Learn to animate with Jeff Lew

[maelstrom]

thx for the interview lildragon, can't wait to get that DVD! :love:

[Swoop]

Thx.. loved killer bean... cant wait for matrix... all in all very exited :D

[mebamonster]

Yes. Great interview indeed! I want that DVD!

[Namroth]

Can't wait for DVD :bounce:

[jadedchron]

i don't dig the bean, but the DVD should be stellar

[ceql]

mmm koolies! Thanks for the info's and interview! :) ;)

[CGmonkey]

Him and Fred Nillson on ID are my golden idols! ;P hehe

Awesome interview, can't wait for the dvd!

[Hexodam]

just make sure you remind us when it will be released because I will buy this no matter what :bounce:

[GUMP]

I wish I could fast forward time about 3 months
just so i could grab those DVDs.

Oh yeah and a reminder of this would be great
because I have it on my "To Buy" List....Man
that thing keeps getting bigger and bigger
and the contents in mypocket always seem
slimmer and slimmer

[ThE-BirD]

Yep, can't wait :bounce:

[FloydBishop]

IT would be nice to see both Killer Bean one and two on the DVD so we could see how Jeff has progressed himself. I remember the second one being much better than the first (technically).

How about a follow-up interview when the DVD's are released?

Great article on what looks to be a solid learning tool for everyone's library.

:applause:

[4dartist]

Great interview! Killerbean was awsome to me, i loved every min of that animation, i showed everyone i knew it when it came out hehe. I can't wait for the DVD's to come out!

[Mr. Andersson]

I'm soooooo getting that DVD!!!:drool: :cool:

[strick9]

Jeff Lew: Well, I don’t have a degree in business, but something tells me that video games have found the sweet spot for pricing. I also put myself in the consumer’s place. Would I want to pay $200, or $100, or $70 for a training video? What if I don’t like it? Then I would feel ripped off. And since this DVD set is geared towards students and beginners, it needs to be affordable to them. So depending on the cost of manufacturing this DVD, I will try to keep it below the price of a playstation game

Damn! What a cool guy! :applause:

I'll be getting this the day it comes out.

[Jeff Lew]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the great response! If anyone has any other questions they would like to ask me, just ask away over here. Other than that, I gotta get back to work! :scream:


Jeff

[Hexodam]

nice to see you here Jeff :)
no questions yet, except, eta?

hope you become a perm member here :bounce:

[d4rk]

I agree that both KB Shorts should be on the DVD set, maybe in an "extras" section... Definetly looking forward to getting those DVDs though :D!!

[gmask]

Is anyone else having problems playing the trailer? I get the first couple of titles and then it goes white and the audio keeps playing but no picture? If it's DivX I'm sure I have the most recent codec?? What gives??

[Jeff Lew]

The trailer is Divx 5.0.3 encoded. It's their latest release. You would have to go to divx.com to install the new codec. the 5.0.2 release cannot play some of the newer encoded stuff.

an ETA? Well it's so amorphous right now. It's really when I get done. I project about 3 months, but I have a ton of work left to do.

I was thinking about putting KB1 & 2 on there, but I don't think there will be much room left on the DVD's for them. I'll be mastering on 2 DVD-5's. They only really hold about 2 hours each and so far my content may be over 4 hours. So I have to do a little compressing here and there. Also I'll be using Dolby Digital to compress the sound.

Jeff

[karl]

What a legend of a bloke!!!!

I'm a student and i totaly agree with him saying that we are poor and cant afford £150 or what ever. I couldnt buy it for that price, but will DEFINAELY be getting it at the price he wants to sell it at.

Top Dog!!

:applause:

[Vovik3D]

Cool guy !!! :buttrock:

[gmask]

Originally posted by Jeff Lew
The trailer is Divx 5.0.3 encoded. It's their latest release. You would have to go to divx.com to install the new codec. the 5.0.2 release cannot play some of the newer encoded stuff.


Argghh!! Okay it works now.. Thanks

BTW.. I was just curious as to why Aniamtion Master? In your interview you mention that the tutorials are software independant and you chose AM because it has a full set of character tools. I guess I'm just wondering if you have been using it since the early days.. AM has caught alot of slack lately..how is it viewed by the industry?

