ACADEMY OF ANIMATION AND GAMING

Shashank Srivastava's Lighting & Texturing Showreel (B.Sc 3rd year)

2010-03-19T17:13:00.000-07:00

sumit rigging demo reel

2010-02-26T05:47:00.001-08:00

adobe online festival

2010-02-16T00:36:00.000-08:00

adobe online festival

http://www.adobeonlinefestival.com/?loc=IN&from=direct&tid=

3D Modeling and Texturing

2010-02-12T22:52:00.000-08:00

Apprentice Program:Rhythm & Hues Studios, India

2010-02-08T04:16:00.000-08:00

Apprentice Program:

>> Digital Rotoscope Artist
training begins at Hyderabad on 22-Feb-2010
( last date for application 8 - Feb - 2010 )
>> 3D Digital Artist: Animator
training begins at Hyderabad on 12-Apr-2010
( last date for application 27 - Mar - 2010 )

for more info please check this website http://www.rhythm.com/india/career.html

3D Modeling

2010-02-04T23:25:00.000-08:00

3D Modeling Done By Bsc-08 Students(Vijay Kumar,Virendra Jalal)

Vimanika comics first Ever Online Sketching Contest !!!

2009-12-23T01:43:00.000-08:00

Vimanika Comics and Chitrakatha Documentary Project in association with Animation Xpress brings you a once in lifetime chance to create your own vision of Vimanika’s Karna and win a super exclusive Karna Statue created specially for the winner of the contest. Become a part of the legend itself by drawing your cool version of India’s own Superhero and send it to us. Winning entries will be published in future issues of Vimanika Comics and if we liked your drawings you can also win some awesome Vimanika gift hampers.

All you have to do is, sketch your version of the Vimanika's legendary warrior Karna with a background, adorn him with his divine Kavach and Kundals, any two of his weapons 1) Bow and Arrow OR 2) Metallic whiplash.
We will accept entries with a background.

Rules:
Your entries should be in 300 DPI Resolution and maximum of 5 MB in size.
A participant can send as many entries as he/she wants.

Do not forget to mention Your Name, Age, Contact No., Email and Postal Address along with your masterpiece.

Contest Kick starts on Dec 18th, last day of submission is Jan 15th, 2010

So what are you waiting for, pick up your tools and create your own version of Vimanika’s Karna the legendary warrior of all time!

--------------------------------------------------

For Details Visit the Main Page - Click here

DOCOMO !

2009-09-30T10:39:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

You guys must be knowing about TATA DOCOMO, They are conducting a Animation Competition, where you are supposed to animate using these characters (letters) D, C, O and M. First it was only for 2D and they have opened it for 3D and stop-motion also. Read more at Animation Express and to participate go through there

website

In case you haven't seen the add here's the youtube video !

NASSCOM Animation & Gaming Report 2008-09 released

2009-09-08T06:16:00.000-07:00

NASSCOM Animation & Gaming Report 2008-09 released

Animation Method

2009-08-29T04:43:00.000-07:00

Highlights from Kyle Balda's 3D Animation Masterclass

Inka Bola : Beautiful Short From Gobelins

2009-08-24T01:21:00.000-07:00

Inka Bola yet again re-affirms that work coming out of Gobelins's is as amazing, as beautiful , as impeccable as ever !!

Have a look and decide for yourself !

Also a little bit of behind the scenes -

Escape Studios visual effects scholarships up for grabs

2009-08-18T08:28:00.000-07:00

Skillset funding of Escape Studios course provides places for up-and-coming CG artists

Scholarships for twelve aspiring Visual Effects artists have been put up for grabs by computer graphics academy Escape Studios for its visual effects (VFX) course. Thanks to new funding from the Skillset Film Skills Fund, twelve individuals will receive 100 per cent subsidised places on the prestigious course. At the end of the course the attendees will go on a four-week industry placement, also funded by the investment.

Dominic Davenport, CEO at Escape Studios said “This is a fantastic opportunity for twelve talented and enthusiastic individuals to take their first steps to securing a place in the computer graphics industry. It can take years to develop the skills these lucky students will be taught in a matter of months, and we are looking for those with a passion for computer graphics and a desire to succeed.”

Neil Peplow, Director of Film at Skillset, the training body for the UK creative industries, said: “Our research shows that the industry needs more highly trained new entrants in the crucial field of visual effects. The UK attracts high levels of international productions choosing to do their post-production here because of the exceptional quality of our workforce. Schemes like this will help ensure that this continues."

The Skillset Visual Effects course will offer a combination of practical training and industry work experience, providing participants not only with an education but with the skills and confidence to secure future employment. Participants will receive training in the use of Maya and Nuke and learn all of the camera tracking, lighting and compositing skills needed to create fully integrated visual effects shots to a professional standard.

Davenport continues, “It’s critical that people who attend Escape Studios not only learn key skills but know how to turn these skills into a professional career. Too often education is simply an accumulation of knowledge, with little indication of how skills can be transferred into the real world of work. That’s why attendees on the Skillset course receive eighteen weeks of solid contact time with Escape’s industry experienced tutors, and also get out into the world of work afterwards with a four week placement. This allows graduates to see what’s required by post production houses, and build useful contacts in the industry.”

Stephen Tew took part in last year’s Skillset VFX course, and now works at Framestore. “Getting on the Escape Studios’ course really helped accelerate my career. It gave me a host of skills that could take years to learn otherwise, and helped me secure my current employment.”

The course starts on 28th September and runs for 18 weeks followed by the month long placement, with a three week break over Christmas and New Year. Potential applicants should visit the Skillset page on Escape Studios’ website: www.escapestudios.com/skillset

VFX reel- Bindu

2009-08-16T23:21:00.001-07:00

Machinarium-- very cool looking video game

2009-08-15T05:36:00.000-07:00

This looks more than cool. The design and imagination are a treat for the eyes.

Demo Reels

2009-08-15T05:29:00.000-07:00

1) First off, test your DVD. 20% or more just don’t work. You would be amazed at how many reels don’t play or expect the user to download a quicktime file or try it on other dvd players.

2) Put your best stuff first. That first clip is the hook. You want to impress your viewers.

3) End with something great. It leaves a lasting impression. Alot of the time you remember one or two great shots on a reel.

4) Don’t use those free Internet models. I cant tell you how many times we see the same 4 or five models. Yes, we know its hard to rig and find a good model to animate, but seeing the same rig for all these years is getting old. If you are gonna use a free rig, alter it so much so that you cant tell that its the norman rig or the animation mentor rig.Using the stock rig is just boring.

5) If possible, its great to see personal work, like a short film. I realize many people are professionals, but if you have been out of school for a few years, its still interesting to see your short film if its good. If you don’t know if its good, ask someone you respect or post it on a forum for feedback. I remember seeing a reel that had good professional work, but it was a one person acting test that closed the deal. I could see that person had a great sense of acting and emotion. They got the job.

6) Content: People will say: Acting test, one and two person, run cycle, walk cycle, weight test… Thats BS. Of course we want to see all those things, but not in a boring way. An animator has to understand acting, appeal, weight, dynamics, locomotion, etc etc… Its great to see these things in a test that has a little story to it. Something that has entertainment value. What is it that sets you apart from the other person. If your a veteran animator, but have been animating nothing but creature work, its important to really show some work that demonstrates your acting skills, or vice versa… If you are 2d transitioning to 3d, the 3d has to be as good as the 2d or don’t show it. Yes there is ramp up time for a 2d animator making the jump, but you should still have the same skills when you were drawing it. It also goes the other way. I saw a reel that had some nice 3d work, then the 2d stuff came up and it was bad. That being said, it was not the draftsmanship, it was the animation.

7) Demo reel music - make sure I can hear the dialogue. I don’t care about your taste in music. I just want to watch the work and concentrate on it. I hate reels that have loud jazzy music.. This is not a Bill Evans demo reel.

