My first 3D animations

[Captain Slug]

In the past 2 weeks I've been teaching myself how to digitally edit video and animate 3D sequences. Mainly because I have an animated short I've been TRYING to get started since February.

Well, here they are. These were mainly made as experiments but I may use them for parts of the title and credits sequence of my animated short.

Volumize.avi (240kb) (http://www.planetunreal.com/identitycrisis/cabins/cs/temp/Volumize.avi)

jell-o.avi (1.7mb) (http://www.planetunreal.com/identitycrisis/cabins/cs/temp/jell-o.avi)

The animated short will be (big suprise) a bomberman battle. But I want to add a bit of my own art style to it.
http://thumbs.deviantart.com/300W-96A096/i/2003/36/1/9/Bomberman_Remix.jpg
The part I'm anticipating the most is the techno soundtrack my friend will mix once I get the animation completed.

Weeeee!

[Frodo Baggins]

I'm curious, what programs do you use to do that sort of stuff?

[Captain Slug]

Other people use Maya PLE or 3DS Max but I find them seriously annoying to learn. Some people prefer Lightwave, and most professional level 3D in movies is made with custom built software.

However, I don't want to spend forever making this so I'm using Bryce 5 for backgrounds, Milkshape for foregrounds (because is can do cel-shading easily), and Adobe Premiere for compositing the two elementes together.

[Oni]

Very, very cool. As usual :)

[Penguin4x4]

You're lying. These CANNOT be your first trys at 3D animation....:eek: :eek: :eek:

[Captain Slug]

Originally posted by Penguin4x4
You're lying.
I've been 3D modelling for the past 8 years, but this is the first time I've actually animated anything.

[Penguin4x4]

You're a natural then. :eek:

[Lusankya]

Did you just use the default plugin settings?

As a 3d animation student.. those look like nothing but simple plugins.

I do like the jello one but the volumize could be done better through Adobe aftereffects

[Captain Slug]

Both were animated in Bryce 5 and I didn't spend alot of time on them because I just wanted to test the output options of Bryce. My next animation will require alot of editing and compositing. The backgrounds will all be rendered in Bryce, while the foreground will be done primarily in Milkshape. I may end up with as many as 12 different camera angles from which I will need to render the whole sequence, then edit them together.

For complex objects I use Milkshape to scratch build polymodels. I haven't bothered learning the professional level programs because I'm only doing this in my free time. I want to get it done as quickly as possible without having to burn a month learning a new program. And as many people can attest, 3DS Max and Maya are anything BUT easy to work with or learn. I know I could do far better if I wanted to, But time and homework won't allow me to build an animation that would take my computer several weeks to render.

I've always known that this was not something I would want to pursue as a career.

[cursor]

Those were pretty impressive. Your art looks like it might have been influenced by homestarrunner.com, no?

[Captain Slug]

Originally posted by cursor
Those were pretty impressive. Your art looks like it might have been influenced by homestarrunner.com, no?
Not really

Influences: Bomberman, Calvin & Hobbes, The MaXx, Ambush Bug, Excalibur, Sleeping Beauty, 8 years of 3D work, and 12 years of doodling.

When I doodle almost everything I draw is based on circular shapes. I end up with alot of "sock monkey" characters. When I try to draw seriously most of my drawings end up pseudo comic-book style, but with alot of rounded edges.

[Beast Of Blight]

Jell-o.avi is animated avatar worthy!

[Captain Slug]

Originally posted by Beast Of Blight
Jell-o.avi is animated avatar worthy!
I'll make it if anyone wants it. AVIs are easy to convert into animated GIFs.

[CPFitz14]

Well... not to thread-jack, but this question is fairly relevant. Where did/are you going to school Captain Slug, and Lusankya. I'm a junior this year, and am looking to get into the 3d field, and need to find a few good schools.


-CPFitz-

[Captain Slug]

Originally posted by CPFitz14
Well... not to thread-jack, but this question is fairly relevant. Where did/are you going to school Captain Slug, and Lusankya.
I'm entirely self-taught when it comes to computers and art.
Not very helpful information is it. :p

[Lusankya]

I attend the Illinois Institute of Art and am majoring in Media Arts and Animation. We also have Game a Level design major as well as Visual communications. Web programming, Interior design, fashion marketing.. and others

But the "art institute schools" are all over the coutnry. www.aii.edu

[macklin01]

Just a quick question -- what codec do I need to hunt down to view those animations? Thanks! -- Paul

*edit* nevermind. it's that divx codec again. It might be nice to make these things available in indeo or cinepak codecs (more standard) so you can catch a wider audience. */edit*