Wow! A very cool plugin that just came on to my radar is 3dCutout 1.5, which allows you to make Flash-like cut out animation in Autodesk 3D Studio Max. It’s  a pretty interesting tool and while I have yet to try it myself, from the video above it seems fairly straight forward. Basically you create art in Photoshop or your art program of choice (that has layers), set parameters, build a rig and it gives you IK bones that let you pose a character similar to Flash but with a lot more tools at your disposal, including of course a 3D camera as well as an auto key feature. It even has asset management. Harmony does a fair amount of these features as well but I would argue that it’s a bit more limiting since Max also has particle effects as well as compositing tools, plus it includes a MUCH more robust user base than Harmony.
At only$250 it’s not a bad price to pay, plus with Autodesk having subscription options, it might just be the sorely needed Flash killer people have sought after for decades since Adobe routinely ignores all requests from animators to add features catered to us.
Tony Ross of tonyteach.com here, and we’ve been working on this since April, but we will finally be releasing our new Toon Boom training, Character Animation in Toon Boom Animate 3, on Wednesday September 10. Â This is probably the strongest, most in-depth Toon Boom title tonyteach has released to date, and it covers everything from a basic intro, to completing a short animated scene!
Learn ToonBoom Animate 3 in the most Easy way with this Step by Step Video Course!http://bit.ly/1vNpCS0
Though this course is for Toon Boom Animate 3, a majority of the tutorials work for version 2 as well. In addition, there is a BONUS section covering the Animate 3 Pro version.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, June 26, 2014 ACCLAIMED ANIMATOR GLEN KEANE DEBUTS NEW SHORT FILM PROJECT, “DUET,” AT GOOGLE I/O CONFERENCE A celebration of life through the hand-drawn line, DUET is the latest in a series of Google ATAP’s Spotlight Stories, interactive short films made exclusively for mobile devices Acclaimed animator Glen Keane unveiled a first look at his latest and most personal project to date, DUET, as part of a special ATAP (Advanced Technology and Projects) Session this morning at the Google I/O Conference in San Francisco, California. Presented together with Regina Dugan, who leads the ATAP group, Glen gave a live demonstration and talk through the creative process behind DUET. The public can view the entire presentation via YouTube here… Animated in its entirety and directed by Glen Keane (former Disney animator and creator of such beloved characters as Ariel, Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Tarzan and Rapunzel), DUET tells the story of Mia and Tosh and how their individual paths in life weave together to create an inspired duet. The unique, interactive nature of the story allows the viewer to seamlessly follow the journey of either of the two characters from birth to adulthood. DUET is the third in a series of Spotlight Stories, which is a new way of telling stories on mobile devices. The stories blend world-class artistry with innovative rendering and interaction technology for mobile to create a new canvas for the next generation of storytelling. DUET is the first traditionally animated, hand-drawn film to debut as a Spotlight Story. The film offers a glimpse into what’s possible on mobile devices, a rich, modern canvas for creative expression and immersive works of art and technology. DUET will officially launch later this year and will be available on all capable devices with proper hardware capabilities and OS version higher than Android 4.2.
The Duet short start’s at 1:15:08 so be sure to check that out too!
ABOUT GLEN KEANE AND GLEN KEANE PRODUCTIONS
A 38-year veteran of Walt Disney Feature Animation, Glen Keane is most noted for creating and animating such legendary Disney characters as Ariel in “The Little Mermaidâ€, Aladdin, Pocahontas, the Beast from “Beauty and the Beastâ€, and Tarzan. Glen also served as Supervising Animator and Executive Producer on Disney’s 2010 box office hit, “Tangled”. In the spring of 2012, Glen decided to leave Disney Studios in pursuit of further artistic exploration. In his departure letter he stated: “I am convinced that animation really is the ultimate art form of our time with endless new territories to explore. I can’t resist its siren call to step out and discover them.” In 2013, he launched Glen Keane Productions to pursue his personal projects.
ABOUT ATAP ATAP is a small band of makers and believers charged with breakthrough innovations in mobile computing and accelerating the development of promising technologies to market. PUBLICITY CONTACT: Fumi Kitahara, the pr kitchen fumi@theprkitchen.com 310-291-9716
Big news in animation today as DreamWorks TV has just launched it’s channel on Youtube. I see this as a big thing for a number of reasons. One, in that studios are beginning to bypass networks with their fickle preferences and long development schedules, and two they’re now developing their own programing which translates to more work for animators and artists in our business simply because some one has to MAKE that content. There are a number of animated pieces up there now including four new animated short series.
Jimmy Blue Shorts; created by Zachary Aufdemberg.
Talking Gorillas; about a trio of gorillas that wreak havoc on their wildlife preserve
Incidentally we interviewed the creator Ron Yavnielli recently here on Animation Insider.
The Report Card; News for Kids created by Jimbo Mattinson.
Finally there are a large number of clips from How to Train Your Dragon, Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, Puss In Boots and many other DreamWorks IP’s and I imaigne there will be more from their newer films as time goes on.
All in all, I think this will be a spot for the animation community to watch. Check it out!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, June 26, 2014 ACCLAIMED ANIMATOR GLEN KEANE DEBUTS NEW SHORT FILM PROJECT, “DUET,” AT GOOGLE I/O CONFERENCE A celebration of life through the hand-drawn line, DUET is the latest in a series of Google ATAP’s Spotlight Stories, interactive short films made exclusively for mobile devices 
