Remember This December, That love weighs more than gold! ~Josephine Dodge Daskam Bacon wish u merry christmas monsters.. Celine Dion - So T...

Enjoy ya vacation

(image from speidies.com) Hey folks, I just got back from my vacation. Had been to beach and some other places. Amazing experience. M sure u guys r still on ya vacation. Enjoy and c u all on 2nd. untill then keep rocking:) cheers vinay

Dreamworks into India.

Hi All, Article in CG Society. Regards.

Animation is like drum beats

Hey folks, Here is some interesting observation i made. Animation is more like drum beats. Y? hmmm. I dunno about u guys, it works for me. Just try this out. Take a beat. Analise it and try animating with the beat. Its awesome. Listen to some drumming and try relating it to animation. Its very similar. In drums u start playing a beat and suddenly u change the beat. the whole mood and rhythm changes. Likewise in animation. u start giving variation in the performance. It looks beautiful. Just try this. This is some thing i try out all the time. It works. Cos we humans relate to music very fast. A simple exercise to try out is , take a ball rig. Take a beat which has a lot variation. While the beat changes, Start playing around with timing,speed,bounces and use the space on the screen.Manuittina ( My Mentor) always used to say animation is like orchestra. U need every instrument to get that melody.hehe.wierd eh? Thats all folks Cheers vinay ( admin )

Ergonomics

Hi All, This is a post on Ergonomics from Victor Navone's Blog. Please take time and read it! Link to the Post Cheers! and Thanks to Victor!

Creature Discomforts

CHANGE THE WAY YOU SEE DISABILITY. This is the whole campain about. Great stop motion animation. Great story and more ever its an honour that they are using this medium to change this world. Got to watch it http://creaturediscomforts.org cheers vinay

Thanks to the Admins!

Today, while I was going through our Animation Monsters Blog, I found so many links that lead to informative stuff and great animators and artists. They are such a treasure for an aspiring animator. The matter is also inspirational and helpful in accelerating the enthusiasm in one to animate with more fun. If not in this Blog, I would have found these links somewhere else, but maybe at a very very later stage. But here it is, right at the time when we all need it. So, I would like to THANK our Blog Admins and Senior Animators, Vinay and Kasana for taking such an initiative to start this blog and to encourage us to participate in it. This is a platform for us to improvise on our works and keep going. I hope that we be successful in taking this Blog far far away to a higher level. All the best to my Monster Buddies! Thanks once again!

beautiful animation!

checkout this cool animation by Supinfocom students. found this on Victor Navone's Blog. Thanks Victor! http://www.musicotherapie-lefilm.com/film.html cheers

living in a town

Ball with tail animation

This is the new ball with tail animation as part of my assignment. Please do let me know your valuable comments on these as well :-) Thank you

Corrected box jumping animation

Bonjour Monsters, Thanks to all your previous comments on this box animation, i have corrected this to some extent for you reviews again :) Thanks and happy animating :)

Excuse Me....but Its about INDIA

HI Monsters Please excuse me for this post. But I take it as my onus to Inform all about this Article. As this awareness will bring something good to INDIA. DID YOU know that there is a provision in the Constitution of India, as per the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1969 Act, in Section 49-O that a person can go to the polling booth, confirm his identity, get his finger marked, and convey to the presiding election officer that he/she doesn’t want to vote for anyone! Yes, such a feature is available, but obviously these seemingly notorious leaders have never disclosed it. It is called "49-O". 49-O: The voter (or elector) deciding not to vote: If an elector, after his electoral roll number has been duly entered in the register of voters in Form-17A and has put his signature or thumb impression thereon as required under sub-rule (1) of rule 49L, decided not to record his vote, a remark to this effect shall be made against the said entry in Form 17A by the presiding officer and the signature or thumb impression of the elector shall be obtained against such remark. If you think none of the candidates at the ward / constituency are able enough to lead the community, you can always opt not to vote, but if you will use this right of yours you may start a new things in our electoral process, which will further strengthen our democracy. It is useful in the following way: In a ward or constituency, if a candidate wins, say by ’x’ votes, and that particular ward has received "49-O" votes more than x, then that polling will be cancelled and will have to be re-polled. Not only that, but the candidature of the contestants will be removed and they cannot contest the re-polling, since people have already expressed their decision on them. This would bring fear into parties and hence look for genuine candidates for their parties for election. This would change the way of our whole political system. It is seemingly surprising why the election commission has not revealed such a feature to the public. Please spread the word about this and make our fellow countrymen aware of this right. No political party (or conventional media) would campaign for it. It’s yours and my duty. So, let’s go ahead from today! Woooooo..... KASANA __________________

Got to check this out

Hey monsters Was busy for a few days. So couldn post much. ill be posting some stuff on graph editor soon. Just some lil tips i learnt, which will help u guys out. For now check out this blog. Awesome character designer. Right now m workin with him. he s amazing. Insane http://www.sumeetsurve.blogspot.com/ cheers vinay(ADMIN)

LETS START THE NAME GAME

hollaaa ....... hey guys...start suggesting names for both the monsters...i mean monster number 7 & monster number 9. see how weird it is to call someone with number ! ...so better start posting some good names. now dont keep the monster babies waiting! EnJoy.. SuNnY

The NAME GAME

So finally ultrasound report of character has told How our Monster will look alike. Monster is expected to come this week. In the meantime please all monsters be prepared for the NAMING CEREMONY. Please think of some funny Name for the monster. One option we already got ' MONT MOMELO.' Suggested by Sunny. Please let us know if you have some good option. Huuaaa!!! Kasana

I will bite your INBOX

Hey Lil Monsters I'm adding one more trait. From now whenever any new post will be posted on this blog. I'll jump in to your INBOX to alert you. So stay alert. Go down the page. Give me a Invitation by filling your E-mail ID Wooooooooo Admin (Kasana)

Final Fantasy

So here is the results for our Monsters. Their is tie between 7 and 9th In the second place with 5 votes each is 14 and 24. The third place goes again to monsters 17 and 22 with 4 votes each... and the runner up is 10 with 3 vote. So in this week we will work out on both the character. Thanks to our buddy monsters Chandru and Vedanth. They have done all this job. I'm just posting on their behalf. Thank you monsters and keep scaring. Admin (Kasana)

My blog has been updated :)

Hey Monsters :-) I have just updated my blog please do check out. If possible please let me know if it was worth looking at it :) http://rodentthought.blogspot.com/ Happy Animating,

The Race Updates!

The Race is half way down and its time for a progress report: ................ and Monsters 9 and 24 are right on the front lines (4 votes each). Followed very closely (i mean real close) by monsters' 7, 14 and 22. Now you have got only 2 more days! So cast your votes ASAP! As a resposible Little Monster it is your DUTY, NO! DESTINY to vote. So if you want your Favourite Monster to be the ICON of Animation Monster, then click on comments and CAST YOUR VOTE RIGHT NOW! p.s. this does not apply to all those Little Monsters who have already voted... so you guys can relax and watch as the race goes on.....and on.....and on..... BUT ONLY TILL FRIDAY THE 7th of DECEMBER OF THE YEAR 2007!

Cast in your votes here!

Hi! again, Cast your votes here, in the comments section. please vote 3. minimum & maximum

Time to Finalize the Logo!

Hi Lil Monsters, It is a month and little more since our blog has started. It is going OK till now, except for the full participation and one of the most important thing, THE LOGO. Kasana, Vinay and Girish have been working on the logo for a long time now. It is high time that we come to a conclusion and finalize our Monster Logo. One more thing is that we have been only researching till now on the monster rather than developing one. Everytime we come with new characters, but we have to select one and develop it. Just take a look at the designs and decide which one would be the best. The designs are: Come on now everybody, it has been made more easier for you all now. All you have to do is to vote for the best of these and the logo will be finalized. If anybody has any more good ideas, they are most welcome. But please post them before Friday, 7th December, 2007. So start voting. Each monster has been numbered. Just post in your comments with the Monster Number. Choose any 3 monsters you want to vote for. Be quick. Thanks & Cheers!

lip sync

Finish your work in time!

