"While these sound 'interesting', I wouldn't want one. What exactly am I supposed to do if I want to go on vacation and not haul along a laptop to download the video onto?"
Use the right tool for the job? Seriously, there are some things that Mini-DV is a pain in the ass for. Others, it's great for.
I'll give you a quick example: I have video taken from my cell phone (of all places) of my dog teasing my cat. The video quality is crummy and all, but it was at my side, and ready to go. I have that funny moment now. If I had run to my video camera, I would have had to check if the tape was ready to go, power the silly thing up, and hope the animals co-operate. Okay, this isn't apples and apples, but there's something to be said for tapeless devices.
They're not perfect. Niether is Mini-DV. That's why both are on the market. Lighten up.
"Not true at all. If Microsoft did this, their shareholders would demand the cash pile be given back to them immediately. If they didn't comply, the investors would get rid of the board and install another one with a sensible business plan. Microsoft could well implode under such extreme conditions."
Maybe I'm just being stupid because I haven't had my coffee yet, but doesn't the reason about replacing the board with a more sensible business plan imply that MS implosion isn't that real of possibility?
"At $249, that seems to be a bit pricey for a DivX decoder."
It comes with an ethernet and USB2.0 port. Both are pretty damn cool. Not bad for $250.
Frankly, I'd like to have one so I could dump all my DVD collection onto my computer and be able to play them on-demand. I used to have a computer with an S-Video out to do that. To be honest, I wasn't all that happy with the picture quality. It worked, but I ached for better.
"Ah yes, that racist outsourcing humor never gets old."
Just out of curiosity, but was anybody personally offended by that comment?
I ask not to challenge the parent post, but rather I'd like to avoid making a reference like that down the road if it's a problem. Until I read parent post, I never really thought an Apu reference would be considered racist. I'm open to being enlightened here.
"if it's anything like the last ones, it'll be great.. too bad more games couldnt have good quality music in them.."
Well.. it is a little pricey to license a bunch of popular songs for a game. I think I remember reading a blurb about Vice City that said they spent a significant amount of money on the tracks in that game. I got the impression that it isn't typically a developer's first choice.
Out of curiosity, which app are you using? If you haven't chosen one, then I'll default to Lightwave. There's a couple of reasons:
1.) I use LW but I haven't used other apps much.
2.) It's a really good app to start with. You may find yourself moving to Maya or XSI, but that's more of a 'down the road' sort of thing.
I have personally owned this book by Tim Albee. It's good if you have LW as it gets a little into the nooks and crannies of how to rig in LW. He talks about character setup, why a particular bone arrangement is better than another, and exercises to use when learning to pose.
He has also written another book about a movie he made called Kaze Ghost Warrior. (The link I gave you indirectly points at that book.) It's less about character animation and more about how to make a movie. That book seriously kicks ass. I wanted to mention it even though it's not as oriented around what you want to do.
As for T&L and modelling, well I'm self taught and can't recommend anything there. However, you're in a good spot if you can draw. I'll use an analogy, if you'll permit me: Say you know you want to build a table. You have a good idea in mind of what it should look like, but you've never built one before. If you know how to draw, then you can design the pieces you need. At that point, it's merely a matter of understanding the concept of what each tool ahead of you does. In other words, with a goal in mind, the tools become fairly straight forward.
If you've ever painted before, you'll find texturing is a fairly natural process. I found myself hearing my art teacher's voice in my head whenever I was texturing or lighting. Hehe.
So, how does one go about the transition? Start with an app. (again, I recommend Lightwave. It's very 'to the point', which is why it's used on television fx quite a bit.) Find some tutorials and go through them. Very simple stuff. How to make a polygon. How to cut a polygon. How to extend a polygon. And so on. When you get to a level where you feel you're in control of the app, then take one of your drawings and practice building something based on that drawing. (Or find pictures of something you want to build... that's what I did since my drawing skills weren't up to snuff when I learned to model.)
When you've got modelling down, build your own character, and start animating. Actually, if you get that book I recommended, I think it comes with a CD with a rigged character to try. (I never fired up the CD... hehe)
Hope that helps. If you have more questions, please, feel free to fire them off. One thing I discovered when I was laid off a few months ago is the 3D Community is VERY supportive in helping wiht job placement. I enjoy the opportunity to pay it forward, so to speak.:)
"The problem I see, though, is that putting a computer in all the shopping carts sounds like a lot of money for a niche service. Is it really going to be worth it?"
