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Hash, Inc. - Animation:Master

Exercise 1: You're the Director


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Looks like you are off and running.

Go to it!

 

I haven't posted a link to this in years but for those interested in a little bit of Keekat history here is a little background on his creation and those that gave him character.

 

Keekat Character Study

 

I always intended to explore a little more of Keekat's world.

...and hmmm... I think I will.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Name: Riley Egeland

 

Exercise Completed: You're the Director (Exercise 1)

 

Comments: Cool to actually learn how to do stuff, I have just been messing around with the program and it feels good to actually get somewhere. :)

 

And Rodney,

 

Your devotion to animation is incredible, still giving encouraging remarks to everyone. Thanks and your work is appriciated Im sure by many.

 

Wow, I would link the Image, But I cant figure out how to change the TGA into something other, and on attachments It says not a valid file type. Oh well Im here in spirit.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
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Steve, Riley, Jairo and Adrian...

 

Here's an official welcome to the world of TaoA:M.

Here's hoping your experience is as rewarding as those that have passed this way before. :)

 

 

Riley,

Thanks for the kind words.

I do try to keep involved but can't always do it as I'd like to.

Others are here to help you through the rough spots as well.

 

If you are just starting out this is THE place to meet others with similar interests.

If you have already learned the basics its a great opportunity to solidify that experience by sharing it with others.

If you are somewhere in between, TaoA:M is the perfect place to exercise what you know and establish a foundation from which you exploit all the features of Animation:Master.

 

I've set a goal to get out certificates in the next few weeks so hopefully that will be caught up soon.

Then I'd love to run through TaoA:M again myself. :)

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I have completed this exercise and here is the image.

 

post-832-1180243076_thumb.jpg

 

Incidentally on my first attempt I did something (I think) which caused Keekat's tongue to lose all volume along it's length. Strange. Had to start all over.

 

Mike

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Oh Matt... You're soooo green... I think you should go back and read the tech ref again... sheeesh! Kee Kat's not gold.. he's "earth toned" something must be wrong with your reality algorithm... that don't look nothing like KK...

 

Sheesh.

 

:P

 

Now, if we could just get Martin to make little KK statues just like that.... and mount them on bases and have annual "Martins" and hand out these little guys at a red carpet affair....

 

Sorry, Vern's wackiness rubs off on me from time to time....

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It'd be awesome to have a KeeKat statue made of bronze or gold. I don't know what character symbolizes A:M more: Thom, or KeeKat. It would be better to go with KeeKat if they had to choose because he's more dynamic.

 

Vern is always very bland. Never imaginative, and usually monotoned. Though he always stays on course, and never goes off on tangents. :lol:

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Name: Heller Couch

 

Exercises Completed: 1

 

Date Completed: Jul 30 2007

 

Instructor: Rodney and everything else I've read here for the last 7 years (I lurked as I didn't have always have a computer available)

 

Remarks/Suggestions for Improvement: A time machine so I can go back to 2000 and learn this program properly! I wish something like TaoA:M had existed with 8.0, I wound up hopping around in that old manual too much before I found its exercises. My skills aren't even close to matching some of the ideas I get. I was heavy into theatre during high school and college many years ago, and was making stop motion science fiction films on 8mm film while in my teens and early twenties. Willis O'Brien, George Pal, and Ray Harryhausen were early influences. Had my first computer around 1983. For me, A:M consolidates two of my hobbies and is like having a movie studio in a box.

 

KeeKat, the bus from v13 program CD, 67% motion blur, and a 35mm lens. Frame 29 of 30. I always like to set the camera close to the main character's eye level, or slightly below for a more dramatic effect. Forgot to save the project after render, somewhere I failed in trying to turn camera background to blue after I'd changed it. It looked okay in the choreography screen, but still came out black in the render, so I know I missed something.

 

post-432-1185790770_thumb.jpg

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Name: F. David Puthuff

 

Exercises Completed: One

Date Completed: Friday August 3, 2007

 

Instructor: Rodney

 

Remarks/Suggestions for Improvement: Loving it!

 

Here is a link to the second completed exercise:

 

My Spot for the Exercises Click on the Pics link near the top left

 

Thanks Rodney,

- Thumperness

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hello fellow Hash users! I'm re-familiarizing myself with the software since the last time I used it was in Ver. 5! I'm using the latest version of Ver. 12 at the moment, and I'm really trying to go back to basics as Ver.12 is much, much different than the Ver.5 I used many years ago. I'm working my way through TaoA:M, and I figured I'd post up my progress after I complete each exercise.

