Saturday, November 16, 2013
Friday, November 15, 2013
Thursday, November 14, 2013
The Animator's Survival Kit: A Manual of Methods, Principles, and Formulas for Classical, Computer, Games, Stop Motion, and Internet Animators (ISBN 0-5712-0228-4) is a book by award-winning animator and director Richard Williams, about various aspects of animation.[1] The book includes techniques, advice, tips, tricks, and general information on the history of animation.
As the title implies, the book is helpful for several fields of animation, not just traditional animation. It has been praised by many as being one of the best books on animation available.
As the title implies, the book is helpful for several fields of animation, not just traditional animation. It has been praised by many as being one of the best books on animation available.
Animation Books to Help Improve your Computer Animation Skills
In the never ending quest for better animation skills, many new animators turn to online tutorials, animation schools, and animation books by the droves to help boost their skills. From experience, I can tell you that three books in particular have really given my skills a boost when it comes to 3D animation. Don’t get me wrong, there are so many good animation books out there, but these in particular stand out above the rest.
First, I must say that the three books that I am going to list, are all Maya centered. Maya has always been my 3D tool of choice, and it so happens that it is the industry Standard Animation Software. Many software packages are based off the same principles, and once you know one package whether it is Maya, 3D Max, Cinema 4D, it is just a matter of finding where the buttons are located on the next package, to do what you need them to do. The first of the animation books that I recommend happens to be an excellent book for those animators that come from a traditional animation background or students that have just gone through their traditional animation principles classes at school, and are ready to begin 3D Animation.
Character Animation: 2D Skills for Better 3D (Second Edition), by Steve Roberts, is an excellent start. This book is loaded with the breakdown of the mechanics of animating the biped in walks, runs, and more so that you understand the principles of animation that each action has in it, as well as how to apply that in the 3D arena. If you are transitioning over from 2D to 3D, then this is a must for all students, and professionals. Animation Professors can easily build lesson around the many exercises in the book.
Moving along, a book that I would recommend to all new animators starting out that are using Autodesk’s Maya 2012. The book How to Cheat Maya 2012 by Eric Luhta, is no doubt the best animation book out there to make the learning curve not so steep.
How to Cheat in Maya 2012: Tools and Techniques for Character Animation
The Author covers using the graph editor extensively, as well as Forward, and Inverse Kinematics and Constraints with simplicity and clarity. Those chapters alone would be worth the price of the book, as they are the hurdles that give most noobs the hardest time. From beginning to end, the reader will go through all the tools needed to achieve solid character animation through examples and exercises, and may possibly even come away with some solid tests for their animation reel.
Last but not least, Stop Staring: Facial Modeling and Animation Done Right by Jason Osipa, would be the next book to get on the list. Jason Osipa sets the bar when it comes to facial rigging of a 3D character. This animation book covers facial character setup/ or rigging a character’s face extensively, as well as approaching animating dialogue and facial expressions. It is more a book for those with some experience under their belt, but definitely on the list for students and pros as well.
Well, there you go. I hope that you found this information useful, and if you would like more information like this, we will be updating this site quite frequently with only the books that we here at Animationbookhq own, and use
First, I must say that the three books that I am going to list, are all Maya centered. Maya has always been my 3D tool of choice, and it so happens that it is the industry Standard Animation Software. Many software packages are based off the same principles, and once you know one package whether it is Maya, 3D Max, Cinema 4D, it is just a matter of finding where the buttons are located on the next package, to do what you need them to do. The first of the animation books that I recommend happens to be an excellent book for those animators that come from a traditional animation background or students that have just gone through their traditional animation principles classes at school, and are ready to begin 3D Animation.
Character Animation: 2D Skills for Better 3D (Second Edition), by Steve Roberts, is an excellent start. This book is loaded with the breakdown of the mechanics of animating the biped in walks, runs, and more so that you understand the principles of animation that each action has in it, as well as how to apply that in the 3D arena. If you are transitioning over from 2D to 3D, then this is a must for all students, and professionals. Animation Professors can easily build lesson around the many exercises in the book.
Moving along, a book that I would recommend to all new animators starting out that are using Autodesk’s Maya 2012. The book How to Cheat Maya 2012 by Eric Luhta, is no doubt the best animation book out there to make the learning curve not so steep.
