robcat2075

Ah? It doesn't look better yet.

The first test was manually animated, but with so many boxes it became a bit complex.. Let's see... you tried manual keyframing for all of 15 minutes, but how many hours trying to get dynamics set just right?

And sometimes it's easier to animate them manually... A few keyframes per box... you're done. And the boxes are exactly where you want them. I experimented with dynamics for this shot but I think I saved time by keyframing it. Get down from there QT

It is a smooth head, and if it works for him, it works for him. I did the Animation Showdown 30+ times last year and almost every week, there'd be entries done in 3DS. Very chunky looking. I'm sure that's mostly operator error, but it seems that even at the professional level people struggle with animating in 3DS. For example, the troubling animation in Kaena: The Prophecy (a feature done in 3DS Max). I gotta say I'm not tempted to switch, even for smoother heads.

I think there's a passage in "The Illusion of Life" where someone asks how to draw Mickey Mouse's head from the top. The answer was "Don't draw his head from the top!" Toon characters have a way of defying 3D. But in CG you have to consider it, i guess. That's probably more rigorous than most rotoscopes. You'll find the few details that don't match when you start modeling. One thing you might do is make a copy of your rotoscopes and start planning where you'll put your splines. And where do you take a 3D robot for repairs these days?

Cute piece! It's the timing and motion of the hook. The hook should be thicker and it's motions need to be more obvious, otherwise we don't notice it in time. When the n comes back in it should overshoot its spot then loop back to the right place. Or maybe it could even enter from the opposite side. Or maybe the hook could still be chasing it. More work to do that, yes.

The easiest modeling route is to make the circle path on a flat XZ plane and make the rivet so its flat side is on the same plane. Do the Extrude(copy) operation. Then select the whole result as a group and manuver it into the odd angle you wanted it in. (Do all your complex model postioning before you move to the odd angle) One idea: before you do the odd angle manuver above, add a 2-point spline that marks the perpendicular position you'd like to view the assembly from. Later onin the chor you could position a camera at this point. Numberpad 1 switches between all your camera bviews. OF course this only applies in the chor. In modeling mode, you can right click on the view settings (those weird numbers at the lower right with the arrows by them) and enter exact numbers. You may have to click the screen to see the new pos. If you found a view you liked, write the settings down on a post it, and reproduce it later this way. It would be cool if we could have savable view settings.

Would be cool to see a radiosity render.

First Tweak: straighten the on-the-ground leg when he's in the passing pose (when the off the ground leg is half way from back to front) up down up down up down....... the leg planted on the ground acts like a pole that vaults you up, over and down into the next step.

That was neat John. I thought "Planet" was just for globes. Odd thing... when I load the project in 11.1b the water didn't have any waves on it, but in 10.5r it does. Why is that? If you scale the "water" group flat and peak it's CPs you can get more traditional water

Fine sculpture! Looks like you understand "3D" already.

That does look wild! The yarn must be an image map applied to the hair, right? Only suggestion i would make is maybe edit the yarn map so it ends less squarely.

Looks like a great design. The creasing I see is probably caused by splines that meet like this... )( instead of crossing like this... X break 'em and reconnect then to fix that Also, on the cheek you have a CP that has two splines going thru it and another spline dead ending into it. Too many splines. Reattach that dead end spline some where else. It's making a crease. But very promising character!

Great looking swords guys! from a Modeling Showdown last year... A Splinely Sword

How about "Death and Transfiguration of a Rose"

notes on using Sorenson: Most people never set a keyframe rate, meaning they get way too many "automatic" keyframes, meaning their filesize is huge and still looks awful.

The shot is definitely improved over the first version. However, I think you are very right to question the length. If, as you say, the viewers aren't looking for animation, 30 seconds will be more than enough time for them to hit the eject button and move on to the next tape/dvd. I'd say come up with some animated logo treatment of your name, 5 seconds max, and then get right into the real stuff you want to demo. However, it might be appropriate to put this shot at the end of your reel under "other skills". Good luck with the project.

What's a .rar file? I don't have any app that can open or play it. Post it in quicktime. You'll get more replies.

That's a pretty decent model, especially with only one ref pic. Yeah, some more details would make it even better. But how does a fire truck fit into a SW fanfilm?

Geez, that's wonderful stuff. The tongue is a cute detail.

Your materials look great! Do you suppose when people say A:M's renderer is lame it's really because they see a lack of sophistication in the surfaces? Since decals can drive hair properties, it wouldn't be a big leap would it?. I hope you've made that feature request.

Yes, that is an interesting idea. Bass players always seem to be leaning into their basses. The head tilt is good. Do more like that with the rest of the body.That would give this more weight. Right now he's too stiffly balanced on his feet. Turn the bass a bit too so it's not so frontal and flat. How about a more discernable woodgrain on the bass? And beat it up some. You never see a bass that isn't scratched up from being carried all around and bumping into things. The pegbox at the top is a bit skimpy. And how about if he was bowing it instead of playing pizzicato? The bow could be an integral part of his arm. The carrot is a very funny touch. That's a fun shot. Thanks for showing it!

Thanks. For all the snow fans, there are stereoscopic versions of this shot in the "Stereo" forum http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showt...indpost&p=71545 Thanks Rodney! I knew those MENSA people had to be wrong about me!

"Mechanical" is another one that lures out the heavy hitters. You might want to look what they came up with the last time it was the topic to get a sense of what is done: http://www.hash.com/imagecontest/Feb04/Feb04winners.asp

I think I voted for this, primarily because you were one of the few to avoid the "men in tights" cliche. Not that men in tights are easy to do, but the topic was "hero" not "superhero". There is no shortage of real historical heroes (Harriet Tubman, George Washington, Charlemagne...) that could be drawn upon. I was really hoping to see real humans, not fictional ones. Lindbergh is a fair choice. A flawed hero but he qualifies. The Lindbergh story is "tired and worn"? That is typical of a culture that celebrates appearance over achievment. Even his horrendous political dumbness is worth knowing about. Better for the image if we could have seen him but... the man and the plane, maybe too much to do in one month. Good ocean, maybe too uniform in texture. Not enough time to render the better engine? A month wasn't enough?