Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Free Reel Feedback from Those who Know!

Just a quick post to let everyone know two things:

First things first, this friday, December 9 is the last club meeting before the break. It's been a bit of a hectic semester with Tea Time coming under new management and all, but all in all, it's been productive and it can only get better with time!

Secondly, and much more importantly in my opinion, there is a free animation reel review event on December 15 from 7-10pm at Lanesplitters Pizza in Emeryville.



Hans Brekke was kind enough to e-mail us the link with all the necessary info, but there's also some posters around the halls. You can also check things out here.

Good luck with your finals, and we'll see you Friday!

Friday, December 2, 2011

Welcome Back Animation Clubbers!

I know we've been doing a lot of motivational posting lately, but here's a little more!


Tuesday, November 22, 2011

CTN

If you didn't go, you missed out.

'Nuff said.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

A Brisk, Motivational Slap in the Face

Club Prez. Keaton Tips brought this gem by JR. Canest to light at club this week. According to Mr. Tips, Canest completed this in only two weeks. Think about it.


Canest: For school (VFS), we had to make a Title Sequence and I decided to make the movie of my life and its everything in boxes and circles... It took me a lot of work... there is thousands of key frames made in after effects...

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Laika's Next Flick

Amazing, no?


Mid-week Special!

Just notes on a few things we touched upon last week that I neglected to mention in my previous post.

During our usual critique, some useful, yet under-exposed, Maya tools were brought to light by one of our lovely patrons Brandon Nason.

First things first: Motion Trails!

Motion trails will create visible paths for your selected attributes complete with frame numbers, so becomes really easy to detect problems with the flow or kinks within your animation. It looks something like this:

Photobucket
(The path could also look bright red with white dots showing the keys.)

But where are these Motion Trails?

Maya 2011:
Select the attribute you wish to trail.
>Make sure "Animation" is selected from the drop down menu at the top left-hand side.
>>Go to the "Animate" tab
>>>Select "Create Motion Trail", use the option box and make sure to click "Show frame Number"

Maya 2012:
Select the attribute you wish to trail.
>Make sure "Animation" is selected from the drop down menu at the top left-hand side.
>>Go to the "Animate" tab
>>>Select "Create Editable Motion Trail", use the option box and make sure to click "Show frame Number"

The Glory of Weighted Tangents:

For those of you who weren't in club last week, and who aren't already using weighted tangents, we're going to change your life...or at least change the method in which you interact with the graph editor.

While the standard (non-weighted) tangents in Maya can be rotated and moved around, the length of the tangent handles themselves are confined to a set length. Weighted tangents (once you've clicked the right buttons, of course) will give you the freedom to pull out the tanget handles, allowing you better control over your curves with fewer keys for cleaner, smoother animation!

How to:
(Click all images to enlarge)
In your graph editor, select the curves you wish to weight. You can select one key or the whole curve, it doesn't matter, either way it will weight the whole curve what ever key you've selected belongs to:



Then, still in the graph editor, select Curves>Weighted Tangents. Your tangents will then look something like this:

In this state, your curves will behave just like regular tangents, so you don't need to worry about the timing you've already nailed down (though if you begin to alter it, you'll see the tangent handles jump around a bit in length so keep an eye out). However, if you wish to have the ultimate freedom, simply select whatevert tangent you wish to manipulate (I'd do this in a case-by-case basis.) and click the "Free Tangent Weight" and "Break Tangents" buttons in your Graph editor window.


Now you will see that you have complete freedom over the length of your tangents.
If you wish for them to work together again, simply click the "Unify Tangents" button. If you wish for the tangent to not vary in length at your command, click the "Lock Tangent Weight" button

Friday, October 28, 2011

CTN Update: Don't forget to book your accommodations!

For those of you who were planning on coming out to CTN, but who had not yet booked a hotel room, it's time to step your game up.

Keaton and I finally got our own act together last night, giving the conference center hotel (the Airport Marriott, Burbank) a call to book a room, and managed to score the LAST one (according to the receptionist) that was available for both nights (Nov. 18th and 19th). She did mention that there were four or so available the night of the 19th only, but it seems as though anyone looking to book past this point will be at a neighbouring facility -- bummer!

That being said, if you are planning on booking past this point, it might be pertinent to check with the Marriott anyways, on the off chance there have been any cancellations. Additionally, whenever you do decide to make the call, do ensure that you actually make a call. Often, during conferences and the like, hotels will have set aside a number of rooms specifically for attendees, and this usually means discounts and things associated with such that won't be available if you book online.

If the Marriott does happen to be full, then it's a nice idea to go online. If you try to book via the Marriott website, once the hotel is full, it will provide you with a list of hotels that are available, how far they are from the Marriott, and the pricing of the alternate rooms -- good deal!

