www.animationmentor.com

[DigiBob]

I agree, itd be nice knowing some people when we actually start up. But depends which maya workshop session your talking about...I know there's still plenty of time to sign up for the winter maya workshop. The fall one however I'm not sure. It probably is too late:(

hey there
great, so we're gonna be in the same class! so weird, having people from all over world studying in the same class.. i just love the idea!
Well, I actually meant the fall springboard. As you said,it's probably too late by now. But I I'll be just fine with learning from tutorials. Let me know if any of you guys have any specific recommendations for a Cinema4D-Guy (Tutorial- or Bookwise, I mean), otherwise i'll just jump right in.
Any other things you guys are doing as preparement? I'm already reading through 'illusion of life' and the survival kit, without yet putting it to use, though.

[DigiBob]

All the best to all of you who have just started, see you on the inside soon! We're right behind you! Well more like...errrm..like.. 96 days, 3 hours, 30 minutes and 19 seconds behind you.

[RobertLavigne]

For those of you looking to do the maya springboard workshop I would recommend looking at some different options. I'm enrolled in it and was reading through the syllabus last night. I realized that everything that will be covered in the workshop is stuff I learned through one digital tutors course while using the 30-day trial. I would recommend getting a 1-month membership to digital tutors which costs $45. If you take the Intro to Maya 2nd edition you'll basically have learned all that will be covered in the springboard course, and you'll have access to thousands of other maya videos to get you further then the workshop will take you. That's just my advice from what I've read in the syllabus, I'll keep you posted as the I go through the course.

[DreamThinkLive]

For those of you looking to do the maya springboard workshop I would recommend looking at some different options. I'm enrolled in it and was reading through the syllabus last night. I realized that everything that will be covered in the workshop is stuff I learned through one digital tutors course while using the 30-day trial. I would recommend getting a 1-month membership to digital tutors which costs $45. If you take the Intro to Maya 2nd edition you'll basically have learned all that will be covered in the springboard course, and you'll have access to thousands of other maya videos to get you further then the workshop will take you. That's just my advice from what I've read in the syllabus, I'll keep you posted as the I go through the course.

Hey Robert,

thanks for the update so far. But keep us updated.

Only reason i would want to enroll in the Workshop at AM is because i would at lease be familiar with the site and how they work from taking the workshop.

But i must say i did check out DT a minute ago and just by watching a sample about Maya Basics i learnt alot from just watching that :) but im still really curious how the workshop is at AM.

But is this what you recommend taking: http://www.digitaltutors.com/09/training.php?cid=5&pid=3429 ?

Please keep us updated, it would be greatly appreciated.

[RobertLavigne]

Hi,

The class I meant was http://www.digitaltutors.com/09/training.php?cid=51&pid=418
this one covers all aspects of maya, modeling, shading, lighting animating and rendering.
I'm sure there other videos would be great as well, If you get a membership you have unlimited access to any of there videos which is a sweet deal cause one video from gnomon is $60 and a month from digital tutors is $45

[DreamThinkLive]

Hi,

The class I meant was http://www.digitaltutors.com/09/training.php?cid=51&pid=418
this one covers all aspects of maya, modeling, shading, lighting animating and rendering.
I'm sure there other videos would be great as well, If you get a membership you have unlimited access to any of there videos which is a sweet deal cause one video from gnomon is $60 and a month from digital tutors is $45

So in the workshop at AM, they are covering all those things as well? Modeling, shading etc..?

Also i think this is the updated version to the link you just gave me if im not mistaken? http://www.digitaltutors.com/09/training.php?cid=51&pid=3632

[DigiBob]

Thanks for the Info, Robert, thats a great hint.
I just recieved an e-mail from Victoria at AM, telling me that the fall workshop began yesterday. So I guess I'll give Digital Tutors a shot.

[RobertLavigne]

So in the workshop at AM, they are covering all those things as well? Modeling, shading etc..?

Also i think this is the updated version to the link you just gave me if im not mistaken? http://www.digitaltutors.com/09/training.php?cid=51&pid=3632


Yeah they cover that stuffin small detail. Its stuff that everyone in 3d should know. Cause at some point in the course you may want to make a little object for your character to interact with, or set up some lights, or change the colour of something. Its just good stuff to know.

Yeah I think the one I had posted was for Maya 2008. It's the one I did and I have 2010 and it worked fine. Although that podracer looks far sweeter then the jet bike I built. Anyways I'm sure all there videos are great, I know the ones I've done have taught me a ton. I'm not trying to preach Digital tutors or anything. I just wanted to let people, who are on a budget or just want to learn to use maya quickly and at there own pace, know that there are some other options out there.

[DreamThinkLive]

Yeah they cover that stuffin small detail. Its stuff that everyone in 3d should know. Cause at some point in the course you may want to make a little object for your character to interact with, or set up some lights, or change the colour of something. Its just good stuff to know.

Yeah I think the one I had posted was for Maya 2008. It's the one I did and I have 2010 and it worked fine. Although that podracer looks far sweeter then the jet bike I built. Anyways I'm sure all there videos are great, I know the ones I've done have taught me a ton. I'm not trying to preach Digital tutors or anything. I just wanted to let people, who are on a budget or just want to learn to use maya quickly and at there own pace, know that there are some other options out there.

Totally understand, i mean i have the money to pay for AM workshop but i was thinking if DT has more to offer why not go that direction if its cheaper.

But as i said i would love to attend AM because it would give me the chance to check out the schools site and meet others before the 18m course starts. but i do agree if DT covers basically the same thing and its cheaper i think if people are on a budget they should go that route.

but thanks for the response robert. Hope your enjoying ur time at AM so far. Keep us updated.

[dren]

............90 days...........:blush:

[tehw0p]

Finally got my Autodesk Education Suite! I'm messing around with one of the AM models now as per instruction but I can't seem to control it in one of the ways mentioned in the tutorial videos. If anyone thinks they can help me out that'd be awesome (I'm a complete Maya newbie!)

School seems sweet so far though, I'm diggin' it!

[dren]

I haven't started at AM yet, but if it works like any other rigged character all you should have to do is grab a handler and move it and the characters body should deform.

[dren]

Looks like Winter 2010 students are starting the loan application process. I just got directions on applying today. Anyone else get theirs?

[DreamThinkLive]

I'm in the process of trying to sort mine out as well.

[dren]

I can't do mine until later tonight anyways lol. I have a co-signer to use on my application and Rosie said it would be a lot easier if I had my cosigner with me when I filled out the application. Application looks pretty straight forward though.

[dren]

I applied for my loan and got a huge DENIED stamp put on the application...even with a reputable cosigner... SallieMae must have some *VERY* strict rules on approving people for loans. I guess you have to have perfect credit with them....kind of sucks. I e-mailed Rosie (loans advisor) to see what I can do now. I have a feeling this might be the end of the road for me. Money is always a problem in my life.

[DreamThinkLive]

wow, sorry to hear that man, hopefully you will get through with it. Im still in the process with mine.

Im just curious on how the people that in classes right now are doing and how they like it? :)

can anyone if you have time let us know how its going?

[dren]

they probably forgot about us 'little' people back on cgsociety! haha

[Z252]

Hey guys. I'm new to CGtalk and I just got accepted into the winter term at AM. I can't wait!

[VrodRick]

@dren - Sounds like the problem I ran into when I applied! I make a good wage and still got denied...I even put my wifes name as cosigner and same outcome. Who knows what SM is looking for when they review these loan apps, but it's definitely a mixture of different variables, with income not being one of the big ones. I'm sure with the credit market still being as tight as it is getting loans is going to continue to be a struggle.
You may want to check out going to your local credit union and seeing if you can take out a personal loan. The % rate will be higher, but it's one possible door into getting the funds. Good luck!

[VrodRick]

Im just curious on how the people that in classes right now are doing and how they like it? :)

can anyone if you have time let us know how its going?

You're going to love AM :) The community of fellow animators learning the skills, the mentors, everything is just awesome! Week 3 starts this week (the first week is spent just introducing yourself and discovering the AM community/watching videos they supply, etc). The 2nd week entails basically going out and sketching people and then going into maya and posing them out. The great part about this process really involves submitting the work for public review and having the fellow AM community give critiques. AM provides awesome resources in their community...and it's something where if you're not careful, the time you should be spent drawing/animating is spent chatting it up with other animators...so tracking your time is key!

The process really has just started (again just starting week 3) but so far it's exciting.

[dren]

@dren - Sounds like the problem I ran into when I applied! I make a good wage and still got denied...I even put my wifes name as cosigner and same outcome. Who knows what SM is looking for when they review these loan apps, but it's definitely a mixture of different variables, with income not being one of the big ones. I'm sure with the credit market still being as tight as it is getting loans is going to continue to be a struggle.
You may want to check out going to your local credit union and seeing if you can take out a personal loan. The % rate will be higher, but it's one possible door into getting the funds. Good luck!
I'm waiting to hear back from SM about the status of my loan (with them checking my credit, which I'll probably get denied) and if I get denied I will probably go to the local credit union to ask for a loan.

[DreamThinkLive]

You're going to love AM :) The community of fellow animators learning the skills, the mentors, everything is just awesome! Week 3 starts this week (the first week is spent just introducing yourself and discovering the AM community/watching videos they supply, etc). The 2nd week entails basically going out and sketching people and then going into maya and posing them out. The great part about this process really involves submitting the work for public review and having the fellow AM community give critiques. AM provides awesome resources in their community...and it's something where if you're not careful, the time you should be spent drawing/animating is spent chatting it up with other animators...so tracking your time is key!

The process really has just started (again just starting week 3) but so far it's exciting.

Wow, Sounds exciting already :applause: thanks for all the info VrodRick!

I can't wait to get started as soon as my loan app is sorted out :hmm:

[N1Prime]

I'm waiting to hear back from SM about the status of my loan (with them checking my credit, which I'll probably get denied) and if I get denied I will probably go to the local credit union to ask for a loan.

Hey man,

This sounds like a horrible experience. I'm in the Maya workshop now and am due to start the main course in January.
Fingers crossed i'll see you there as well.

[dren]

It pretty much is a horrible experience. It's very hard knowing you got accepted to the school and now you can't make the cut financially lol

[N1Prime]

It pretty much is a horrible experience. It's very hard knowing you got accepted to the school and now you can't make the cut financially lol

I am in the process of sorting my loan now as well. I hate dealing with these money matters, but I guess you have to at some point.

But hopefully we'll get them sorted and come January we'll all be starting class 1 together. :)

[Romanthony]

I....got....approved for my loan!!! :buttrock:It's happening! It's really happening!!! :bounce: I was worried that I would get denied, but now I'm totally relieved and excited!!!

I'm really sorry, dren, but I couldn't hold in my excitement. I hope you'll be able to find some way to get in.

[pstrick30]

congrats romanthony! i super hope i get approved eeek lol. did you apply with a co-borrower?

[dren]

I....got....approved for my loan!!! :buttrock:It's happening! It's really happening!!! :bounce: I was worried that I would get denied, but now I'm totally relieved and excited!!!

I'm really sorry, dren, but I couldn't hold in my excitement. I hope you'll be able to find some way to get in.

Congrats! Glad you got approved! :) Did you get a co-signer? or was it purely your own credit that got it for you? If it's just your own credit, well done on the credit establishment!

It looks like my enrollment is moved until Summer term. We can't find the funding for the school so it looks like I'll be stuck in a money situation of saving and trying to pay out of pocket. Hopefully I have a system that will work.

[Romanthony]

My mom is my co-borrower, and she has a near perfect credit rating. We're definitely not rich, just barely scraping by to survive, but my mom has been great with finances.

However long it takes, I hope you'll be able to get in one way or another, and I think you will.

[dren]

My mom is my co-borrower, and she has a near perfect credit rating. We're definitely not rich, just barely scraping by to survive, but my mom has been great with finances.

However long it takes, I hope you'll be able to get in one way or another, and I think you will.

I'm not taking 'no' for an answer when it comes to money ;) I'm going to get into this school even if I have to rob a bank!!! :P I'm kidding of course haha

[MCHammond]

Woot Woot!

I just got accepted for Winter 2010! thought I would say Hi. "Hi"

Just read the last few pages and it seems the loan process is a problem for some :(. sorry to hear this.

dren: saving up for the course sounds like a good idea to me, I have been saving up for the last two years so I know how you feel, remember a good life is like a good story the main character has to prove himself through difficult challanges and improve himself along the way before you get to the happy ending.

anyways I'm looking foward to the new year to start this course and get to know you guys.

Max Hammond

[DigiBob]

Yo McHammond!

Congrats! Guess I'll see you on the inside in a couple of weeks:)

Cheers
Christoph

[pstrick30]

awesome, congrats to you McHammond! :buttrock:
only a few weeks woo hoo!! can't wait=)

[Romanthony]

Welcome to the dark side, McHammond! :beer: Hope you enjoy us fellow winter folks!

[Maestro99]

It sure is a lot of money just to sit and watch small pre recorded video clips, or virtual class rooms filled with people so that when you ask a question its either missed, ignored or barely answered, because theres so many others asking questions as well.

Also despite the attempt to make it seem like a school, you are very much just sat at home on your own. Its just not the same feeling as a real class enviroment. Theres no real 1 on 1 feeling with the mentor, all you will get is a short recorded small video where he discusses what needs improvement in your submited assignments.


Sorry to burst your bubbles, but reality is seldom what you wish it to be...

[MCHammond]

Maestro99: Are you a current AM student or a past student? I am just wondering if this is a comment made with personal knowlage or personal feeling?

I have been to Uni and sat in a lecture with 500+ other students listing to one guy talk about what he knows, If I wanted a 1on1 I would have to write and wait in line for my appointment some time later in the term "he even said that he makes you wait at least 2 weeks so that you try and solve it yourself"!

from what I have seen of the AM school through all the information and comments made available by the school, mentors and students, this is the best way to learn Animation you need only look at the results to see this.

