www.animationmentor.com

[DigitalToon2]

Hey everyone. Jan 8th is commin up so fast! hehe.
been reading the books, very interesting stuff.

I have had a little problem with maya and quicktime though. I bought both packages and installed them both. but I can't choose .mov as a file type when rendering in Maya? Am I missing something or doing something wrong?

any thoughts?

For AM we always use playblasts and you can acturally set the settings of your AVI files to open in quicktime and than you can export them through quicktime so you can upload small file sizes that load quickly to your assignment section.

[timeless3d]

but I can't choose .mov as a file type when rendering in Maya? Am I missing something or doing something wrong?


Read the orientation PDF that you get from the first page of the AM Members site. Towards the end, there are detailed instructions about playblasting and converting to mov.

[sketch404]

thank you both ^^

[MadMax]

put a bit simpler......

In QT you set your preferences to be the default player for AVI files.

[Solario]

Hey all....found out who my mentor is for class 1...Eric Lessard (Shrek1 , Madagascar, Sinbad). Impressive resume can't wait to start. Anyone else with the same same mentor?

[fluffybunny]

put a bit simpler......

In QT you set your preferences to be the default player for AVI files.

I've also used this with a modicum of success
http://www.highend3d.com/maya/downloads/mel_scripts/animation/ev-QTplayblast-3691.html

For if you don't want to set AVI's to default open with Quicktime.

..and it looks like I have Ethan Hurd for my last term :)

eric

[achavero]

Eric congrats Ethan is a great mentor. I had him in the 3er class and it was really fun to learn from him.

Mine will be James Brown, but in the imdb.com database i can't find about him. The only James Brown that pops up in google is the actor and a great animator from Disney that died this december. Does anybody know who's him?

[AkaKico]

I have Pete Paquette for my first class. Anybody else? We're getting close now! *bounces*

[FatFatFatty]

oops. Double posted.

[FatFatFatty]

Eric congrats Ethan is a great mentor. I had him in the 3er class and it was really fun to learn from him.

Mine will be James Brown, but in the imdb.com database i can't find about him. The only James Brown that pops up in google is the actor and a great animator from Disney that died this december. Does anybody know who's him?


James Brown is the one who did that "Winds of Victory" test with Bishop. That was pretty sweet. I think he works at Tippett.

This might be him: http://imdb.com/name/nm1843320/

[smearframe]

Hey all....found out who my mentor is for class 1...Eric Lessard (Shrek1 , Madagascar, Sinbad). Impressive resume can't wait to start. Anyone else with the same same mentor?

you are in good hands, solario. Eric was my mentor last term and I learnt a lot about the 12 principles and their application from him.
you are going to enjoy your time at AM!

[timeless3d]

congrats to all who have gotten their Mentors, especially to the guy who got Vic Navone (i really admire Navone's work and background, he is one of the reasons I decided to enroll in AM) It would be awesome to have Navone as a mentor, but I am sure whoever I get will be brilliant. I am curious, have any new students found out who they have yet? or, has it only been second+ term students so far?

I can be patient, I have waited this long. Just curious.

See you all soon!

[timeless3d]

double post (silly server)

[timeless3d]

Well, I checked just before I posted that, and then again just now and now I have one!

Sean Mclaughlin

According to IMDB, there is a Sean Mclaughlin who worked on The Prince of Egypt and a Sean McLaughlin (big L) with a few credits including Shrek 2 (I am guessing they are both him).

Any way to know when we need to be online like for the QA? I have class at my brick and mortar school tuesday and thursday evenings, think this will be a problem?

[Badger]

I got Greg Kyle as a mentor for the 1st term. Anybody else ? :)

LE: Oops, it changed. Now i have Dimos Vrysellas. He worked on The Wild (Houdini <3), Shark Tale, Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas . Crazy, simply crazy.

[timeless3d]

um, is it normal to have a QA at 12am - 1am, if you live in the US?

[JohnWest]

Heya!
I got Dimos Vrysellas, first class!
My Q&A is at tuesdays, 10:00pm german timezone(!). Awesome, I can't wait to start...
Hope to meet you guys on monday...
greetz
J

[MadMax]

For all of you getting Dimos Vrysellas as a mentor, consider yourselves incredibly lucky.

Dimos is a madman!!! I had him and frequently our supposedly 2 hour QA's turned into Epics that exceeded 3 hours on occasion. Problem was, at the end people wanted him to keep going, his QA's were that incredible.

Dimos has a very no BS, straightforward approach to getting things done. Trust me on this, you are going to learn a lot.

I was very lucky to have had Dimos as an instructor. Those of you who got him this term are extremely fortunate.

[MadMax]

um, is it normal to have a QA at 12am - 1am, if you live in the US?



LOL!!


Yeah, they were trying to pair up times for foreign students. You might want to call the office and let them know your QA is a bit inconvenient. ;)

[MadMax]

oops. double post.

[AkaKico]

I got a 11:00 PM-12:00 AM Q and A. But that's perfect for me ^^

[Opelfruits]

I have Sean Ermey for the 1st term, its gettin close now :D sooooo excited :bounce:

[timeless3d]

Yeah, they were trying to pair up times for foreign students. You might want to call the office and let them know your QA is a bit inconvenient. ;)

I'm afraid they might change it to a night that conflicts with my other school (or are they always on wed?) I emailed them just to double check the time, but midnight is not going to kill me (i'd probably be out drinking anyway)


Fellow first timers, just a reminder that if you can't find a bio for your mentor, you could try the PDF course catalog that is available from the main (non-members) site and check for a bio there (addendum a, page 26 of the pdf). I didn't see one for mine, Sean Mclaughlin, but maybe your's is there.

Have a great first term!

[d_jnaneswar]

Hi guys,

New year starts with a sad news for me..
I have been expelled from AM. I recieved an email saying that my enrollment has been terminated cuz ive violated some rules of AM. Well, they have a 10 percent reason to do so.. but i dont agree. what happened is that one of my students, hemendra, did some animations with AM like rigs that he built. He did it cuz he was so inspired by AM’s works. AM thinks I gave him their rigs. But I havent. Ive emailed bobby with the crude rigs that he built and used, but to no avail. All in all, I didnt give him the rigs. So, I aint guilty. So, I aint worried. I take it as a blessing of God in disguise. Lets see what this does to me…

Neways. Its been wonderful being in AM, being part of the community. Met some great friends. Awsome mentors. Learnt a lot. I wont be able to ever repay them for the animation knowledge they imparted.

Neways, best of luck to all you guys who just got into AM and who are continuing! AM is a wonderful place! Enjoy everybit of it and learn a lot! I used to watch all the ecrits of my class and many of the other good students works. I learnt a hell of a lot from AM. I hope you all too.

dj

http://djanimator.wordpress.com

[timeless3d]

one of your students? I am assuming you are a AM student, not a mentor, do you teach somewhere?

[d_jnaneswar]

I teach basics of animation. Thats how I make a living and thats how I pay for AM. I am an AM student.. not a mentor..

[timeless3d]

Sounds like an unfortunate misunderstanding. I am a bit stunned since this is the first negative thing I have heard related to AM, ever. I doubt you are the first to be given your walking papers, but you are the first I have heard from. Thank you for posting about this. It a slap of reality. I am totally excited to get started with AM, this is a reminder to make sure we all play by the rules if we want to stay.

I am impressed that you are still able to speak so well of the school and are not jaded by this experience, to me that speaks greatly of your character.

I am sorry for your situation. If you really didn't give out the rig, I hope AM can see that and you are allowed back in. Best of luck to you in any case.

[d_jnaneswar]

thanks man,

I sure hope they let me back in.

[JohnWest]

Wow! That's truely a sad situation.
There must be ways to clear this misunderstanding! Call them, write them letters and contact everyone who could help you! If you really have not given the rigs away, as you said, you can evidence this somehow? ...
As Timeless said, this is the first thing EVER(!) I heard sth negative about AM.
I feel with you, I would die if AM would expell me...
On the other side, I can understand the people at AM, just imagine what would happen to AM if someone would upload the rigs or sth... It would immediately loose its magic...
Anyway, I wish you the best and I hope for you that this "case" can be solved soon
Now I really gotta leave (even talking about AM is soooo exciting)...
J

[d_jnaneswar]

well,

I sent bobby the rigs and he understands the situation. but right now, since what ever my student did puts me and AM in a bad position and that i didnt tell it to AM before hand, they need to take action it seems. I have the rigs to prove it, but with AM's repute at stake,they say theres no choice with them.

I will keep requesting them every term tho and hope that they will change their stand. As of now, I am out of AM.

DJ

[My Fault]

Hopefully it all works out DJ as I was really looking forward to seeing you back!

thanks man,

I sure hope they let me back in.

[fluffybunny]

Wow DJ, that's kinda rough, but I can't argue with the rules if that's in there. AM has to protect their visual style.

