April 17, 2008
There are quite a few articles out there discussing Papervision3D and sharing source code, etc. but very few explain in plain English how to actually get started with PV3D. For those of us that aren’t geeky enough to guess our way into getting it to work we are usually left in a dust of confusion. Papervision3D, if you aren’t familiar with it, is a way to do 3D inside Flash - it’s extensive, cutting edge and very well laid out. More and more sites are popping up on the web utilizing this technology… so what are you waiting for? It is up to you to decide which IDE you are going to use to do Papervision3D development. I will be explaining how to install it in both Flash and Flex, afterwards you’d be ready to start creating projects and learn from other examples.

April 8, 2008
Ever had one of those days where your Photoshop didn’t perform the way you’d like it to, sometimes even become so sluggish or unresponsive that its impossible to finish your work? You’re not alone, it’s actually quite a common thing and as Photoshop and our computers become more demanding this will most likely not go away. Let’s cover some of the reasons why these issues arise and try and find solutions for them. I am aware that the majority of readers viewing this blog probably use a mac (yes, you RIA dudes, you know who you are!) but don’t fret, even though I work on a PC most of the pointers are application specific and contain general system advice.

April 5, 2008
Don’t know what Maya is? It’s a spectacular 3D graphics application for creating amazing renditions. It is a industry standard application utilized throughout the globe in various production studios. Maya is most famous for its Animation capabilities but this is only one of the aspects of the application. In this article I will be going through the user interface of Maya 8.5, so that you can get started on your journey of becoming a 3D artist. If you don’t own a copy of Maya you can download the PLE edition of Maya from the Autodesk site. It comes with almost all the features and more than enough to learn Maya thoroughly. So, have Maya and installed and your cursor on the icon?

April 3, 2008
Many times the main determining factor for the liking or disliking of your interface is based on the use of colors. It is important not to allow personal preference to cloud your judgment when creating a layout. Colors are powerful tools and if you understand how to use them wisely you will benefit from it greatly. I’ll be covering some common issues when working with colors.

In the world of Animation there is a lot of confusion amongst students and even seasoned professionals when it comes to understanding all the technicalities of frames-per-second, “one’s and two’s” and different video outputs. For this reason I think it might be beneficial if I try and clear up a few misunderstandings. I’ll be covering questions like “What is Animation?” and “At which framerate should I animate?”

April 1, 2008
It might seem quite daunting at first when you gaze at a digitally treated image and then look down at your pencil and paper and wonder.. “How on earth am I ever going to get my head around this stuff?” I must admit it is pretty confusing at first, especially when there is no one out there to help explain which tools you need to get started with. Yes its the artist that makes the art and not the tool but with computers it could mean improvements in workflow which in my opinion is very important for your creative productivity.

I’m going to go over some software and hardware that will come in handy, something I wish someone did for me when I started out.