"all you will get is a short recorded small video where he discusses what needs improvement in your submited assignments."
You need to remember that this feedback is coming from an Industry Pro who Knows what you need to get a job, and how good you need to be. its all about quality and quantity. Would you rather spend an hour a week speaking to a working Pro + all the video Crits of "your work" or would you prefer to spend 4 hours a day being instructed by someone who hasnt worked in Indy for 10+ years. has a few demos he has shown year on year for the past 10 years and is using outdated aproches and has no desire to keep up to date with the latest Industry trends.

as they say "the results speak for themselves!".

[pstrick30]

i second everything McHammond said. and would also like to know if you have gone through the AM experience or if this is all your opinion?:hmm:

you also said, "...so that when you ask a question its either missed, ignored or barely answered, because theres so many others asking questions as well." I wouldn't believe this is true. I mean people are excited and pumped to join and participate in Animation Mentor and it really seems like most of the students enjoy sharing their input and helping their classmates improve anything they see necessary or lacking. Thats one of the reasons I love AM, it seems like everyone just really really wants us all to make our dreams come true! I mean I wouldn't know because I haven't started AM yet, but even with this forum about AM. Everyone helps answer eachothers questions, I have yet to be left alone in the dark so far.

[dren]

I'm not trying to be rude, but there are way too many success stories from AM for me to believe Maestro99. We already know what he said. We know you sit in a 'virtual' classroom with other students (That's the point). Classrooms are kept small so how could the mentor miss our question because of everyone else asking questions? Even if this happened, why couldn't we get ahold of our mentor directly and ask our question? and We already know they're going to give us a short recorded clip when they grade our animation....Would you prefer for the instructor to set up a time for both of you to get online so he can grade your homework in real time?

Again, I'm not trying to be rude, but it sounds more like some people are just like my grandmother who believes online schooling is the devil and can never work.

[pstrick30]

hahah my grandma hates the idea too! and she's my coborrower lol :D

[Romanthony]

Funny enough, both my grandparents are completely supportive of it (even if they don't quite understand it).

[dren]

haha... hopefully pstrick's method works. I'm asking that same gma who hates technology to cosign the loan. She's my last hope or else I'll be saving up and paying out of pocket for AM.

[DigiBob]

It sure is a lot of money just to sit and watch small pre recorded video clips, or virtual class rooms filled with people so that when you ask a question its either missed, ignored or barely answered, because theres so many others asking questions as well.

Also despite the attempt to make it seem like a school, you are very much just sat at home on your own. Its just not the same feeling as a real class enviroment. Theres no real 1 on 1 feeling with the mentor, all you will get is a short recorded small video where he discusses what needs improvement in your submited assignments.


Sorry to burst your bubbles, but reality is seldom what you wish it to be...

I think an Online School surely has its pros and cons, like every kind of school does. And of course it's not what you would expect from a real class environment, because it's not. But in the end, AM's curriculum and the students body of work is what convinced me to take the dive and to apply.
And so far, beeing a 3D addict has mostly been a sitting-alone-in-front-of-pc-all-night-long-experience to me. So nothing new there;)

I appreciate your input though, it's hard to find critical comments about AM. It's always good to know what downsides people experienced, so in the end you're better prepared once you'll start.

greets
christoph

[jayweb1]

Hey all!

Maestro definitely has strong opinions about online learning. He said he was a former student of the school which I believe and had some issues. One thing that I can say is that online learning is not for everybody.

I just started AM in the fall (Sept 29th) and I can say I am still more then impressed with the school. I've met a ton of new people from my class, other classes that are in Basic Foundations, and the more advanced classes. I get about 10-15 Public Review feedback on every assignment that I post, which is great. The majority from other students, but also other Campus mentors stop by to check out my work.

The feedback from the e-critiques are priceless. The good part is that you can watch any students E-critique, which is huge! The Public reviews, assignments, and e-critiques are open for anyone to take a look and offer their feedback on.

The Q&A works really well for me. It's generally an hour long and the mentor goes through lecture notes and will answer any question that you have relevant to the material. There is also a "makeup" Q&A on Saturdays run by another mentor. This is open and you ask anything relevant to your assignments, principles, techniques, and such.

There is also a peer buddy assigned to you for any assistance you need for the week. The forums are also a great place to ask questions or get feedback. There is also the AMIM which is a like an IM built into the AM site.

I'm personally active in the community and try to leave feedback and get to know other people. It's really user friendly and you actually feel like you're part of a community and not just a statistic in a Diploma mill type school. It beats the hell out of my other two college experiences because it does teach you a lot. I attended both a physical college and an online art school and both, in my opinion, pale in comparison. Of course, you aren't face to face with your instructor or classmates, which is probably the only negative aspect of online schooling. However, students have figured ways around this with sites like Tinychat among other video chat sites.

It's awesome and well worth the money and time you put in!

Good luck to everybody on there animation journey!

Just my 2 cents :)

[DreamThinkLive]

Great post jayweb1!

Thanks for updating us on your progress and how your liking the school. Please continue to keep us updated. Because for some of us we still have a ways to go before we start.

I know for my self, if i see ppl updating me on there progress in school with the good and the bad it keeps me more motivated to start. thats me at lease :)

thanks again!

[jayweb1]

No problem! I know a couple of other people that are from the CG forums that are also having a good time.

I'll definitely keep you updated. I'll see if I can get some others to post too!

I know the wait can be intense haha! What I did to past the time was just searching out student's blogs to see what they were doing next, it definitely helps pass the time, but also makes you want to get started even sooner.

[DreamThinkLive]

No problem! I know a couple of other people that are from the CG forums that are also having a good time.

I'll definitely keep you updated. I'll see if I can get some others to post too!

I know the wait can be intense haha! What I did to past the time was just searching out student's blogs to see what they were doing next, it definitely helps pass the time, but also makes you want to get started even sooner.

Great! that would be good if others could chime in as well. but i have been searching others that are in class now and checking out there stuff. i havent found alot though.

But if you do one please let us know. would be greatly appreciated.

[dren]

haha... hopefully pstrick's method works. I'm asking that same gma who hates technology to cosign the loan. She's my last hope or else I'll be saving up and paying out of pocket for AM.

Bwahahaha! It worked!!! :deal: She signed and the status of the application is pending review! WOOT! Everyone cross your fingers!! :eek:

@jayweb: Sounds like you're enjoying the experience! Online schooling isn't for everyone... there is just a select few who just don't like it. I, personally, love it. Way more convenient for me!

[pstrick30]

i got my fingers crossed for yah! :thumbsup:

[jayweb1]

Dren! Good luck on your application process. Anyone that is that excited to attend AM should be granted some type of way to get in.

On-line is not for everyone, you're absolutely right. Like yourself, I actually excel at online learning because it's convenient and you get to meet people that are in similar situations, which always help! I personally work full-time and have a life outside of school, AM accommodates that perfectly, even though it is a lot of work.

Good Luck!

[MCHammond]

jayweb1: Can you tell us how you are coping with working full time and studying at AM? I work full time at a studio "Optical3D (http://www.optical3d.com/)" now, but plan on working part time "3 days a week" while I do the AM course.

This is mainly due to the fact that I want to get the most out of my commitment to AM and I am a perfectionist so things take a little longer than they should + my family are offering to help me out so I can afford the loss of earnings while I do the course :D "Bank of M&D".

Basically I am just wondered if you could give me some idea of how you manage your time? and what commitments are required, it says 20-40 hours a week. But I imagine some spend far more time than that, especially if they don't have a job to juggle or are a full time student!

Thankyou

Dren: Good luck with the loan thingy! "fingers crossed for you"

[jayweb1]

jayweb1: Can you tell us how you are coping with working full time and studying at AM? I work full time at a studio "Optical3D (http://www.optical3d.com/)" now, but plan on working part time "3 days a week" while I do the AM course.

This is mainly due to the fact that I want to get the most out of my commitment to AM and I am a perfectionist so things take a little longer than they should + my family are offering to help me out so I can afford the loss of earnings while I do the course :D "Bank of M&D".

Basically I am just wondered if you could give me some idea of how you manage your time? and what commitments are required, it says 20-40 hours a week. But I imagine some spend far more time than that, especially if they don't have a job to juggle or are a full time student!

Thankyou

Dren: Good luck with the loan thingy! "fingers crossed for you"

Hey MCHammond,

I attended an Online school prior to this and sort of just learned a work flow that worked for me. I work 4- 10 hour days a week, which definitely helps, as I get that extra day strictly for school work. Remember that I'm still in the first class, so my work flow will probably change a bit. It's really just taking advantage of the time that you have. Whether it's only a couple hours a night after work or 10 hours on your day off. You'll find what works for you, it'll just take some time. the first class will ease you in though, so no need to worry.

Good Luck!

[dren]

so I vote that the people who decide on granting loans at SLM hurry up. They're taking too long for my tastes!! lol

[Romanthony]

I know! My local credit union is taking forever just to finish up the paperwork on my loan! I have a deadline that I can pretty much count on one hand here!!!

[MCHammond]

All this loans talk has got me thinking "which has been known to end in large explosions :("

What computers are you guys buying for the Course? Specs? "I like numbers"

Are you buying the full version of Maya or the student one "I was thinking of buying the full one so I could do some free lance while I study but it was cheaper to just carry on using my Old Lightwave 9.6 and Blender".

Have you guys thought about that approach ie work your way through the course? even if you cant afford the commercial Version of Maya you could still do work in Blender or Lightwave "very cheap". Just an Idea. I would Imagine half way through the course your animation might be half good, maybe enough to land some small jobs, no?

I'm thinking of buying this bad boy :D LINK (http://www.rect.coreto-europe.com/detail.php?action=show_titlepage&id=7) with a "2 x AMD Opteron 2431 (2400 MHz, 6144 KB cache, 64Bit, SixCore, AMD Virtualization)" My 3 year old Dell XPS M1710 is too slow for Maya? does Maya support 12 cores?

I was lucky, my bank bent over backwards to lend me the money with an 18 months offset repayment "although I'm not borrowing the full amount". they even gave me a credit card with a 3,000 pound limit :D and upgraded my account with free travel insurance and 2,000 pounds interest free over draft for no reason. And you wonder why all the Banks in the UK are broke?

I wouldn't recommend you do this and you need a good credit history otherwise you will fail but a friend of mine had over 10,000 pounds on different credit cards and would move the balance around when the interest free credit ran out. he didn't pay a penny in interest for over 4 years. He is now drowning in debt though as he used all the cards there were and cant get any more now his credit rating has been nuked. LOL

I suppose its different for you guys, Ive been working at a studio for the last few years and been saving up for this course so my credit rating has gone into the black, If you are still students or have no steady income I would imagine getting the credit is going to be harder.

I can only wish you luck.

[dren]

I built my own computer......

Quad-core, 4gb ram, 512mb graphics, and only a 500gb hdd. I may upgrade to sli graphics and I might up my ram one more gig if I need to.

[MCHammond]

I used to build my own too.

But I found I spent more time fiddling about inside than I did doing work :(.

The last computer I built was a p4 HT 3ghz. 3GB Ram and 6600 GPU. I gave to my brother for an Xmas present after about two years and he broke it in under 3 months :( and then had the nerve to blame it on poor workmanship. I went to his house to fix it, he had the side off and a bear can and pizza box inside the computer! I asked why there was stuff inside the computer and why was the side of the case off.

He said the side of the case was off because it was over heating and that the Pizza and bear where inside because he had just cleaned the house?

I fixed it only for it to "Blow Up"a few weeks later according to my brother, he probably pawned it. When I asked for the case back "it was a nice one" he explained that it had "fused" to the motherboard!

I just gave up on him and computers. "although, pants I just lent him my netbook"

[RobertLavigne]

Hey guys, I'm in the Maya workshop and just wanted to let you now that its a waste of time. You could learn everything this course is going to teach you in less then a week with the free trial and somthing like digital tutors. If your thinking of doing it just to get familiar with the site then that's going to be an expensive 10 minutes as it's no harder to navigate then anything else. Another thing is they call it a 12 week program when then first 4 weeks are basically nothing. You get super limited access to the site and there are a few q&a sessions to talk about the course. Then the then next 7 weeks are the maya training. Based on this course I'm not at all impressed with Animation Mentor and am wondering if its going to be the quality school that everyone seems to think.

[MCHammond]

Sorry to hear you are not enjoying the "Maya Springboard" Course :(. But thank you for the feed back as it helps others to make an informed decision.

Hope you have a better experience with the AM Course "I'm sure you will, you'll have me for company don't forget :D"

What was you prior experience with 3D software? it says in your portfolio that you use Maya, Lightwave and Houdini. If that's true then taking the Maya springboard course would have been odd?

From what I gathered about the course you learn the basics of a 3D Program, and build a crane with IK and a hierarchy. Its mainly aimed at people who haven't used a 3D program before. Is this right?

I myself work in Lightwave and Blender, I did look into the Maya Springboard "as a way to learn Maya" but it was obvious to me that a few days doing tuts "I chose lynda.com but might switch to digital tutor" was a better approach as I already have a firm grasp of all the principles of a 3D Program.

But anyway don't waist your time moaping :P why not subscribe to digital tutors and learn something that will help you give your work that extra bling. oh.. and start networking.

Good Luck

[Shreds]

It sure is a lot of money just to sit and watch small pre recorded video clips, or virtual class rooms filled with people so that when you ask a question its either missed, ignored or barely answered, because theres so many others asking questions as well.

Also despite the attempt to make it seem like a school, you are very much just sat at home on your own. Its just not the same feeling as a real class enviroment. Theres no real 1 on 1 feeling with the mentor, all you will get is a short recorded small video where he discusses what needs improvement in your submited assignments.


Sorry to burst your bubbles, but reality is seldom what you wish it to be...


You have seriously done VERY little research on this school.

