Maya Beginner Tutorial - Texture Dice

 

In the free video tutorial above we tackle a super simple modelling and texturing exercise - how to create a die (single of dice), bevel it, texture it, and download a free texture map from the web.  The tutorial is aimed at complete beginners who have never used Autodesk Maya before. In addition, you can follow the steps outlined below, including - for extra sophistication - how to add a bump map (not covered in the video above).

Craimer Jones CG Modeller at Burrows

Many congratulations to Bucks Animation Graduate Craimer Jones, who has recently started a new job as a CGI Data Modeller Specialist at Burrows.

Craimer studied Animation and Visual Effects at Bucks, successfully creating an industry-ready portfolio of quality work, which has now been rewarded with a career in the creative industries.  

Meet Frame Store's Billy Butler on Thursday 2 February

Escape Studios in West London is hosting another free event for students - an "Evening With..." coming up on Thursday 2 February at their Shepherd's Bush studio, with Billy Butler,  Lead Modeler at Framestore.

Billy has a vast amount of VFX experience, having worked on hit movies such as Gravity, Animalia and Sucker Punch.

He will be showing students his demo reel and talking about his experience in the VFX industry. This is a superb event for any of our students who would like to find out more about 3D and VFX - and 3D modelling in particular. 

Where can student animators find free sets and props for animation?

Turbosquid

Where can student animators find free sets and props for animation? You don't always want to spend time modeling the things you need for your animation shot - sometimes you just need some free stuff in a hurry. The best places to begin are turbosquid.com and tf3dm.com. Both sites have plenty of free resources for animators to use; you can import sets, props, all sorts of useful items that will help bring your animation to life. Of course, you should always give credit to the creators - professional artists always give credit where it's due.

Student Showcase - Anton Alfimenko re-creates Old Trafford

Old Trafford stadium by Anton Alfimenko

Anton Alfimenko is one of our first year undergraduates, studying on our new Animation and Visual Effects course, launched in September 2012. One of the reasons that Anton came from Kazakhstan to study in the UK is his passion for Manchester United, and you can see the excellent "Super Fergie" animation he did as a tribute to the retiring club legend Sir Alex Ferguson. As part of his first year studies, he has re-created a digital Old Trafford club stadium. Here at Bucks we salute Anton's digital skill and his enthusiasm for the club.

Bucks graduate Jaffar Ali lands paid internship with Vizrt

One of our recent animation alumni, Jaffar Ali, has just been selected for a paid internship at one of our newest industry partners, Vizrt.  Vizrt is a large broadcast company who manufacture virtual reality solutions for broadcasters, both nationally and internationally (they have 40 or so offices around the globe). Their newsroom virtual reality work fills our screens every night: ITV News, BBC, Sky, CNN,  and Sky Sports. We asked Jaffar to talk about his new internship and how he landed the position.

Oscar Winning Modeler Adam Dewhirst on modeling and visual effects

Golden Compass

Last night, on 20 February, Oscar-winning modeler Adam Dewhirst gave a free webinar, hosted by the London-based visual effects academy Escape Studios, about his work as a CG modeler. Adam has worked on many VFX films including  The Golden Compass, for which he won his Academy Award.

Among the subjects Adam discussed were:

How 3D artists manage to deliver 13 different characters in a mere 3 days?
How to transfer UV's or use multiple UV tiles within a production
How VFX studios really work - reusing models to keep pipelines consistent
Creating accurate doubles from lidar scan data
Methods for transferring new topology to existing models and rigs.

Oscar Winning Modeler Adam Dewhirst is giving a free webinar tonight at 6pm

Escape Studios are hosting a free webinar with Oscar winning modeler Adam Dewhirst tonight at 6pm. Sign up now and hear Adam reveal the secrets of 3D Modeling, and what it takes to find work at a top London visual effects house like Escape Studios.

To find out more, follow this link: http://www.escapestudios.com/live-webinar-the-art-of-oscar-winning-3d-modeling/

I have worked with Adam myself and can personally vouch for his credentials. He is an excellent digital artist, a serious pro. Anyone interested in making a living as a CG modeler should sign up for this webinar. And it's free!

---Alex

Student Showcase - the art of Sabah Masood

Sabah Masood is one of our many talented students here at Bucks, specialising in 3D modeling - with a focus on design and architectural visualisation. She is in her final graduation year, but she has already established a successful freelance career doing digital 3D modeling for clients such as Pinewood Studios and many others. We asked her about her work, and about how she managed to launch a freelance career at such an early stage.

Bringing the Digital World to Life

Modeling, texturing and lighting by Mike Swan

Here at Bucks we don't just tackle animation - we also train our students to be experts in a full range of digital skills. Students often ask "should I become a specialist - or a generalist? Which is best?". The answer of course - is both.

Student Showcase: Michael Swan meets Tag Heuer

Tag Heuer watch by Michael Swan

Michael Swan is one of our talented animation students here at Bucks, who is working hard to become a skilled digital artist and an expert modeller. As part of his studies he has completed a project for the Swiss watch company Tag Heuer, accurately modelling one of their products and creating a short film set to music, shown below: