₦airaland Forum

download 'them', u mean!
last i knew, they were a suite of about 4 or 5 different s/ware.

wonder if they still make em. will check it out.

aah much beta, thanx.
wussy about sums him up. lol

i guess u still intend to tweak a bit.
a few slight adjustments on the weight shift at the start- when he lifts one leg, the weight should shift slightly to the other leg, and it should prolly flex a bit.

as a foundation, id say its pretty kool.
loved his expressions, seemed suprised that he was the one weilding- and that kinda changed 2 new found confidence at the end.
were those the xpressions u were gunning for?

pretty kool 4 a nites work!

looking good.
could u re-render with a static cam?
the motions kinda distracting.

'Coning Soon'?
Really? Is dat d lead characters name?

And u guys want 2 swing d movie with 4 animators max?
Cool!
I also guess the awesome poster is to get us hooked, and breathless with anticipation, right?

And naturally u guys know what releasing a movie in 3d means and entails,
or then again maybe its just part of the movie title.


Goodluck chaps!

i bet they r reading this, n will get in touch if interested.
a contact number or an addy will be nice.

by a number of jobs, i guess u mean proposed jobs, not finished ones?
no offense meant- just trying to get the facts straight.

hi

had typed an elaborate response but nairaland's spam-bot deleted it n banned my acct.
guess am still taking a risk responding again.

u need 2 provide more info about Smid Animation.

Who is Smid?
Where r u based?
What benefits do u offer?
Are u a new studio?

Animation is a broad field.
What type of animators do u seek? Those into Character Animation? Motion Graphics? Any and all categories?
What style? Realistic? Cartoony? Both?

if ure talking character design, that implies u seek 2d artists as well-
is that correct?, or do u seek only 3d artists with 2d skills?

detail ur advert some more, and i bet u will get responses from serious artists not just desperate ones.

personally, i have learnt from experience that the best way to recruit talent is to host a Challenge or Competition.

imagine a 'Smid Animation Challenge' outlining a simple task (in line with the type of output ur studio intends 2 give)
provide an incentive to participate, and u got yourself a live (plagiarism-free) interactive recruitment exercise.

unless you're an avid and knowledgeable web surfer,
u could be fooled by people cooking up an impressive demo reel by lifting clips online.
i speak from experience.

the art is still in infancy stage in nigeria n i doubt if u will get many professional demo reels to base your recruitment on.
by the time u discover the artists limitations it may be late and would have prolly cost u money.

again, if i post a clip from my reel, it will prolly be the result of collaborative effort from several people- designers, modelers, texturers, animators, post producers etc.
will u take us all on? or will it be a trans-studio contract? complicated huh?

simplify it.
post a specific task n ask for people who can do the specific task, that way u build n control your workforce yourself.

i don't presume to lecture u, but i think hosting a task specific Challenge, and giving more pertinent information about Smid is the way to go.
i know about 4 really good animators on this forum n i bet none of them have responded to ur call yet.

interest the pros by being professional yourself.

Good luck.

hi.
If u r looking 4 serious, talented artists (n not just d desperate), u need to give some more info than just d name of ur studios.

Who is Smid?
Where r u based?
Are u a new studio?
What type of animation r we talking about here? Realistic? Cartoony? Both?
What kinda benefits r u offering?

Character Design implies u r also looking 4 2d artists. Is dat assumption correct?
Detail ur request/ad n u will get response from serious ppl- me included.

Personally, experience has taught me that d best way 2 recruit talent is to host a Challenge or competition aimed specifically at d kind of service u want to render.
It also eliminates d plagiarism factor- unless ur a heavy web surfer, one can fool u by cooking up an impressive demo reel by lifting various clips online.

Just my thots.
Goodluck

let me drop my number so u can call me, since it wont cost u.
0803-SCAMMER

awaiting ur call!