8) Your titles… It always seems that the ones with fancy titles usually suck. Simple titles with your name in the beginning and at the end with your contact info. Put that same contact info on the DVD label. I remember a DVD that was lying around my office for the longest time that had a logo on it. I had no idea what it was… Months later, I played it and it was a great reel. If I had known earlier, maybe that reel would have seen the light of day sooner… (ultimately, the guy got hired)

9) Length - Ok, if you worked 10 plus years in the biz, I know you have a lot to show. We just don’t need to see it all. Show the best stuff. Some reels are also too short as well.. Somewhere between 1.5 minutes and 6 is acceptable. The 6 minute or over reel better be amazing or a short film.

10) Make sure what you are showing is ok with the last place you worked. Its akward to see a lot of work from a film that is not out for two years. It makes people ask ” So if they work here, will they put their work on a reel way before the film is out?” Just be careful… People judge…

To sum up: There are so many aspects to a good demo reel. I certainly have my opinion and it does not represent everyone else’s. Heck, if I had to apply now, I’d probably have a harder time getting in, but what always impresses me in a demo reel is good ideas. Whether they be acting ideas, story, etc… how a gesture is done etc, etc… That will win me over more than a reel that has perfect polish. Einstein said “Imagination is more important than knowledge?” How true that rings for our industry as well….

Hope this helps a bit.

Source : splinedoctors

The BIG Ganesha contest for Artist & Modeler organized by BIG AIMS

2009-08-12T06:19:00.001-07:00

Interview with AAG COO, Vikas Tomar

2009-08-12T05:54:00.000-07:00

An alumnus of Vancouver Film School, Vikas Tomar, joined Academy of Animation and Gaming as Chief Operating Officer in the month of April ‘09. He is also the Chief Technical Officer of Pixel Galaxy Studio and Dimension X Entertainment. In an interview with AnimationXpress.com Vikas talks about his plans for AAG and his perspective of animation and gaming space in India.

How did you start of in Animation?
I started my career 15 years ago as a Special Effects Director with Apple authorized digital studio to in Hollywood. Later I worked as a visualizer in many media companies. I co founded Pixel Galaxy in Canada in 2002 and in India in 2008 with a vision to create a new media consultancy organization which is servicing over dozen global clients. And now I am heading the Academy of Animation and Gaming as Chief Operating Officer. I have also recently supervised VFX for a Canadian film, produced TV show pilot and done some CG music videos.

What are you currently working on?
Cliff Garbutt who has more than 20 years of digital animation experience built a game concept for X-Box version titled ‘Lost Continent of Terrapin’. The concept had won X-Box Development prize in 2004 for game design and we have planned to work on a teaser for the game. Cliff would be here in India this month and would initiate the plans with AAG and Pixel. I am planning to do the teaser with the students as I have great faith in them and also I have done a project earlier with students.

What were the projects that you worked on with the students?
Prior to joining AAG I have worked with students for the project which did turn out to be well executed. We worked on game titled ‘Folklore’ in 2007. The modeling part for the game was done by students in India. Another project was a 90 min horror film titled ‘Shelf Life’ directed my Mark Tuit. The basic story line of the movie is that there is a character called Martin and his job is to hunt and destroy human like parasites who feast on mankind. They were very talented and dedicated towards their work and that impressed me a lot.

What are your future plans with AAG?
We have been planning to open institutes in some of the major cities in India such as Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad where we feel the talent pool is high and we have to bring them out. We have to find out people who can do this at the respective places with good command over the language of the regions in order to make things easy and quick.

What will be the focus of the AAG’s upcoming seminar in Delhi?
It is important for industry people to conduct seminars on a regular basis. We would be organizing seminars to help out the students once in a quarter. The necessity to have such seminars is that the students learn more on the insights of the industry and know what is best for them. It is necessary for the students to know what sort of opportunities are there in this field of animation and gaming.

What difference do you see in students abroad and in India?
The important thing that I have noticed that sets students in India and abroad apart is that in India they aren’t as dedicated or hard working. I am not talking in comparison to foreign students but amongst Indians itself. A student who learns here in an institute would be much more dedicated and hardworking if he is learning in a foreign country. This is because of the perception that the students have that learning in foreign countries is much better, but the truth is that the teaching here in India is at par.

How is the animation and gaming industry in India?
To tell the truth gaming hasn’t reached the level that animation has been able to achieve in India. One of the main reasons for this is the strong culture and history our country has. We have so many mythological stories which can be told effectively and interestingly through the animation medium. India and China have an advantage of having a number of mythological stories in their country and there have even been talks some of the Hollywood movies being based on our very own ‘Ramayanam’. In terms of gaming we have a long way to go and lots to explore in terms of content.

Source : http://usanx02.indiantelevision.co.in/modules/editorial/story_print.php?id=21471

Chandan- Bsc A

2009-08-06T05:56:00.000-07:00

Seminar in New Delhi by AAG

2009-08-03T18:32:00.001-07:00

Basab- Game art

2009-07-27T21:34:00.000-07:00

Bhavya Tayal- bsc

2009-07-21T04:50:00.001-07:00

Kundan Khati

2009-07-21T02:05:00.000-07:00

TASI Presents Anifest India 2009

2009-06-27T20:44:00.001-07:00

ARTT War 2 - Battle of the Schools

2009-06-27T20:40:00.001-07:00

here is the link to know more about ARTT War 2

Disney/Pixar launching new studio in Vancouver( Canada)

2009-05-10T10:40:00.000-07:00

Disney/Pixar launching new studio in Vancouver

By Carolyn Giardina
[Source: reuters.com]

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Woody and Buzz are heading north.

To accommodate a growing slate of nonfeature projects, Disney and Pixar will launch an animation studio in the fall in Vancouver.

The focus will be on Pixar's established characters, including Buzz and Woody from the "Toy Story" films and Lightning McQueen and Mater from "Cars."

"The operation will be small in size and dedicated to producing short-form quality computer animation for theme parks, DVDs, television and theatrical exhibition ... for several different divisions of the Walt Disney Co.," Disney/Pixar president Ed Catmull said.

Pixar general manager Jim Morris said he expects the staff to reach 75 to 100. He added that feature work and all stereoscopic 3-D work will still be done at Pixar's headquarters in Emeryville, California.

The venture is the latest example of a company opening a visual effects (VFX) or animation facility in Vancouver. Other residents include Rainmaker, an animation company; CIS Vancouver, a Deluxe-owned VFX business; and Moving Picture Co., a Technicolor-owned VFX facility.

Tax incentives, a local talent base and proximity to Pixar contributed to the decision. Pixar will receive incentives offered for animation production and research and development.

"Canada, and Vancouver specifically, has had terrific tax incentives for this type of work," Pixar general manager Jim Morris said. "I think they have a desire to grow this sort of business activity and get a critical mass. This will allow us to do more with the budgets that we have."

Morris said Pixar would step up production of its character-based ancillary content at the new venue.

"We have a somewhat unfulfilled demand," he said. "We wanted to do various things with 'Toy Story' to keep the characters alive. People like to see them somewhat regularly." He pointed to Pixar chief creative officer John Lasseter, who would like to do more with the "Cars" characters.

Pixar has a full slate of upcoming titles -- some sequels and some introducing new characters. "Up," the studio's 10th computer-animated feature and first to be released in digital 3-D, opens May 29 and introduces new characters, including elderly Carl Fredricksen and young wilderness explorer Russell.

The 3-D releases of "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2" bring Woody, Buzz and the toys back to theaters October 2.

Current film projects at Pixar are the 3-D features "Toy Story 3," "Cars 2," "The Bear and the Bow" and "Newt." The studio also is developing a series of shorts based on the Mater character from "Cars" as well as theme park projects.

Chandan: Bsc

2009-05-07T09:25:00.000-07:00

Nominations - VOTE for the ARTTWar WINNER

2009-05-04T19:01:00.000-07:00

Here is the Link for VOTING. VOTE FOR THE BEST TEAM

PIXAR LIBARARY

2009-05-03T05:16:00.001-07:00

Pixar Library

Kundan Khati: Basic Animation Reel

2009-05-02T22:37:00.000-07:00

2nd showreel from kundankhati on Vimeo.