It's a bummer to not be at the actual conference center for the event, but don't think that means it isn't worth coming! Make sure you get on top of things and book asap.

Good luck!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Clean Team!



In case you weren't aware, each year, AAU clubs that wish to be provided with any sort of budget are required to partake in community service activities.

Thus, this weekend, Lana, as well as a few other animators, found themselves helping out at San Francisco's 'Clean Team' event. Anyone who wished to go met at one of the designated pick up locations (One of three Academy Housing Facilities) at 8:30am where an academy shuttle took them out to the event.

Upon arrival, all the volunteers were given the proper equipment - vests, gloves, tools, etc - and went to go beautify the neighbourhood. Although the activities generally vary, this week those participating were working on Monterey street medians removing old mulch, planting new flowers and things, laying down irrigation line and then coating the remaining space with new mulch. Volunteers were provided with coffee and breakfast treats in the morning, and lunch after their day was done. They were back at the Academy by 12:30pm.



If you are interested in giving back to your local community while simultaneously giving your local animation club some dolla' dolla' bills that go towards helping and/or entertaining you,  don't hesitate to e-mail us, or keep a watchful eye here for more information! The next community service opportunity is at the San Francisco Food Bank!



Thanks to everyone who came out!

Friday, October 14, 2011

IMPORTANT: CTN Bus Update.

The Campus Life Office is now the one-stop shop for 
CTN bus reservation and payment!

The office is located in the Basement of Howard Brodie @ 655 Sutter Street. 

Go during business hours (approximately 9am - 5pm) and ask the lovely host at the front desk where the campus life office is.  They will take your ID and direct you downstairs.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

A Change of Face

Beyond our usual critique and some more droning on about CTN, those of us that happened to find ourselves at club yesterday managed to discuss a fairly important topic that would affect the whole club. Namely, the name!

The animation club leaders have been collaborating with Campus Life and Leadership trying to further establish a  more concrete identity for ourselves as an organization. This calls for branding, and a complete face-lift for our online community (yeah, we don't like the blog design either). To begin this process, however, we decided that in order to create a solid name for ourselves...we had to create a solid name for ourselves...Nothing screams "bland" (albeit so succinct) like "AAU Animation Club".

Although in the end, it's going to be an executive decision, we would like to hear a little input as to how our club-goers would like to be portrayed/

Opinions?
Concerns?
Some insanely bad-ass idea for a sweet, sweet name? (Remember: It doesn't specifically have to say 'Animation' in the name.)

Don't hesitate to contact us with your thoughts via e-mail (aauanimate@gmail.com), or simply comment on this very post. Note: Due to time constraints, if you post later than Monday, October 3rd, your voice may not be heard! Post early if you've got something to say.

Have a great weekend!

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

TOWN HALL MEETING

Hello Animation Club Followers!

The TOWN HALL meeting 
is tomorrow at 10AM in
room 400A


This is the place and time to voice concerns you 
have and offer solutions to current challenges.

For any folk who are new to town hall etiquette: 
This really isn't meant to be a place for just complaints.  Being professional and voicing your concerns in a logical, polite fashion is really well recieved and helps us get what we need accomplished.  Woo!  :D

Saturday, September 24, 2011

On the off chance you missed the memo..

For those of you who missed the meeting (or were simply too negligent or lazy to take notes), we managed to discuss an exceptionally pertinent tidbit of information this week!

Photobucket

At long last, the announcement we've all been waiting for: Important information on the Creative Talent Network's Animation Exposition

What is it, you ask? 

In essence, it's a weekend chock-full of meeting new people, soaking in some new tips and tricks straight from the proverbial horse's mouth, and playing a little show and tell with your portfolios (if you're into that sort of thing). Most importantly, however, it's a remarkable opportunity to rub elbows with the professionals in our field. 

A little bit of CTN FAQ, if you will:

When/Where is it?
This year, the event is hosted the weekend of November 18-20 in Burbank, CA.

Burbank? How do I get there?
Here you have one of two options: 

A) Fly. Prices will vary pending on how posh you like to be, but I believe a cheap round trip is somewhere around $100. 

B) Bus! The most frugal, and truly more fun method of transportation. AAU kindly supports our interests by providing some form of wheels at the low, low price of $50/student. So long as you're prepared for 8-hours of bus games and potential (inevitable) sing-song, head on over to the animation office on the 3rd floor of 180 New Montgomery and place your name on the sign up sheet. IN ORDER TO HAVE YOUR NAME PUT ON THE SHEET -- You must first go to Accounts Receivable department (2nd floor, 79 New Montgomery street), pay your fee, then bring the receipt to the office where they will put your name on the list. The bus leaves from 79 New Montgomery at 3:00am on Friday the 18th (that would be LATE on Thursday night or EARLY on Friday morning). The bus returns Sunday the 20th at 6pm (gets you back into San Francisco around 12-1am.)

