@cg
awesome. Ur da man!

d prize structure u proposed totals 35k per contest. That leaves us 20k short.

perhaps we should start with the modeling challenge first, while we aim to raise the balance, or even exceed it....or do both run concurrently?

u can txt me on 08023289217 since the house seems to favor private consultation among us.

@peter
ur point is valid, n is noted.
the only reason I am soliciting varied responses is to carry everyone along, n ensure a healthy turnout of participants.

if d section were naturally active, and we had lots of capable practitioners, we could just design any challenge we deem worthy and state the terms. Sadly, this is not the case.

as we gather steam, subsequent challenges will b 'less talk' and 'more action'.

bear with us, the process is about done.

I doubt if I will have the time to participate, and even if I send submissions I am ineligible for the prize money.
but lets not lose focus, the main aim is to learn not necessarily compete.

@frank
I appreciate your passion and the points u raised.
we are entertaining input from all interested aspiring participants, so that we end up with an exercise that majority CAN be part of.

I do believe we have made some progress.
we can tidy it up in a day or two and kick off by Monday.
it also gives artists time to adjust their schedules and make room for this particular challenge.

please hang in there and don't lose interest.

the animation challenge emphasizes on animation NOT d quality of the models.(although appeal of the model(s) affects one's perception of any animation)

one can use primitives to stand in for the houses and cars in the street. U need only use detailed models for things the main character interacts with.

downloaded models are acceptable for the ANIMATION challenge. Anyone who wishes to go nuts modeling can sign up for the MODELING challenge.

any alternate story ideas?
pls, any submissions of interesting scenes to model is welcome.
outdoor scenes capturing life.
a scene from the world cup matches.
a sci-fi scene.

lets submit pics and select 3 options.

@cg
to avoid back n forthing, lets just roll with the structure as is.
a modeling and an animation challenge.
individual or team participation.
at least three posts of work-in-progress screenshots (for the modelers)

@kazuna
when we clinche the final storyline(s), we will know the required models.
there are tons of free models online available for download, that I'm sure will suit wotever storyline we end up with.

long post, lol

@reid
in my opinion, downloaded models can be used for the animation.

for uniformity tho, we will seek to use the same model(s)

wot say y'all?

@cg
adopted!
the only amendment is on the theme thing.
it will be tuff assessing different models from different references.

I like the image u posted, woulda been perfect with a few organic characters and a wider angle for better perpesctive.

can u dig up such a shot/shots?
even if we are following a theme, let a neutral board decide on say, 3 different images for the artists to choose from. That way we have a level playing field.

artists may just upload their personal projects which they have been working on for a while, if we leave the choice to them.
delivering under time constraint is part of d training.

on the story, nothing too complex.
just a simple sequence of actions, emphasis is on animating ability.
anyone can move characters, but it takes effort to make ur characters ACT and portray THOUGHT and EMOTION.
Dats d aim.

we are aiming for perfection, so a simple plot is required.

something like, a guy finishes a meal, signals for his bill, pays, gets up and leaves, crosses the street, realizes he forgot his briefcase, dashes back across the road narrowly missing a car/bike, grabs his briefcase, adjusts his clothes and leaves.

it doesn't have to be this exact storyline, but something similar that offers lots of acting opportunities.
emphasis on correct body mechanics and emotions.

we can come up with say, 2 or 3 different storylines for artists to choose from as well. Maybe one involving bipeds, another quadrupeds and a third robots or other stylized characters.

I had been thinking of a single challenge tho, with two options of tasks ie.modeling or animation but this option flies as well.

woulda been nice to be able to break the token among the best three entries, say, 20, 15, 5 but the dual challenge of 20, 20 ain't bad. Wot think y"all?

once we settle this, its on to images and storylines.

responses pls.

Lol, I guess this is why democracy is fraught with challenges.

@roy/cg/spy
this is largely ur initiative so lets talk maybe privately and end this stage.

if we all keep contributing we will never kick off.
my final suggestion is...

we post a still image for those interested in modeling to replicate.
we post a storyline (including maximum duration) for those interested in animating, to create.
we set a deadline and kick off.

teamwork or individual work is allowed, just state clearly which and who ur team members are.

pending selection of the judges, nairaland votes will count. But voters must have been registered for at least a month.
additional judges will be added, I'm contacting a few chaps I know. I suggest we all do.

if the above suggestions fly, we can move on to the selecting the image(s), and storyline(s) to work to.

The thread may still b useful

@cg
ok, lets hear wot the artists think.
its awfully quiet in here though.

should we retag the thread or open a more descriptive one?

on the judges, I'm sure we all know a few. We can keep it in-house tho, if we must.

@jjk
good going mate.
keep ya passion alive, ur at the perfect stage to blaze through ya dreams.

cheers.

Nice.
I would, however, view it as a work in progress.

if u add some moving holds to eliminate that sense of stillness between poses, and keep the eyeballs alive (reference from various cartoons), you will transform it to a great piece.

good going.

