If you think you have all the essential tools figured out in Autodesk Maya 8.5, you probably don't. So, if you want to create awesome 3D animated characters, then maybe you should watch this Maya video to make sure you know how to keep faces together after you already know how ...more
If you're a master at Autodesk Maya 8.5, then great, but if you are feeling a bit rusty, maybe this review on cleaning up your geometry will help. This video tutorial will help your animated character come to life in Maya by doing a little geometry cleanup. So, for great 3D mo ...more
So you're mastered the basics of modeling 3D characters in 3D Studio MAX. Good for you. Where to now? This video perhaps? It will teach you how to use plane modeling to create a model of a human head. This technique requires some skill and experience at using 3ds Max, but if y ...more
Ragdoll physics are all the rage in 3D shooter games, causing characters to die in glorious realism before glitching as soon as they get anywhere near a wall. This two-part video will teach you how to create a basic ragdoll for a biped model using the Reactor engine within 3D ...more
Creating a good 3D model in 3D Studio MAX is hard enough. Now I've got to model clothes onto them too? Why can't all 3D game characters be naked? Once you've resolved that debate in your head, watch this video. It will show you how to use the Reactor cloth system within 3DS M ...more
Learn how to create a character rig when animating 3D models in Blender. Specifically, this clip addresses the following topics: Bone creation, splitting and re-parenting. Weighting with bone heat, mirrored weight painting and posed weight painting. IK setup, bone roll, and po ...more
Check out this Autodesk Maya 8.5 two-part video tutorial on how to move objects around. You'll learn about the channel box and how to use your mouse to move around those animated 3D characters. You'll see how to rotate and flip objects and be the best 3D Maya modeler around. Y ...more
Check out this two-part video tutorial on learning some components and polyprimitives of vertices in Autodesk Maya 8.5. You'll get the best info on geometry for 3D animation in this 3D modeling video. See how to scale, rotate, and move vertices of your built animated character ...more
Making a spaceship use its afterburner and escape from the Earth's gravitational pull is tough. Modeling and animating a 3D simulation of the same thing is also hard, although quite as much so. This video series will teach you how to create a 3D model of a flying rocket with a ...more
Alpha channels are powerful tools for creating low-space 3D images, but 3DS Max cannot work with them properly. This is a major problem if you are working with World of Warcraft characters since they are largely constructed of alphas. This video will teach you how to work with ...more
This tutorial walks you through how to set up a procedural night sky with twinkling stars in Autodesk 3ds Max. You will be creating a opacity material with noise maps, and using an phase animated noise behind this to illuminate the stars. To edit the star size and brightness, ...more
If you've started bending your 3D animated character around in Autodesk Maya 8.5 and came across a broken bone sticking out that needs to pivot, then you've got a huge weighting issue. Check out this three-part video tutorial on how to correctly weight objects down in Maya. So ...more
Say you want to bring two objects together so they automatically flow from one piece to the next in Autodesk Maya 8.5, well, then you're going to have to bridge them. Check out this video tutorial on how to do just that. Combine them, then bridge them. It's that simple. So, fo ...more
If you're in a 3D modeling class, then you might want to check out this Autodesk Maya 8.5 two-part video tutorial. These videos cover how to do a duplicate mirror merge. So, if you want to build an animated character in Maya, just watch for these tips on a dup mirror merge. Pa ...more
Are you fed up using Zbrush? Are you just not cut out to be a 3D digital sculptor? Nah, all you need is a little practice. Check out this three-part Pixologic video tutorial on how to use the basics when sculpting a head. You'll see how to make the perfect 3D animated head, an ...more
Having a little trouble putting skin on your 3D animated characters in Autodesk Maya 8.5? Well, check out this five-part video tutorial on how skinning is done for your animation. You'll need those bones built, a nice skeleton structure to put some skin on, so get started. In ...more
So, you want to add some weird things, like horns to your 3D animated character in Pixologic's Zbrush 3.1 sculpting software. Well, you've come to the right place. This video tutorial will teach you how to add Zspheres to your sculpt in Zbrush and why. Your 3D animated model w ...more
If you just made a mesh character, it's not going to be very interesting or fun to use until you can start animating it. To start animating, you'll need to add a biped structure to your character - this tutorial shows you how. Part 1 of 3 - How to Add a biped to a mesh charact ...more
Watch this 3ds Max video for an introduction to a complete series of tutorials for modeling and texturing a human head sponsored by Ego Farms. This is the very start of learning how to use this digital animating software. You'll also get insight on Adobe Photoshop, since you'l ...more
Get the finest level of control over your animation with the curve editor. Just check out this 3ds Max video tutorial on how to do low level animating. Autodesk's 3D Studio Max is a customizable and scalable 3D modeling and rendering solution for games, film, and television.
