3D Animation Production Pipeline for Animation Students!

This is really very important stage where every animation student becomes confuse that how to plan workflow of their first demo or animation showreel, how to design pipeline for making of their showreel? For animation planning is very important factor, it saves you lot to being stuck in the middle of work and proves to be great time and money saver. Give time to yourself choose a topic, make short story on which you want to make a short movie or clip, it may be anything comedy, Love, Romance, mystery, ad, social awareness, or just a short of few second whatever you like. Once you got a topic discuss it about in your friend circle, with your family member and listen their opinion about it they might give you few great idea. Then make a note of it. Then write a story in brief what it is about and when you satisfied with it write a script for it. Now you half done.

Ok so here's the next move to make a workflow for it. In your comp make a folder with name of your movie or making of my showreel, then inside that folder make three folder

One for Preproduction
Second for production and
Third for post production

Ok now in first folder of preproduction make few other folder with name

(i) Script - Put your script copy in this folder
(ii) Storyboard - In this folder put your all storyboard related stuff
(iii) Reference image - Put in this folder your all reference images what you have collected from various source
(iv) Reference Video - Reserve this folder for your reference video clip
(v) Reference Sound Clip - In this folder put your sound clip if you have any in your movie

Now in second folder of production make few other foder with the name

(i) Modeling - For all modling stuff
(ii) Texturing - All textured model
(iii) Lighting - Lighting progress
(iv) Rigging - For rigged model
(v) Animation - You know what to keep in it
(vi) Dynamic - Reserve this folder for cloth simulation, hair and fur etc.

And here's the final Folder Post Production

(i) Rendered Clip - For rendered clip
(ii) Compositing - Do keep in it compositing stuff
(iii) Polishing - Keep this folder for any fine tuning work which you might use later on in post production
(iv) Final Movie - This folder is for your final short which is ready to watch

One last but not least save your work in version style for better understanding and avoid any file corruption or any wortst thing that may occur any time by any reason (like abc_v1, abc_v2 and so on) and don't forget to do maintain backup of your work in any external device or CD or DVD don't rely on your computer ever because it might get you in trouble anytime like hard disk failure, virus, malware or any worst thing so be smart and you'll never loose your work.

Here's the simplified production pipeline
1 PREPRODUCTION
(a) Script
(b) Storyboard
(c) Reference image
(d) Reference Video
(e) Reference sound clip

2 PRODUCTION
(a) Modeling
(b) Texturing
(c) Lighting
(d) Rigging
(e) Animation
(f) Dynamic

3 POST PRODUCTION
(a) Rendered Clip
(b) Compositing
(c) Polishing
(d) Final Movie

Solve:Mental ray rendering problem of Maya !

Nowadays a number of new Maya users are suffering from a tipical problem of mental ray on their computers. The problem is when they try to render any scene in Maya they suddenly get that their mental ray is disappeared from rendering menu and they dont' know how to enable it or get rid of this problem? Sometimes they think that may be there is something wrong with their Maya or their comp or bla bla bla, so here is the SIMPLE SOLUTION/ TIPS and TRICK for this issue...

First go into Maya's window menu
then settings and preferences
then plug-in manager
then in plug-in manager look for "Mayatomr.mll"

and enable the check mark "Loaded" and "Auto Load" and close the menu that's it you have done now!
Now everytime when you'll open your maya, Mental ray renderer will be enabled by deafult and whenever in future you find it disappeared just do the same which you have done recently and enjoy the Mental ray rendering.

Degree vs. Diploma in Animation!

Well this is the question which is itching in every youngsters mind and they spent lot of time in front of computer to find out the answer of this question. As far as animation is concern it solely depend upon the creativity, creativity, and creativity. Beside, it also seeks lot of hard work. Without these two things no one can survive in this industry. As far as animation is concern it is not only an art, it has become a great business now therefore except creativity one must poses good communication skills and present of mind.

Ok so here's our answer of this question...

In countries like U.S. or Canada animation education is more advance than any other countries and one can easily choose his or her option there. But in India animation is being known as a profession for past few years and here there are only few good institutions which are providing career oriented and professional level education in animation. They are being tied up with foreign colleges or universities for the accreditation of their courses or some of them are providing their UGC recognised degree or diploma with the help of Indian open Universities.

Ok so big question is what one should opt for? If we take this question in another way then it will be more helpful to give the answer of this question. Just think for a while if you are an employer and looking for a good artist or animator and you got two guys and both are good in work according to your requirement but one has a degree in animation and another one has a diploma in animation so which one you would prefer? Remember both have same talent except degree and diploma factor. I think you got my answer. Definitely doing degree course in animation is much better than diploma because one gets sufficient time for practical knowledge than doing diploma thing. In animation one can get specialisation in a number of thing like one can get specialisation in

(i) Character Animation
(ii) Rigging
(iii) Matte Painting
(iv) Lighting
(v) Story Boarding
(vi) Modelling
(vii) Texturing
(viii) Dynamic and Visual effects etc.

But remember later in your career it does not matter that from where you are? Which institution, college or university you belong and what you poses degree or diploma? The only thing that matter is how good you are in your job. The only thing that matter is how good you can do the stuff? How you can surprise the director, how you could make the audience believe in your thing that it's real and it's story telling. It is not fake, so left behind the battle between Degree or Diploma and be creative, be story teller!

Good luck!