Ok, I have no misguided ideas about >JUST ME< making the next Appleseed. HOWEVER, since the movie (in my opinion) is the current ultimate CG animation out there, my question is this...

What tools, along with Animation Master, would you need to make something that LOOKED like Appleseed?

I know Appleseed used XSI for character building, and Maya and Lightwave for backgrounds. But my curiosity is WHICH tools would be needed with Animation Master to make something that looked that good. And obviously, the more cost effective, the better. I would think that in terms of modelling and animation, as well as possible motion capture data, and lip synching and such, AM can handle that. But what about possible Post-Production issues? Other stuff?

Not that I intend to even try (but a scene or something LIKE that would be nice), but I'm curious about what tools people feel make a good complement to AM workflow in creating a great toon shaded feature.

Many thanks,
lafnjack

Well, you'd need Animation Master and... some good video editing/compositing software, I guess. Maybe some video capture hardware if you want to go that route.

Hash A:M is pretty good all by itself, though. Check out Noah Brewer's Bubblegum Crisis work:
http://www.noah3d.com/Main_scenes.html

He's working alone, by the way.

Thanks for the link Luckbat. I guess I'm curious about specific packages used with AM.

For instance, if its not giving away too much, what did you use for your Mood short, Luckbat? That was a PHENOMINAL piece. Was it solely utilizing AM, or did you do some post work (or pre work), and what tools did you find most helpful. The look of that piece was fantastic.

Thanks,
lafnjack

Thanks for the kind words, John.

As a general rule, A:M isn't overly compatible with other 3d apps. You can import some poly formats as non-animatable "props," but you won't find a lot of people using A:M in conjunction with Maya, Lightwave, Max, etc.--even if it were possible to convert the models, it's almost always quicker to do everything in one app. So I expect you'll find a lot of people using A:M without anything else.

Post-production is a different story. I think pretty much any animation can benefit from a little color and contrast tweaking, and nowadays people like to play with bloom, particles and even film grain as part of the mix. Animation:Master can handle all of those post effects by itself, of course, but for heavy post users like myself, an app like After Effects or Motion is essential.

I personally use Apple's Motion 2, as it has an ambitious, modern GUI and superfast renders. But it's Mac-only, so you'd probably want to use After Effects on Windows. (Although a Mac Mini is only $499. I'm just saying.)

Here's my workflow for Ebon (a.k.a "Mood Shot"), since you asked.

• Build the models (A:M)
• Rig the models (A:M + Anzovins' The Setup Machine)
• Build the set (A:M)
• Texture the set (A:M + Photoshop + free textures from Image*After)
• Light the set (A:M)
• Record the voices and sound FX (Audacity)
• Animate! (A:M)
• Render out separate passes: flat, shadows, highlights, toon lines (A:M)
• Composite them and do color/contrast correction (Motion 2)
• Find some music (Flash Kit)
• Cut your shots together and add sound (Motion 2)
• Render a compressed Quicktime file (Quicktime Pro)

That's pretty much it!

Thanks VERY much Luckbat. That's exactly what I was curious about. VERY much appreciated.

lafnjack

PS: All brown-nosing and BS aside, I look forward to more of your animations. You've got a very cool style. Infact, your piece was one of two animations/renders that cemented my decision to upgrade my AM and focus more on it. That and Haruwo.

Awesome. It's always great to have another celshader on board.

Don't miss Soulcage's "How We Did It" post:
http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showt...ndpost&p=119045

and dont miss:

http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=15282


for the new AM 12 composite-feature. Maybe by using this ,you could get a long without buying aftereffects for the time being.


;>) Jake

Thanks Luckbat, for the link!

Jake, thanks for the heads-up on the compositing info! Much appreciated! My upgrade has shipped, so now I'm just practicing on the old version and awaiting the new one. And POURING over these forum boards to learn as much as I can as well. Lots to do, so much fun.

lafnjack