The February 2012 Tutorial Discussion

[Big Frank]

For the time being all I'm seeing is the January stuff. I really do have a crap ISP!

I can't wait to watch whatever gems Gary has come up with this time. Roll on DNS replication!

[Gare]

Thanks, Frank.

Um, we all think our ISP is for crap, but that's not why you can only see January.

Fool Disclosure: to get a proper link up to this thread on the Feb edition of Xara Xone, this thread has to come first, premature as this might seem!



Get some rest, and then tip-toe down in the morning to see what's under the tree, okay?

My Best,

—Gary

[Gare]

It's 6:45am in New York, and February is up.

We need a nip and a tuck here and there, but all new content can be accessed.

Thanks angelize, Barbara, and Frank!

My Best,

Gary

[gracehjs]

I got notification on the video on Utube last night, so I got to watch it a day early. I loved it and I think you slowed down a bit and that made it perfect.
Thanks

[Gare]

Yeah, I made sure to pop at least half a dozen of those funny red pills you can buy in the park before reading the script, Grace.

Okay: if it's perfect, let's commence with the "what did I learn?" part of the process and start posting members example files and questions and such.

My Best,

—Gary

P.S. Frank, Javier? You folks up for the translations? Barbara will be negotiating it, so can you please get in touch with her? TIA!

[stygg2003]

Well Gary I learnt a lot from the bouncing ball tut. because I've never done an animation before, so I will try to expand on what you said and shown in the tut. on something of my own, says he hesitantly , I've uploaded the Xara file so anyone can view in what ever browser they use and give me some feedback on what could have been done better

Stygg

[Gare]

Hey there, stygg—

You've never done an animation before, eh?

Well, I'd say you sure know how to follow my lead and you reproduced my own bouncing ball just about flawlessly. I think mine has less energy (like I myself do), but I never mentioned the exact height for the apogee of the ball, so let me revise and tell you that you did the tutorial perfectly, five stars, man.

Aside from taking this tutorial's result to the conclusion I showed of putting it in a composite scene (like with After Effects), you can do variations on the bounce cycle, too, as I think you're alluding to in the future?

Why does it have to be a ball? Wouldn't it be funnier to do a bouncing anvil, or a bouncing chicken? Or a chair?

Consider this also: you could do an animation cycle by introducing the ball in frame 2 at stage left, and not only does it bounce up and down, but it also bounces left to right, and finally off stage right, only to reappear again at left as the cycle repeats.

I believe anyone can get at least four or five interesting animation cycles out of this simple cartoon bounce: you know, anyone who downloaded Bryce from an earlier post here that Barbara made Download it free until Feb. 29th!, you could render a new background for the ball.

I encourage everyone who suffers through my 10 minute tutorial to vary the elements. Mix it up: the animation itself is the star of what you learn and the shapes are only players.

I think Shakespeare said that.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I'm going to let this month simmer with members for a while. I'm unsure whether our membership prefers text-based tutorials, or videos, because Frances' fractal tutorial is drawing a lot of positive response this month, as it should.

If you'd like me to toss in a Gary Priester-style tutorial three or four times a year, please let me know. My job is to provide you with what you want and need to know, and not for me to do whatever interests me myself!

My Best,

Gary