Mix and Match: Animation Techniques
Today's hybrids that combine traditional techniques and new digital tools are creating some fascinating looking animation. Fred Patten asks a number of innovators how they created their animation.
VFXWorld Magazine
Star Wars Episode II: Creating Clones Is Harder Than It Looks
Bill Desowitz finishes our series on the computer-generated effects of Star Wars Episode II. This time he goes behind the motion-capture process to discover the challenges of creating a clone army.
R2-D2: From Helpful Droid to Hero
We all knew R2-D2 was cool...but in Star Wars Episode II he turns into a swash-buckling, damsel saving hero. Bill Desowitz speaks with Billy Brooks of ILM's "rebel unit" to find out about the transformation.
Doing Whatever a Spider-Man Can
Rick DeMott swings in on Sony Pictures Imageworks to find out how they created visual effects amazing enough to match Spider-Man.
Yoda As We've Never Seen Him Before
We've all been waiting to see Yoda in a light saber duel and Star Wars Episode II does not miss the mark. Bill Desowitz speaks with ILM on how they created Yoda in CGI and brought him to action.
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones -- Catching Up With Rob Coleman, Animation Director
Karl Cohen sits down with Rob Coleman, Episode II's animation director, and learns how the ILM team combines many different techniques into one seamless digital world.
DVD Review: Waking Life
Chris Lanier reviews the new Waking Life DVD. If you liked the film, or haven't seen it yet, this DVD is the way to go. Extra audio tracks, missing scenes, technology demonstrations, the short film Snack and Drink and more, are all included.
Waking Life and Liquid Caricature
Chris Lanier explores the purpose and meaning of caricature from its very inception to its latest use in the "rotoscoped" Waking Life.
Crafting A Career In A Time Of Change
Gregory Singer sits down with industry veteran Frank Gladstone and learns that it isn't all gloom and doom when facing a career in today's market. The trick is to be flexible.
The New Gold Standard: Spider-Man the Movie
Surprised that Spider-Man is racking up such huge sums at the box office? Danny Fingeroth isn't, as he explains, there's a little Spidey in all of us.
The Producers of Spider-Man Speak
In the midst of Spider-Man mania, Danny Fingeroth caught up with two of the most popular producers in showbiz Laura Ziskin and Avi Arad to talk about box office success, becoming a geek, creative changes and the new animated television show.
Re:vitalizing Animation Through Virtual Studios
In building a more personal, varied animation future, Greg Singer offers perspective for collaborating online.
Here We Go! Gorillaz Takes Music By Storm
Paul Feldman goes behind the animated personas of the band Gorillaz to discover the creative team that put such a dynamic group together and the record label brave enough to take it on.
The Games That People Play
Greg Singer visited this year's Game Developers Conference and reports on the breadth of events and insights. From testing out the latest games to discussions of Wittgenstein as a means for simulating sophisticated social activity among game characters, there was something for everyone.
Crossing Over Into Gaming
So, you've been reading the articles about how much work there is in gaming, but you don't know if your skills will cross over? Sylvia Edwards gives us an overview of the gaming production process and where its similarities and differences lie from more traditional animation fields.
ATI Fire GL4: A Solid Contender
Continuing with his reviews of the market's leading graphics cards, John Edgar Park takes on the ATI Fire GL4. This BMW of the graphics card world definitely has its high points.
After Effects 5.5: Fleshing Out the 3D Environment
Is Adobe's After Effects 5.5 upgrade a significant improvement for animators? George Maestri thinks so. Version 5.5 expands on Version 5's introduction of 3D and now contains over 90 different effects.
Maya Training Solutions
Don't work in a studio or live next to a school but want to learn Maya? John Edgar Park offers a solution and reviews the best Maya training videotapes around.
Force of Hobbit: Mythmaking at Weta
It is said that love is the mythology that two people create together. At Weta, Ltd., in New Zealand, it is love at first byte.
Build Your Own Animation Workstation
Want to get started creating animation on your own computer? John Edgar Park tells you how to start from scratch. Let's find out how to select and assemble the correct components and then get them working!
The New Console War
All three of the new gaming consoles those magical devices that have changed the face of gaming yet again have now been released. John Edgar Park sees where the chips are falling.
New Games for New Consoles: Ten Winners
Jacquie Kubin points out ten new games for the new console systems that are worth taking for a spin.
Saying Goodbye to Robert Abel
Kenny Mirman, one of Robert Abel's long time co-workers and friends, shares with us his eulogy of the special effects pioneer and visionary.
CGI Reference Books Reviewed
John Edgar Park reviews two new reference books that provide helpful insight into not only CGI's terms and industry jargon, but also key concepts.
Producing Animation: The 3D CGI Production Process
Catherine Winder and Zahra Dowlatabadi give an overview of the 3D CGI production process from pre-production through final film/video output.