AShish: Game Art

2009-04-29T07:54:00.000-07:00

CGTExpo 23 & 24 May ( Mumbai) 29 &30 May( Delhi)

2009-04-28T18:33:00.000-07:00

About CGTExpo

CGTExpo is India's First Career Guidance and Computer Graphics Technology Expo on Animation, Visual Effects and Gaming organized by CGTantra, India's largest Community portal on animation, VFX and gaming in strategic alliance with Nine I Pvt Ltd.

Conceived with CGTantra's philosophy of "Learn Inspire Grow, CGTExpo aims to provide an insight into a career in Animation, VFX and Gaming as well as a cross pollination among the Studio’s, technology professionals and the student fraternity.

The line-up of activities includes a Job Fair for Placement Agencies, Studios and Production Houses as well as an Education Fair for all institutes and Animation Schools. There will also be a Technical Exhibition, Master classes, Showcases, Seminars, Student Competitions, Art Galleries, and Entertainment Zone etc. It would be the largest career, education and Jobs fair in India on Animation, VFX and Gaming.

First Time in Delhi.

AAG Noida - Abhivyakti- ARTT war Final Submission

2009-04-10T07:41:00.000-07:00

FINAL RENDER
-- Youtube --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQp2u35Tm94
---Vimeo------ http://www.vimeo.com/4090047

Half Body exercise- Kudan Khati( Dip-1)

2009-04-09T07:43:00.000-07:00

Digital Painting Old man( Amit- Dip1)

2009-04-06T07:43:00.000-07:00

Akshay Kumar to write comics series for TERI

2009-04-04T00:04:00.000-07:00

Delhi based The Energy and Research Institute (TERI) and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) have recently launched Tronomega to Earth, a comic book series under its ongoing on-ground campaign Soldiers of the Earth. The key highlight of the series will be, that its being written and conceptualized by popular Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar. The actor is also the brand ambassador of the entire campaign and is being called 'Champion of the Cause'.

Tronomega to Earth is a 44 page comic book with four characters who are kids with superpowers and who are out to protect the environment. Currently developed in English, TERI plans to publish the comics in French, Spanish and other languages.

check the link..http://www.animationxpress.com/anex/y2k9/headlines/anex4672.htm

Maya Lighting work- Ramakant Tiwari- Dip1

2009-03-31T03:55:00.001-07:00

Car Nurbs Modelling -Rohit Bose( Bsc-b)

2009-03-31T03:10:00.001-07:00

3D modelling- Vinay ( Dip-2)

2009-03-31T02:44:00.001-07:00

Monsters Vs. Aliens,a box office hit in the U.S

2009-03-30T08:59:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipNYLBnv6Dg

NewYorkTimes wrote:“Monsters vs. Aliens, positioned by the studio and its distributor, Paramount Pictures, as a make-or-break moment for digital 3-D, sold an estimated $58.2 million in tickets at North American theaters over the weekend, according to Media by Numbers, a box-office tracking firm. It’s the biggest opening so far of the year. But a deeper look at the numbers indicates that 3-D is the story.

The movie opened on 7,000 screens, including Imax screens, of which only 2,100 were equipped with 3-D technology. About 56 percent of the movie’s weekend total came from those limited 3-D screenings, according to Paramount, and they carried premium prices of up to $4 atop the standard admission. So about 30 percent of the screens delivered 56 percent of the gross, indicating that audiences sought out the format.

“We really feel this is proof of concept for this new style of 3-D, said Anne Globe, the DreamWorks chief of marketing and consumer products.

Over all, Hollywood sold $142.7 million in tickets over the weekend, a 35 percent increase over the same weekend last year. Sales for the year are up 12 percent on a 10 percent rise in attendance, according to Media by Numbers.

Jeffrey Katzenberg, chief executive and co-founder of DreamWorks Animation, has tied the future of the company tightly to 3-D. All his future films will be released in that format.

But a success with “Monsters vs. Aliens was crucial for the studio for other reasons. The film is DreamWorks Animation’s only release in 2009. The studio has typically delivered two movies a year, but altered that plan as a crush of 3-D films was scheduled to enter the marketplace.

The studio also hoped to quiet investor worries about whipsawing quality. Reviews were mixed (and much more negative than those for recent releases by rival Pixar), but good enough to satisfy some people on Wall Street: Cowen and Company upgraded its recommendation on the studio’s stock, saying its “capability to consistently release high-quality films has improved.

Second place at the box office went to “The Haunting in Connecticut, a horror entry from Lionsgate, which is waging battle with the corporate raider Carl Icahn. That inexpensive picture sold a solid $23 million in tickets.

“Knowing, a science-fiction thriller from Summit Entertainment that was No. 1 the previous weekend, was third this weekend with an estimated $14.7 million (for a total of $46.2 million since opening), showing solid audience retention in its second week.

“I Love You, Man, from Paramount and DreamWorks Studios, the live-action cousin to Mr. Katzenberg’s company, sold an estimated $12.6 million ($37 million so far). Rounding out the Top 5 was “Duplicity, a romantic thriller starring Julia Roberts and Clive Owen, with $7.6 million ($25.6 million so far).

The performance of “Duplicity, produced by Universal Pictures and Relativity Media, has been disappointing, particularly given the former ability of Ms. Roberts to turn out masses. While the movie charmed critics, audience chatter has been focused on a bloated running time and its seriousness, a surprise since the studio marketed it as lighthearted.

Ref: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/30/movies/30box.html?_r=1&ref=movies

Dp- Raina Sharma( DIp1)

2009-03-28T05:11:00.000-07:00

ARTT War Updates- AAG student (Abhivyakti)

2009-03-28T01:58:00.000-07:00

Lighting work- Parmeet Dahyia- VFX student

2009-03-28T01:45:00.000-07:00

Lighting work- Deepak( VFX student)

2009-03-28T01:43:00.000-07:00

Lighting work- Kamal( VFX student)

2009-03-28T01:40:00.000-07:00

GAME ART AND ANIMATION LAB PICTURE

2009-03-26T09:02:00.000-07:00

HeMant Bora - Game Art

2009-02-17T01:12:00.000-08:00

AAG student TEAM at ARTT War - Battle of the Schools

2009-02-03T07:07:00.000-08:00

for more updates related to this WAR check this LINK

Tom and Jerry: The Movie,

2009-01-28T21:12:00.000-08:00

Warner Brothers announced it is bringing Tom and Jerry as CG stars in a new live-action film

Check this link for more information...Tom and Jerry: The Movie,

CGTantra Artt War Started

2009-01-20T06:50:00.000-08:00

The competition is a Quarterly Team Challenge,which means the task have to be completed in 3 months time.
Topic for Jan-Mar challenge is THE MAHABHARAT.
Teams have to prepare concept art,sketches,models,props,lighting and turn around of the characters.
Cool prizes are:-
Ist Prize -
1. 1 NVIDIA Quadro FX 570 Graphics Card
2. 1 year Subscription of ARTT - CGTantra Artbook of Excellence
3. 3 CGTantra TShirts for the the team.
4. Artwork display and showcased on ARTT magazine & CGTantra homepage.
5. Challenge winner badge in CGTantra Forums.
IInd Prize -
1. 6 Months ARTT Subscription
2. CGTantra TShirts
3. ARTWork Showcase in ARTT
IIIrd Prize -
1. 3 Months ARTT
2. CGTantra TShirts
For more details please log on to:-
http://www.cgtantra.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13463

So, guys grab the opportunity....n do your best....get set GOOOO..

ALL THE BEST.

Animation Workflow-"layering method" daniel huertas.

2009-01-19T06:29:00.000-08:00

FERN diving pool (Animation steps) :) from daniel_huertas on Vimeo.

T28 - Teaser

2009-01-15T18:42:00.000-08:00

Watch it @ imagius.com!

Digital Matte-Painting Fever in India

2009-01-13T05:51:00.000-08:00

Hollywood movie industry uses Digital Matte Painting technique extensively. In comparison, Bollywood industry rarely uses this technique! Though, I've seen few movies, where the art of matte painting has been used! Movies like "Saawariya" & most recently, Aamir Khan starrer, "Ghajini" was seen using this technique. Mumbai-based post production company, Prime Focus used this technique in both the films.

