Hello all!

Apart from writing,I developed a passion for 3D animation in 2007. I have worked on various 3D animation softwares from the ubiquitous Maya to the exotic Carrara. I'm really interested in what nairaland 3D artists can do.

To this effect, I would like to host a little competition. A 3D animation short clip. Specifications include:
1. The clip should not be longer than 3mins.
2. The clip must tell a story.
3. The theme must involve a butterfly.
4. closing date for submissions is 24th December. (By submission I mean give me your link on YouTube after uploading your clip)
Winner gets n1500 recharge card, second runner up n750, third gets n400.

Interested persons should indicate and state their software of choice. Preferably participants should be indigenous.

lol, funny incentive_{...almost insulting.} who decides who wins?
well it will certainly beef up the artists portfolio, so at least that's a good thing.

if its purely an animation contest, then i would suggest u define a plot to animate to, to ensure uniformity in assessing.
unless ur also assessing everything from conceptualization skills through story-boarding to animation.

lol, why a butterfly?
im quite curious to see how this plays out.

Well, the way I see it, most 3D animators I know end up doing clips that people view for free anyway. I thought that it would be an opportunity to showcase some talent and also reward them with something, no matter how little.

I wanted to give as much leeway as possible in creating a clip as there are so many softwares to use with different advantages and disadvantages, and something simple considering the short time I gave. Thus the butterfly.
But if you want a full theme you can try a butterfly emerging from its cocoon or a butterfly landing on a well designed flower with pollen blowing in the wind.
It also goes without saying that you keep your development files to prove you are the one that did it. Who knows, someone out there might be watching with interest.

Challenge accepted.

Softwares that will be used:
Blender
Gimp
Inkscape

ladanski: Challenge accepted.

Softwares that will be used:
Blender
Gimp
Inkscape

Great! Looking forward to viewing your work.

my problem is rendering and power but I will give it a try

my, 3D software :
Blender only.

ncpat: my problem is rendering and power but I will give it a try

my, 3D software :
Blender only.

Blender has a wonderful render engine and a 3min work should take less than a day. Well, it dosent have to be fully 3mins, even 30seconds can tell a good story. Good luck.

Hmm gnna try dis ..... In..

jjk24: Hmm gnna try dis ..... In..

You are welcome. What is ur choice of weapon software?

Royver:
You are welcome. What is ur choice of weapon software?

blender -- --

Royver:
Blender has a wonderful render engine and a 3min work should take less than a day. Well, it dosent have to be fully 3mins, even 30seconds can tell a good story. Good luck.

Firstly Using all d softwares d universe has to offer dnt mean a thing, plus I've never seen u on here. Second, I understand Ur Kind Gesture bt N1500 is REALLY insulting and if U think otherwise, get into d competition coming out tops and I... Will Personally giv U N3000 worth of airtime. Which ofcourse shoud'nt b difficult for an originator and Veteran Animator like U. Lastly, from now till 24th is impossible to churn out 3mins animation by one single animator. Errr, mayb U lookin for things that move. Dude, U fcukin talkin 5400frames goin by 30frames per second? CRAZY.
Noooooooo! U not an Animator!

reidkrugger:

Firstly Using all d softwares d universe has to offer dnt mean a thing, plus I've never seen u on here. Second, I understand Ur Kind Gesture bt N1500 is REALLY insulting and if U think otherwise, get into d competition coming out tops and I... Will Personally giv U N3000 worth of airtime. Which ofcourse shoud'nt b difficult for an originator and Veteran Animator like U. Lastly, from now till 24th is impossible to churn out 3mins animation by one single animator. Errr, mayb U lookin for things that move. Dude, U fcukin talkin 5400frames goin by 30frames per second? CRAZY.
Noooooooo! U not an Animator!

Soooo... Are u in or out?

Royver:

Soooo... Are u in or out?

Lolz. U Obviously ddnt Read My Post. Ofcuz, I can't b a part of smfin like this.
#No Offence Intended.

@reid
lol, easy mate.
i guess the o.p means well and besides its not compulsory to sign on.
naturally, no true animator will participate for the money, but some may view it as a personal challenge and a chance to beef their reels.
besides any practice is a good thing, and the group thing/competition among peers can be a stimulant to produce.

having said that tho, i do think there are several flaws in the process as suggested....but seeing as those who signed on don't seem to have issues, i reserve my comments.
u could add ur 3 grand to the kitty as ur contribution to the industry...who knows, if we all add 3 grand we could hit a hundred or more.

goodluck to participants....look at it as practice, dats my advice. not to win, win wot sef?

reidkrugger:

Lolz. U Obviously ddnt Read My Post. Ofcuz, I can't b a part of smfin like this.
#No Offence Intended.

Oh I did, I read your post. I just chose to respond the way I did. Thanks for your concerns.

And from what you have said, I take it you are adding to the price money. That's great!
And no, no offence taken.

