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Google Sketchup
by bilbobaginz
Google SketchUp is 3D design software. This review is about using SketchUp in a professional manner, for the purpose of demonstrating internal/external layouts, colour schemes, materials, locations, and ultimately for helping to produce realistic renders of buildings. Clients and planning authorities are the target, for these are the ... people who need to know what a building will look like before it has been the constructed. Sketchup is free, easy to use, and contains all the tools necessary to be utilised in a proper Architectural practice. I have hence been using it regularly on my placement at an office in Newark to produce 3D mock-ups of various projects - large and small - before uploading snap-shots into a program called Shaderlight (rendering software) and making them look real!
Where to begin? Sketchup is extremely simple and easy to use. When you load it up, you are greeted by a colourful interface of memorable and eventually recognisable icons which when pressed perform different actions. As you would expect, there are icons for drawing lines, producing shapes, colouring objects, measuring dimensions, and creating text. But there are also icons for moving, extending, pushing, pulling, and generally altering things you have already created. The software has a level of understanding - guessing (almost) the places you want to draw things by snapping to edges of existing lines and highlighting parallel pathways - and the understanding (though irritating at times) seems natural to anyone using SketchUp for the first time.
The way you move around/negotiate what you have created within the virtual space/zone with which you are able to create is also very straight-forward. Icons are there within the interface: 'Orbit' allows you to twist around where you click at the radius you're currently at, whilst 'Pan' lets you move up, down, left, right on a set plain within the space. What's great about SketchUp is that it also utilises keyboard and mouse short-cuts which makes it quicker to draft and move around - for instance, when pressing in the middle mouse button, the 'Orbit' action to activated. These short-cuts are inter-changeable in the options.
What I love about the interface, the controls and the icons is their simplicity, and just how easy you'll find it to open up the software and get started without the need to hesitate and work things out. At times it can feel like a game, and it's how detailed and complex you make things that determines the level of difficulty within the game. The heavier you go, the better your model will look and the better output you'll receive - especially after rendering (something I'll explain later).
Detail can be added to your 3D model (produced using the simple tools above) by utilising some of the more complex tools which follow:
TEXTURES/COLOURS: Found within the 'paint bucket' icon is a catalogue of 2D fills which you can apply to flat surfaces within the model. From brickwork to timber, vegetation and metal, everything is covered, and more is downloadable. The fills you select can also be altered manually, the tones and crispness for example, can be changed to suit your particular opinion.
LAYERS: One way to help better organise your model and therefore add greater detail by quickly determining what is what and what needs to be altered, is through building up a network of layers. You can assign certain parts of your model to different key words, and then those key words can be de-activated, and the part of your model classed under them temporarily hidden. This also helps to speed up your computer when the model is becoming cluttered and the computer doesn't have to load them at all.
COMPONENTS: Grouping lines, surfaces, or even whole models into their own component entity allows you to move that now singular item around within the model without interfering with other pieces. You can double click any component and edit it within its own bubble easily. I recommend having every individual section of your overall model as components.
SHADOW SETTINGS: SketchUp has its own shadow package which gives items a silhouette. This silhouette can be altered depending on the time of day you wish to create, or the interior lighting effect you wish to mimic. The shadow settings menu is useful when trying to get your renders picture perfect.
If you go to File, 3D Warehouse, you'll find one of SketchUp's best features. Anything and everything you create can be uploaded to the 3D warehouse network containing the works of all other SketchUp users. Anything and everything you find within that network can be imported (free of charge) into your model and used freely within your space. What's great about this, is the fact it saves you (and everyone else) tonnes and tonnes of time. Using the search bar you type what you're looking for, i.e. 'Small Plant', and with the power of Google's own search engine mastery thousands of 3D items will appear for your choosing. Using SketchUp ion the office, I haven't hesitated, I've imported lots, and I don't feel I've cheated.
One final thing I want to talk about is Rendering. Rendering involves taking (effectively) a screen-shot of your model from the angle you require, uploading it into separate software - and there are many plug-in rendering softwares for SketchUp - altering some settings, adding in lights, surface changes, etc, and letting the software do the rest. The outcome (if the necessary tweaking has been successful) procures a realistic representation of your model - all shiny and real looking - for your client to ponder over. Shaderlight is the plug-in software I use, and I recommend it thoroughly.