Where do I stay?
This is truly up to you if you feel like doing a little research, but for the sake of convenience, we would suggest you stay where the event is actually held -- the Burbank Marriott . You can get full details and pricing by clicking the link, but remember -- Pack a few friends into one room and the price goes way down.

How much is the convention?
Again, you can find full details on price here, but a 3-day student pass is only $120 ($130 if you sign up after September 30).

ONLY $120, huh?
Well, perhaps a little more. Keep in mind that you'll need food, you'll probably want to buy a thing or two at the expo and, for those of us who are eligible, you'll most likely be grabbing a couple drinks nightly. I know that it may sound a little pricey, but we can not emphasize enough how much you'll truly gain from this weekend. Beyond the bits of knowledge you'll gain by going to the panels, this is really a networking opportunity of a lifetime and we can promise you'll thank yourself later. Besides, a little R&R from the usual San Francisco routine is always a good thing.

If you have further questions about the phonetics of getting/being there, or were interested in learning more about CTNX itself, go visit their website and do a little personal research. As always, don't hesitate to comment here or e-mail the (newly un-hacked) aauanimate@gmail.com.

Lastly, here's a little inspiration for the week. Here's a short by Ryan Woodward, an amazing animator who just so happens to be hosting a panel titled "Logic vs Inspiration" at CTNX!


Thought of You from Ryan J Woodward on Vimeo.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

A Slight Change of Plans...

Remember all those cool posters and take-aways we had on our desk at the AAU Club Fair last Tuesday? Unfortunately they are no longer accurate.


Due to a scheduling conflict, the club meetings will now be held starting at 3:30pm on Fridays in room 400a.




Ah, yes. AAU Animation Club: The only way to spend your...tea time?


Our first official meeting will be held this Friday, September 9th. In the mean time, please enjoy "Going to the Store", a short masterpiece animated by David Lewandowski, the lead animator on "Tron: Legacy."



Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Attention New Students!

Hello all who attended Club Orientation!

The Club has sent emails to all who signed up for
more information.  If you did not recieve an email,
it is due to our failure to read your handwriting...

We apologize, please follow our blog for information
or email us directly with your name :)

aauanimate@gmail.com


Thursday, August 25, 2011

Animation Club Fall 2011

ANIMATORS!

It's that time again...  
Time for animation club to rise from the foggy depths of San Francisco Summer....

Club meetings will be held on:
Fridays from 12pm to 1:30pm
UNLESS, DUE TO A POPULAR UPRISING, FRIDAY'S ARE DEEMED UNWORTHY OF CLUB MEETINGS.  POST ALTERNATIVES HERE.

please take your lunch break with us: give/receive feedback, recruit for your projects, yap









Friday, July 29, 2011

Hello Clubbers, Alumni, and Miscellaneous Subscribers!


JD Haas has announced: FALL WORKSHOPS ARE OPEN FOR SIGN UP
If you haven't experienced the S.O.S workshop, here's your chance.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO
http://spungella.blogspot.com/2011/07/fall-2011-spungella-workshops-sign-ups.html

Friday, May 13, 2011

Workshops

Hey peeps!

Good chance to get some Pixar mentorship, starting this summer.

Four of Pixar top animators will hold Workshops starting July 1rst. Classes will go from 7:00pm to 10:00pm once a week

They will take place near Pixar (you'll even be able to see the front gate). You can easily get there by Bart and Emeryville go round or the transbay bus.

(If you are not going to be around over summer, you can still sign-up or ask for the Fall classes.)

Check the image below for more information:


Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Looking for an Animator...

Caroline is looking for an animator or few to help her with her thesis! ;)
If interested, email her and send a link to your portfolio.

caroline.m.raphael@gmail.com

It's a sweet little story about a boy and a girl and a slide....

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Mike Midlock Guest Lecture

Mike Midlock Guest Lecture

Friday April 29 @ 7:00pm in room 400 @ 180 New Montgomery

Hey animation dudey dudies,
Mike Midlock is an animator at ILM who has worked on a number of blockblusters including "Rango."
He will be giving a talk about how he busted into this industry and what he has learned along the way.

Come check it out, ask him some questions, and get sucked into the vicious tornado of inspiration.
It will be a good one. Don't miss it. We hope to see you there.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Our Next Speaker! - updated

*** UPDATED***

Friday, April 29th


MICHAEL MIDLOCK
ILM ANIMATOR
on RANGO and PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 4. He is currently working on "Super 8".


--PM IN ROOM 400
180 New Montgomery.

Stay tuned for a update with the time. But don't worry, it is going to be around 8 : )

Also - we we'll still have our regular meeting at 5:00pm in the midpoint room!