In the movie "Ghajini", a number of shots in the film required matte painting in the post production stage. The airport scene was shot in a deserted location and had to be made into Mumbai.

WIP- Ghajini Charcater Model : Vinay " Dip2"

2009-01-07T17:53:00.000-08:00

Ghajani model by Vinay

Gaming Championship

2009-01-07T17:46:00.001-08:00

Contact Mr aditya for more detail 0991127388

Venue : Academy of Animation and Gaming
A-68, Sector -2, Noida 201301, (U.P.) INDIA

For more updates about this event chk Cgtantra

CGTantra Artt War

2009-01-02T22:54:00.000-08:00

CGTantra Artt War - overview

A competition between group of students representing their Animation Institutions of India or Abroad. LEARN INSPIRE GROW has been the philosophy for CGTantra to create a platform where artists could improve
and showcase their creativity. CGTantra ART War is another step towards that with the motivation towards inspiringteamwork.

Starting from Mid-January - Students from Animation Institutions will form teams of 2
-3 members to create an Artwork of the given theme. To keep the learning curve higher while they work - They will have to keep posting their Work-In-Progress images on CGTantra Forums under the section of their School Names. The critics will be posted to the artworks in progress by the members as well as by our senior Forum Leaders and Mentors.

After 3 months of work and submitting the result at various stages, final results will be posted on CGTantra. They will go for the online public voting as well as to our Forums Leaders and Jury that will consist experienced and acclaimed professionals. Final results will be announced on CGTantra event and winners will be awarded and felicitated.

So students - Its time to fight for your School & for your Art.

Rules, Topic, Guidelines will be posted soon. for more infor chk this link

Cgtantra FIRST Digital MATTE Painting Challange

2008-12-31T10:49:00.000-08:00

Here is the link for the Competition

Basic Animation Reel

2008-12-29T08:43:00.000-08:00

basic 3d animation reel from kanika dewani on Vimeo.

I hope this trend will continue in AAG...chk this link This is just start..:)
Kindly post your comments..

GHAJINI THE GAME

2008-12-29T05:22:00.000-08:00

Ghajini – The Game' will be available through all leading stores

Official website: http://ghajini.fxlabs.com

Link for the Trailers :

Trailer

Gobelins Back Again

2008-12-28T18:01:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone..They did it again and Their short films are so well done and fun to watch it amazes me every time.I love each and every short movie they come up with. This is real story telling and creativity.

Film d'animation Replay
Uploaded by Net-Infosnews

here s the link for the new shorts
http://www.gobelins.fr/galerie/animation/
http://www.esma-montpellier.com/animation-en.html

Gobelins...... wish I could study there

BASIC GNEREIC WALK CONSTRUCTION(half body) Mahesh

2008-12-26T08:53:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone..!!

I'm just putting them all together for others to better understand all these concepts. If you don't feel comfortable with it, thats perfectly okay. This is how I work, for almost all my scenes. And it may not be the best method for you...but yeah its helpful and has helped me a lot. So I hope you like it!!

While animating a walk lots of us missed out some of important points which one should consider while animating and I want limelight those important point through this small tutorial.

FEW POINT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED BEFORE WE ANIMATE A WALK

•Never assume anything in animation that you know, its better to take a Good reference if want to learn animation. Most of us watch people walking every day but still we don't know how we walk, So its better to take a Good ref and study it before you start animating an scene.

•“A walk is the first thing to learn. Learn walks of all kinds, cause walks are the toughest thing to do right” Advice from Ken Harris:

•The weight goes DOWN just after the contact pose.

•Weight goes UP just after the passing pose.

•All walk are different and no two people walk the same.

BASIC GNEREIC WALK CONSTRUCTION

FIRST PASS:

• Contact
• Passing Position
• Contact

SECOND PASS:

• Contact
• Weight full down
• Passing position
• Weight full height
• Contact

THIRD PASS:

HIP MECHANICS

HIP Y ROTATION:

Follow feet in forward and back space i.e right foot forward, then right hip forward vice versa.

HIP Z ROTATION:

The Hip is highest on the side where the weight is planned for the passing position. If the left foot is in the air and in the passing position, then the right foot is holding all the weight. The hip will be highest on the right side.

HIP X ROTATION

Very little X rotation in most Hips. Good rule of the thumb is rotated forward the most on the weight down and back the most at the passing position.

HIP X- TRANSLATION

The Hip is highest on the side where the weight is planned for the passing position. If the left foot is in the air and in the passing position, then the right foot is holding all the weight. The hip will be highest on the right side.

Translation will very little on that foot where is weight sift is to be shown,

FOURTH PASS: This will include timing the walk.As we have already done our key pose now we will move the keys and also start putting the inbetween.

FIFTH PASS: Track the arc and spacing

SIXTH PASS: Polishing (playing with the f curves)

VIDEO REFERENCE Thanks to Kanika and Roopesh for taking this reference

from on Vimeo.

FINAL ONE

DOWNLOAD RIG

I m really Thank full to many people who helped me to learn this art and help others

Big thanks TEAM FRAMES for motivating me:) .

Mahesh Bisht © 2008

Concept art: Faisal

2008-12-25T07:30:00.000-08:00

Manga Style Hritik Roshan

La Boucher

Hulk

Animated version of NAGRAJ and JADUGAR SHAKURA

What's Renderman?

2008-12-23T06:23:00.000-08:00

Leading digital effects houses and computer graphics specialists use Pixar’s RenderMan® because it is the highest quality renderer available anywhere and has been production tested through successful use in feature films for over ten years. Pixar’s RenderMan is stable, fast, and efficient for handling complex surface appearances and images.

RenderMan’s powerful shading language and anti-aliased motion blur allow designers to believably integrate stunning synthetic effects with live-action footage. In addition, RenderMan is backed by Pixar’s technical staff, who know the challenges of creating digital effects. RenderMan is used for Pixar’s own feature film productions.

RenderMan for Maya™

Pixar's next-generation rendering plug-in for Maya. The perfect tool for the Maya artist who wants to enhance their productions with RenderMan.

RenderMan Studio™

Pixar's advanced suite of tools that provide an customizable render pipeline between Maya and RenderMan. Includes the "Pro" version of RenderMan for Maya and a suite of pipeline tools.

RenderMan Pro Server™

RenderMan Pro Server will turn any server or artist desktop into a rendering machine. RenderMan Pro Server is a powerful and customizable solution for production rendering.

EDUCATION
Pixar's RenderMan Certified Courseware™

Gain the confidence of certified training with these comprehensive educational materials. Covering everything from the basic fundamentals to advanced production techniques used at the world's top studios, the courseware is an invaluable resource.

Cgtantra Completed 4 year( CGTantra: 2008 - Memories & Artworks)

2008-12-23T06:11:00.000-08:00

FAQ-3

2008-12-22T07:10:00.000-08:00

Do you need to go to college to get a job in this industry? No, but it doesn't hurt your chances to have a degree, and it won't be frowned upon if you don't.

Do employers require a degree to get a job? Yes, some of the larger studios do require a degree for some of their more advanced TD, software engineering, and infrastructure related jobs.

What about non technical jobs, do those require a degree? No. While some schools hold a certain amount of clout with many large studios and their degrees are in fact well respected, like Ringling or Cal Arts for example, artistic jobs do not require a degree.

Do I need to be artistic? Yes. Hands down it all comes down to your natural, raw, artistic talent, your eye for detail, your ability to take criticism for your own work, and your ability to critique others.

What if I’m technical though, do I still need to be artistic? At the end of the day, the answer is yes. While it’s acceptable to not have any artistic talent and be completely scientific in many of the job functions, if you truly want to excel in Computer Graphics, you need at least basic artistic abilities to get by. It will only make you a stronger technical candidate.

So should I go to college or not? Are you talented enough to get a job without it? Are you completely sure about your artistic ability and what you want to do? Do you need more time to work on your portfolio and demo reel? Do you have the discipline and determination to get a job with your current abilities? Keep asking yourself questions, and eventually you’ll figure it out. Some people need college, while others don’t.