[Shreds]

Hey guys, I'm in the Maya workshop and just wanted to let you now that its a waste of time. You could learn everything this course is going to teach you in less then a week with the free trial and somthing like digital tutors. If your thinking of doing it just to get familiar with the site then that's going to be an expensive 10 minutes as it's no harder to navigate then anything else. Another thing is they call it a 12 week program when then first 4 weeks are basically nothing. You get super limited access to the site and there are a few q&a sessions to talk about the course. Then the then next 7 weeks are the maya training. Based on this course I'm not at all impressed with Animation Mentor and am wondering if its going to be the quality school that everyone seems to think.

Yeah, I can't speak on behalf of the Maya classes or springboard. I believe that was basically created because there were a lot of students that started asking a lot of basic 3d questions and have never really opened a 3d app before they started AM. It was something that was sort of bottlenecking their animation learning experience, which is probably why AM felt it was something they should start up. I agree that there are a lot of books and dvds that can help you learn about how Maya works and what it has to offer. That's basically the route that I took, but AM didn't offer the Maya classes back then and I didn't jump in wanting to animate in 3d before having some sort of understanding of what 3d was and how the programs worked. Sorry to hear you didn't have the best experience with it. The animation portion of AM, why the school was started in the first place, is really a great program. I'm sure you'll enjoy it much more!

[Light86]

Hey guys, does anyone know what kind of Loans people in the UK can get?

I'm going to contact them for info, but thought I might aswell ask here too. :)

[RobertLavigne]

Hey, I do realize that I have a lot more 3d experience then the maya workshop was designed for. Prior to enrolling in the workshop I was yet to use maya but through digital tutors and the free trial was able to pick it up relatively quickly through out August and September. This is likely due to the fact that I have learned several other packages and it was more a matter of tracking down buttons then figuring out concepts.

My main reason for sticking with the course was to get a feel for how the school operated and if it was going to be a style of learning that worked for me. So far I have not been impressed.

The reason I put that post up was because I still remember what its like to learn 3d for the first time. I can recall trying to understand node networks, shaders, graph editors and hierarchies. I've also tried several different methods to learning this stuff from books and videos, to webinars and schools like gnommon and TD College. From this experience I can tell you guys that the maya springboard workshop is a pretty big waste of time and money. The amount of material that is covered over time is so small that the first few weeks could be replaced by an hour with a good maya training video. The only good thing about the course is getting to meet some people that have similar interests.

This is not my sole reason for not liking the school. I am quite frustrated with their speed of communication, the way some things advertised actually are in reality, and I'm just not finding that this method of learning is the right way for me. I'm not trying to be a be a kill joy or anything, its just that in my research of the school I found next to no negative feed back and wanted to let people know of my experience. Perhaps I've been too quick to judge, and I will continue to keep you all posted as the course progresses.

[Shreds]

No problem Robert. Honest feedback is definitely a good thing. I guess I'm just not sure how you're able to get a feel for the school from the springboard class since I don't know much about it. There were 4 main things that made the school for me and those were the assignments, the prerecorded video lectures each week, the live qna's with the mentors, and the weekly recorded video critiques. I viewed the community of students, site setup, and forums as added benefits. Although, all the extra students meant more e-critiques to watch. A video lecture is nothinMg new to anyone but the one's at AM thoroughly broke down a lot of information about animation that I haven't really seen anywhere else. Every part of the school was geared toward learning animation and that's what excited me about the it. Anyways, not trying to preach about AM here by any means. It's just my opinion and experience I had with the school. Again, good luck with the future term!

[Bascear]

Hey Robert,

I think you're in my class. We seem to be missing you the last few sessions, but now I know why I guess. Did you mention this to anybody from school yet? Maya was asking about this very thing today since a few of us never done anything with the program or 3D for that matter and a few have a lot more experience and may need a little more challenge.

I'm sorry you're not having a good time, but I don't agree with judging the whole program on just these last few weeks.
Maya Springboard is just that, a Springboard, it was never advertised as anything more than a preparation for the actual program for people who never used Maya or done 3D. There were several Q&A's that explained the gradual opening of the campus for Springboarders. Maybe there was some misunderstanding there.
I'm personally having a good time and for me it is an excellent way of getting used to the program before the first class starts in january. But I didn't expect anything more form the Springboard classes. This class is not supposed to go indepth into Maya, but show the basics. Everyone has a different learning curve and maybe the class is just not right for you because you're already a lot further in your knowledge of the program. For me it's just fine, I didn't have the time to go into the program yet and right now I'm very happy to get some training in the program I'll be using a lot the next 18 months.

But aside from the program training, the mentor is also giving good links to very helpful items/sites about acting, timing etc. It's not just about the program, but if you're not part the class you'll miss these things.

I'm not attacking you btw, but maybe come to class and mention this?
Maybe we can find a way to give you a better experience in class :-)

Vasco

[mirkoj]

Hey Robert.
I'm right now in class 5 of Animation Mentor. I must admit that at the first, in class 1, everything seemed a bit too slow for me as well. But being in the industry for over a 10year before than working in different fields of 3d animation I was already familiar with some concepts that are covered in class 1. But trust me, as you progress you will be "left behind" and things will start to speed up, no doubt about that. It is getting more and more complex and depending of your level of character animation it depends when will everything feels that that you need more time. Add working full time on top of that..
Anyway, as I mentioned I as in the animation industry for over a 10 years, in different fields from TV to architectural production and trying here and there some character animation but that wasn't "it". In the last 4 classes I've progressed more than in the last 10+ years (talking about character animation). True I could get to the same level working alone with tutorials, DVDs, books but it would took me a lot more time.
Again everything depends, someone just isn't for this type of learning but it fits me and I'm more than happy. Only thing I'm sorry about is that I wasn't able to go to AM earlier :)
AM tuition = pretty expensive
Mentors, contacts and how much you can learn if you put your self in = priceless!!!

[dren]

I have to disagree with AM tuition being expensive. Sure, it's expensive when you look at it by itself, but compare it to my current school and other schools around - it's a fraction of the cost! I'm loving the tuition costs right now :) getting the funding is a whole other story :P

[MLHayes]

Hey, I do realize that I have a lot more 3d experience then the maya workshop was designed for. Prior to enrolling in the workshop I was yet to use maya but through digital tutors and the free trial was able to pick it up relatively quickly through out August and September. This is likely due to the fact that I have learned several other packages and it was more a matter of tracking down buttons then figuring out concepts.

My main reason for sticking with the course was to get a feel for how the school operated and if it was going to be a style of learning that worked for me. So far I have not been impressed.

The reason I put that post up was because I still remember what its like to learn 3d for the first time. I can recall trying to understand node networks, shaders, graph editors and hierarchies. I've also tried several different methods to learning this stuff from books and videos, to webinars and schools like gnommon and TD College. From this experience I can tell you guys that the maya springboard workshop is a pretty big waste of time and money. The amount of material that is covered over time is so small that the first few weeks could be replaced by an hour with a good maya training video. The only good thing about the course is getting to meet some people that have similar interests.

This is not my sole reason for not liking the school. I am quite frustrated with their speed of communication, the way some things advertised actually are in reality, and I'm just not finding that this method of learning is the right way for me. I'm not trying to be a be a kill joy or anything, its just that in my research of the school I found next to no negative feed back and wanted to let people know of my experience. Perhaps I've been too quick to judge, and I will continue to keep you all posted as the course progresses.


I actually agree with you,it's not for everyone that's for sure.

[Romanthony]

Well, I signed on my loan today. Financially, everything's all wrapped up (on pretty much the last day before the deadline). Now I can feel good about all the Halloween festivities. :beer:

Oh, PS, SO EXCITED!!

[dren]

Well, I signed on my loan today. Financially, everything's all wrapped up (on pretty much the last day before the deadline). Now I can feel good about all the Halloween festivities. :beer:

Oh, PS, SO EXCITED!!

I'm still waiting for sallie mae to approve mine :S

[dren]

and an update...they denied my perfect credited grandmother...wow.... Sallie Mae is a joke.

[DreamThinkLive]

and an update...they denied my perfect credited grandmother...wow.... Sallie Mae is a joke.

Sorry about that Dren, I feel for ya man. I'm still trying to work on my funding. Just keep trying man. Don't give up.

[Romanthony]

Dren, have you tried a local credit union? Preferably one that AM is associated with? That's what got me through.

I just realized today that the payment deadline for winter is November 27th. I thought it was October 31st. Silly me. :wise:

[N1Prime]

Hey guys, does anyone know what kind of Loans people in the UK can get?

I'm going to contact them for info, but thought I might aswell ask here too. :)

Hi mate,

Sorry about not answering sooner. You probably have the answer now but if not.

You can apply for a professional and career development loan (PCDL). There is a website full of information which is

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/AdultLearning/FinancialHelpForAdultLearners/CareerDevelopmentLoans/index.htm

Basically if you're working full time they will cover 80% (or 100% if you have been out of work for 3 months or more) of your tuition at 0% whilst you are studying and for 1 month after the course has finished. After that it goes up to normal bank rates. Also you don't have to start making payments untill you finish the course.

My loan application is now in the post just have to find out if i'm approved :).

[primal101]

Sorry to hear about you loan being denied. I too got denied for the loan, to me it seems to be very difficult to get a loans now a days. I say the easiest way to get a loans is if you have some sort of property like a house or something to use a collateral then you can get like a line of credit from the bank. That's what I did and is much cheaper too. Right now at Bank of America the interest rate is like %3 or something.

Just a heads up. Hope you guys can all get in by next term. I can say personally is every bit as informative & intuitive learning experience. I'm learning soo much right now & we're just finishing the bouncing ball exercise.

[Gamato]

I just got my acceptance email yesterday for the Winter Term. I'm in the same boat...money, money, money.

[dren]

Yeah I've went to every local credit union (About 5 here in this small/medium town) and every last one of them turned their nose up at me and treated me like I was a piece of crap after I told them how much I needed.

Why doesn't the government fund this school? They're stupid not to.... We're the ones who will come out of this school to make animation that they watch and makes THEM laugh....lol The least they could do is support our school and give the students some funding federally haha.

So now this is where I shoot Victoria an e-mail and tell her to defer my enrollment until the summer so I can save up to pay out of pocket which is going to be really hard. I can't actually afford to do it out of pocket, even if I save up... Eventually I will run dry. :(

[Archaeologist]

Hi, Dren. Sorry to hear about your financial problems with getting into school. My situation is a bit different but we're not entirely in different boats. Can you pay for the springboard class and take that while you save up for the spring term maybe? I'm filing bankruptcy so can't get the loan myself, but I earn pretty good money now that I'm working again. I can't get anyone to do the loan for me that will qualify but if I can pay for the first two classes out of pocket, the amount of money you earn that would qualify you for the loan for the remainder of the terms goes WAY down. It will make it much easier to qualify. For example, right now you need to earn about 2.5 times the loan amount. 18,000 x 2.5 = 45,000. If you pay cash for the first two classes and work while attending school to keep funding those classes, well now the loan you need to finish the remaining 4 terms is 12,000. 12,000 x 2.5 = 30,000. So I say take the springboard so you get in the door at AM and work full time during the springboard and through the first two classes. That takes you through about 9 months and at $6,500 for the springboard and two classes that's $722 a month or $180 a week you need to earn working. Don't look at it like $18,000. Take it in smaller bites and it's easier to swallow.

[dren]

The problem is I don't make enough to even pay for the first two classes or the springboard. I would have to save up for the first two terms to even begin to think about paying for the first job. I'm not paid very well -- it's not much, trust me!

[Archaeologist]

I'd say your best bet then is to look into a more traditional school and get a regular student loan that may be more flexible in it's underwriting and approval terms. I know everyone wants to get right to the bread and butter and not take all the classes they feel they don't need, but trust me, there's alot more to college than just the classes. It helps you grow as a person in ways you will need when in the workplace. It shows employers you have what it takes to learn and "stick with it". Most of what you learn in college, even in your major, is not going to prepare you for work...everyone gets retrained. I trained as an accountant and my first accounting job took us all into a 3 week training course where we learned again from scratch the way that company wanted it done. But again, the 4 year education told that employer something about me and got my foot in the door. I understand accounting is not animation, but the long term benefits to having that degree under your belt can't be underestimated. I'm at a position in my life where I can pay for the classes, but I'm 38. 20 years from now you'll be in a different position in your life too...heck 5 years from now you'll be better off most likely. Sometimes the shortest path isn't always open to us. Another thing to consider...animation is what you want to do right NOW. I started in accounting, moved to marketing, then to banking, now to animation...but that 4 year degree helps me move around more freely. Good luck with your choices, and remember, they are choices...not dead ends.

[MCHammond]

dren: I'm sorry that the bankers don't like you :( it sucks to have a dream squashed due to money problems. All I can suggest is that you save up for the course and maybe attend in a few years. I know this might seem a long time now but 3 years in the grand schema of things is not that much time. Remember to practice and learn new skills all the time, keep your goal in focus and make sure that you stay committed.

Rant[
Try and get a job that's got something to do with the CG industry if possible! although you don't need too. Whats most important is that you gain life experiences and don't just stagnate while you wait. You may find that in the long run the skills you learn while saving will put you in a better position when you do the course.

After leaving school I found that one of the skills that I learned very quickly was how to manage my time. I used to only manage a few hours learning CG a week between classes and leisure. But after doing one job "that sucked" for a few months and not making any time to learn CG I realized you have to MAKE TIME. Now I manage about 3 hours a day on top of working full time at a CG Studio "TV is your Enemy".
]Rant End

Anyways best of luck in what ever you do!

[DreamThinkLive]

Hey guys, I'm in the Maya workshop and just wanted to let you now that its a waste of time. You could learn everything this course is going to teach you in less then a week with the free trial and somthing like digital tutors. If your thinking of doing it just to get familiar with the site then that's going to be an expensive 10 minutes as it's no harder to navigate then anything else. Another thing is they call it a 12 week program when then first 4 weeks are basically nothing. You get super limited access to the site and there are a few q&a sessions to talk about the course. Then the then next 7 weeks are the maya training. Based on this course I'm not at all impressed with Animation Mentor and am wondering if its going to be the quality school that everyone seems to think.