I can say I guess I'm lucky I procastinate, though....
I made my own model of Ballie, seen here as the smaller guy that gets booted:
http://cgwabbit.com/AM/BWK4/kickJamsmooth012.mov

I used the leg script from CGtoolkit's Art of rigging, Vol. 1 and actually went to the trouble of emailing them to see if it was okay to release models built from their scripts and they said yes.
I did this partly for technical reasons and partly to try out anmating another rigging style.
If you discount the learning curve on rigging and modelling, it's probably only an hour or two of work. I never cleaned it up and put in nice nurbs curve pick rings, etc.
I can't remember if I was intending to just give it to AM students or put it on my blog, but now I'm glad I did neither.


eric

[tuderose]

Well, I checked just before I posted that, and then again just now and now I have one!

Sean Mclaughlin

Hey Travis, I've got Sean too. You found out as much as I did - perhaps it's his first time at AM. Good for us - he'll love his first students!

[tuderose]

um, is it normal to have a QA at 12am - 1am, if you live in the US?

It threw me too. My computer is in our bedroom so my husband is going to have to sleep in the spare room while I'm making noise! Glad it's only for 12 weeks - it's going to mess up my sleep pattern big time. Don't care though, would do it at 3am if necessary.

[achavero]

James Brown is the one who did that "Winds of Victory" test with Bishop. That was pretty sweet. I think he works at Tippett.

This might be him: http://imdb.com/name/nm1843320/


Thanks for the information, now I remember =D

[rsluman]

Hey Alejandro! I got James Brown too.

[DigitalToon2]

Has anyone tried to login and gotten the message to continue to session 612? And did you select continue and does it show us are q/a times and what not yet?

[norman365]

Hey everyone :scream:, I finally got the account error sorted after a few really nice phone calls with the office staff and I've got myself Kevin Koch as a mentor. I've also managed to order Maya so it's all calm and happy sailing from here on in (fingers crossed).

straying slightly off topic, I was just wondering if anyone has the book on force by Wayne Gilbert? I bought myself a copy of the Mike Mattesi book not so long ago and was wanting to weight up how similar the two are in terms of content etc.

and considering those people who have their Q&As at midnight, mine are scheduled at 5:30am (then again I am abroad :) ).

EDIT: I just did a google search on Kevin to see if he had a site, and found out he's president of the Animation Guild :eek: (promise that'll be the last smiley for a good while)

[Mechis]

How are you guys able to see who your mentor is? Are you logging onto the member site? When I try to (term 2 student), I get this message:

"Alert: At this time we are currently in between terms. The Winter 2007 term starts January 8, 2007"

Any ideas?
Thanks!

[DigitalToon2]

Mine for the past week or two has brought up my home page with just my calendar on it when i open my browser window because it just automatically opens AM and i save my password, but now it's sort of hit or miss and when max figured out who his mentor was i clicked on my grades section and they acturally came up and for class 6 I had Kenny Roy listed, of course it may or may not be true but in the past it's been correct. At the moment it just brings up the AM login page.

[Mechis]

well, what's weird is that when I type the member site url, it actually shows me the inside of the site... but when I click on a link, it kicks me out and gives me the message that AM is between terms. I guess I'll have to give them a call tomorrow...
~Mechis

[DigitalToon2]

well, what's weird is that when I type the member site url, it actually shows me the inside of the site... but when I click on a link, it kicks me out and gives me the message that AM is between terms. I guess I'll have to give them a call tomorrow...
~Mechis

I wouldn't worry about, it's just a kink in the system that we could access part of the site. It won't let me login in either. Just be patient and I'm sure they will send out an email tommorrow or saturday morning at the latest of who your mentor is and when your q/a is, like they always do.

[TAKADS]

Got Sean Ermey as my mentor, and a Q&A scheduled at 10 PM! perfect time for me :D

[BobbyPontillas]

Anyone else have Ray Chase? Woot!

[sketch404]

Paul Allen is my Mentor! I couldn't find a whole lot of information on him. I think he did some work on The Ant Bully. Has anyone had him before? can't wait to meet him. hehe.

[voxelMan]

Hi Guys,
Got Eric Lessard as my mentor - found out he was on shrek and shrek 2.
My Q&A are 5-6 PM, which is great for me.
Can't wait to start! anyone else got Eric?

Ziv
:D

[Solario]

Hi Guys,
Got Eric Lessard as my mentor - found out he was on shrek and shrek 2.
My Q&A are 5-6 PM, which is great for me.
Can't wait to start! anyone else got Eric?

Ziv
:D


I do...he also did work on Madagascar and in Sinbad.

[voxelMan]

Hey Solario - that means that we're in the same class?

[Solario]

Yeah, good to meet you ahead of time. So far you are the only other person that I know of that has Eric this semester. Smearframe had Eric (last semester I beleive) and had nothing but good things to say about him and the way he teaches.

[rag-man]

I'm very sorry to hear that DJ.
Wish you all the best and maybe you're back next term.

m

Hi guys,

New year starts with a sad news for me..
I have been expelled from AM. I recieved an email saying that my enrollment has been terminated cuz ive violated some rules of AM. Well, they have a 10 percent reason to do so.. but i dont agree. what happened is that one of my students, hemendra, did some animations with AM like rigs that he built. He did it cuz he was so inspired by AM’s works. AM thinks I gave him their rigs. But I havent. Ive emailed bobby with the crude rigs that he built and used, but to no avail. All in all, I didnt give him the rigs. So, I aint guilty. So, I aint worried. I take it as a blessing of God in disguise. Lets see what this does to me…

Neways. Its been wonderful being in AM, being part of the community. Met some great friends. Awsome mentors. Learnt a lot. I wont be able to ever repay them for the animation knowledge they imparted.

Neways, best of luck to all you guys who just got into AM and who are continuing! AM is a wonderful place! Enjoy everybit of it and learn a lot! I used to watch all the ecrits of my class and many of the other good students works. I learnt a hell of a lot from AM. I hope you all too.

dj

http://djanimator.wordpress.com

[rag-man]

hey bobby, you're a lucky man!
I had Ray in class 2 (starting with class 4 next term) and he is just great! Crazy, funny, laid back brilliant animator. I still remember those 3 hours Q&As and my belly still hurts because of all the laughter. Don't forget to mention "Drunken Cows jumping on Cars" :-)

http://www.raymation.net/

manfred

Anyone else have Ray Chase? Woot!

[BobbyPontillas]

hey rag man thanks for the heads up.. pretty excited.

[timeless3d]

Not long now!

Any current students interested in doing another unofficial flashmeeting for us newbies? I would be glad to set it up for sometime this weekend, if anyone is interested.

[BobbyPontillas]

I'd be interested!

[norman365]

Not long now!

Any current students interested in doing another unofficial flashmeeting for us newbies? I would be glad to set it up for sometime this weekend, if anyone is interested.

sorry if this sounds silly, what exactly is a 'flashmeeting'? But yeah, time permitting (couple of seven hour overtime shifts this weekend) I'd be there.

[BobbyPontillas]

I have no idea!

[DigitalToon2]

Flash meetings are like a live video conference where you can chat and you can see everyone on CAM in a side window and one person can be on cam at a time. Their something that students use for dailies, frame grabbers, etc. Also just a great time to get help with your assignments from other students and a chance to interact a bit more with your fellow students. It's not done through the AM site or anything it's done through another website, but you need to have the link to access it.


Let me know I may be able to do something tonight for a little while, I'm acturaly home tonight so I figured i'd continue working on my blocking for my short film. I'm going into class 6.

[timeless3d]

they changed it again, now my calender says class starts Sunday, the 7th :rolleyes:

[rizlarood]

d_jnaneswar sorry to say i have to agree with AM on this, i checked your blog and the link to your students. I cannot say that he did or did not copy those rigs but as for exactly looking alike except color and feet size.. id say its AM rigs (easy to adjust by the way). Also as his mentor it is your responsibility to supply him with some kind of rig or suggest some..and im sure you must have noted the rigs when you went to crit his work, this would have been a good point to tell him not to do that. Just because i can draw micky mouse doesnt give me the right to use him as a character in my animations.

The most concerning thing is that all his excersizes, that you gave him are 100% AM. You are simply passing on AM cariculum! This bother me quite a bit as we all pay a serious amount of money to be students at AM and to learn from the best. This sort of thing is not only insulting to other students but can seriously damage AM.


So in this regard i feel AM is absolutelly right and they have always made clear to us what we could post and what not.

I hope you learn from this thing in a positive way and i hope it wont damage your chances in the industry to much.

Good luck making AMmends

[nuabudikae]

i've got Eric as well. Looking forward to this.

[sketch404]

I'd like to do a flashmeeting as well. test out my webcam and all that jazz. sounds fun, keep us posted?

[norman365]

Flash meetings are like a live video conference where you can chat and you can see everyone on CAM in a side window and one person can be on cam at a time. Their something that students use for dailies, frame grabbers, etc. Also just a great time to get help with your assignments from other students and a chance to interact a bit more with your fellow students. It's not done through the AM site or anything it's done through another website, but you need to have the link to access it.