What if I get a degree in something else? That’s fine if you want to have something to “fall back” on, so to speak. Conservative people recommend this option to avoid pigeonholing yourself. I personally think that you should get a degree in whatever it is you want to do as a career. You can minor in something else, like business, while still majoring in art or computer science, for example. Either way, it’s not a bad thing, but it does raise a question as to how determined are you to make it in this industry if you’re already making a backup plan?

How do I know if I am getting what I need out of school or not? “I feel lost…” I’ve heard that one a lot. I honestly want to tell you to consider doing something else with your life if you feel lost and are already taking classes for your major. If you’re just wondering whether or not you’re getting what you need from school, then you should probably ask yourself what it is you expect. You’re only going to get out of it what you put in.

I’ll say that again. You’re only going to get out of it what you put in!

Should I focus on art or science? That’s for you to decide. Unless you’re absolutely sure you want a technical job that requires a degree, the B.A. vs B.S. is not worth arguing over. You need to pick something that fits your goals, but remember that it’s probably irrelevant later on anyways.

My school seems more interested in my money, is this normal? Many schools are cashing in on students desire to learn computer graphics. They are almost all the same as far as what you end up with on paper. As far as actual teaching quality, instructor experience, and overall reputation, that
all depends on your school.

If you feel like your school is just seeking a profit, then your hunch is right, it is. The difference will be in the graduating students. You should talk to recent grads to find out the truth. Look at where grads are working, not so called “job placement” numbers that the school puts out. Just remember, it’s your responsibility to teach yourself and get a job, not anyone else, no matter how much money you spend on school or how much they promise to help after graduation.

What software should I learn? First and foremost, forget about the software for a minute. If you are interested in the technical side of things, then you are going to need a strong background in math and science. You'll also need programming experience.

If you're mainly an artist then you need to focus on traditional skills such as drawing, painting, and sculpting, among other things. Work on your 2D skills before trying your hand at 3D.

The software is only a tool.

To answer the question though, the software most commonly used for 3D in the industry is Maya. For 2D, PhotoShop is still the standard application to know. For compositing you're best bet is to learn Shake and/or Combustion, possibly After Effects. For rendering, Renderman and Mental Ray have the strongest markets. For motion capture, MotionBuilder is the most widely used. Houdini is sometimes popular with FX artists, but Maya also has a stronghold in that market, especially with Maya Fluids.

Many larger studios have proprietary packages that are very unique to their pipeline. You will not be expected to know all of these packages, but a basic understanding of each will help you out in the longrun. The more you know, the better you’ll understand everything.

It can matter what software you learn, because they are complicated packages that require training and time to understand. The less experience you have with the most commonly used software, the less valuable you will be. This isn't about what software package is better, that is a pointless argument. It's about what the industry is using the most, and that's what makes knowing certain packages more valuable than others.

I am about to graduate, what should I do? There are a few steps to preparing for graduation and entering this industry. They are pretty simple.

* Start looking at job openings and preparing your resume
* Start putting together a portfolio and/or demo reel
* Start trying to make professional contacts who can review your work

As far as demo reels go, here are my rules:

* 2 minutes or less, anything more is too much without experience
* Tbe best work goes first, never repeat anything, and don’t put anything less than your best on the reel just to fill time.
* Forget the music; it’s on mute and being watched in fast forward, sorry.
* Name, phone and email all over the place, don’t forget contact info.

It’s all about your demo reel, your attitude, and of course your talent and Passion. So Good Luck..
Keep Visiting.

PIXOLOGIC ACTION HERO CONTEST

2008-12-21T05:14:00.000-08:00

Pixologic is proud to announce our second official contest, with more sponsors and even bigger prizes! All registered ZBrushCentral members are encouraged to enter.

In order to participate in Pixologic Inc.'s Action Hero Contest (the "Contest"), all potential participants must agree to abide by and comply with the rules set forth below (the "Rules"). Failure to comply with the Rules may result in your submission (or "Entry") being disregarded and you being disqualified from the Contest.

The challenge this time around is to create an original superhero or villian and show him or her in action. Imagine yourself to be a newspaper photographer, capturing your subject at a key point of the fight against his archenemy in what is sure to become a Pulitzer-winning shot. Except that you're doing it in 3D, creating a full figure sculpt of your hero.

Obvious takes on established characters are not permitted. Your creation must be a hero that has never been seen before in any media. Invent a one paragraph back story for your character, describe the hero's primary powers, then bring him or her to action-packed, crime fighting life in ZBrush.

Here is the link for more info...PIXOLOGIC

AVATAR International 2D/3D Art Competition

2008-12-13T04:42:00.001-08:00

• Introduction
• Theme Description
• Your Mission
• Categories
• Deliverables
• Final Image Size
• WIP Sheet
• How to Submit your Images
• Restrictions
• Rules

Introduction
Welcome to the Avatar International 2D/3D Art Competition! Avatar is an international event that goes beyond a single resource. We thought it would be great to gather artists from all over the world to fight a creative task together. We really want to turn it into a remarkable, exciting and fun event, so we’ve invited an amazing group of artists to our judges’ panel and partnered up with some great sponsors!

Theme Description
Avatar (or Avatara) is the Sanskrit word which literally means "descent", and usually implies a deliberate descent from higher spiritual realms to lower realms of existence for special purposes. It often translates into English as incarnation.

In this case, we are encouraging artists to imagine they were born on another planet, or in another world … What would it look like, what kind of society and technology would it have? Would it be a totally futuristic, alien realm, or perhaps something primitive and close to nature? Imagine a world that you'd like to live in and tell us all about it. We'd like to see not just alien vistas, but images with a story!

Your Mission!

1. To create a character (avatar)
2. To create an environment and place your character in it
3. To tell a story within your image

Read More click here

Indian animation industry banks on US downturn

2008-12-13T02:47:00.000-08:00

Indian animation industry banks on US downturn

While the US entertainment segment faces the meltdown heat Indian animation industry sees no immediate impact
by Pankaj Maru

MUMBAI, INDIA: Will the "so-called runaway film production" survive in the gloomy US economy hovering over its film and entertainment industry? Certainly it will survive and have more growth opportunities voices the Indian animation industry (IAI).

IAI is dear and near to movie companies and production houses back in States, mainly for its quality work and low cost outsourcing services. But at present the multi-billion entertainment sector is facing heat of the meltdown, resulting in project delays, lack of funds with high production costs.

Recently, Sparx, a toon company closed its Paris studio and moved to Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh city, while NBC/ Universal studios announced cut in production budget for 2009 due to recession.

Shift, merger and acquisition

Aptech Limited's executive vice president R Krishnan reckons that for Indian animation studios and companies looking for acquisitions and collaborations it's a good time.

"Reports say that Pixion is acquiring two UK based studios following in the lines of Prime Focus. DQ Entertainment (DQE) and Turner Entertainment Network (TEN) Asia have tied up for two animated features- Balkand and Ravan, which will be exclusively premiered on TEN in 2009. So India still remains the most sought-after destination for producing quality animation content," says Krishnan.

"Normally, an animated feature film costs around US$300-500 million and it's hard to fund in the present scenario. So the US industry is looking to find creative opportunities and ways to cut costs so they still are looking to outsource work from India," he added.

While, Anibrain Digital Technologies' founder, Jesh Krishna Murthy considers shifting studios to be more complex due to investments risks, new setup costs, staffs and the culture.

"But, shifting can happen in India and other nations, via partnerships or collaborations with local studios means more business ahead," Murthy observes.

"Like other sectors, animation was also over hyped, so the slowdown is good to bring in correction in the industry. For serious players it's a good time, but for new startups and companies planning to enter the business, its bad," he said.

Similarly, Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics (MAAC) executive vice president, Jai Natrajan sees growth and no slowdown. "We have clients world over and so we have quite a few projects in the pipeline and movie projects are going forward as per plans, maybe with slight lesser budgets," said Natrajan.

More fun, more business

IAI banks on this old mantra and cites growth. "Generally, it's a known fact, during depression people tends to go for more entertainment. So, it's actually a good time for our business," Murthy points.

Also Krishnan too suggests the same, "During recession, it's proven that people still want to watch movies and get entertained. So the crisis would not affect our industry," but urges that during such phase the domestic market and local content needs to be focused more.

Global Vs local content demand

Though, IAI has high content demand in global market, the domestic demand hasn't grown yet. Among other reasons, the foreign TV channels have less preference for local content. "In a year there's a demand for 4-5 good regional features due to our demography and cultures. But there's not much support from TV channels because of the economics of cost and content," Natrajan opines.

In Krishnan's view, the present time is the best for local market to get established and in next 4-5 years it will shape up well. And feels that the local players should work together for long-term opportunities.

While Natrajan is optimistic on domestic market growth he blames the non-existing regulatory system, compared to other nations that follows the quota systems - making it mandatory for channels to show certain percentage of domestic content.

"Quota systems, actually ensures domestic market growth and NASSCOM should come up with such system," he concludes.

So is there any impact here?

According to Kirshnan, the US crisis has only impacted companies or studios that work on animation outsourcing from the west, mainly due to low budgets.

Murthy says there's no slowdown here and their clientele or projects haven't dropped.

"We have clients world over and so we have quite a few projects in the pipeline and movie projects are going forward as per plans, maybe with slight lesser budgets," adds Even, Natrajan.

Overall, the Indian animation fraternity is highly growth optimistic and firmly believes in more business ahead with expansion of domestic market.

[source:www.ciol.com]

VFX WAR

2008-12-08T18:01:00.000-08:00

Many of us, using these terms in our daily talk but anyone knows what's the meaning of these or which term to use where...So today i would like to throw some light on these...

SFX = Special Effects - SFX refres to effects created using the physical pyrotechnics and explosive devices.

DFX = Digital Effects - DFX refers to effects created purely through computer means.

VFX = Visual Effects - VFX refers to effects created using either the digital or special effects or a combination of both.

What is VFX ?
VFX is the term given to a sub-category of special effects in which images or film frames are created and manipulated for film and video. Visual effects usually involve the integration of live-action footage with computer generated imagery or other elements (such as pyrotechnics or model work) in order to create environments or scenarios which look realistic, but would be dangerous, costly, or simply impossible to capture on film. They have become increasingly common in big-budget films, and have also recently become accessible to the amateur filmmaker with the introduction of affordable animation and compositing software.

Visual effects techniques

practical effects
in-camera effects
miniature effects
stop motion
Schüfftan process
matte paintings
rotoscoping
dolly zoom
optical effects
travelling matte
aerial image effects
optical printing
bluescreen
prosthetic makeup effects
motion control photography
Audio-Animatronic models
digital compositing
wire removal
morphing
computer-generated imagery
match moving
virtual cinematography

Wht is Compositing.?
In visual effects post-production, compositing refers to creating complex images or moving images by combining images from different sources – such as real-world digital video, digitized film, synthetic 3-D imagery, 2-D animations, painted backdrops, digital still photographs, and text.
Compositing includes everything from what your probably normally think of as special effects, where things explode, evaporate, morph, etc. It also includes stage extensions (making the scene stage larger digitally in post production), to environment creation (anything from buildings to complete worlds), to blue/green screen replacement (shooting in-front of a blue or green screen and then replacing the background with digitally created footage or footage shot elsewhere). Basically, the art of taking live footage and blending it with computer generated footage would be considered compositing.

Software used Adobe aftereffect, AutoDesk combustion, Apple, fusion and many more..

Editing and VFX

Editing and VFX are certainly two very different things, however, compositing does overlap with both.Editing is really about the beats required to tell a story while VFX has more to do with adding visual impact and replicating physical effects.

Compositing & VFX.

visual effects is a the collective work done by us artists for a product (tv, film, video game, commercial you name it). compositing is a task in visual effects. its the combining of multible image sources (live action plates, 3D renders, 2D artwork, etc) into a whole one thats seamless and appears to be shoot by the same camera in the same location at the same time.s
other tasks of visual effects include the 2D side: design, roto/paint, dustbust and the 3D side of CGI (computer generated imagery) which consists of matchmoving, modeling, rigging, texturing, lighting, fx, rendering. all of those are followed by compositing as final step.

I would not say learn as many programs as you can. Learn the fundamentals of compositing instead. roto, matte generation, colour correcting, tracking on one package, then when you are confident, you can port your knowledge to other apps.
As you know, learning just one software package enough to be proficient and confident takes a long time.Have a look at the demo reels people post here and use them as a benchmark.For VFX training go to fxphd, its the best online training and its very affordable. Lots of bang for the buck

What kind of reel one should prepare to get a VFX artist Job.?

Your showreel should highlight your strongest work.I think the best would be a VERY GREAT VFX SHOT ! only one but combining every techniques: Roto, Keying, 3d integration, Wire Removals, FX, etc...and the second one is come up with a Good story and work on that.

Personally I think it depends on the area you are focusing on, if you want to be a compositor do a compositing reel, or animation reel if you want to be an animator and so on... if you mix a bunch of different techniques and you create a complete shot where you do everything people don't know what your specialization is or what's your best specialty.

I'm really interested in VFX, So please kindly suggest me the ways 2 get into that field..?

Getting your foundation in basic 2d and 3d packages is a great way to start in VFX.

In addition, I would suggest looking at VFX heavy films to try and break down how shots have been executed. Often dvds also have making of documentaries that may offer more explanation about techniques.Also, go out and shoot reference for effects that you may land up working on. What does fire look like or rain? Don't assume that you know. Its only be looking carefully at the reference can you learn more about how to create believable effects.

If Someone have question related to VFX..go to this link and talk with Apurva Shah, VFX Supervisor - PIXAR Talk to the Pro

Ashish-Game Art

2008-12-08T00:25:00.001-08:00

Nominations for 2008 Annie Awards

2008-12-07T04:54:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again. Voting for the Annie awards! Packages start showing up at the door with screeners.This year I have to say that Dreamworks has done a fantastic job with Kung Fu Panda. I think Wall-E and Panda are going to be a tough call. I still have not seen all the films in that category as of yet.

2008 ANNIE AWARD NOMINATIONS BY CATEGORY
www.annieawards.org
Monday, December 1, 2008

PRODUCTION CATEGORIES

Best Animated Feature

Bolt - Walt Disney Animation Studios
Kung Fu Panda - DreamWorks Animation
$9.99 - Sherman Pictures/Lama Films
Wall-E - Pixar Animation Studios
Waltz With Bashir - Sony Pictures Classics/Bridgit Folman, Les Films D'ici, Razor Films

Best Animated Home Entertainment Production

Batman: Gotham Knight - Warner Bros. Animation
Christmas Is Here Again - Easy To Dream Entertainment
Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs - The Curiosity Company in association with 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Justice League: The New Frontier - Warner Bros. Animation
The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning - DisneyToon Studios

Best Animated Short Subject

Glago's Guest - Walt Disney Animation Studios
Hot Dog - Bill Plympton Studio
Presto - Pixar Animation Studios
Sebastian's Voodoo - Joaquin Baldwin
Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death - Aardman Animations Ltd.

Best Animated Television Commercial

Giant Monster - Curious Pictures
Long Legs Mr. Hyde - Curious Pictures
Rotofugi: The Collectors - Screen Novelties
Sarah - Z Animation
United Airlines "Heart" - Duck Studios

Best Animated Television Production

King of the Hill - 20th Century Fox TV
Moral Orel - ShadowMachine
Phineas and Ferb - Disney Television Animation
Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II - ShadowMachine
The Simpsons - Gracie Films/Fox TV

Best Animated Television Production Produced for Children

A Miser Brothers Christmas - Warner Bros. Animation
Avatar: The Last Airbender - Nickelodeon
Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends "Destination Imagination" - Cartoon Network Studios
The Mighty B! - Nickelodeon
Underfist: Halloween Bash - Cartoon Network Studios

Best Animated Video Game

Dead Space - Electronic Arts
Kung Fu Panda - Activision
Wall-E - Heavy Iron Studios, a division of THQ, Inc.

Chk this link..

