Wowee zowee - personal Pixar studio

[lee_merrill]

I was looking for animated GIFs and such, and thought it would be fun to look up animation software. Would you believe, for the price of Microsoft Office (well, maybe two Offices), you could have your own Pixar studio? I was expecting a huge price tag, but AIR (http://www.sitexgraphics.com/), for example, seems to have all the trimmings, and major studios seem to be using it, and I expect the Hamsters of the world will soon be doing animatronical avatars...

Could be fun (though I have too many projects already, and couldn't possibly pick this one).

Blessings,
Lee

[technomage]

I was looking for animated GIFs and such, and thought it would be fun to look up animation software. Would you believe, for the price of Microsoft Office (well, maybe two Offices), you could have your own Pixar studio? I was expecting a huge price tag, but AIR (http://www.sitexgraphics.com/), for example, seems to have all the trimmings, and major studios seem to be using it, and I expect the Hamsters of the world will soon be doing animatronical avatars...

I don't have the skill with graphics that it would require ... but I'm drooling, nonetheless. :wink:

[Piebald]

When I have the time and money I plan on getting into both 3D modeling and music. I have attempted Flash, but it's hard :blush:

[flipper]

Air is just a renderer, i.e. it makes the 3D modelled scene photorealistic (if that's what you want) by using a variety of clever mathematical tricks to model what lightwaves do from their sources as they travel through and around a scene, interacting with various textures.

You would also need a modelling program, better yet one with animation capabilities.

The learning curve on these programs is generally brutal (tougher than photoshop). Even a static 3D modelling program can take years to master.

There are some lower end ones that sacrifice much functionality in favor of useability, like Bryce and Poser, but these still tend to require other programs and countless hours before turning out beyond presets that are very convincing.

If you're interested in the professional end of 3D modelling and animation, you should check out Maya (www.alias.com) or Softimage's XSI (www.softimage.com).

Both programs are relatively affordable, industry-standard, and come with excellent rendering programs integrated. The Softimage renderer uses an excellent rendering language - Mental Ray.

[lee_merrill]

If you're interested in the professional end of 3D modelling and animation, you should check out Maya (www.alias.com)
They have a freebie version (http://www.alias.com/glb/eng/products-services/product_details.jsp?productId=1900003)!

Oh dear...

But isn't a renderer enough, if you have models? (see below) Not that I know much of anything about this area, my whole training is from listening to commentary tracks on VeggieTales videos...

Blessings,
Lee

P.S. You don't have to be good at graphics to do this, Justin, companies make models that you can put in for about $50 each, but what you do have to be good at (I expect this is part of what Flipper was indicating) is motion! That's tricky. And also just making the tool work! Have you ever tried making a puppet move? Lots of strings to work...

P.P.S. But it sure does sound fun!

[Darth Executor]

When I have the time and money I plan on getting into both 3D modeling and music. I have attempted Flash, but it's hard :blush:

If you find Flash hard then 3D modeling and music are going to kill you. I'm switching schools and going into an animation program next year and the program director told me that I better be in love with it or I'm going to end up dropping out in mid program.

[flipper]

They have a freebie version (http://www.alias.com/glb/eng/products-services/product_details.jsp?productId=1900003)!

Oh dear...

But isn't a renderer enough, if you have models? (see below) Not that I know much of anything about this area, my whole training is from listening to commentary tracks on VeggieTales videos...

Yeah, if the models are in a format that the renderer recognizes and yes, you can buy models from individuals and companies.




P.S. You don't have to be good at graphics to do this, Justin, companies make models that you can put in for about $50 each, but what you do have to be good at (I expect this is part of what Flipper was indicating) is motion! That's tricky. And also just making the tool work! Have you ever tried making a puppet move? Lots of strings to work...

Buying models is easy. Making them is a bit more challenging, especially with organic forms. The student version of Maya is free to download and use, so it's easy to test it for yourself.

Rigging and animating a model is much tougher.

Darth has teh correct - the learning curve on professional modeling and animation tools is savage and bloody. Seriously, we're talking 6-thick-volumes-on-how-to-use-the-basic-toolsets-never-mind-learning-
anything-about-technique kind of savage and bloody.

But don't let me put you off - there are lots of lower end tools that don't offer animation which are much easier to use -I mentioned a couple earlier.

[flipper]

Oh yeah, the student version of Maya limits the resolution of the renders and watermarks them, which is why it's free. But it gives you a full taste of the program without some of the ultra-high end fluid, material, and crowd physics of Maya Unlimited.

[flipper]

Oh yeah, and the other issue with having a renderer is that you will eventually need a small graphics cluster if you want to use it to make anything of any length.

A complex frame might take between ten minutes to an hour (movie quality) to render. Animation requires 25 frames a second. You do the math. ;)

[lee_merrill]

Hi everyone,


DE: I'm switching schools and going into an animation program next year and the program director told me that I better be in love with it or I'm going to end up dropping out in mid program.
I would hope to automate, automate, automate! Being a geek, let the computer do it, so I would try and program as much as I could, and not have to pull every string...


A complex frame might take between ten minutes to an hour (movie quality) to render. Animation requires 25 frames a second. You do the math. ;)
Their product doesn't come with a bevy of supercomputers? How chincy of them! I do remember Phil Vischer in a VeggieTales commentary, saying how the first video they (actually he! It was only Phil at first) did, the production rate was about ten seconds a day. But I wouldn't plan on feature films! I would just like to try avatars (can you see the watermark then? Would Maya & co. care?) and gifs for web pages, both motionless and motionfull.

That would be enough fun for me...

Blessings,
Lee <- Becoming animated at the prospect

[technomage]

Lee <- Becoming animated at the prospect

*wince*

:lol: