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Another Home and where I've been!
18 years ago
General
'Ello all! }:8> Most of you have been probably thinking I vanished off the map for a while again, but that is simply untrue.
Let me explain. Those folks that know me know I've been working hard on learning to animate. I'm not taking any courses in any school, I'm not bugging and artists out there that do animation to learn how they did it. I AM learning the whole pie all by my lonesome. I'm actually choosing to do things this way for several reasons, the number one being I learn far better by sitting down and making it work my way. I do have a book, the antiquated 2.3 guide for the software I use (Blender) and although I consult it quite frequently, I also tend to put some things together and just see what happens. It's how I learned to scribble computer code, and how I learned to make the machine do some things many folks said couldn't be done. I test out things as I go and find out what works and what dosen't. It also allows me to come up with ways of doing things that may not be by the book, but achieve an effect I like in a completely different way. In other words, express my artistic side. };8>
Telling a story is something I've always loved doing. Since I had my first computer when I was eleven I've dreamed of using it to tell my odd little stories. Each little trick I learn, every thing I do, right or wrong moves we toward that simple childhood dream, and I'm having a ball doing it!
So this is the point where the animations start, and the still shots are just sort of glamor work. Posting my animations however has turned up some problems that I hadn't expected, and is part of the reason why I've been a bit absent from this place as of late.
As of my scribbling this FA allows mp3 uploads in music (audio) format. Animations or video is limited to animated Gif files or SWF format. Not that I would ever have an opinion on things, but for displaying CGI animations SWF blows chunks. Technicolor ones at that.
First SWF is not really designed well for video. I've heard a half dozen reasons why, but the plain simple truth is that when I convert my animations over to SWF format they become HUGE and the quality takes a nose dive into the trash can.
This leaves me with one of two choices. Either suffer with the poor quality of SWF or find someplace that will allow me to post files in format better suited to my type of art. I bet you can guess which one I chose. *chuckles*
This brings me to my new addition to my growing list of places one can find my art. At the signpost up ahead, PG's Animation Station!
The admins of Furtopia have been kind enough to lend me some of their bandwidth and have allowed me to post my animations in compressed JPG mp4. The mp4 format creates the smallest files with the best quality that also is available at no cost for both me the developer and you the person who would like to play the animations.
If your a windows user, you can use just about anything to play the animations, most noteably the VLC player. For us penguin heads (Linux) VLC is a little clunky, but plays nearly perfectly. Totem however will also work so don't despair.
I'm not going to be leaving FA, I've just came to the simple conclusion that I shouldn't post crappy low quality work when I't just far simpler to post the good stuff elsewhere., so folks, here you be, the new link on the list
==> http://phantomgraph.furtopia.org <== For all the groovy animations!
Let me explain. Those folks that know me know I've been working hard on learning to animate. I'm not taking any courses in any school, I'm not bugging and artists out there that do animation to learn how they did it. I AM learning the whole pie all by my lonesome. I'm actually choosing to do things this way for several reasons, the number one being I learn far better by sitting down and making it work my way. I do have a book, the antiquated 2.3 guide for the software I use (Blender) and although I consult it quite frequently, I also tend to put some things together and just see what happens. It's how I learned to scribble computer code, and how I learned to make the machine do some things many folks said couldn't be done. I test out things as I go and find out what works and what dosen't. It also allows me to come up with ways of doing things that may not be by the book, but achieve an effect I like in a completely different way. In other words, express my artistic side. };8>
Telling a story is something I've always loved doing. Since I had my first computer when I was eleven I've dreamed of using it to tell my odd little stories. Each little trick I learn, every thing I do, right or wrong moves we toward that simple childhood dream, and I'm having a ball doing it!
So this is the point where the animations start, and the still shots are just sort of glamor work. Posting my animations however has turned up some problems that I hadn't expected, and is part of the reason why I've been a bit absent from this place as of late.
As of my scribbling this FA allows mp3 uploads in music (audio) format. Animations or video is limited to animated Gif files or SWF format. Not that I would ever have an opinion on things, but for displaying CGI animations SWF blows chunks. Technicolor ones at that.
First SWF is not really designed well for video. I've heard a half dozen reasons why, but the plain simple truth is that when I convert my animations over to SWF format they become HUGE and the quality takes a nose dive into the trash can.
This leaves me with one of two choices. Either suffer with the poor quality of SWF or find someplace that will allow me to post files in format better suited to my type of art. I bet you can guess which one I chose. *chuckles*
This brings me to my new addition to my growing list of places one can find my art. At the signpost up ahead, PG's Animation Station!
The admins of Furtopia have been kind enough to lend me some of their bandwidth and have allowed me to post my animations in compressed JPG mp4. The mp4 format creates the smallest files with the best quality that also is available at no cost for both me the developer and you the person who would like to play the animations.
If your a windows user, you can use just about anything to play the animations, most noteably the VLC player. For us penguin heads (Linux) VLC is a little clunky, but plays nearly perfectly. Totem however will also work so don't despair.
I'm not going to be leaving FA, I've just came to the simple conclusion that I shouldn't post crappy low quality work when I't just far simpler to post the good stuff elsewhere., so folks, here you be, the new link on the list
==> http://phantomgraph.furtopia.org <== For all the groovy animations!