First Look: 3-D Monsters vs. Aliens

2008-12-05T05:31:00.000-08:00

That's the premise behind Monsters vs. Aliens, the 3-D animated comedy that's coming from DreamWorks early next year.
Directed by Rob Letterman and Conrad Vernon

Diploma 4 Kishna Kant

2008-12-05T03:31:00.000-08:00

First Modeling Assigment: Bsc student

2008-11-29T09:45:00.000-08:00

NISHANT

ROHIT BOSE

Abhishek Jaiswal

Obstacle ball- Kundan Khati

2008-11-27T05:10:00.000-08:00

PLANNING

FINAL

Google SketchUp 7

2008-11-21T06:44:00.000-08:00

Google has released SketchUp 7 for Mac and PC. Free download for entry level modelers.

What's New in Google SketchUp 7

Fast and reliable

We've made SketchUp even more intuitive, added tools for power users, and made it easier to find and share models with the world.

We've made SketchUp easier to use.

With edges that automatically break other edges where they cross, objects that are smart enough to know how they should behave when you interact with them, and drawing hints that are clearer and more consistent, Google SketchUp 7 is the most intuitive SketchUp ever.

It's all about collaboration and sharing.

In SketchUp 7, you can search for models in the Google 3D Warehouse right from the Component browser, take credit for what you contribute, keep track of your collaborators, and generally bask in the glow of knowing you're part of the worldwide 3D community.

Chk the link for download.

Talk with the Pro

2008-11-21T05:57:00.001-08:00

Talk with the Pro....link

Mickey Mouse turns 80

2008-11-18T08:24:00.000-08:00

MICKEY MOUSE, Walt Disney's most famous character, made his screen debut on November 18, 1928, as star of the first sound cartoon. Mickey Mouse is a comic animal cartoon character who has become an icon for The Walt Disney Company and today he completed his 80 years.

Autodesk Maya 2009

2008-11-16T09:46:00.001-08:00

Maya 2009 demo vids are here

Watch out for the awesome new features...Especially Stereo 3d camera... Awesome man... Here are the vids.. Must see.

Tips and tricks for Aspiring Filmmakers

2008-11-15T20:52:00.000-08:00

For everyone out there interested in being a professional filmmaker. It may not be as hard as you think. Here

Watch plenty of movies. You want make movies you should also be a connoisseur who knows his or her movies. Don’t just watch the big special effects blockbusters like Star Wars. Watch dramas, comedies watch lots of small, character driven pieces where the writing is what carries the movie.

Read magazines about filmmaking. Subscribe to magazines. Of course there are the big glossy magazines like Premiere and Entertainment Weekly. However, you should also read the industry bibles like Variety and Hollywood Reporter, which gives you the news of the industry. Finally, you should read How-To magazines that actually teach how to make a film. These magazines go into technical detail. And don’t just read Hollywood USA Magazines either The Indian film industry is bigger than the one in the States. European countries have turned out many compelling films by outstanding filmmakers.

Read books on filmmaking. Same ideas as magazines. Read technical manuals on how to do it, also read inspirational books by or about great and successful filmmakers and how they did it.

Make a film! Wait a minute? How can I just go and make a film? Believe it or not some of the greatest filmmakers today started shooting as kids, before they had even gone on to high school. Their genius for shooting showed very early. The truth is with the advent of digital technology and cheaper camcorders and computer. It is cheaper than ever before to jump in and make your first film. So buy or borrow a mini-DV camcorder, get some friends together who can act and shoot your first low budget short film! Then use an editing program on your PC and edit your film, add music and credits and you are on the way.

Of course this quickie version is just a start into the world of being a filmmaker. A much more detailed and intensive path, especially one that will lead to making a living in the film industry, will involve much more in-depth studying, practice and networking.

Studying
For most people they hear filmmaking and it means directing. Yet there are many disciplines to making a film and the best directors are the ones who have their hands in a little of everything

Screenwriting – it all begins here with the screenplay. Without this there is no movie. Learn the proper format for a screenplay, but more important, learn how to write. Take classes in screenwriting. Read LOTS of screenplays of produced movies, especially those that have won awards. Understand the importance of character and story development.

Acting – No you don’t have to be an actor to be a director, but it helps to understand the actor’s process if you are going to tell them what to do. J Go ahead take an acting class and learn how to emote!

Producing – What is a producer? What do they do? Understanding the complexities of an actual film set and how it comes together is a must.

Directing – Learn how to set up shots to create a maximum effect and tell your story.

Editing – They say the movie is built in editing. Once you have all that footage you need to know how to cut it together.

With all this talk about learning, the question inevitably comes up, “Should I go to film school?” There is no set answer. Many have gone to film school learned how to shoot and are working in the industry. However, many decided to pick up a camera and start shooting and learn ass they went along. Personally, I am torn between the two. I did not go to film school and do not miss it, but I absolutely believe in taking classes in production for any local college. But at some point, after all the classes you just have to get out there!

Practice
If you are in film school you will get practice in filmmaking. However, on your own it takes a bit more resiliency. But starting off shooting cheap short with a consumer DV camera is an excellent way to get started. There are excellent computer programs for digital editing, like Final Cur Pro on the Mac and Premiere on Windows.

Write a story, (not a big budget special effects piece but s simple and innovative character piece) and shoot it!

Networking
You know the saying, “It isn’t what you know it’s who you know.” This especially true in the film industry. One of the benefits of film school is that you get to know people in the industry. These contacts can get you jobs.

Without film school as a contact source, you can meet people by volunteering to work for free on film shoots and just learn. Find friends of friends who work in the industry and learn as much as you can from them

To become a filmmaker takes practice, patience and determination. Good Luck!

Stay tuned!! :)

Apurva Shah, VFX Supervisor, Pixar Animation Studios

2008-11-14T07:03:00.000-08:00

Click here to read His interview..LInk

Keep Visiting Next topic will be about VFX.

ball animation- Kanika

2008-11-12T02:41:00.000-08:00

Planning

Final version:

Ball Animation- Kundan

2008-11-12T02:24:00.000-08:00

Planning of the Shot..and final version..!!

Posemaniacs

2008-11-01T13:29:00.000-07:00

Pose Maniacs supports all artists, including art students and people who study illustrations and mangas on your own. This blog is for uploading variety of poses for nude sketching, and introduces other FLASH training tools for drawing.

pose for drawing by posemaniacs.com

International Animation Day 2008

2008-10-28T04:36:00.001-07:00

Roadside Romeo - Behind the Scenes

2008-10-22T07:50:00.001-07:00

Check this link for ROADSIDE ROMEO making....link

2 days to Go...!!

Animators Are Some of the Happiest Workers in America, Survey Finds - By Animation mentor

2008-10-19T09:51:00.000-07:00

Animators Are Some of the Happiest Workers in America, Survey Finds. Third-party survey commissioned by AnimationMentor.com
reveals career trends in the animation industry

Emeryville, CA October 16, 2008 AnimationMentor.com (Animation Mentor), the leading online character animation school created by animators for animators, today unveils key findings from an animation industry survey that shows a vibrant and healthy workforce with a bright future. Animation Mentor commissioned independent research firm Knowledge Wave International to conduct the survey to gain insight into an insiders view on industry trends, job titles, job satisfaction and salaries. Behind the Characters: Professional Animator Job Satisfaction, Career Outlook and Salary Survey Report is based on the responses of more than 1,200 professional animators from over a dozen countries who participated in the August 2008.

Animators are some of the happiest workers in America

The survey explored job satisfaction and how happy animators are overall. Of those surveyed, 59 percent of professional animators enjoyed their work and are proud of the work they do. More than 80 percent plan to continue working in this field and more than half would recommend a career in animation to friends and family. These statistics put animators high on the list of highest occupations when compared to national averages found in the University of Chicagos 2007 Job Satisfaction in America survey that identified clergy (67.2 percent) and firefighters (57.2 percent) the top professions where individuals classified themselves as very happy.

