Tai Shan

Very cool! Want to see more as the work progresses.

Can't wait to see the animation! Try saving it as a .MOV before uploading to the forum. That works for me.

Great character and gun! How about a desert or some other rocky terrain -- kind of like in the anime Full Metal Panic. Or maybe a broken down floor of a building with rubble and debris like in the beginning of Appleseed (2004)? Outer space like Macross or Gundam? An all-black simulation with green neon for objects, like in Metal Gear Solid training missions? Sorry, I watch a lot of anime. Don't get me started...

Each animation you show gets better and better. Keep going!

Looks great! I was trying to achieve a similar effect with animated decals: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLoFlcLAHbM Your method might be more efficient. How are the render times affected by using gradient materials?

Awesome work as usual! I agree -- the use of splines is economical yet you invest the models with so much character.

Great work! I had to do a double-take... very convincing. Love the textures and lighting.

Great model! Very charming poses and expressions. Definitely has mascot potential. LOVED the Princess Bride short that you did. *selfishly wishes to see the Dread Pirate Robert's deadpan reply animated*

Great stuff so far. I'm sure my guess is way off, but I'll tell you what I'm hoping it will be: one of the vehicles from the apocalyptic future in The Terminator!

Just wanted to say that the work in this thread is awesome. Great models and textures... looking at them, I keep getting reminded of the old movies. Would love to see some animation!

Thank you, everybody. I look up to you guys. The works posted on this forum both recently and over the years has been phenomenal and inspiring. I love animating. It might be wishful thinking at this point in my life but I want to make a living at it. Because I have no formal training, I rely on feedback to let me know if I'm making progress or if I'm simply deluding myself. I did reply once on the Chicory and Coffee thread. There I was -- a total newbie -- complimenting somebody's incredible work, acting as if I knew what I was talking about. The experience embarrassed me into silence. I worried that I came off sounding conceited or disrespectful. From then on, I was determined to prove that I knew what I was talking about when I posted regarding somebody else's efforts. That was about a year ago and I kept my word. Today, I still feel like just a novice with no chance of getting paid to animate... but maybe I'll start commenting anyway. I can't offer much in the way of succinct, insightful feedback but perhaps I can indicate when a work has moved me. Unfortunately, my project will probably remain on the backburner for a while. I'm currently unemployed and need to focus on changing that. It really hurts to give up on animating, but I see no alternative at this point. Again, thank you everybody for the supportive comments. I may be jobless but you've made me feel like a million dollars. ... Yes, I did notice the drumstick collisions. Yesterday, I smoothed out his head/neck motions too. Someday I'll get the drumsticks fixed.

Thank you. Project status: I've decided to put the project on indefinite hiatus. The support and encouragement I initally received was very gratifiying, but I'd be a fool not to notice the polite silence that has followed since then. I'll take the hint and woodshed my animation skills until they are worth commenting on. Sorry for being such a bother. Thanks again to everyone who provided feedback. Take care.

Project update: after a few setbacks, I've got some new video to show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFLxiZdZWsI (also, a divx version at stage6) http://www.stage6.com/user/7ai5han/video/2192484/ Notes: Alex isn't moving that much aside from guitar fretting and picking. I'll fix that. This video was mainly intended to show off the full drum kit, get an idea of rendering times, and move onto the song's pre-verse. Also, I should have angled the camera better on Neil at times. Let me know what you think. Sorry if this update wasn't worth the wait.

It's come to my attention that I messed up on Rush's classic Red Star symbol. Sorry! Here it is again, fixed:

After a bit of rewriting, I made some new models: No more models to build! Yay. Btw, those models are not in proportion. Project update: storyboards are done. Animatics are 5/9ths done. Planning to finish the animatics tomorrow and begin rough blocking.

Hi everybody, sorry -- no pictures or video for this update. The project continues. Right now, I'm assembling my storyboards into animatics. Hopefully, they will help my work to rise above the level of a simple, incoherent parade of imagery. To all who have supported me this far: thank you. Sorry for the shameless bump.

Thanks, tbenefi33. Some shots of the stage:

Thanks, edlundart. I've got a few more models to finish for the storyline, then I'll work on the stage. ^^^ Most difficult. Model. Ever. @q@ <---drooling

Hi everyone, I've got the snake from Snakes & Arrows looking better, imho: Also, a couple fx tests. This one utilizes animated transparency decals. If you're a fan of Tron, then you might enjoy it: sphere_rez.mov Here, I'm testing a model with camera bloom. If you're a fan of the PS2 game Okami, then you might like this: Lotus_blossom.mov

Thanks, largento. I'll try to keep up the quality of my work. @Blackjack_Davie: That's right! It's my version of the Permanent Waves album cover girl. Thanks for the support. I'm determined to get this project done for Rush fans -- and everyone else -- to enjoy. If Rush ever saw it, that would be icing on the cake.

Minor update: modelling of a new character completed:

Thanks, Rodney. Minor project update: fixed a lot of things noted in animation test #3: the camera work is a bit more meaningful; Alex is now fretting Emaj (kind of); bits of animation got added and cleaned up. Oh, and this video has SSS. Sorry if you're tired of hearing the same music. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4daqjBG3qUQ I'm just providing a youtube link this time because the video size is 33MB. Enjoy.

Wireframes of the motorcycle? Sure -- here you go:

Thanks, Sacman. Minor update: Fixed Alex's right hand. I moved the bone and points around while eyeballing the action window for quality control. The creases look more natural, I think.