Hey Robert,

Hows it going so far?

[MCHammond]

Who's attending the Coffee meeting tonight?

[DigiBob]

Who's attending the Coffee meeting tonight?

I'll be there. So i'll see you later then!

[MCHammond]

DigiBob: See you later! and look forward to learning along side you!

[DreamThinkLive]

I got my funding for the Winter!!!:bounce::bounce::applause:

[DreamThinkLive]

Who's attending the Coffee meeting tonight?

What coffee meeting?

[pstrick30]

well im not gonna b at the coffee meeting...what about the webinar?? anyone gonna be there tonight?? :]

[pstrick30]

I got my funding for the Winter!!!:bounce::bounce::applause:

yay congrats! must feel great to not have to worry bout that

[DreamThinkLive]

yay congrats! must feel great to not have to worry bout that

Thanks pstrick! It does feel great! :cool: Can't wait to start. I'll be starting the Maya Workshop in Jan then ill move on to the 18 month course.

[Romanthony]

That's great, DreamThinkLive! :beer:

I've got everything taken care of and underway, in fact just on Friday I was e-mailed that the AM enrollment agreement for winter 2010 that I signed has now been signed by the admissions department and filed.

What's next? When do I expect to get an Orientation e-mail? How should I use this time to prepare?

[MCHammond]

Important Info from the Coffee Talk.

Payment of first class. Due: Nov 27 "make time for thanks giving holidays"
Sign enrollment agreement. Due: Nov 27 "make time for thanks giving holidays"
Send ANY ONE proof of education. Due: Nov 27 "make time for thanks giving holidays"

From what I gathered Orientation is from the 9th to the 18th of December. At this time we will get access to the site and get our student ID. There will be video instruction on how to get the Student version of Maya $400.00. As well as what reading materials to buy and what preparations are required in order to start the course in January.

From Dec 19th to 4Jan the school will be closed for the holidays and it will NOT open until the 4th of Jan so it is important to get Maya before the 18th Dec. After the 4th Jan classes start and we are on our way to becoming Pro animators :D.

This is my understanding, but it might not be correct! if you have any questions I would talk to someone in the know at AM!

As for preparations at this point, we were instructed to get our houses in order and relax watching films/games taking notes and to start thinking like an animator! If we have everything else sorted!

[DreamThinkLive]

Thanks! I have not sent in my payment as yet. But im going to handle that today. So im guessing ill get that Orientation email after you.

But im curious, Do i get an orientation email even though im just going to be starting the Springboard in Jan?

That's great, DreamThinkLive! :beer:

I've got everything taken care of and underway, in fact just on Friday I was e-mailed that the AM enrollment agreement for winter 2010 that I signed has now been signed by the admissions department and filed.

What's next? When do I expect to get an Orientation e-mail? How should I use this time to prepare?

[MCHammond]

I just spoke to someone at Animation Mentor and I was told that I have everything sorted :D. And am ready to start in the new year!

And that I "I assume all who starting Winter10 as well" would receive an orientation E-mail on the 9th of December.

I don't know what is happening if you are taking the springboard, why don't you ask AM?


(http://forums.cgsociety.org/member.php?u=392738)

[DreamThinkLive]

No No, its no biggie. i was just curious. I will be speaking to Victoria like tomorrow so if anything i can ask her then. But i was just curious. Im sure i would get it if i needed it. So imj good:) Thanks for the advice though!


I just spoke to someone at Animation Mentor and I was told that I had everything sorted :D.

And that I "I assume all who starting Winter10 as well" would receive an orientation E-mail on the 9th of December.

I don't know what is happening if you are taking the springboard, why don't you ask AM?

[MCHammond]

DreamThinkLive (http://forums.cgsociety.org/member.php?u=392738): Just out of curiosity, What is your level of 3D program usage? from what others have said and from what I gathered at the Coffee Talk, the Springboard is aimed at people who have never used a 3D program before.

We were told if you could model a shelf with a ball and cube on it, and then animate them falling off and bouncing on the ground then you have sufficient knowledge to skip the springboard.

In my opinion getting up to that level would be something you could do over a few weekends and ceirtantly by the time Winter10 starts, but I supose I am looking at it from knowing Maya already so my view is tainted.

I'm going to get a subscription to Digital Tutors (http://www.digitaltutors.com/09/index.php) while I study at AM. I think the aditional content will be helpfull to me, I'm just wondering have you considered other routs to getting up to speed with Maya. The $500 it costs to do the Springboard could pay for more than a years worth of Digital Tutor!

Then again If you are moving from a fine art background and have never used a computer to produce creative content then the 1 on 1 that AM offer would be priceless! I just mention it for your consideration as a few pages back there was a guy conplaining about the Spring board.

[DreamThinkLive]

Well, i have never touched Maya before. Currently i'm a graphic designer. But i was thinking about DT but i felt i wanted to take the springboard as well sign up at DT as you said you would while doing the full course. My main reason to do the AM spring board was because i wanted to get a feel for the community and how things were done at AM. So money right now isn't a issue for me. But i do understand what you saying.

But i will be signing up at DT as well for the extra content.

Hope all of this made sense?


DreamThinkLive (http://forums.cgsociety.org/member.php?u=392738): Just out of curiosity, What is your level of 3D program usage? from what others have said and from what I gathered at the Coffee Talk, the Springboard is aimed at people who have never used a 3D program before.

We were told if you could model a shelf with a ball and cube on it, and then animate them falling off and bouncing on the ground then you have sufficient knowledge to skip the springboard.

In my opinion getting up to that level would be something you could do over a few weekends and ceirtantly by the time Winter10 starts, but I supose I am looking at it from knowing Maya already so my view is tainted.

I'm going to get a subscription to Digital Tutors (http://www.digitaltutors.com/09/index.php) while I study at AM. I think the aditional content will be helpfull to me, I'm just wondering have you considered other routs to getting up to speed with Maya. The $500 it costs to do the Springboard could pay for more than a years worth of Digital Tutor!

Then again If you are moving from a fine art background and have never used a computer to produce creative content then the 1 on 1 that AM offer would be priceless! I just mention it for your consideration as a few pages back there was a guy conplaining about the Spring board.

[MCHammond]

yea it makes perfect sense.

If you use CG programs already you will learn 3D programs very quickly, If I were you I would download the trial and do one of the classes on DT. You might be surprised how quick you pick it up!

[DreamThinkLive]

Thanks! I forgot about that! Because i wasnt getting my copy of maya until next month. So thanks for reminding me.:)

yea it makes perfect sense.

If you use CG programs already you will learn 3D programs very quickly, If I were you I would download the trial and do one of the classes on DT. You might be surprised how quick you pick it up!

[fig]

Hey guys, I actually just applied to AM and will be hopefully starting in the Spring term (April).

I was looking at doing the Springboard course as well but it sounds like that might not really be needed? I don't do a ton of 3D but I use modo some and have dabbled in a variety of other 3D programs...sounds like maybe the Digital Tutors stuff might be a good way to go?

[DreamThinkLive]

Welcomer FIG!

Good Luck! So far the people that i have met that are going to be in the spring class sound like some very cool people and VERY Excited as i am to start. So welcome man! :bounce: :cool:

[DigiBob]

I got my funding for the Winter!!!:bounce::bounce::applause:
Yay, congrats, thats awesome!

[DigiBob]

Important Info from the Coffee Talk.

Payment of first class. Due: Nov 27 "make time for thanks giving holidays"
Sign enrollment agreement. Due: Nov 27 "make time for thanks giving holidays"
Send ANY ONE proof of education. Due: Nov 27 "make time for thanks giving holidays"

From what I gathered Orientation is from the 9th to the 18th of December. At this time we will get access to the site and get our student ID. There will be video instruction on how to get the Student version of Maya $400.00. As well as what reading materials to buy and what preparations are required in order to start the course in January.

From Dec 19th to 4Jan the school will be closed for the holidays and it will NOT open until the 4th of Jan so it is important to get Maya before the 18th Dec. After the 4th Jan classes start and we are on our way to becoming Pro animators :D.

This is my understanding, but it might not be correct! if you have any questions I would talk to someone in the know at AM!

As for preparations at this point, we were instructed to get our houses in order and relax watching films/games taking notes and to start thinking like an animator! If we have everything else sorted!

Thanks for the Info. I was having problems with my internet connection, so i couldn't participate. I'll be waiting fo the video then...
So we're just about getting started then, ha? only a few weeks left!
cheers christoph

[DreamThinkLive]

Hey Thanks! So excited! :bounce:

Yay, congrats, thats awesome!

[fig]

Thanks man, looks like you're starting in the Spring term as well?

I'm looking into my options for learning Maya a bit now, I think I may go with Digital Tutors or something similar rather than the Springboard course in an effort to save a bit of cash.

Welcomer FIG!

Good Luck! So far the people that i have met that are going to be in the spring class sound like some very cool people and VERY Excited as i am to start. So welcome man! :bounce: :cool:

[DreamThinkLive]

From what everyone has told me and what i have seen from just watching a min or so of DT's sample video, i think it will be great. I learned a good amount from just watching the sample.

So i think you should go for it. But i'm choosing to do both. Because i wanted to experience AM and the Community from now. Instead of waiting until Spring. but thats just me :)

I just cant wait.

[MCHammond]

Hello again! whats everyone up too?

I've been doing some research, looking at slow motion footage:
Link_1 (http://www.vimeo.com/1638468)
Link_2 (http://www.vimeo.com/2741295)
Link_3 (http://www.vimeo.com/4449359)

It seems to be a good source of reference, I'm thinking of buying a 300fps Video Camera.
Link_To_Camera (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sanyo-HD1010-Digital-Camcorder-Bundle/dp/B001CMH8LY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1258714803&sr=1-1)

Do you think its worth it? and do you think it will help on the AM course?

[chrisbyk]

Hello again! whats everyone up too?

I've been doing some research, looking at slow motion footage:
Link_1 (http://www.vimeo.com/1638468)
Link_2 (http://www.vimeo.com/2741295)
Link_3 (http://www.vimeo.com/4449359)

It seems to be a good source of reference, I'm thinking of buying a 300fps Video Camera.
Link_To_Camera (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sanyo-HD1010-Digital-Camcorder-Bundle/dp/B001CMH8LY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1258714803&sr=1-1)

Do you think its worth it? and do you think it will help on the AM course?

Yes, definitely! If you can afford it, then go for it.
References are so crucial during the entire AM course, and everything you can get that will help you with that is definitely welcome.

[Z252]

Hey, to all you Winter 2010 AM students...did you immediately receive an email confirmation after you e-signed the enrollment agreement? I signed it 3 weeks ago-the same day I got the email-and have yet to receive a signed copy. When did you guys receive your signed copy? A few days after? A week after? I just realized that mine might have not been received because I got an email today that said it is due this Friday for the Winter quarter.

[dren]

I'm not sure....Shoot an e-mail to Victoria (Victoria @ animationmentor.com) and ask her what should be happening. I got accepted to Winter term but couldn't get the funding so I had to defer out to Summer 2010. So I can't help ya :( Sorry!!

[[msf]]

Animation Mentor almost seems to good to be true. That's what I am wondering. I enrolled in a similar technical program and it was all gravy at first then the money eating monster reared its head and emphasis went from education to bill collecting.

I understand there are testimonials on the site but I was wondering if anyone completed the program and have a testimonial they would like to share here in the forums.

[DigiBob]

Can't wait to get to know all of you winter termers! Only a few days until orientation, yay!

[Romanthony]

I'm a winter termer! Victoria told me I'd be getting my Orientation e-mail on the 9th.

[MCHammond]

I start on Jan,4 Winter term.

I should get my E-mail on the 9th Too.

:D cant wait!

Any of you use Facebook?

[pstrick30]

yay for orientation next week! :) woo hoo!!!:applause:

[DreamThinkLive]

Yeah i can't wait!:bounce::bounce:

[DigiBob]

I start on Jan,4 Winter term.

I should get my E-mail on the 9th Too.

:D cant wait!

Any of you use Facebook?

Couldn't find you right away, I just sent you a pm with the link to my profile, so you can add me!
yo wintertermers, send me your fb links and let's get friends! :beer:

[fig]

Accepted for Spring term :)

I may defer to Summer though, still working on the details.

[dren]

']Animation Mentor almost seems to good to be true. That's what I am wondering. I enrolled in a similar technical program and it was all gravy at first then the money eating monster reared its head and emphasis went from education to bill collecting.

I understand there are testimonials on the site but I was wondering if anyone completed the program and have a testimonial they would like to share here in the forums.

Read back in this thread for the testimonials from people on this forum. It's a huge thread so don't get too overwhelmed lol There are quite a few people who have given their testimonials though. The students work, I think, speaks for itself. :)

[kezzamoss]

Hey guys,
I'm new to the forum, but have spent ages reading through this whole Animation Mentor Thread! haha! I just found out that I have been accepted into Animation Mentor for spring 2010! I am SO excited! I see you may be starting then too, Fig! woo! Anyone else here starting in spring?

[Romanthony]

Yep, I do, and I've added Animation Mentor on Facebook. They say there's a lot of goodies on AM's Facebook page, so I'm glad I added them.

[stjons]

Hey, sorry if this has been covered but this is a pretty huge thread and don't have the time to go through the whole thing.

I'm thinking of applying to animation mentor after i finish my degree this year. I was just wondering how people found the application process and what the odds are of someone with a degree in animation and special effects being accepted?

This course is something i'm very interested in as I don't feel my current course has taught me much at all even though I am getting pretty good grades in my modules.

Any info people could give me would be great

Cheers
Jonny

[fig]

I think acceptance is more based on showing the desire to learn and put the time into the program than anything else, there's not a portfolio or anything required so I can't imagine you wouldn't get accepted. The application is mostly essay about why you want to do the courses, career goals, etc.

