On Tuesday we, our Recruitment Manager, Garreth Gaydon, and I were let out of the office for the day to go and visit Aardman! I have to say, it was awesome! Based in Bristol, it's a bit of a trek but well worth the effort. They are such a brilliant studio and it's every bit as cool as you'd imagine.
Just Another Comic Book Hero Movie? Maybe Not...
Ok, so there I was, happy in my comfort zone, knowing that the Green Lantern could never be a great movie and that nothing could ever live up to the comic book.
New Way to Sculpt and Model with 3D-Coat
It’s not often that I come across a new product that shows me a completely different way of working… We’ve been checking out 3D-Coat and have come to the conclusion that it might just provide something quite special in terms of modelling and sculpting.
University Tour Under Way
I have been out on the road over the last month visiting universities across the UK, as part of our university tour, and wanted to give you an update on my progress so far. It's been a bit of a whirlwind, but meeting up with such enthusiastic and creative people is never a chore - you come back full of ideas an imbued with the same enthusiasm
Visual Effects Benefit from New Rules at the Oscars
No doubt you’ll all be looking forward to the Oscars this weekend. It's particularly significant if you’re a VFX fan, with five nominees in the Visual Effects category this year rather than three.
Pixar's RenderMan amazing 40% price reduction!
Yesterday, Pixar announced an unprecedented price drop in their flagship product RenderMan® Pro Server. The 40% reduction will allow studios and freelancers that were previously unable to buy into the technology, to get a slice of the Film / VFX industry standard renderer. With the global CG expansion, Pixar appreciate that the growth of renderfarms is real and happening now, this move allows existing customers to ramp up their rendering capabilities in a more cost effective manner whilst allowing smaller shops and freelancers access to the toolset.
IKinema: New Animation Plug-in for Maya
If you use Autodesk Maya for animating characters and models, then you may want to check out this cool new animation plug-in called IKinema.
Wallace and Gromit Return to our Screens
I read something last week which made me angry, sad and yet hopeful at the same time… This one is a bit of a long story, and I hope it won’t sound too much like a rant, but I feel I owe it to all the people who, like me, felt rather disappointed when they watched “Wallace And Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit”.
Two New Online Courses: ZBrush for 3D Artists & Character Animation Foundation
Today, we are launching two brand new online courses. One is an advanced ZBrush course for professionals; the other is a Character Animation course for 3D novices.
Missing the guys at Escape
A couple of weeks ago, we featured the work of Tracey Chung, who recently completed our Character Animation course. Tracey has been very busy since then working on her showreel, and we will keep you updated on her progress. But what I want to share with you today is a bunch of illustrations that Tracey created one day when she was clearly missing us all at Escape.
Free Webinar: The Art of Creating Great Animated Characters
I will be holding a free live webinar on November 4th. Here's a quick outline of what I will be discussing.
Tracey Chung: a budding character animation artist
Last week, I promised to share with you some more of the work that our students have presented to us at the end of their courses. This time, I have decided to show you the work of Tracey Chung, who recently completed our Character Animation course taught by Alex Williams.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
"Dad, can we go to the cinema?" Yes it was that time of the summer holidays when the children will do anything to get out of the house. I exclaimed "But we have already seen everything that's any good!"
Online courses updated to reflect the Maya new 2011 UI
If you are a user of any software package you'll know that at least once a year software developers deliver an update. Autodesk's Maya 2011 was no exception. 3D users had become accustomed to Maya's UI over the last 10 years but Autodesk thought it was time for a change, enter Maya 2011. So this release brings all sorts of challenges for the diehard Maya user, it has a new interface... I hear the screams of "where did you put that" and "what on earth does this icon represent"!
Bugs Bunny is making a 3D comeback
Hollywood's most successful cartoon rabbit is getting his turn to shine in the new 3D entertainment medium, as Warner Bros has confirmed the making of a 3D Bugs Bunny movie. It won't be the first time Bugs has been on the big screen. In 2003 he made a silver screen success out of Looney Tunes: Back In Action, and who could forget the time he starred alongside Michael Jordan in Space Jam? We spoke to Alex Williams our new Animation Tutor to get his opinion on 3D characters and whether this means that the animation industry is changing for good.
Growing up with Maya
I had a picture sent to me from an old colleague this week (above). It was taken in the "fake" Getaway pub on the 4th floor of SCEE’s (Sony Computer Entertainment Europe) offices in Soho.
Final Animation Places!
As many of you will know, we are running our first Animation course with our new tutor Alex Williams starting on July 5th, and we still have a couple of places remaining. If you are interested in learning how to become a professional animator, and want to take advantage of Alex’s expert knowledge, then please get in touch to reserve your place. There are only a couple of weeks to go, so make sure to get in touch straight away!
New dates for short courses announced
Escape this Spring!
Escape this Spring
For those of you considering working in this thriving, dynamic industry, we’re offering a taster into the world of computer graphics with a range of three-day short courses. They’re a great opportunity to get a better understanding of the career opportunities out there while gaining valuable insight into the industry.
Nick's Doodles: The Judge
Nick Savy, our character tutor, has done us another fantastic sketch.