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Hi fellow EIAS Users. ;-) I would like to present thread I created on the ZBrushCentral Community Forum of a 3D modeling, rigging and character animation for Daniel Lee which heavily relied on ElectricImage for rendering, rigging and animation. They seem to have a contest so feel free to vote for my team work with David Wu who did the rendering and project supervisor. ;-) I will post images directly on this thread shortly. These are only my personal WIP images. http://www.zbrushcentral.com/showthread.php?199225-Museum-Merman&p=1171953&infinite=1#post1171953

Hi all. I whipped together another little VFX breakdown of a shot to share. Wanted to see how quickly I could create a shot from beginning to end with some character rigging and animation, cloth and dynamic sims using EIAS. About a week of work all in all. Took quite a bit of fiddling to get SimCloth to cooperate, but worked out OK in the end. Hope to upgrade to V9 soon and give Bullet dynamics a go on something like this. • Shot the plate in RAW on my BMPCC • Shot & created my own environment HDR's to match the plate • 3D Tracked in PFTrack - Camera data exported to EIAS • Character and Vehicle Rigged and Animated in EIAS • SimCloth & Rodeo • Lighting, Texturing, and Rendering in EIAS • Compositing in AE http://kevinpowellstudio.com/portfolio-item/vfx-breakdown/

ReadyRigs DVD’s by Alonzo Von Threet … I’ve just had some time to delve into the AVTPro READY RIGS DVD’s and I have to tell you they are amazing. Alonzo Von Threet a long time EIAS user guides you through the entire “rigging†process leaving no “polygon†unturned or in this case “unriggedâ€. A little background on how I found Alonzo … In May of 2012 a company I work with on a frequent freelance basis, and having just completed putting together several animations for them of a new-fangled energy efficient “boiler†came to me with several interesting animation ideas/commercials for a hospital in New Jersey. Two of the commercials involved an organic animation, something I am not too familiar with, I’m much better with bolts, nuts, levers, cubes, spheres, logos, etc. However, this was a project I couldn’t turn down, a huge challenge. I quickly did my homework and realized I would need help. I am a long time EI user and have been faithful to the product, plus I was excited about all the upcoming improvements. I’d contacted Tomas several times with questions and he’d always assisted me and/or directed me to the right person to get my answers. And a special thank you goes out to Richard Joly too for his help in the past with a Rubik’s Cube animation test. Please note I am being a bit vague about the project description because I am currently working on a write-up describing the project at length. When I told Tomas what I was looking to create he immediately directed me to Alonzo. He said, if it’s rigging you are looking for then Alonzo is the guy. I emailed Alonzo, got a response right away and then I called him. What a pleasure, we hit it off immediately. He is a true animator, visionary, student of the art, creative/compulsive perfectionist and fun guy to talk to. I told him what I was doing, and I wanted to render using EIAS … why, BECAUSE … that’s the platform I use on a Mac. Well, Alonzo jumped at the opportunity to take on the task and performed miracles with the project (again … details to follow in the full blown article). At the same time we were working on various details he mentioned his rigging DVD’s. I purchased them for future reference and just the other day had a chance to really sit down and watch both the “Deformer Rig†and the “SKIN MAN†… Wow … my eyes have been opened (rigged to open that is – I know, I know enough of the “rig†asides), I’ve picked up numerous tips and tricks and thoughts for better modeling, animating, rigging, organizing … etc. And each DVD is divided into sections so I can pick and chose what I want to watch. I loaded both onto my computer and it’s a blast. I actually run a segment on one monitor while I follow along and do some practice rigging on another monitor. Now, if you are looking for a quick STEP by STEP … rigid format you won’t find that here. What you get, and it’s part of the Alonzo charm, is a thoughtful discussion of the rigging process and an insight into a working “riggers†mind tools. As he builds the rigs he tells you not only the physical process but the WHY, and how to plan ahead for the obstacles that may or may not occur. This is amazingly practical and makes perfect sense. Plus if you pay attention, you will realize from some of the comments Alonzo makes that he is the real deal working crazy hours, making mistakes, finding solutions, and giving you a terrific rigging experience from start to finish. I highly recommend the AVTPro’s ReadyRigs DVD’s … for anyone doing 3D animation, from beginning students, the non-organic 3D guys like me, to folks looking to expand their 3D horizon. just visit the EIAS forum link below: http://www.eias3d.com/forums/topic/5590-new-human-rig-dvd/ Thanks for reading … Hal Meyers hmeyers1@mac.com