Sometimes we just get bored of our assignments. We work on a single assignment for weeks and then realize that we can no more look at the same old file open. We all must have faced this at a certain point of time in our animation careers as a student or professional. There is a simple example Kasana told me, which will be helpful to all of us. Try this, take a glass of water half filled or full, whatever, hold it in your hand for sometime. At first you will feel that the glass is light. But as little time passes, it gets heavier and heavier and our hand starts paining. So too with the assignments, if you don't finish it in time, it will become pressurizing and difficult to keep up with the new assignments. We may also get bored with work. So, keep working on them and finish them in time. Remember, Pizzas taste good when eaten hot. Same way, assignments are interesting if you can manage to keep them new. Keep adding and keep pushing. Happy animating to all of us! Cheers, Chandra

Sorry about the drawings being too rough...attempted with a mouse in photoshop.....`d keep posting some more if the hunt for the logo is still on.

animation reel

Just doodling aroung

hey monsters, I am back in action like the good old days. Just started doin some designs on flash for the logo and some random stuff. Didnt really bother to work it out properly. Just some roughs.Check it out

Short films at daily motion

Hey Monsters, I was just browsing through and found the below mentioned link where you can check all the short films . She has got a few really cool films :) http://www.dailymotion.com/patrocinio1972/video/x1l7p1_danse_3d Pls do ignore if you are already aware ;-) Cheers, D

Echo

Hi Guys I am Just trying to accentuate what Roshan has said in next post. Nothing new I'm doing just picking up exact lines. Roshan Said. To participate, doesn't really mean u have to put ur blocking for critics or u must not say comments on some work just because u r a fresher. Vinay said to me in one mail And we need to start makin everyone participate. Its wierd in india man. very very few people take it seriously. Comon guys its too much. Even before participating you all have to fill your Own blog. Wooooooooo... Kasana

Awesome Tips for demoreels & C.V and Cover letter

hey guys, if you havent seen this article yet than you should spare a moment and go through it. its must must read article, i found it at academyanimation.blogpsot.com (Thank You Jean Dennis). here is the link : http://academyanimation.blogspot.com/2007/10/keys-to-getting-job-by-pamela-k.html thanks and regards, Chints :D

Participation!

Well, it's good to see so many guy's joined this team. Really appreciate Vinay and Kasana for this attempt. For me,Learning the craft of animation is all about experimenting and sharing the result of each experiment so that the other person can always add on what you found :) Afterall, all kind of knowledge does it's function when u share it, not when u achieve it. I think this blog is going in the right direction and doing it's purpose really good. The only thing we lack is 100% participation. To participate, doesn't really mean u have to put ur blocking for critics or u must not say comments on some work just because u r a fresher. This is just a place to put your ideas,thoughts or suggestions on the posts.. Each post is someone's thought, realization,a new thing someone learned or someone's animation.. all these things will find a different point of view or an acting choice when it goes through another one's mind. because , we r all supposed to be creative people..and creative people think different from the normal thought flow. that 'difference..just put it in words..that's what i asked as participation. when ur thought start flowing in, it can take things to greater heights. A mere thought occurred to you can make someone's animation to a lever which he never had thought about. And that's what exactly went on our minds while starting this blog. Now we got more than 10 guys. Definitely 10 brains makes a stronger team than 2 or 3. but only if they work together and share thoughts. so C'mon guys! get in. comment those posts..put in new posts..pitch new ideas (crazier the better) ..participate.! It's a terrible thing to see so many names in the members list only a few does all the activity!:) And vinay, Kasana..we gotta finish off th design and logo character soon. the blog is growing each day even without participation :P. C'mon guyz! looking out for some action in here.!!

