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Links to Other Sites


The following are links to other sites related to 3D and other places I find interesting.

Sections:
[ General Animation & 3D ]      [ Job Help/ Getting Started ]      [ Maya / Rigging ]      [ 3DSMax ]      [ Poly Modeling ]      [ News ]      [ Galleries ]      [ 3D Software ]      [ Friends Homepages ]     


   General 3D Animation and Art Help:   

CG-Char Forums Web Pages
If you are into character animation, check this list out. From beginners to members who are at major Hollywood studios, this is the discussion list for all things character animation related.

10 Second Club
This is a cool site, even for BEGINNERS to 3D Animation. There is a monthly contest for this mailing list, where members take a 10 second sound clip and animate to it. Good to get critiques and learn about character animation.

The Cycle
This is a site with real production people and animators giving their opinions and ideas on different topics in the industry.

The Scratchpost
This is another site with resources such as Animator Interviews, reviews, company listings, job listings and more.

3D Site
Another general 3D info and resource site, including many bulletin boards.

Gamasutra - Game Developer
This is -the- site if you are interested in making video games or working in the video game industry. They have tons of articles and resources for game developers and artists. This is the same site as the printed version of "Game Developer Magazine" which you can also buy in bookstores.

ACM Siggraph
This is a link to the Official siggraph organization. There is a huuuge SIGGRAPH conference every year with people from all over the world attending. It's a great place to go if you are trying to get into the industry (you can interview with many companies there), want to research CG software or hardware, or just want to hang out. Look for the "Conferences" link on their page.

   Job Help / Getting Started Sites:   

Getting a Job In the Game Development Industry
This is a cool page at Ravensoft that has a ton of good answers and links about how to get more info and how to get a video game job.

Spicy Cricket
An excellent site with more resources for 3D artists. Angie wrote the 3DSMAX 3 Professional Animation book. This site is really good if you are a newbie and are interested in how to break into the biz. It even includes info on different jobs available in the industry, how much you can expect to make, and what you do in each job.

3D Ark
Probably one of the most comprehensive 3D info sites around, with tons of links back out to more useful pages. This is probably the TOP site of great 3D links ever!. Has tons of info for animation mailing lists, tutoruials, books, and more. Check our the "Resources" section on it.

CG-Char Forum Web Pages
If you are into character animation, check this list out. From beginners to members who are at major Hollywood studios, this is the discussion list for all things character animation related.


   Maya / Rigging Related Links:   

CreatureTD.com
A very cool rigging/setup site for character T.D.'s. They have forums as well as news and tutorials.

JonhAndHisDog.com
Another rigging and animation site with more forums and such.

Highend 3D.com
This is a site mostly for Alias|Wavefront Maya users, with lots of discussion groups, news and tutorials related to that.


   3DS MAX Related Links   

Support.discreet.com
This is the OFFICIAL discreet support site for 3D Studio MAX, where users can post questions and get answers both from each other, and from the developers. Read these bulletin boards if you have questions!

3D Luvr
This is one of the top 3D Studio MAX resource sites out there. Has "sister" sites for tutorials in MAX, contests, and galleries at max3d.3dluvr.com.

Boboland
This is one of -THE- sites for MAX Scripts. Borislav Petrov (aka Bobo) is well known in the MAX community for his numerous and helpful scripts.

MAX Underground
This site has a ton of news, and plugins, scripts, etc... all for 3D Studio MAX.

Script Spot
This is another huge site for MAX scripts, plugins, and tutorial links.

www.maxplugins.de
This site has tons of free downloadable plugins all listed for different versions of MAX.

3D Cafe
A site with a number of tutorial links back out to other sites. Good link page for MAX users. They also sell related 3D products.

Mankua
This place develops some pretty nifty plugins for MAX. Check out the "texture layers" stuff. It allows you to do UVW mapping in MAX, but with a "falloff" kind of like light fallofff, so you can blend textures/materials into each other really easily.

Boomer Labs
Ever notice how the sound functions in MAX make audio repeat forever? Want to get a better audio controller for MAX? Check out the free "Enhanced Sound" plugin for download. Make sure you read their install instructions after downloading!

