Tai Shan
*A:M User*-
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Windows
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System Description
HP Pavilion f50... eh. It's good enough for me. :3
Tai Shan's Achievements
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Thank you, Paul. Something clicked in me recently: enjoying the journey sure adds momentum to the progress. I regret not having much to contribute to conversations here at the A:M forums. Frankly, in person, I sound like Forrest Gump. At best, I can only pass on the advice I've found that gets me through the day: Somebody on this forum once emphasized how important it is to finish a project. It's so true. Also, to quote Brad Bird from an anecdote about a director dealing with a choreographer who is unsure how to begin: "Well, do something so we can change it!" New clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upJdIAXyTa4 Up next: * smoother wrist bending and twisting * fingers that curl more cartoon-like -- think of half of a doughnut Down the road: * re-model Al and Neil with more faithful caricatures * Geddy's mouth poses * then it's back to animating!
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Great job modelling! I can't wait to see more.
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I'd like a large "Wow!" to go please, with a side order of "holy frijoles, that looks awesome!!!!" Great work in this thread!
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Animation and Music Project I just completed
Tai Shan replied to jesshmusic's topic in Work In Progress / Sweatbox
I just watched Purple. Very cool!!!! It reminds me of Mind's Eye too. Good job! -
Thanks, Rodney! This project has been my first major crossing of the threshold from modelling to animating in A:M. I took a break for a couple months and let my creative batteries recharge while my mind digested what I had learned so far. Here is the new Geddy model rigged to play guitar. The actions and poses are temps while I did some R&D. I found a way to animate the complex and repetitive actions of chord fingering without the losing one's sanity. Woo-hoo! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOst6xFS69E
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Hi everybody, It's time for me to come up for air and post a Progress Update: * Remodelled Geddy's head. Hopefully, he looks less like the Fonze but just as cool. * Remodelled a basic hand. Will use that for Geddy and the upcoming versions of Big Al and Neil. Top 3 on the To-Do list: * Remodel Alex's and Neil's heads. * Remodel their bodies with new joints and perhaps new clothes. * Re-do Ged's mouth poses. That's all for now. Take care and keep on A:M'ing for the top!
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Thanks for the suggestion. Yep, I've been doing that. Some youtube videos of the song Far Cry give a decent view of the chord fingerings. They might not be exact chord voicings that Alex and Geddy use but it's a start. For Neil's drumming, I used his instructional video A Work In Progress to lay out his drum kit. The DVD features an album's worth of Neil playing, so I got an idea of his common positions and movements. Studying that video taught me so much that I can watch blurry video footage and know cold what Neil is hitting at most points in the song. Except when he's playing really fast. Then I'm screwed. Project status: Gave Alex eyelids. Gave Ged and Al new hands that are thinner and deform more smoothly. Next, will give Neil new hands too. Then, re-do Ged's mouth poses. Finally, will animate another test of Ged singing.
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Looks great! Incredible detail work. I agree: a lower spline count will save you headaches if you plan to animate.
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Great work modelling! Growing up, I had a big dresser drawer full of LEGO pieces. Please please animate something for us to see.
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I love what I see so far! Cool lighting on the character and palette choices for the picture with the building. My bet: it's an outtie. Can't wait to see the ship colored. Nice work!
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I'm sorry to say that I don't have any tips to offer -- your video is awesome!!!
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Thanks, Dave. I can't even begin to speculate on a possible finish date but I have a feeling that it will be worth the wait. And a big thank-you to everybody else who has provided comments or just kept tabs on the project. Like I said before, I have no formal training so the feedback is very much appreciated. Project Status: preparing for an overhaul! - Preston Blair mouth poses for Geddy - hands for Alex and Neil that deform more efficiently (I tested them with Geddy in AT#5) - a bass drum pedal for Neil - revamping of the vocal performance, drum performance, and guitar chord fingerings starting from 00:00 to the end of verse 1
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John Bigboote, As work on my project progresses -- and gets progressively more complicated -- I find myself recalling to memory your Rolling Stones "Don't Stop" animation. Keeping track of three characters is challenging enough for me. I can actually get myself dizzy as I shift mental gears from Alex's fingers to Neil's hands to Geddy's pick fingers to Geddy's fretting fingers to Geddy's mouth poses... And yet you animated the Stones performing a song and engaging in some charming hijinx on the side. All I can say is... Bravo.
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Animation test #5 is up. Another ten seconds done! Only four more minutes to go. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HD8MHAeTXJo To Do: 1. Fix the lip sync and mouth poses so they are more faithful. 2. Get the fret hand fretting notes at least a little bit. This project has been a great learning experience. Wait -- what am I saying? It still is! Anyway, I hope you enjoy what you see.