I think the ball's entirely in their court. I'm not optimistic, no. On the other hand, one of the reasons I like shopping at WalMart is they've got those barcode scanners. I even use my calculator watch to keep track of how much I spend on a shopping trip. That can be seen one of two ways: 1.) I'd shop there because of that feature. 2.) I wouldn't shop there because I already have the tools I desire. The tie-breaker would be the actual experience in using this feature. That is, of course, assuming the store is cheap to begin with.
"Man, why do they try and throw technology to each and every problem? As though it's a panacea of some sort."
They're trying to provide more interesting services to get more customers, that's why.
Though I think you may be right that this isn't going to reach mass-appeal, there are still those that would find this service interesting. It's a niche service, nothing wrong with that.
Are ya still watching this thread? (Since you're posting AC I dunno...) Lemme know if you are, I'd be happy to answer any questions you have. I have email notification on so don't worry about me finding your post.
Slashdot Mirror
"TV is a productivity and social interaction sink."
Re: Productivity- Uh, doesn't just about any form of entertainment fall in here?
Re: Social Interaction- TV is part of social interaction. Don't tell me you've never had a face to face discussion about last week's Star Trek.
"Yo mama so fat, she causes a twist in the very fabric of space causing small orbiting objects to shift by 6 feet. take THAT!"
Yo mama's so fat, she only a donut away from changing the tide!
" I can't wait for the first stale DRM'ed virus stuck in their systems..."
Stale DRM'd virus? Wouldn't you guys be happy if viruses used DRM to provide copy restriction to other machines?
"Roland Piquepaille ? Isn't that the guy who posts summaries to drive traffic up to his website?"
Roland Piquepaille? Isn't that the guy people bitch about, even though bitching about it gives Slashdot more reason to keep him?
"Run? I thought people who read Slashdot more sort of...waddled..."
Some of us stay in shape running from jocks.
"I use the backspace key for this, naturally. Anyone who uses a mouse at all is a false geek!"
Pff. Anybody who's keyboard has more than just a 1 and 0 key is a false geek.
"Guess we're all getting pwnXored today, Windows, Linux and Mac."
"Damn Microsoft! Hurray Open Source!"
" The sheer level of involvement in the people who play it is sad. Just think how much of your life you are wasting IN A FUCKING ADVERTISEMENT."
Said the guy loudly registerring his complaint on Slashdot.
"What it does do, though, is give us a place to bitch about it :)"
Judging from current trends, however, I expect we will be the last generation.
"Major US Company with virtual monopoly on product decides not to screw over customers."
Slashdotters are still racking their brains trying to rationalize how this is proof MS is evil!
"What about pollution from this? Has that even been considered?"
Compared to all the old batteries now sitting in landfills?
"Nah.. why can't they just put in a decent 20Gb harddrive (like the iPod)"
Price, weight, durability, longevity, and upgradability?
"While these sound 'interesting', I wouldn't want one. What exactly am I supposed to do if I want to go on vacation and not haul along a laptop to download the video onto?"
Use the right tool for the job? Seriously, there are some things that Mini-DV is a pain in the ass for. Others, it's great for.
I'll give you a quick example: I have video taken from my cell phone (of all places) of my dog teasing my cat. The video quality is crummy and all, but it was at my side, and ready to go. I have that funny moment now. If I had run to my video camera, I would have had to check if the tape was ready to go, power the silly thing up, and hope the animals co-operate. Okay, this isn't apples and apples, but there's something to be said for tapeless devices.
They're not perfect. Niether is Mini-DV. That's why both are on the market. Lighten up.
"Shame on him for attempting it the first time. Shame on the Slashdot editors for letting him get away with it more than once."
Shame on you for commenting in the thread, thus raising the Slashdot Editor's reasons to keep posting his stories.
"Not true at all. If Microsoft did this, their shareholders would demand the cash pile be given back to them immediately. If they didn't comply, the investors would get rid of the board and install another one with a sensible business plan. Microsoft could well implode under such extreme conditions."
Maybe I'm just being stupid because I haven't had my coffee yet, but doesn't the reason about replacing the board with a more sensible business plan imply that MS implosion isn't that real of possibility?
"At $249, that seems to be a bit pricey for a DivX decoder."
It comes with an ethernet and USB2.0 port. Both are pretty damn cool. Not bad for $250.