Let me know I may be able to do something tonight for a little while, I'm acturaly home tonight so I figured i'd continue working on my blocking for my short film. I'm going into class 6.

cool, ok post up the relevent info (times, program to use etc.) and I'll get right back to you.

[ArneK]

d_jnaneswar sorry to say i have to agree with AM on this, i checked your blog and the link to your students. I cannot say that he did or did not copy those rigs but as for exactly looking alike except color and feet size.. id say its AM rigs (easy to adjust by the way). Also as his mentor it is your responsibility to supply him with some kind of rig or suggest some..and im sure you must have noted the rigs when you went to crit his work, this would have been a good point to tell him not to do that. Just because i can draw micky mouse doesnt give me the right to use him as a character in my animations.

The most concerning thing is that all his excersizes, that you gave him are 100% AM. You are simply passing on AM cariculum! This bother me quite a bit as we all pay a serious amount of money to be students at AM and to learn from the best. This sort of thing is not only insulting to other students but can seriously damage AM.AMmends

Agreed. Read the Exhibit E "Site usage agreement", chapter 3 "Proprietary Rights" in the Enrollment Agreement you signed prior to starting at AM, and you'll see that they are in their rights to terminate your enrollment. Remember that AM owns the copyright of the designs of their characters as well, not just the rigs. And of course their curriculum. ;)

Anyway, good luck in your further animation career.

[d_jnaneswar]

well,

the problem is that my assignments arent AM! The walks and one leg stuff in that arent on my curriculum!

Mine is based on Survival kit and ideas from websites like www.3dark.com (http://www.3dark.com)

The pantomime shot he uses is based on "make ur character show an emotion.. any emotion.." from 3d ark.. Its not two emotions for example.
I teach full body walks like in Survival kit. My stuff isnt AM like, especially since ive been doing similar curriculum from 4 years ago and many of my students are working in many companies in India long before AM has been introduced.

My student did all his ballie walks and stuff even before he met me. He did that based on inspiration from other AM student blogs. Those are his models. Those are not my assignments at all. so why should I provide them characters for that?

The weight lifting (showel lifting) assignment is based on Survival kit. The pantomime is based on 3dark or some other such FREE webiste that I copied from long time ago when i was learning. I teach overlap through spine by teaching turns and some one hitting and stuff. I use examples from www.keithlango.com (http://www.keithlango.com) overlap tutorial (box with three bones on top, box moves first what happens to the bones and so on..) I teach lead and follow with head turns and arm swings and arm falling freely. walks and runs are based on 3d ark (build a basic walk and then try modifying it to accomodate different moods) and all that stuff.
How is my curriculum exactly like AM's?

I dont have ballie walks or one legs. those excersizes, he did on his own before he even met me. he then went on and started polishing them up and put them on his reel AFTER he finished the course. So is the case with the dialogue piece.
Sure, my only mistake is that i gave crits on his ballie and one leg animations after he finished the reel. I accept that i should've told AM about some one using similar rigs to AM. But, really, i didnt think like that. All I was thinking was that, look this guy made these animations on his own, needs a job, making a demoreel, needs some friendly advice on his animations. thats what i did. I did mention that it would be a problem to use AM like rigs and i told him that it would get me into trouble. but what can I do after he finished the course and went away? he is no longer my student after finishing the course now, is he? How can i demand that he cant use them? I didnt do it through the course. tell me. If some one rigs up a ballie or one leg and posts an animation he did with it on cgtalk and asks for critiques, what would you do? i wouldnt think too deeply into it. I would suggest him not to use those kind or rigs for various reasons while at the same time critiqing his animation. probably, thats my mistake.

I didnt supply him any rigs! I suggested using lowman (my fav rig) or other free ones! thats what my other students did! (oh by the way, u will all see their reels soon too.. lets see how much AM like they are..) As a mentor, my duty isnt to supply rigs. I told them that clearly before they joined the course! I told them that we would use free rigs like lowman. I didnt give them ballie rig or oneleg or tail or what ever. i didnt teach animation thru those. I taught "walk up stairs and jump down" using full body. Where is that in AM's curriculum?

Now, how did I break the rule? I didnt! But sure, it looked like that. So, I accept AM's decission. But from my side, I didnt do it! So, i dont feel guilty or bad. Now I can hope that seeing my conduct ON CAMPUS and with mentors, I hope would see through the apparent and revoke my student status.

Neways.
All I want everyone to understand is that personally, i didnt want to cheat anyone. I dont want to offend any one. It happened so! Thats why i am explaining things. I know I paid a lot of many to learn from AM and I know how hard it was. I can understand that its the same for others too. I wouldnt do anything to undermine AM at all. why would I? I love it so much! I had to sell a house to have enough money to pay for AM. I put all I had into this. I left job opportunities from companies like Rythm and hues (India) so that I can put all my effort into AM. So, I am not trying to insult anyone or harm AM at all!
I hope you understand.

DJ

[ArneK]

All I want everyone to understand is that personally, i didnt want to cheat anyone. I dont want to offend any one. It happened so! Thats why i am explaining things. I know I paid a lot of many to learn from AM and I know how hard it was. I can understand that its the same for others too. I wouldnt do anything to undermine AM at all. why would I? I love it so much! I had to sell a house to have enough money to pay for AM. I put all I had into this. I left job opportunities from companies like Rythm and hues (India) so that I can put all my effort into AM. So, I am not trying to insult anyone or harm AM at all!
I hope you understand.

I do understand, and I hope you told this to AM as well. Hope it works out for you.
All the best :)

[andy_maxman]

hey Dj....

that really is a shocking news...

hope it all turns out well for you...you will surely be missed man...was looking forward to seeing you inside...

goodLuck!!

[timeless3d]

FLASH MEETING

I ment to send this lastnight, and it looks like it never came throgh.

I have booked a flash meeting for Today 10 PM, GMT. This will be 5 PM EST, 2 PM PST, about 6.5 hours from now. I will post a link here shortly before it is time to start. It is booked for 25 people, for 2 hours so we will see who can make it.

I know it is short notice, but we will see!

[JohnWest]

Hey there,
a little incident that lets me freak out:
When I try to get to the login page (http://members.animationmentor.com/) I get a error message: "You are not authorized to view this page" (hhtp 401)...
Does anybody know what the reason could be?
btw, my fellow students CAN get in without any probs...
Thanks for answering

[Opelfruits]

Hey there,
a little incident that lets me freak out:
When I try to get to the login page (http://members.animationmentor.com/) I get a error message: "You are not authorized to view this page" (hhtp 401)...
Does anybody know what the reason could be?
btw, my fellow students CAN get in without any probs...
Thanks for answering

Same thing is happening here, I cant even get onto the main public site.

[JohnWest]

In my case it works again.
I just rebooted my DSL modem, I pulled out the power cable and waited a few seconds and plugged it again... suddenly it works - no idea what it was...
Hope that'll help you too

[Solario]

Same thing is happening here, I cant even get onto the main public site.


Same here...guess they have it locked down while they revamp the Main Public page. Thats the only thing that comes to mind. I was also wondering since they have the Class starting tomorrow does that mean we can access the campus past "Orientation" page at midnight (EST) tonight?

[storyForge]

You should be able to access the site tomorrow at noon if I'm not mistaken. Class 3 here I come!

[sketch404]

FLASH MEETING

I ment to send this lastnight, and it looks like it never came throgh.

I have booked a flash meeting for Today 10 PM, GMT. This will be 5 PM EST, 2 PM PST, about 6.5 hours from now. I will post a link here shortly before it is time to start. It is booked for 25 people, for 2 hours so we will see who can make it.

I know it is short notice, but we will see!


what's the site adress and info on how to join?

[timeless3d]

FLASH MEETING

http://fm-openlearn.open.ac.uk/fm/flashmeeting.php?pwd=67da1a-133

It will start in about 15 minutes. We will see who can make it on this short notice.

You shouldn't need anything other then the flash player. it will probably prompt you for permission to use your web camera, be sure to allow it to.

See you there!

[tuderose]

Okay guys, I got booted of the flashmeeting and couldn't reconnect but it was great to talk to you all. sorry I didn't get to talk to djo who I saw there.

And yes, I do have some good memories of Shepherd's Bush (don't ask!)

[sketch404]

to all who were attending that flashmeeting. looks like it got all funky. But while you are on the loading screen there is a little button named "clear port" do that and you should be able to get back in

[norman365]

yep, the same thing kinda happened to all of us. anyone else ready to continue?

[timeless3d]

we are back in, if anyone wants to try again

[AkaKico]

That was fun. We must do it again sometime.

[TAKADS]

Well guys, it was nice seeing so many on this meeting and looking forward too see you on the other side.

Cheers

[timeless3d]

Thanks to everyone for attending, it was fun. I was surprised at how many could join.

