Modeling for Newbies

[Hisako 100112]

i'm totally new to animation master and 3d animation and modeling but i'm very interested in learning it. i own animation master 2006 and its on a windows system. i also own the book Animation:Master A complete Guide by David Rogers; but it doesn't really say anything much about anime or modeling that much in general.

 

i'm wondering how to model an anime looking person; nothing photo realistic and no animation for now. does anyone have any tips for me? is there another forum i can look at? i went to this site called katakata atelier but it's all in japanese and was no help.

 

just looking for some helpful replies or guides; thanks

[robcat2075]

Quick answer...the modeling will be rather similar to any other character.

 

-make a front and side drawing of the character to use as rotoscopes.

-start modeling the features... eyes, nose, mouth.... follow thw same procedure as the tuts on normal characters.

-when you're done, "toon rendering" will do a lot to get the flat shaded anime look.

 

HAve you finished the tuts in TAoA:M yet? those will cover a lot of ground you will want to know.

[Caroline]

Welcome to a new fun world!

 

Definitely what Robert says - do the tutorials in The Art of Animation Master first.

 

I am surprised that you say that the David Rogers book does not have much modelling - it shows how to model and rig a complete person, who can be modified to look anime. Then the Toon Render will finish off the look.

 

I think the book is very good.

 

When I think of anime, which I know nothing about, except I like some of Miyazaki's movies, I think of this tutorial:

http://dement3d.com/tutorials/

[Hisako 100112]

thank you i will look into these things, but i'm having problems with my rotoscope feature; it wont display the image on the screen after i load it. i'm contacting hash to see what i'm doing wrong. caroline thanks for the website thank you both

 

~hisako

 

ps- does anyone know how to make cat eyes?

[Caroline]

problems with my rotoscope feature

 

More details? We might be able to help you with that.

 

To get a rotoscope onto the model - first import the image, then drag the image onto the model screen, then choose rotoscope. Have you tried different types of image? jpg, png, tga, etc?

 

cat eyes?

 

You could try Colin's Uber Eyes:

http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=22404

 

And you could try a search for "eyes" - don't do "eye" because it is is too short.

[Hisako 100112]

i've only tried to load pngs. I usually start by right clicking on model then choosing new rotoscope. after that it gives me an option to load the image so i do. all that appears on the screen is a white rectangle or square where the image is supposed to be. So if i open the image without choosing new rotoscope and drag it onto the screen it should appear?

 

ps - thanx for the cat eyes

[robcat2075]

all that appears on the screen is a white rectangle or square where the image is supposed to be.

 

how big is your image in pixels?

 

try switching OpneGLDirectX in your preferences.

[Hisako 100112]

hmmm... i don't believe i have directX installed on my computer. do you know where i can download it?

 

the image is 864 X 1396 pixels i believe. is that too big?

[robcat2075]

If you're on a PC you've got Direct X. It would be tough to not have it.

 

Tools>Options>Global>Realtime drivers.

 

Try a much smaller image just to test and see what happens. And Make sure it's a targa.

[Hisako 100112]

might it be under the name Direct 3D v8? when i changed it to that, the whole screen went black

 

if it isn't Direct 3D v8, i don't have it. i dont no how, but i don't.

[austin]

i'm totally new to animation master and 3d animation and modeling but i'm very interested in learning it. i own animation master 2006 and its on a windows system. i also own the book Animation:Master A complete Guide by David Rogers; but it doesn't really say anything much about anime or modeling that much in general.

 

i'm wondering how to model an anime looking person; nothing photo realistic and no animation for now. does anyone have any tips for me? is there another forum i can look at? i went to this site called katakata atelier but it's all in japanese and was no help.

 

just looking for some helpful replies or guides; thanks

 

I've been using AM since 2002 but I wasn't using it a lot because I work in so many other programs. Recently I have worked in it vigorously. I’m finding out that the key to learning AM is to concentrate on making individual pieces of an object and learning to use the lathe and extrusion tool. Just get in and start using the program. Stepping through the books tutorial is very helpful. AM is a very good program compared to some of the more expensive ones like Maya. You just need to figure out how you want to create your objects. 3D modeling is reminds me of putting together a model car or plane, the only difference is, is that your creating the components and putting them together. Good luck.

[austin]

I've been using AM since 2002 but I wasn't using it a lot because I work in so many other programs. Recently I have worked in it vigorously. I’m finding out that the key to learning AM is to concentrate on making individual pieces of an object and learning to use the lathe and extrusion tool. Just get in and start using the program. Stepping through the books tutorial is very helpful. AM is a very good program compared to some of the more expensive ones like Maya. You just need to figure out how you want to create your objects. 3D modeling is reminds me of putting together a model car or plane, the only difference is, is that your creating the components and putting them together. Good luck.

[robcat2075]

if it isn't Direct 3D v8, i don't have it. i dont no how, but i don't.

 

Yes that's it.

 

try restarting A:M after you select it. If it doesn't improve things... it doesn't improve things. But easy to try. Easy to go back to Open GL if it doesn't.

 

 

and what happened when you tried a much smaller image?

 

Do you have the latest drivers installed for your vidie card? You get them from your card manufacturer's site.

[michaelangeloart]

Go to Amazon.com and find books on illustrating Anime. There are books that specify all the rules for body proportions, eye shapes, hairstyles and especially how to design the women's underwear.

 

All the best,

 

MichaelAngelo

 

More How To Draw Manga Volume 1: The Basics Of Character Drawing (Manga Technique) (Paperback)

 

How to Draw Manga: Bodies & Anatomy (Paperback)

by Society for the Study of Manga Techniques (Author)

[robcat2075]

(sorry for pasting this but I dont' know how to reply to a comment on my profile)

 

i know its been a while since that forum topic i had about modeling an anime character, but my internet computer crashed and i had to get it fixed; hadn't been on in days. anyway i did try a much smaller image, and it didn't work either,do you have any other suggestions? i'll try restarting it after switching the graphics setting.

~hisako

 

I believe it is almost certainly a graphics card memory problem. Have you updated the drivers?

[Hisako 100112]

what drivers should i update? maybe i should update my AM to the 2007 version. do you think updating AM would help? or should i just update the graphics card/drivers?

[Rodney]

or should i just update the graphics card/drivers?

 

Definitely update your graphics card's drivers.

 

While some cards may be problematic in and of themselves keeping the best drivers installed is a lot more easy and cheaper than other options. If you install the drivers and still don't get a satisfactory solution look further.

 

It should be noted that newest is not always best in drivers. Occasionally a new driver will break something that was working perfectly fine before. So... sometimes it can pay off to install older drivers and test those. Start with downloading and installing the new ones first though.

 

Most graphics card manufactureres maintain driver downloads on their websites.

[Hisako 100112]

i own a Dell computer that's windows based.

 

Should i go to Dell's website or the Microsoft website?

 

sorry i'm such a dummy at this.

 

thanx ~Hisako 100112