SketchUp ISN'T PERFECT. When you start working on comlex models, often you'll alter a line and that will in turn alter another line somewhere behind, and this line will remain in the wrong place until 20 minutes later when you suddenly realise and have to Ctrl Z (undo) fifty times, losing all the work you've completed since!!! Models can start behaving strangely as your machine starts to struggle to cope with the memory level and things can appear odd and out of place. The best advice to combat this is save as often as you can, and set up a regular auto-save function (even though it lags your PC for a second every time it saves) because losing hours of work is NOT fun!
In general, I love SketchUp. When it starts messing up it is usually down to human error, as of course, the program its self is sound. Computers can struggle with the memory load, but this is something you just have to accept and try to work through. There is an unlimited possibility of things you can create with SketchUp, and it easy and fun to do so, that's the bottom line with this product. Oh, and it's free! So give it a go I highly recommend it!
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Autodesk Maya 2012
by MarcoG
Maya is a commonly used piece of software in the Computer Graphics, Film, TV and Games industry. It can do a lot of things. It is primarily used to create 3D objects in a virtual space. It can also be used for animations. Regarded as "the" piece of software to get your head round and master, in order to get on and be successful ... in the industry.
Every year the software gets rereleased and updated, I'm currently using 2012, but 2013 is already being used and absorbed by users and studios across the world. From what I can gather, updates can be subtle and things could be changed based on user feedback. I've been shown work from 2008 and it looks very, very different to my 2012 edition. So each edition, stands alone.
I've been used Maya for 2 months now (the software is named after the god Maya - creature of creation and beauty), and I'm only just scratching the surface, in finding out what this amazing piece of computer invention can do. I would guarantee that something you've seen on today was created using Maya.
This kit is incredibly advanced and I marvel at the multitude of things it can do. One of the things I've learned is that there are lots of different ways to do the same thing! The software has a lot of hot keys and shortcuts, as well as menus containing the same capabilities, as well as the same method for doing the same thing can be found in another area of the programme. There doesn't seem to be a absolutely correct way to do something, it's really down to the individual and what works for them. Only thing to remember is, always reset your settings for every tool you use.
The downside to Maya is that it crashes a LOT - we're constantly taught the mantra "save save save"... if you don't you stand to lose a lot of hard work, which of course can be devastating. Maya is buggy and can just crash on you, for no rhyme or reason, which is incredibly annoying, but you can easily forgive this downfall because its capabilities are so immense.
There is a lot of support to help users of Maya. Forums galore. As well as the trusty F1 button which will lead you to the interactive help menus. An invaluable resource and I can't imagine anyone would be very adept at using Maya without it. It's near on essential.
The layout and functions, after some getting used, are pretty intuitive. The look of it is rather industrial, lots of blacks and grey (as you may assume from their dragon like, black and grey logo). You might this this is a bit chic and trendy, and somewhat style over substance, but it's incredibly useful - chances are what you are creating uses more than just shades of grey, so your work stands out and can easily see what you are modelling or animating.
To get the most out of Maya, I would imagine you would have to be taught how to use it by an expert, unless you have the patience of a saint and are prepared to put in hours of work and research to teach yourself...which technically you can as there are videos all over the web that will show you tutorials (I have a few links on my blog, if you're keen to do this, link below, might be helpful, might not). The other question of course, is actually getting the software. If you're enrolled at a college learning how to use it, you can get a free student license with Autodesk, otherwise you could look to pay in the region of £3000 for the software (now, when you get over the shock of the price, go and clean your screen after spitting out your tea everywhere).
If you're looking to get into 3D computer graphic modelling and manipulation, this is the software to use. Of course there are plenty of other programmes the industry uses too, but in the world is CG, knowing and being able to use Maya is like being able to use PowerPoint in a regular office. It's not absolutely essentially but it's a definite advantage!
I've been thoroughly impressed so far with how it looks, and more importantly how it works, and would recommend it to any would-be 3D computer graphics professional.
© MarcoG 2012
**Written for the Dooyoo Triathlon competition**
p.s. You can also find my blog, about becoming an animator, and see some of the work I've done on Maya here: http://becominga3danimator.blogspot.co.uk (don't forget to say hi, when you visit)
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Claymation Studio 3.0 Deluxe
by broxi3781
After watching a number of stop motion videos on You -tube, including some from dooyoo member Michelle's son, we decided to give stop motion a try ourselves. Michelle did mention we could do this only with windows movie maker - but I'm not sure if we even have that, or how to get it. We decided to go for a programme specifically made for ... young children in the hopes that if I could not figure it out - my 7 year old could. I am not very technical, and often struggle with computer programmes and such so we wanted something very simple. After a bit of research I determined that we needed a web cam, and a software programme. There are a few packages designed for this purposes. We chose this one because at £29.99 from Maplin it was one of the least expensive options, and the children liked the dog shaped camera.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX?