 

So here it goes with the formalities...

 

Name: Paulie G

 

Exercise Completed: Exercise 1

 

exercise1gf8.th.jpg

 

- Paulie

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  • 4 weeks later...

10 Sept 2007

 

Name: Kelly

 

Exercise 1: You're the Director

 

Comment: I'm noticing that a lot of people have added a lot of crazy extras to their exercises that look great... is that for bonus points? :) I'm totally new to this, so I have no idea how to do that stuff yet!

post-11022-1189397856_thumb.jpg

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10 Sept 2007

 

Name: Kelly

 

Exercise 1: You're the Director

 

Comment: I'm noticing that a lot of people have added a lot of crazy extras to their exercises that look great... is that for bonus points? :) I'm totally new to this, so I have no idea how to do that stuff yet!

 

Hay Kelly GREAT to see your working at this so soon! I see you got # 1 figured out Keep posting I will see that MArtin knows we have another TWO Animator joining the team Soon! I see you meet Dhar he is like Alot of the people in this Forum. Very talented and dedicated to Mastering the Art of Animation. I know you will have lots of fun and learn lots so lets get moving and Start making Movies! ;)

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Welcome aboard Kelly.

 

In this school you can pretty much do what you want :P There is no grading system, however, if you feel inclined to it, you are most welcome to be as creative as you can be. The benefit is all yours :)

 

Hi Dhar,

 

That's great! I love it that it we can improvise. I don't have the skills to do it yet, but hopefully a little later on I will be able to really do it up right :) I can't believe some of the stuff I am seeing on these posts! I take it that some of the people have used the program, but are working on certification?

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Hay Kelly GREAT to see your working at this so soon! I see you got # 1 figured out Keep posting I will see that MArtin knows we have another TWO Animator joining the team Soon! I see you meet Dhar he is like Alot of the people in this Forum. Very talented and dedicated to Mastering the Art of Animation. I know you will have lots of fun and learn lots so lets get moving and Start making Movies! ;)

 

Hey Mark...

 

After a two month wait, how could I not get right to work? The suspense was killing me :) Can't wait to become a TWO Animator, hopefully I will get as good as the other people's work I see on here! Practice makes perfect, and I am doing a lot of that (like 2-4 hours a night, except Wednesdays which is when I have Fireworks class, and more on weekends) so here's hoping I will be helping you all get finished really soon! Thanks for all your help and critiques, it really helps to have someone checking in on my progress :D

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Hi Rodney and all!

 

I'm back from a 3 year hiatus, and I've decided to freshen up on the ol' A:M. And what a nice way to go about it. Kudos to you, Rodney, for taking on this endeavor to help people learn A:M.

 

Name: Scott Bowers

 

Exercise Completed: Exercise #1 You're the director

post-134-1191773388.jpg

 

Date Completed: 10-07-07

Instructor: A:M 5,6,7,8,9,10,11,14

Remarks/Suggestions for Improvement: Animating is so much more fun than staring at technical trading charts all day.

 

~Scott Bowers~

 

aka: Zzzippo

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  • 1 month later...

I am done with exercise 1. Here below is my details:

 

Name: BISHNU C MAL

 

Exercise Completed: Exercise 1

 

Date Completed: 24 Nov 2007

 

Instructor: I was having problem with Pose Slider. Peoples in the newbies forum helped me to track down the problem. It is problem with my system. Thanks a lot to those guys for helping me through exercise 1.

 

Remarks/Suggestions for Improvement: None.

 

I have attached my exercise 1.

 

Thanks,

Bishnu

post-11380-1195955592_thumb.jpg

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Bishnu,

Congratulations for taking the plunge and working your way through the manual.

You are sure to be rewarded for the effort.

 

I was having problem with Pose Slider. Peoples in the newbies forum helped me to track down the problem. It is problem with my system. Thanks a lot to those guys for helping me through exercise 1.

 

That's why we are all here... to work through the rough spots and move onwards toward the goal. :)

 

Our end goals may vary at times but TaoA:M gives us some common ground we can all stand upon.

 

Keep at it!

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Name: Glenn M. Lewis

 

Exercise Completed: Exercise 1

 

Date Completed: November 29, 2007

 

Instructor: Rodney

 

Remarks/Suggestions for Improvement: Thank you very much for this series!

