GRAPHIC DESIGN ... And animation NEWBE..... want ADDVICE

[jazzygirrl07]

hello i am jazzygirrl i am looking into graphic design and /or animation career little bio about me i started drawing when i was 9yrs ... mostly cartoons and paper drawing i did some hs courses such as art 2-D , photography, digital design, web design i am looking for some addvice in what is a good but not to pricey graphic tablet and what type of pc i should get .... just to hear inputs on PEOPLE thats been in this feild ... or area ... also ... what are some things i should practice on or learn on my own free will ... like searching i like to research so ... i have been doing so but its good to get ideas and things from others that are doing it also i am going to be going to school soon hoping next year so let me know ... thanks .... i have looked at like vistablet and idk how well that it .... usely most of the shopping is done on newegg since bf is a gamer ... but ... he is going to build me a pc half workstation half gaming .... so any ideas on what he should get .. let me know thanks

[quickoldcar]

I'm not one to recommend any graphics tablets as I never used them. To me they cost way too much and prefer desktops.

3dmax,maya or blender(FREE) are pretty much 3 should be looking into for 3d and animation. Personally I use and prefer 3dmax. All 3 have a bit of different learning curves.

Of course you'll need some sort of photo software for editing and making backgrounds or textures. Photoshop, gimp(FREE) are 2 that a lot use. For this I'm sure many would agree photoshop is the best one. Can even paint directly to 3d's.

For some simpler easy image animations is plenty of programs around, JASC animation shop(20 bucks) I use a lot. Is usually bundled alongside paintshop (40 bucks) as well.

For the machine can go from expensive to way out of anyone's price range.

To get a half decent powerful graphics pc, an intel i7, 6 or 12 gig memory using the tri-channel kits. A powerful gaming video card, many just use the better gaming cards.
The quaddro's seem too pricey to me, and they can't even play games well if wanted this option.

You can go way out and build a workstation, like a dual xeon quad, 3 tesla's that support cuda technology and a quaddro all in the same machine.

Or my personal favorite would be this.
YouTube - (HD) ASUS P6T7 WS Supercomputer Motherboard

Above that would be the evga classified boards.
EVGA | EVGA X58 Classified Edition | EVGA X58 Classified Edition

I seriously doubt you are gonna need all this power, just allow time for rendering and build a cheaper i7 in something like an asus x58 chipset motherboard. And video cards you can afford.

Last advice I would have is if use the popular applications, you also get the wealth of information,help and tutorials others have posted on the net.

[quickoldcar]

I wanted to add something else, if you also learned some javascript, maybe even flash. It could advance your career as you can then insert your animations, photo galleries or whatever else you do into customers websites.

Because I already saw you do 2-d and website design, I'm gonna assume this is the route you are taking.

Everyone can use these applications, very few can actually make nice things with it, do them in a timely efficient manner, or even complete the job.

[ShyguyXPC]

I'm not one to recommend any graphics tablets as I never used them. To me they cost way too much and prefer desktops.

3dmax,maya or blender(FREE) are pretty much 3 should be looking into for 3d and animation. Personally I use and prefer 3dmax. All 3 have a bit of different learning curves.

Of course you'll need some sort of photo software for editing and making backgrounds or textures. Photoshop, gimp(FREE) are 2 that a lot use. For this I'm sure many would agree photoshop is the best one. Can even paint directly to 3d's.

For some simpler easy image animations is plenty of programs around, JASC animation shop(20 bucks) I use a lot. Is usually bundled alongside paintshop (40 bucks) as well.

For the machine can go from expensive to way out of anyone's price range.

To get a half decent powerful graphics pc, an intel i7, 6 or 12 gig memory using the tri-channel kits. A powerful gaming video card, many just use the better gaming cards.
The quaddro's seem too pricey to me, and they can't even play games well if wanted this option.

You can go way out and build a workstation, like a dual xeon quad, 3 tesla's that support cuda technology and a quaddro all in the same machine.

