Tai Shan

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!

Great job modelling! I can't wait to see more.

I'd like a large "Wow!" to go please, with a side order of "holy frijoles, that looks awesome!!!!" Great work in this thread!

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

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!

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.

Looks great! Incredible detail work. I agree: a lower spline count will save you headaches if you plan to animate.

Great work modelling! Growing up, I had a big dresser drawer full of LEGO pieces. Please please animate something for us to see.

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!

I'm sorry to say that I don't have any tips to offer -- your video is awesome!!!

COOL!!! Great character design and animation full of personality.

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

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.

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.

Thanks, Paul. Progress will be slower -- a small price to pay for gainful employment -- but I'll keep posting updates. I will definitely finish this project. Funny thing is, I'm really starting to enjoy the journey!

Thanks, Steve. "Aaaaaaaay!"

Good news: I'm a "Working Man" again! Note: this pic is not a Final. I'll work on adding some stretch to Geddy's cheeks/jowls. Anyway, enjoy.

Awesome work!

Cute character! Can't wait to see more.

Really beautiful!

Looks great!!

I'm going to agree with what Rodney said. Both particle hair and geometry hair have their pros and cons. It depends on what you want to achieve and how you want to go about it. The particle system is a wonderful engine that's ready to go -- however, you do have to know what you're doing. With particle hair, you don't model the hair per se. Instead, you use points to control the direction or flow of the hair. There are so many settings you can tweak to make the hair look and behave just the way you want it to. Particles involve more computation, so be prepared to feel the hit in your render time. With modelled hair, you've got hands-on control of every point. The challenge is make the mesh look and move convincingly like hair. This can be achieved with color decals, transparency decals, and dynamic constraints, just to name a few methods. You don't have a robust system at your disposal but you have more direct control because you're doing everything yourself. Want one more strand or blade of hair? It's up to you. My advice: take some time, do a little experimenting, and get a feel for it. You'll never really know unless you give them a try. I've done both methods. It's good to have a choice of tools in your toolbox. ... nuts. I'm just repeating what you said, Rodney. Sorry. Anyway, keep up the good work!

Last video. Neil's drumming is showcased here. Some of the drumstick collisions were fixed. His head moves a bit more smoothly. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhqEaEJEOPE

Cool drawings... expertly translated into 3D. So many great characters! Love the ship too. Sorry, I can't think of any advice to give because it all looks great to me. I'd pay for a ticket to see this in a theater. I'm not kidding!