Sorry it kept dropping everyone. That is what the replay is for I guess:

http://fm-openlearn.open.ac.uk/fm/fmm.php?pwd=67da1a-133

Maybe next time we chat will be inside!

[norman365]

agreed. nice meeting you all

[sketch404]

thanks for setting that flashmeeting up Travis. I learned alot, and it was nice to finally see some AM students! Hopefully some of the SoCal students can get together and kick it.

[oliveUK]

Thanks for organising this Travis. Since I was in class 1, I use to use Flashmeeting a lot with other AM students. I am not sure about last term as I was taking a break.

Will you be able to organise a flashmeeting again? As a european student, this proved to be invaluable when I wanted to get help during AM so I would really like to be able to use it again.

Olive

[kudoyku]

I'm sorry I couldn't catch up. But I watched all session and it was very helpful.
thank you Travis.
legoego

[jules]

AM begins today, great. I thought it´s going to start tomorrow but I´m not going to complain, quite the opposite!! :applause:


My mentor is Dimos Vrysellas.

[MadMax]

Hey new guys......

Unless he decided to drop it, one of the 5ers has taken over the original Flashmeetings then the originator graduated last term.

Also, check out the Community forum when the site goes live, memos about it get posted there. Also you can watch the chatroom fill up with 10 people, and have no one chatting all day ;)

there is a usual crowd who just seems to love to idle there.

It's also a decent place to get random critiques from various levels of peer students. Not necessarily always GOOD advice, but you can get a pretty broad range of opinions and decide for yourself what you want to do.

Hope you have all been familiarizing yourselves with Maya and it's interface, especially the animation tools. That was my number one problem when class 1 started. I knew modeling inside and out, but was completely clueless about the graph editor and animation tools.

The one thing you really want is to spend your time concentrating on your assignments and NOT having to concentrate on fighting with Maya.

Good luck to all, see ya around the campus!! only 2:45 minutes to go!!

[Bentagon]

It already opens today? I remember that in previous quarters, the beginning of the term started on monday.

[DigitalToon2]

It already opens today? I remember that in previous quarters, the beginning of the term started on monday.

I don't know, the quarters usually do start on Monday, but my calendar shows it as starting today (Sunday). Yet when I click on my classroom it still shows my old class or either logs me out, so they haven't switched the site yet. I think it won't be available till tomorrow.

Sorry I missed the flash meeting last night, some stuff got changed and I ended up not being home or even near a computer.

By the way Ben, are you back this term?

[norman365]

Hi everyone, last night was awesome and we'll have to do it again sometime. I just tried to access the members login to see whether we've begun but all I get at the moment is a message saying I'm not authorised to view it. maybe they're changing the interface for us newbies?

[Solario]

Hi everyone, last night was awesome and we'll have to do it again sometime. I just tried to access the members login to see whether we've begun but all I get at the moment is a message saying I'm not authorised to view it. maybe they're changing the interface for us newbies?


Yea I'm still getting the same error here.

[Bentagon]

By the way Ben, are you back this term?Yes I am. Redoing Class 4 and looking forward to it. My drawing skills still need a lot of work, and especially faces, so I'll start the first 3 weeks doing a CG test. After that, I'll go back to 2D. I'm getting jazzed up again! :D

Oh, and no-one should be able to get in just yet. If it opens today, it should open in about an hour (12 pm PST/PDT)

[kudoyku]

My calendar shows it starts Sunday, but a few days ago I sent an e-mail to the adviser about this, and she said class would start on Monday. I'm confused.
If it'll start today I have 1 hour left, it's so hard to wait. :)
I'm class 1 student. I wanna ask that everyone's Q&A days are different? They wrote everywhere that it is on Sunday, but now it's Wednesday. Does it always change? I mean every classes have different days?
my mentor is Eric Lessard. I couldn't find much about him. No interviews, no offical site. Just learned that he'd worked on Shrek, Tarzan...

[norman365]

must be what it is

[luckysevens]

I still can’t get into the website, does anyone know definitively if it starts Sunday or Monday?

[Badger]

Neither can i :( and it seems it started today.

[magan3D]

I can't log in either. I get this message:

Alert: At this time we are currently in between terms. The Spring 2007 term starts April 1, 2007

[My Fault]

Normally when new quarters start they start on Monday. No harm to keep checking today though as you never know.

Q&A's are on different days depending on the mentor and their schedule, though it will be a set day and time throughout the quarter (in your case it looks like Wednesday).

Our normal classes once school is in session begins each week on Sunday noon PST. That is when assignments are due by. Once the new session starts you will see the new lecture and assignment for that week. You will still be able to view the previous weeks lecture (except obviously week 1 when there was no previous lecture) but will be unable to watch lecture that are earlier then 1 week past..... assuming they work the way they have since they opened.

My calendar shows it starts Sunday, but a few days ago I sent an e-mail to the adviser about this, and she said class would start on Monday. I'm confused.
If it'll start today I have 1 hour left, it's so hard to wait. :)
I'm class 1 student. I wanna ask that everyone's Q&A days are different? They wrote everywhere that it is on Sunday, but now it's Wednesday. Does it always change? I mean every classes have different days?
my mentor is Eric Lessard. I couldn't find much about him. No interviews, no offical site. Just learned that he'd worked on Shrek, Tarzan...

[MadMax]

I can't log in either. I get this message:

Alert: At this time we are currently in between terms. The Spring 2007 term starts April 1, 2007


LOL

I saw that as well.

[MadMax]

Yo Magan.

we're classmates this term. Ian Weyna is in our class also.

[kudoyku]

and now I'm in. So wonderful, I've never been excited this much before.

[MadMax]

I'm on the site now.

Anyone else?

[kudoyku]

thanks for answers....

Normally when new quarters start they start on Monday. No harm to keep checking today though as you never know.

Q&A's are on different days depending on the mentor and their schedule, though it will be a set day and time throughout the quarter (in your case it looks like Wednesday).

Our normal classes once school is in session begins each week on Sunday noon PST. That is when assignments are due by. Once the new session starts you will see the new lecture and assignment for that week. You will still be able to view the previous weeks lecture (except obviously week 1 when there was no previous lecture) but will be unable to watch lecture that are earlier then 1 week past..... assuming they work the way they have since they opened.

[luckysevens]

I cant even get onto the public site, I get an authentication required popup.

[oliveUK]

can't get in either... :-(

[storyForge]

Can't login either. Oh So frustrating :) Anyone who can log in willing to tell me my mentor? Class 3, Jonathan Wondrusch.

Thanks if you can. If not, I'll find out today or tomorrow.

[rsluman]

Jonathan, you got Mike Walling who is a senior animator at Sony Imageworks.

http://www.mike-walling.com

[mweyna]

I still cant get in either! =(

Whose my mentor? - Ian Weyna Class 3

[Darknessseeker0]

When I type in the full address I'm logged in, but as soon as I click on a link it takes me out to the log-in screen. I'm also getting the spring quarter message...

[ukyo]

its says on the calender classes start on the 8th today is the 7th. sucks to be us.

[MadMax]

I still cant get in either! =(

Whose my mentor? - Ian Weyna Class 3


You are in my class again, we have Victor Navone.

[AkaKico]

I'm in! WOOOO

[Bentagon]

I can't log in either. I get this message:

Alert: At this time we are currently in between terms. The Spring 2007 term starts April 1, 2007idem dito

- Benjamin

[storyForge]

I got in for a bit, but the site is kind of wonky right now. Best to wait until tomorrow I think.

[FatFatFatty]

Can anyone tell me who my mentor is?

Danny Southard - Class 3

Thanks!

[mttjss]

would like to know my mentor as well - would really appreciate it.

I wont be able to get on till late tomorrow! :-(

Matt Johnson - Class 2

Matt -

[AkaKico]

It says Keith Sintay for you, Danny

[FatFatFatty]

Thanks, Chris! Yah! Keith Sintay!

It says Keith Sintay for you, Danny

[mttjss]

would really like to know if you guys can get in - I wont be able to sleep till I know!!!


would like to know my mentor as well - would really appreciate it.

I wont be able to get on till late tomorrow! :-(

Matt Johnson - Class 2

Matt -

[andy_maxman]

is the site open for guys for whom its 8th alraedy....

me getting an error...

[stnkholsally]

would really like to know if you guys can get in - I wont be able to sleep till I know!!!

Matt you are in my class with Michelle Meeker

[ttesla]

hi Andy, the site is of limited availability at the moment. since the quarters start at mondays, i believe it will be fully operational battle station as of 8-9am PST. ;) all the times at AM are in PST/PDT btw.

and Matt, you are with Michelle Meeker for this term. sleep well. :)

[John-S]

Sorry if I'm way off topic but is a highschool diploma or anything like that (prerequisites) required to get into animationmentor.com or can you get in simply by paying the $?

Sorry if this is stated somewhere already but I didn't notice it. Thanks!

[norman365]

Sorry if I'm way off topic but is a highschool diploma or anything like that (prerequisites) required to get into animationmentor.com or can you get in simply by paying the $?

