between his first and second blinks, possibly where he leans forward. Add another blink between his second and third blinks. The first brow furrow is good but try strengthening it a little. Oh, you might get a better response for this if you post it in the WIP forum. Anyway, it looks like it just needs some fine-tuning. Just my two cents, Steve P.

Hi, I've learned this from working on my first short, which has completely changed story ideas three times. When you say "short", I presume that includes everything from modeling and texturing to sound effects and music. First, keep it simple, one or two characters at the most. Also limit your locations to one or two areas. Going in, have a clear idea of what is happening in the short. Just as you would for a feature length film, storyboard from start to finish. The storyboards don't have to be works of art, they could be stick figures or whatever, as long as the camera location and movement and the actions within the scene are clear to you. Be patient with yourself. Know that animation takes time, maybe longer than you realize. Be persistent. Be organized. What I've done is created a folder for my short. In that folder, I've created several folders for models, textures, etc... And in all the projects that I've done, I've saved everything externally into those folders. Initially, it's best to do each shot as a separate project file. Each project file should have only one choreography, this helps keep things uncluttered because you have only the files you're working with for that choreography. Later, if you need to, you can combine projects easily by simply bringing in the other choreographies. Take the time to really LEARN from what you're doing. Take the short all the way to final render. Don't use the beta versions if you're on a deadline. Good luck with it, if you need help as you're working on it, this forum's the best place to turn. And SHOW IT OFF when you're done. Just my two cents, Steve P.

Couple of things, The action looks good but the characters seem a little stiff. The action is WAY too fast! The arms and legs are a blur. For the pants, I would suggest not using 0 0 0 black, crank it up just a little bit. This will allow a little seperation, so we can distinguish the characters better. I had NO IDEA that Elmer Fudd EVEN KNEW martial arts... Just my two cents. Steve P.

I'm not sure if it's a look you're going for, but his chest seems kinda "blocky". Still, it's an interesting character. Steve P.

Although it is mechanical, it doesn't have to look mechanical, I suggest a little ease in-ease out applied to the end balls. I'm going to have to try this myself sometime.

Ok, sorry, but now the guitar solos from Hotel California by the Eagles and Don't Fear The Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult popped into my head. I think I've got to try something like this myself, sometime. When I do, I'll post it. Anyway, incredible work. Steve P.

Since you're working on a demo reel, have you considered adding a few pieces animated to music? With a character like this, I'd recommend something dark and spooky. Classical: something along the lines of Toccata and Fugue in D minor (although this is probably overused) or Night On Bald Mountain. Contemporary: I'd recommend something from Danny Elfman, Edward Scissorhands or Beetlejuice perhaps. Just my two cents. Steve P.

WOW, this is some incredible work! I love the creepy look you've given the character. The body language has really progressed nicely. The one thing I noticed that hasn't been mentioned is this: The sound clip is from a "narrative" perspective, if it were delivered as "dialogue", there would be even more pauses, for dramatic effect but also to give the character some time to organize his thoughts. This would require adding "pauses" in the sound clip itself, I wouldn't recommend just cutting the thing to pieces, there's subtle "background noise" to consider. If you have a decent WAV editor, you might try to copy some of the background noise from the pauses that are there in the sound clip and use them to create/lengthen the pauses that you need. Anyway, thanks for the sharing it, inspiring work! Steve P.

Animation Master keyboard shortcuts, learn em, use em. They can save you ALOT of time. http://www.angelfire.com/mo3/pengwin/3dtut1.html Steve P.

Kinda what I had in mind for a segmented tail would be simular to a collapsible antenna, then again that may not be an approach that works for you. Bottom line, if you're going to extrude the tail from the main body, I'd suggest something simple but round, a basic tapered tube kinda thing with a tip. However, this approach would give the robot a more "organic" look. Good luck. Steve P.

Ummmm.... I'm sorry, but it looks more like a cat, except the tail which looks alot like a duck. To give the robot a more "dog" shape, try giving it a thicker longer muzzle. If it has to have pointy ears that stick up, try extending them, shape them more like a great dane's. And please... reconsider the tail, would a segmented antenna work? Just my opinion. Anyway, good luck. Steve P.