Animation:Master 2005 Training DVDs

[Stronghorn]

I am only on chapter four of disc one and I am already very pleased with Barry Zundels DVDs. I am on my way to a wedding or I would be working the dvds longer. I would encourage anyone wanting to be taught this program to invest in these dvds.

[Rodney]

I want to take a moment to echo the praise for Barry's Training videos.

I've watched them all but not spent a great deal of time with any of them.

As I find more time I hope to settle in and absorb them thoroughly.

 

Thanks go out to Barry Zundel for making this most excellent resource available.

I think it great resource especially for new users of Animation:Master.

They aren't just for newbies though. Even old timers will enjoy this show.

 

In short...

If you want to learn Animation:Master... buy these!

If you want to learn to model in Animation:Master purchase his Modeling DVD (Disc 1).

If you want to learn to rig in Animation:Master purchased his Rigging DVD (Disc 2).

If you want to learn to animate in Animation:Master purchase his Animation DVD (Disc 3).

If you want to learn Animation:Master... buy all 3!

 

In terms of purchase price Barry's DVDs are the probably the most expensive currently available.

At $60 a piece its a very fair price but for many A:M Users its a considerable investment and may seem out of budget.

In other words, spending $180 for video training lessons after spending $299 on A:M will be a bit rough for some.

Trust me though... its worth it. There is even a discount if you purchase all three.

 

Of course you can purchase other fine video tutorials from Anzovin, Will Sutton and Hash Inc and you'll find them educational and enjoyable too but I think most would do better starting out with Barry Zundel's DVDs first. Then fill in the gaps with the other resources as the need arises.

 

While these other videos are outstanding resources you'll benefit more from Barry's DVDs right out the gate.

Their organization of lessons and step by step approach will instill the basics in ways no other A:M resource currently can.

When establishing a foundation from which to work in Animation:Master you'll be pleased with the clear, concise and professional lessons Barry provides as he demonstrates tried and true ways to make Animation:Master work for you.

 

I do have a couple minor nitpicks and I believe they can all be attributed to Barry's use of an older A:M versions.

I'm not sure how much time Barry still has for A:M these days so am not sure if he's experienced the latest versions stability.

 

A few techniques used seem a bit dated but that may just be Barry's time tested/preferred methodology. (These methods still work fine though) For instance, Barry uses some spline adding methods where it would probably be easier just to stitch a new spline in rather than bisect and attach new splines. The technique used will be more familiar those who used A:M in days before stitching was introduced. Its easy to take the lesson and apply current techology though.

 

In the Modeling lessons Barry refers several times to potential crashing in areas where A:M seldom crashes anymore.

Saving often is an important lesson to learn in any environment but I think being overly cautious and expecting crashes where none are likely to occur may lead to more frustration. Its been awhile since I used v2005 and I'm sure Barry had good reason to be cautious in those areas. A:M Users will be relieved to find these cautionary notes a bit excessive.

Still, the lesson must be learned sooner or later... 'Save often and incrementally'.

I guess Disc 1 is as good a place to learn that lesson as any.

 

I've spent most of my time thus far in the Modeling DVD but have thoroughly enjoyed the Rigging and Animation DVDs too.

I'm looking forward to digging in deeper. I felt I learned the most from the Rigging DVD as I've only rigged the most basic of characters and objects to date. The smooth progression from simple rigging concepts to more complex application was a real treat.

 

The Animation DVD is surely the best of the bunch and if you are just interested in diving in and animating with A:M Disc 3 is for you.

It provides an excellent companion to the exercises from The Art of Animation:Master manual and takes that art to the next level.

 

As Barry has stated, "I wish I had instruction like this when I was first starting out with Hash".

I wholeheartedly agree. Take advantage of Barry's many years of experience and outstanding teaching skill.

 

...and Barry... Here's hoping you find some time for A:M 2007.

I'll certainly be there for the next lesson.

[stinkyu111]

A few techniques used seem a bit dated but that may just be Barry's time tested/preferred methodology. (These methods still work fine though) For instance, Barry uses some spline adding methods where it would probably be easier just to stitch a new spline in rather than bisect and attach new splines. The technique used will be more familiar those who used A:M in days before stitching was introduced. Its easy to take the lesson and apply current techology though.

 

this idea of stitching ...is that hitting A and add points to a set of points per made, like hitting y ( while holding the shift button to keep the current cuver of the first spline? )

 

i'm on disc 2 (rigging) about half way, and enjoying ever minite of it.

 

since a took a year off of AM the first disc was a great time saver ( 8 hours ) and i think Barry's strategy in laying out spines to a the (rotoscope ) image was great ...i did see the a simular style in a maya 7 modeling tutorial for polygons.

 

in the past i had such a hard time dealing with the deadends of a model ( like a finger tip and so forth) thanks to Barry i have a renewed confidences in my modeling skills.

 

i look forward to the next dvd

 

Steve

 

i learn more with the video tutorial, then the typed out.

[Rodney]

this idea of stitching ...is that hitting A and add points to a set of points per made, like hitting y ( while holding the shift button to keep the current cuver of the first spline?

)

 

Yes, basically that is the idea but try it yourself with some odd splines or geometry.

Just whack the A key (or push the Plus icon) to get the stitching started.

When you start a spline just click into the other splines and note that they attach at the location you clicked.

In the case of Barry's work on his characters leg he whacked the Y key which placed a CP directly in the middle of the spline.

There is good reason to do this bisecting as it can help place the CPs in a proper location quickly.

However, in many cases it'll prove more advantageous just to stitch the geometry in.

 

Will Sutton has a nice example of the method, also terminating splines with hooks easily on his Modeling CD. (He models King Kong)

A great buy at $19.

 

In my experience you have to flip less normals using the stitching method too.

I'm not sure how well that experience will stand up in production environ though.

[riverhoop]

Ok tar and feather me but where does one find these DVD's

[largento]

Ok tar and feather me but where does one find these DVD's

 

http://bzundel.googlepages.com/animation%3...ter2005training

 

They've been an invaluable resource for me!

[stinkyu111]

i all most missed a video on disc 2 ( rigging )

 

on the chapter page i only seen 11 ( i needed only to scroll down to see 12 )

 

hehe

 

i was looking at the back of the case and Barry forgot to add #12 too lol

 

i only found 12 when i was exporing the disc for the Will model and seen the video folder and the extra"checking the final video"

 

disc 2 is the only disc that to have to scroll the menu

 

just thought i share that

 

Steve

[largento]

Bless ya', Rodney!

 

I'd heard the term "stitching" bandied about, but had no idea what it meant. I still didn't after reading what you said about the old method being outdated, but last night I played around with the "shift-click" adding points and was startled to discover what it did!

 

I've been doing it the hard way!

[stinkyu111]

i just found a something about rigging for ( v12 ) and Barry was using 11.1 ...

 

mirror and importing the right side bones and the relationships ( this the relationships are not named, just the folder)

 

the right side copied over the old left side relationship ...

 

in his video in the Control Constraints Relationships folder for example ...has two relationship 1 in it ...this will not happen in v12 the importing of the new model and the new rig will over ride the left side

 

just thought i share that and save someone else a little work

 

Steve

 

the cure would be just to rename your relationships

[largento]

You know, I vaguely remember having that problem. Luckily I'd saved to another file, so I went back and dragged them in from the previous file. I also remember running into a problem afterwards, where one of the sides (don't remember which) would suddenly have dozens of copies of each constraint. Took awhile to go through deleting all of them.