Forum - Competitions, Events & News - Minimaker....New Digimania Product - Messages

Message from ziggy72

Tue, 14 Jun 2016 14:34:38 GMT

Yeah, there's only so far you can go with the inbuilt stuff before you have to start importing. I lasted exactly one video - my first is made of 100% Muvizu, the rest aren't (increasingly so!).

Message from alquimista

Tue, 14 Jun 2016 11:08:06 GMT

Yup, the mounds and hills here are spoiling the feel. I´m just using the generic stuff. Actually it´s part of the challenge for me here... how to create a set that looks interesting using nothing but the standart things. The background I´ll adjust it at the end. I´m at the experimenting phase now.
I plan to import some models maybe, when I have the time to do them...time is my worst enemy here right now.

Message from MrDrWho13

Tue, 14 Jun 2016 07:00:50 GMT

If you want to avoid the stretch of the background image, use a backdrop instead of the sky dome. (Maybe the curved or super wide would be best for this)
That lighting looks pretty good so far!

On a slightly different note, if you want to showcase your work in progress, post in this thread to build up some hype and get some feedback.
http://www.muvizu.com/forum/topic5397-coming-soon-2016.aspx
I think we will need to make one every year because this is already starting to get unwieldy!
edited by MrDrWho13 on 14/06/2016

Message from PatMarrNC

Tue, 14 Jun 2016 02:51:55 GMT

urbanlamb wrote:

I probably should make a few more sets so many things to do so little time.. and its summer .. that time of year that I try not to sit in front of a pc 24/7

you've already made so many nice sets that you could afford to coast a while and spend the summer doing "outside stuff!"

We appreciate all that you have done already!

Message from urbanlamb

Tue, 14 Jun 2016 02:19:20 GMT

I probably should make a few more sets so many things to do so little time.. and its summer .. that time of year that I try not to sit in front of a pc 24/7

Message from ziggy72

Mon, 13 Jun 2016 23:46:32 GMT

Damn, but you can draw! Had a look at this http://www.icreateworlds.net/#!download-free-comics-fantasy-humor/dz87w...and was amazed. Excellent stuff. As for your movie, your framing looks great, but the Muvizu mounds are letting the shot down. Damn things are only good for extreeeeeeme distance Urbanland posted some great sets with nice craggy rock formations that would work better for you, I reckon. Have a look at this one and you'll see what I mean : http://www.muvizu.com/Set/23484/Road-To-Denver-or-some-other-place

Copying and pasting between sets is your best friend sometimes

Message from alquimista

Mon, 13 Jun 2016 23:12:10 GMT

Thanks for taking a peek at my illustration stuff.
I just got back to Muvizu, because I want to try to create a simple story I have in mind for years now and I think it will be a great way for me to explore the narrative potential out of the software. I´m building an alien planet set right now, using my own illustrations as background, so let´s see how this goes.

Here´s my alien planet on its first stage of completion. On the left the set, on the right, how it looks through a camera lens.

I´m running Muvizu on an IMac by the way. A 2012 IMac which I installed windows in it using the bootcamp thing. It took me months to get it done because for months on end I encountered dozens of problems (crappy windows copies I guess) and because I do not use a windows PC for many years now, I was unable to play more with Muvizu as I was actually hopping for a Mac version to come out.

Nevertheless I finally have it on my Mac. It runs fantastic although I keep having a problem with my muvizu registration as no matter how many times I activate it , it keeps sending me to the activation process a lot. I have no Idea why is this happening.

Message from PatMarrNC

Mon, 13 Jun 2016 17:58:24 GMT

Hi Alquimista!

I visited your site and I just LOVE your illustration style! I can see why you want to retain it in your animations!

And I agree that Muvizu is wonderful animation software and very easy to learn and use! I have several other packages, but I always use Muvizu because its my runaway favorite!

FWIW, there is a FACE MASK that can be used to add any photographic or drawn face to a muvizu character... have you tried using it to put one of your drawn faces on one of the potato heads?

Looking again at your work, I have to say that Anime Studio might be an even better match for you. Although it takes more effort to create a full-blown animation, Anime Studio would let you stay in the style of your graphics throughout the entire project. And your work is SO GOOD, I'd guess that would be the ideal scenario for showcasing your art.

By the way, when I came across Muvizu, I instantly thought it would be the perfect tool for me to create an animated version of my martian fantasy comics , but for that I needed to be able to model my own characters into it... http://www.icreateworlds.net/#!download-free-comics-fantasy-humor/dz87w
If that ever gets possible, for me Muvizu will be an endless pool of choices where I will have a ton of fun.

I think you are right... the ability to create truly customized characters is Muvizu's primary weakness, and if they ever overcome that obstacle, I think its usefulness will increase exponentially!

Whatever you decide, best of luck to you! You are a very talented artist!
edited by PatMarrNC on 13/06/2016
edited by PatMarrNC on 13/06/2016

Message from alquimista

Mon, 13 Jun 2016 16:11:31 GMT

Yup, my avatar is one of my characters. You can get a better idea of what I do if you check www.icreateworlds.net
Although nowadays I do a lot of 2d illustration, some years ago I also worked in 3d. In fact I started in 3D back in 1993 when 3d Studio was in DOS and came in 10 installation disketes. So you can see how far I go with this stuff.

