[HJD_UK] : Mechanic Robot.

[[hjd_uk]]

Heres a robot, going to be part of a short im trying to do. Ill try to find some coherent scribbles ( concepts and story board ) to post as well. Meant to be Military - thats camo not dirt :)

EDIT : The short is going to be about a war fought "virtually" the Robot jockeys control and get feedback from the Robots via EMR scanning and EM induction ( bit like the Matrix brain interface but wireless :) ). So all of the actual soldiers are in underground bunkers hidden from the actual dangers, but the Robots above ground obviosly fight as people would. Im going to have big heavy-bots with gattling guns and missile launchers etc. Its set in a desert type environment too. In case that mattered :).

Im thinking of having this litte guy ( hes human sized ) as an AI robot / maintainance robot - might have tools and things in his forearms. ( Hes got sensors behind his face mask so he doesnt need optical cameras.)

>> Quicktime Turnaround ( for frame by frame ) (http://members.lycos.co.uk/hjduk/video/QT.mov)

>> Test animation DivX (http://members.lycos.co.uk/hjduk/video/smlbot.avi)

============================================

Small Update. HEs got "hands" now Still need to model the fingers on the right-hand.

>> Left Hand AVI DivX (http://members.lycos.co.uk/hjduk/video/ratchet.avi)

>> Right Hand Screwdriver AVI DivX (http://members.lycos.co.uk/hjduk/video/smlbot3.avi)

>> Right Hand Welder AVI DivX (http://members.lycos.co.uk/hjduk/video/smlbot4.avi)

Comments and crits / ideas are more than welcome. I know hes not THAT good :)

[bobakabob]

Nice and quirky... the movements of the arm are good. The joints are very convincing. It will be cool to see the finished character. I would go OTT and have zillions of moving bits...

[[hjd_uk]]

Thanks - Im doing a Visualisation & 3D graphics Degree in Sheffield Hallam. You working or studying in Sheffield?

Im trying to keep these robots "real"ish, industrial. So im sort of trying to keep the complexity down but have a fair bit of detail.
Im going to add pistons to move the upper and lower torso, articulated fingers on his right arm and legs - which will probably have pistons too.

[iandavis]

If you want everyone to be able to view your animations, you may want to consider sticking with .mpg or something more cross-platform-friendly.

Just FYI

[bobakabob]

hjd, I lecture in media and freelance in 3d... Sheffield seems to be buzzing with cg folk; it's a good place to be. It's also 'green'... There is the countryside if you need a break from staring at pixels (highly recommended). How's the course going... do they teach Lightwave (they should!)?

Ian, there's no excuse... why not download divx for the mac?
http://www.divx.com/divx/mac/

[iandavis]

I'm not trying to be a complainer... I just know that most people, my clients included are not going to change.

I have learned the hard way to modify the way I WORK... If you wish to submit a script for evaluation, and it's not in the right format, who suffers? not them. they buy someone else's script that WAS in the right FORMAT.

yes, there are plugins that will allow me to play DIVX on my Mac. Frankly i don't want to. I don't have time to mess with it. If "hjd_uk" wishes EVERYONE to see his video he will post it as a more universal format. If he doesn't, then there will be some people that WILL NOT watch it.

this was my only point. It's the duty of the artist to present something to the masses that the masses can view. That is, if the goal here is to solicit the largest number of responses then I believe something like DIVX fails that.

[[hjd_uk]]

Hi, I understand what you are saying, although you do come accross a little harsh.
But DivX IS a universal format, go to some websites, DivX is everywhere. DivX gets shipped with new package PC's now.
Sorry but i chose to encode in DivX BECAUSE everyone can see it. And because any PC user worth his salt already has DivX installed. It is an internet standard but its not Microsoft (thank god)- so it doesnt ship with windows. Plus it has great file-sizes for simple scenes.

bobakabob : Im currently in Germany doing my 3rd year work placement.Im back in Sheffield for the tern starting in Sept.
Unfortunatly they are now teaching 3DSMax at Uni. It will be good to know how to use that app - I just couldnt get used to the crap - clunky modelling tools, and the modifier stack system. But it helps employment opportunities so it will be a neccessary evil to learn it :).

[iandavis]

Surely the term universal is a bit... ummm... generous for Divx. the very fact that it is NOT included in Windows, or MacOS for that matter, automatically excudes it to thousands of people. All offices that forbid the use of aftermarket or self installed software (I've worked there), All educational facilities, all government organizations. Thousands and thousands of potential viewers will never see your movie.

When an artist considers the options this fact surely should be included.

By compiling my movie in any format I must decide my target audience. Mass appeal, select pros, just technogeeks? If the movie needs the widest possible consumer viewing, for say, a commercial, divx would be out. companies often choose a format covering the highest number of users/consumers.

A personal work of art on the other hand may be a different story, perhaps you want to show that work in the best quality possible, so the choice of a downloaded plugin is viable.

A person trying to sell themselves as an artist is faced with the biggest trial of all. You want to reach EVERYBODY, but in order to do so you have to reduce quality expectations. You must balance the need for distribution with the need for it to be visually or aurally appealing.

thus perhaps I spoke out of turn, certainly it's reasonable for you to post something in a format not everyone has. As long as you realize the fact that not everyone chooses to download and install this codec.

I hope that rambling made some sense.

cheers

[bobakabob]

Ian, it's a shame you diverted this thread away from hjd's artwork with a rant. He clearly labelled his animation as divx on the forum, so why did you post that unnecessary Quicktime image? All you had to do was download divx if you wanted to see his work. Many Mac users I know have it installed on their machines, no problem. As painful as it is, I think you have to move with the times.

[bobakabob]

hjd, I agree with you about Max. It's actually a great program, but you're right about its 'clunky' interface and workflow. Lightwave is so much easier to learn and master. In my workplace we have a mix of Max and Maya, but we've recently been involved in a community Lightwave project. The professionals I know in Sheffield thankfully seem to value talent rather than knowledge of a particular software package.

[iandavis]

bobakabob,

hello? It was a very valid point. I have been doing this for 15 years (media development) and if a power user like myself runs into that dialog box then MANY other mac users are as well. And windows users? Holy! Most are afraid to install something for fear it will hoop their systems... I know of many (myself included) I don't even like installing QUICKTIME on my windows box! Blech!

There was no diversion, it was ABOUT his artwork. As an artist I am gloriously happy when people actually take the time to comment about my product's FAILURE. i take it as an opportunity to make my work better!

There seem to be a lot of people on this forum more concerned about the fact that a user in some way fails if they don't download a one codec or another where my point was the idea that using one codec over another can automatically bar certain users from viewing their artwork.

If you want to tout the benefits of Divx... that's fine, but that really isn't the point. I didn't view the artwork, and unless I get a format I can view it... I wont. I'm not alone, and saying "just install divx, sheesh" isn't going to get me to watch it, nor is that attitude going to sway OTHER viewers who simply don't get to see it, and don't care. I've fallen into that trap myself, "well, if they really wanna watch, they will download flash (insert favorite codec/plugin here)" My experience is that yes, the DO wanna watch, but NO they wont BOTHER installing the codec. I was trying to impart my years of grief in order to perhaps save HJD_UK some of it.

If the artist would like me (and others like me) to see their work, then they theoretically should post it in a codec that is GUARANTEED to play on both windows and mac.

HJD_UK, my apologies for being a bit of a zealot, divx is a bit of a hot button for me, like compositing or texturing. :)

:cool: