Importing objects in to Antics 3D is a snap! One of the great advantages of using this software is that you have access to the online store so that you can purchase and download 3D objects to use later. The executable you receive installs right into the appropriate folder for easy access later through the Content Viewer. Besides their site, you can also bring in free assets from the Google 3D Warehouse, which you can connect to straight from the program. Once you’ve selected the model you want to use, you have the option of importing it in, saving it, or bringing it directly into the current project that you are working on. But just in case you still want to mess around with building your own assets, Antics 3D supports a number of standard formats including 3DS Max’s .3ds, .fbx, and Google Sketchup files.
The animation set-up within Antics 3D is pretty basic compared to the larger programs, but with what it does have, it stays in-line with the standard practices of most 3D software. Under the View menu you’ll find the Timeline menu in which you can apply keyframes for the instructions you give to your actors. All the actors get their own separate layer for all their individual actions. After you have some animation to work with, you can adjust the timing of the actions by either dragging the clip to a new position in time, or using the flag icons to shorten or lengthen of the clip itself. It’s pretty straight forward in its execution, but that keeps it simple for its intended audience.
Directing Tools.
Depth of Options Antics 3D is not a very deep program as far as everything it can do, but that’s the point. It’s not trying to bang against the big dogs to try and out-do them in features. Instead, it’s trying to slim down to just what the end user will need so that they aren’t trying to wade through varied controls and buy tons of books to explain the same thing in multiple ways. What it lacks in options it makes up for in brevity, and if that’s what you need as a creator to bring your 3D stories to life, then Antics 3D is a great place to start.
The main menu at the top is pretty light, just giving access to a few palettes that are not readily on the screen at start-up. And when you do have them open, they try to only go down one or two levels in subcategories at that. Within preferences, you’ll find options available to change anything from general settings to final output of your rendered movie; which I’ll get in to later. This is a small blessing in disguise because if you are trying to figure out how to change something that’s not working out for you, you don’t have to dig through tons of menus to find that one obscure switch that you need to turn off.
Actually getting your characters to perform and then record using cameras is very nicely done. To direct your people from one spot to another, you give them commands using the Direct button. Just select the actor and point him or her to the spot you want them to go. You can also create paths for them to walk along and things for them to pick up and use. And when you have built up some different animations for your characters, you can give commands for them to use them. Several cameras can be arranged throughout the scene to switch between as your recording. A small menu at the top of your Set View can be used to save and access the cameras you create. And all the cameras can be translated across the environment in the same fashion you would a live-action camera. All-in-all, Antics 3D really works well for its core purposes, which is helping you put on an animated show.
Using audio within Antics 3D is uncomplicated to apply to your animation. Windows .WAV files seem to be the only industry-standard format that can be used in the program and can be imported in through the Content Viewer, just like 3D assets. Once in the Set List or Project Bin, they can be accessed from there to be played within your project. One feature that would be a real time-saver is the ability to apply spoken words to any model for them to speak (as seen in iClone and Poser). When applied to the model, it would appear as if the model is saying the words whenever the sound from that file is being heard. This would be a quick way to get the affect of people having conversation without having to go through all the work of doing all the lip-syncing yourself.
Most all the assets that you bring in have some personal animations or instructions for how a character needs to interact with it. This is very helpful for someone new to animation or anyone who has experience and just doesn’t have the time to do the tedious movements over and over again. Simple things like walk cycles, sitting in a chair, opening a door, or picking up a drink have all been done ahead of time for you by the kind folks at Antics Technology. Just select a character and “direct” them to an object and it will interact with it accordingly. Then later on if you need a variance on a particular stance, you have the option of selecting that particular character and repositioning them. Antics blends between the last position in an animation and the new pose that you have just created. Making those changes can be a little cumbersome at first when you’re having problems selecting a particular limb, but like most programs, you eventually get used to how it works and can quickly make the changes.
Containers.
Like animation, you can also make changes to other characteristics like texture and measurements too. Each asset has specific properties defining its characteristics, and all of these can be changed by selecting the object and bringing up the contextual menu within either the Set List or the Project Bin. The Set List will have attributes that pertain to the object you have out in the Set View, while the Project Bin may have a few more traits that will have a global effect across the projects. Textures can be modified, poses and stances can be redone, and animations can be changed and added to those that are already there. And everything can be saved and reused at a later date and project, which again, saves loads of time and effort.
Another option that you have concerning animation is the curve editor, which helps the timing of your characters overall performance. The curve editor has become a very requisite feature in 3D animation packages today in order to modify the character movements that have been graphed using a curve. Within Antics 3D it has been slimmed down quite a bit so that you only have access to the top level actions. By top level action I mean things like walking to a chair and sitting down in a particular pose. Any secondary movements like looking at someone or picking up a can of soda while getting from point A to point B would not be able to be modified on an individual basis through the curve editor. Somewhat limiting, but then this program is not trying to be able to do everything either.
