[Ecanem]

Hi all..

Here's a small thing I've just started working on..
http://212.242.230.235/karatehero/menace/testrun04.html

I'm working on the background right now.. and the lights.. and.. and.. It's work-in-progress and that's why I'd like some c&c now..

Thanks in advance!

[gigatron]

The animation of the walk sequence seems pretty fluid and smooth which is coo, but the detail and some quality of a buncha things is lacking :P I am most pleased with the animation otherwise i don't quite like the materials, lightning and camera work. No offense or anything :X But again I really like the smooth walking and getting into vehicle animation

[Proclone]

yeah, from my perspective the aniamtion itself seems pretty good, but the camera work is a little too much for what's going on.

While it seems like a cool Idea to change to a top down view then spin around the subject as it rises it's also really jaring to the viewer since you lose your bearings and almost get dizzy watching it.

Personally, if I were to approach this I would drop the spingin camera and opt to break your take off sequence into two or more different shots. Say an initial take off shot, then a shot of the ship passing a still camera vertically and then even maybe a shot of the ship clering the cave from the "surface".

I don't know, just throwing out ideas. Keep up the good work

[zak]

i cannot find codec. arrrrgh!!!! can anyone steer me in the right direction?

[Ecanem]

thx for the c&c.. I don't like the materials either.. but I'm working on them and maybe I should have said that I wanted c&c for the animation and camera - but you figured that out yourself - thx! I'd like to render it in a higher resolution but it takes forever on my modest setup

I really like the spinning camera - but maybe this is a case of "kill you darlings"? thx.. I'll rethink the camera..

The codec can be found here; www.divx.com

[Gort]

The physics don't seem right - especially when the character steps into the vehicle; the vehicle appears to have some mass / weight to it, and when the character steps in, part of it lurches forward like a saloon door (physically speaking). The overhead camera motion that starts the next scene starts off way to quickly from a dead start. I would slow it down some. An alternative would be to cut to or fade into the next scene with the camera turning already initiated.

Overall I think it's great work - I like it - nice stuff man!

[zak]

thats quite sweet. thanks for the codecs

[Ecanem]

Once again thx!

I've put up a small update..
http://212.242.230.235/karatehero/menace/testrun04.html

click "update"..

Regarding the physics.. The lower part of the ship revolves around the center - the actual cockpit.. And the pod is actually floating thanks to an anti-grav thingamagic..
-That's the idea anyway

The two cylinders on either side is side thrusters for rotating on a different axis..

The ship itself is inspired by "thrust/gravity force" aircrafts..

How do you like it now?

[ July 01, 2002: Message edited by: Ecanem ]

[egerie]

Oooh quite an improvment on the physics of the ship thingy !

You could add another er.. thumping when the character sits just like when she puts her foot on the pod and then inside the cockpit.

The vertical acceleration of the whole ship looks a bit too quick at the very beginning. Maybe a very short but smoother ease-in would be good. (very very subtle)

Your animation of the character is really impressive

Just one little thing I was told some time ago ; why is your character doing what it's doing ? Is she going out to the convenient store because she's out of milk ? Is she rushing out to her ship because the world is in peril ? Is she being chased by invading aliens ? What is she thinking right now ?
Regardless of the blatant situation clich�s, this kind of questioning while animating a character can add some 'pizzaz' to your motion and breathe a bit more life in your character.

Ahah I just zoomed in to check the details and love the way she moves her head when the bubble window goes down and then the whole thing flyes away

Hope that helps a tiny bit

P.S.: Some of the versions of your modeled Dexter are AWESOME ! It's like watching Cactus animations characters or even some European "comics" enter the 3D realm. wuv.

[ July 03, 2002: Message edited by: egerie ]

[Ecanem]

Thx a lot! -for the compliments - always nice!

I thought about another thump when she sits down, but I figured that it wouldn't bump since the weight doesn't change once she's no longer in contact with the platform.. maybe I'm wrong about this, I'm NOT an expert on physics.. Maybe if she sat down more "violently"?.. I dunno..

I'll tweak the vertical accel.. ease-in is a must

Her motivation is not told here.. this is a small part of what I hope to become an animated short. I'm currently between jobs (sounds better than unemployed) and will include it in my portfolio.. hopefully it will make sense when its finished

Thx for the tip! (pizzaz)

Dexter is another original character I'm working on.. this character has almost a life of its own. I hope to turn him into a game character one day - or maybe another animated short!?

Once again thx for all the nice words!