How to Cheat in Maya 2012: Tools and Techniques for Character Animation
The Author covers using the graph editor extensively, as well as Forward, and Inverse Kinematics and Constraints with simplicity and clarity. Those chapters alone would be worth the price of the book, as they are the hurdles that give most noobs the hardest time. From beginning to end, the reader will go through all the tools needed to achieve solid character animation through examples and exercises, and may possibly even come away with some solid tests for their animation reel.
Last but not least, Stop Staring: Facial Modeling and Animation Done Right by Jason Osipa, would be the next book to get on the list. Jason Osipa sets the bar when it comes to facial rigging of a 3D character. This animation book covers facial character setup/ or rigging a character’s face extensively, as well as approaching animating dialogue and facial expressions. It is more a book for those with some experience under their belt, but definitely on the list for students and pros as well.
Chooce the right online animation school
9 Things to Keep In Mind When Choosing the Right Online Animation School
There is no doubt about it that the popularity of the online animation school has been rapidly growing in the last few years. Industry veterans working at high profile animation studios have found new ways to help teach young upcoming animators learn the craft of Animation, almost in the same fashion as it was in the “old days” mentoring under a veteran while on the job. It has always been said that the Animation Industry is “small”, and everyone tends to know each other at one point or another. Now, technology has brought the animation industry together into a global community like never before. Students can learn “Hollywood” secrets from across the globe. Students aren’t the only ones taking animation classes online. There are many industry pros retooling their skill sets, changing to a different discipline of the animation industry, or just looking to get better. You never stop learning. When looking at an online animation school, what should you keep in mind? With so many popping up, the decision could be quite difficult when parting with your hard earned cash. These schools aren’t cheap!Here are a few tips that may help you with that decision.
- Let’s start out by just addressing the obvious: What is your budget? Well, this is a big decision maker. If you are reading this article right now you most likely have addressed that question yourself. There are several schools to choose from and the price ranges can vary quite a bit. The higher priced schools can cost as much as an accredited University, down to schools that cost a fraction of that. For the money, what does each online animation school give you? Some schools may offer scholarships to those who qualify. It is definitely worth asking.
- One of the most important things to look for in an online animation school is to make sure that the school you are choosing have instructors who are or have been working in the animation industry. You want to know that who you are learning from actually had worked, or is working in the trenches so to speak. By making this a priority in your decision, you will make sure that you’ll get up to date information on the latest techniques, software, and trends. The kind of insight that an instructor could give you, on what it is like to actually work at one of the animation studios that you are thinking of applying to is priceless. An instructor with that kind of background can be a great connection for you to a studio, and help get your foot in the door.
- I cannot stress the importance of knowing your competition! How much work have you seen from other students, or colleagues? You would be surprised with how very little research people do on that subject. The next step would be to ask you, what do the animation demo reels look like of the students that have finished their online animation training? Does the work look like cookie cutter, mass produced work that is difficult to tell one student from another? Is the work professional, showing real charm and appeal, or lacking any “life” and character? One suggestion is to take a few hours browsing YouTube. Type in the name of the schools that are in question as the keyword, to see some animation reels of former students .The proof is in the work!
- What kind of job placement do they have? Does the online animation school have a job placement service? How active are they with their relationships with the Animation Studios?
- Contact some of the Animation Studios that you would like to work at and ask if they recruit from the particular school that you are interested in. You find out from the places that you want to work, how many student they have hired from the program. This leads to the next question…
- What is the Alumni involvement with the school? Are there quite a few alumni out there that are currently placed in jobs? Does the online animation school actively follow up with alumni and host events to help foster a sense of community. This is important; alumni usually always hire, or at least have a protective hand for the new graduates of their former schools in the animation industry.
- In relation to the previous question, make sure to visit Forums on industry related sites, as well as blogs to get a better idea of how former students feel about their learning experience.
- Make sure to find out what kind of equipment is expected of you when you are a student. This is easy to find out. They usually tell you on their websites. Do you have the proper equipment needed, and are you ready to learn without the distractions of an old computer crashing? Do you have the proper software, or internet connection?
- Visit industry trade shows where there will usually always be a booth, or some kind of representation of each of the best online animation schools. Siggraph is the biggest industry expo, where industry professionals, students, and educators from around the world meet to talk about the art and technology of the animation industry. Another trade show, Comicon, which is technically centered on comics, has been a rapidly growing event for the animation industry. There are usually large turnouts of former online animation school students that gather every year for a meet and greet, to network and job hunt.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
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