Animation Programs for Beginners

The world of animation, computer graphics, 3D animation, cartooning, 3D Rigging, Shading, etc., etc., is an area that requires a ton of skill, but most would agree that more importantly, takes a lot of heart. Your probably saying to yourself, I love animation, or I would love to know how to do cartooning or video game creation. You might know a little about it, but you think to yourself that you know nothing on the level of what you want or the know how to get started. Well, the fact that you are taking the time for yourself to look into doing something about it means that you do have what it takes. That's the first step!! The drive, desire belief and the passion. You have to first realize that what you can currently do with your talent and skill, is more than most will ever be able to do. That's very important and you should always keep that with you. That being said, you have to cultivate that talent and develop that skill into something extraordinary. Whether you are wanting to get into the animation and computer graphics world for fun, a side hobby, a part- time endeavor or a full-time venture down the road, as with anything else, everything starts somewhere and that somewhere begins with you. If you are not already aware of this, there are endless areas of the animation and computer graphics field. You probably already have an idea of the area or areas that interest you, however if you don't or even if you do, its fun to play around in all the different areas to see if you would like to add additional skills to your knowledge base when creating. Some areas that might interest you just to name a few include:
Interactive 3D Rigging
Cartooning
Graphic Design
Video Game Creation
Realistic Physics & Particles
Complex Shading
Rendering
Composting
The list goes on and on and you might find yourself becoming interested in more than one of these very, very quickly. Take some time for yourself to explore these different areas to see which most fits your interest. Your talent speaks for yourself so let people see & experience it. You were given a gift so make sure that you give yourself a chance to cultivate it. With the right tools, know how and more importantly the want and desire, before you know it whether it's for fun, a side hobby or a full-time career you will be DOING exactly what you were supposed to be doing. It starts with you.

Overview of One Piece Episode One

The story begins with a view of a civilian ship sailing leisurely through the ocean and an insight into the happenings on board, inside the main room many glamorous individuals are eating, drinking and dancing. The sailors on the deck are all going about their duties - bar a few, who spot a barrel floating in the sea and decide to use a grappling hook to bring it aboard - thinking it to be wine or something valuable.
Disaster then strikes when one of the sailors sights a pirate ship on the horizon, flying the flag of Alvida, a notorious pirate captain. On board her ship the pirates are readying themselves for an attack, and all but one are consumed by a bloodthirsty excitement - a young boy with glasses who appears to be there against his will. Alvida commences the attack and brings her ship alongside the cruise boat in order to board it. The young boy on her ship is reluctant to cross so she strikes him over to the other side where he smashes into a wall.
The pirates board the ship and defeat any of the crew who put up a fight. They then proceed to rob the guests of all their possessions, while a few of them raid the ships supplies. An orange haired woman who was seen in the main hall of the ship is covertly sneaking around and disabling anyone who asks questions. Meanwhile the young boy 'Coby' is searching below deck and trying to stay out of the way. He encounters the barrel that was pulled out of the sea by the ship's sailors just before the attack, thinking that his find may score him some points and lessen his captors cruelty - he begins to roll the barrel towards the upper deck. Before long he is stopped by a group of three pirates who jeer at him and take the barrel for themselves, assuming it to be wine. The biggest of the three opts to smash the top of the barrel with his fist, and as he launches the blow the top of the barrel explodes, and a man bursts out, knocking the pirate senseless and quickly dispatching the other two when they attack.
The man from the barrel introduces himself as: Monkey. D Luffy, the man who will become the pirate king. The young boy Coby is amazed by this - as the world has not known a pirate king for many years and it is a feat that requires impossible strength and resources. Coby tells Luffy of his situation and receives poor feedback, the barrel man bluntly calls him a coward and expresses dislike for him. By this time the pirates that Luffy had attacked earlier had long since reported to Alvida, and the huge pirate came crashing through the ceiling. The pirates have infested the boat and the situation is dire. Luffy jumps to the upper deck.
The pair are surrounded by pirates, and Luffy opts to run away, as he runs past the mast he grabs it with one hand, his hand remains on the mast but his body keeps running as his arm stretches. His pursuers can only watch in horror as his arm stretches to its limit, and his body snaps back at a ridiculous speed, knocking many of them down. After Coby finally confronts his fears, and Luffy takes a blow from Alvida's heavy iron club without sustaining any damage - Luffy proceeds (much to Coby's horror) to stretch again to perform an array of attacks that completely destroys the pirate crew, and blows Alvida away into the sea. Luffy explains that he has eaten a 'Devil's Fruit', a type of fruit which gives the user a special ability - in his case his body gained the properties of rubber, making him a rubber man.
The victory is short lived as the marines show up to arrest any pirates in the area, as Luffy is a pirate he chooses to escape via boat. He and Coby steal a small boat from the side of the cruise ship and set sail. As they crash into the water luffy briefly sees the orange haired girl that evaded the pirates earlier. Then they are out in the open sea. As the episode Luffy chooses to travel to the nearest island to recruit the first member of his crew - an infamous swordsman named 'Pirate hunter Zoro' (much to Coby's dismay).

