Blender Tutorials

Here are a 5 tutorials that I recommend. I tried adding them to the blog but the original email inviting me to edit is broken.

Mirror modifier: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjSmkHnGrlA

Mesh-Modelling: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1DnYxd3iTw

Modelling from reference images: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXA3so_FUF8

Materials: http://youtu.be/n182T7ne6PE?t=1m8s

Lighting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF2ugsuyHu8

Also a note that many tutorials are now working with "Cycles" which is a different render engine inside blender. For the context of this class, students should realize the difference so they don't end up watching tutorials that feature this. The render engine we will be using is called "Blender Render" and is the program's default. 

For any keeners, here are the sites that I go to for more in-depth learning:

https://cgcookie.com/blender/category/tutorials/

http://www.blenderguru.com/tutorials/

http://blenderartists.org/forum/index.php

Flash Storyboards

Include the following in your storyboard:

1. Development of character- Self-portrait. Main character has a resemblance of you, take on attributes of you. Supporting characters are optional.
2. Background(s)- Can be simple, or detailed. Use more than one scene.
3. Strong narrative: establish space and character(s), create a conflict, and then resolve.
4. Include at least 3 perspectives (variety in the frame, use different angles, change the distance to subject, POV or point of view)
5. Use a Cut-Away- where you switch your frame to draw attention to something and/or lapse time more rapidly.
6. Consider compositional framing techniques to make the frame more interesting and appealing.

More blank storyboards are in the hand in box at the front of the class.
Storyboards are due Friday, Dec. 5th.

Mini-Flash Animation

Check list for your First Flash Animation:

Create a simple subject or a ball. Animate it using the following techniques:

• Frame by frame animation
• Motion Tween
• Scale Tween
• Colour Tween
• Transform Tween
• Shape Tween
• Ease

[You can animate the background too.] Create a simple story and incorporate your new Flash skills.
Publish it and save to the Flash Mini Animation Share folder.

Storyboarding: planning your visual story

Brainstorm-
Before you start story boarding your animation, you need to brain storm,  write down your ideas in point form, doodle,
Write a Script-
Then write it out a script could be in paragraph or point form. It may be short, but it is a starting point to organize your thoughts.

Storyboard-
Then try to visually and roughly draw your idea in a storyboard. The essence of the story board it to organize your ideas, and to use it as a guide when putting your final piece together.

Some Storyboard Suggestions:

• Keep it simple, don't worry if you are not a great artist, you don't have to go into detail.
• Don not draw all of the frames. Only draw out key changes, significant changes in movement, or the story line.
• Draw in pencil, 
• Sometimes drawing a grid will give your frames depth.
• Give the basic essence of your story- beginning, middle/conflict, end resolutions

Storyboard from Wall-e

DOT & a line: Guidelines for Telling a Story

Develop a simple story about a "Dot and line". Your DOT will be animated to show movement from frame to frame and your will be confronted with some sort of conflict and resolution.

Guidelines are not rules, but a formula that can be used to suit your creative imagination. Several avenues exist for storytelling, such as journalistic reporting, sequential images that reveal a moment, photographic poetry, and narrative. The following guidelines are for narrative.

A good story has characters in action with a beginning, middle, and an ending. A lot of information can be given in a single setting. Location, time, and atmosphere aid viewer imagination.

1. Establish characters and location.
2. Create a situation with possibilities of what might happen.
3. Involve the characters in the situation.
4. Build to probable outcomes.
5. Have a logical, but surprising, end.

You will first brainstorm/doodle ideas of what to do with your DOT. You can try this site for starters- Flipbook Animator Site


Another fun animation idea site: drawastickman.com


Then develop your idea in a storyboard: Identify key moments, in the story ie: actions, changes in scene, shifts in movement, and events that help to relay the idea tied into the story.

Favorite Animations Pt.2

 

Today we are going to view several of your chosen favourite animations.

After each one, we are going to identify the animation technique and possible ways that the animations were constructed.
Then we are going to identify the main character(s), story- conflict and resolution. 

Here's a few of my favorite cartoons:
Duck Amuck
(notes on) Biologyand

We will view these and identify different animation techniques, character representation, conflict, use of sound, background, and irony.

Blender Questions Jan. 8

Hey Donna,

Happy New Year to you as well. It's cool to know that your class is independently producing these projects in blender now. I will try my best to answer questions as soon as I can.

Answer to Question 1. How to extend the animation time line... we tried in the dope sheet...



Answer to Question 2. How do we copy an animated object that has been bone tool-ed.




If you want the copied object to move the same way the first one did, go into object mode, right click on the object, hold shift, then right click on the bone controlling the object, then press shiftD to copy both the bone and it's object. You should now have 2 objects, each with their own bones which move in the same motion.

If you want to take that first object, and make a second copy that doesn't move, follow this image:


Answer to Question 3. How to save files from separate blender files and transfer them to one blender file
Appending files:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxD7FGeGR9Q


Alex,
alexander.honeywell@gmail.com