September 17th, 8pm CDT, 2019 - Blender Animation Critique

Wayne Dixon

Hey folks,

I will be hosting a Live Animation Critique on September 17th, 20:00-21:30 CDT.

I will be answering any animation questions you might have, and critiquing your animation!


So please post any questions here, as well as links to your work that you would like me to look at.

I will focus on the submissions that are related to your CGCookie learning first, but I'm happy to look at any animations that you are working on.


Don't forget to RSVP to the event!

  • Jake Korosi(jakeblended) replied

    Oh HECK yeah!

    On his live stream yesterday, Kent mentioned something about an internet reliability upgrade in your neck of the woods that meant you'd be able to start hosting live streams soon.  Looking forward to seeing what you bring!

  • smurfmier1985 replied

    @waylow congrats on finally getting your koala-bears-with-cans-internet upgraded to hoppy fast kangaroo speed! It’s about time 🎉

    Bummed it will be at 3 AM for me so I won’t catch it live ☹️

    Good luck and hope you enjoy doing your first glitch free stream!

  • Chris Strunk(furfur111) replied

    Yay! This is awesome! I'm going to go ahead and submit my current treasure chest animation. I uploaded my beauty render as well as a viewport render with frame numbers. My goal was to make it seem like someone (or something, oooh spooky) was trying to escape from the chest. I would love to get feedback on it! See you in the stream!

    https://cgcookie.com/u/furfur111/projects/wip-treasure-chest-animation

  • Kenny Chan(kennyc222) replied
  • Nurudeen Agbonoga(nurkage) replied

    I havent practiced as much as I should. But I struggle with making characters feel alive. What are things you do to make sure your characters feel alive? Here are links to animations ive done outside the courses with the vonn bots rigs.

    https://vimeo.com/351835346

    https://vimeo.com/350528789

  • spikeyxxx replied

    Hey Wayne, If you allow me to put in a horrible animation...

    I do not want to be an animator, but I would like to be able to animate, if that makes sense;)

    I still need to follow your animation courses (just got to the ball circle...)!

    I can make things move, but I can't animate and I realize that that is going to take a lot of time and effort, but still, if you have time enough, please watch this:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_3ZGv9KOAk&feature=youtu.be

  • Omar Domenech(dostovel) replied

    It is still not finished and perhaps it doesn't counts as an animation, but I'll try and submit it nonetheless, see where that goes. It's a demo reel I've been working on to maybe try and land a job at a studio somewhere. I'm so tired of looking at it that I've lost all perspective. Do you have your own demo reel, for when you're trying to land a freelance job? do you have any advice? Should I start my own bakery instead?



  • smurfmier1985 replied

    dostovel  

    Wayne’s animation reel: https://vimeo.com/187908883

    Wayne’s acting reel: https://vimeo.com/278417011

    Please do watch the acting reel, I ensure you will laugh at the end, it’s quite memorable 😆

  • smurfmier1985 replied

    dostovel I also listened to this video by Flippednormals recently where they talk about creating a killer portfolio, as well as how to approach creating your demo reel. I found it very educational.

    It’s focused at presenting your modeling skills (they are character modelers but it applies to all types of models).

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HAC468bvNeI

  • Omar Domenech(dostovel) replied

    Thanks Miranda, I mean Pepper. I really enjoyed both Wayne's reels, and now I really want to do animation, it looks so cool. Why does that always happen? The only thing about animation is that it's like you have to battle a four headed dragon before you get to the princess, meaning you have to defeat rigging first. But you see all the mutilated body's of everyone who have tried it and can't pass the dragon, it's not a pretty picture. 

    Already got a few good tips from the Flipped Normal guys. Thanks for that. 

  • Kaj Suominen(louhikarme) replied

    There is no Gold without Dragons. :)

  • Phil Osterbauer(phoenix4690) replied

    Why would you need to learn rigging first? Sure rigging is a skill that parents well with animation. (see what I did there ;) ) But in no way is it a prerequisite. If you want to learn to animate, grab that ball rig and start learning. :D

  • Omar Domenech(dostovel) replied

    phoenix4690 Well it has always felt to me as if going surfing and not knowing how to swim. You can surf but it would be pretty great if you could defend yourself if something goes wrong. Maybe is not a fair comparison, I don't know. It's like being passionate about cars, but you don't know what a transmission is or how to change a tire. Somehow I feel like I'm not legit. I bet it's like a physiological thing though and it's not that bad.

    You know what also happens sometimes, you see a cool concept art of say a character on the internet and you go like aahh that would make a cool render. So you model, texture, light, etc it, you do the entire 3d pipeline and you show your final render to people and they go like wow dude, that looks sick, did you do that? and you go like yeah I made it.... then people see the concept art from where you took off and people say, ah so you didn't actually do it? and you go like yeah I made it, that's the concept art, and they go like, yeah so the dude that drew that picture was the one who came up with it, and you're like yes they did the concept art but I made the whole other part of the job and they're like, so who's is it then? And you're locked into this weird paradox of what actually count as who made it. Is it the concept artist who thought it up? or is it the 3D artist who brought it up into a tangible form? For me is a synergy of both, but I find people always go to the main source as to where to plant the flag of ownership. It always makes you feel cheap, like you didn't really do it yourself. 

  • Wayne Dixon replied

    These are all great things to talk about in the stream.

    (I love you guys)

  • Omar Domenech(dostovel) replied

    You hear that fellows, we be like cool and dope. 

  • Kaj Suominen(louhikarme) replied

    Omar, i think you worry too much of what people think. if you have friends who says things like that, get them out of your life  you don't need that kind of negativity in your life.


  • smurfmier1985 replied

    I second what Kaj says.

  • Omar Domenech(dostovel) replied

    What? you mean you don't get that kind of comments? I thought that was how everyone non art related reacted. But now now, settle down everyone, people say that but, it's not coming from a bad place. I work in an office, people with desk jobs just are non the wiser. Although it could be fun next time someone asked me, hey that looks cool, who made that? and I'd be like, screw you buddy! that's who.  

  • Kaj Suominen(louhikarme) replied

    i think you were missing the point, or i'm not explaining it clearly. in any case, you don't have to be douche about it. unless ofcourse your office people are douches themselves, then i would not interact with them at all. 

    an a second thought, if they are takin a beef with who's made what, to me that sounds like they are jealous and are trying to make you quit, in which case more power to you and keep going and ignore them even more. :)

  • Omar Domenech(dostovel) replied

    No no, don't worry, they are not bad people, we're just from different worlds. No douches, no jealousy. It's just some people don't get it, how these kinda things are made. 

    Anyways, changing tunes a bit, has anyone seen this kind of animation? this looks so freaking great. How is it that it looks so buttery smooth? I can't believe someone keyframed all that to look so fluid. If I ever did anything close to this, I'd walk in the street with a monitor telling  everyone, yep I did that.