@ yemo
this is a tired discussion and in my opinion- a pointless one.
Different software r developed 2 suit different artists/different mind sets/different work preferences etc.
Each software has its own peculiar learning curve that appeals differently 2 different artists. Finding a software that suits ur own particular modus operandi doesnt make it better than another one- it just makes it more suitable 4 u,d artist. I think dats ugos point-i stand 2 b corrected.
All high end 3d apps r capable of doing d same things thru different means n d choice ultimately lies with d artist n is totally subjective.
I am talking about d high end 3d apps,mind.

Animation Master is a 200 dollar app, google it n checkout some stuff done with it.
Compare it with say Max or Maya which cost over 20times more- which is beta?
D argument is endless, d phrase is 'which is better for me' or 'this is what i prefer'

personally i hate cinema 4ds dockable window style.
I dislike Max interface but i love d way d work flow is stacked.
I like Mayas lighter interface-it helps me think beta. And its my app of choice.

But these r just personal xpressions of preference n dont affect d apps effectiveness when used by another.
Nuff said.

i am not really interested but if u r for real, let anyone whos interested drop their fone numbers and u can freely call them with further details.
Infact, better marketing will be you dialing random numbers to tell them about the scam and making sure each call lasts about an hour. Do that n watch d response swamp u.
It wont cost u,rite?

lol.
ok. point taken.
still think its a silly idea but atleast it can be modified into more meaningful categories.

like
Best Contributing Artist in various categories
Most Inspiring Artwork 4 various categories
Most Inspiring Mentor 4 various categories etc.

we have 2d art, 3d art, videos, photography, a whole load of art types.

for any meaningful award system, all d categories should b considered and awards drawn up.
thats quite a bit of planning, (my question is still, to what end?) but if the members feel it has merit- i have outlined my suggestions above.
members may suggest d various categories- or better still, carry out a voting poll as to whether they want the awards in the first place.

i also suggest a review of d criteria 4 nominating- personally i dont care if an artist that inspires me does or does not follow d rules, or has been banned or even, is a serial killer. lol
its his art i am interested in, not his life.

again wots d payoff 4 'winners'? bragging rights?

my opinions

well, apart from being a silly idea-
ur criteria for nominees involve knowledge of facts that r unavailable to the average user.

how do i know who's been banned or who's posts have been cleaned or not, or even sillier- who's a rule following or law abiding member?

the moderator (since presumably, he alone possesses that info) may just as well just appoint someone and spare us d participation.
we have no way of verifying.

but seriously, how does dis exercise help d art? wot does it bring to the table?

but, hey, thats just me n my opinions.
was really tempted 2 iggy d post al2geda- mayb i should have.

cool. But dont develop a reliance on mocap data.
It removes rather than adds to ur skill set as an animator.

Realistic animation is tuff 4 sure but hey,if u r looking 4 an easy way out-take up gardening.lol

this is a joke,rite?

a sad,sad day.
My trusty workstation just quit on me.
Trying 2 see if any info can b retrieved from d drive but its not looking good.
Am awaiting delivery of another and may have 2 restart d project from scratch.

Trying not 2 think of d resources i may lose if all my previous data is gone!
Shoulda backed up-a hard lesson!

aah. I see
the xplanation helps a lot- opens a window 2 ur mind during creation.

Nice.
A variation would be 2 place the heart central 2 d entire creation process and let the splash show d formation of other body parts from the heart. The concept may also b clearer that way.

Good job man!

just an explanation.
Been away from my workstation 4 a bit but will b back later this week.

@ dams
kool. U didnt comment on d clip with d clerk tho.
Will post a refined version within d week.

@ AdamuW
where'd u vanish 2?

nice work man.

D logos lack d kinda spark shown in d foto manipulation (personal opinion) but given clients tastes n restrictions, that cld b due 2 several factors.