Or my personal favorite would be this.
YouTube - (HD) ASUS P6T7 WS Supercomputer Motherboard

Above that would be the evga classified boards.
EVGA | EVGA X58 Classified Edition | EVGA X58 Classified Edition

I seriously doubt you are gonna need all this power, just allow time for rendering and build a cheaper i7 in something like an asus x58 chipset motherboard. And video cards you can afford.

Last advice I would have is if use the popular applications, you also get the wealth of information,help and tutorials others have posted on the net.

assuming the software supports GPU Final Rendering, 3DS Max should, if not then some of its many Plugins could support that.

Photoshop CS4 & CS5 should support Nvidia Cards for Acceleration when working/rendering, etc.





Some other programs I might recommend as well for on a budget for 3D stuff...


Bryce 7 Pro: DAZ 3D - Free 3D Software and 3D Model Providers

Carrara 8 Pro: DAZ 3D - Free 3D Software and 3D Model Providers

Daz Studio 3 Advanced: DAZ 3D - Free 3D Software and 3D Model Providers

(Daz Studio 3 is available for Free, but the Advanced Version is more feature rich, and also has a 64-bit version)

Hexagon 2: DAZ 3D - Free 3D Software and 3D Model Providers



I've got the latter 3, not Bryce 7 Pro yet though (though I have Bryce 6 & 5/5.5) Though I'm an amateur, self taught type learning this stuff.

They're all good alternatives to 3DS Max, Cinema4D and other high priced Products.

Carrara is a bit limiting with a Manual, and relatively limited in tutorials, though searching around you can find some good sites with Tutorials, and even the Daz forums can be pretty helpful.


My Library of Products from Daz is a bit much for someone of my limited skill set though.

-Carrara 3D Basics 2 (a basic version of Carrara 4 or 5)

-Carrara 3D Express, Original, (Basic Version of Carrara 6/6 Pro, Carrara 7 also had a 3D express version)

-Carrara 6 Standard (Upgrade from 3D Express)

-Carrara 6 Pro (Free with Subscription to 3D World Magazine)

-Carrara 7 Pro Beta (Still have a copy of that and know a work around to allowing it to be used beyond the expiration date... basically you just have to change your PC's date with in Windows, LOL and it will allow continued access to use the Beta LOL)

-Carrara 7 Pro (Upgrade from C6 Pro, which I had for Free, listed above)

-Carrara 8 Pro 64-bit (Free Promotion when you upgraded to 7 Pro listed above, plus access to 8 Beta, which I never installed or used) Also the current one I use.

-Bryce 6

-Bryce 5.5

-Bryce 5.0

-Hexagon 2

-Mimic Lite

-Mimic Pro

-Mimic Pro for Lightwave (got in promotion in one of their sales for a Buck or two, can't use though since I don't have LW LOL)

-Daz Studio 3 Advanced 64-bit (also 64-bit like C8 Pro, helps with render times)

-And Countless Versions of earlier versions of the Free Daz Studio product


not including hundreds of Content and plugins, addons etc bought in sales and through free promotions for being a member of their Platinum Club Membership or Were included with some of the products listed above.



Another product I'd like to use, bit more in costs, but is a superior product compared to the Bryce Products.

VUE 8: e-on software - E-on Products

e-on software - E-on Products

VUE 9: e-on software - E-on Products

[quickoldcar]

Yeah daz3d and bryce are pretty good too, can also add poser to that if like to dress up dolls. I guess it all depends what really want to do.

For doing landscapes scenery is terregen

It sure is all fun to do, but also frustrating at times trying to get to learn all this.

[hybodo]

The only thing I can really say is for a 3d application. Blender is really nice, and it's really easy to understand, and has great outcomes. I'm not trying to advertise but you can search videos on youtube or check out my youtube channel YouTube - Blender3danimator's Channel I have a few animations on there
I've also used photoshop, and I have cs5. It's quite nice.

