Kansas City area 3D User Group - Meeting on Oct 23

[3danim8d]

Hi Jim,

How are things going with your 3D User Group?

I'm trying to get a user group started in Albuquerque and was wondering if you had any advice?


Thanks,



Jeff

[Jim Lammers]

Hi Jeff, thanks for your note.

The user group is going really well. We have about 200 people as members in our group, from beginners and hobbyists to top-rank professionals. Also a lot of people who used to be in our group have moved on to some major animation companies around the USA.

My advice for starting a group is to keep it free and don't make it such a big commitment for you that you lose interest in running the group. Don't expect anything in return, or for a lot of people to volunteer to speak or to help. This group has been going on for about 11 years now, with the exception of a few breaks in the mid 1990s. Consistency of meetings and just existing helps keep the group growing and attracting new members. We host our group on Yahoo Groups so it is easy for people to self-subscribe or unsubscribe without creating work for me.

I've seen a lot of similar groups come and go, and I think the main reason they don't last is that they become money driven, or they become too much of a time sink for the professionals who are doing it, or they just can't consistently keep it going and people don't know if/when there will be a next event. Keeping it free for members limits your obligations to create some kind of giant presentation for the people, not to mention non-profit accounting and other nasty bits of overhead. And it also keeps the burden from becoming too great when you are busy with production jobs. During those times, the group meeting can just be whatever it is, if no one wants to do a presentation. Sometimes it's nice just to hang out with peers and animation enthusiasts.

You can get a lot of benefits from starting a group if you are a hobbyist animator and short on funds. All kinds of software and even hardware vendors will come to you with demo software and other great stuff if you can get a loyal gang of 30 or 40 animators to meet on a regular basis. Or if you request stuff to demo they'll usually give it, even if it is a loaner. This benefit was a big boost for me back in 1992 when I was just getting started! It's how I first started working with Autodesk and long before we became 3ds max dealers (pre-discreet). And I learned a lot about the industry also.

By the way, I have a friend who moved to Albuquerque about a year ago who might be interested in helping if you want to start a 3D group, Kevin Swartz. He was a big help with the KC user group, especially in the 1999/2000 era. He's a Lightwave guy. Email me at jim@trinity3d.com if you want his details.

best regards,

Jim Lammers
Trinity Animation
www.trinity3d.com
www.advancedmaya.com
www.mayafundamentals.com

Originally posted by 3danim8d
Hi Jim,
How are things going with your 3D User Group?
I'm trying to get a user group started in Albuquerque and was wondering if you had any advice?

[3danim8d]

Hi Jim,

Thanks for the great info. Actually I got an email a few months ago from Kevin about our LightWave group here but he hasn't made it to any meetings yet.

So is your 3D usergroup non software specific?

We have a small LightWave usergroup that we started a few months ago and I am looking to start something for 3D Studio Max/Viz/ACAD.

Do you find that the users of the different software packages get along at meetings, and don't get into arguements over which software is 'better'? My biggest concern with having an open 3D User group is that the Zealots will take it over and not make the users of other software feel welcome.

Ack, I gotta run, I'll talk to you later,

Thanks again for the info,



Jeff

[Jim Lammers]

Hi Jeff,

It's up to you whether to make it software specific. Originally in 1992-1994 my group was for 3D Studio only. But since both of our cities aren't that huge it's good to open it up. In KC it's mostly 3ds max and Maya but also a lot of lightwave and C4D users.

We've never had anyone get agitated over the merits of one software vs another. I've seen it in forums but I think it just looks too ridiculous and stupid for people to do this in person. If it starts, remind people that it's like a musician selecting a guitar. Sometimes it's the ovation 12 string acoustic, sometimes it's the Stratocaster, sometimes its the BC Rich Mockingbird. The artist picks his tool for the job and they all have their merits. They're all good. The worst thing would be for one to predominate and end the competition and the option to choose!

My company sells XSI, Maya, Lightwave and max so it's beneficial to me to let it be open. Plus we are open to presentations from the makers of all these products. Sometimes they even fund a big show for the group.

Jim

[Jim Lammers]

Note to anyone interested in the Oct 23 meeting - it is free to attend and open to anyone regardless of skill.

KCAGA stands for Kansas City Animators and Graphic Artists. It's a free group with no fees or dues. To join you simply go to http://groups.yahoo.com and create an account (this is free) and then search groups for "kcaga" and then go into this group and click "Join This Group". Once I accept your request to join, you will get notices of all future meetings.

Thanks

Jim

Jim Lammers
Co-author, Maya 5 Fundamentals
www.trinity3d.com
www.advancedmaya.com
www.mayafundamentals.com

[Rick Flowers]

My only question is...


WHEN THE HECK is Maya 5 Fundamentals going to ship?!
Does it even exist?
New Riders doesn't even have it on their site, and I can't find a single reader.

Please let me know Jim. :wavey:

[Jim Lammers]

Hi Rick,

thanks for your interest.

Looks like M5F will ship in December. It's a pretty thorough rewrite, which takes time (witness the Mastering series). The new tutorials are a little more aggressive also. Garry Lewis did a lot of the new writing. The writing is finished now so it's mostly up to the printer and distributor but I think it will be out in two months if things go well.

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