I dont understand U People. Guys, this is an opportunity to make money off what U do. U model cars, houses and everything almost for the fun of it. Now, there is money to be made and all of U are just ignoring? seriously? Ok, this aint nothing about egos and stuff, we come here and talk about 3d Animation in Nigeria and the way forward but none comes to the fore at the end of the day. Is it that u all occupied cuz i dont get it. Earlier i put up a space for an animator and that was worse, talkin about response. Worse still, the responses gotten was NOT from Nairaland save about two.
We've talked about the animation Pipeline and stuffs which is good. But, this is Nigeria and 3D has not been tested here. Nobody, is going to pour $250,000,000.00 on that kinda project, especially here. and its worse when U guys just sit in ur little corners doing nothin financial about it. U've PAID UR DUES. granted. Reid's asking U to push a little bit further and hold on before the BIG ONES starts poppin. Lets START something. Lets do something. Lets make Our presence felt. That was how the Music industry kicked off, especially Hiphop in Nigeria. If U are That GOOd at what U do. An Animator or a Modeller especially for Characters, The TIME IS NOW. Build Your way into getting PAID.
Cheers and Godspeed.

@reidkrugger, u said this a few months ago. Ponder on your own words man.
And for all you know I've been a guest here for a long time. I don't expect anybody to do this for the money like OKX has said. I'm actually looking for passion. Passion at your work. And whenever a person starts a thread like this who knows what it can grow to become? You yourself have added 3k to my paltry n1500 and now the prize money has increased a bit! I still don't expect anybody to do this for the cash, rather it's a chance to showcase your skills for other "guests" that might be out there. So think on it on these terms.

@All, I need just one more person to complete the competitiors then we can proceed(no problem if you have already started. Of course 3mins is the max, your clip can be as short as 30secs as I previously stated. And the original idea was a 2wk working period but it can definitely be extended a little.
Stating your software/s is important pls.
If you don't know what to animate, follow the example given in my previous post.

OKX thanks for your insightful comment. Are you currently employed or a freelancer?

Happy Sunday all.

Royver:

@reidkrugger, u said this a few months ago. Ponder on your own words man.
And for all you know I've been a guest here for a long time. I don't expect anybody to do this for the money like OKX has said. I'm actually looking for passion. Passion at your work. And whenever a person starts a thread like this who knows what it can grow to become? You yourself have added 3k to my paltry n1500 and now the prize money has increased a bit! I still don't expect anybody to do this for the cash, rather it's a chance to showcase your skills for other "guests" that might be out there. So think on it on these terms.

@All, I need just one more person to complete the competitiors then we can proceed(no problem if you have already started. Of course 3mins is the max, your clip can be as short as 30secs as I previously stated. And the original idea was a 2wk working period but it can definitely be extended a little.
Stating your software/s is important pls.
If you don't know what to animate, follow the example given in my previous post.

OKX thanks for your insightful comment. Are you currently employed or a freelancer?

Happy Sunday all.

Bleep! That was some speech, I gave rt thr. Awesome, If U ask Me.

Royver:

@reidkrugger, u said this a few months ago. Ponder on your own words man.
And for all you know I've been a guest here for a long time. I don't expect anybody to do this for the money like OKX has said. I'm actually looking for passion. Passion at your work. And whenever a person starts a thread like this who knows what it can grow to become? You yourself have added 3k to my paltry n1500 and now the prize money has increased a bit! I still don't expect anybody to do this for the cash, rather it's a chance to showcase your skills for other "guests" that might be out there. So think on it on these terms.

@All, I need just one more person to complete the competitiors then we can proceed(no problem if you have already started. Of course 3mins is the max, your clip can be as short as 30secs as I previously stated. And the original idea was a 2wk working period but it can definitely be extended a little.
Stating your software/s is important pls.
If you don't know what to animate, follow the example given in my previous post.

OKX thanks for your insightful comment. Are you currently employed or a freelancer?

Happy Sunday all.

Bleep! That was some speech, I gave rt thr. Awesome, If U ask Me.

@Royver, U dnt undrstnd. The parameters, schedule n wt is supposed to b incentive r ALL wrong. If U rlly r an Animator, U'ld know dat 5400frames isn't possible within 10 to 15 days.
Yeah n dats just for animating. Modelling, rigging and skinning aside. Forget texturing. And after animating, u stil have to set up lights and possibly animate d Camera then render. And now U talkin a butterfly out of a coccun? Either morphing or riggiing again.

Now, U bring an Awesome Quote of Me saying som. Nice 1, and way to go tryna use me against Me, problem is... The post U got dat from had nada to do with N1500 recharge card. It was purely a Contractual arrangement.

Yeah, U mayb givin out N1500 worth of Airtime, bt its nofin compared to d Value of wt dis guys do. Even if we stil crawling. And I NEVER said I was a part of this.
Nice gesture but Flawed Presentation. Or Mayb Its just Me.

Cheers.

reidkrugger: @Royver, U dnt undrstnd. The parameters, schedule n wt is supposed to b incentive r ALL wrong. If U rlly r an Animator, U'ld know dat 5400frames isn't possible within 10 to 15 days.
Yeah n dats just for animating. Modelling, rigging and skinning aside. Forget texturing. And after animating, u stil have to set up lights and possibly animate d Camera then render. And now U talkin a butterfly out of a coccun? Either morphing or riggiing again.