Sorry if this is stated somewhere already but I didn't notice it. Thanks!

yes you need to have graduated from High School to apply for AM, along with your application you must also take a test (simple, just testing your logic skills etc.) and write a page essay on why you want to become an animator.

switching those tracks back to the good road 'topic', I could log in for a while yesterday (enough to watch an hour of the lecture) before my connection went and now i'm not authorised again. I'm guessing it's because I'm in the UK so got a bit of a sneaky sneak preview theres me thinks.

[John-S]

: (

Man I wish there would be a good online 3D school that runs off money instead of demanding a diploma. I'd be willing to pay more then others and not receive a completion certificate just to have a chance at the education....

Sorry for the little rant of mine... Thanks for the quick reply I do appreciate it.

[TAKADS]

Gosh, i spent all night watching every possible vid on the site!! One minute you think u've seen everything, next minute you find more stuff to read or watch....But all just too amazing!! see you inside guys!

[norman365]

no probs, if you are ineligible to apply for AM you could try the new course run by Keith Lango. It's only two months though, and I don't know if it's open to newbies. sorry man :-(

I just noticed the last post ,have you been able to access the site all night TAKADS?

[mttjss]

thanks Ttesla - I appreciate the response.

for all you newcomers. AM is really awesome, but with any school its the effort you put into it.
really take advantage of the chat rooms and watching others critiques. I found it really helpful and fun watching other mentors critique thier students. And of course the videos that help train you every week for the new lesson.

See ya inside!

Matt -

[jwr38]

You can also look at others progress reels from the term before to see what other people had done before you.

all go all the way to the top classes to see how good you could come. :) we all dream huh

[andy_maxman]

was the deadline for submitting shots for the next 'stu showcase' the 8th or 15th?

i spoilt myself this entire holidays...actually i needed to be away after having done 3 and 4 in a row...

how is it been with you guys?

[sergeantT]

Yay new term!

I'm nervous as hell. What's wrong with me?
I finished strong last q.

Logging in just now told me Spring term 2007 starts April 1st. I'm thinking: "WHAT?"

Hopefully just some DB stuff and it'll be cracking by noonish.
Any of you successfull log-ins see who I have?


"first day of school! first day of school!"

[Fede]

Hey Rob, managed to get to your profile.

You got Shawn Colbeck, he is a semi G-d from what i read in his profile

good luck with that!

see you inside

[storyForge]

hope it gets fixed soon, can't wait till April 1, might go crazy :)

[Darknessseeker0]

Andy, the deadline for the showcase is Jan 10th. If you're chosen you will be contacted on the 15th or 16th.

[achavero]

People be patient, as I remember the terms always start on monday and the access to the students are always around 2pm CST.

And don't worry there's not too much to do for the first 3 classes until the second week. So relax, you will be asking for some breathing time when the term approches the final week. =D

[andy_maxman]

The site opens at 12:00 pst....

hey Rob...looks like we are in the same class..

:)

[sergeantT]

Anand

WOOO!
Alright, man. It'll be great to have you in class with me.

Federico Dedeu, thanks for the info!

Thanks for the replies. I'll try to get a grip. ;-)

[timeless3d]

I new I shouldn't have gone to sleep! I was able to get in yesterday but today the site won't come up :(. Oh well, prolly will be down till noon pst.

[kudoyku]

I got inside 2 hours ago from work, but now I'm at home and I can't get in. :(

[DigitalToon2]

Less than 1 hour to go till 12 pst. :thumbsup:

[AkaKico]

Very odd, it was working for me all day. But now I can't get in!

[kudoyku]

oppssss same post....

[kudoyku]

"Alert: At this time we are currently in between terms.
The Winter 2007 term starts Jan 08, 2007 at 12pm Pacific USA Time"

ok, but yesterday we were in, also today.
will it be always like this? some hours open some hours close?

I'm sorry disturbing you with my questions but I'm new, so I don't know the system.

[timeless3d]

it says right there in your message you quoted, 12pm on the 8th. that is in 20 minutes. yesterday was a bonus.

[DigitalToon2]

"Alert: At this time we are currently in between terms.
The Winter 2007 term starts Jan 08, 2007 at 12pm Pacific USA Time"

ok, but yesterday we were in, also today.
will it be always like this? some hours open some hours close?

I'm sorry disturbing you with my questions but I'm new, so I don't know the system.

No, it's only like this because they are moving everyone around, and I believe we have some new features coming. But during the term the site is available 24hours a day 7days a week, unless they are doing maintance or something and than they usually warn you with a news announcement on your AM homepage. Once and a while a server or something will have some trouble so the site may go down or may act up, etc, but this doesn't happen to offten and AM has a great tech team that minimizes this and works on any problems and gets everything up and running as quickly as possable.

New terms always start on Mondays at 12 pst. It's just been strange that there's been limited access to the site.

[kudoyku]

I felt relief by your answers...
thanks timeless3d, DigitalToon2

[timeless3d]

and we are back!

stop reading this and get in there!

[AjaBogdanoff]

Dude!! Is there seriously another Aja enrolled in AM now?? The odds on that would be unbelievable, I've never met anyone with the same name! :D I got a PM from her that I can't read, can someone ask her to email me instead? ajabogdanoff at gmail.com :) Thanks!!

[DigitalToon2]

Dude!! Is there seriously another Aja enrolled in AM now?? The odds on that would be unbelievable, I've never met anyone with the same name! :D I got a PM from her that I can't read, can someone ask her to email me instead? ajabogdanoff at gmail.com :) Thanks!!

Wow, there is another aja at AM, i'll ask her to email you...

[AjaBogdanoff]

Thanks Nicole! :)

[fluffybunny]

hmmm.....are you sure this isn't one of those Star Trek parallel universe, time loop, space anomaly whatchamathingies?

I thought there was only one Aja?

Maybe there was a transporter accident, though I hope not.

Hopefully no one is trying to practice Alchemy and ignoring equivalent exchange.

eric

[AjaBogdanoff]

If I start to grow a beard, I'll let you know. ;)

[mattmos]

hey guys'n'gals who are currently in AM,

I got a private message from christopher page, but as I'm not enrolling again until next semester I can't log in to read it - if you know this person please let them know I'm not able to reply and they can contact me through my website

cheers!
matt

[SkyZero]

hey guys'n'gals who are currently in AM,

I got a private message from christopher page, but as I'm not enrolling again until next semester I can't log in to read it - if you know this person please let them know I'm not able to reply and they can contact me through my website

cheers!
matt

I sent him a PM to contact you through your site. :thumbsup:

[AjaBogdanoff]

Got another request.... Roger Kriegel?

Maybe this would be a good use of the mailing list. :)

[mattmos]

Thanks Freddy!

mailing list? did I miss something?

[AjaBogdanoff]

Yeah, we've got a list for students and alumni, there's a signup link on the student forums. We haven't been using it much though. :)

[rag-man]

We haven't been using it much though. :)

Such a shame!

[DB5BOND]

Hey Matt
Freddy Burgos aka SkyZero pm me on am (cheers dude)

I tried emailing you through your website after i found out you can't see my message, but i kept getting bounce back email error message with the email address you have on your site!!!so if you get this :P i'll send you my email addy through CGtalk

-Chris

[SkyZero]

Got another request.... Roger Kriegel?

Maybe this would be a good use of the mailing list. :)

Heya Aja! I dunno if anybody got in touch with roger, so I went ahead and PMed him to try to get in touch with you via CGTalk or your site. :thumbsup:

[Kimotion]

Here's a local news link on pre-graduation

Graduation for Internet Student Animators (http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=education&id=4932083)

[Kewn]

Hey everybody! I've been looking at the animation mentor site for a while now, and it seems to be so awesome. The only problem I got is the money, it's really a lot for me. Anyway, if I could fix that, how's the course? Everything I saw about it looks awesome. Is seems to be aimed purely at animation, but is animation the only skill you'll need as a professional animator? (don't you need other skills, for example, modelling?)

I'm not sure what more to ask, any info makes me happy!

Thanks!

[timeless3d]

I'm not a professional animator (yet!) and I haven't worked at any studios, but the common line I hear is at a larger studio (like pixar, for example) they are interested in specialists (modelers, animators, lighting, effects, etc) where as a smaller studio would be more interested in one person who was able to do a few of these things as they want more for their money, so to speak.

I think it comes down to what you want to do. If you have more interest in modeling or lighting, animation mentor might not be what you are looking for. They don't teach you modeling in the regular class at all. There are lots of AM-owned training videos that are very good and if that isn't enough, you can pay extra for a Maya class through AM but really you just need to know enough Maya to get through the classes and be able to focus on your animation (that is what you are there for).

I heard there is a similar program that has been started for those interested in lighting (not from AM). If I find the link, I will let you know. Someone here prolly knows what it is.