The salary outlook for animators is bright

Lastly, professional animators were asked what their annual earnings were for 2007 and if they thought their salary would get better or worse in 2008. In 2007, more than half of the animators surveyed (51 percent) made $40,000 or less, and 35 percent earned between $40,000 and $80,000 annually. In 2008, the outlook brightened in terms of total earnings with less than 30 percent earning less than $40,000, and the majority of respondents (51 percent) earning between $40,000 and $80,000. The survey results also showed a growth in the upper earnings ranges with 4 percent more expecting to earn between $80,000-$100,000 than they did in 2007, and 9 percent expecting to earn more than $100,000 versus 7 percent in that category in 2007.

According to the 2006 Bureau of Labor Statistics National Compensation Survey, animators average salaries are higher than average US workers and there seems to be good potential for career growth and increased salaries with greater experience and larger projects. However, according to the Animation Mentor survey, most animators were more motivated by fun and creativity than by money.

The top ways the industry is changing

The survey also looked at the top trends professional animators are seeing and which have the potential to change the face of the job landscape. The top three trends include: the rise of motion capture; the trend toward outsourcing and cost-cutting; and that unbelievably fast advances in technology will impact the way animation is created.

Animators need more than great animation skills

When it comes to advice for new graduates of animation, more than 50 percent said creating a high quality demo reel is the main recommendation for anyone trying to land their first job.

Mentors are an essential part of a successful career

According to the survey, access to mentors rank in the top three requirements for a successful career in animation. In addition, creating and maintaining a professional network of more senior animators remains paramount: One in five animators say they have a mentor at work and mentoring is nearly as important for kick-starting a career as working in the industry and getting a formal education.

In the "Job Satisfaction in America" survey, most of the occupations ranking high in general happiness were professions involving helping others, creativity or technical and scientific expertise. Although the two surveys measured happiness and job satisfaction in different ways, there is a direct correlation between the level of fun, happiness and satisfaction and the amount of creativity people are allowed to express on the job.

Animation Mentor meets the needs of the industry

Distinctive among art schools worldwide, Animation Mentor exclusively teaches character animation in an online environment where students learn directly from professional animators from top studios including Disney Animation Studios, DreamWorks, Industrial Light & Magic, Pixar Animation Studios, Sony Pictures Imageworks, and more. Within classes that maintain a mentor-to-student ratio of no more than 1-to-15, students learn the art of animation all within a truly interactive online classroom where students collaborate and learn under the close direction of mentors.

Most animators are following their passion in life so its not a big surprise that its one of the occupations where people are the happiest, said Bobby Beck, chief executive officer and cofounder of Animation Mentor. Mentors and a strong community are the foundation of our animation school. The survey affirms the importance of this.

At Animation Mentor, students are taught online by mentors who are working animators. By graduation, each student completes the program with a demo reel, Bobby said. Well continue to use the research results to further enhance our program, support the needs of the industry, and create awesome animators.

A complimentary copy of the complete report is available at http://www.animationmentor.com/report

Queen of Blades- Raina Sharma:Dip1

2008-10-13T08:25:00.000-07:00

The Making of AAG

2008-10-12T20:01:00.000-07:00

Gaming in AAG

2008-10-01T10:25:00.000-07:00

Hey EveryOne..!!

Good news for all those student who are waiting for gaming, Today we have started a new batch. For more information contact Bhuwan.

AAG

Poly Modeling-Bhavya tayal:Bsc

2008-09-30T19:47:00.000-07:00

Digital Painting -Vinay: Dip2

2008-09-30T07:25:00.000-07:00

List of Studio in india

2008-09-28T09:01:00.000-07:00

3D Animation and VFX Studio

Rhythm and Hue India
http://www.rhythm.com/india/overview.html
DreamWorks India/ Paprikaas
www.paprikaas.com
Sony Imageworks India (formerly FrameFlow)
www.imageworksindia.com
Data Quest Entertainment
http://www.dqentertainment.com/Website/index.shtml
Crest
http://www.crestindia.com/

Prana Studios
www.pranastudios.com
Tata Elxsi
www.tataelxsi.com
MEL
www.mayaent.com
UTV
http://www.utvnet.com/nm_animation.htm
Big Animation
www.biganimation.com
Pixion Studio
www.pixion.tv
Famous House of Animation
www.famousanimation.com
Prime Focus
http://www.primefocusworld.com/india/
Redchillies
www.redchillies.com
ITTINA ANIMATION STUDIOS
www.ittinastudios.com

Gaming Studio

Exigent 3D
http://www.exigent3d.com/
Lakshaya Digital
www.lakshyadigital.com
Fxlabs
http://www.fxlabs.com/outsource.php
Druva
www.dhruva.com
Trine
www.trine.co.in

There are many more ..check www.awn.com

Student FAQ's

2008-09-28T07:47:00.000-07:00

What kind of people industry requires ?
Industry requires people who are specialized in one thing like modeling, character animation, digital painting, compositing etc. They don’t require people who know thousands of software. Software is more like a pencil it does not affect much if you know how to draw…..You can draw with any pencil that’s the bottom line but if you don’t know the basic of drawing you will struggle thorough out your career. So, for student I have a piece of advice that better learn the art not the software.
What kind of reel a student should prepare to get a good job in a studio..?
It all depends in which field you want to try like modeling, rigging or animation. For e.g., if someone is going for being an animator job he should more focused on his animation not on lighting and rendering part because no one will watch his lighting or texturing or modeling. Student should be more focused to his animation, modeling etc rather then fancy stuff. Don’t copy or put any fancy stuff in your reel. If you copy someone’s work just do it for practice but don’t make it a part of your reel. Take a year and make 2 good animation or model and take it to any studio you will get a job but that should be according to the industry standard.
How important communication is for a job..?
It’s not that important but still if you are planning to join some of the top studio or the listed studio in India you must have good communication skills. The reason for that is most of the studios in India are doing outsourcing and some of them have their own office here in India and they require people who can well communicate with their clients.

Mail us if u have something to ask or ...want to share with others...

Poly Modeling-Ramakant: Dip2

2008-09-26T06:31:00.000-07:00

Poly Modeling- Praveen : Dip2

2008-09-26T06:28:00.000-07:00

ICE AGE 3: TEASER TRAILER

2008-09-25T09:20:00.000-07:00

Here is the Link Click here

DreamWorks, Reliance Deal Complete

2008-09-25T04:30:00.001-07:00

For more info check this link

Digital Painting- Arpit Nanda( Bsc)

2008-09-25T00:46:00.001-07:00

FAQs

2008-09-24T20:09:00.000-07:00

I. Is drawing really important for animation?

1. Drawing helps translate one’s imagination on to paper

2. Drawing is essential to successfully communicate one’s ideas to others, especially when working in a team

3. A fair idea of weight, volume, proportions etc. helps better animation

4. Observing and analyzing poses is important

5. Being able to draw well helps with framing of scenes through story-boarding

6. Drawn animation (or 2D) is a lot faster than 3D animation

7. Good observation skills are crucial

8. Good acting skills do not necessarily translate into great animation

9. A deeper understanding of anatomy aids animation

II. What makes a good portfolio?

The gist of good animation is the performance. Not effects, not modeling. Do not try to pack all your work into the portfolio. Only showcase your best work. Focus on what you are best at. Amateurs are very often picked up by studios for the potential, not for what they already are. What matters is how good you are in your grasp of the subject. You must identify your strengths and play to them. If it is texturing, then your portfolio should be biased towards it. Nowadays all studios have specialized departments and jobs. You will find your place based on your strength

III Why should one use Watch Video Reference..?

This is less about planning, and more about getting an idea about your subject matter. Getting information about your subject, doing your research, tremendously helps the planning process. If you research what your subject matter does or doesn’t do, you won’t make those mistakes and put them in your animation, only to realize it not correct and have to take it out later. Some scenes are hard to act out this way.

IV Thumbnails

Thumbnails are a great way to explore a shot. We can use thumbnails to quickly try out poses both Body and Face. This allows us to roughly see the shot and get a sense of where it’s is going to go. You don’t want to spend a lot of time on your animation only to realize that where you were going with the shot isn’t going to work.

Keep Visiting:)
AAG

Smoking Kills Animation Short Film2008: Bsc Students

2008-09-24T19:19:00.000-07:00