I am back from the world of 3D animation. I learned a lot - mostly I learned that you have to keep spending money and upgrading if you want to work in 3D. The computer is never powerful enough, one never has enough hard drive space, etc. I also learned that I became so engrossed in the technicality of it all that I stopped being an artist and started becoming a technician. I ran out of time to create anything because I was too busy upgrading something - software, hardware. It became nightmarish.
I finally woke-up.
Although I'm not sure what my next step is creatively, I wanted to stop by and say 'Hello' to all my 2D friends.
I am not surprised you don't remember me, I produced nothing of merit with this software but I am a great admirer of your work; I purchased a DVD of your work and Sandra wrote the nicest note in it. I was wondering how you are coming on the Tulip movie?
I used to be 'Anim8tor Cathy' from Digital Backlot Studio - but someone else began using that studio name online professionally and rather than start a ruckus, I chose another studio name. It suits me better. I dropped the "Anim8tor" from my nickname here because I have done little to earn the distinction.
There was a lady on here I used to chat with from time to time - Sierra Rose? Is she still around?
I see you were playing around with iClone. What do you think of it? It's a fun toy and could be useful for pre-viz but don't think it's good enough for production work.
Brett W. McCoy -- http://www.brettwmccoy.com TVP Pro 10 : Intel i7 2600 3.4 GHz : 8GB RAM : Ubuntu Studio 14.04 : Cintiq 21UX
Ah yes, the mouse in the blue cup -- now that wasn't that long ago was it? Tulip is done; I finished it in December and since then it's been primarily in the hands of the producers. Before the end of the year they will pick a distributor and it'll be hopefully released in art theaters.
Sandra and I are working on a new feature about Joshua Slocum. So are you ready to inbetween a lot after getting spoiled by machines doing it for you?
Paul http://www.slocumfilm.com
Desktop PC Win10-Pro -64 bit OS; 32.0 GB RAM
Processor: i7-2600 CPU@3.40GHz
AMD FirePro V7900; Intuos4 Wacom tablet
idragosani wrote:I see you were playing around with iClone. What do you think of it? It's a fun toy and could be useful for pre-viz but don't think it's good enough for production work.
Yes , I got very active in the machinima community. I have made some wonderful friends there, but I just don't think it is the right medium for me. Great community but wrong medium.
I've decided to take a vacation from all of it and figure things out.
Paul Fierlinger wrote:Ah yes, the mouse in the blue cup -- now that wasn't that long ago was it? Tulip is done; I finished it in December and since then it's been primarily in the hands of the producers. Before the end of the year they will pick a distributor and it'll be hopefully released in art theaters.
Sandra and I are working on a new feature about Joshua Slocum. So are you ready to inbetween a lot after getting spoiled by machines doing it for you?
How wonderful hear it is finished! I look forward to seeing it. I hope it comes to the San Francisco area.
Are you planning to enter Tulip in any festivals? Annecy perhaps?
And you are working on another film - very exciting!
I am not sure what I want to do at this point. I just know what I can not do anymore of. HA! That's a place to start anyway.
Cathy wrote:Yes , I got very active in the machinima community. I have made some wonderful friends there, but I just don't think it is the right medium for me. Great community but wrong medium.
I've decided to take a vacation from all of it and figure things out.
Understood... I went back and forth between hand-drawn 2D and CG 3D for a few years before deciding hand-drawn 2D is where I want to be (and traditional stop-motion 3D, too)
Brett W. McCoy -- http://www.brettwmccoy.com TVP Pro 10 : Intel i7 2600 3.4 GHz : 8GB RAM : Ubuntu Studio 14.04 : Cintiq 21UX
Paul Fierlinger wrote:We were in Annecy with it and it's going now to Toronto and Ottawa, London and Pusan and that's it for this year. Weren't you working in a factory?
Yes, I am a mechanical inspector by trade. I've been out of work since May due to shoulder surgery. Have had to learn how to do everything left-handed - even mousing on the computer - damned tricky.
But this is a good stopping point in my life (I'm 54) to reevaluate where I am going as an artist. I think I have been chasing after the wrong things. You know that saying- You get all the way to the top of the ladder and realize it's up against the wrong building? HA! That's me!
Yes, Cathy, I'm still here and very glad indeed to hear from you again as I enjoyed your illustrations and your spirit.
Yes, 3D feels to me like building a puppet and then working it. It's not as satisfying as drawing at all for me. Not that puppetry can't be a great medium...just not mine.
I'm still drawing away. We just got back from Italy recently and got a new puppy. Buckley Chipwich Trumpington (a Norfolk Terrier mix). He keeps us out hiking even more than we hiked before. Such a ball of energy.
I recently got an Intuos 4 tablet (upgrading from my Intuos3) and I'm enjoying it a lot (not that I didn't also love the 3).
What a SWEET, SWEET PUPPY!! OMG!! The cutest little guy - and THAT NAME!! LOL I Love it!
So good to see you again! You went to Italy - How exciting!
What is the difference between the Intuos 4 and 3. I saw an ad and I couldn't figure it out. I still have my trusty 3, not that I've used it much at all.
Yes I agree with you about 3D animation feeling like puppeteering. There is also a lot of work involved in the modeling end which is more like sculpting. I had gotten involved in a type of 3D animation called "machinima" which is done in real time - no rendering. It's based on the render engines found in 3D games. Many people actually use game content to animate. I really liked the community of people I met and worked with and I'll probably always keep one foot in the door with it, as I began doing voice acting for them - but it is not my medium. I'm not sure what *is* my medium. But that's why I want to take some time off and just explore and experiment. It could be that exploring and experimenting *is* the thing I like to do best! HA!
I think there may be a longer list of new features than I have yet discovered. Mainly it has better pressure and much better sideboard controls. I like the feel of it even more than the slicker feel of the Intuos 3 (which I also liked). Once I got it up and running I haven't done anything but continue drawing and haven't explored it as much as I will in future.
I know what you mean about being open to new artisitic experiences...it has been nearly 5 years since I seriously set out to learn drawing/animating and I enjoy it so much, it feels like I've only been doing it 5 weeks. There's that delicious feeling when you are doing what you love.
I'll be interested in what you discover for yourself.
Thanks about Buckley...we had fun giving him an upper crust name since he is mostly a mutt. Actually Norfolks were originally called Trumpingtons because that was the name of the village in England where they were bred. Chipwich is for his chocolate chip eyes and Buckley just because he is so proud and sassy. We rescued him when he was 8 months old (now he is nearly 10 months). He is a rather quiet and calm guy for a puppy. We really enjoy a mellow dog.
This is a very interesting thread and I suppose I may as well comment here as I am also back from a very long hiatus. Also interesting is this idea of 3D being all about upgrading, spending money and technical issues. I remember when I got to the point where I felt like I could never get a handle on anything because an all new, mo' better version came out just a few months after I got it. I began to get fed up with 3D as well.
The thing is, I didn't necessarily find my solace in drawing either. I love to draw and always will, but I guess I only like to do it for me when the mood strikes. Working in the medium was something I just didn't see happening. There was quite a stretch of time when I gave up completely, and did absolutely nothing productive for almost a year. Now I'm kind of back in action, teaching my methods of creating animated projects without big studio budgets, and preparing to start my next big project.
I can't say I have all the answers, but I do know that one has to do what they love. That is real life. I hope to find a lot of fun here and, once again, in TVPaint.
Terrence Walker
MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
MacOS Monterey Version 12.6.2
2.7 GHz Intel Core i5, 8 GB 1867 MHz DDR3, Intel Iris Graphics 6100
