Future animation leader asking for help

[Mazin]

Sorry, but I don't have a magic bullet.

• Go through the very basic training videos that pop up when you first install Max.
• Try giving them some tasks to do that have requirements, but allow them some creativity (e.g. model a bike, create and light a room, animate a teapot). They will learn the program as the work through the tasks.
• Watch some videos or movies to learn what makes an animation "good." Do pros use one big camera movement or camera cuts? Lighting? Animation? Timings? Telling a story?

And then when it comes time to actually do the animation:

• Have a clear plan with one direction.
• Set deadlines and assign tasks.
• Planning, planning, planning. If you work with other people, you absolutely MUST communicate your idea or vision. Storyboards need to be the done FIRST, not after the animation is done.
• Realize what is in your capability. Don't take on more than you can do.
• The 5% Rule: Get EVERYTHING done with at least 5% of your allotted time remaining.

[BuddyB309]

Find the students that had severe blunt trauma to the head. They never fully recover and always have the best ideas.



....like me....(latter, then tree branch, knocked me clean out for three hours)

[Church]

Originally Posted by BuddyB309

Find the students that had severe blunt trauma to the head. They never fully recover and always have the best ideas.



....like me....(latter, then tree branch, knocked me clean out for three hours)

xD I got a concussion in gym once but it wasn't really severe. I just wandered around in a happy daze all day. Actually, it was probably one of the most enjoyable days of my high school experience! And if it explains my obsessive love for animation, even better.

As for making human characters, I agree with BuddyB that DON'T is usually a good idea. HOWEVER, if you're very comfortable with the program, you should give it a shot. As members of FIRST, we know never to assume we can't do something if we have to will to. To state the obvious, don't go for realism and definitely keep it simple. When I say make sure you're comfortable with the program, this includes rigging. I don't know how much you know about 3dsmax, but if you've never rigged a character before, start with something animalistic. If you get a human wrong, it's in our nature to notice, but a cartoony one-legged monster-thing can't look "wrong" because it's not real. I've found that it's easy to assume that after you've made a character, all the real work is done and it's as simple as making it move. It's not that simple. Especially if you made the character without the animation step in mind. Then you get that, "I've been working for six hours and I just realized that his elbow can't bend right!" moment and you want to smack someone with a fish.

Most of that is pretty obvious, especially if you have experience with 3d, so feel free to ignore me if I'm just babbling ;D

[BuddyB309]

Originally Posted by Church

........ And if it explains my obsessive love for animation, even better......

Yay! someone else who obsesses over animation like I do!

tip for church, If you really want to get serious, start beefing up your drawing skills. No excuses like "Oh, I can't draw" Neither could I when I started a year ago, now, I can draw a few things. But not well, getting there though.

Ok back to this thread.

While I do agree with Mazin with learning the program, doing tutorials, yadda yadda... your eventually going to bore your students. Your just having them model all the them and do exercises. Sure, they will know the program, but you could still produce a crappy animation. Except now you have a really cool car model and scenery in it instead of a crappy car model and scenery.

What your students need to learn is Animation not 3ds max. Learning animation will take your further than just learning 3ds max because then you don't even need to know a program to make animation.

It there is one way to learn animation and motion, that is through a book. This book I hold dearly and so do all other animators in the industry.

The Animator's Survival Kit By Richard Williams.

If you want to take your team to the next level then.

BUY THIS BOOK!!

IT IS THE HOLY GRAIL OF KNOWLEDGE!!

Now most of the techniques are for traditional hand drawn animation. But that is easily translatable to 3D animation. What this book does is puts you in the animation thinking mode. With this knowledge, you don't even need complex characters to win an AVA award. Heck, you can do it with a series of characters that are dots. Like the Mr. Men show on cartoon network.

Now that you get a basic knowledge of animation next thing you need to pick up is Cinema Photography Techniques. Learn composition, timing, and Narrative story telling. Then you will see why excessive camera movement is BAD!!!

Learn these two things, and you'll be cranking out animations faster then you can say "caca-poopoo-peepee-bottom."

[Church]

Originally Posted by BuddyB309

tip for church, If you really want to get serious, start beefing up your drawing skills. No excuses like "Oh, I can't draw" Neither could I when I started a year ago, now, I can draw a few things. But not well, getting there though.

I'm amazingly lucky in that drawing was my passion up until the moment I learned about 3d animation. It's a great piece of advice for anyone though; I've found myself trying to model objects without a reference and getting to places where I realize I have no idea how it should look. It turns out horrible. Drawing first or finding an photograph is one of the best things you can do for a model more complicated than a Lego brick.

Originally Posted by BuddyB309

Now that you get a basic knowledge of animation next thing you need to pick up is Cinema Photography Techniques. Learn composition, timing, and Narrative story telling. Then you will see why excessive camera movement is BAD!!!

Yes, for the love of unicorns! Goodness gracious me! Even if your scene is gorgeous, not knowing how to frame a shot will ruin it. The opposite is true. Do a little research about videography. Play around with a video camera (even if it's just the one on your phone or still camera) and do some editing. It's good practice and you'll see first hand what you like and what looks bad.

[BuddyB309]

Originally Posted by Church

I'm amazingly lucky in that drawing was my passion up until the moment I learned about 3d animation.

Ugh!!! curses! I'm currently trying to get my drawing skills up to par. Its really hard.

Drawing first or finding an photograph is one of the best things you can do for a model more complicated than a Lego brick.

yes, always always have a reference of what your modeling. I will have a minimum of three, each with different views. I always do a story board and an animation for even the simplest of my projects. The words, "Oh I have it in my head." doesn't fly, because what is in your head is your first idea. Your first idea is always the worst and most cliche` ideas. You have to dig down to your good ideas.

Animation is not dancing flowers and pink unicorns. Its a serious competition.

[Church]

Originally Posted by BuddyB309

Ugh!!! curses! I'm currently trying to get my drawing skills up to par. Its really hard.

But fun, right? Draw whatever you enjoy. I learned to draw from copying pictures out of comic books as I was a kid, and although it's not exactly a classical study of the human figure, it's still helpful. The style may be goofy but the concepts are the same. Drawings fun! I promise!

Originally Posted by BuddyB309

Animation is not dancing flowers and pink unicorns. Its a serious competition.

Not... unicorns...? But, but, but... I like unicorns...

[BuddyB309]

Originally Posted by Church

Not... unicorns...? But, but, but... I like unicorns...

ok, you can have dancing flowers and pink unicorns in your animation as long as they are done well.

an animation with dancing flowers

[Church]

Originally Posted by BuddyB309

ok, you can have dancing flowers and pink unicorns in your animation as long as they are done well.

an animation with dancing flowers

Now don't you think more FRC teams would do animations if they got to make fluffy bunnies dancing with smiling flowers? It would be a great way to interest girls and future students at the same time. Your Chairman's award presentation would be like, "Hi, we spread FIRST and have bunches o' diversity of age and of gender, trophy now plz, kthx, see you at nationals."