Learning Shake

[director]

I have gone through the Apple Pro Training Series book on Shake 4 twice, and have watched all of the Gnomon DVD's on shake. I also may look into CMI's DVD's, but I wanted to know if anyone can point me in any specific direction for a better understanding of how to really "understand" this application. I feel I know it pretty well, but I have probbably only touched the surface of Shake.

Any guidance would be appreciated.

Thanks!

[user_deleted]

wow, you must be a pro now. next time i know who should ask when i got question.

how'bout the user manual, plus open up all the macros (download from highend) and study how it works. some of them are very very complex.

thanks

[director]

hmm. Not too sure about cracking a 1000+ page user manual. Anyone else have any reccomendations? The macros are helping. I guess I need a few challenges to see if what I am learning is benificial. Does anyone know any good exercises?

[deke-kincaid]

You want any advice except reading the manual that comes with the software? HAHA now that is rich!

You will probably scoff at this advice then. Read the following two books "The Art and Science of Digital Compositing" by Ron Brinkman and "Digital Compositing for Film and Video" by Steven Wright. Though if you can't even read the Shake manuals, I wouldn't bother reading these two.

[user_deleted]

Mr Director, i know what you mean because i've also gone thru too many harsh and unpractcal manuals and books for other aplications, but listen to these people, they are right. i'm also working on learning Shake and the Manual that comes with it is excellent, full of examples and ways to apply the tools to the real world, a real yet useful description of the parameters. Just browse the PDF and look for what you want - it rocks. I bought the "Apple Pro training series" by Marco Paolini, quite ok, but but i've used it much less than the original manual.
Once you know all that's told there you'll be our hero ;-p

[director]

lol. Thanks everyone. I'll be a man about it and read the manual.

[deke-kincaid]

QUOTE(gHiKiKoMoRi @ 06/03/06, 04:01 PM) [snapback]238981[/snapback]
I bought the "Apple Pro training series" by Marco Paolini, quite ok, but but i've used it much less than the original manual.

The Marco Paolini book is good but the thing is it is so close to the tutorials pdf that comes with shake, I dont get why people buy the shake book in the first place when they get most of the same information for free.

[joojaa]

QUOTE(beaker @ 06/04/06, 07:55 AM) [snapback]238992[/snapback]
I dont get why people buy the shake book in the first place when they get most of the same information for free.

People tend to do this a lot because they dont seem to realize what the manual is there for (or in all actuality 60% of theese dont even know thet amanual exsists). Same could be said about 90% of photoshop users.

[user_deleted]

i went through the first edition of the paolini book when it first was released. I found it to be much too simple. I was hoping that it would elevate my level and fill in an knowledge holes but it didnt go into enough depth.

[director]

What does everyone think of the CMI DVD's on Apple products? ... mainly Shake.

[user_deleted]

I say learn about compositing and then worry about the software. If you understand the concepts of compositing then with what you have read in the manuals will make much better sense.

Brinkmans book is good as is the other book mentioned by beaker.

[user_deleted]

I want to second that (or third that or whatever). I cannot stress enough how important it is to learn about compositing. Luckily our industry is gifted with two fantastic books. The brinkman book is a wonderful guide to everything you need to know. The wright book is great for your next step.

[deke-kincaid]

QUOTE(mikemarcus @ 06/06/06, 08:03 AM) [snapback]239209[/snapback]
The brinkman book is a wonderful guide to everything you need to know. The wright book is great for your next step.
I recently heard someone on the vfxpodcast explain it well, they said that the Wright book explains "How" concepts and then the Brinkman book explains "Why".

[director]

Alright. Payday has finally come. I will check out those books and get back to you guys. I pulled off an interesting effect this weekend. I pointed a camera straight in the face of our main actor who was wearing highly reflective sunglasses, then match moved the motion, rotoscoped the lens, and composited a different reflection.

Check it out if interested. This was done in a 48 hours, for the FX competition that just ended.

http://dynamicfilm.com/competition/48\_hours/law\_house\_85.mp4

[director]

There's a first edition and a second edition to the book "The Art and Science of Digital Compositing". Should I get the second edition?

[user_deleted]

QUOTE(director @ 06/15/06, 02:44 PM) [snapback]240030[/snapback]
There's a first edition and a second edition to the book "The Art and Science of Digital Compositing". Should I get the second edition?

Director, Do you want to sell your Gnomon DVDs? If not, do you recommend them? Thx, Kevin

[director]

at this time I would like to keep them as a refrence tool. you can find them cheap on ebay though. i do reccommend them, be sure you are able to learn through that medium though because it is like 21 hours of a guy talking.

there are some good tricks to learn from the dvd's. i felt it was and is a good way to learn.

[user_deleted]

i think the art and science of digital compositing doesn't have second edition, but the digital compositing for film and video does have second edition. of course second edition is better, at least more latest information.

i got the art and science of digital compositing, but i think all the information there is inside the shake manual. in fact, if you read through the shake manual, you don't need the art and science of digital compositing. it is almost the same, but the shake manual is a deeper.

thanks

[director]

Well then, I will start with the other book and see where it takes me.

[user_deleted]

QUOTE(kevintraywick @ 06/26/06, 06:18 PM) [snapback]240843[/snapback]
Director, Do you want to sell your Gnomon DVDs? If not, do you recommend them?

i'm a bit surprised that there's so many recommendations for the Gnomon DVDs.. personally i find them pretty limited, and slompy stitched together (some of them seem have to be made within two hours, at 3am, after too many drinks). heck, i watched them after only a few weeks working with shake and i was always shouting at the screen "guy, you're in the wrong node!".. most annoying is if they do something with looks completely unconvincing and utterly horrible and then say "yeah, that's quite nice, could be better but i think that's ok"

the manual has much more detailed (and acurate) info, and is free.
just my 2 cents
++ christoph ++