[stjons]

ok cool, well if all goes to plan I will be applying for the course that starts in september. Cheers for your help

Jonny

[pstrick30]

Hey guys,
I'm new to the forum, but have spent ages reading through this whole Animation Mentor Thread! haha! I just found out that I have been accepted into Animation Mentor for spring 2010! I am SO excited! I see you may be starting then too, Fig! woo! Anyone else here starting in spring?

that's exciting! congrats kezzamoss:bounce: Imma be doing the springboard class in the winter and then i will officialy start the AM course in the spring:)

[pstrick30]

hey so does anyone know whats going on wednesday the ninth? has anyone who is doing the maya workshop this winter, or starting AM this winter, gotten any kind of email saying what to expect for orientation? :hmm:

[DreamThinkLive]

I just came on to ask the same question about it. I Wonder if we are getting the email the day of or before.

and congrats kezzamoss! Ill be doing the same Maya Workshop then Full course in Spring.:bounce:

[KangtheMad]

Accepted for Spring term :)

I may defer to Summer though, still working on the details.

Congrats man!

[BrianHarris]

Hi everyone. I've been thinking about animation more and more this recent year, and with my current job in jeopardy due to the economy, it finally just hit me, I need to apply for Animation Mentor. I don't know where this move will take make, what kind of success I'll have, but a dream is not going to happen on it's own.

I'm a graphic artist at a newspaper (survived 4 layoffs). So I'm use to Photoshop, Illustrator and can pick things up easily. A few years ago I started messing with 3D as a hobby, got in cheap with Hexagon, Carrara to start, followed by Zbrush, rigging in Poser for toon like figures. In the end, I used these skills more to enhance my job's work than my personal activities, so I got some benefit out of it. I've got Lightwave with Core now, but been waiting for Core to be more fleshed out until I get serious with it or Lightwave.

This last year I've been steering myself towards animation. Such as after Don Bluth opened his website and I participated in drawing projects, did a march cycle on 1s with traditional animation paper, and generally soaking in all the great animation knowledge there. I modeled my company's mascot in 3d and created a simple animation for an online video intro. Then I most recently attended the CTN Animation Expo last month. After seeing all the panels, speakers, a private meeting with Don Bluth with club members, I'm like, I want to be part of this more than ever.

I'm working full-time right now, which I can't abandon for a traditional school, but nothing else is demanding my attention. So an online course works best for me.

I'll probably think up some good questions to post later, just a little exhausted after trying to tackle this 600+ page thread.

[DreamThinkLive]

Tomorrow orientation begins!!!:bounce:

I'm so anxious for that email. :) When we get in we should figure out who is who in there so we can get together while we are in. Once we all set up and stuff that is :)

Sorry if im 2 excited. I just can't wait to work along side you guys.

[DreamThinkLive]

Hey Brian,

I think you should go for it. I was in your shoes trying to decide what school what best and i found AM and so far i have not heard anything negative about the school. Also i work as a Graphic Designer as well. But i have never touched a 3D program like most of the people in here. But i know if i put in all the hard work and dedication that is required to master this field i know one day ill be working at Pixar (Hopefully) :) that's my dream.

But i really think you should continue reading and you'll find this school is great and so far all the people i have met so far are feeling the way i feel and i really can't wait to work with them and with you if you decide its for you.

Good Luck!! Hope i made sense....

Hi everyone. I've been thinking about animation more and more this recent year, and with my current job in jeopardy due to the economy, it finally just hit me, I need to apply for Animation Mentor. I don't know where this move will take make, what kind of success I'll have, but a dream is not going to happen on it's own.

I'm a graphic artist at a newspaper (survived 4 layoffs). So I'm use to Photoshop, Illustrator and can pick things up easily. A few years ago I started messing with 3D as a hobby, got in cheap with Hexagon, Carrara to start, followed by Zbrush, rigging in Poser for toon like figures. In the end, I used these skills more to enhance my job's work than my personal activities, so I got some benefit out of it. I've got Lightwave with Core now, but been waiting for Core to be more fleshed out until I get serious with it or Lightwave.

This last year I've been steering myself towards animation. Such as after Don Bluth opened his website and I participated in drawing projects, did a march cycle on 1s with traditional animation paper, and generally soaking in all the great animation knowledge there. I modeled my company's mascot in 3d and created a simple animation for an online video intro. Then I most recently attended the CTN Animation Expo last month. After seeing all the panels, speakers, a private meeting with Don Bluth with club members, I'm like, I want to be part of this more than ever.

I'm working full-time right now, which I can't abandon for a traditional school, but nothing else is demanding my attention. So an online course works best for me.

I'll probably think up some good questions to post later, just a little exhausted after trying to tackle this 600+ page thread.

[DreamThinkLive]

Also I'm sure everyone would be glad to answer any questions you have. So ask Away!

[BrianHarris]

Thanks for the encouragement. This is a huge decision, commitment, and it's hard to jump in without feeling a bit alone, unsure, if I'm getting in over my head.

I'm pretty positive that, like you said, with hard work, dedication, nothing is out of reach. Though, since graduating high school, man I feel I've neglected myself in terms of art growth. I've never taken a figure drawing class for example. I did one full year at my local junior college with starting computer graphics, drawing classes, but quit after I got a full time job at my local newspaper. I've worked there about 9 years now, just turned 29, I look back and wonder if I lose this job, what do I have, where can I go, what's available anymore?

I guess I never planned any further because I worked for a great company, wonderful people, I just never thought of leaving or anything could go wrong. We had around 650 employees, now it's down to 157. They are dismantling our 3 story award winning press since we print at our sister paper now, they even tried to sell the building to lease part of it. At the CTN Animation Expo, when I watched the screening for "Waking Sleeping Beauty," as it covered the downcline in animation, it sure hit home with my recent experience at newspapers.

So I'm taking this as a wake up call to go out and actually do something I really love.

Anyone once else have an issue where they couldn't stop thinking about bouncing ball scenarios after making this decision to apply for AM :) (Which I still need to do)

[KangtheMad]

Hey Brian,

Aside from following your dreams, you can also try and see how it is for the first term, and go from there, if this makes making your decision easier. Yes it does require time and financial commitments, but, at the risk of sounding like a recruiter, where else are you going to find this level of education, with this much flexibility, and this much bang for your buck?

Make no mistake, though. Just because you'll be making animations or games, it's not always fun & games. You have to be initiative and put in your time & effort, or you'll get nothing out of it.

Good luck.


Thanks for the encouragement. This is a huge decision, commitment, and it's hard to jump in without feeling a bit alone, unsure, if I'm getting in over my head.

I'm pretty positive that, like you said, with hard work, dedication, nothing is out of reach. Though, since graduating high school, man I feel I've neglected myself in terms of art growth. I've never taken a figure drawing class for example. I did one full year at my local junior college with starting computer graphics, drawing classes, but quit after I got a full time job at my local newspaper. I've worked there about 9 years now, just turned 29, I look back and wonder if I lose this job, what do I have, where can I go, what's available anymore?

I guess I never planned any further because I worked for a great company, wonderful people, I just never thought of leaving or anything could go wrong. We had around 650 employees, now it's down to 157. They are dismantling our 3 story award winning press since we print at our sister paper now, they even tried to sell the building to lease part of it. At the CTN Animation Expo, when I watched the screening for "Waking Sleeping Beauty," as it covered the downcline in animation, it sure hit home with my recent experience at newspapers.

So I'm taking this as a wake up call to go out and actually do something I really love.

Anyone once else have an issue where they couldn't stop thinking about bouncing ball scenarios after making this decision to apply for AM :) (Which I still need to do)

[DreamThinkLive]

Orientation today guys! Just waiting on my email! :)

[MCHammond]

Me too. I woke up at 7am and checked my mail, to see. then i worked out it was still tuesday in the states :(

[DreamThinkLive]

Well its Wed. Now :)

Me too. I woke up at 7am and checked my mail, to see. then i worked out it was still tuesday in the states :(

[MCHammond]

I am at work atm :( but I finnish soon :). so hopefully I will get my Email by the time I get home. look foward to seeing you on the inside, are you doing the springboard or are you starting AM in Jan?

[DreamThinkLive]

Yup, Im doing the springboard then the full course in march. You?


I am at work atm :( but I finnish soon :). so hopefully I will get my Email by the time I get home. look foward to seeing you on the inside, are you doing the springboard or are you starting AM in Jan?

[MCHammond]

I start in Jan, I am missing the springboard! :( I just couldnt wait to get my teath into the Animation.

[DreamThinkLive]

Have you used Maya before?

[pstrick30]

ahhh!! when's the email coming? waiting sucks:argh: lol. I CAN'T WAIT TO GET IN!! :]

shoot i got work at two-BOO:/ lol

[pstrick30]

yeah man i'm all for that, i'll be sure to try and find you and everyone else on here. Oh man i can't wait to get in and finally join in the Animation Mentor community!!

[DreamThinkLive]

Yeah, its killing me as well. :sad: Hopefully when i leave work ill see it when i get home :)

As i said before once we are in and get all set up we all should try to keep in touch.

[DreamThinkLive]

I guess once we are in we maybe would be able to use our SN names that we use in here some how. But for some reason i think we would have to use our real names which i have no problem with.

So ill get it started if no one has seen mine on my profile.

Hi My name is Derrick and i suffer from waiting on my email from AM. :)


yeah man i'm all for that, i'll be sure to try and find you and everyone else on here. Oh man i can't wait to get in and finally join in the Animation Mentor community!!

[DreamThinkLive]

Hey Malanjo,

Good Luck! I can't remember when i got mine back. but i remember i didn't have to wait long back with anything.

[DreamThinkLive]

I GOT MY ORIENTATION EMAIL!!!:bounce:

[Malanjo]

Did the online application 3 days ago. Still waiting for the 8 minutes test (math and language) e-mail (the normal is two days waiting, as said after the end of the online application).
Did you guys received the math and language test within 2 days? Or more? Or still waiting?

Thanks in advance,
-Malanjo

[Malanjo]

Thanks DreamThinkLive!

Will wait until tomorrow then.

best,
-Malanjo

[DreamThinkLive]

Your welcome,No problem at all! That was just my experience. Not sure about others.

Thanks DreamThinkLive!

Will wait until tomorrow then.

best,
-Malanjo

[BrianHarris]

Some questions:

What are the best hours I would need to make available for live events, such as Q&As, for here in California? Or even which day of the week?

Any tips on what I should brush up on ahead of time? Things that you felt would have enhanced or given you a good head start in certain areas? I suppose one thing is to get familiar with Maya, and I guess draw draw draw, such as poses, expressions, anything to help put down your ideas that can communicate well to others.

One curious thing. What kind of challenges are faced after learning to animate mainly around biped figures and then suddenly attempt something like a quadruped, or any kind of animal? Does Animation Mentor cover any unusual creatures or teach skills that can be then adapted on how to study different creatures, animals, for animation?

At the heart of Animation Mentor is always the character animation, which has been said to be equally valuable for 2D, stop motion, whatever career you are looking at. But since they do focus on 3D assets, I assume they teach the correct ways to build up your animation in a 3D environment? Do the mentors often have their own techniques? Maybe show what works best for them, but also the basic techniques everyone should start with before finding what works for you?

Thanks for any replies

[MCHammond]

Woot, Woot.

Got my enrollment Email. Have been spending the last 5 hours going through all the info.

I have just ordered my Autodesk educational suit! (http://www.studica.com/products/product_detail.cfm?productid=60465&gclid=CM-xsZOzyp4CFUQA4wodFRxtqg)so I am super chuffed! I didn't realize I got the whole list. I thought I just got Maya. I am going to have some fun times with all this software :D.

I also ordered some of the books from the suggested reading list. So I am going to have a busy XMas.

Anyways my facebook name is M.A.X.C.Hammond

how has it been going for the rest of you AM winter 2010 students?

[DreamThinkLive]

:bounce:My AM Account is all setup now!!! Too bad we couldn't add friends yet.

Howz everyone else doing with there setup?

[Malanjo]

"Thank you for filling out your application! I'd like you to meet Victoria--she'll be your Admissions Advisor throughout your journey to enrollment. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email her at victoria@animationmentor.com. You will be receiving a link to a quick 8 minute test from Wonderlic. It tests very basic math and language skills. If you have not received this link within two business days, please email Victoria at victoria@animationmentor.com."
4th day and no answer yet, and no link for the test.
Don't have confidence anymore in AM administration. If they can't send me a simple link for the test and can't answer to a simple support question requesting the test, I can imagine what can happen in the future, after the program is started and fully payed upon front...

Best of luck for you guys!

best,
-Miguel

[DreamThinkLive]

Hey Malanjo,

Don't worry man they will get back to you. I felt the same at one point that there were not going to get back to me. So you'll be fine man. Don't give up just yet! :) Also maybe they are kind of busy with all the new students coming in for the Winter Term Jan. So as i said you'll get the email :) We all felt the same as you at one point. Just couldn't wait for our email


4th day and no answer yet, and no link for the test.
Don't have confidence anymore in AM administration. If they can't send me a simple link for the test and can't answer to a simple support question requesting the test, I can imagine what can happen in the future, after the program is started and fully payed upon front...

Best of luck for you guys!

best,
-Miguel

[fig]

Yeah, considering that the new term is just starting and they're getting a ton of new students in I'd imagine things are rather slammed, you picked a rather busy time to apply :) I had some questions last week after I got my acceptance and they were very responsive.

Looking forward to hearing about things from all you new students.

[chrisbyk]

Some questions:

What are the best hours I would need to make available for live events, such as Q&As, for here in California? Or even which day of the week?

Hi Brian, regarding the QAs and other live event hours, you'll have them generally during the evenings, so it's not bad for those closer to the US compared to european AMers, and they happen during the week, not really on weekends.





Any tips on what I should brush up on ahead of time? Things that you felt would have enhanced or given you a good head start in certain areas? I suppose one thing is to get familiar with Maya, and I guess draw draw draw, such as poses, expressions, anything to help put down your ideas that can communicate well to others.

Drawing would certainly help a lot in your animation, as every animation you'll do requires a lot of planning, mostly done on paper. Those are only stick figures, as you're encouraged to concentrate on things like lines of action instead of details in your drawings. Knowing the basics of Maya would also be quite helpful.





One curious thing. What kind of challenges are faced after learning to animate mainly around biped figures and then suddenly attempt something like a quadruped, or any kind of animal? Does Animation Mentor cover any unusual creatures or teach skills that can be then adapted on how to study different creatures, animals, for animation?

Right now they're program is mainly focused on biped characters, but there's already been request for quadruped animation. The principles are almost the same I guess, but adding that to the program would be a plus.



At the heart of Animation Mentor is always the character animation, which has been said to be equally valuable for 2D, stop motion, whatever career you are looking at. But since they do focus on 3D assets, I assume they teach the correct ways to build up your animation in a 3D environment? Do the mentors often have their own techniques? Maybe show what works best for them, but also the basic techniques everyone should start with before finding what works for you?

Yes, there is a ton of mentors at AM, and almost each of them has his own way to achieve something. It's always great to be able to learn from so many people as at the end you'll build your own workflow based on the methods you prefer the most.
Regarding the fact that they're mainly focusing on 3d, as I understand, it's because of the current trend of the market, which is mainly 3d.

Hope that those answers have helped clarify a few things :)

Chris

[DreamThinkLive]

Hey guys!

Howz the set up of the accounts going? and Watching of the Vids? :)

[BrianHarris]

Thanks Chrisbyk for the helpful replies

I've started writing the short answer essay questions. I'm not sure how to approach the questions on "short term" goals, followed by "long term" goals.

I figure the short term goals is after succesfully completing AM it will help you get your foot in the door to many studios, a suggestion once mentioned in this thread, then I figure continue to build upon the skills learned at AM to become a more well rounded animator, update demo reel with new skills, etc.

Though, long term, how do I approach that? It's almost like those essays you did back in school where you write what you'll be doing 10 years from now, then 20 years, etc. Which I happened to run across one I wrote 17 years ago when cleaning my room, I had ILM on my mind even then, so I'm a little behind :) . So do I just talk about the best case outlook, like achieving your dream? Continue to study to take things even further, never quiting to be a better animator than you were yesterday?

If anyone replies, thanks, but actually, typing this was pretty helpful in gathering my thoughts too.

[DreamThinkLive]

I was just going to say that you kinda did great by answering your own questions :)




If anyone replies, thanks, but actually, typing this was pretty helpful in gathering my thoughts too.

[MCHammond]

Hi guys, I have just watched all the videos on the AM Enrollment. and am now checking out the Academic programs page.

Has anyone else looked at a program called Flipbook (http://www.digicelinc.com/flipbook.htm) I am thinking of buying it? but I thought I might check out the competition first.

ToonBoom (http://www.toonboom.com/main/) "From $199"
Flash (http://www.adobe.com/products/flash/) "$699"
Plastic Animation Paper (http://www.plasticanimationpaper.dk/) "Free - 695euro"
Pencil (http://www.pencil-animation.org/)"Open Source"

Anyone got any ideas, I was gonna get flipbook but the toonboom offer atm is very good. Plus learning toonboom or flash would be a desirable skill! although Flash is not really very simple when it comes to tradional style aniamation.

[fig]

As someone who does a lot of flash work, it definitely wouldn't be my choice for character animation. It's great for some things, but for pencil type animation Toon Boom or something similar would be a much better app.

I've played with Flip Boom, which is their low-end animation app that's more targeted at kids, and it's actually really fun. Think there's a demo you can check out.

[ademation]

hey MCHammond,

i would recommend you flipbook and PAP (Plastic Animation Paper - free version).
Jason Ryan (www.jasonryananimation.com) has some very cool tutorials about flipbook.

cheers
ademation

[BrianHarris]

hey MCHammond,

i would recommend you flipbook and PAP (Plastic Animation Paper - free version).
Jason Ryan (www.jasonryananimation.com (http://www.jasonryananimation.com)) has some very cool tutorials about flipbook.

cheers
ademation

Oh, I just got too see Jason Ryan at CTN Animation Expo where he spent 45 minutes in flipbook doing a quick stick figure animation, sort of like the quick demo video thay have at DigiCel's website for Flipbook. He was pretty quick in it, using a tablet PC, probably wacom enabled, to draw right on the screen, along with a usb numeric keypad to quickly flip between keys or the timeline (since often on a tablet you can't use the keyboard with the screen turned around).

After he got the animation done, he then timed it better by moving the keys around, followed by adding some inbetweens. He then showed the example of how to export it in a way to attach the animation to the camera in Maya for s a guide. Though, it wasn't a separate window like in the flipbook website demo video, what I saw, was more of an overlay on your camera view that was moveable/resizable.

Looks like nice software to do quick thumbnailing that would be nice for AM, but expensive for just that. Using a tablet can be economical, some good ones off ebay for $400-$600 work great. Much easier to take with you compared to a small cintiq, especially if you don't need that kind of accuracy.

I just put up a short 52 second clip from CTN Animation Expo with Jason Ryan. Also included a really short 54 second clip of ToonBoom. Not much really:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqhzu_ptYps

[DreamThinkLive]

Thanks for the info Brian! Looks like it would have been cool to be there:(

How is everyone else doing? Even though i have access to the site, im dying to get started.

I have watched those orientation vids so many times its getting sad now:) I am just so anxious and can't wait to start:bounce:

[ea-animation]

Hehe, very nice --> new term, new students and alot of fun and to learn =)
I'd also recomment Flipbook aswell, its awesome!

So, whoever needs help or a suggestions, contact me at AM: Ersin Alkan.
Cya!

[HenryA]

For the people who got accepted for the loan with no problems how old are you , have you been building credit?

[DreamThinkLive]

Ordered my maya yesterday and its shipped and on its way! :)

[TimothyB]

edit, sorry, used old account

[BrianHarris]

Sent my application this last weekend and just did the Wonderlic test today. I spent the last few days looking over practice tests, and a 12 field paper filled with notes I didn't even need.

So, has anyone qualified to defer their loan for AM? It seems to be an option now. But I guess I should worry about getting approved for the loan, or even just accepted into AM. I know I have good credit, work full-time, good wage, homeowner, but I bet lending is tough right now. What are the interest rates they usually offer people lately? I just don't know what to expect having never done a loan beyond a car or home.

[DreamThinkLive]

Hey Brian,

I noticed you haven't gotten an answer. But i know mine will not help but just wanted you to know someone saw your post.

For me i never got a loan, I'm doing the Payment plan option. Works way better for me. Instead of getting my self tied up in a loan. You said you get good wages, If that's the case i would look into doing the payment plan option.

At lease that's what i think. This is when payments are due.

Tuition will be paid in installments by term which will total $18,375.00 for the 18 month course:

Class 1 Tuition $3,125.00 USD** Due: March 5th, 2010

Class 2 Tuition $3,050.00 USD*** Due: May 28th, 2010

Class 3 Tuition $3,050.00 USD*** Due: August 27th, 2010

Class 4 Tuition $3,050.00 USD*** Due: November 26th, 2010

Class 5 Tuition $3,050.00 USD***Due: March 4th, 2011

Class 6 Tuition $3,050.00 USD*** Due May 27th, 2010

** Includes Registration Fee of $175 USD

***Payment Processing Fee of $100 USD

I know, i didnt answer your question about the loan, but thought i would try to help somehow.

[Romanthony]

I need some help, you guys.

How many of you use Vista?

Because I do, and I haven't run into many problems at all until now, when I have to use Quicktime Pro and get the Logitech Quickcam Pro 9000. I've already bought Quicktime Pro and registered it, but I have never been able to open the Quicktime player because of the damn ActiveX Control error, and believe me, I've tried to follow the solutions I've searched for online and they don't work for me, mostly because they're too complicated/too broad in giving directions/download links don't even work anymore.

As if that wasn't enough, I search Amazon.com for the webcam AM recommends and ran across this on the top review posted:


"Now, let's talk about a few things that weren't so good about this webcam. The biggest struggle I had was with Windows Vista. Even though the box proclaims it is certified for Vista, I had numerous driver issues. The Logitech 9000 worked in Vista just fine, but for some reason at random intervals it wanted to re-install its drivers. One thing you should know if you purchase this camera is that when installing it you will want to make sure you have the installation program check for updates. I found there were two driver updates for the camera during install. However, even with these updates I continue to have that random re-installation issue."

Damn it, I am NOT looking forward to juggling school with my stupid Vista technical problems. Should I just upgrade to Windows 7? Would that make it any better?

I'd really like to hear your thoughts.

[dren]

Sent my application this last weekend and just did the Wonderlic test today. I spent the last few days looking over practice tests, and a 12 field paper filled with notes I didn't even need.

So, has anyone qualified to defer their loan for AM? It seems to be an option now. But I guess I should worry about getting approved for the loan, or even just accepted into AM. I know I have good credit, work full-time, good wage, homeowner, but I bet lending is tough right now. What are the interest rates they usually offer people lately? I just don't know what to expect having never done a loan beyond a car or home.

Brian --

I got accepted into the Winter 2010 term for AM and I couldn't get the loan through SallieMae. Unfortunately, I can't afford to do the payment plan so AM gave me the option to defer out my enrollment. You can defer up to 3 terms (I think). I know I deferred out until Summer 2010, but I have a feeling I'm not going to get the funding by then so I'll have to reapply in a few years when I know I can get the funding from saving up. To find out more about deferring, contact Victoria (victoria [@] animationmentor.com) and ask about deferring options.

The loan is very hard to get. I've had two cosigners with great credit scores who got denied for the loan. If this happens to you:

Consider saving up for a while and paying out of pocket for AM and applying later for a smaller loan amount. Lenders are more generous with smaller loan amounts.

Find a cosigner to cosign the loan. Remember, the loan terms and conditions state you can remove the cosigners name off of the loan once you have made 24 months of on-time payments.

Good luck and I hope you get accepted!! :)

[MCHammond]

Just bought Digicel flipbook and the anamie book just arrived :D, but my mum made me give it to her so she can wrap it up for XMas for me :(!

[BrianHarris]

Hi dren,

Thanks for the input. I do recall seeing your trouble with getting a loan earlier in the thread and sorry to hear things haven't improved for you even with 2 co-signers. But good to hear you can start some of the course. In summer, did they give you any idea what improvements they are looking for to qualify by then? Your FICO score, income, and possibly still need a co-signer?

I wonder if the co-signer, while great credit, needs a good job, homeowner, and such to insure they can cover the payments if the student falls behind. My brother and his wife tried to get me to co-sign for a car loan, I refused, along with parents and such, I didn't want to get stuck covering for some $280 monthly payment to protect my credit. The next month he was fired, dodged a bullet there. We all still helped him out a bit until he got a new job.

The 24 month remove co-signer option. I'll have to check again, maybe it was in the detailed, "yes I understand that..." at the end of the application, but I don't think it's a guarantee. Possibly more of a minimum time before you can "request," or up for parole, but they might still have review you once more, meaning, it could be denied. I'd love to say to a potential co-signer that it's a 100% guarantee that they can remove their name, so I'll have to ask Victoria about that.

In fact, maybe I should fire some questions her way to show my commitment or interest, possibly standing out over silent applicants.

Can you apply for a smaller loan? I thought the loan, or the way it was worded, had to be the full amount of the tuition. Making it sound like I couldn't put say $5,000 down and loan the rest to make it easier to qualify. I suppose that's another question to ask.

I hope I do get accepted, but I do know there's always a chance of being rejected with no reason why as a policy I think, so I won't let myself become too upset if it happens. I don't want to delay too long to prepare for a new career, my current one hasn't been very secure. It's finally showing signs of stabilizing, with corporate allowing job performance review raises again. Though, I missed two 5% raises over that time, and was hit with a 3% pay cut during bargaining. If they do another round of layoffs and I lose my job, I'm a bit worried. While I have 8 years of experience at a newspaper, the whole industry is suffering and I only have high school and a bit of junior college just before I was hired, so I won't stand out over those with degrees.

DreamThinkLive,

I'm contemplating some kind of payment plan, but being a homeowner, I don't want to hurt my savings too much if I have to make a repair or lose my job in this economy. My income is good, but not the greatest to cover so much every 3 months or so, not unless I turned my life upside down to do it. If the economy didn't collapse, I could of done an equity loan without putting a dent in what remains, but now, 84% of homes in my county are underwater mortgages.

[HenryA]

Congratulations Summer Student!



You have been accepted into the Summer 2010 Term for the Advanced Studies in Character Animation program at Animation Mentor!








=] ,

[DreamThinkLive]

Congrats Henry!:applause:

[dren]

Hi dren,

Thanks for the input. I do recall seeing your trouble with getting a loan earlier in the thread and sorry to hear things haven't improved for you even with 2 co-signers. But good to hear you can start some of the course. In summer, did they give you any idea what improvements they are looking for to qualify by then? Your FICO score, income, and possibly still need a co-signer?

I wonder if the co-signer, while great credit, needs a good job, homeowner, and such to insure they can cover the payments if the student falls behind. My brother and his wife tried to get me to co-sign for a car loan, I refused, along with parents and such, I didn't want to get stuck covering for some $280 monthly payment to protect my credit. The next month he was fired, dodged a bullet there. We all still helped him out a bit until he got a new job.

<snip>


SallieMae is going to take into consideration your FICO score, any loans (debt) in your name, and also how much your gross income is. You have to make 2.5 times more than your loan amount annually. So for a loan for $18,000 you have to make at least 45k per year. Even if you don't qualify, your cosigner still can but they also have to meet the same requirements. (This is all stuff I have learned when working with Rosie who is the loans officer for AM)

You *can* apply for a smaller loan amount! It's not listed on AM's website, but this is possible but AM tries to leave this as a last resort I'm guessing. You need to be careful doing this. You should only do this if you *know* you can pay for some of the schooling out of your pocket. Example, don't apply for a $3,000 loan to get your first class done and fail to have the money for the remaining 5 classes. This would cause you to drop out and miss out on learning potential. I would only recommend doing this if you can't get the loan and know you can prepay for the first few classes. For example, if I had $12,000 I could pay for AM out of my pocket for the first 3 classes (approximately anyway) and apply for a $6,000 loan from Sallie Mae to push you through the last classes.

