animation training

[Wiirage]

so i decided that our animation wasnt that good at all really (after all it is my first year) so i want to try and like learn all this other stuff that you can do with 3ds max so im just wondering how other people learned what ever they learned besides online tutorials (if thats possoible) and i need good sites for like sound effects(royalty free) and stuff like that

[Kevin Thorp]

Of course the best way to learn is from a good teacher. Unfortunately most of us don't have that opportunity so we use the tutorials - the ones that come with Max and online. Yes, some are tedious but if you stick with them you will learn the software.

If you have the $$$ you can buy video training on DVD.

The Safety Animation contest is a good way to brush off the cobwebs & get the animation juices flowing again. Most teams don't submit an entry because the deadline is too short. Keep in simple so you can make the deadline.

Another option is to volunteer to make an animation for your school, church or a charity. If someone is counting on you to finish you wont want to let them down.

[Wiirage]

i see i see. too bad our mentor wont be here next year. thanks for that though

[Morgan Gillespie]

I have written several lessons for my students which are written for average-no skill levels. Here is a section of a lesson I wrote on basic particles that I posted on delphi.
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...52&postcount=3
If you would like the rest of this lesson or any of the others simply email me at FRC25Animation@aol.com
Or if you want that email adress is also an anytime 3Dsm hotline on AIM, where any questions you have can be asked.

[RoboJedi75]

Since you're in FIRST, you have the five licenses off of FIRSTbase. If you don't, consider buying a student license for a year. It will be very beneficial.

If you really want to learn 3ds max then: any chance you get, animate. There is a load of useful websites out there. Some of these can be found on the resources page of my own tutorial here. Something I did to learn was make an animation over the summer: from start to finish. I also learned a lot under our amazing leader, Kevin, last year.