This Pixologic Zbrush 3.1 video tutorial shows you how to place eyes in your 3D animated character's head. You'll have to sculpt out those eye sockets out first and then grab a squirkle to work with, using a few tools. If you want to be a great 3D digital animator, learning th ...more
This 3ds Max video tutorial goes over the concept of specular maps and how to paint one using an existing bump map as reference in Autodesk's 3D Studio Max digital graphic modeling software. You'll work in conjunction with Adobe Photoshop, so if you don't have one or the other ...more
Jason Welsh shows you how to use polygroups in Pixologic's Zbrush 3.1 3D sculpting software and explains the difference between a subtool in a polymesh structure, when combining. So, for all you 3D modelers out there, if you want to make great animated characters, this is a go ...more
Some of the most fundamental parts of 3DS MAX 2009 that users have to learn how to use are materials. This quick video for 3DS MAX beginners will introduce you to the basics of working with materials. This will allow you to use bitmaps and other tools to create all sorts of di ...more
This series is easy enough for kids and adults but should be alot of fun for both that want to learn how to build and animate 3D characters. Jason Welsh teaches how to get all your software for free and setup for the students workflow for his tutorials..
This tutorial shows you how to render a 3D Studio Max animated object then turn it into a .flv video with After Effects. Make Flv video from a 3ds Max source in After Effects. Click through to watch this video on template-help.com
In this video tutorial you will learn to use Posemixer Tag in CINEMA 4D. PoseMixer Tag is a morphing tool. It is especially useful for animating a character’s mouth, where each mouth shape is a separate morph pose.
This 3D software tutorial shows you how to use the face extrude modifier in 3ds Max. The Face Extrude modifier extrudes faces along their normals, creating new faces along the sides of the extrusion that connect the extruded faces to their object. As with most modifiers, this ...more
This tips tutorial takes a look on how you can use Reactor's dynamic features to simulate a scene with rigid and soft body meshes. See how to configure it and how to use the constraint to animate it. Whether you're new to Autodesk's popular modeling software or a seasoned 3D a ...more
The bouncing ball animation is a classic beginning point for animating in every 3D software package. This tutorial shows you how to do it in Maya. Part two will concentrate on keyframes. Part three will turn the bouncing ball into a character set. Part four will cover using th ...more
Shot with a Nokia N8 cell phone equipped with a 50x CellScope microscope, Dot is the world’s smallest stop motion animated film. Created by the makers of the Wallace & Gromit series, the figures were made with a 3D printer, each hand-painted with the aid of a microscope. Watch ...more
Yogi Bear in 3D Dot Heroes God I loved that cartoon. Who doesn't like that silly bear and his innocent child companion Boo Boo. It was so nice to see Yogi raise the young Boo Boo by himself in an unmarked cave in the privacy of the forest. It took a bit, but after an hour of ...more
Shoot-em-up games, or shmups, consist of lone or small groups of players shooting at and being shot at by hordes of colorful enemies. The genre is thought to have peaked in the mid-'90s, but recent games in the indie world may be saying otherwise. Geometry Wars and other twin- ...more
ANIMATED FEATURE: Thanks to Tom Berger for another animated movie review! Toy Story 3 finishes off the franchise that was started 15 years ago by Pixar's first feature length film, Toy Story. It's an unsurprisingly fitting end to a great series of films, maintaining all of t ...more
Yeah it's... that's a good movie there Thanks to Tom Berger for another animated movie review! Toy Story 3 finishes off the franchise that was started 15 years ago by Pixar's first feature length film, Toy Story. It's an unsurprisingly fitting end to a great series of films, ...more
If you've run out of time for all of our more time-consuming Halloween costume ideas, here are some places on the web for free, downloadable paper masks. There must be at least 100 options among these links to satisfy your last-minute costume needs! Just download, print, and c ...more
The Xbox 360 is America's video game system. It was designed in America, it has better market share in America than anywhere else, and it has the most overtly macho game catalog of any console. For many Xbox fanboys, gaming heaven is shooting hordes of really well-animated thi ...more
Need to make your avatar a little sexier? Photoshop can help. What you need is a cool corset texture for your IMVU character. It's pretty simple to make, you just need a little Photoshop skills. IMVU is a 3D avatar chat, instant messenger, and dress up game. Chat in 3D, hang ...more
Cases and stickers are always great, but they aren't the only way to customize an iPhone. The software on your device is full of customization options, from a better-looking home screen and cooler lock screen wallpapers to app icon changes and a system-wide dark mode. There's ...more
Contrary to popular belief, augmented reality apps have been available for a while now. I remember using the Layar app (still available for iOS and Android) to explore nearby businesses and landmarks with varying success via an early-generation Android handset. It would be ha ...more