I understand about the money, it is high. That is why I have been wanting to do it for 2 years and only this term started my first class. My solution for now is to stay enrolled at my local university and use the residual from my federal loans to help pay for AM. If you are an american student, they offer some financial aid but it isn't federal and the interest is high like a credit card.

In march, they will have been established for 2 years and will start the process to be eligible for federal aid, though they don't know how long the process will take. Once they do qualify, I will be able to use my federal aid for AM directly and not have to worry about my university any longer.

I hope this helps you, I have been where you are and it is a hard decision. I wish I could tell you what you should do but only you can make that choice. Family and friends are strong factors, but in the end it is you.

Good luck!

[Kewn]

Hey timeless3d, thanks for your reply! I'm really most interested in animation itself so it seems to be a good school for that. I just don't know how hard it is to get a job when you're that specialized, but of course I could always learn other skills too. I think you're right about bigger studio's looking for specialists, so then I'd have to find big studio's who want me. Unfortunately I can't get financial aid cause I live in the Netherlands.

I love two things the most, concept art and animation. I'm not sure if I should make a choice between these two or learn 'em at the same time. It's just hard to figure out what education to do now (since there are no really good academies or ateliers in the Netherlands, so I'd have to move first or start with AM). I really need some help with this.. Been wandering around for too long.

[cg219]

Timless I believe your talking about TD Academy, I could be wrong but that is the only AM like organization I have heard of,

http://www.td-academy.com/index.php?scheme=dark

Anywho I have been following AM since about 2 year ago and I am just in awe. I am really considering starting classes there as I am very interested in animation since I was 11. But I just wanted to know are there any BAD points to AM. I just hear alot of great stories about AM and was wondering has anyone had a bad experience with them?

Also how long does it take to get qualified for Fed Aid( AM point of view) If thats possible I would wait for them to complete that befoer attending. I am currently in school for Multimedia Art at a Comuniy College, so I wont be doing nothing.

But back on topic, Any Bag experiences??

[MadMax]

Anywho I have been following AM since about 2 year ago and I am just in awe. I am really considering starting classes there as I am very interested in animation since I was 11. But I just wanted to know are there any BAD points to AM. I just hear alot of great stories about AM and was wondering has anyone had a bad experience with them?



500+ pages of positive replies, dozens of actual students have commented on their experiences, numerous people have gotten their dream jobs because of it.

Seriously.... how much more do you need?



Also how long does it take to get qualified for Fed Aid( AM point of view) If thats possible I would wait for them to complete that befoer attending. I am currently in school for Multimedia Art at a Comuniy College, so I wont be doing nothing.

But back on topic, Any Bag experiences??


You can't get federal aid yet, they are not in operation for the required two years yet. They will qualify in March I think.

[timeless3d]

In march, they will have been established for 2 years and will start the process to be eligible for federal aid, though they don't know how long the process will take.

That is what AM told me when I asked them about it. In March, they will begin the process.

[MadMax]

thank god.....

I can live with March. then I can apply for federal aid so I'll only be in debt up to my eyeballs with the loan offices of "Vinnie, Guido and Gooch" AKA Sallie Mae.

[icedeyes]

I am efficient in modelling and rigging (not as much) in maya but animation was never my strong point....never had the time to devote myself to it but now i am determined to make it all the way... what kind of preparation do you suggest for someone who will enroll in one of the next two semesters? What do i have to read or review before i begin? I only have the animator survival kit as far as animation books are concearned... do i have to read something else too?


Thanks in advance...

[MadMax]

hunt down a copy of Illusion of Life on eBay for starters.

also, get to know how the graph editor works. find some simple animation tutorials like simple ball bounces. Make sure you understasnd it. AM will NOT teach you how to use these tools, that is strictly up to you.

they do have some very basic tutorials in their library, but not much.

at least make sure you know enough to muddle along





I am efficient in modelling and rigging (not as much) in maya but animation was never my strong point....never had the time to devote myself to it but now i am determined to make it all the way... what kind of preparation do you suggest for someone who will enroll in one of the next two semesters? What do i have to read or review before i begin? I only have the animator survival kit as far as animation books are concearned... do i have to read something else too?


Thanks in advance...

[Kimotion]

Check out the AM graduation processional walk on youtube!

Animation Mentor Graduation Winter 2007 (Classes 1 & 2) Processional Walk (http://youtube.com/watch?v=Xh3A8hZny3k)

[rag-man]

Check out the AM graduation processional walk on youtube!

Animation Mentor Graduation Winter 2007 (Classes 1 & 2) Processional Walk (http://youtube.com/watch?v=Xh3A8hZny3k)

How cool ist that??
Your name on the big screen! .. got some goose bumps while watching that :-)

More Videos from the ceremony anywhere?

[AdFont]

Hey everyone just wanted to say thanks for all the info here. It helped me decide to apply to Animationmentor. Got the "Congratulations" email earlier this week!! I'll be starting in the spring, can't wait to get going and am looking forward to talking with you all.
Thanks Again
Font

[timeless3d]

congrats! you're going to love it on the inside. i know the next couple months will drag on forever, i was there myself very recently. the anticipation doesn't get any better once the term starts either, the first class seems very slow and it is not till this week (week 3) that you do any animation. but, as they say, you have to learn the chords before you can play a song (or something like that)

may i recommend http://www.anamie.com/bookintro.html if you have any questions about sketching? it seems the other two books are promoted to new students (the illusion of life and the animator's survival kit) which are great, but i wish i had been told about Simplified Drawing for Animation sooner. I would have waited on at least one other books (probably the kit) as sketching is what you need to know first and above all else. you will sketch for every assignment starting with week 2.

good luck, see you in the spring!

[AdFont]

Hey timeless thanks for the warm welcome. I purchased both Illusion and The Kit before I had even heard of AM so I guess I'm ahead of the game in that respect. I checked out the link you gave me, that book seems pretty interesting. I'll probably pick that one up too. Again, thanks for the welcome, can't wait to start poking my head around the AM site.
Font

[IestynRoberts]

Hey, just a quick question. I applied for the course on the 11th of Jan (wrighting the essay), and I havent had anything back, just wondering how long did it take for everyone to hear from AM? I've sent them an email last week, but still no-reply. Thanks
- Iestyn

[voxelMan]

First off, great decision, this is an amazing school! (I'm a First termer)
You should be getting an answer soon. If you don't, call the office and they are more than
happy to assist.
Good luck!

[IestynRoberts]

Hey Ziv, Thanks for the reply, yeah i'll probarbly give them a ring towards the end of the week if I havent recieved anything by then. I'm really looking forward to the course! Cannot wait! The suspence of not knowing if Im accepted is killing me right now!

[DigitalToon2]

Acturally, I'd wait a month. I'm in class 6 and when I applied it took about a month before I heard anything back. I'd give them a chance to process it along with all the other apps they recieve everyday. Good luck to you!

[IestynRoberts]

Really? A month, woosh, cool, I'll sit tight then!

[AdFont]

Hey Lest,

After I sent the essay, I waited for about 2 or 3 weeks and then emailed and asked (politely) what the status on my app process was. I recieved an email for the test about 2 hours later!!
I say wait a few more days, if nothing shows up, just drop em a simple email. Seemed to work for me.
Good Luck
Font

[mhayes]

Animation mentor does'nt teach how to use the graph editor? Is'nt that part of animation? That is my biggest problem how to manipulate the curves I know the basics of the graph editor but really need help in this area

[voxelMan]

On the AM site, you can find videos that give you training on Maya, its not Gnomon DVD training, but rather simple, few minutes explaining the basics.
besides that, there is an amazing community willing to help, and the forum system can host your questions which takes very little time to be answered.
AM main focus is the art of animation, and its great.
A recent new addition is a Maya training program which you have to pay for.

Don't worry, the graph editor will become second nature to you.

[ArneK]

Animation mentor does'nt teach how to use the graph editor? Is'nt that part of animation? That is my biggest problem how to manipulate the curves I know the basics of the graph editor but really need help in this area

Don't worry. As mentioned, you will find short tutorial videos on how it works, so you won't be lost. And as you progress into the more advanced classes you'll get very hands on and indepth information on how it works in relation to character animation. I had hardly touched Maya at all before I started at AM, and I'm doing just fine. :)

[MadMax]

If I might suggest...... look into a couple of 3rd party sources for extra training. Digital Tutors has a couple of really good character videos that go into way more depth than the short tutorials in the AM library.

Also 3dbuzz.com has a pretty nice Maya training kit for 249.00 that they have had on special in the past for only 99.00 AM does have a Maya class offered fro 299.00, but it is 5 weeks, 2 hours per session. Some peopel say it's a fantastic class, others were not all that impressed with it. between that and 3D buzz, AM is 10 hours for 299.00, 3dbuzz is 249.00 for 82 hours worth of video

I know a couple AM students who got it and are raving about how fantastic it was.

[IestynRoberts]

Hey all, I recieved the email with the test on it yesterday, and took the test last night, the test was harder than what I imagined it to be, and got to through about 8 questions, I think I did ok on the Maths questions, but the English questions caught me completly off guard. :sad: Roughly how long after sitting the exam did you guys and gals hear back from AM saying you got in?