Dog shaped web cam
Software cd
A very short usb cable
WHAT'S NOT IN THE BOX?
There is no microphone, and the webcam does not have sound capabilities. If you wish your movies to have sound, you will need a separate microphone. You will also need subjects, but this can be anything from children's toys to a piece of fruit with google eyes and a mouth drawn on, or a bit of plasticine shaped into anything you like. You may want to create background scenes or pictures as well. If I were buying this as a gift, I think I would consider a package of googly eyes, and a bit of plasticine as well. I would also note that there really isn't much in the way of instructions. I ended up buying The Klutz Book of Animation, which I feel would be the perfect addition to this set.
GETTING STARTED
We wanted something simple, and thankfully that is just what we got with this set. The dog camera is plug and play, there was no set up required, the cd loaded easily and we were ready to shoot in no time. The programme is easy to use and we had no problems figuring out how to work the various functions. You can choose how many frames per second you wish from 1 fps to 70 fps. The higher the number, the smoother and more professional your movie will look, but the longer it will take. We chose 7 fps, which gave us a reasonably decent flow, and ended up taking us an hour to shoot 17 seconds worth of film.
PROBLEMS
I did have to dig out another usb cable to get started. I'm afraid I tossed the one that came in the box into my cable box, and I am now not sure which one it is, but it was far to short to film anything. It would not reach from the computer to the table, and I did not fancy having to crawl about on the floor to arrange the set a few inches from our pc. If you are buying this as a gift, to want to be sure it can be used right away, please take a look at the cable and see if you think you can make do with this. I would recommend just buying another cable at the same time unless you have spares at home.
We were not able to try sound as we don't have a microphone yet. This isn't a major issue as we haven't been able to record a long enough film to bother with sound yet. This is obviously going to take a lot of time and effort to produce anything long enough to really enjoy watching, but we are planning to keep at it. My son has a good idea for a film "Pants ( as in underpants) vs Zombies".
I was also disappointed that the software did not include any ready made back grounds. I really think this would have been easy enough for them to include and would have added a great deal to amateur productions.
OVERALL
We have a few minor issues with this, but overall this was just what we were looking for. A very simple, easy to use programme for beginners. My sons really did love this, and they do want to try more films. I was disappointed in how much time it took to create such a very short film, but that isn't the fault of the programme, it is just our own inexperience, and the fact that stop motion is a much more time consuming process than I first thought.
I do think this set is very educational. It teaches children the basics of how many of their favourite programmes have been made and it certainly encourages creativity. It is a wonderful way to spend a rainy day. It is a bit expensive in my opinion. Maplin's price on this is the lowest anywhere, and I spent hours searching. It is still £29.99 with them, but will cost more if you require delivery. Amazon is £39.99 including postage. That said a lot of toys are expensive now, and at least this is something that I feel will get years of use.
ROBODOG
The small dog shaped camera is intended as a gimmick, but it is so popular in our house, I felt it deserves it's own section. It is of course, just a glorified web cam, and likely not the best one at that. I did read a professional review before buying this The reviewers felt the image quality was not up to scratch, at least not by their standards. They used their own cameras instead ( you can use any web cam with this product), but they felt the image quality would be fine for younger users.I don't think I qualify as younger anymore, but it suited me just fine. True we weren't trying anything advanced and we were not looking for studio quality images. While you really don't need the dog - it is quite adequate for children's films, and it does make everything more fun.
My youngest son immediately named the camera "Robodog" and you'd think the poor child never had a real pet the way he took to this. Robodog has been trailed all over the place, gone on holiday and once ended up under the covers kicked down tot he bottom of my bed. Robodog has poseable legs and neck, which is intended to allow you to position him just right for your shots. In our house, this feature is used more often to make him sit at the edge of the bed for story time, or run about with his new best friend Yoshi. I am quite certain the manufacturers did not anticipate this camera being used quite so extensively as a toy, but it has held up perfectly and still looks as good as new.
RATING
My sons both say this should get 5 stars. I did consider knocking it down one for the short usb cable, but this is a minor issue and easily corrected so I am going to go ahead and give this the full five stars. And if and when the children ever out grow this, Robodog will still have a place on my computer desk :) A robodog is for life after all.
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