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Live Action
We used live action in our animation this past year (2003 season) we had a bunch of rookie members and I wasn't about to get into too much character animation. We shot a student on Green Screen and Composited him into a 3D Space Suite. All you saw was the head, but we could have done it the same way with anything.
If you put up story boards, like someone already asked, I can help you. There are many techniques based on the actual situation.
I agree you should gain as much knowledge about other programs. I frankly use more programs in this arena than anyone I know. However just because you may not know how to do something in one program doesn't mean it cant be done. Video IS as simple as loading a clip instead of a still image. It can be mapped anywhere you can map images (even the Background). There is a free download of MAYA Learning Addition that you can learn the software. You just cant render without a watermark going across the frame.
My advice is to design and render in layers around the video. Background, Foreground and the video itself. This is helpful with full 3D sets as well. There are many times the Background is finished weeks ahead of the finalized character or main object animation, If you render it and use it as a BG video clip you save time on the final render. Or even better, render the BG as 24bit video and the mid and Foreground as 32bit video (with alpha Chanel embedded) then you can composite either in Aftereffects, 3DStudio it self, or Post Process in 3DS Max.) This way you can make changes and add effect to one layer with out messing with all the others.
Quality of Animations
There are several high quality animations out there. There are also more that need tons of more work. So what. I bet each member learns a lot and then comes back the next year and learns more. Frankly I'm offended by a non-animator criticizing the quality and skill of the ones that put the sweat and blood into it. It takes a lot to do what these students are doing. Based on a survey I did last season. There are very few teams that have professional guidance. So why expect someone with no professional guidance to preform like a professional?
Inventor Smentor
Oh is there a real Inventor Goddess out there! You should gain more respect for us animators. If your so good, why aren't you an Animation Goddess or 3DS Max Goddess. Even better, Why don't you DRAW an animation at 30 frames per second (or figure out how to draw 29.97fps (drop-frame) Then post it on-line or send us all CD's, with out using a computer! Because in your mind the computer seems to mess up the process. OK thats too tough of an assignment. Use the computer and let us judge it. Maybe it will help you top be less critical of others. It takes years of talent and skill to make this stuff look good. Our animators spend more time on their projects for the competition than any other student member of the Robotics team. (we had one other pass them this year for the first time since we started an animation team and that guy was the captain of the whole Robotics team). So it must take a long time to get the computer to do all that work!
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