[jazzygirrl07]

hello thanks to everyone i want to say ok so i like all the post and great ideas looking everything up

like i was saying my bf is a gamer and he plays on steam ... so he builds computers and well i was just getting inputs on what people on here think so ok let me know what you think on this

he is giving me most of his pc and is going to by a new one on somethings so this

what he is giving me

motherboard ( MSI 790 FX)

2 Video Card ( ATI 5870) one of them i might not use and sell

Power supply not sure the name of it

heat sink ( CoolMaster Hyper 212 plus)

processor ( fenom 2 X 4965)

so ok thats what he is giving me


THIS IS WHAT I GOT TO BUY


RAM

ANIMATION V CARD

Harddrive ( he said he might buy 500gb) or (1 tb)

CASE: ( this is what i am getting)
XCLIO A380COLOR Fully Black 1.0 mm SECC / ABS Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case

and then i need a

GRAPHIC TABLET ....
i heard the ones that are like under 100$ are CRAP .... does any of you know what is good ....

i know newegg and amazon has ... vistablet which im not sure if thats a good brand its like 30 to 50 $ so

ok so are budget for my stuff i need to buy around 300-500
so what yeah thinks any ideas

[ShyguyXPC]

@quickoldcar Yeah, I tried Terragen years ago, before I started with Carrara and I could never get it figured out, from some of what I saw with it, its a good option as well.

Though back then my PC was a good gaming PC and wasn't really geared towards this stuff (CPU wasn't powerful enough, or wasn't enough of CPU's in the system LOL)

@hybodo, Got some Nice Blender animations in there, many of them look to be similar to what Carrara can do now days as well.

Even though Blender is Free, Carrara is not, I prefer Carrara over Blender, as I've just found it easier to use and learn, though there's still a learning curve, and much of it is trial and error since the Manual for Carrara is near non existent, only covering most of the basic functions, and even then, relatively Vague as to what they do specifically.

but here's my channel on YT as well, a few things I've done in Carrara and Daz Studio, just some basic stuff primarily messing with Metaballs/Particle emitters usually, but their mixed in with videos from my game mod (early versions) and other stuff I made.

YouTube - ShazMX6's Channel

I've got a lot more Still Renders I've done, with models I've downloaded online, and background images, either paid for or downloaded via google, for custom Desktop images.




But here's something to cater to the 2D people out there as well, using Photoshop or GIMP.


This image: http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...oxproject2.jpg

was made using Photoshop 6 or 7 I believe, was too long ago to remember,

Original image I found, cropped the Jet, http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...orida007-1.jpg

Made a sky like background http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...xproject-1.jpg

then did some more work and ended up with that first image.


This one, I downloaded the Model, edited some of the "lights" aspects of the ship, added a subtle glow effect to the deflector dish.

saved the image, opened in GIMP and several lens flares and a little bit of Motion blur later, ended up with this.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...NovaEscape.jpg

Some Animated GIF work, that is did to make a custom "sig" for myself in my gaming clan.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...-Sig-gif-2.gif

series of stills using using flames, and tranlucent/transparent text, put all the frames together in Photoshop/ImageReady and made the GIF.

Here, depending on how your eye sight is, you can barely see the transparent text against the background: http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...erentBackg.jpg

LOL, my first Tree in Carrara 6: http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...tC6ProTree.jpg

Another Animated GIF I made for my Future (Still up in the air over that) Sister In Law...

was sort of an In Joke to some comment she made on Facebook, and I replied with a really smart ass answer about all the things you can do with the word "Wow", this was one of them.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...nvertedGIF.gif

Another Animation using a Particle Emitter and some glow effects, (can't see the glow while the object is in the "container" but only when the object hits one of the facets facing or angled to the camera does the glow penetrate the container, when it bounces off facets in the background you can't see the glow obviously since the camera isn't facing it.)

My 3D Backgrounds :: GlowieSuperBounce1avi.mp4 video by ShazMX6 - Photobucket



so basically there's a lot to learn, and the sky's the limit combining stuff from one program, in another, etc etc.

Lots of Free products out there to use, cheap/Affordable ones, and then the big price tag Main Products like 3DS Max, Maya, Lightwave, Cinema4D, etc etc.

