Animation, where start?

Discussions about animating in SOFTIMAGE©
Post Reply
User avatar
Nizar
Posts: 725
Joined: 30 May 2010, 22:54

Animation, where start?

Post by Nizar » 03 May 2011, 15:02

Where start for learn animation? I'm totally dry in this field (not only related to XSI).
Any advice (link, books, tutorials) will be really well accepted :)

User avatar
ShaderOp
Posts: 29
Joined: 11 Sep 2009, 20:15
Skype: shaderop
Contact:

Re: Animation, where start?

Post by ShaderOp » 03 May 2011, 15:32

It depends on how much time and money you can afford.

For me, I decided that I needed peer pressure, so I joined iAnimate.net online animation school. The workload is demanding and the instructors vary in dedication, but the peer pressure and feedback were the best motivator and teacher I had over there.

I'm now starting my second workshop with them. And I'm loathing it and loving it at the same time.

The downsides are that you'll need to cough up US$2000 per workshop, you'll have to use Maya unless you bring your own rigs, and you'll have to set aside anywhere from two to four hours per day for the duration of the workshop, which lasts for 14 weeks.

Otherwise, get yourself a rig, hop over to the 11 second club, and dive right into one of their monthly challenges. A couple of my colleagues at iAnimate.net were regulars at the 11 second club, and they say they learned a lot through it.

HTH

User avatar
Nizar
Posts: 725
Joined: 30 May 2010, 22:54

Re: Animation, where start?

Post by Nizar » 03 May 2011, 16:04

Thank Shadeop :)
Wow, 2000 for a course is a big investment.
Otherwise, get yourself a rig, hop over to the 11 second club, and dive right into one of their monthly challenges. A couple of my colleagues at iAnimate.net were regulars at the 11 second club, and they say they learned a lot through it.
before doing this I need to learn something, but look a nice idea.


Why all animation course I found use Maya?

User avatar
ShaderOp
Posts: 29
Joined: 11 Sep 2009, 20:15
Skype: shaderop
Contact:

Re: Animation, where start?

Post by ShaderOp » 03 May 2011, 16:40

Nizar wrote:Wow, 2000 for a course is a big investment.
Yes, it's no small change by any means, but I don't think you can find anything cheaper out there. And in exchange for what you pay you get to spend four hours every week with veterans of the industry who will answer your questions and critique your work. You also have the option of paying in four monthly installments.

If that's still not an option for you and you still want to get your feet wet before jumping into the 11 second club, go The Gnomon Workshop and buy all three training DVDs by Chris Kirshbaum. Watch those, then watch them again, then spend a month of your life animating nothing but bouncing balls like he shows you in the first DVD. Then go back and watch those DVDs once more for a good measure, and only then start animating your first walk cycle. Once you get that down, you can move on to more advanced stuff.
Nizar wrote:Why all animation course I found use Maya?
To be honest, no one forces you to use Maya. You can use anything you want since the instructors will only look at viewport captures in the end. It's just that the official rigs used in those courses are built with Maya.

And it really doesn't matter whether you use Maya or Softimage. Character animation is the least technical of all the 3D specializations. You can probably learn all you need know to do character animation in Maya over a weekend. That's just the technical side, though. Learning the artistic side of it will probably take a lifetime.

User avatar
geoath
Posts: 48
Joined: 03 Sep 2009, 20:24

Re: Animation, where start?

Post by geoath » 03 May 2011, 19:57

Nizar wrote: Why all animation course I found use Maya?
at AnimSchool i think they use both Softimage and Maya.

User avatar
mattmos
Posts: 445
Joined: 02 Dec 2009, 16:59

Re: Animation, where start?

Post by mattmos » 04 May 2011, 01:17

Pick up a copy of the Animator's Survival Kit by Richard Williams and start with a bouncing ball. If you look at old animation mentor work/reels you can probably get an idea about the progression of subjects, but there are other resources out there. Maya tutorials should be pretty easy to follow using softimage, as for animation its all about the artistic side, not the technical.