[markdc]

Originally posted by Jeff Lew
Hi Guys,

Thanks for the great response! If anyone has any other questions they would like to ask me, just ask away over here. Other than that, I gotta get back to work! :scream:


Jeff

Really looking forward to this Jeff. Please keep us updated.:thumbsup:

[Spliff_Richards]

Those dvd´s sound great. One question though, how much is a Playstation game in the us now?

[robin]

oh noes

i just ordered 2 gnomon DVDs, and looking at this im going to order 2 more

Now im broke :hmm:

[Bilbo_Baggins]

Originally posted by Jeff Lew
I was thinking about putting KB1 & 2 on there, but I don't think there will be much room left on the DVD's for them. I'll be mastering on 2 DVD-5's. They only really hold about 2 hours each and so far my content may be over 4 hours. So I have to do a little compressing here and there. Also I'll be using Dolby Digital to compress the sound.

Jeff
Im sure people wouldn't mind a third DVD. ;)

[SheepFactory]

Glad to see you here Jeff , and cant wait for those dvd's! :beer:

[KOBALT_KORE]

Looks awesome! (And very considerate with the pricing) :thumbsup:

[My Fault]

Originally posted by gmask
Argghh!! Okay it works now.. Thanks

BTW.. I was just curious as to why Aniamtion Master? In your interview you mention that the tutorials are software independant and you chose AM because it has a full set of character tools. I guess I'm just wondering if you have been using it since the early days.. AM has caught alot of slack lately..how is it viewed by the industry?

Considering both Killer Beans were done in AM, it's not a huge surprise.

I think some of the industry views AM like this :argh: while others view it like so :arteest: and then a few others think of it in this way :hmm:


:p

[gmask]

Originally posted by My Fault
Considering both Killer Beans were done in AM, it's not a huge surprise.

I think some of the industry views AM like this :argh: while others view it like so :arteest: and then a few others think of it in this way :hmm:


:p

Like I was asking.. I'm curious to know if he's been using for the last ten years or what.. I was interested in AM way back when it was one of a very few number programs for the Mac that had "nurbs" and good animation tools but it seems to have been surpassed since then and from what I hear it is extremely buggy especially if you don't know it well. I guess it's irrelevant but I was just interested in Jeff's take on the program as an aside from his training videos.

[Jeff Lew]

Yes, I've used AM for about 7-8 years now. It was my first character animation software. I think my first 3D software was Lightwave back on the Amiga Toaster. Anyways, I've also been using Maya for about 5 years, and I have to say, I flow much better in AM. AM is just streamlined for just raw character animation. It compresses many steps of keyframing down to 1. My first reaction when using maya was like, "how can we customize it to act like AM?"

But in terms of the FX industry, AM is not very well known at all. In the places I've worked, very few people have heard of it. And fewer actually used it. I think it's because Maya is so dominant in animation schools and studios, people tend to think that since AM costs only $300, it can't be worth anything. But there were many nights where I would come home from a hard day's work in animating in Maya and then "relax" at home and animate in AM.

It's also probably due to the great customizability of Maya. FX studios like to use flexible software packages. They like to develop their own way of working. Maya allows you to do that. AM doesn't really. However, along with this customizability, you need a big team to operate it, because there is just so much to learn. AM is really a software for 1 person.

In terms of stabilty, yes there are times that AM has crashed on me. Sometimes i lose work that i didn't save yet. But I've learned to live with it. I can now actually feel when AM is about to crash. it's a weird talent, but honestly, the stabilty issue has never bothered me, because saving is so damn fast in AM and loading is so fast. The file sizes are almost always less than 100k. So it's not like everytime you save you wait 10 minutes so you don't save that often. In AM it's like saving a Word document. Hit the save button, done.

But everyone has their own tastes. I like AM simply because i can animate the fastest in it. And to me, that is very important when planning shorts that will be longer than 5 mins.

Jeff

[gmask]

Originally posted by Jeff Lew
I like AM simply because i can animate the fastest in it. And to me, that is very important when planning shorts that will be longer than 5 mins.

Jeff

On that note about how much time went into KB2 total not including intterruptions by paying jobs etc? Are these projects that led to you working on the Matrix?

[jschleifer]

Great interview.. jeff, lookin forward to the dvd! I think it'll be a huge success! :)

-jason

[My Fault]

The DVD sounds awesome Jeff and I can't wait for more Killer Bean! :thumbsup:

[dmcgrath]

More Killer Bean would be nice. They still rank up there with the all time great shorts. And as for the DVD(s). I am going to wait patiently. And save some money. :beer:

[spakman]

Originally posted by Jeff Lew
Yes, I've used AM for about 7-8 years now. It was my first character animation software. .
Jeff

Whaddap Jeff! Mando here. Has it been that long? Seems like forever since we did that used car salesduck commercial together.

I'm gonna have to buy your DVD. All I do these days is model and weight, and hope the mocap doesn't **** things up.

peace dood d=^)

[derelict]

helo jeff,

would you mind coming down to the irc chat, so we can ask more questions?

I'm dying to ask you a question. Please come down to the chat. Please?

[mohh]

Looking forward to the DVD's. I bet that they will be a huge success.

[Talker]

yes oh
but ^^^^

[Talker]

[IMG]ͼÐÎ (F:)[\5.48]

[Jozvex]

definitely can't wait for the DVD!

Even the australian dollar won't stop me this time!

[Zappa]

Thanks a zillion Jeff!!I bet this DVD is gonna be a killer!!!
was hoping someone from the industry would create somethin like this ever since i started to learn 3D!!!

All the best Jeff and cant wait for it to be out!~

Cheers:beer:

[cuse]

remember reading the killer bean stuff in 3dworld way back in Feb 2001. still got the mag underneath my monitors which is quite funny, was using infini-d 4.5 at the time and thought he was so inspiring :)

thanks a lot...



cuse

[Alienkissed]

Great interview. These DVD's will be a great tool for up and comming, as well as senior animators, to use to build their skills. Jeff's got really solid technique and a great sense of timing...

thanks for the info...

[Jeff Lew]

Hey Mando!

Damnn!!! It's been a LONG time! What are you doing these days? What software are you using now? BTW, I wouldn't worry about the mocap thing. It's been around for a while and studios do use it, but it is quite costly (especially if they end up changing the action they recorded in the mocap after it's mocapped) So in the end, it may not be the quickest solution that some studios think. There is a place for it in film effects, but I think it has to be used strategically.

note for others: Mando was the first person I ever worked with on a professional job in 3D. We both worked on a series of commercials for Reelfx.

Good to hear from you!

Jeff

[Jeff Lew]

to answer some previous questions:

a playstation (or PS2) game in the US now costs around $40-$60. I think. I haven't been to Best Buy in a while though.


How much time total for KB2? That is a really hard question. 3 years part time, but I would say about 6-8 months full time? It's really hard to tell.

Getting on Matrix 2 was from a mixture of things. It was from knowing people I worked with before and also the things I've done before. I think KB2 weighs in there pretty heavily too. I've been riding this KB2 wave for a while and it's getting pretty old. That's part of the reason why I wanted to get back at making shorts. Time to update a few things. Oh yeah, and I think I stereotyped myself as being a martial arts animator. But, that's cool with me. I like that stuff.

Jeff

[spakman]

Originally posted by Jeff Lew
Hey Mando!

Damnn!!! It's been a LONG time! What are you doing these days? What software are you using now?

Good to hear from you!

Jeff

Dood, it's a trip, but for me it's all about realtime now. I work at Factor 5. I haven't rendered a single frame in over 3 years. I kinda unexpectedly got the modelling and setup bug (though some of my animations have found themselves in our games). Basically, if there's a human our game needs, I build it and bind it in Maya.

But DAMN! Look at you! Yous all grows up! d=^D

(for the record, Jeff is not only a kickass animator, but also the fastest animator I ever had the pleasure of working with).

Hit me back whenever bruthaman! d=^)

[chepe297]

Hi Jeff, How old are you? I am always wondering how old you are. Thanks.

:scream:

[pop]

Jeff

You talked in the interview about a more sophisticated short you will be doing once KB3 is finished. Will this be done in Animation Master? And if not why?

I for one will be buying your DVDs also!

Good luck to you and please update us more often on your news page of your site with what you doing. I know there is going to be a lot of eager people wanting to know where your at with things!

Pop

[Jeff Lew]

Originally posted by spakman
[B]Dood, it's a trip, but for me it's all about realtime now. I work at Factor 5. I haven't rendered a single frame in over 3 years. I kinda unexpectedly got the modelling and setup bug (though some of my animations have found themselves in our games). Basically, if there's a human our game needs, I build it and bind it in Maya.

But DAMN! Look at you! Yous all grows up! d=^D


Hey Mando, I checked out the Factor 5 website. Looks like a fun place to work. I bet you guys get in your fair share of LAN games, right?

