CGTalk - TD/Rigging schools in Northern California?

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FRYINGPAN

01-21-2007, 01:41 AM

Hey everyone! I'm pretty much wrapping up my rigging class but the thing is I'm not satisfied with the class. The problem with the class was it was about a month long, the teacher could have been way better (he only focused on certain students rig for critique, wasn't around when we needed help, and was pretty negative towards students who were falling behind), the only book we had was the Stop Staring book (it's a good book but we need a book that focuses everything when it comes to rigging), the computers are ridiculously slow, it's the ONLY rigging class at my school, and it definately was NOT worth the price my classmates and I paid for. The only good thing about the class was my classmates were awesome and we all tried to help each other out and we had a kick ass lab instructor who busted his ass in helping everyone out on their rig. Unfortunately he's not our teacher for the class and I don't think he will be teaching the class anytime soon.

I'm at the point where rigging is something I want to pursue (besides modeling) and I want to find a good TD/Rigging school in my area. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. So far I've heard from my lab instructor that Academy of Art had a good rigging class. I've also heard of TDAcademy but my only problem is it's a online course. Does anyone recommend any other northern California schools? Any help is appreciated.

eek

01-21-2007, 03:50 AM

the only book we had was the Stop Staring book (it's a good book but we need a book that focuses everything when it comes to rigging), the

This doesnt exist, there is no book of books, in regards to rigging firstly because every book out there will be one sided to a way of rigging (Stop Staring being a perfect example). And secondly this industry is a house of secrets especially in feature, vfx and game production. In terms of riggers coming into the industry, the biggest problem i see is they want to run before they can walk - a lot, have no experience in the funementals of rigging. They know the process, but this ideology can go out the window on complex productions when you have to think on you feet and come up with completely new solutions on the fly. All the best riggers i know learnt on there own, going through manuals of the software and basically pressing buttons, this backed with a keen interest in animation, math, new technologies and ways of thinking made them what they are. If there is a course out there that for the most parts teaches good skinning and purely fundementals to rigging, without the burdon of pushing 'right and wrong' ways of rigging specifics it'll be a step in the right direction.

You thought about internships? R&H offer one and ILM do too I think.

shahabsy

01-22-2007, 07:31 AM

Hi FRYINGPAN, I am completely agree with eek.

shahab.

the_podman

01-26-2007, 02:20 AM

This sounds really familiar. ;)

I hear your cry, FRYINGPAN. When I was learning character rigging, I was on Maya 4, and finding the info at the time was like looking through a virtual ghost town. I figured out lots of the fundamentals on my own and it was only through stubborn tenacity that I was able to get to where I am now.

Thanks for the kind words, I tried my absolute best to shove as much of my knowledge to you guys in the short time period we had. Believe me, I've been trying to "fix" that part of the program since I got here. ;)

What's really crappy about it is that you are one of the very few interested in pursuing this aspect of 3d at "the school". Other than myself, there is only one other person in the entire staff and student body that is prolific in the subject(I think you know who. :) ) and if you get good at it, there is almost certainly a job out there for you. It's a pretty uncompetitive field right now, but perhaps on the brink of blowing up.

I'll do my best to try and continue to help you out in the months before you graduate. I'm not sure who you are, but I think I've got an idea. :)

-Rodney

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