Animschool looks pretty awesome too.

User avatar
Hirazi Blue
Administrator
Posts: 5107
Joined: 04 Jun 2009, 12:15

Re: Animation, where start?

Post by Hirazi Blue » 04 May 2011, 10:27

mattmos wrote:Pick up a copy of the Animator's Survival Kit by Richard Williams
Just as a clarification: do you mean the book or the slightly more expensive video series? :-\
Stay safe, sane & healthy!

User avatar
ShaderOp
Posts: 29
Joined: 11 Sep 2009, 20:15
Skype: shaderop
Contact:

Re: Animation, where start?

Post by ShaderOp » 04 May 2011, 12:41

Hirazi Blue wrote: Just as a clarification: do you mean the book or the slightly more expensive video series? :-\
Slightly more expensive? :-o

User avatar
Hirazi Blue
Administrator
Posts: 5107
Joined: 04 Jun 2009, 12:15

Re: Animation, where start?

Post by Hirazi Blue » 04 May 2011, 13:36

It's all relative of course (although my remark was meant to be slightly funny, obviously :D ).
If the "Animator's Survival Kit (Animated)" DVD box is as good as the reviews it gets/got,
it's still way cheaper than any of the online courses (I know of) on offer...
;)
Stay safe, sane & healthy!

User avatar
ShaderOp
Posts: 29
Joined: 11 Sep 2009, 20:15
Skype: shaderop
Contact:

Re: Animation, where start?

Post by ShaderOp » 04 May 2011, 13:45

Hirazi Blue wrote:It's all relative of course (although my remark was meant to be slightly funny, obviously :D ).
Such a shame because for a moment there I had a bridge in Brooklyn that I wanted to sell you.

User avatar
mattmos
Posts: 445
Joined: 02 Dec 2009, 16:59

Re: Animation, where start?

Post by mattmos » 04 May 2011, 16:09

Hirazi Blue wrote:
mattmos wrote:Pick up a copy of the Animator's Survival Kit by Richard Williams
Just as a clarification: do you mean the book or the slightly more expensive video series? :-\
Heh I was referring to the book, should have clarified there :D

I think anyone picking up the basics should start out with as little outlay as possible, learn a few fundamentals first...

User avatar
Nizar
Posts: 725
Joined: 30 May 2010, 22:54

Re: Animation, where start?

Post by Nizar » 06 May 2011, 15:14

Ok, thanks to all.

ShaderOp, agree, this is the best solution. Self-learning is more expensive in time terms. I will take a look at the course you suggest.
I think anyone picking up the basics should start out with as little outlay as possible, learn a few fundamentals first...
Thanks Mattmos, I will doing so and buy this book. is traditional (2d) animation, right?

User avatar
mattmos
Posts: 445
Joined: 02 Dec 2009, 16:59

Re: Animation, where start?

Post by mattmos » 06 May 2011, 16:18

Yeah the book is all drawn 2d, so there's no software distractions. It shows the 12 principles of animation, and breaks it all down nicely. The only other thing you have to consider when starting out on the computer is ways of blocking animation - generally more people these days start out with all keys in stepped, so you get a 'key' frame for the whole character, then add in breakdown poses and gradually finesse it into splines. This really makes you think about the character and attitude in each pose (drawing) and can help to make the animation clearer.

User avatar
Nizar
Posts: 725
Joined: 30 May 2010, 22:54

Re: Animation, where start?

Post by Nizar » 06 May 2011, 16:22

I see it is a cartoon type animation, is the some?

User avatar
mattmos
Posts: 445
Joined: 02 Dec 2009, 16:59

Re: Animation, where start?

Post by mattmos » 06 May 2011, 16:36

Nizar wrote:I see it is a cartoon type animation, is the some?
Yeah I guess it is more cartoony than naturalistic. The principles it teaches do still apply to more realistic styles of animation though, the application is just more subtle. If you're looking at doing animal movement you can learn a lot from rotoscoping some footage, and in that case probably working straight in splines rather than stepped to get a more natural feel.

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 6 guests