One last thing if you can't pay for it out of pocket and you can't get the Sallie Mae loan, contact Rosie (loans [@] animationmentor.com) and ask her about working with a local credit union. While this option didn't work for me, it has for other students. And who knows, maybe a student from the past has worked with a local credit union in your area so it might be a breeze to get a loan through them. My local credit unions (very limited, only 2) both wouldn't look at me because of my age (19, turning 20) so this didn't work out very well for me. But if you have a more broad credit history and are in need of the money, they are more likely to consider your loan.

As for getting rejected out of the school -- I've seen it happen to others. I think the only thing AM is really looking for in a student is the sincere passion for animation and the determination to either a.) become an animator or b.) better your animation talents.

[HenryA]

Congrats Henry!:applause:

thank you thank you , time to finish up all the paper workkk

[pstrick30]

hey guys...sooo i had finished the orientation vids a while ago, but had to procrastinate on buying the maya software because not enough mullah in the bank. But so I was just about to buy it now and found myself confused on which software to choose lol-i'm prlly just weird and am thinking too much but just to be safe i thought i'd ask you guys which one you guys bought...this is the link that confused me, i ont know which thing to choose! HELP! :scream: http://www.studica.com/products/product_detail.cfm?productid=60465&gclid=CM-xsZOzyp4CFUQA4wodFRxtqg

[MCHammond]

you need to buy the "Win/Mac DVD - Student Perpetual" the other one only lasts 13 months and Animation Mentor program is an 18 Month course. longer if you do the spring board.

you could buy the "Win/Mac DVD - Student 13 mth" but you would need two copy's so theirs no point

hope that helps!

[DreamThinkLive]

You need the Student Perpetual the one that cost $348.95.

As MCHammond said the other one only last 13 months and that wouldn't make any sense to get that seeing the course is 18 months.

[pstrick30]

oh okay i thought it would be that one..thanks guys:thumbsup:

[DreamThinkLive]

Your Welcome!

[BrianHarris]

Thanks again for the loan info. I think my FICO score is where it needs to be. My income may fall just short of the full tuition 2.5x amount. But if you, like said, can put some cash down and do a smaller loan, then that shouldn't be a problem to pay the tuition in full with some kind of combination.

Anyway, I got my fingers crossed and hope my application is excepted. In the mean time, when researching AM I ended up on the 11 Second Club website and it got my itching to really try something. So I grabbed their latest sound clip, then downloaded Blender for the first time, since 2.5 alpha is here, and used that free ManCandy figure.

I tried to block out some animation, if I'm using that term right for what I did. I turned off any interpolation between keyframes, and basically worked on key poses. After I got somewhere, I then timed them, plus finally turned on bezier interpolation to see some motion. I haven't added any new keys between the key poses yet to fine tune it, or worry about small details like the hands.

I tell you though, more time was spent learning Blender 2.5. Even different bugs between the 64bit and 32bit version, hardly any documentation, and I had no idea if what's not working is my fault or the alpha build.

Here's the small bit I did with part of the 11 second club sound:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HX_MGFmGg-8

I also just wanted to see if I can accomplish anything on my own first, but still got a lot of experimenting to do.

Only 3D animation I did before was small 3 second thing for work.

[BrianHarris]

Hmm, little confused. So does AM usually send out an e-mail about signing up for Maya Workshop (starting March 29) before you even know if you have been excepted, or what term you are starting? Unless it's possible to take the workshop at the same time a term is starting.

I know it can take weeks to find out, I just can't help but constantly check my e-mail, and today with an e-mail subject that says "Spring Boost Your Success As An Animation Mentor Student!," wait, am I a student, or do you mean when I become a student, argh :). I also keep jumping the gun thinking something is from AM, like this morning, in my peripheral vision I see something that looks like "Animation Mentor," but doh, it was "Alienware Insider"

[outrightmoviedude]

18,000 and up to 100,000 is still way too much for learning computer animation. I understand their are talented teachers and they deserve to get paid but it is still way too much.

Unless of course 100% of all graduates are making over 100,000 in animation. then it would be worth it.

[Romanthony]

I need some help, you guys.

How many of you use Vista?

Because I do, and I haven't run into many problems at all until now, when I have to use Quicktime Pro and get the Logitech Quickcam Pro 9000. I've already bought Quicktime Pro and registered it, but I have never been able to open the Quicktime player because of the damn ActiveX Control error, and believe me, I've tried to follow the solutions I've searched for online and they don't work for me, mostly because they're too complicated/too broad in giving directions/download links don't even work anymore.

As if that wasn't enough, I search Amazon.com for the webcam AM recommends and ran across this on the top review posted:


"Now, let's talk about a few things that weren't so good about this webcam. The biggest struggle I had was with Windows Vista. Even though the box proclaims it is certified for Vista, I had numerous driver issues. The Logitech 9000 worked in Vista just fine, but for some reason at random intervals it wanted to re-install its drivers. One thing you should know if you purchase this camera is that when installing it you will want to make sure you have the installation program check for updates. I found there were two driver updates for the camera during install. However, even with these updates I continue to have that random re-installation issue."

Damn it, I am NOT looking forward to juggling school with my stupid Vista technical problems. Should I just upgrade to Windows 7? Would that make it any better?

I'd really like to hear your thoughts.

Yeah, um, do I exist on this thread? Hello? *knocks*

[DreamThinkLive]

Hey Romanthony,

I can't help because i don't use vista. I work on Mac. Sorry.:sad:

[TimothyB]

Romanthony,

I wish I could help too, and I thought about posting that, but didn't want to waste your time. The first thing I would do you claim to have done to death, searching the net for fixes that never worked for you. Maybe I'll still look again and post things I find.

Windows 7, who knows. If 7 fixes the issue, what new problems may rise. You could install Windows 7 and keep Vista too. That's what I did. Using Vista's tools, I shrunk main system HD volume to create extra space for a new Windows 7 partition. Using a retail Home Premium Windows 7 "Upgrade" disc, I was able to do a fresh install to the partition without removing the Vista install. When the computer starts I can choose which one to use. That way you still can switch back if you encounter a new bug in Windows 7. It would be nice if AM qualified you as going to College or a University to get the student discount at $30.

EDIT: Dang, used my old account again. Wish they could let you delete a post, maybe in the first 20 minutes, which would keep a long thread from being deleted.

[DigitalToon2]

Hey Romanthony,
I'm an AM alumni and last term I took a refresher course and I was having webcam problems, first time actually. I ended up going out and buying the quickcam pro 9000 because my previous cam that I used throughout my entire time at AM was giving me headaches, it's drivers and everything weren't really updated to work with vista, they we're only patched. Anyway once I got the quickcam pro 9000 all my problems went away and I run vista 64-bit and I have quicktime pro. I wouldn't recommend upgrading to windows 7 just yet because as of right now it's not supported by AM yet. Now who knows it could be supported next term, but I doubt it, it usually takes a while before they switch. I'm saying hold off because there could be AM plugins that might not install properly if you upgrade. Before you go crazy pulling your hair out wait until the new term starts and give AM a call, their support staff is very good at helping workout problems. Also on the first day of class there's a self check test on the AM site that you can run and it checks to make sure your broswer, java, and flash are all up to date and supported. I've kind of learned not to jump the gun when ever there's an update to a broswer or flash plugin because the new update could cause problems with the AM site if you get to "download happy" sometimes. Than you end up uninstaling and reinstalling stuff. For example I'm still using Firefox version 3.0.14 because we havn't been told it's safe to upgrade it yet. I know this doesn't solve your problem, but I hope it gives you some relief and don't worry about it to much. Enjoy the holiday!!! Congrats on getting into AM!

[DreamThinkLive]

Merry Christmas Everyone!

[pstrick30]

Merry Christmas DreamThinkLive!....andddd EVERYONE ELSE!! :]]

[MCHammond]

Merry christmas, if a bit late. I would get beaten up if I used my laptop on christmas day.

[BrianHarris]

Yep, late Merry Christmas, hope everyone got what they wanted or had a great time with their family. If you were away from home, I'm sure a lot of people here had webcams to chime in with family :)

EDIT: Speaking of webcams, I'm thinking of using my gift cards from xmas on one.

Is the Webcam Pro9000 the best choice? I mean, yeah, it has high resolution, but who needs that when streaming over the internet. I'd think the most important feature would be low light performance. I've seen reviews where people say you need massive amount of light for the 9000, almost requiring software enhancement that slows it down (don't know if it was exposure adjustment or reviewers had slow PCs), but one said their 5 year old logitech did better in low light and mic without enhancements. With the Pro9000, does the low light performance improve as you the lower resolution for video streaming over the net?

Yes, the high resolution would be handy to record yourself for acting out a scene. Though, a point and shoot camera, that most people have these days, can do at least SD video. With those, you can take them anywhere to record yourself, compared to lugging around a laptop, webcam, cords, and limited placement.

I noticed webcams have a blur to their motion, like a low refresh rate causing ghosting, which I saw from videos of the Pro9000, making details come out soft.

So are there any decent simple 640*480 webcams that do great for low light. I will do more research on the Pro9000 though.

NOTE: My last cam, and first, was one of the original B&W dithered Quickcams on a Mac. I had fun doing stop motion stuff with that.

[BrianHarris]

Victoria hopes I'll be getting an answer to my application this week. Got my fingers crossed. I also mentioned I'd like to take the Maya Workshop, which may help my chances. I sent my application with zero Maya experience checked, but also made it clear I have experience in 3D modeling and other software. The workshop should help them know I'll be prepared for when the 18 month course starts. Victoria did say they have tightened up their grading system, so less time learning Maya and more time to focus on assignments is a plus to them.

I still plan to learn Maya earlier than March, the next workshop. Something like Digital-Yutors Intro to Animation in Maya, that I hear about. But the workshop will be a nice way to ease into the process at Animation Mentor and the community.

Anyone planning on taking that workshop, March 29th?

[fig]

Hey Brian, I think I'm just going to do Digital Tutors rather than the Maya Springboard. I've looked into it but I think it's going to be a bit more basic than would really be useful to me for the money. From talking to people it sounds like knowledge of how to keyframe and work with curves, along with basic rendering, is really all you need for AM work.

[BrianHarris]

Hey Brian, I think I'm just going to do Digital Tutors rather than the Maya Springboard. I've looked into it but I think it's going to be a bit more basic than would really be useful to me for the money. From talking to people it sounds like knowledge of how to keyframe and work with curves, along with basic rendering, is really all you need for AM work.

True, I figure if I do Digital-Tutors, then I'll probably have done everything the workshop would teach, maybe more. If I'm accepted, and I do the online tutorials, I might want to start Spring, rather than delay with a workshop that could be redundant. 8 weeks is a long time. But still, I told Victoria to pass on to the Admissions Board that I want to do the workshop, and if I get accepted into AM, I should keep my word, unless I find it really really unnecessary depending on my progress.

[namchucks]

There's a Digital Tutor Training video called "Maya Training: Lifting Heavy Objects" that is really good at teaching you a little bit of the Maya workflow as well as teaching you a little bit about animation and weights/timing. It has taught me a lot and I feel like this is pretty much what you'll be doing during the AM course. check it out! (http://www.digitaltutors.com/09/training.php?cid=5&pid=1948)

[BrianHarris]

"Congratulations Spring Student!"

I'M IN!!! :)

Now I just need to figure out the finances, plus if I should take the Summer term to do the workshop first.

Namchucks, thanks for the link, I'll definitely check that out. Simple exercises like that are just what I need to start with. I've been practicing in Blender where I got to caught up in the 11 second club before I've really done even a walk cycle. So these smaller exercises are much better to start with as you learn work-flow and animation principles.

The other night I tried a simple push test. I'm pleased with what I did, but didn't get exactly what I wanted. The whole sprint towards the object looks a bit odd. Probably because a strong impact never happens upon reaching the object, instead, he slows down just in time for smooth contact, making the sprint look wasted. But, again, I'm pleased as a first try on my own:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xT0kG-tj_Cg

[DreamThinkLive]

Congrats Brian!

3 more days !

[DreamThinkLive]

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! :beer: :bounce: :applause: :buttrock: :thumbsup:

[MCHammond]

Happy New Year!!! :wavey:

Not long now! i'm back to work on the 4th though :(, but i will be working part time so on thursday and friday I will be free to do the course. Although I might get a few hours in after work :P

[jayweb1]

Happy New Year! Congratulations on everyone that made it in! And finally good luck to the Class 1 students. You will find that Animation Mentor is worth the wait!

See you on Monday!

[DigiBob]

Happy New Year everyone! :) Only 2 days left :buttrock:

[Romanthony]

Monday is only two days away, and I don't even have my computer. It's still being repaired and updated with Windows 7 at the shop so that Quicktime will work on it, and I STILL haven't ordered my discount of Maya yet. I tried to on my mom's Snow Leopard Mac, but it didn't even show on Studica's site the option to buy it! It did on my computer.

Somebody PLEASE tell me what's going to happen on Monday, because I might not even be able to use my computer that day. The repair guy said he'll probably have it ready to take home early Monday morning, but exactly what pacific time are things going to happen on Monday, and WHAT'S going to happen?

[DigiBob]

As far as I know, first week is all about snooping around on the campus and setting up your profile, get to know your classmates and introduce yourself during the first Q&A.
My Maya Package is still on its way as well, but I'm not beeing too nervous because of it, since the first couple weeks will mainly be about live drawing & sketching.

This is only what I heard from blogs and this forum, so don't blame me if I didn't get it all the way right.

Have a great weekend and don't get too worried before it even starts (there's plenty of worrying moments waiting for us already;) Can't wait to tackle 'em with you guys!

