Unfortunately, I must make another apology to you all. Just as I sat down to edit the Scene Setup tutorial, I found that the video was recorded improperly using an almost useless variable frame rate. As a result, I must find a new screencast program before completing these tutorials. I would appreciate any advice.
~A very disappointed Denny
I’m sorry about this, I really hoped to have the first few done, but the cross-country move took more out of me than I expected. I’ll be working on compositing the next few videos this week. They will cover material as follows:
1) Scene Setup
2) Default Workspace
3) Primary Tools
4*) Custom Workspaces
Thank you for bearing with me, I promise not to let you down… just let me recover a little.
* I might not get around to the Custom Workspaces tutorial; this one heavily relies on your input. Please leave a comment on the topic. While I’m more comfortable in my own custom workspace, it might be confusing to some of you. Let me know.
~Denny
It has come time again for me to relocate. As such, I will be removed from the world for a week as I travel across the North American Continent. I intend to record tutorials on scene setup and workspace navigation before I move, but they will not be composited, nor released, until about August 21. In the meantime, please leave suggestions and requests for future videos.
Much Love,
~The Man with the Plan
My first viewer question and the first video of the series. This one’s on opening templates for use in Digital Pro. A brief video that serves the purposes of answering a question and testing out my new screencast program.
*Please note that if I sounded condescending in this video, that was not the intent. I was merely trying to stall for time under inopportune circumstances.
Compositing this was one disaster after another. Frame rates were garbled, audio was corrupted, file sizes exploded, quality was lost. All in all, I’m glad this is done.
Things to expect from the next release:
Modern Graphics!
Better Audio!
A Subject Everyone Will Encounter!
An Outline For the Narrator (Me) to Follow!
A Well-Rested Narrator!
Actual Animation? MAYBE!
In other words; this was a test, this was only a test.
~Tired Guy
When undertaking an ambitious project, one must be prepared with the right tools for the job. There are always alternatives, but for these tutorials, I’ll be using:
A MacBook Pro
As my default work center, I’ve chosen a MacBook Pro running at 2.4 GHz with 2 GB RAM. I’ll be running Mac OS X (10.4) as a matter of preference, but I intend to include Windows equivalent shortcuts in the videos.
To the Linux community, I feel for you, but Toon Boom Digital Pro is not supported on Linux platforms (although I’ve heard promising reports about WINE).
If you are an animator considering a computer purchase in the near future, remember that RAM is power.
A Wacom Cintiq 12WX
This is the pride and joy of any digital artist’s arsenal. At $999, it’s a little pricey, so I recommend the lesser Wacom tablets (Graphire and Intuos [I have no comment on Bamboo]) unless you’re wholly devoted to the trade.
A Sony Bravia HDTV
You might look at me funny for this one. This is a personal recommendation for anyone animating for television. You should always know how your work will look to the end consumer. Screening your work in a theater is expensive and watching it on your computer desktop can be misleading. My solution was this TV (it was on sale). Using a DVI-HDMI cable, I can preview work for HDTV directly from my computer without broadcasting (sorry, I just can’t do that) or risking quality loss on DVD. I HIGHLY recommend a proofing station to all of you, even if it’s not an HDTV.
Pepsi
Finally, the sweet nectar of the gods. I wouldn’t advise anyone to begin work without a refreshing caffeinated beverage.
There you have it! Now you, too can build your very own garage-corner animation studio!
These are the tools to get you up and running. For learning purposes, this should suffice until we get into sound later in the year.
The next post will be a tutorial based on a viewer submitted query. Enjoy!
~Justin “Denny” Furlong
Is it possible?
To create an identity apart from identity?
To declare dark, macabre whimsy?
To exist in two places at once?
Three?
Three-thousand?
Three million?
~Das Rote