I have a question for all the animation teams?

[Atasuke768]

I thinking on starting in my animation team for next year and I was just wandering. When will it be a good time to start working on the animation for next year for First?

[Yov]

You can start learning 3dsmax now

[Mike Ciance]

you should be thinking about the storyboard now. when you decide what you want to do, start learning all the skills you will need. you should have the animation started in or before the fall. take it from a guy who started his animation mid-january, you want to have a lot done before kickoff, especially if your mid-terms are during build season (like mine).

also, don't make your animation too flashy or complicated. the last thing you want is to start the render a week before the deadline and have it still going when the deadline passes. i found it useful to do as much as you can, and set it to render overnight to check how it looks (if you CAN render in one night)

[BadKarma]

well im not exactly a big fan of people beginning to work on their animation for the entire year before it is due. this seems unfair to other rookie teams, doesnt include incoming freshmen who want to be involved and overall doesnt really show GP. but this is really besides the point because it cant really be stopped and will of course be done. i would suggest for you to do this. during the rest of the year and summer become extremely fluent in the software and comfortable with it. then when the next school year starts spend a good 2-3 months before kickoff teaching new students interested the basics of the software and competition. then finally when u establish a team of students you trust start your storyboarding and animating. starting an animation team for your team is a massive amount of work, i did it this year. dont be discouraged though and if you need any assistance dont hesitate to contact me.

[Mike Ciance]

Originally Posted by BadKarma

well im not exactly a big fan of people beginning to work on their animation for the entire year before it is due. this seems unfair to other rookie teams, doesnt include incoming freshmen who want to be involved and overall doesnt really show GP.

i do agree to an extent. the freshman should definitely have a good level of involvement. i actually already know who two of the incoming freshman animators are going to be (one is my sister) so i'll be able to work with them over the summer. i'll make sure there is some work left in the fall in case any other freshman join animation as well.

you should remember though, that even if the AVA is completed in the summer, there is still a lot of other stuff new animators can do. create website animations, or model a 2004 robot for URC ( ) for example

Originally Posted by BadKarma

this seems unfair to other rookie teams

what ISN'T unfair to rookie teams? most veteran teams have a lot of decisions made before the season even starts, because they know what works best for them. (we have had 6 wheels every year since 2001, all-gear 4-motor drivetrain since 2003) many rookie teams don't have any idea what any part their robot will be like. veteran teams have had a lot more time time to gather experienced students, mentors, and alumni, more time to find sponsors, more time to raise funds, and on a larger scale. i don't know of any rookie teams who made a few grand in the fall from hosting their own competition. rookie teams are usually struggling just to get a moving robot. i also personally don't think that rookie teams should submit animations, unless they have some already-experienced animators on the team. it's hard enough just doing the robotics competition, and starting animation in the same year seems like taking on too much at one time. they can try it if they want, i just wouldn't recommend it.

[nightrenegade00]

Our animation team is the biggest procrastinators ever. We work hard all the time but we only use the 6 weeks. We've only used the six weeks and made 2 regional winning animations for this year and last year. But we did have the idea to start over the summer to get a head start. I think we didnt because 1) were lazy 2) i think someone said ur not supposed to do that. im not sure about it but it definately helps to get a jump on it. Our animation team gets some practice over the summer because our animation mentor hires us and we do lots of computer stuff for big companies. personally ive done stuff for GE, SAAB Cars, and Philips Medical. This i think is good practice whether or not its with 3ds because of working on deadlines and doing different effects. Maybe this year we will actually do some actual modeling before the school year starts up again.

-Crash

[65_Xero_Huskie]

I think you should start working on the animation as soon as possible. You need to find every resource you can on the software from anyone you can. Last year we had 2 seniors that worked on the animation, and when they left the took all of their info with them and we never got a chance to get in touch with them. so this year we had to do it all by our selves. (didnt turn out so good). We are starting the storyboard this week for next years team.

[Roushey]

My suggestion is to not work on 'the animation' at all, hone your skill on another random project of your own choosing. You get the experence you need, some nifty cool randoms, and a grip on how things are done. Its a win win.

[BradReeder]

I believe you should start working with the tutorial as soon as you can. You say it is unfair to the rookie team but remember they have their own catch a rising star award.

[rocketdawg3000]

This was our 1st year doing an animation. It was me and 2 other guys. We had to create an animation off of a few weeks of using the software. We want to start earlier next year because we almost missed the 2005 deadline for all animations. It was down to the last few minutes when we uploaded it.