In a world where augmented reality is becoming the hero of the movie marketing, Universal Studios has decided to use the technology to reinvent the traditional movie trailer, a time-tested tactic of film promotion, in support of the forthcoming Robert Zemeckis film, Welcome to ...more
If you've ever been inspired to try out 3D modeling after enjoying computer-generated imagery in video games and movies, chances are you've checked out an paid applications like 3ds Max (previously called 3D Studio Max), or even free ones like Blender, then just went "No Way! ...more
There's something special about Laika Inc.'s Paranorman... Hey! Did you love Coraline? Are you interested at all in stop-motion animation? Well, watch this feature on Laika Inc.’s new film, Paranorman. Holy freakin’ cow, amirite? Let alone the fact that we now live in a world ...more
Last week at Mobile World Congress 2019, Google put an augmented reality twist on its annual Android Partner Walk via its ARCore toolkit. For the uninitiated, the Android Partner Walk is a scavenger hunt for collector's pins hidden through the MWC's exhibition halls. The game ...more
For its latest augmented reality trick, Snapchat has brought the world an AR Lens that has become a bit of a viral hit on Twitter as users turn themselves and their favorite movie stars into characters out of a Pixar movie. According to a Snap spokesperson, more than 215 mill ...more
HTC is entering the augmented reality market through the back door by giving developers access to the stereo front-facing cameras on the Vive and Vive Pro VR headsets. The company announced on Wednesday, April 11, an update to the OpenVR camera API that will enable developers ...more
With its new Sponsored Lens debuting on Snapchat on Friday, McDonald's is attempting to give potential customers a virtual pick-me-up. The promotion features a 3D Bitmoji, an animated avatar crafted in the user's likeness. That character sneaks a slurp from the super-sized vi ...more
After joining Google and Huawei in underwriting the UW Reality Lab at the University of Washington in January, it appears Facebook is already seeing a return on its donation. According to results published earlier this month through Cornell University's arXiv service in a pap ...more
While numerous examples exist of hospitals deploying the HoloLens to assist doctors, surgeons, medical professionals, and students while treating patients, California's Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford is actually using the augmented reality headset to improve the p ...more
It's not an official app, but for fans of Rick and Morty, it's a welcome piece of the series' universe until the recently renewed animated show returns to Adult Swim. Created by New York-based filmmaker Gabe Jacobs, the short experience is designed to be viewed via Snapchat a ...more
We knew it was coming, it was just a matter of when. Apple has just announced iOS 11.3, a new update for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch, and it will include a brand-new set of Animoji for the iPhone X. The animated Animoji, powered by the TrueDepth camera on the iPhone X, have ...more
Amazon Web Services (AWS) opened its re:INVENT developers expo with a bang by launching Amazon Sumerian, a new tool that could become the dominant platform for building cross-platform augmented and virtual reality applications. Available now as a preview, Amazon Sumerian is a ...more
Filmed in what appears to be a single continuous shot, war film 1917 is now the front-runner to conquer the Best Picture category of the Academy Awards after bringing home the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture in the drama category. To commemorate the occasion, film buffs ...more
After several iterations of the product, Snap is focused on making sure the world knows that its smartglasses can be fashionable. This week, during a private event at Art Basel Miami Beach 2019, Snapchat's parent company pulled the curtain up on its limited-edition Spectacles ...more
Owners of Google Pixel devices now have a plethora of imaginary friends to play with thanks to the Playground augmented reality app. The app, a rebrand of the AR Stickers app, launched as an exclusive app for the Google Pixel 3 and 3XL handsets in October. On Wednesday, Googl ...more
Sony Pictures has tapped the powers of augmented reality as provided by startup 8th Wall & the Amazon Sumerian development platform to help it promote the latest motion picture manifestation of Spider-Man. On Monday, the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse mobile web AR experie ...more
The landscape for mobile augmented reality apps is still mostly filled with utility and gaming apps, but a new entrant into the space is looking to pull children into the mix. A just-released iOS app called Bookful takes classic children's stories usually found in large-sized ...more
Riding the coattails of one of the biggest movies this year, the first edition of the new Moviebill augmented reality magazine will be available at Regal Cinema theaters nationwide this weekend alongside the release Avengers: Infinity War. Moviegoers will be able to scan the ...more
With the heavily anticipated installment of the God of War game series arriving on April 20, PlayStation has taken the opportunity to make its first foray into mobile augmented reality with a companion app. God of War: Mimir's Vision, available now for free on the App Store a ...more
What's black and white, sounds like actress Kristen Bell, and is standing in your living room talking to your kids right now? Don't worry, that's just Genius the Panda, an augmented reality character from the Yakables app for iPhones and iPads. Using ARKit to place the animat ...more