Character Animation
 

Well, firstly congratulations. Nice website. I downloaded the scene files to the Ocean tutorial and was greatly impressed by the visual quality. Well done. I wont download the movie file as I'm on a cruddy dial-up account. (No access to broadband) but if this is the level of quality, I'm sure the tuts are equally of a high standard.
I've been using Lightwave for some years now, mainly flying logos for TV commercials and so on but I have never explored the greater potential of Lightwave as a Character Animation tool. Here's a suggestion for a tut I'd like to see maybe in the future, using IK and Weight Maps to string up a simple puppet and allow users to play around with their character. Also Endomorphs and Lip Sync using Morph Mixer and so on. There are heaps of tuts scattered willy-nilly throughout the internet by no central source that focuses on Lightwave Character animation and rigging specifically. Now with new tools like Auto Character Setup 4 made available, I think the future for Lightwave character animators is looking rosey. Anyone have good links or thoughts on this topic?
Just an idea.

I think it's a good idea. I really would like to animate a character too, but I didn't see any good tutorials about that, on the web...

I hope our dreams will become true. :rolleyes:

well mate you are in for some treat mate!!! I have seen the character aniamtion tutorials philip is doing and you have some fantastic ones comming - real soon!

stay tuned! hopefully phil wil call by here this morning and give you a little more info on them

yes, ACS4 really looks amazing. But I still think you have to have the basics down.

Which is exactly why I plan to have a tutorial on a basic biped character covering modeling, rigging, setting up IK and animating (how about a walkcycle for starts?).

We would then be all set to address more specialized and possibly quadraped characters. (how about a frog, jumping, croaking...)

cheers,

philip

A walk cycle is a good idea to begin I think. Maybe you could add a jump to the walkcycle, for instance too. Or something else that we do when we walk... It's just a suggestion, don't worry about it! :p

I'm agree with you when you tell that it's better to begin with basis. ACS4 is probably a good plugin, but we have to start to the beginning first. :rolleyes:

Personally, I've no problem to set up a character (bones, weight maps, etc..), but I don't know anything about the inverse kinematics and how to create a good walkcycle, so it might be a good tutorial! ;)

I hope it will be online soon...

Great Idea. I love the idea of using ACS4 but I would really appreciate being able to do it from scratch in the of the shellf package.

Besides, that way allows more flexibility.

This sounds awesome.. I cant wait until you guys put up this tutorial.. and I agree that its better to show how to do it from basics, if one choses to use ACS4 or the likes after that its up to them, but I think its important to know how things really work before you use plugins to easy it up..

what are you waiting for phil.. dont sit here reading posts.. go work on the tutorial ;))

/Matt

I woulkd love to see the animation tutorial for the same reasons that have been mentioned :its hard to find a good tutorial on this matter. But I would like one wich only uses LW because there are ppl who dont have ACS4 and not able are to afford it. I put all the mobey in lw SO im not able to buy something else and really want tu use the nice tools LW offers us.

hope can do that

wozz