 

After many years of just horsing around with A:M it is time that I work through the tutorials.

After reading through the book, it suddenly dawned on me that constraints are temporary things that help you set key frames! This may be a no-brainer for most people, but for years I always was scared of constraints because I couldn't understand how to handle a huge set of constraints and animating their influences. Working through the tutorials ought to help me get rid of those fears. :-)

post-982-1196405218_thumb.jpg

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Great idea, Glenn - I find that anytime I work through a set of tutorials, no matter how much I think I know, I always learn something.

 

I don't know about your description of constraints - perhaps when you get to exercise 6 you might be rethinking it. In a nutshell, constraints are always there if you create them, but they can be 100 percent enforced or zero percent enforced. But as I said, exercise 6 uses two constraints, and that should put those terrors to rest.

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I don't know about your description of constraints - perhaps when you get to exercise 6 you might be rethinking it. In a nutshell, constraints are always there if you create them, but they can be 100 percent enforced or zero percent enforced. But as I said, exercise 6 uses two constraints, and that should put those terrors to rest.

 

Excellent! Thank you, Caroline! I look forward to trying it out!

-- Glenn

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Tony,

Congrats on making the decision to work through TaoA:M online.

May you see great success in your endeavors.

 

Keekat has always been an odd character but that transparent eye trick... ewww.

How does he DO that? :P

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  • 4 weeks later...

Here goes nothing...

 

Name: Petri Pirttinen

Exercise Completed: Exercise 1 - You're the Director

Date Completed: Dec 26 2007

Instructor: The manual, web tutorial

Remarks: This was a simple one. But can an engineer really become an animator?! We'll see...

 

post-11490-1198664623_thumb.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...
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played around with the lighting.

 

No kidding! Very dramatic lighting.

I like! :)

Can you share your settings or the project file with us?

 

While there is no requirement to go beyond the basic lesson this type of posting is exactly what I'm hoping to see more of in 2008! Exploring basic Lighting and Rendering options (as well as taking an introductory look into Pose Sliders) helps everyone see how A:M can really be put to good use.

 

If you guys and gals continue to experiment and publish your results like this in 2008... this is going to be a really great year. :)

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi everyone!

 

I was going through the exercises by myself until I realized that there was this online workflow... so I'm restarting the tutorials and joining in with the group!

 

Here's exercise 1:

post-11571-1201565302_thumb.jpg

 

I don't really know what I was thinking- I just wanted him to be in a breakdance pose.

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Hi Rodney!

 

Thanks for the compliments on my exercise 1. I was looking around the forum today and noticed that you're starting full force with Exercise 1- I knew there was an online forum to help us learn, but you're offering us an interactive course! Thank you very much! I've got my day job freelance editing, but every free moment, I'll be working on the exercises!

 

See you on Exercise 2!

 

-Erik

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See you on Exercise 2!

 

Erik,

Outstanding news! :)

 

I'm still considering the best way to move the posts forward from the older topics and just haven't made the move yet.

I suspect I'll move them over as people post and show they are still working through the exercises.

I made a mistake a few years ago and let the exercises that people posted drift too far out of view.

They can still be found but it takes a bit of effort.

 

While the general goal (for most people) is to get through the exercises as quickly as possible I hope to make it worth people's while to hang out a little and look deeper into the lessons that are there to be learned. I'm convinced that the journey can be just as important as the end goal... if not even more so.

 

If we could multiply the exercises by the amount of imagination, interest and skill of those working their way through TaoA:M this will be an experience like no other. Of course what we put into it directly relates to what we get out of it too.

 

I understand busy schedules so we're going to adapt as we go along. Deadlines are mostly just there to put a fire under us and keep us moving. If we miss them... we'll adjust. ;)

 

It's great to have you here with us. :)

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Name: Matthew Gayton

 

Exercises completed: 1

 

Instructor: Rodney & the A:M Manual writers.

 

After looking at how creative and interesting all the other posts were on this first tutorial I thought it would be worth my time to display a little of my own creative spark. After attempting several things which didn't work it became clear just how wide is the gulf between what I can think of in my head and what I can do with my limited experience with the deeper aspects of A:M. My first post here is evidence to this. I thought it would be funny if KeeKat was looking up at a wheelbarrow falling just in front of him, but I couldn't get the motion blur to work (at all!)

 

I included both an image and the project file.

post-11633-1202016227_thumb.jpg

You__re_the_Director.prj

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