New to Animation

Ki-Ki

Ki-Ki

Veteran
So I'm interested in learning CGI, Models, Animation etc. Thoguh I'm not quite sure where to start. I've got tonnes of software on the pc from Lightwave to 3D Max. But course thats to complicated still for me. So I'm wondeing if anyone can recommend me any software to start out with.

As in.. I've done Google Sketchup. Fun. Rendering animation quality is crap though.

So If anyone has any recommendations, please let me know =]

Kieran
 
Anhar Miah said:
blender, but in my view is just jump into the deep end,

go with Maya or Max, either one is good (or XSI)
Click to expand...

Blender

Pros for me:
Blender is multi-platform (Mac, Linux, Windows, and others).
Like many un-canned applications it has alot of adjustments you can do.
It is free. Still being developed.

Cons:
Modeling is not my style.
Limited plugins compared to other Apps.
Navigation is awkward.

My preferred 3d App is 3dsMax. A lot of mainstream 3d Apps today are pretty good, so you need to determine what platform you intend to run with.

3dsmax is Windows only and I got into it sometime ago which influenced my decision to go Windows in all my Applications. Pre-Intel MAC era did not yield much options for me.

I've tried Maya on Windows, although it is multi-platformed. I had to try it because people were saying that it was better than 3DsMax and it was industry standard . Never bought into that, nevertheless it had some features not found on other 3d App.

Never really tried Lightwave but I have seen some stuff created with it. Looks good!

Like many apps it is up to the artist to produce great results and not the App. But some Apps can help you achieve it faster.

Another thing to consider is your budget also. Often times alot of people purchase stuff that they see fit with their financial situation. Is this and investment or an experiment?

You said you got a ton of software. Without judging you I understand that 3D applications cost alot. Every year upgrades although not as much as a full app, it is still a costly investment.

The learning curves of learning 3d can be intense. Unlike video editing.
Animation is also part of it. Material and Texture mapping need also to be learned.

It is fun but are you prepared to take the plunge. Just pick one and learn it.
Youll always be hearing that some apps are better than the other, but be carefull of the hype.
 
I've never done 3d modelling or much animation work but because I make short films from time to time and hope to direct and edit a feature one day I thought it would be good to get a 3d program because I have mastered After Effects 3D imitaiton but I can't figure out Maya.

The version I am using is a trial version called Maya Personal Learning Edition which does everything but if you render it will have a watermark which is fine for me because at this stage I just want to figure out if 3D is for me.

I'd be mainly using it for creating 3d environments and things like 3d vechiles so I can composite my actors into it. So realistic environments but with animation being limited to mainly cameramoves (for now) and not actual characters.

Does anyone know of any tutorials or tips to get started in maya. All I can find is either the included "Essential skills Movies" which tell you things like moving an object or the other end of the scale for making high end animation.

So is there any sites that show how to go from knowing nothing about 3d to doing fairly good stuff?

(Sorry if this discussed in another article)
 
Kieran

What i recommend would depend what you want to do with this skills vis-a-vis your career.

For character animation,

If you plan to do work for "industry standard" shops, go for MAYA.

For yourself, lightwave or MAX.

For architectural walkthroughs,

If you plan to do work for "industry standard" shops, go for MAX.

For yourself, 3D viz or Lightwave.

For LOGOS and products,

MAX, Lightwave.


I have used MAX since it was DOS based 3D studio R3 & R4. in the early 90's

Ive used it in TV commercials, Corporate AVPs for Logos, Character animation, creating aircraft and ships for commercials. MAX can do anything for me. BUT i only do so since we dont deal with other post houses and do everything in-house.

Ted
 
sbaileymediaman said:
I've never done 3d modelling or much animation work but because I make short films from time to time and hope to direct and edit a feature one day I thought it would be good to get a 3d program because I have mastered After Effects 3D imitaiton but I can't figure out Maya.

The version I am using is a trial version called Maya Personal Learning Edition which does everything but if you render it will have a watermark which is fine for me because at this stage I just want to figure out if 3D is for me.

I'd be mainly using it for creating 3d environments and things like 3d vechiles so I can composite my actors into it. So realistic environments but with animation being limited to mainly cameramoves (for now) and not actual characters.

Does anyone know of any tutorials or tips to get started in maya. All I can find is either the included "Essential skills Movies" which tell you things like moving an object or the other end of the scale for making high end animation.

So is there any sites that show how to go from knowing nothing about 3d to doing fairly good stuff?

(Sorry if this discussed in another article)
Click to expand...

If you want to learn Maya, the Gnomon DVDs are a great source of material:

http://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/dvds/groups/maya1_g.html
 
Try downloading the free version of Houdini, I like it :) I'm a Max guy and I used the 3Dtotal.com website for my tutorials to start. In order to get good particles you're going to need some good plug-ins though; some extra $ there. I like Sitni Sati plug ins, also Glu 3D is awesome. There a tutorials out there on how to begin using them after that it's all up to you. Try the Samurai Tutorial from 3DTotal I believe it's only like 10$ or something but it's a good start or you can get the Joan of Ark. If Effects if the way you want to go, definitely go for Maya it's made for it. Although XSI makes a huuge difference on performance. I'd do the ini mini maini moe if I were you :P good luck.
 