MAX T.D.
This site has a pretty detailed tutorial on how to setup a character in Max r4 with all the nice r4 wiring and IK.


   Subdivision Surface/Meshsmooth Poly Modeling Links:   

SubD Modeling Resource Page
This is probably one of the BEST pages for SubD modeling info. Has really nice Animated GIFs that show step by step how the poly models were created.

Spiraloid Forums
This used to be part of Bay Raitt's site. This is a DISCUSSION FORUM where you can post and ask questions about box modeling. There are some really good samples and it probably the best place to try to get modeling help.

MeshTools Home Page
If you are using MAX 4 or later and using the new Poly objects, then you NEED these helper modeling scripts! They allow you to do things like select edge rings, convert selection from edges to points to polys, etc... They are very cool. Check it out.

MAX 3D Luvr SubD Page
This is probably not online yet, but it is looking to be a really good resource for meshsmooth type modeling with MAX.


   News Sites:   

CG Channel
This is an -awesome- site. It is updated EVERY DAY! Has links to different places and news and info about software and people. Check out the CG Elite artist stuff too for nice gallery work.

3D Total
This is a great site. It is updated very often. Has links to different places and news and info about software and people, and is organized quite well. Also has gallery pages as well.

AWN
One of the top places to get the latest news in the 2D and animation industry. Also has other resources, such as a School Database and job opportunities listings.

VFX Pro
An excellent resource updated regularly with "Behind the Scenes" articles and interviews for the top CG related movies and television shows. Also lists job opportunities.


   Art Galleries:   

raph.com
An awesome CG art gallery with tons and tons of top artists showcasing their work. This site makes me look bad.... :( They also have links to some tutorials as well.
The Sketchmen
Mostly 2D, but this is a seriously impressive gallery containing artwork from a number traditional artists and enthusiasts. Check it out, chances are you'll like it. The guy who runs it used to be a coworker of mine at Volition, but he left...sniff... :(


   3D Software/Software Developers:   

Discreet
Creators of 3D Studio MAX, my software of choice. They also have info on their video editing tools such as Flame* and Effect*.

New Tek
New Tek is the company which develops Lightwave 3D, Inspire 3D and Aura, as well as the original Video Toaster and Flyer.

Hash
Not the drug, named after the owner, the creators of Animation Master, a very low cost spline based animation package, that happens to be really good for character animation work. Great for those on a budget.

Alias|Wavefront
Creators of the Maya 3D software. Very extensible 3D package, and very high cost.


   Friends Homepages:   

Kim Oravecz's Page
This links to my friends site. She uses Lightwave for her 3D work. The Switch character from my animations page was modeled and textured by her.

Nomar's House
This links to the homepage of my friend Nomar Perez. He has some really cool traditional artwork and concept work. Check it out. His page design is radical too.

Michael JR's World
This is my friend Michael Jr.'s web site. He's was the lead T.D. who was working at Creative Digital Images with me.

Doug Kelly's Home Page
Links to Doug's page where he has information on the books he has written, such as Lightwave 3D 5 Character Animation f/x and Character Animation In Depth. He is currently editor for Keyframe magazine and IC3D magazine.

Keith Lango's Page
This is my friend and Big Idea coworker, Keith Lango. He's done some fantastic short animation work too. Check out his site for some cool animation stuff.

Digital Critters - Bill Jacoby
This was another Big Idea, Penguin/VideoTeam team coworker. Bill is an amazing modeler and texture artist. Check out some of his personal stuff here. He does both Creature and Cartoon stuff, and nearly single handedly modeled most of the assets for 3-2-1 Penguins episodes 1 to 3. He's now working at High Voltage on games.

Justin Barrett's Page
Yet another Big Idea employee from the Penguins team. He has some animation and voice talent work on his site.

Mark Behm's Page
Another Ex-Big Idea employee from the Penguins team. This guy also creates Maya and MAX Scripts as well, and is an amazing traditional artist/painter too. He now works at Blue Sky Studios in NY with me.

Jeff Croke's Page
Another Big Idea employee from the Penguins team. He's a really good character animator and all around cool guy.