Nice.
u r definitely getting better. Ur 2d background would b a plus when u tackle texturing full on.

y would textures significantly increase ur render time?
r u sure ur not making the texture files too large?

generally one doesn't model wot u can texture instead.

great progress.
would love to mess about with ur robot, lol.

Nice opinions.
mine is, why don't we go for a full production?

we can break it into sections, modeling and texturing, rigging and animating, lighting and rendering/post production.
that way it cuts across different artists areas of strength(s)/interests.
unless we feel we can sustain this and in future hold different challenges targeting the different production arms.

we could even have us form working 2 or 3-man teams to tackle d full project.

in as much as we r offering a token prize, the main aim of d exercise is to encourage artists synergizing their strengths to output quality work.

i also dig the idea of all nairaland votes counting as one vote.

i would also encourage those of us with access to foreign/experienced artists to explore the option of them popping in as additional judges.
it shouldn't be a case of d blind assessing the blind, lol.

@das
precisely. Blender is freeware.
there are also cheaper 3d packages out there.
if its for personal development the trials or learning editions work just fine.

if its for professional work, he can still output from d trial version to his client, as proof of competency, and then buy the original software from any advance payment he receives.

lol, we wanna charge millions for work produced with a software (someone else's intellectual property) that we 'stole' for five hundred bucks. Just doesn't quite add up to me.

i appreciate our economic challenge, it took me years to finally afford my copy of Maya, but its a matter of integrity. Besides, wot goes around comes around.

@roy
hi man.
ur last competition wasn't complex at all.
its d finer details that affected participation, in my opinion.

points to consider r:
prize: how valuable is it?
structure: is it an animation challenge? A modeling challenge? A cinematography challenge? Storytelling etc...or all of the above?

if its purely animation, then the models don't need to be original. Indeed, all participants using the same model makes for easier assessment.
if its modeling, then it should be to an agreed upon reference drawing and so on.

judges: who decides the winner(s)?
i have never really subscribed to decisions based on majority votes, especially if from the uninformed majority. People just solicit for votes based on popularity not necessarily merit of their submissions.
duration: how long will it last, given our busy schedules?

these things and lots more need be decided beforehand.
we also need publicity, like front page mention for instance.

my tots

if we cant increase the kitty, should all interested artists be made to contribute a token? I really think a figure like 100k should b our minimum target.

Yeah, Hanna-Barbera enriched all our lives.

I remember waiting hours watching the tv stations colour bars, counting down to when they would start transmission just to catch d cartoons.....(good tyms, lol)

some of the characters we see today make me shudder.

@dan
download d trial versions from autodesk sites.
we gatta stop patronising pirates, the ripple effect hurts the entire industry.

how dyu just go about designing a character without a character biography or profile to guide u?

Age? Sex? Height? Weight? Physique? Likes? Habits? Special skills? Strengths? Weaknesses? Props? Primary weapon(s)?

all those and more have an effect on the looks of the character.
kinda unfair if they just pick a design that matches wot they r looking for witout disclosing d criteria to all participants.

we need to start doing things properly/professionally.

just thinking out loud....
good luck to participants.

@tos
looking good.
when assembling interior scenes on the fly, a technique that helps me with the relative proportions of the different scene elements, is to create a primitive (usually a scaled cube) that represents the average height of a person.

that way, all the models have believable sizes relative to each other.
look around and observe the different size ratios between, say, people and chairs/ cupboards/windows/curtains etc.

good going.

@emma
naturally it would be 3d.
i wonder y d secrecy tho...

the advantage of public post is response from a wider audience.
i don't fb that much, haven't accessed my acct there in a bit.

lemme know wot its about, n if im ur man then we can decide how to communicate.

A suggestion....
given our environment and the fact that very few people have such paintjobs done, it may be wiser to just seek a regular spray painter and send him to be trained on the art.

my tots

@emma
what do u wish to discuss?

@yinksey
yeah. I think he is creating a generic clip for the cycle that he can use to build several different actions, hence the absence of facial animation.
I think tho.....

@cgniyi
way to go man!

@all
that's 40k n counting.
come on guys, even 1k makes a difference.
lets gun for at least 100k and organize a good competition.

@felix
u have been appreciated so I won't bore u by going that route.
Shawn Barry has an excellent tutorial on 'How Typography Impacts Design' on his YouTube channel.

u can search for it on YouTube.
I think its titled 'Graphic Design Tutorial: Typography and Design'
I believe it will help u improve ur game.

good luck man

@roy
apology unnecessary. U did no wrong.
u just set a ball rolling, suddenly we r 25k up in kitty cash...lol

@shimish
looking real promising.
a slight pop in the knees, and maybe tone down the hand movement on the handle bar a bit.....unless he's meant to b weaving across the street.

great job.

@spy
kool. I will match ur kind offer with 20k, so we r 25k up n counting.

more partners r welcome. If we hit 100k or more i believe that isn't so bad.

so, all of u that talk about change and progress.....its ACTION time.

lets raise worthy prize money.