I want to get into a career more in directing and editing films but because at the moment I have to do all my own compositing and effects work I thought it would be good to try some different 3d programs.

I'm not interested in creating 3d character but I am interested in making realistic settings where I can composite greenscreen footage. Things where I COULD shoot it for real but it would be easier to shoot against green screen and have more choices in post as to what the camera does. e.g. a charcter walking down the street where the camera does a huge crane shot down to the actor which would usually be to expensive or not practical to shoot for real.

I'm only using a trial version of maya but I downloaded a free version of blender which doesn't seem to bad but does anyone know if this could create fairly realistic environments with a bit of sweetning in after effects? or is a cheaper program (compared to maya) like lightwave 3d better for this sort of thing?
 
Some pretty good tips there.

This is a quote from another site, dated Tue 25 Sep 2007, responding to someone else.
I'm not suggesting anything, I just found it interesting.
And just for reference I'm a hobbyist using C4D, sometimes max and am trying out the free maya PLE as well.

MAXON has been around for 20 years now and CINEMA 4D for over 10.
MAXON Headquater is in Friedrichdorf germany with larger offices in the UK and US as well as a smaller one in Japan.
All development work as well as general business work is done and coordinated in Friedrichsdorf, while sales, tech support and local marketing are mostly done by the local offices. Also MAXON has a large number of distributors all over the world which mostly offer not only CINEMA 4D for sales but techsupport in local language but often they also provide or organise training.

Different to your impression of how CINEMA 4D is placed on the market it is growing in sales very much, especialy in the US and UK (the german market develops well too, but CINEMA 4D already had a strong foothold here for years). Going by new sales CINEMA 4D is currently leading the
market, the installed base of other applications however is partly larger (depending on region).
MAXON itself has grown a good deal in the six years i work for them, but i'm still surprised how much we can do with the comparably small workforce we have. Worldwide MAXON employs about 60 people, about half of them in germany.

Your impression on the visibility of CINEMA 4D comes from the simple fact that max and especialy Maya and softimage (predeccesor of XSI) started out as studio tools, while CINEMA 4D started as a hobbyist tool. While for the last years Autodesk/Alias and Avid tried to make their products ready
for the mass market CINEMA 4D was already geared for this. On the updside that made CINEMA 4D much easier to start with for new users, on the downside the sparse use of CINEMA 4D in studios made many smalltime users think of it as an inferior tool, while in reality it was matching their needs a good deal better than any tool designed for a large studio pipeline.
In the last years these borderlines vanished a good deal, max, Maya and XSI made an impression on the smaller studios and single users, while CINEMA 4D (and especialy BodyPaint 3D) made a hit in the studio market.

Cheers
Björn
Click to expand...
 
C4D actually started development on the Amiga... :love4:

I was actually drawn to Lightwave first because of the Amiga thing, but since I found that C4D was developed for the Amiga as well, I decided to use it... don't ask me why, I'm an Amiga fanatic. I have an A3000 sitting on my desk. I don't use it, but it's there and it's MINE. :D

Anyway, C4D is probably your best bet since you're not that concerned with animation. C4D isn't the strongest animation program out there. That would be either Maya or XSI or 3dStudioMax to a lesser degree. 3dStudioMax is used more in the game development industry, although it would be perfectly suited to the film / video industry.
 
Not to get off topic, but this Maya chest thumping gets weary. Let's face it. The major players use in house software, so maybe becoming a software and/or computer enginner is the best way to go, if you want to work for yourself, and not someone else. Hmmmm?

Otherwise, what everyone else said.
 
Haha. I can't stand that there are two of them now, the online tutorials are labeled as maya, but are really 3dmax Tuts/files.
 
Interesting find on that quote Raptor. Bjorn posts over at some other boards a lot, and he has a great website with helpful info on Xpresso and Thinking Particles for C4D.

At this point in the industry it doesn't really matter what software you use. C4D and Bodypaint are used extensively at Sony Imageworks, although very specifically (mostly matte painting, camera projection, and texture painting). Their approach is very similar to other companies, use what gets the job done and what your people know.

Since Maya, and to a lesser degree, Max and XSI, have a larger user base it's easier for companies to use those packages since they have talent readily available. Also, each program has it's advantages and disadvantages.

On the same note, once you learn a package, I mean really learn and understand it, it's not hard to jump into another program and figure it out and be proficient at it.

In regards to C4D, you'd be surpised at how much you see on TV, big full-on 3D spots for some of the largest companies in the world, that are done all in C4D. I rarely find a need to use anything other than C4D, for what I do, and I started on Maya. Most of the time, a perceived shortcoming in a software is due to the user, not the program.

End rant...

***not knocking on anyone, just thought I'd spout that out...here's some links to some interesting things that are quasi-related to this subject

Bjorn's, from Maxon, personal site

An interesting thread dissecting a project done in C4D and Maya this thread is great, has scenefiles for downloading and lots of QT's.

and some various C4D artists and spots

Justin Bates' site, check out the C4D page after you check out his work

Blur's site...they use a combo of different 3d programs, including C4D, Maya, etc...

Christopher Abbey's site, an art director/motion designer who has freelanced many places, lots of C4D in his project, the Roger spot is both C4D and Maya

Psyop's site, no C4D from what I know, but they use Maya and XSI and they just do bad ass work, for those of you who don't know
 
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