Gerry

Here's a start on modeling my avatar image. This guy is Headlouse, head of security for the Weevil Legions. This is one character from my Bugbots online comic. Comments welcome! Gerry

Thanks Jeff. I feel like I could build an actual deck now! Planning it all out on graph paper and using precise measurements was key. Now that I'm getting back in the saddle with AM after an absence, I've been inspired to recreate my avatar image in 3D. I'll be posting some images on the WIP board shortly. What I really need to do is get to some rigging and movement with a figure. I can model just fine, and the deck of course required no rigging, just modeling and keyframing. Of course it's the end effect that counts and I'm pretty happy with the result.

Wow, I inspired THAT? I must be awesome!! Seriously this is great info Zach, I did read *most* of it, down to the audio encoding stuff. I use the terminal for only a few functions, haven't learned much more than you could write on the back of a business card. Keep meaning to learn more tho. I was reading the Hash Fellows section yesterday. This is something new since I stopped posting a couple months ago and it got me to thinking...there should be a lower level of honor called "Hash Fellas" (or "Hash Fellas and Gals") for us little people! You Hash Fellows should always remember that you're standing on the shoulders of, well, not giants, but a bunch of stacked up midgets! Gerry

Robcat - just checked the MS website and that encoder is Windows-only. Thanks for info though!

rob, thanks for a tremendous amount of good info. Codec's are something I need to learn a lot more about. this is a good start! Can you tell me if the MS Windows Media Encoder runs on an OSX Mac? And Pally thanks for the headsup on the Flash export. Something else I will play around with. Here's the "DC". My wife thought the ending was too whimsical for my intended use so I cut it. But I had (still have!) plans to have the deck entirely furnished by the end. Maybe I'll still get back to it. The Director's Cut

Thanks Zach and Grubber! Yup I am on OSX so let me know what you can dude. I could have gone a lot further with the s&s I agree, I banged this out in two or three days and may keep working on it. I've got a second version ( the "director's cut") with a different ending that I may post. Gerry

Cyber- Ditto means "me too!" I also couldn't view this on my mac, I look forward to a .mov version. Gerry

It's been awhile since I posted here as I've been busy moving from NY to North Carolina, and looking for work. I may have a shot at a job designing an employees' instructional website for a home improvement chain, so I did this animation of a deck assembling itself as a portfolio piece to impress them into hiring me. My 3D animation page I used toon line rendering for the first time and it worked out really well! It was perfect for the appearance I wanted. I like to post both .avi and .mov versions for my website. The original render was about 11 megs. I was astonished to see that the .mov version compressed to 680k with almost no loss of quality, however I couldn't get the .avi version any smaller than 4.5 megs. Any smaller and there was a total loss of quality. I use QuickTime Pro for my compression. If anyone has any pointers for compressing a Windows version smaller than what I've got I would really appreciate hearing it. Gerry

Hi Sean- For a first attempt i like this a lot. While I can see it still needs fine tuning, it's a good start and the moves are largely very lifelike. If you rerender this sequence, pull in a little tighter on the figure so he fills the screen better, he seems a little lost at this scale. When he goes into the karate moves it's pretty funny. How about some Matrix/Crouching Tiger freeze frame chopsocky? I know you were probably just trying out moves, but to see this stuffed shirt Mr. Monopoly turn into a killing machine would be hilarious!

If you can texture up the rest of it like the roller, this will be great! Maybe use the new hair for the grass. Nice start.

John - Keep posting for us! This isn't in the least self-indulgent, certainly not a waste of time. that's what this dang forum is for. Look forward to more updates.

Yeah, the jawdrop is not as effective because it seems to be confined to the mouth. some corresponding eye movement/surprise, and some more body expression with the shoulders and arms might help. the jumpback animation is really fluid and lively. Great start!

Just to make your life a bit more difficult, it seems to me that although I like the second base design, the base should be wider to give something that tall more stability, especially if you envision it loaded with coats and stuff. however the first base is more fanciful and if that's the style you're going for there's nothing wrong with it!

but surely you're using top-front-side views for rotos, right? Or are you the kind of maniac that can model this with only one photo?? Nice work so far!

Nice work, I look forward to seeing them textured!

Yeah, really cool textures and materials! Is Enhance a set of third party plugins or a part of AM these days? (I haven't been spending much time with it lately!)

It's an interesting start, but unfortunately it reminds me of one of the lamer sequences in "Titan A.E." Yes, I'm one of the three people who actually saw that one. At the very least it needs more of a sense of scale. Maybe get the camera closer to the ship, and don't show us the "side" of hyperspace. Sorry this isn't more constructive!

A little ambient light should fill this out nicely! the first one didn't strike me as too bright overall, though the light fixtures were really ablaze. In general it had a good tonality. I'm on a Mac btw. It's interesting that pc users mentioned it being bright, this is just the opposite of how both platforms display graphics. If you fill this scene with a low, cool ambient light it should be real nice. Gerry

This is a good start and I agree with above comments. But the ear, and attaching it, seems to be the 800-pound gorilla when it comes to modeling heads. It looks weird, and the ear could use either more detail or more stylizing. Sorry I can't be more specific. Try to make the ear more of a "unit" with the head. Gerry

Looks delicious! No, I mean scary! No, I mean delicious! Keep posting more work as you go, looks like fun. Gerry

Yeah Phil, this guy has a nice look to him, slightly crazed look in the eyes, and the eyebrows are just enough to give him some personality even in repose. I also like the ears, but I wonder if the top edges should narrow just a little as they join the head. Gerry

Ditto what everyone said, but the character has a nice feel. This is a really good start. Gerry