By now I have to ask myself whether I am gonna make it through the program at Animation Mentor. Approaching the end of Class 5 I am about 2-3 weeks behind! There's only a fixed amount of time to get things turned in, and animating 60 seconds at FINAL level in 12 weeks (for Class 6) is a challenge for all of us, even w/out being behind. My schedule has become so erratic and draining I have to really figure out a way to get the work done for AM so that I can at least make a passing grade. Of course, no one at AM, including me, shoots for anything less than an A.
The good news is I found a car model to use in my short. The fun thing is that it's a scion xA, the very car I drive in actual life! The catch is it's a 3ds max file and I have been spending a lot of time trying to get it into Maya with materials and surfaces intact (I don't have Polytrans or anything that might do the trick). You would think these two products would be more compatible. Still, I'm glad the model I found is in max b/c I need to add quite a few details that are missing from the car's interior and necessary for my short. I'm no rock-star modeller but at least I know how to use max's modelling tools, I don't know Maya's modelling tools yet.
Another moment of happy was dashed when I recently found a CD I have with some great sound effects for my film. No sooner had I discovered a couple useful sounds than the drive stopped reading the disc. When I ejected the CD it was cracked from the center out! Bummer. Not sure how it happened, but the disc is a goner. I called the software manufacturer (now Sony) for a replacement disc but they no loger make the product the disc came with. If anyone has the install disc for Sound Forge 6 that has "1,001" sound fx and can send me the sounds that would be great. (Since I own a license, passing the sounds to me should be totally legal.)
Meanwhile, I've collected some sounds using my miniDV camera, but we all know how noisy it is using sound from the camera's built-in mic. Since I'm behind on assignments I have not had a chance to cap and save out all the sounds as clips yet but hope to soon cuz my animatic is not that great without sound.
Will I make it? No telling for sure but I'm giving it a shot.