PUSH BLOCKING

New Section

Hey monsters, I added a new section called MONSTER DOJO. Here we ill be putting up tutorials, tips and tricks made by fellow monsters. Its a gr8 way to encourage people. So lets see how far it can go. cheers VINAY(Admin)

A Lipsync Idea

A trick recently learned that made my lipsync works 2 times faster. This clip is did..just the lipsync... in 20 minutes from scratch with the new way. It's just simple. only 2 controls of Moom i used to do this lil dialogue. the jaw open/close control and the one used to make narrow/wide mouths ( 'o' and 'E' shapes basically). I do this in linear mode of curves. The trick is to get take the jaw open/close ctrl, and do one pass through the whole dialogue..just to mark where mouth opens and closes. once you get that right..make sure u get the intensity of the opens and closes right..( just like for M,P,B mouth closes and holds for 2 frames... some sounds of 'A' needs a small cusion after the opening of jaw..etc etc). After u fix that..time for first playblast. check if everything hits on the exact sound and the opens and closes are enough for the intensity of the sound.. remember..we r not thinking about 'oo's and 'Ee's nw. Step 2 is go in and add those 'o' shapes and 'E' shapes.. same way, make sure the intensity of ur narrows and wides are good. most of the time u can put keys of the narrows and wides on the same keyframes of the Jaw control...so that we can move around keys in timeline/dope sheet much easier. After u r happy with the narrows and wides..go ahead ,another playblast.. this is where u play around with keys,adjusting the timing and adding settles for jaw.. the whole thing won't take more than 20 minutes once u get the idea and as u finish u'll get something almost close to the exact lipsync... the next step is detail..u'll probably find so much time and room to add in minor details with other available controls like 'F',V,G mouths.. animating the tongue..adding emotions etc etc... Happy animating... Here's a little clip i did this way.. just open/close and Narrow/wide stuff.. it might look crappy..but u can see if u get something like this in 20 minutes and u have the whole day left to do fine-tune ..u can go Crazy :D Enzoi!

Its a bad day

Hey fellows, Today i wanna share something i always experience. I am sure even u guys would ve experienced it. Somedays r real bad, Dunno y. Everything goes down to drain. Ur animation doesnt happen, Ur shots will not be done.Or ur assignment gets screwed up. hmmmm. Y? How to solve this prob .. who the hell knows. hehe. i personally think takin a break would really help. U would ve done loads of animation from weeks. Or would ve involved in the same. So ur brain is overloaded with tons and tons of data. One day its just blows up. That is the day u feel like u had enough.Well it happened to me yesterday. I was blacked out. Couldn do any thing. Just went home early and slept off. Today feeling fresh. hehe. u just need to switch off and do something else or take rest. Thats the best remedy. Or watch movies,play games.Do what ever u want to divert from animation. Manu Ittina always used to tell us tht growth doesnt happen constantly ,It always has ups and downs. So live with it. Keep ya energies high.Keep rocking. Thats it for now :) cheers Vinay(ADMIN)

victor navone' s thumbnails

Hey folks, Thumbnails are really really important. Check out this link . It ill help u guys a lot http://www.navone.org/Media/AnimationThumbs/index.htm cheers Vinay(ADMIN)

Pushing your 1st pass by ANIMATIONAAC

Holla, Hey guys. Found a nice article called "PUSHING YOUR FIRST PASS". Its amazing. I think u all guys ve faced this. After blocking , when u go to 1st pass, animation looks floaty and bad. Thats the point where u loose all ya energy and feel like banging ya head. So just read up this article. Its amazing and helpful link : http://www.animationaac.blogspot.com Also go through the tutorials of our gr8 animation master KEITHLANGO. Just go to the MONSTERS COOKIES SECTION. U ill find ther cheers Vinay(ADMIN)

Using video footage

Hey monsters, I had a gr8 weekend. Was in some other world. U guys know as to wat exactly i mean. Ne way. Check this out. This is a article on how to take footage for animation. Its awesome. Takin video footage is not a easy job. 1st u need to ve a proper plan in ya head. Wat kinda acting u need? wat r the elements ur gonna put in and stuff. Take a look. It ill help u guys a lot http://academyanimation.blogspot.com/2007/11/my-animation-workflow.html Cheers vinay(ADMIN)

Clay mation- Bunnies

monster buddies ...gotta watch this one !!! It's simple and cute. anybody getting inspiration to do a Clay or Stop motion flick? let's discuss that later:) Enzoi!

Verdi - Traviata - Choeur Bohémiens

hi again, check out this clay animation, very smooth and nice too! http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xp7vr_verdi-traviata-choeur-bohemiens cheers, chandra

'Beowulf' Defies Animation Label

hey lil monsters, I found this link on Victor Navone's Blog. Check it out! It is a debate about motion-capture as animation! http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gfJlt9TkXCk_1OpTmE-DyEWcOPIwD8SUCE502 cheers, chandra

Box jumping assignment

ooooorrrrrrrrrrrrrr..... monsters, please do check out the box jumping animation (it seems) which was done as a part of the assignment. Let me know your valuable C&C's :-) ooooooooorrr happy animating, D

killerbean forever

U guys would ve seen a short called KILLERBEAN by JEFF LEW. It was a unique piece. Now he has made a movie out of it. It took him 4 yrs. And he s the only animator who worked on it. Damn.This has to be appreciated cheers vinay

Motion Capture or Creative Animation?

Hi! Fellow Monsters, Please follow the link below which leads to Victor Navone's blog where he has written about Motion Capture in Animation getting Oscars and how disturbing it is. It is a debatable issue. http://www.navone.org/blogger/2007/11/rat-vs-dragon-slayer.html Cheers

Interview with Jason Schleifer - A MUST READ !

Inspiring, informative ! go to the link: http://www.strutyourreel.com/news/?p=18 have fun !

Some more try

Hi Monsters. I tried few more sketches according to inputs given by Vinay, Roshan n chandu. I was trying some small alteration. please look these and give some inputs. please be explicit while commenting. like which char. you like, why you like or don't like. which part needed to be work out. If you don't like even single design please feel free to comment. Another thing we have to pick a name for the character also. if you some option please let us know. Com on monsters. stay active and make it happening...... :) Woooooooo........ kasana

?????

I was trying some sketches when this came out. I feel there is some character like this but no idea where I saw. please tell me if somebody knows one character similar to this. since yesterday I getting curious to know ...... :) Wooooo..... Kasana

Please Fill up your profile.

Hi Monsters Please fill up your profile. I think this is second post in this regard. Nobody know who is who. Please let us know you. Wooooooo... Kasana.

Assignments!!!!!!! arrrrrrr. Wanna try something of ur own?

hey folks, just wanted to share a small experience. U ve been told wat to animate. U ve been given deadlines. U ve been doin the same old animation from weeks and ur quite not getting it. arrrrrrrrrr frustrating isnt it? So wats the solution. Leave the assignment and start doin something of ya own. yeahhhhh. Thats some cool thing to do right?..... WRONG Hehe generally our tendency is to animate something wat we want. yes thats true. Thats how u learn .But experimenting before u finish ya homework is bad. Finish ya assignment first. Its the top priority. Then start experimenting. u ill do a better job as u ve done ya assignment and u know wat and wat not to do. One more thing is MAKE YA ASSIGNMENTS INTERESTING. Sometimes u ill be given some tests which r pretty straight forward. So the challenge is to make it interesting and appealing rather than trying out some new stuff. Ther s always time for tht. Its as good as this. Ur working is a studio and u ve been given a shot. And client wants it in a certain way. U cant start doin it in your own way. And often u loose ya energy and all ya shots start gettin kinda shitty. So u need to find some stuff to keep u alive all the time. Shawn kelly the GR8 has written a article on " RECHARGING YOUR ANIMATION BATTERIES" . u guys got to read this. http://www.animationmentor.com/newsletter/1107/feature_geek.html#tipTrick Thats it for now. Keep rocking and never loose hope. Try and try till u suceed. AND WORK SMART Cheers VINAY