- Iest

[matterevis80]

I just received my test e-mail for the spring semester...wish me luck...I hope I get in (crosses fingers) :)

[wetworx]

I'm curious to know whats the employment percentage for the last (first) batch of graduates? thx for anyone who can answer this.

[AdFont]

Hey iest,

I heard back from AM pretty quickly after taking the test. Like 5 days maybe?? Give it some time, I'm sure you'll hear soon.

Good luck,
Font

[IestynRoberts]

Cool - thanks for the info Font - it's been a week or so now, I'll sit tight for another week or so, then i might give them a buzz or something. Really looking forward going on the course, that's why im so edgy about the whole thing i think.

Good luck matterevis!

[IestynRoberts]

Excellent!! I just the acceptance email!! I'll be on the Spring 07 Course! Wooo! Anyone else starting on that course? :bounce:

[matterevis80]

Excellent!! I just the acceptance email!! I'll be on the Spring 07 Course! Wooo! Anyone else starting on that course? :bounce:











Woohooooo!! I also got accepted maybe we will be in the same class :applause:

[drdespair]

Got my acceptance for the Spring term, we should be getting the registration packs some time next week!!! :applause:

[AdFont]

Hey,

Congrats guys! Looking forward to getting this thing going. Can't wait to sign in for the first time to the AM site. Good luck to everyone, I'm sure we'll be seeing lots of each other.

Font

[Junkoman]

Hi, nice to see everyone sharing infomation abt animation mentor. I went thru the whole website and was interested in the program too. The thing that is stopping me is that I have zero knowledge in Maya and I don't know whether I could cope :sad:
Oh...Congratulations to those who got in the Spring Term..:thumbsup:

[Mechis]

Do you have experience in other 3d packages? If yes, then the transition is easy... animation tools are pretty similar between different packages.

If no, then it will be a bit harder, BUT-- AM does have some intro videos about how to use the animation tools in Maya and they also have an additional Intro to Maya class for students who are struggling with using the program (costs extra).

Also, the forum is very active and people are willing to answer questions all the time.

I didn't know Maya before starting AM either, and I haven't had any problems yet (I'm in class 2)
~Mechis

[Junkoman]

Hi Mechis,
Thanks for the info.
I do have experience in using 3DSMax. I do not want to be struggling with the controls so that I could concentrate on the animation instead.
I think this is one of the problems for many too...

[IestynRoberts]

Hey Matt and Dennis! Excellent news! Great to see some other guys from here enrolling!

Is there anyone from the UK already on the course? I'm looking for some Student Finance that could be available for someone on such a course as Animation Mentor? I've made a few searches and some phone calls, but I'm reaching dead-ends pretty fast! Any ifno on this would be great!

Thanks

[Mechis]

Hi Mechis,
Thanks for the info.
I do have experience in using 3DSMax. I do not want to be struggling with the controls so that I could concentrate on the animation instead.
I think this is one of the problems for many too...

Are you talking about rigging or about animation tools? You don't have to do any rigging? They provide you with rigs for maya. The only thing that some people struggle with, is the graph editor. You should definitely be sure you understand how it works and how to read curves.
~Mechis

[rag-man]

Hey Matt and Dennis! Excellent news! Great to see some other guys from here enrolling!

Is there anyone from the UK already on the course? I'm looking for some Student Finance that could be available for someone on such a course as Animation Mentor? I've made a few searches and some phone calls, but I'm reaching dead-ends pretty fast! Any ifno on this would be great!

Thanks

hey, I had a quick look and there are 26 UK students at AM right now. I'm sure you can get some answers from those.

good luck!

[Junkoman]

Are you talking about rigging or about animation tools? You don't have to do any rigging? They provide you with rigs for maya. The only thing that some people struggle with, is the graph editor. You should definitely be sure you understand how it works and how to read curves.
~Mechis

Sorry about the confusion. Yeah, I am talking about the animation tools like the graph editor. I want to be sure that I know how to control it the way I want.
I know how to use the graph editor in Max but I dunno whether their similar in Maya though.

[IestynRoberts]

Hey Manfred - thanks for checking that out, do you know if any of them have their own bloggs or something so that i could get in touch with them?

[anthea]

Prior experience in animation or the application maya is not necessary to take AM and begin learning. In term 1 you start off with very simple characters, and if you choose to do your assignments in maya you will inevitably learn the graph editor just through working on your weekly assignments. Many students who had no 3d experience at all are doing well and learning as they go.

Sorry about the confusion. Yeah, I am talking about the animation tools like the graph editor. I want to be sure that I know how to control it the way I want.
I know how to use the graph editor in Max but I dunno whether their similar in Maya though.

[Junkoman]

Alrighty...Thank you anthea for clearing my doubts.
Pop over blog. Saw the AM QnA chat movie and the AM students indeed are friendly and answer alot of questions :thumbsup:

[anthea]

yes, the students are very helpful and willing to share information/tips.

plus once you are enrolled the forums are vast and informative. if you have technical difficulties you can almost always find the solution in the forums. or people talking about the graph editor, different techniques...

so don't worry too much about trying to master everything before you get in there. AM is one of the few schools out there that is able to teach you from the ground up.

good luck!
-anthea

[JohnWest]

Congratulations for those who successfully enrolled! Damn, you guys will have a great time, I promise!
I know what you are going through at the moment, waiting for response, ha? hehe... don't worry, all will turn out perfectly, you just have to be patient ;)
Greeetz
german AM.student

[MadMax]

Anything that helps you in advance is a good thing.

I personally would not suggest going in cold and thinking that it's all a piece of cake, "the early assignments are simple anyway". There are more than a few class 1 students in the community chat area of the AM site having problems because they don't understnd Maya, and you need to be very clear on this...AM DOES NOT TEACH YOU TO USE MAYA.

There is a library area with Maya training videos, but they are incredibly short. You can't master the Graph Editor from a 4 minute video.

Preparing in advance will help put you at the top of your game. Plain and simple. And it's a good idea.

right off, I can think of 3 excellent purchases you can make to start getting prepared for AM.

1. Animator's Toolkit (a book)

2. Illusion of Life (it is frequently referenced)

3. Introduction to Maya (A Gnomon DVD) it's recently been upgraded and takes you through all the tools, menus, Graph Editor etc.

Digital Tutors Intro to Maya is pretty good also. In fact the Digital Tutors videos are a great help in Class 2 as they have a series of Body Mechanics videos out that show you various techniques and tools to get the job done. And they are largely directly applicable to the assignment choices.

Once you get into the AM site, definitely check out the community chat area if you have a problem or need help or someone to give an opinion on your work. There is almost always someone in there.

[Junkoman]

Just enrolled for the course... Let's see how it goes :)
Once again...Thank you anthea for the info.

@Madmax - Thanks for the info too.

[LiftNw8]

I read a lot of posts here in this thread and its helped me to decide whether or not I should go ahead and enroll, and I might just wind up doing so, will likely be for the class that starts in July though, as this way it will allow me to plan my time better.

Does anyone know what version of Maya they are recommending using, I have version 7, not sure if I would need to get the latest one or if that would work.

[DigitalToon2]

I believe they are still supporting 7 at the moment because that's what a lot of students are using, but by summer I don't know they could switch to 8. But, I think there's students who are even using version 6. So I would think you should be fine using 7 still. All the rigs work with maya 6.5 and later.

[LiftNw8]

Thanks for the info Nicole, I guess either way I am not against updating my version to whatever the latest is, which I think is 8.5, its no big deal to me at all.

[Nitefyre]

I've been using Maya 6.5 for the whole time and haven't had any trouble. I imagine you should be fine with 7.

[LiftNw8]

That definitely works hearing that since I have invested in some books that go into detail about the workings of Maya, guess I can start messing around more with it now, this way I am a bit more familiar with it later on.

[d_jnaneswar]

I am back people!

AM has accepted me into AM from next term! I will be in class 4!! woo hoo!!

Cant wait to get started again!

DJ

[MartinK]

Thats awesome news DJ. Cooool!!! Welcome back :)
See you !

Martin

[mattmos]

That's great DJ! Glad you and AM resolved your differences :)

Hey and I'm back too. Decided its really time to knuckle down and finish the last 2 semesters, starting from April I'll be back in the house. Can't wait!

[AdFont]

Hey Mattmos,

Question for you. I've read on xsibase that you ported some of the AM maya rigs over to XSI. I'm a newbie in both programs (xsi and maya) and was wondering if you ported everything over to xsi or just the more advanced rigs? I'm digging xsi quite a bit but still on the fence which program to use. Thanks in advance.

Font

[mattmos]

I ported over quite a few rigs but also used rigs from other xsi users as well, we all helped eachother out in one way or another. I think now there are most of the rigs up to the final fully face-rigged bishop, but I don't think anyone has tackled the characters from the short film classes yet.

