Ammo Previz (aka Antics3D user Tony Bannan) runs a great Antics3D community blog over at antics3d.blogspot.com. But then, you already know that as his blog is amazingly popular amongst Antics3D users; it’s just passed through the 10,000 views mark
With articles on all things previz and some great tips and tricks the blog is essential reading for anyone with a copy of Antics3D.
It’s packed with detailed how-to articles that are always a great read, such as this recent post which shows us how to get our characters jumping. You’ll also find extremely useful techniques on how to achieve particular effects in Antics3D; who would have thought to use windows to make a bullet hole effect in a wall?
If you’ve read one of Tony’s recent articles on this very blog, such as the SketchUp masterclass, then you’ll know what to expect. So congratulations to the Antics Community Blog, here’s to the next 10,000!
For those of you that have read the Antics tutorial in this month’s PC Plus magazine, and installed the free copy from the cover disk, there are several new features that we would like to draw your attention to.
The article mentions Antics ability to import .3ds, .fbx and .bvh files, but did you know that Antics V3.1 also enables you to import models from Google SketchUp? So if there’s a model you need you can create it yourself in the free version of SketchUp and import it into your Antics scene.
If you’re not feeling so creative then you can simply browse the thousands of free models on the Google 3D Warehouse. Go to File > Google 3D Warehouse in Antics and search for the models you need, then drop them straight into your Antics scene.
You can then set about animating those models if required. There’s a wealth of how-to’s and tutorials in the Google SketchUp Tips and Tricks section of our forum.
Check out this mech that was imported from SketchUp and animated in Antics:
There’s a step-by-step guide of how that was created over on the forum
As you’re new to Antics, I can thoroughly recommend our range of video tutorials. They cover every subject in Antics from getting started and building your first set, through importing content and directing your action, right up to rendering out your final movie. Whatever area you’re working on, there’s sure to be a video tutorial to guide you through.
Finally, the version of Antics you have installed from the cover disk is our V3.1 BasePack. All BasePack users are entitled to download our free Starter content pack. This contains hundreds of models including characters and a variety of props to get you started, including the doors and windows mentioned in the PC Plus article.
You can download the pack from our store here. All you need to do to get the pack is register on our community forum, then post in this thread to let us know you want the pack so we can enable the free download for you.
If you have any questions you can be sure of a warm welcome on the forum!
We’ve added a great new Google SketchUp Tip & Trick on the Antics forum that steps you through configuring a Google SketchUp car model imported from the Google 3D Warehouse for interactive use in Antics. Check out the step by step tutorial HERE complete with animated screen captures.
Robert’s “outside of the box” thinking allows you to “rig” the the SketchUp car so that it can be utilized via point and click — the same way an Antics character would interact with an Antics car.
Have a look at the end result below, wheels spinning and all:
There’s a fascinating post over on the Zarathustra forum which discusses the new term ‘anymation’.
This is the concept that we should recognise that we use a number of different tools to get the job done. Some purists would argue that true Machinima can only be produced within the environment of a single game engine. However I believe that may limit creativity and you should use as many tools as you need. Take the path of least resistance – if there’s a tool that will do the job, why not embrace it?
I agree with the ethos of anymation – use any available tool to achieve the effect you want. There are thousands of users out there right now using Antics as one step on their journey to produce their vision in video. You might create your models in Google SketchUp, bring them to life in Antics, then add some polish in After Effects. Anymation in action
It’s great to be witness to the birth of a new concept! But do you agree with the anymation concept? Are there any benefits in confining your workflow to one or two pieces of software? Share your thoughts on the subject with the Antics community.
The guys at SketchUp have just posted an article on their blog about the new .skp import and Google 3D Warehouse support in Antics.
As many Antics users will be trying SketchUp for the first time I thought we should return the favour If you’re looking to make the most of SketchUp then be sure to check out the Tips and Tricks category of their blog as well as their forum (where you will find some threads discussing Antics already). SketchUp offer a free and pro version, like we do with Antics, so it’s well worth adding to your software armoury.
If you’re completely new to this, SketchUp is a very cool piece of software that lets you create and modify your own 3D models. As the name suggests, it’s as easy as sketching out the model you want, then manipulating it to make it 3D. You can have simple props ready in minutes, and then share them on the Google 3D Warehouse, and of course import them into Antics for use in your scenes.
Here’s a quick introductory video on how easy SketchUp is to use:
If you’ve upgraded to Antics V3.1 then you will be getting familiar with the new native Google SketchUp and Google 3D Warehouse import features. If you haven’t already, have a look at the new Google SketchUp Tips & Tricks section in the forum.
Many of you will want to take advantage of the ability to import .skp content from the massive Google 3d Warehouse (available from File > Google 3d Warehouse in Antics), but keep in mind that most of these tricks are relevant to models imported from the .3ds and .fbx format, as well.
The big news in V3.1 is that we’ve added the ability to import Google SketchUp models. You could already import .3ds, .bvh and .fbx files, but now a massive amount of SketchUp modeled content is available to you.
To make things even easier, we have seamlessly integrated Google 3D Warehouse to allow you to easily download your pick of thousands of free models and drop them straight into your Antics set.
Watch this short video to find out more about V3.1. and how easy it is to bring SketchUp models into your workflow.
If you’re already using Antics V3 then the good news is that you can upgrade to V3.1 with a simple, free, patch. Our support team will be in touch with you by email very soon giving you details of where you can find the patch and how to install it.
If you’re not already using Antics, or have a version prior to V3, then take this opportunity to download our FREE, fully featured, BasePack. Alternatively go for the content rich ProPack with additional support levels and 3DS Max importer for a discounted price.
Choose the package that suits you over in our store.
Many thanks to everyone in the growing Antics community. You’ve given us great feedback, and some great videos, since we launched V3 which have helped us shape V3.1. Keep the feedback coming, we love to hear from you!
Antics offers powerful import capabilities, allowing you to bring in models and animations in .3ds, .fbx, .bvh, and .skp formats. As your library of custom content grows it becomes more important to organise it properly so you can find the piece of content that you need quickly and easily.
The Antics Content Viewer is great for browsing the default Antics content, however it is currently read-only. This means that you cannot use it to browse for any of the content you may have imported.
To access previously imported content, you can use the powerful Antics Project Browser that allows you to bring assets from other Antics projects into your current project.
So, if you save all your imported content in one or two Antics projects then you can use those projects as content libraries, and browse through them using the Project Browser.
Posted by gcon 
Posted by gcon 
Posted by bradkolacinski 