[primal101]

don't worry, week 1 is super easy for Class 1. I'm assuming you're starting with class 1. All you're doing is create a profile, update a pic of yourself and browse around the campus. You'll start doing some lite work during week 2 and it gets crazier as the weeks progress but ist's all good and fun.

I had a blast and learned a lot. It will go by sooo quick so buckle up and get ready for the ride. You'll love it.

[MCHammond]

Romanthony: I dont understand what your problem is? if you follow this link do you not see the student version of Maya? LINK (http://www.studica.com/products/product_detail.cfm?productid=60465&p_name=Autodesk-Education-Suite-for-Entertainment-Creation-2010) it should be the same on all modern browsers, Safari Firefox Explorer.

As for upgrading to windows 7, it was my understanding that neither Autodesk or Animation Mentor supported windows 7 Yet! I may be wrong I haven't checked over the holiday. also Quicktime Pro should work on any windows OS XP and later, in fact i just installed it on XP now.

If your mother has a Mac quicktime Autodesk Maya and Animation Mentor support Mac, so you could use that no?

[DreamThinkLive]

does anyone know what they will do on the first week of the Maya Springboard Class?

[Romanthony]

don't worry, week 1 is super easy for Class 1. I'm assuming you're starting with class 1. All you're doing is create a profile, update a pic of yourself and browse around the campus. You'll start doing some lite work during week 2 and it gets crazier as the weeks progress but ist's all good and fun.

I had a blast and learned a lot. It will go by sooo quick so buckle up and get ready for the ride. You'll love it.

Okay, that seems easy enough. Another question: What week is there going to be the Q&A session? When I got that urgent email about requesting a Q&A time, I replied and requested around 6 pm Pacific time Wednesday or Thursday. Will I need to use a webcam this week? My mom's computer (which I'm using right now) has a built in webcam, but I'm sure by then I'll have my own computer set up and ready to use again. What the deal with the mandatory Q&A session?

And MCHammond, I looked back at the site and realized that I tried to click on the item for Autodesk Maya 2010 only, but it says that students MUST get the Autodesk Education Suite, which has multiple programs including Maya and 3DS Max. However, I already bought 3DS Max 9 with a student discount years ago, for $400. That's my qualm against getting the education suite, and I wish I could just get Maya.

[primal101]

to Romanthony, Q&A will happen every week starting week 1 - week 12, which means your Q&A will be on this coming tues, wed or thurs. The reason is mandatory is this is the time you get to know your mentor and ask questions about anything... i mean anything..... If you have question about the assignments, lecture, the company the work for or anything they'll answer it the best they can. Depending on your mentor, they will show you some crazy behind the scene stuff they worked in or their peers worked in. I was lucky enought to get a mentor that's willing to show a lot of stuff from Pixar past movies like Wall-E, Up, The Incredible and couple of other one that I can't remember. To an animation student, that's priceless.

To me Q&A is very important, i mean why miss Q&A time with your mentor and miss out the opportunity to learn about animation, the industry and the company he/she work or worked for... I don't see the logic in miss anything AM provide to their students, most of us pay out of our own pocket to go to AM unless you happen to work for a company that willing to sponsor you or you get a loan.

That's all i got to say, word of advice don't slack off and try to put 100% to everything you do in AM. you will see an improvement in your animation and knowledge of all the principles in the first couple of weeks if you put in the time and effort into it.

I forgot the % but don't be the 20 or 30% of the students that didn't graduate or work in the industry.

[Romanthony]

Don't assume that about me. Believe me, I LOVE this school and the very last thing that's on my mind is not giving it 110% and being the very best animator I can be. I have the motivation to do anything and see anything to help me learn, understand that it's my current SITUATION with my computer that's holding me back, unfortunately, and I really wish it wasn't.

I wouldn't be going to this school at all if I wasn't going at it all the way.

[MCHammond]

Not long to go now, see you on the inside!

[DigiBob]

Right, just a few hours left!:buttrock:

[DreamThinkLive]

:bounce:First Day of School, First Day of School!

[namchucks]

Don't be late!

[DreamThinkLive]

How many of you are starting the Springboard today?

i know pstrick30 is and i think Digibob is as well. Can't wait to work along side you guys :)

[Z252]

Anyone else get this message when logging in:

"Hello! Welcome to Animation Mentor!! We are currently in between terms...blah blah blah...look forward to seeing you then. Thank you, -The Animation Mentor Staff "

I double and triple checked my username/password, and it still won't let me in...classes DO start today, don't they?!

[DreamThinkLive]

Hey Z252, The site isnt open until 12:00Pm US/Pacific Time. Which is 3.00pm my time.

So if you are on the same time with them its going to be at 12pm your time.

Your Password is fine.

[Z252]

Haha, I just realized that a second ago-I'm just so excited/hyper about the first day that I forgot about the time zone difference.

[Z252]

Nope, starting Class 1! I could hardly sleep last night I was so excited.

[DreamThinkLive]

No problem! Excitement is Good:thumbsup: Good luck on your first day!

Are you taking the spring board?

[Titus]

nevermind.

[DreamThinkLive]

Nope, starting Class 1! I could hardly sleep last night I was so excited.

Yeah i was so excited! as well but GOOD LUCK THEN! Hope you enjoy it. I'm starting out with the Springboard and starting Class 1 in March.

Have FUN!

[DreamThinkLive]

nevermind.

Nevermind what Titus? Did you ask or say something that we missed? If you did very sorry.

[Z252]

GOOD LUCK THEN! Hope you enjoy it. I'm starting out with the Springboard and starting Class 1 in March.


Good luck to you too! And good luck to everyone else who's starting today. It's gonna be AWESOME! :bounce:

[DreamThinkLive]

I amm IN!!:buttrock:

[Z252]

I'm in! Oh my gosh there's so much cool stuff to read, fun videos to watch, people to meet...I'm like a kid in a candy store-I want it all! And I can't wait to meet my mentor on Wednesday!

[phantomworkshop]

I amm IN!!:buttrock:

See you there! I'm a former AM student, trying his luck a 2nd time around.. this time doing the workshop first so good luck to us! :)

[fig]

See you there! I'm a former AM student, trying his luck a 2nd time around.. this time doing the workshop first so good luck to us! :)

Good stuff. Can I ask how far you got previously, and why you've decided to do the workshop this time?

And congrats to all you new students...I'm jealous :)

[phantomworkshop]

Good stuff. Can I ask how far you got previously, and why you've decided to do the workshop this time?

And congrats to all you new students...I'm jealous :)

I got as far as week 10 I believe it was before I decided to throw in the towel. That's not to say that I didn't work extremely hard and exhaust all my resources including reaching out to AM for extra help, getting help from students, private QAs, etc.. They really did all they could but I still wasn't getting it so to speak.

Frankly, it was a lack of experience in Maya's work flow when it came to Animation. I spent so much time trying to figure out how to use the tools that I couldn't focus on the actual animation. It was very frustrating and very disheartening, almost making me not want to do Animation anymore.

After speaking with some fellow students, friends, former AM grads, etc.. I decided that I would give it another go but this time (Even though I have a lot of Maya experience, minus the Animation part) that I would do the workshop this time around and give myself that extra edge. The price of the workshop is well worth it plus I feel that being in a classroom full of students that have little to no Maya experience will really help me to not only get a refresher course in what I've already learned but really teach me the basics of using Maya for Character Animation. To get that foundation I didn't have my first time around.

Hope that helps! :)

[fig]

Very useful, thanks. I'll actually probably drop you a PM, I'm accepted for Spring (prob deferring to Summer) but I was debating on the Jumpstart course. Now it's sounding like maybe a better idea :)

[phantomworkshop]

Very useful, thanks. I'll actually probably drop you a PM, I'm accepted for Spring (prob deferring to Summer) but I was debating on the Jumpstart course. Now it's sounding like maybe a better idea :)

Sounds good, man! Hope to see you there and I'll look for that PM.. good luck!

[fig]

Thanks man, dropped you a line.

[HenryA]

im accepted for summer 10 but switched to spring and im also going to do springboard guys want to chat or anything AIM me or msn ( with msn we can doodle since it allows tablet =] )

[BrianHarris]

With a term starting and probably a back log of e-mails from the holidays, how long should a response take for a meet-and-greet e-mail I sent to the AM loan department last week?

Hope all of you are enjoying AM so far, goes without saying though :)

[HenryA]

the maya workshop can it be added on to the loan?

[BrianHarris]

the maya workshop can it be added on to the loan?

I received the Workshop e-mail with info and sign up, and at the bottom it has this "with Pending SLM loans, Please contact loans@animationmentor.com (http://forums.cgsociety.org/loans@animationmentor.com)"

Don't know what that means though as it's out of the blue from the main part of the e-mail. Could it mean they are looking into offering loans for the workshop by itself, but not available yet? I suppose they need to be e-mailed for the answer unless someone knows more.

Also, the main FAQ at AM says this:
"The loan pays for full tuition. Students may also request up to $6,000 USD for additional expenses."

From that, it sounds like you can go ahead request more, then use that for the workshop. Though, that might make it harder to get the loan.

[HenryA]

I received the Workshop e-mail with info and sign up, and at the bottom it has this "with Pending SLM loans, Please contact loans@animationmentor.com"

Don't know what that means though as it's out of the blue from the main part of the e-mail. Could it mean they are looking into offering loans for the workshop by itself, but not available yet? I suppose they need to be e-mailed for the answer unless someone knows more.

Also, the main FAQ at AM says this:
"The loan pays for full tuition. Students may also request up to $6,000 USD for additional expenses."

From that, it sounds like you can go ahead request more, then use that for the workshop. Though, that might make it harder to get the loan.

thanks so much for the info.. i feel bad that i didnt search around as much , the main faq u posted seems really interesting could that mean with the 6kUSD you can even get a decent CPU to do everything with?

[BrianHarris]

I'm just trying to start the loan process myself, and I can't imagine how much harder it would be to actually try up to that $6,000 additional amount (not saying you are). Mainly because in a few areas of AM, I've seen one of the requirements being an income 2.5 times the amount of the loan. Maybe feasible with a great co-signer.

[JordanBornholdt]

Congratulations Summer Student!

You have been accepted into the Summer 2010 Term for the Advanced Studies in Character Animation program at Animation Mentor!

Yay! I'm very excited! :bounce:

[bramvq]

Just applied for Animation Mentor, really hope to get in, fingers crossed!

[BrianHarris]

I got a reply from the loans department yesterday, sounds like there are some changes and a wait until details on the 6th of Feb or sooner.

Here's the main part of the message:
" We will begin the loan process for Spring term on the 6th of February, as SLM is making some changes to their career training loan product."

No mention about the nature of these changes, like is this a normal thing every year with small alterations, or something that could change things dramatically. For the worse? I hope not.

[HenryA]

I got a reply from the loans department yesterday, sounds like there are some changes and a wait until details on the 6th of Feb or sooner.

Here's the main part of the message:
" We will begin the loan process for Spring term on the 6th of February, as SLM is making some changes to their career training loan product."

No mention about the nature of these changes, like is this a normal thing every year with small alterations, or something that could change things dramatically. For the worse? I hope not.


hopefully its good news =[

[The-13]

I was accepted for Spring 2010! I can't wait. Has anyone on here done animation mentor while holding down a full time job? They say on the site that "it's possible." If so, I'd like to hear how you fared (as I need this job to survive). I'm more than willing to sacrifice my meager social life, but just wondering what kind of struggles you may have run into and get an idea of "time per week" investment. Any comments would be great! Thanks.

[KangtheMad]

I was accepted for Spring 2010! I can't wait. Has anyone on here done animation mentor while holding down a full time job? They say on the site that "it's possible." If so, I'd like to hear how you fared (as I need this job to survive). I'm more than willing to sacrifice my meager social life, but just wondering what kind of struggles you may have run into and get an idea of "time per week" investment. Any comments would be great! Thanks.

Hey The-13. Congrats.

Most students I communicate with have jobs, and I think the majority of them work full time. Some also have families.

Like you, for many, including myself, holding down a full time job isn't an option; it's a necessity. So you make time. It's important to get into a routine.

I'm a class 2 student, so I'm just starting on this schedule. Many students follow a strict routine of animating 5 hrs Mon-Fri evenings (after work) and a marathon session on Saturday to meet the Sunday 12pm deadline. So pretty much 40 hours, in addition to the full time job.

I also make sure that I upload a preliminary draft in the public review section by Tuesday evening to make sure I get plenty of critiques from my peers (you'll also be spending some time critiquing other people's work).

Some students use their ipods to watch the lecture videos during lunch at work.

If you're constantly working more than 50 hours at your full time job, I'd imagine it's pretty darn difficult to follow a schedule, but some people do. They do this by sacrificing not only their social life, but sleep as well.

Class 1 wasn't that bad though. About 20-25 hours a week for me.

Even though I've a rigorous schedule ahead, no regrets from me whatsoever; this has been one of the best decisions I've ever made.

You'll do fine. Don't worry.

[jayweb1]

KangtheMad hit the nail on the head.

I work full-time (40 hours a week) and attend Animation Mentor (2nd Class). It's very doable. You will have to sacrifice some personal time, such as sleep and social events, but it will all be worth it. The program is only 1.5 years, that's what I tell myself everyday. The most important part is getting a personal workflow down. Personally, when I get home I spend some time to myself, about an hour, and then get right to work until about 12-1 AM in the morning. Then I use my days off Wednesday and Saturday to really put a dent in my work. Like Kang also said getting your work on the PR early is a great way to get feedback. Of course, scheduling is personal and finding the best way to use your time is totally up to you.

The whole point is going to AM and working full-time is definitely doable. You will also find the AM experience totally worth it and will find ways your own ways to make time to get your work done. It's definitely good times. Good luck!

[HenryA]

SLM is currently making some changes to this loan, so we’ll be holding off on beginning the Spring term loan process until the new loan is in place, which will be on February 6th. My understanding is that this new loan will be a better deal for our students than the one that is currently in place.


This is part of an email i got