[jazzygirrl07]

want to say THANKS to @hybodo well because yeah i heard blender was awesome site too so i got alot of good ideas

@quickoldcar well i get ya ... i really want the top thing you need but any extra software or programs that may help improve anything will do too

MY biggest concern is i want to make sure i have what i need to be able to do possible graphic design and animation cause i mean well im not sure which feild im going to pursue or if i might do both cause i mean isnt there sometime when you need animation maybe for graphic design or something i mean cause i want to be able to have a great understand on both of those feilds because i hoping to get a decent job and if they ask to create something that EXTREME i dont want to BE LIKE UMMM OK >>>> i dont know how... u get me CAUSE THEN i may ... not get that job... BASICALLY I WANT TO Have a open range ... of field so that way ... i can pursue higher careers ...


also so another question anyone fimilar with the TAMPA fl area and if so ... DO YOU THINK RAMUSSEN COLLEGE is ok for this .. time of field ...


i know animation not sure graphics design

[jazzygirrl07]

thanks to shyguyXPC
thanks for the links i am looking at them to get ideas and learn Imean anything can give me help and yes i agree on something it really just depend on the programs and what people may like

[hybodo]

want to say THANKS to @hybodo well because yeah i heard blender was awesome site too so i got alot of good ideas

@quickoldcar well i get ya ... i really want the top thing you need but any extra software or programs that may help improve anything will do too

MY biggest concern is i want to make sure i have what i need to be able to do possible graphic design and animation cause i mean well im not sure which feild im going to pursue or if i might do both cause i mean isnt there sometime when you need animation maybe for graphic design or something i mean cause i want to be able to have a great understand on both of those feilds because i hoping to get a decent job and if they ask to create something that EXTREME i dont want to BE LIKE UMMM OK >>>> i dont know how... u get me CAUSE THEN i may ... not get that job... BASICALLY I WANT TO Have a open range ... of field so that way ... i can pursue higher careers ...


also so another question anyone fimilar with the TAMPA fl area and if so ... DO YOU THINK RAMUSSEN COLLEGE is ok for this .. time of field ...


i know animation not sure graphics design

No problem. Glad I can actually input on some things instead of always asking for help, ShyguyXPC knows what I mean lol.

[jazzygirrl07]

so what you guys thinks

[ShyguyXPC]

What kind of budget are you looking at for this System?

Are you going to need extras like a Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse, Drawing tablet, etc?

or would you just need a "Core" system, basically everything minus the peripherals, speakers and display?

[adobetony]

hey jazzy, saw that you were heading to school soon--I work with Adobe, and if you're interested in adding photoshop as a design tool, the Adobe Students Facebook page is currently giving away a copy of CS5 Master Collection to the winner of its weekly Awesomizer contest. All you have to do is use the Awesomizer app to create photo, and submit it to the contest. Good luck! Adobe Students | Facebook

[jazzygirrl07]

What kind of budget are you looking at for this System?

Are you going to need extras like a Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse, Drawing tablet, etc?

or would you just need a "Core" system, basically everything minus the peripherals, speakers and display?

umm well i am getting that not sure what actually he was getting and yeah keyboard mouse im getting probably at WALMART or so and drawing tablet and umm speaker i was getting at walmart

[jazzygirrl07]

hello thanks to everyone i want to say ok so i like all the post and great ideas looking everything up

like i was saying my bf is a gamer and he plays on steam ... so he builds computers and well i was just getting inputs on what people on here think so ok let me know what you think on this

he is giving me most of his pc and is going to by a new one on somethings so this

what he is giving me

motherboard ( MSI 790 FX)

2 Video Card ( ATI 5870) one of them i might not use and sell

Power supply not sure the name of it

heat sink ( CoolMaster Hyper 212 plus)

processor ( fenom 2 X 4965)

so ok thats what he is giving me


THIS IS WHAT I GOT TO BUY


RAM

ANIMATION V CARD

Harddrive ( he said he might buy 500gb) or (1 tb)

CASE: ( this is what i am getting)
XCLIO A380COLOR Fully Black 1.0 mm SECC / ABS Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case

and then i need a

GRAPHIC TABLET ....
i heard the ones that are like under 100$ are CRAP .... does any of you know what is good ....

i know newegg and amazon has ... vistablet which im not sure if thats a good brand its like 30 to 50 $ so

ok so are budget for my stuff i need to buy around 300-500
so what yeah thinks any ideas

@ shy guy this is what i have and getting