Academy of Art Gallery open to Animation and Film Submissions

Do you want to display art or a film in one of the Academy Galleries?

Email this lovely lady:

SERITA SANGIMINO
GALLERY/RETAIL GENERAL MANAGER
415-618-3859
SSANGIMINO@ACADEMYART.EDU

Open to Alumni and current students. Put yourself out there!

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

RANDY LINK PRESENTING ON FRIDAY

OUR SPEAKER WILL BE PRESENTING
THIS FRIDAY: APRIL 8TH
@ 8PM IN ROOM 400

Be prepared for awesomeness...

Bring yourself, your friends, and your sense of humor...

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

TVP ​ANIMATION ​SOFTWARE ​DEMONSTRATION

TVP ​ANIMATION ​SOFTWARE ​DEMONSTRATION
WHEN : Thursday ​,March ​31 ​from ​3:30 ​to ​6:00
WHERE: ​540 ​Powell ​St. ​building, ​Room ​400 ​( ​4th ​floor)

Meet ​with ​the ​company ​representative ​Fabrice ​Debarge ​to ​ask ​questions ​after ​the ​demo.

What ​is ​TVP ​ANIMATION ​? ​-

"TVP ​Animation ​is ​a ​2D ​bitmap ​animation ​software, ​made ​by ​artists, ​for ​artists. ​Combining ​ ​real ​time ​drawing ​and ​animation ​applications ​into ​a ​single ​software ​solution ​, ​TVP ​Animation ​integrates ​artists ​directly ​into ​their ​work, ​in ​order ​to ​be ​concentrated ​on ​creation, ​instead ​of ​technique. ​ ​Designed ​for ​projects ​of ​any ​resolution, ​ranging ​from ​HDTV ​and ​Film ​to ​web ​video, ​TVP ​ ​Animation ​provides ​a ​simple, ​powerful ​alternative ​to ​expensive ​proprietary ​solutions ​and ​complex ​multiple ​software ​workflows.

http://paperless-animation.blogspot.com/


-Thanks David :)

Our First Guest of the Semester!

RANDY LINK
ANIMATOR AT TIPPET AND WETA

Randy has an awesome presentation in the works for us.

Come out for a night filled with Animation Club's specialty: Awesomeness

FRIDAY APRIL 8th
STAY TUNED FOR DETAILS

Sunday, March 13, 2011

VFX Gateway. Use It.

VFX GATEWAY IS THE SITE FOR OUR DEPARTMENT

Do register and check it out.

Everything you will ever need to know...
Submissions for Spring Show or 10 Second Reel are via the Gateway
Collaborations
Jason's list

Rare but valuable email updates

http://vfxgateway.com/

Club Meeting Next Week!

Our meeting will be held in the usual place:

The Midpoint Room
In the back of the ILM lab
on the 3rd floor of 180 New Montgomery


new folks always welcome and oldies always forgiven if they are too busy ;)

Bring yourself
Bring your stuff

we'll rip it up for you

Friday, March 11, 2011


http://www.siggraph.org/s2011/

Interested in Siggraph?
Stay tuned and talk to your student reps to find out more information!

Reminder

Animation Club will be visiting the Illustration and 2D department building on Powell Street.

We are bringing dim sum so come on out, bring your animation, and have a snack!

Meet in the lobby at 5pm.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Next Week's Meeting

We want to bring the 2D folk and 3D folk together :)
Next week's meeting will be at Powell!!

Shall I bring dim sum?

Some links for your handy dandy google reader...

You may not have seen this site before, but it's a great resource for gesture drawing practice
http://www.posemaniacs.com/thirtysecond


And, everybody should have a feed from Hans Bacher. Beautiful art direction and process notes. He also posts a lot of material from his book: Dream Worlds.

http://one1more2time3.wordpress.com/

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Club Time and Meeting Location

Hello All!

Club Time and Meeting Place have once again settled into the Midpoint Room on Fridays at 5pm!

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Club Meeting Next Week!

Animation Club will be meeting for the first time next week!

Friday @ 12pm

in the midpoint room!


Stay tuned for our event notices, posters, and screens on the Campus Life Televisions!

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Welcome Back!

Ladies, Gents, and Androgynous Individuals,

It's Spring!
It's 2011!
It's time for Animation Club to begin again!

Last year we met on Fridays at 5pm in the Midpoint Room of 180 New Montgomery. This is still a good candidate for this semester. However, feel free to propose new ideas.

Don't miss out! Bring your work for critique, show a short film, share some animation news and updates on collaboratives, find team mates, attend our guest speaker presentations and club bonding events!

Also, it's never too early to sign up for CTN Animation Expo which the club will be attending and arranging transportation for in Fall 2011.

http://www.ctnanimationexpo.com/

P.S. Today is Cartoon Art Museum's "free" day. The MOMA as well.