11 second club PRIZE!!!!!! ITS COOL

Hey folks, Had a short break for diwali. It was fun. M sure u guys enjoyed too. Ne way. check this out the prize for 11 secondclub winners. They ill get a ECRITIQUE from a mentor from animation mentor. Thats awesome man. Who doesnt want a crit frm gr8 animators around the globe. Here s the link http://www.animationmentor.com/11secondclub/mentorcritique.html And I a new section called MONSTER COOKIEJAR. Here u will find all the animation resources, Rigs , Scripts....Thats it for today. Cheers Vinay

HAPPY DIWALI

HEY ALL MONSTERS WISHING YOU VERY PROSPEROUS AND HAPPY DIWALI.

Jump test

Hi guys, I `ve just done the blocking (more or less) of my Jump assignment. Although there`s a lot left to work on like the timing,the poses etc., I thought comments at this level would help a lot. I`m still confused about the ending though. Should I stick to this one or adopt the Wile E Coyote`s (of the roadruner series) popular `hanging in mid air` stint before falling??thx. ~Girishct

Guys Fill Your Profile

Hey folks, plz fill ur profile. Its easier for others guys to know each other. It helps to communicate better. Plz do it as soon as possible. And keep the posts comin. Cheers Vinay (ADMIN)

CHARACTER UPDATES

HI LIL MONSTERS Here is few more sketches for the character with expression. still not convinced but feeling very close. please comment and give suggestion. Wooooooo!!! Kasana

WIP - Box Test jump animation

Bonjour Guys, I have just done a Box jump test animation and it is still in progress. Please do let me know your valuable c&c. Cheers, D

A test!

Logo for ANIMATION MONSTER

Hey guys Me and kasana were working on the logo yesterday. We came up with some nice characters. This is the initial design after so much filtering. And special thnx to graphic crap for his valuable ideas .Give us reviews and suggestions tht would help us improve the design. Ne way check it out Cheers vinay

Monster Cookies

I added a new section called monster cookies. this contains lots of tutorials, tips and tricks , workflows and many more. Will keep updating this section when ever i find some good stuff. cheers vinay

Rigs to animate

Personally I recommend these rigs Alfred - Awesome rig for acting http://rodri.aniguild.com/?mod=tips Basic Guy - Simple rig. good for body mechanics and some pantomime http://www.timoberlander.com/Pages/Downloads/Downloads_Page.htm Bloke - Nice rig with gr8 facial http://www.3dcentral.com/bloke/bloke_v1.zip Father of all Rigs - SIMPLY AWESOME. Nothing can beat this rig http://www.mothermushroom.com/stuff/pjlhogan/ Max for maya - Bloody awesome rig for everything http://www.highend3d.com/maya/downloads/character_rigs/Max-for-Maya-4877.html ANDY - Awesome customizable rig http://www.highend3d.com/maya/downloads/character_rigs/The-Andy-Rig-4697.html Generi - Nice facial http://andrewsilke.com/generi_rig/generi_rig.html lowman - Customize how ever u want http://lichiman.aniguild.com/?s=lowman Monkey Rig - very sophisticated rig. More like a production one http://www.ryerdesign.com/downloads/index.html Others rigs Kiel figgins - Amazing rigs, robots,creatures , loads and loads of stuff http://3dfiggins.com/gallery.php?id=38 Highend3d - Every possible rig is available here http://www.highend3d.com/maya/downloads/character_rigs/

HEllo LIL MONSTERS!!!!

hello folks Welcome to ANIMATION MONSTERS:). This is the site for all upcomin animators. Exploit your creativity here. Upload all ya animations and get constructive CRITS from ya fella MONSTERS.We shall keep posting loads of new stuff , links, info and......... ofcourse animation(WAT ELSE)..So wat r u waiting for. Get hungry.. REAL HUNGRY.. Hop on to the journey of animation. cya around. And dont forget to log on everyday( U CAN WIN..... .. "NOTHING"). Cheers Vinay