Frankly, I'd like to have one so I could dump all my DVD collection onto my computer and be able to play them on-demand. I used to have a computer with an S-Video out to do that. To be honest, I wasn't all that happy with the picture quality. It worked, but I ached for better.
"Ah yes, that racist outsourcing humor never gets old."
Just out of curiosity, but was anybody personally offended by that comment?
I ask not to challenge the parent post, but rather I'd like to avoid making a reference like that down the road if it's a problem. Until I read parent post, I never really thought an Apu reference would be considered racist. I'm open to being enlightened here.
"if it's anything like the last ones, it'll be great.. too bad more games couldnt have good quality music in them.."
Well.. it is a little pricey to license a bunch of popular songs for a game. I think I remember reading a blurb about Vice City that said they spent a significant amount of money on the tracks in that game. I got the impression that it isn't typically a developer's first choice.
"It's all relative. A broken roof is a minor inconvenience compared to ten years in prison for criticizing the government."
Or maybe he was just thinking "What are the odds of me having something happen that's WORSE that my house being destroyed by a satellite this year?"
Greets,
:)
Out of curiosity, which app are you using? If you haven't chosen one, then I'll default to Lightwave. There's a couple of reasons:
1.) I use LW but I haven't used other apps much.
2.) It's a really good app to start with. You may find yourself moving to Maya or XSI, but that's more of a 'down the road' sort of thing.
I have personally owned this book by Tim Albee. It's good if you have LW as it gets a little into the nooks and crannies of how to rig in LW. He talks about character setup, why a particular bone arrangement is better than another, and exercises to use when learning to pose.
He has also written another book about a movie he made called Kaze Ghost Warrior. (The link I gave you indirectly points at that book.) It's less about character animation and more about how to make a movie. That book seriously kicks ass. I wanted to mention it even though it's not as oriented around what you want to do.
As for T&L and modelling, well I'm self taught and can't recommend anything there. However, you're in a good spot if you can draw. I'll use an analogy, if you'll permit me: Say you know you want to build a table. You have a good idea in mind of what it should look like, but you've never built one before. If you know how to draw, then you can design the pieces you need. At that point, it's merely a matter of understanding the concept of what each tool ahead of you does. In other words, with a goal in mind, the tools become fairly straight forward.
If you've ever painted before, you'll find texturing is a fairly natural process. I found myself hearing my art teacher's voice in my head whenever I was texturing or lighting. Hehe.
So, how does one go about the transition? Start with an app. (again, I recommend Lightwave. It's very 'to the point', which is why it's used on television fx quite a bit.) Find some tutorials and go through them. Very simple stuff. How to make a polygon. How to cut a polygon. How to extend a polygon. And so on. When you get to a level where you feel you're in control of the app, then take one of your drawings and practice building something based on that drawing. (Or find pictures of something you want to build... that's what I did since my drawing skills weren't up to snuff when I learned to model.)
When you've got modelling down, build your own character, and start animating. Actually, if you get that book I recommended, I think it comes with a CD with a rigged character to try. (I never fired up the CD... hehe)
Hope that helps. If you have more questions, please, feel free to fire them off. One thing I discovered when I was laid off a few months ago is the 3D Community is VERY supportive in helping wiht job placement. I enjoy the opportunity to pay it forward, so to speak.
"The problem I see, though, is that putting a computer in all the shopping carts sounds like a lot of money for a niche service. Is it really going to be worth it?"
I think the ball's entirely in their court. I'm not optimistic, no. On the other hand, one of the reasons I like shopping at WalMart is they've got those barcode scanners. I even use my calculator watch to keep track of how much I spend on a shopping trip. That can be seen one of two ways: 1.) I'd shop there because of that feature. 2.) I wouldn't shop there because I already have the tools I desire. The tie-breaker would be the actual experience in using this feature. That is, of course, assuming the store is cheap to begin with.
"Man, why do they try and throw technology to each and every problem? As though it's a panacea of some sort."
They're trying to provide more interesting services to get more customers, that's why.
Though I think you may be right that this isn't going to reach mass-appeal, there are still those that would find this service interesting. It's a niche service, nothing wrong with that.
Are ya still watching this thread? (Since you're posting AC I dunno...) Lemme know if you are, I'd be happy to answer any questions you have. I have email notification on so don't worry about me finding your post.
"Looks like a Jem'hedar viewscreen kinda." ... and every bit as fashionable!
"Have they effectively eliminated EMI"
They kind of had to in order to avoid lawsuits over neck injuries.