The foto effect is pretty abstract,hence tuff 2 assess witout knowing wot u were gunning 4. As an effect its kool.
mayb u cld employ it in a scenario (eg. A shattering torso blasted by a bullet or something) that way, itd pack a greater punch n b more easily assessed/appreciated by all, not just advanced artists.

i suggest u learn photoshop.
There r tons of tutorials online to facilitate d learning process.

Goodluck bro!

well done, its a good start
needsa lot of polishing but has potential.

My questions are:
do u pencil,ink and color by urself?
Who comes up with d storyline?

I think it would enhance ur comic if it were digitally painted.

@ dams
thanx 4 d comments-appreciate ur taking out d time.
Pls keep em coming.

Have posted 2 variations of d legswing 4 comparism

@ AdamuW
will post a closeup of d clerk for easier assessment.
Have posted his ruff walkcycle.
Didnt bother much with hand or head movement cos in his script he will be gesticulating a lot.
Was gunning 4 a funny, unique gait.

Ur thots r welcome-as usual

another variation

a rework of d legswing

Hi peter
Welcome to the club.
Will b nice 2 c some of ur work.

@ugo
There's really no set time 4 perfecting an art.
With a highly motivated chap, 6months is a long time.
And he's looking 4 an assistant position- that's a smart learning move- if he gets any takers.

ofcourse i know ur being constructive.
Appreciate ur even taking d time 2 comment.

Ok. Will see wot i can do with leg 'a'- nothing suggests itself to me at d moment.

The clip attached introduces d clerk.
Was kinda fun working on him- tho he still needs loads of tweaking

would apprec8 feedback.
Thanx,

just so we r sure we r on d same page.
r we talking leg 'a' or 'b'- (refer to pix below)

yeah i cant wait to do the scolding scene too.

wonda y so few comments?
altern8 points of views woulda been nice.
i hope the .mp4 format is not a bother 2 access.

oh well, i have one staunch critic anyhow. lol
will play with the swinging leg 4 comparison (once we r clear on which leg) .

thanx

@ AdamuW
thanx. yeah- times a bitch, but we get by, somehow.

a lot still has to go into d transformation scene, but i agree, it has promise.
i decided 2 follow a production order, so that scene comes last now.

yeah, d dude in the office is being improper.
infact, the next scene shows him being scolded at, by the office clerk when he comes to show him in.
am just trying to give him an interesting personality, since im not doing facials now.
i want to focus on his body language, and give him lots of scenarios to react to.

am working on the clerks walk cycle now, so i can establish him coming in the distance in this scene.

the dudes swinging leg was actually just a lazy/relaxed gesture on his part- kinda subconscious.
its swinging to his body's rhythm i guess-lol
swinging it to the tempo of the beat will have him jerking about.(judging from the tap speed)
and i dont think legs swing that fast. wot u think?

reassess it from that POV and pls share ur thots.

thanx again.

wow.
crazy week! even crazier weekend, but i haveta squeeze d time somehow.

decided 2 stop d erratic work pattern n stick 2 some order.
so, this is my story sequence:

1. guy waiting in office foyer
2. guy being shown into d office
3. guy being received by the host
4. host excusing himself
5. guy waiting
6. guy waiting n getting impatient
7. guy wandering about d office
8. guy accidentally initiating d morph process

well, thats roughly it- each scene will b a clip dat i will post for review.

so this is clip 1:
d guy is waiting in d reception while listening 2 music on his ipod (not shown,yet)
-just wanted 2 explain d head bob.

comments r welcome

dude,
normally i wouldnt bother responding 2 such post-
but some friendly advice, cos i think ure new here.

1. Why would i call u 4 info u should make public?
2. Are u so much beta than d thousands that post free resources online?
3. If u r, then post ur work to wow potential buyers (i am assuming d cds r 4 sale)
4. Who r u? Establish ur skill set b4 talking of selling/exploiting it.

I saw a couple more posts from u on the same subject on other threads-
do ur marketing homework pal.
Goodluck.

same clip, neutral materials n flat lighting.