What do your team use to make/produce their animation?

[Ryan Dognaux]

I know that we really don't receive alot of software options from FIRST, but what does your team use? For example, does your team CAD or Inventor, or even Max to make your parts? What do you use to animate? Have you any additional packages that your team has specially purchased? What does your team use to produce, edit, add sound, etc?
Last year, our team made most things in Inventor, then put them into Max, but I forget what we produced it in.
Also include your opinions on what you think is better, and why.

ooo new smileys

[Madison]

Last season, I used AutoCAD 2000i to make most of the parts for our robot. The rest were done 'by eye' or using some equally horrible method.

This season, I've begun teaching myself how to use Inventor. I was hesitant to use it, particularly because it works quite differently from AutoCAD, and I'm very comfortable in AutoCAD. With time, though, I've grown more accustomed to the Inventor workflow, and I really like the power it provides. I dabbled briefly with a trial of SolidEdge as well, and parametric CAD programs are far more powerful and versatile than traditional drafting platforms - or, so it seems right now.

This season, I plan on using Inventor to design every aspect of our machine. Inventor's adaptive technology and assemblies will make it easier for me and my team to collaborate over the Internet - a necessity for this season. If we're successful, I will be designing parts for the machine in Seattle, running them by an engineer working with the students in Smithtown, and he will then pass them along to our machinist. If changes or revisions need to be made, updating a single part in Inventor and having the rest of the assembly and its associated part files adapt that change will be integral.

I know next to squat about animating things, either in Inventor or 3D Studio MAX.

[Ryan Dognaux]

I dunno how Inventor is compared to CAD, but I used Inventor alot last year and know how to use it. It's nice; I really like the way the program works. Making the parts seperately, and then assembling them, or making sketchs of them, or whatever, is nice. However, I've recently found out that parts can be made in Max as well as in Inventor.

I really don't know of any other animating programs out there... Max is just awesome when it comes to adding movement things like rotations and bends and stuff.

[Soukup]

straight up max

with a little bit of rhino and lightwave thrown in for fun.

but mostly max

[Ryan Dognaux]

What do Rhino and Lightwave do?

[Chris Nowak]

Ahhh, Rhino is all NURBS modeling, my favorite modeling tool personally. Lightwave is along the same lines as max, I think. Although I think we havent ever used lightwave before for the animation.

Oh yeah, dont forget Adobe Premiere

[Ryan Dognaux]

Did anyone use like special add-ons for effects and stuff on their animation? Things that cost extra? If so, what were they, how much did they cost, and what do they do?

[Chris Nowak]

I dont think we used any special add ons in the past as they are pretty expensive and we dont have any extra money. Some can cost upwards of $500. Most of them do one or two things, such as Shag/Hair creating Hair. Max Matter is also a cool addition to materials if you are planning on having a city in your animation(it has other uses) and Particle Studio is pretty cool I think. Other than that, I cant say Ive used many other plugins. Plugins can make a difference in your animation because of their specialization. If you are going to do a lot of particles, buy particle studio. Likewise, If you are going to do hair, buy shag/hair. But they are quite an investment so I would figure out exactly what you wanted to do and then go find the plugins you needed. Oh yeah, you should check out the free plug ins at www.3dcafe.com, some of them arent bad.

[Soukup]

Originally posted by Chris Nowak
I dont think we used any special add ons in the past as they are pretty expensive and we dont have any extra money. Some can cost upwards of $500. Most of them do one or two things, such as Shag/Hair creating Hair. Max Matter is also a cool addition to materials if you are planning on having a city in your animation(it has other uses) and Particle Studio is pretty cool I think. Other than that, I cant say Ive used many other plugins. Plugins can make a difference in your animation because of their specialization. If you are going to do a lot of particles, buy particle studio. Likewise, If you are going to do hair, buy shag/hair. But they are quite an investment so I would figure out exactly what you wanted to do and then go find the plugins you needed. Oh yeah, you should check out the free plug ins at www.3dcafe.com, some of them arent bad.

Oh we also like nintentdo 64 and PS2. it helps pass the time when rendering

hey nowak, get the plugins before saturday!

[Ryan Dognaux]

Hey, Where's the Gamecube?

And anyways, how much does Particle Studio cost...? does it really make a whole lot of difference, I've been messing around and learning how to use particles lately. They're cool.

[Devil's Kid]

We use 3D Studio Max all the way!