@Roy
wow! u really do sound cross.
none of what I posted was meant in a negative light. I personally respect the effort and passion u apparently have for the art.

I am merely pointing out the challenges as I perceive them, and a possible workaround.

face it, once you term anything a competition and u put up a prize, ppl are naturally going to weigh participation against the prize offered. That's why I prefer challenges, which are more geared towards self improvement not competition.

I would enter a challenge that offers me the possibility of gaining new knowledge/experience waaaaay before I would enter a contest against fellow artists for prize money. (unless the kitty is considerable and the organizers are a known, reliable brand)

don't misunderstand me, nor be discouraged and subsequently stay away please.
in ur thread last time, alongside my thoughts I believe I also indicated my interest and support, albeit a passive one.

also, there's nothing wrong in establishing credentials that make u worthy of respect. U must know that that's how artists operate.

the reason u need to establish respect, as I stated earlier is cos time is limited.
I wouldn't spend mine on a project that I don't find personally challenging or financially rewarding. I'd rather study or undertake personal learning challenges with the same time.

in my free time, however I could pop in, offer tips n support in any way I can.

we do need each other and all the goodwill we can muster, so don't let my singular opinion colour ur views. If u do want to organize another competition, lets do some behind the scenes homework and arrange a proper one.

@roy
hi man.
the thing is, its here that we r tagging ourselves 'nigerian animators' and trying to form a forum based on that. Our art is global. We r animators first n Nigerians second....lol

if u have been around and stay in the circuit long enough, u will come across artists that u will eventually discover are Nigerian.

I met a couple of really good ones on youanimator.com. Its a site where u post ur clips for critique by ur peers. 11secondsclub has a few too, who have made entries. The thing is, with these guys, its all about the art not where u r from. Those artists' don't particularly advertise where they r from, I only discovered as we corresponded privately.

a few have private blogs or websites where they post their work and share thoughts.

3 Nigerians I know were involved in the making of Avatar in different capacities. Maybe as Nigerian clients evolve, the good artists may feel the need to focus their publicity on them. Until then, the field is open for the mediocres.

on ur competition, kudos on effort.

I pointed out then that there were issues that would limit participation and there were flaws in ur process....there still are.
unless its newbies u r targeting....n they lack the skill for quality output.

all the examples u posted are available downloads.
create a unique concept art, then let interested modelers attempt recreating it. If it looks challenging enough, serious artists may bite.

u r an unknown factor, so why would a busy professional take part in ur contest (for example...for d 1500 recharge card u offered last time)? Not likely.

maybe a beta strategy would be to establish who u r thru your work, gain respect based on know-how and contacts....then, when u talk, serious artists may listen and see possible advantages in participating in projects u propose.

alternatively, explore getting some respected artists/moderators on this forum (if any) to synergize energies and resources and organize a challenge with a worthy payoff (either cash or publicity) I lean more towards publicity.

I partake in challenges myself, and have indeed organized a few...but only when I have free time.

I applaud ur efforts tho.

My tots....

Hi ppl,
its been a bit.

seeking 3d artists on a site that caters to several other interests (of which 3d art is a minor one at that) is bound to give misleading impressions.

visit dedicated art sites to experience real growth.
d serious artists do, that's why it seems like they don't exist here.

most of d time, posts here are for bragging rights or with the intent of wowing the newbies. Point out possible areas for improvement in the work (even if constructively) and u suddenly have an ego war on ur hands.
so why bother?

I see 'excellent' work shredded by fellow artists on other sites much to the contributing artists delight (cos it makes the artist better)
such sites would naturally experience more 3d traffic.

besides, the truly good artists are pretty busy. Time is a scarce commodity, so spending it where it won't yield appropriate dividend isn't very wise.

I don't mean to discourage participation here though, just attempting to answer the OPs question in my opinion.

for real growth, we need to silence the voice of ego and learn to listen. At least listen first, then decide on what to do with the information received.....utilise all/part of it, or trash all/part of it.

3d art encompasses various categories of which 3d animation is just a subset.
Sometimes we overlook that point, probably because of how we operate in this part of the world.
good texturing/rendering/effects is NOT good animation.
the true animator doesn't concern himself with those things, he simply focuses on animation.
most 3d artists are wrongly placed in the industry, hence the poor output.
We have artists who should be texturing now animating, and doing so poorly...or animators modeling and doing so poorly etc.

general knowledge is a plus, but it is specialization that produces outstanding work.

so until true synergy between artists is attained, and everyone discovers and stays in their areas of true strength, we will continue to be surrounded by artists and still not see/listen or even respect each other.

lol, long post.

@centje
nice...however, u just robbed me of d freedom to interpret the artwork in my own way (with ur detailed explanation)
i dunno if dats a good thing or not.

nice works

search for reference videos on d flight pattern of butterflies, it will aid u guys greatly.

My question too wasnt clarified on wot d focus was on.....quality of d motions or of d overall animation.

Good goin all