August contest finishing - EXPIRED
| Rating Opens in - -1344d -22h -6m -27s
Frequently Asked Questions
Few clarification on the regular questions when you are entering the competition. Mail us if you have any particular ones we can add them here to guide others too. Happy animation. Please select a item to redirected into particular FAQs
Please select a item to redirected into particular FAQs
General
- What is this contest about?
- How do I participate?
- Timelines of the monthly competition?
- What rigs do I need to use for this?
- What medium of animation and software?
- Any resources for online rigs?
- Animating the camera and modeling the background and ground plane.?
- Do i need to Lighting and render?
This is a monthly creature animation challenge for animators around the globe. Who love to animate/ practice the creature/ anima animation this is the best place for learn/practice and show off the skills too.
Log in to the website, download the reference provided by us and animate away.
1st of every month we will be uploading a new reference or topic for the challenge and you can animate for that and submit your work before the last day of the month.
Rigs are completely your choice in terms of paid / free rigs, the only thing to keep in mind and try to use is the rig looks like the same species of animal as it is in the reference. Ex: please use the tiger rig if the reference has the tiger in it, try not to use a cheetah rig for that as they both are completely different in terms of physicality and behaviors.
You can any 3d or 2d software to animate for the competition.
There are few online paid/ free rigs sites like TurboSquid, Cgtrader, Truongcgartist, and Keil figging saber is famous too.
Try to take the reference as the guideline, follow as much close as possible to extract the great details to bring realism into the animal in the shot. Please do not alter the reference, try to animate the camera as shown in the reference, or feel free to enhance your camera angles to help showcase the animation in a better way.
Don’t have to light and render, pure playblast is more enough too. But if you are good at it and if you feel comfortable please go ahead.
Winner
- What winner will get from this contest?
- How about 2 and 3rd winners?
- Who gives the E critique?
The winner of the month gets the E critique on the shot and will be getting his demo reel reviews from CAW mentor Dhanu Muddikuppam as a bonus.
Will get a quick review on the submission too.
Mentors from CAW and the other VFX professional animators from the big studios like ILM, Framestore.MPC and Deng.
Submissions
- How can I submit my work?
- Frame rate and the size of the shot
- Can I edit the reference?
- Can I see all the entries and the vote?
- Can I replace my submission?
- Can I submit my WIP?
You can submit your work in full HD playblasts or renders in 24 fps.
Shot length can be the frames mentioned on the reference and animate it for 24 fps.
Please do not edit/ trim or re-time the reference.
Yes, you can please do login on into your account and then vote for the best shot you like.
Yes, you can replace your submission as many times as you need.
Yes, you can in the forum, as a youtube/ Vimeo link to your peers. but not in the final submissions.
Rules
- Only actual creatures & animals are permitted; other characters will not be included for evaluation.
- Please do not add your name or contact information anywhere on the video itself (this makes voting unfair).
- Please do not add your name or contact information anywhere on the video itself (this makes voting unfair).
- You could use online paid/Free rigs. Copyrighted rigs are rejected unless you have permission to use them.
- Keep the file size up to 10MB for submissions.
- Animate on 24fps in any software of your choice.
- You could use online paid/Free rigs. Copyrighted rigs are rejected unless you have permission to use them.
- Use nothing obviously objectionable (this is not the place for crass sexual comedy, excessively violent material, or hatred toward any culture/religion/gender/etc.). This is also not the place for any type of political remark.
- Happy animating.
Guidelines
- Assignment: This test is all about capturing the real essence and personality of the creature in the reference with as many details as possible. The frame range to be animated is the same as the animation reference. Please stick to the reference provided.
- Camera: Animate the camera as per the reference, to begin with. Feel free to improvise the camera from what you have in the references. If you can add handheld motion on top of it, that would be a plus.
- Env Geo: Don’t spend too much time and effort on creating the environment geometry. Keep it simple and basic. For example, if there’s a tree log in the reference, use basic cylindrical shapes to create a tree log. Try and achieve the general setting as per the reference with minimal geometry.
- Rigs:
It would be ideal to use Truong’s leopard rig for a leopard
reference.
https://cubebrush.co/truongcgartist/products/9c0bqw/leopard-maya-rig
https://gumroad.com/l/leopard or any other similar-looking leopard rig can be used. - Time duration: The time duration of the test is 30 days from the start date of this month to the end date.
- Software: All the animation is to be done at 24 fps, software is of your choice. Most of the rigs were supported in Maya.
Tips & tricks
- Try to collect as many supplementary references as possible as the same action in the reference to help u to see how the creature would look from other views. Helps ur animation process go smoother while you are animating to the witness camera.
- You can use any online or free rigs to do the competition clip and using a reference clip. Few recommended resources. Links.
- Animate for Witness camera always.
- Plan ahead how u use your controls.Plan ahead how u use your controls.
- A basic ground plan and a basic camera will be fine to showcase your animation.
- Focus more on the behaviors and body mechanics.