Now, U bring an Awesome Quote of Me saying som. Nice 1, and way to go tryna use me against Me, problem is... The post U got dat from had nada to do with N1500 recharge card. It was purely a Contractual arrangement.

Yeah, U mayb givin out N1500 worth of Airtime, bt its nofin compared to d Value of wt dis guys do. Even if we stil crawling. And I NEVER said I was a part of this.
Nice gesture but Flawed Presentation. Or Mayb Its just Me.

Cheers.

You still dont understand where I am coming from, do you? Pls read my previous post again. This has nothing to do with money. The cocoon example i gave was my idea and is not compulsory.And I'm definitely not going to argue with you whether I'm an animator or not. I'm not here for an ego trip. If you can't do it, fine. I'm looking for those who can.

Thanks.

Royver:

You still dont understand where I am coming from, do you? Pls read my previous post again. This has nothing to do with money. The cocoon example i gave was my idea and is not compulsory.And I'm definitely not going to argue with you whether I'm an animator or not. I'm not here for an ego trip. If you can't do it, fine. I'm looking for those who can.

Thanks.

No Arguements wi U either, No U not an Animator and YES... I finally get it.
Goodluck wi Ur Competition.

reidkrugger:

No Arguements wi U either, No U not an Animator and YES... I finally get it.
Goodluck wi Ur Competition.

Thanks. I appreciate.

Royver:
Thanks. I appreciate.

You are Welcome.

@reid n royver
lol...yáll get a room

@reid
tsup man.
like i said, there are flaws in the process but let the participants discover for themselves.
again there is always room for development in any project...let this one go through its own peculiar teething process
reviving the culture of animation challenges (like we used to have here) isn't a bad thing.
beta a project for peanuts than none at all, since the real payoff here is the practice and learning to work under pressure.

i don't think render quality/time should be a factor tho, that's why i wanted to clarify if it was purely an animation challenge- in which case the focus should be on the quality of the motions ONLY not the renders or camera work.
smart participants should be able to download rigged models so they can focus on the animation purely.
playblasts/screen grabs should also be acceptable, although most uninformed mistake great renders for great animation (which is not necessarily the case)

anyways, wot u been up to? been a bit

@royver
lol, im unemployable. i like the freedom to pick projects to work on.
brave attempt, am observing with friendly interest...altho like i said, in its current structure u r not likely to attract the heavyweights.

goodluck

OKX: @reid n royver
lol...yáll get a room

@reid
tsup man.
like i said, there are flaws in the process but let the participants discover for themselves.
again there is always room for development in any project...let this one go through its own peculiar teething process
reviving the culture of animation challenges (like we used to have here) isn't a bad thing.
beta a project for peanuts than none at all, since the real payoff here is the practice and learning to work under pressure.

i don't think render quality/time should be a factor tho, that's why i wanted to clarify if it was purely an animation challenge- in which case the focus should be on the quality of the motions ONLY not the renders or camera work.
smart participants should be able to download rigged models so they can focus on the animation purely.
playblasts/screen grabs should also be acceptable, although most uninformed mistake great renders for great animation (which is not necessarily the case)

anyways, wot u been up to? been a bit

@royver
lol, im unemployable. i like the freedom to pick projects to work on.
brave attempt, am observing with friendly interest...altho like i said, in its current structure u r not likely to attract the heavyweights.

goodluck

@Okx, I'm Gud Bro. Jus d usual. Workin n Polishing My Skillz just so I'm Worth d BIG Bucks. No BS.
U ddnt finish Ur project. The last one posted on here.

Phase 1 complete. Ive finished modelling, rigging and texturing a butterfly. Now to create scenes and scene elements to render the butterfly against. Inverse kinematics makes the animation easier.

am I the only one in the competition or what? Anyway, I still like the challenge and I hope to see other works from other users

ladanski: am I the only one in the competition or what? Anyway, I still like the challenge and I hope to see other works from other users

Wow! That looks really good! especially the detailing of the wings. Keep it up.

OKX:

@royver
lol, im unemployable. i like the freedom to pick projects to work on.
brave attempt, am observing with friendly interest...altho like i said, in its current structure u r not likely to attract the heavyweights.

goodluck

Thanks for the encouragement sir. Pls I would like to see a sample of your work(extra bonus for me if u r in the country) Also expatiate on the term 'unemployable'.

@ladanski
good start. since the focus is on animation, maybe u can make d model available to ur co-participants.
i think there r a couple of blender users too.

@royver
there r a couple of personal projects i have posted here, u cld search.
i am currently away from my native workstation.

'unemployable' in the traditional sense of an employee doing what hes told to, irrespective of his personal views on the matter.

@OKX, please stop barking orders. That's all I have to say.

@ladanski
apparently we r on different pages. no offense meant.
"maybe u can" is hardly my definition of an order, but i apologize if my suggestions/involvement offends u.

goodluck