I may be all grown up, but I think I grew up too fast! I'm all burnt out now and headed for the exit! :insane:

Jeff

[Jeff Lew]

Originally posted by chepe297
Hi Jeff, How old are you? I am always wondering how old you are. Thanks.

:scream:


the big 30

[Jeff Lew]

Originally posted by pop
Jeff

You talked in the interview about a more sophisticated short you will be doing once KB3 is finished. Will this be done in Animation Master? And if not why?

I for one will be buying your DVDs also!

Good luck to you and please update us more often on your news page of your site with what you doing. I know there is going to be a lot of eager people wanting to know where your at with things!

Pop


Yes, I want to do it in AM, but I think that short will dictate what I will need. It will require tons of particles and rigid body dynamics. But it will also require a lot of character animation. I will probably go with a blend of different software and composite them together.

Oh yeah, the reason why I don't update my new page that much is cause I really don't have any news to tell. Sad but true!

Jeff

[Jeff Lew]

Originally posted by derelict
helo jeff,

would you mind coming down to the irc chat, so we can ask more questions?

I'm dying to ask you a question. Please come down to the chat. Please?


Actually, I've never ever used IRC in all these years. Just ask away over here. Maybe someone else also has the same question in mind. :shrug:

BTW, where'd you get that picture under your name? I want that picture!

Jeff

[spakman]

Originally posted by Jeff Lew
Hey Mando, I checked out the Factor 5 website. Looks like a fun place to work. I bet you guys get in your fair share of LAN games, right?

I may be all grown up, but I think I grew up too fast! I'm all burnt out now and headed for the exit! :insane:

Jeff

It's a blast working here. Depending on the time of year, we do manage to get it on some. Last real go of it was battlefield 1942. Haven't done a lan game in awhile tho... Been rilly bizzy lately.

But I hear you about feeling kinda toasted. Like that burnt on both sides feeling. d;^)

[Mike Pauza]

Looking foreward to owning those DVD's. They look awesome!

[Zappa]

HeY!Jeff,

I know you are totally busy out there working overtime to have the DVDs out at your earliest, however cud we have any updates if possible.
Im eagerly lookin forward to it :applause: and also have my animation demo on hold :buttrock:

Any info will be helpful:thumbsup:

Cheers

Zappa

[Jozvex]

And do you like the look of Motionbuilder?

[Zappa]

Hey!Jozvex,
Nothing comes even close to the motionbuilder!!!:airguitar

Cheers:beer:
zappa

[Jozvex]

Yeah, my copy's in the mail as we speak!

[cgjie]

Looking foreward to owning those DVD's!
I hope very much it is coming soon!
:drool:

[Mike Pauza]

Hey Jeff!

It's been 3 months and we want to send you some money! :)

-Mike

[Zappa]

Hey!Jeff,
would it be possible to update us on the progress?
Hope to hear its gonna be out soon
:bounce:
Cheers

[grendizer]

KILLER BEAN IS THE BEST CG ANIMATION EVER!!!!!!
Can't wait for the DVD. I hope KB2 will be included. Anyone knows?

[Jeff Lew]

Hi Guys,

Got some good news. I'm in the final stages of working on my DVD. The next stage is to get it professionally authored and then replicated. It looks like it will be ready for sale at the end of July or beginning of August.

The DVD will be around 4 hrs long, that is confirmed. What has changed is that I may be able to squeeze it all onto 1 DVD-9 instead of 2 DVD-5's.

I don't think I will put KB2 on the DVD, because I'm afraid it may conflict on a pre-existing license I have with a region. But I have future plans to release a trilogy DVD with episodes 1, 2, & 3 on it. That's is not for a while though.

Jeff

[Alienkissed]

sweet! thanks jeff, i'm excited to see what you have in store for us....

[markdc]

Originally posted by Jeff Lew
Hi Guys,

Got some good news. I'm in the final stages of working on my DVD. The next stage is to get it professionally authored and then replicated. It looks like it will be ready for sale at the end of July or beginning of August.

The DVD will be around 4 hrs long, that is confirmed. What has changed is that I may be able to squeeze it all onto 1 DVD-9 instead of 2 DVD-5's.

I don't think I will put KB2 on the DVD, because I'm afraid it may conflict on a pre-existing license I have with a region. But I have future plans to release a trilogy DVD with episodes 1, 2, & 3 on it. That's is not for a while though.

Jeff

Bring it Siggraph. I'll buy one from you there:thumbsup:

[Jeff Lew]

Hi guys,

I updated my webpage with more info about the training video:

http://www.jefflew.com/l3dca.html

I can't make it to Siggraph this year. I just picked up a new job. It may delay the release of my training video just a tad, but I hope not. I'm still trying to make the end of July or beginning of Aug release date. Fortunately for me, that is pretty vague :D

Jeff

[jadedchron]

congratulations on your new job. seems like a rarity these days.. well at least for me :hmm:

[Alienkissed]

Congrats Jeff!!!
i'm looking forward to seeing your techniques... and stealing a few of them, lol.

[cosmonaut]

Any news on when this is going to be released?

[SheepFactory]

hopefully soon :(

[lildragon]

From a recent email Jeff sent me

Authoring should probably be finished by end of next week and maybe cover design. Then the replication would take about 12 business days. If I'm lucky, the DVD should be ready
for sale at the very end of Aug. But I think it is safe to say the 1st week of Sept.

-lild

[cosmonaut]

awesome, thanks for the update Tito.

[Goon]

will there be a preorder?

[Jeff Lew]

Hi guys,

No pre-orders accepted. That would be one more thing to think about at the moment. :eek:

I'm psyched to say that it's ALMOST done! Of course my wife is sick of me saying that. Sorry that I missed yet another release date. My new job definitely affected this release date. But enough with the excuses.

All video editing is 100% complete. Right now I'm dealing with the authoring and soon replication and a lot of paperwork to push around.

Some trivia about this project so far:

- started back in Jan 2002 (1 1/2 years in the making)
- shot all the live video footage in about 2-3 weeks in Feb 2002
- roughly 90 gigs of raw DV footage
- final edit is 48 gigs of DV
- I have 7 hard drives totalling 340 gigs, but only 20 gigs of space left. Yes, I believe in multiple backups!
- encoded down to ~7 gigs of DVD footage
- total runtime is 3 hours and 50 min
- all done on an outdated Athlon 1400mhz!

Jeff

[Jozvex]

All your work on this training material is most certainly appreciated! I (as are tons of people) am looking forward to buying a copy as soon as possible!

Thanks again!! :thumbsup:

[spakman]

thanks dood.

peace d=^)

[M.Rogne]

Nice...

[Goon]

Mr. Jeff Lew, sir!
I don't want to nag because you no doubt have a lot on your plate, but could you provide an update on your most excellent product?

[show]

Actually yeah i'll add to the nagging :P
Been looking forward to this for a long time ;)

[Jeff Lew]

Hi guys,

The DVD authoring is 100% complete. I just finished the DVD wraparound design and the disc media design yesterday. I'll be checking the print proof for color tommorrow. Once that's approved, then everything goes in the que for replication. They say it'll take about 10-12 business days till it's totally complete (replication, printing, packaging, shrink wrapping.)

Then I setup distribution. I also have more paper work to file before I can start selling. The amount of time it takes for that is more vague, cause now I'm dealing with the state!

A ballpark release date, hmmmm. I hesitate to say anymore, cause I missed all my previous ones. I would say, we'll see, but soon.

Thanks for your patience!

Jeff

[show]

OK cheers for the update Jeff. Much appreciated.

[Goon]

:buttrock:
Thanks a lot!
Good luck on navigating the mazes of bureaucracy.

[butchoi]

:buttrock:
I cant take this anymore ... you are
amazing ...:thumbsup:

[lildragon]

Hiya guys update, Jeff recently sent me an advance copy to review and I must say, it's quite something, expect the review to be published soon. Great work Jeff, your efforts are truly appreciated. I smell a best seller.

-lild

[My Fault]

Yeah, I've watched mine a few times this week. Great job Jeff!

[Jozvex]

*faints from the excitement*

Glad to hear 2 positive reports! Hehe, I'm sure Jeff is too.

:scream:

[Goon]

I have mine. Its really quite well done. I think its a little too basic, but if you are just getting into animation it will be a really good introduction.

Also he has a one hour section in which he animates a character. Watching him work is really useful as far as work flow.

[Hexodam]

so... can I order it from someplace now?

[Goon]

there's a link on the Killer Bean forum. He only had a few pre-order dvd's available. I don't have the link available so just google it. Or you could search Yahoo! stores for Jeff Lew

[chikega]

It's now availabe!!! :beer:


http://www.jefflew.com

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