If you're on the fence, then as much as it pains me to say it, I think at this present moment maya would be the more logical choice. I chose to carry on with xsi because I'm using it for work and didn't fancy trying to swap inbetween the two on a daily basis. I know how to troubleshoot problems with the rigs and could create props etc more easily.

If you're just starting out though, AM is much more geared towards maya, they have a good set of basic training tutorials, and all of the support on the site from technical issues with rigs etc is maya-based. You will benefit from being in the majority, as other students will be more able to offer help, support and advice about getting the best out of the software.

That doesn't mean that I think maya is better though ;) and if you choose to go with xsi there are likely a few rebels in the program who will help you out.

[AdFont]

Mattmos, thanks for the advice and quick reply. I was thinking along the same lines as what you said, I just wanted to hear it from someone more experienced. Again, thanks alot and good luck in your last couple semesters.

Font

[andy_maxman]

great news DJ...see ya in there...have fun

:)

[Chris Bacon]

Im hoping to get into the summer term, I did the online test a few months ago and get a reply on wednesday saying that my results didnt reflect my experiance. so I had to retake it, Ive always had problems with numbers so for me that test was REALY hard. Im hoping I do better and get in. Ill be gutted if I can get in bacouse of this problem I have. Its never efected me as a artisit or while animating, I sent them a email explaining this and they got back to me a few hours later saying they,ll process my results and Ill know by the 15th March


fingers crossed

chris

[IestynRoberts]

Good Luck Chris! I found the test hard too, and I was really scared that I didnt pass it, but I got a confirmation email and boy was I happy! I wish you all the best this time around man!

[achavero]

Great to have you back DJ!!!

[drdespair]

Alas looks like its not to be for me and AM this year. Got accepted and everything, but miscalculated on my financing. Cant support AM at the moment. Maybe later :(

[Chris Bacon]

does anyone know weather or not you can re-aply if you fail the test. like 6 months later or somthing.

chris

[Chris Bacon]

Alas looks like its not to be for me and AM this year. Got accepted and everything, but miscalculated on my financing. Cant support AM at the moment. Maybe later :(

I worked out that if its $2900 a term thats just under £1500 - so £500 a month to be on the safe side.


watch I bet I get 100 replys saying my math is wrong

chris

[drdespair]

If it was paid monthly I would not have to much problems, but you pay per course, so you need to pay the whole 2,900 USD is one go.

I dont know about retaking the exam, I guess they should be able to do that. I dont know how it works althought I am quite sure that its mandatory to take it, seems to be somehow tied to state legislation.

D.

[timeless3d]

Alas looks like its not to be for me and AM this year. Got accepted and everything, but miscalculated on my financing. Cant support AM at the moment. Maybe later :(

That is too bad, drdespair. I have SO been there. It took me over a year of planning and working to work it out. Even now, it's hard to know if I will be able to afford each term as it approaches.

Keep checking with AM, they are constantly working on offering more financial options. I see you are outside of the US, so it is even harder for you but who knows what tomorrow will bring.

While you are waiting, no reason you can't try to learn on your own. Pick up The Illusion, The Kit and Simplified Drawing for Planning Animation when you get a chance (not all at once, obivously). Get yourself PLE and get to work!

[ThePredator42]

I am back people!

AM has accepted me into AM from next term! I will be in class 4!! woo hoo!!

Cant wait to get started again!

DJ


Woohooot DJ that´s awesome! I`ll be back at AM too in April, doing class 5. And I´ll sooooo nitpick your assignments to pieces :-), I have 3 months worth of crits stored up now, you know!

Micha

[IestynRoberts]

Everything is falling into place for me now, Ive just sent off all my forms, and they recieved them yesterday! Im really looking forward starting the course!

[andy_maxman]

Woohooot DJ that´s awesome! I`ll be back at AM too in April, doing class 5. And I´ll sooooo nitpick your assignments to pieces :-), I have 3 months worth of crits stored up now, you know!

Micha

awesome! Micha...this is sweet news...

bring it on...

[ThePredator42]

awesome! Micha...this is sweet news...

bring it on...


Namaste Anand!

yeah, in no time you gonna curse my nitpicking *muahaha*

nice "update" on your avatar. Again congrats on the daughter!

Micha

[achavero]

If you receive the monthly newsletter from AM, check it out the new Showcase and 3 Student films were roll out today.

The animations are amazing!!!

[matterevis80]

anybody else get their emails to log on to view the orientation videos? I did today and man after watching them I can't wait for AM to start........hurry up april and get here already :-)

[AdFont]

Yeah, got my email today! Can't wait to begin. See you at AM.

Font

[timeless3d]

I can't believe it has been 3 months since I got my log in email! You guys are in for the time of your life! Get out your sketch books and start practicing, you will be sketching ALOT. Order the Simplified Drawing book if you think you would benefit from some good tips on sketching. I wish someone had suggested that book for me before I started. It has helped a great deal.

At first, I thought I could have waited on the Richard Williams book 'till next term, but by week 8, I was using it everyday for walks. We even discuss that book in the Q&A's now.

Good luck, I am looking forward to working with you guys inside!

[AdFont]

Hey timeless
Thanks for the warm welcome and tips. This is gonna be cool!

Font

[JohnWest]

So true Timeess3D, so true... I am already floating in nostalgia... well, I am glad to leave "BasicFoundations" on the other hand, it's getting more advanced (and I can't wait to learn body mechanics) ;) - those 3 months were so damn freaking awesome... I feel like livin' in studio city and knowing all cool guys hehe.
What I recommend for all new first-termers is: Prepare your family!!! You will stick to the monitor as long as possible, cos you'll be overwhelmed by the quality and by the amount of information you can get! - As far as I noticed, a lot of partners have real problems with the time we spend on AM ... just think about that...
See you guys in 2 weeks WOHOOOO

PS: Hey Predator, I can't wait to meet you inside(!) finally and learn from your progress :) - glad that you are back!

[vibe]

yes, see you all at AM, Body Mechanics, wow :) and it's true, inform your family and forget you're private life, haha, if you are doing AM and working more than fulltime (like me ;) )

sooo happy to be a part of this community

[rag-man]

Yeah .. take your loved ones out for a final walk before you start AM ;-)

[IestynRoberts]

Yeah I got my email a couple of days ago now, and I cannot wait to start!!! Wooo!!

[tuderose]

Well Travis, I see you still pop in to this AM thread from time to time!

I can endorse all the previous postings about AM. I had no clue how to use 3-D software and if truth be told I probably still have no clue.

But it doesn't matter.

You learn from AM what you need to learn so you can animate. And truth be told, I am now probably pretty okay at Maya in the animation section. We are just coming to the end of the first semester on Basic Foundations.

Do learn to sketch quickly. Take a life class, buy some books on drawing for animation.

And really - I'm totally serious - kiss your social life goodbye.

You are going to have quite a life changing experience. And so supportive and exciting.

[Chris Bacon]

hey,

has enyone enroling in the summer term been acepted yet. Im still waiting for that email saying yes/no. man I hope I did ok on the test


thanks
chris

[ketan]

sir,
i want to know about the future prospects after doing this course well,i m from india and after doing course u refer for a studios(pixar,blue sky etc...)or not,if u think that we r good animator...

[timeless3d]

sir,
i want to know about the future prospects after doing this course well,i m from india and after doing course u refer for a studios(pixar,blue sky etc...)or not,if u think that we r good animator...

If you are asking about job placement after AM, there are no guarantees. There are people at AM that will help you to find a job, but they can't promise anything.

However, you can't graduate AM without being an awesome animator, so it seems very likely that you would be able to get a great position somewhere.

[AdFont]

Hey Guys and Gals,

Quick question. Does anyone know if the proof of enrollment PDF allows you purchase other software (flash, zbrush, modo, whatever) at the Studica website? Just curious to see if it acts as a real student I.D. Thanks in advance

Font

[timeless3d]

Hey Guys and Gals,

Quick question. Does anyone know if the proof of enrollment PDF allows you purchase other software (flash, zbrush, modo, whatever) at the Studica website? Just curious to see if it acts as a real student I.D. Thanks in advance

Font

It shold work. It's the only thing your gonna get. The only other thing I have used the POE for was as an ID on the student voleenter application for Siggraph, with a copy of my driver's ID attached to it.

Well Travis, I see you still pop in to this AM thread from time to time!

I should be working on my walk. Procrastination is a cruel temptress :)

[jw0925]

I am currently in school with AM and I have bought Syflex and RealFlow 4 without a hitch. The only company that won't take AM is Adobe (that I know of).

jim

[AdFont]

It shold work. It's the only thing your gonna get. The only other thing I have used the POE for was as an ID on the student voleenter application for Siggraph, with a copy of my driver's ID attached to it.

I am currently in school with AM and I have bought Syflex and RealFlow 4 without a hitch. The only company that won't take AM is Adobe (that I know of).
jim

Thanks guys
Font