Currently although I haven´t been doing much 3D for some years now, my software of choice for that is Blender, but the fact is that I don´t have time for that. Either I do illustration or I work in 3d and that is how Muvizu really sounded like the perfect tool for me and it would be perfect if it would allow me to let my own character creations in there to take advantage of the incredible "directing" concept this software has already.

Crazy Talk Animator I have considered to use it for sometime now. In fact for some clients I went between Muvizu and Crazy Talk but I think Muvizu is simply the best on what it does and so I presented my ideas based on the use of Muvizu, and because of the lack of freedom to build my own characters I didn´t got the projects. My clients loved Muvizu actually, and if it was not for that little detail I would be doing a lot of work based on it.

I could have taken their project and do it in Blender but as I said, if I did that I didn´t had time to illustrate. Muvizu so far is the only real good software that offered me some shortcuts which would allow me to rentabilize my time.

By the way, when I came across Muvizu, I instantly thought it would be the perfect tool for me to create an animated version of my martian fantasy comics , but for that I needed to be able to model my own characters into it... http://www.icreateworlds.net/#!download-free-comics-fantasy-humor/dz87w
If that ever gets possible, for me Muvizu will be an endless pool of choices where I will have a ton of fun.
edited by alquimista on 13/06/2016

Message from PatMarrNC

Mon, 13 Jun 2016 00:25:29 GMT

Alquimista,

have you looked at Reallusion's CrazyTalk Animator software? It might be a good fit for you. It shares some of Muvizu's ease of use by having pre-programmed actions that can be applied to characters. It is a 2D animation concept, based on drawings, so as an illustrator you can design your own characters and sets.

If you go to YouTube and search for Crazy Talk Animator, just watching the videos should give you an idea about whether or not it would be useful to you.

Be aware they have a related (but different) product named CRAZY TALK (without the "animator" ) and it is all about heads.

If you drew your avatar, I'd guess that your skills will give you an advantage in a 2D animation paradigm.

Message from alquimista

Sun, 12 Jun 2016 23:42:58 GMT

Well I was hoping that would be the case anyway...

I still love Muvizu and I really hope to see some progress on our freedom to add personal characters to it soon. Get this in and this software will be a complete masterpiece.
As an illustrator I get asked a lot to create characters. Sometimes I have clients that want little animations to present a product or something and muvizu is absolutely perfect in everything for that...except for the characters. The last thing clients want me to use is someone else´s style when they hire me to create original characters with my own style and if Muvizu will allow for more character creation in the future I think nothing will beat this.

Message from MrDrWho13

Sun, 12 Jun 2016 20:02:02 GMT

Sorry to crush your hopes and dreams but it looks like this software is not related to Muvizu in any way. Rather it is for designing characters to 3D print to get people interested in 3D printing. Render Digimania is another example of software from Muvizu's parent company that's not linked to Muvizu. Hopefully we'll get a character with attachment slots for every part in order to create our own characters in the near future, but for now we're stuck. Sorry about that. :/

Message from alquimista

Sun, 12 Jun 2016 19:21:06 GMT

I´m completely puzzled by this site...
What is this software for anyway ? Is there a demo to download ? There´s a link there but then anything you want to do within the website it asks you for a private developer login or something...
And it´s not clear what relation it has with muvizu...can we finally see something that allows us to design our own characters ?...

I´ve been trying to use muvizu commercially for some projects for months on end now. My clients love the feel of the organic animation, the potential of the software but then... i tell them they cannot have my own characters in there and they can only have animations featuring costumizable pre-made characters by muvizu and everyone gives up on me. I´ve been "fired" three times now for trying to use muvizu in my own illustration related projects with my clients for illustration based work.

I love the software, but it seems to be stuck in its potential until the time it allows from some serious individual creation from illustrators and or modellers when it comes to character uploading. If there is one thing that Muvizu should be focusing as an update for this program is in allowing us to -really- create our characters in there.

When I saw this Minimaker page it seemed like the answer to my prayers, but now im totally confused...no download link, nothing is clear on how minimaker relates to character creation for muvizu... i´m completely lost here and its about time we get more creative freedom for characters because this software is brilliant but it seems to be stuck until this chatacter creation is really adressed as an upgrade on of this days.

Message from ukBerty

Sat, 11 Jun 2016 07:35:18 GMT

I think this is a great idea for a bit of software. It says nothing about integration with Muvizu though. I would love to be able to export and 3D print characters.

Message from PatMarrNC

Sat, 11 Jun 2016 06:47:31 GMT

interesting... but I didn't see any info on how to buy it.

If it's possible to save the characters in one of the standard 3D formats, we could break them into pieces and animate them with keyframing

Message from jgourlay

Sat, 11 Jun 2016 06:12:52 GMT

Story about a new Digimania product called Minimaker for creating characters to print on 3D printers....imagine the possibilities if they had a way to export/import the characters created, on to a set of predefined animations in Muvizu....