I need help setting up

[jdiwnab]

Originally Posted by EricH

I think the storyboard is required for the competition animation. Might be a good idea to keep it around.

That, and a story board is a good idea to communicate an idea, even if it is not for the actual competition

[Ryan Dognaux]

Originally Posted by jdiwnab

That, and a story board is a good idea to communicate an idea, even if it is not for the actual competition

This is true. I'm taking Computer Graphics courses at Purdue, and one of my foundation classes is a sketching class. Storyboards will be a huge part of it later on.

Try starting your animation team with a few other members. Don't overcrowd it because you really don't need a lot of members to create an animation. Three is a good number. Make sure these guys are as dedicated as you are and that they won't cop out 3 weeks in.

Other than that, tell a story that is educational yet imaginative. Make it unique and make it stand out because those are the animations that win awards and that people remember.

[Jason6153]

If you don't know the program yet, the tutorials that come with it are very very usefull for self-teaching. I'll get back to you on a list of the ones I think are the most usefull to kick-start a team, but start from the top and do the modeling tutorials, because modeling will probably be the biggest challenge you have to face in your first year.

[vadyr]

Hey. If you need some help with 3DsMax, my friend Nate and I are the lead animators for Team 103, and we'd be more than happy to help you guys out. Drop me an email (vadyr56@gmail.com) or private message me and we can help you guys out. For starters, I would do the tutorials that came with 3DsMax in the book. They give you the basics and really create a foundation for the rest of your journey in the program. From there, just look up online tutorials and do fun things in 3DsMax that keep you interested. The program can be mindless and boring sometimes (and basically drive you INSANE, as it has with me), but when you have a beautiful finished product, it's very satisfying. Check out our 2005 and past animations at www.cybersonics.org, and don't hesitate to contact me with anything. Good luck!