Seven New Year's Resolutions For Animators

Bong! Happy 2019!

What should an animator's new year's resolutions be? The animation business is growing fast, offering jobs and opportunities to well-trained talent. Whatever happens with Brexit in 2019, it is likely that our industry will continue to expand.

That said, the world of animation and visual effects is a competitive one, and animators need to be smart to stay on top of their game. Animators need to be good, and easy to find and hire.

So, apart from (obviously) going on a post-Christmas diet,  what are the best ways to maintain your edge in 2019?

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The online MA is a unique degree which can be undertaken by students anywhere in the world, leading to a formal qualification in the field.

You will not only learn how to animate, but you will engage at Masters' level with the underpinning theory and structure behind the art form.

Winter Class Starts on Monday 7th January

"School Run" by Lee Caller

Our New Year classroom starts on January 7th 2019?  You don't need to know Maya beforehand (we teach everything from scratch), but it's always a good idea to do a little preparation.

Below is a brief list of stuff to get you under way. You don't have to do all of it, but tick off a few of the things on this list and you will be a making a great start on your animation career.

Stuart Sumida to London on Wed 12th December

Paleontologist and animal locomotion expert Stuart Sumida is in London next week, and will be giving at talk at Escape Studios at 190 High Holborn on Wednesday 12th December at 4.30pm.

Stuart occupies a rare cross-over space between science and entertainment, having advised countless Hollywood studios on the development of movies such as "The Lion King" and "Spirit - Stallion of the Cimarron".

Christmas Carol at BFI on Sunday 9 December

A Christmas Carol, 1971

For all our students in the London area, why not come along on Sunday (that's this Sunday, 9th December) to the BFI on London's South Bank, for a rare screening of Richard William's animated Oscar-winning adaptation of Charles Dickens' novella A Christmas Carol.

The 22 minute short is will be screened along with two other British animated classics: Raymond Briggs' The Snow Man and also Father Christmas.

It's an opportunity to see some beautiful home-grown animation, and after the screening there will be a Q&A with directors Dave Unwin and Richard Williams.

And, you might even get a chance to have your copy of "The Animator's Survival Kit" signed by the author. 

How to Delete Mental Ray Nodes in Maya

Heavy - Mental Ray nodes

Some animators are experiencing unexpected crashes in Maya, a problem which can be caused by legacy Mental Ray nodes being opened up in a version of Maya (2017 and up) which doesn't support Mental Ray.

For example, the Heavy rig, downloadable from creative crash, is a great rig for animating walk cycles and other actions. But, it does come with Mental Ray nodes, and this may cause Maya to crash unexpectedly.

Generally speaking, it's good housekeeping to delete any legacy Mental Ray nodes from your character rig when you open up Maya. 

So, how do you do this? Fortunately, the solution is a simple one.