Free Underwater Animation Tutorial

In this super simple tutorial we show how to animate a submarine traveling underwater.  This is a very basic tutorial aimed at beginners in Maya. 

The idea is to do some simple animation of an underwater scene, then add a caustic effect to reproduce the effect of light penetrating water. 

The lighting effect can be achieved with just a few clicks.

How to Animate a Neon Sign in Maya

In this free tutorial we show how to animate a neon sign in Maya. The idea is to create a personal logo for your demo reel, something that has a little more style and invention than a simple title card.  Start by creating a logo for your animation reel, then import the logo into Maya, and use the technique described above to turn your logo into neon letters. From there, you can easily animate the letters, render some images, and create a movie file for your demo reel. 

Animate a "Sneaky Walk" With "Monty"

Sneaky Monty

In the video tutorial below we show how to animate a sneaky walk with "Monty" the green pea.

To complete the tutorial, first start with a Basic Walk with "Monty" - which you can learn how to do here.

Then, as with our other character walks tutorials, adapt the basic walk to give it character and personality - in this case a "sneak". 

Lighting in Arnold - Beginner Tutorial

In this simple tutorial, for Autodesk Maya beginners, we explain how to achieve a super basic lighting setup in Arnold using the settings in Physical Sky. This is as simple a setup as it is possible to achieve in Arnold, and gives good results for an outdoor scene with just a few clicks.

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).

Dinosaur Animation Tutorial

We've completed a new series of videos on dinosaur locomotion for our animation students at BNU, who are currently working on Module DA703, Animals and Creatures.  The tutorial uses the free Dino rig by Harry Geoghegan, available for free download at Creative Crash.  The goal of the tutorial is to create a believable dinosaur walk cycle and performance.  To get a flavour of the exercise, watch the free theory video above.

Dragon in Flight Animation Tutorial

Dragon in Flight Tutorial 

Our MA animation students are currently tackling Module DA703 - Animals and Creatures, the third module on our Online MA in Animation.

We've been adding new animal and creature tutorials to our animation library, to offer as wide as possible a selection of teaching materials for animal and creature animation. 

This latest tutorial shows how to animate a dragon in flight. The tutorial uses the free Jaemin Dragon rig by Truong, which can be downloaded here.  The dragon flight tutorial can be found here (it is password-protected), and is free for all our currently enrolled students. 

How to Animate Quadruped Transitions

Free tiger rig from Truong

How do you animate quadruped transitions? That is to say, how do you animate the change from a walk to a trot to a run, and then back again?

Quadruped transitions are a tricky thing to get right, which is why all our MA students have access to video tutorials at Animation Apprentice showing step by step how to do it. 

Our MA animation students are currently tackling their third module, DA703 Animals and Creatures, mastering the art of quadruped locomotion and performance.

Learning Dynamics in Maya

Our online MA in 3D Animation partners with the online School Animation Apprentice for the tutorial content, content which is constantly being augmented and improved.

Pretty much all animation courses begin with a bouncing ball - and the MA at Bucks is no exception.

The bouncing ball is where students first encounter the 12 Principles of Animation, including timing and spacing, arcs, weight and ease-in and ease-outs. Nowadays, the physics engine within Maya will give you quite a bit of this for free.

Take a look at the free tutorial below to see how to animate falling dice using the FX tools within Maya. Specifically, the tutorial covers how to use Active and Passive Rigid Bodies in Maya to simulate the effects of gravity and the collision of solid objects.

Keith Lango Animation Tutorials Are Now Free

Keith Lango YouTube Channel

Good news for animation students; veteran animator and animation teacher Keith Lango has now made his animation tutorials free for everyone to learn online.

Keith's animation tutorials include animating a James Brown dance, rigging and skinning animation, and how to approach the business of animating a scene.

It's a great resource, and a very useful supplement to the growing body of online resources available for learning animation.

Free Motion Graphics Webinar Tomorrow

Thiago Maia - Motion Graphics expert

Motion Graphics guru Thiago Maia is hosting a free webinar in Motion Graphics tomorrow, Tuesday 31st July.

In this webinar Thiago will show how to apply the famous "12 Principles of Animation" to motion graphics work in Adobe After Effects, to create better and more flexible animation.

The webinar takes place at 6pm. We always recommend that our students at Bucks sign up for webinars such as this one - it's always a good idea to expland your skillset and learn new tools.

To sign up for this free webinar, follow this link.

Bucks Library Gets Subscription To 3D Artist Magazine

3D Artist magazine - now in the library at Bucks

3D Artist Magazine is now available for our students in the library at Bucks. 3D artist is one of the leading periodicals for our industry, packed with great information about the latest news in 3D animation and - crucially for students - full of tutorials on how to use the latest stuff.  You can learn animation, modeling, texturing, lighting - all the key components of 3D artistry. Here at Bucks we're committed to stocking the library with the very best magazines, books and journals about animation - so our students have access to the best materials possible to support their studies.

Free VFX Tutorials at Our Next Open Day at Bucks - Saturday 21 February

Model your own Gul Dukat at Bucks for free! Image: Wikipedia

Saturday 21 February is not just any old Open Day at Bucks. As well as the usual tour of our state-of-the-art facilities, Bucks tutors Dave Creighton and Nick Brown are offering free tutorials in specialist VFX software Mudbox and RealFlow, giving our prospective students a unique insight into the digital pipeline of the growing animation and visual effects industry.  So, if you come along on Saturday, what exactly can you expect to learn?

The Morpheus Rig - and How To Use It

There are plenty of free rigs available these days for the use of students. One of the best is Morpheus, created by the prodigiously talented Josh Burton. It is used extensively by trainee character animators hoping to polish their skills and get better at their craft. Morpheus is an excellent rig but, like all free rigs (and, frankly, like all rigs), it does have a few quirks. Below is a guide for animators to some of the main problems that we have come across, and how to fix them.

Free Jason Ryan Masterclass from Brown Bag Films

Brown Bag Films

It's amazing how much free material there is on the web nowadays for learning animation. Studying at University gives you a formal curriculum, a (hopefully) properly thought out program for your studies and your eventual maturity as a well-rounded digital artist. But your tutors at university won't teach you everything. Along the way, doing tutorials online is a great way to learn and improve your work.

When Should an Animator Animate on the World Control in Maya?

When Should You Use the World Control to Animate in Maya? The short answer is: "never". But, as with most rules, real life is not quite as simple as that, and there are exceptions to the rule. Since this is an area of some confusion for animators learning to to use Maya, here's a brief outline of what the rules of World Control Etiquette really are.

Hair Simulation in Maya 2014

Rapunzel - great hair!

One of the best new features of Autodesk Maya 2014 is a big step forward in its hair simulation capabilities. The new tool is called XGen, and it comes free with Maya 2014. It was developed by Disney/Pixar and was used on their recent film Rapunzel, to generate the heroine's gorgeous, bouncing tresses.