The Coolest Animated Movies Of All Time

1. Fantasia - This Disney classic was ambitious and because of the outbreak of World War Two during its production it lost the large European market essential to its breaking even. It was in its rerelease in 1969 to a new generation of music lovers that it first made a financial profit.
2. Pinocchio - Disney pulled the stops out for this one having geared up by producing Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs. It is the film considered by most old time Disney animators as Disney's masterpiece.
3. Bambi - This soft, lyrical film used impressionistic back ground paintings and realistic animal characters. Realistic looking, they were still anamorphic and it's still a little disturbing to hear the owl called "friend owl" by his potential food source.
4. Allegro Non Troppo - This movie was made in 1976 by the Italian animator Bruno Bozzetto and is a spoof of Fantasia. The animation sequences are sometimes a little more modern not only in theme but also in the use of using photo collage and some live action footage and the sequences of the animator animating the film "live" as a cheesy little orchestra of enslaved women play the soundtrack is a whole lot more fun than Deems Taylor.
5. Akira - Katsuhiro Otomo's sci fi fantasy is the opposite of the kind of bed time story fairy tale American audiences were used to. It's the sort of story to keep you awake at night, even if you're an adul
6. The Iron Giant - This film seems to use the character design style of MAD Magazine and has a 1950s science fiction vibe. Futuristic Retro is a term that could be applied to this Brad Bird directed under-rated cult film.
7. Rocktasia - This obscure cult favorite was, like Allegro Non Troppo, a take off on Disney's Fantasia but instead of animation done to Classical music its soundtrack featured hits from the Classic Rock era of the 60s and early 70s. The art style was based on the poster artists whose work was popular at the time and ranged from Peter Max, Frank Frazetta and Rick Griffen to Maxfield Parrish, M.C. Escher and Hieronymus Bosch.
8. Howl's Moving Castle - A fantasy along the lines of The Wizard of Oz and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, this is one trippy film. A little less head scratching than some other excellent Japanese imports, it is still from another land if not world.
9. The Lion King - This Disney masterpiece has the formula that makes for a successful animated movie; realistic animal designs acting like animals in a natural world devoid of humans. And great songs, this time from Elton John.
10. An American Tale - This movie helped launch Don Bluth as the first real competitor to Disney since the age of the Fleischer Brothers. A poignant story of prejudice and oppression it is a little disturbing if the viewer is aware of the Nazi propaganda which depicted Jews as vermin to be exterminated.

Get Your Career Started in 3D Animation

When you were a small child were you fascinated with animated movies? Would you sit mesmerized in front of the television watching your favorite animated show? Did you spend your free time drawing or found yourself doodling during class? Well, I'm sure you are already aware you fit this description, then you are in love with animation.
Now, that we have that covered, what really brings you to this page? It's because you want to pursue a career in 3D animation, but where to begin?
To work for Disney is probably your ideal dream come true. To work for Disney as a 3D animator is prestigious and certainly not impossible. Most people that work for Disney showed signs of artistic talent at a young age. If you were determined at creating art during your childhood and now as an adult you still have that passion, w deserves a big congratulations. Animation, especially 3D animation takes time and dedication. You have probably heard a lot of people criticize your work, but the fact that you had perseverance and you kept going gives you an upper hand to nailing your job. It involves heart and that is a part of who you are.
A college degree in 3D animation is another plus to have when trying to get a job in in the field. Education is so important, especially in this day and age. However, if you don't have a college degree but chose to take some additional classes to brush up on your animation skills that is suitable as well.
From these classes, not only will you get experience and a degree/certificate but also you will build your portfolio for an amazing reel. Reels are often required along with a resume and cover letter before you even get the chance to interview. Reels can be very confusing because there is so many rules as to what the director will be looking for. For starters make sure you take your best work. I know that seems obvious but put your best work first. Also make sure your reel isn't too long. I would say around 4 minutes max is a good amount of time to demonstrate your skills.
The beauty of animation is there are many different routes to take in the industry; from film, to gaming, to television. According the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average 3D animation salary is $56,000. It is also said the expected growth rate since 2008 was 12%. Because multimedia is new, even with the fall of the economy the entertainment industry is still thriving, so that is definitely a positive.

The Best 3D Character Animation Software

3D character animation is growing in leaps and bounds. 3D characters are used in every many facets, including games, videos, design industry, and business presentations. The charters create an eye-captivating picture when using video production for promoting your product or company. There are many modeling programs that will assist you in creating the best 3D characters and make your creation stand out from the crowd. The top three software programs will be outlined in this article.
1. ZBrush
ZBrush is a digital program for sculpting and painting with standout features and for amazing animations. It offers the world's most advanced tools for today's digital artists, hands down. The amount of features that have been developed with ease of use in mind is endless. This program has but is not limited to Geometry, LightCap, and Curve Mode. This is the reason why ZBrush is part of everyone's tool belt, from art enthusiast to major film and games studios. The user experience feels natural while assisting in bringing out your inner creativity. The ability of ZBrush is only limited by your imagination, because there is no lack of tools in this program.
2. Mudbox
Mudbox is a 3D sculpting and digital painting software. This program claims Mudbox gives users the freedom to create production-ready, 3D digital artwork by avoiding the technical details. The tool-set is full of stencils and brushes for very realistic 3D productions. The 3D sculpting tool-set is accurate while allowing the designer to create smooth designs fast. You can see the results immediately when painting directly onto a 3D model. Users can view render quality results directly in the view-port, making the displays interactive. Design concepts are easy to experiment with because designs are made in layers allowing for easy revisions.
3. Modo
Modo is an all in one package program. It has the ability to model, sculpt, and paint, animation and render. The features used within each task such as n-gons or 3D painting and edge weighting enhance these abilities. Modo differs from other 3D programs, because they use a lesser number of basic tools, but they do combine them to create new tools, using Tool Pipe. The artist can choose a pivot point by just clicking somewhere. The tools can be modified with customizable falloffs; this will modify the strength of the geometric shapes that make the images. The best part about Modo is that is has a progressive preview renderer.
These are only some of the 3D character animation software your can use to make your ideas come to life. There is also Maya, 3ds Max, Blender and Light Wave but these are not up to par with the program applications above.

