RWE Energy Giant

Oh how nice it would be to a Giant, all the world's energy problems would be solved. The hard part...is the funding. I think the Giant would want to get paid don't you think?

Very nice animation with a great message.

Randolf

Rockstar Games SIGGRAPH 09 Interview

So what does it take to make it in the gaming industry? Recorded from SIGGRAPH 2009, listen to what the managers of Rockstar Games have to stay. They touch on the aspects of your portfolio, examples that you should have, highlighting your strengths, programming advice and even the type of attitude you should have when entering such a competitive market.

This is a great interview that will surely keep us going. Thanks to the Art Institutes and Rockstar for putting this interview together and posting.

Fire it up!

Alex Huguet: Metamesh 3D

Alex Huguet's modeling reel is outstanding. He's got great attention to detail which probably stems from his advanced knowledge of anatomy and lighting. Be sure you check out all of his models. He is based out of Spain works primarily in 3DS Max and ZBrush.

Great work Alex. If you see this message, thanks for posting your work, its pretty inspiring.
Check out Alex's website by visiting metamesh3d.com

Fire it up!

- Randolf

SIGGRAPH 2009 Computer Animation Preview

SIGGRAPH 2009 took place in New Orleans and is considered to be the Mecca for CG Animation of all styles and Visual Effects. If you are in the industry or have dreams of someday rubbing elbows with professionals in the industry, then this place is where you need to be. Next year, it will be in Southern California, it may be a few hours drive for some of you near the coast, but its worth it. The following year, it traditionally goes to the East Coast.

For those of you who attended, it is an awesome experience is it no? This clip features the previews of pieces featured at SIGGRAPH's annual Computer Animation Competition where animations from the best and brightest, including ones from the large studios like Dreamworks, Blue Sky and Pixar come to share what they've been working on the past year.

Hopefully the clip inspires you to attend and its also an excellent place to get feedback on your work.

Keep animating and Fire It Up!

- Randolf

The Importance of Storyboarding

In my animation classes, before undertaking an involved project, students are required to create a storyboard. I have students draw these out, and or design them in Photoshop, include a short description, panel/sequence number, and lastly, I have them submit the storyboard as a jpg or pdf. This is so that a client such as an art director or animation supervisor, can approve the work easily on the computer. It is crucial that the concept being displayed in these storyboards are clear, because the approving individuals are business minded and it is not unusual to review these storyboards within a large board room meeting with lots of people...it happens all the time. The storyboard, and the concept presented in it, becomes the center of the discussion.

Its an essential planning tool, not only in animation, but also in visual effects in order to plan out a shot, and to see how much work is actually involved in a particular scene. The storyboard you see above was created for Harrah's Entertainment when I was hired to create a series of Flash presentations for each of their properties, at the time, they totaled twenty (lots of work). As you'll see, each panel is clear and labeled with descriptions so that anyone involved in the approval process can understand it and make suggestions.

The project was fun and because of the storyboard examples, it was easy to manage the expectations and suggestions of over twenty approving parties.

Make your storyboards clear and present them well, it will pay off in dividends, not only will things smoothly, but they will trust you, and you will also make a good impression on them by appearing sharp and well prepared. The next step in the storyboarding process is to create a working animatic to help you adjust for timing, sound, dialogue, scene duration and planning.

Check out the the storyboards used for TV and film from Storyboards and Animatics.

Make those storyboards great! Fire it up!
- Randolf