The History of Japanese Anime

In 1854, with the opening of Japan to foreign trade, the technologies developed in the West were introduced to and quickly adopted by many in Japan. That ushers in the era of Japanese animation in 1914 with the earliest anime being first screened in 1917 with a two minute clip of a folk tale and comedy about a samurai warrior.
By the 1930s, the anime industry has gained a significant amount of interest in Japan. Unfortunately, the local Japanese animators had to deal with a lot of competition, both from foreign and local animators. As a result, Japanese animators were forced to work cheaply and therefore, they opted for the animation technique called cutout animation, instead of the more expensive cel animation. However, with cutout animation, Japanese animators such as Yasuji Murata were still able to create wonders. Later on, animators such as Masaoka and Mitsuyo Seo improved the Japanese animation industry, among others, by using cel animation and by introducing sound.
In 1933, Masaoka has produced the first talkie anime called "Chikara to Onna no Yo no Naka". This was succeeded in 1945 by Seo's direction of "Momotaro's Devine Sea Warriors", which was the first anime film with feature length. The achievement of these Japanese animators was even more commendable because it was difficult to survive commercially. They also had to rely heavily on the support of government, which entails an obligation to include educational and militaristic propaganda. Besides, Japanese animation was greatly influenced by the success of the 1937 feature film by the Walt Disney Company, called "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". For instance, Osamu Tezuka started to mimic American style cartoons to reduce costs and limit the number of frames in production and with that created the popular graphic novel known as "Shintakarajima" in 1947.
In the 1970s, the Japanese film market shrunk due to the increased competition from television which eventually led to the bankruptcy of Mushi Productions. However, the work of Osamu Tezuka was able to survive this competition. In fact, his work was so impressive that he was often credited as the "god of manga". His distinctive "large eyes" style in animation still remains as one of the fundamental elements of anime today. During this difficult era, a genre known as Mecha has also been introduced whose animation films include "Mazinger Z" (1972-74), "Science Ninja Team Gatchaman" (1972-74), "Space Battleship Yamato" (1974-75) and "Mobile Suit Gundam" (1979-80).
Other notable milestones for the Japanese animation industry include the release of "Akira" in the 1980s that has found huge success in both the Japanese and foreign market, and the boom in production in the 1990s due to the release of "Ghost in the Shell". Furthermore, in 2008, Doraemon has been officially appointed as the first Anime Ambassador by Japanese government in order to promote anime worldwide. All these led to the success of the animation industry of Japan that we know today.

The Guilty Pleasures Of Pixar Films

Most of the Pixar movies have obsolescence as a main theme. I believe this is probably because the young artists who worked on these films and certainly the older artists who came from the traditional 2D animation world thought hand drawn animation was going to be their life's work. Most people who got into animation did so because they liked to draw, not program computers. After all, the "magic" of animation, as defined by Disney, was in watching drawings come to life.
The look of computer animation is much more akin to model animation or Claymation which ironically experienced a resurgence of popularity after the rise of computer animation. One would think it would have been model animation, which computer animation so closely resembles, that would have been replaced, not hand drawn animation.
So many of the great Pixar movies are about the old giving way to the new. Among the many examples are;
Toy Story - Old, wooden toy Woody the cowboy, is threatened by the arrival of shiny, new, plastic toy, Buzz Lightyear the spaceman.
A Bug's Life - A group of down and out theater troupe bugs get a chance to play heroes and save their livelihoods and their lives.
Monsters, Inc. - The old way of collecting energy through screams is eventually replaced by collecting laughter.
Finding Nemo - Dad proves his usefulness and his love by searching for his lost son.
The Incredibles - A whole "industry" of super heroes are put out of work and fall out of fashion.
Cars - A small town bypassed by a new highway gets rediscovered for its nostalgic charm.
Ratatouille - This must have been a reaction to America's annoyance with France over the Iraq war since it tries to associate French cooking with swarms of rats. Not a good example of obsolescence and a rare WTF?! moment for Pixar.
WALL-E - The whole planet is trashed. Robots do the clean up. Obsolescence to the extreme.
Up - An old man with no reason to stay simply flies away.
Pixar films are extremely well made on all levels and they've also been noted for their heart. It is the bitter sweet knowledge that the old must make way for the new that gives these films their sentimentality and that probably stems from the subconscious guilt Pixar must have for so completely replacing the traditional and beloved animated cartoon.