[highlight color=”eg. yellow, black”]the third and last images above are animated[/highlight]
Rotica regulars will be very familiar with stimuli’s work. His amazing animations have been a staple feature over at Renderotica for years and the animation section wouldn’t be what it is without him! His unique stylised animations feature sexy anime style characters, incredibly fluid motion and often his trade mark stimuli humor.
I did a short interview with him and we had a chat the result of which was the little idea for the contest below. Participate to win one of stiumili’s cool animation packages! The perfect start for all of you aspiring animators! Check out the contest details down below the interview!
Go to the stimuli animation one liner contest!
How did the nick stimuli come about?
I actually chose it more than 10 years ago with my first experience socializing on a computer in these chatrooms called “Excite”. I chose the name as a reference to how the brain works in response to different stimuli and how some of us can become addicted to certain stimuli. The emotional and biological responses can be good or bad but none of us can do without stimuli =). Later this name became quite fitting as I got into cgi animation…especially the “adult” stuff. Its gotten to the point where I would rather be called stimuli than my real name. It was even on my license plates for a few years. So if you run across anyone named stimuli anywhere on the web, check to see if its me =)
How did you get into creating 3DX and specifically animation?
About 6 years ago (wow..has it been that long?) while winding down from a 10 hour day of driving a forklift I ran across a program online called Poser that would allow you to pose and animate figures…..even naked female figures! My mind reeled at the possibilities. I had always been into animation from hand-drawn masters like Don Bluth, Tex Avery and Walt Disney to the animation gods of today like Pixar and Dreamworks and various animes, but I never knew I could do this stuff at home on my own computer. I “aquired” a copy of Poser 5 and just started clicking buttons to see what happened. A few days later I had created my first (really bad) animation. I was completely awestruck at the feeling of breathing life into an inanimate object making them sing and dance and run….especially when they were cute,anime style girls with a great rack =P. The following week I discovered Renderotica and posted my first animation there to see what people would think. My life would never be the same again.
[swf src=”https://cdn-pub.affect3d.com/site/uploads/2011/08/silktease640.swf” width=600 height=450]
As I understand it you use a key frame technique, which means manually positioning the character on screen more or less frame by frame. What are the challenges working with technique and how do you still manage to make your animation so fluid?
Patience, patience and more patience. Did I mention patience? You’ve got to be willing to sit at a computer for hours or even days on end. My record thus far is 3 days working on a single animation without sleeping (I then slept for 29 hours). If you’re not willing to put the time in burying yourself in keyframes and spline graphs, you can always just buy my poses and make your figures move in a couple clicks =). In my opinion anyone can do what I do if they have the patience. No real skill or schooling is required. Just generate quick test animations to see if the movement looks right to you. A mirror and a video camera can also help in studying movement (though I have yet to actually use the camera I bought specificly for that purpose). Watch people….I mean REALLY watch people….how they move intentionally and unintentionally and try to imitate that on screen.
Describe the software you use and a little about your work flow. How do you get the animation looking so realistic?
I use Poser exclusively for animating. Poser 7 mostly. I’ve played around with Daz Studio, Carrarra, Bryce, Rhyno, 3DsMax and others but since Poser is where I learned, everything else feels weird. I use Photoshop and Image Ready for postwork stuff and various small programs for compiling frames and compression formats like Blaze Media, Flix and Pixflip.
As for workflow, I dont really have one. I dont write up scripts or storyboards or anything like that. It would probably help if I did. I just open Poser, load a figure I feel like playing with and just start messing around. Sometimes a nice animation comes out of it. Sometimes nothing does. I just try to make what I see in my head happen on screen. No magic technique or anything. Some people can sit down at a piano and just play. I just make cgi girls move.
Not that you seem to need it, however have you considered motion capture or do you just prefer key-framing?
If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me if I used motion capture I’d be able to buy a mocap studio and equipment. Honestly I would not even know where to start or what equipment or software I would need for mocap. It would certainly help my work and probably shorten my animation times but I suspect there’s no way I could afford such things. I refuse to even use the lipsync software that Poser and DazStudio have or Poser’s walk designer. I guess I’m just a glutton for punishment.
You also do excellent stills. How, does the work flow differ from creating animation? Do you prefer one of the other and why?
I appreciate the compliment but honestly there are legions of 3D artists who are better at stills than I am. Stills are much quicker….which might explain why I’m not that good at them. I definately prefer animation. Stills, while certainly beautiful when done by the right people, just dont tell enough of a story to me. They dont convey the emotion a certain eye blink or shrug of a shoulder can convey. I want my girls to bounce.
Your characters are usually Japanese/ Anime looking? Is it a genre you like specifically? Any artists or works you take inspiration from?
I love dancing back and forth across the anime/realistic line. Yes, I’m an anime geek. [adult swim] made a rabid anime fan for life. I get tons of inspiration from many animes, music in the animes and Japan itself. I can’t say enough good things about Japan and the creativity of its people. If I was ever actually lucky enough to go there I fear it would not live up to my lofty image of it. I actually listen to a large compilation of music from shows like Ghost in the Shell, Inuyasha, Bleach, Cowboy Bebop and others when I’m working in Poser. Yokko Kanno is a music god. Western music also inspires me. Mostly metal and industrial stuff. Pixar and Dreamworks movies are a big inspiration too.
[swf src=”https://cdn-pub.affect3d.com/site/uploads/2011/08/willy.swf” width=600 height=450]
You’re a premier artist over at Renderotica. Tell us about your involvement over at Renderotica.
Anyway, I owe a lot to Renderotica. It was support from fans, staff and Diane herself that drasticly altared the path my life has taken. When asked what I do for a living I can proudly reply “I’m a cgi animator!” instead of making up some tongue-in-cheek coloquial title for some dead end job….like calling a fork lift operator a “vertical mass displacement technician” lol (I should copyright that title).
I’m not happy about a lot of the hardcore western stuff that seems to be favored at Renderotica. I’m more into the fun, exciting, kawaii, anime stuff, but for now at least that is my home and I’m greatful to them.
Do you have products for sale? And where can we find out more about you!
Funny you should ask! I have a ton of animated poses for sale in my Renderotica store that can be applied to poser figures and even exported to other 3D programs from Daz Studio to 3DStudioMax.
Here’s a link to my store: https://www.renderotica.com/
Here’s a link to my Renderotica gallery: https://www.renderotica.com/
Here’s a link to my Youtube page (more animations there soon) and dont forget to subscribe!: http://www.youtube.com/user/
the stimuli animation contest
Win Seckseh! the cool animation package created by stimuli featured below, where the cutie gets to play with her boobies.
Note that assembling and rendering this animation requires a 3D creation tool like Poser or DazStudio
[swf src=”https://cdn-pub.affect3d.com/site/uploads/2011/08/MeiYinSecksehA.swf” width=420 height=740]
How to win
Think of a funny one – liner to the following hilarious animation by stimuli!
To enter just post your one liner as a comment below!
[swf src=”https://cdn-pub.affect3d.com/site/uploads/2011/08/oops-A.swf” width=600 height=450]
[highlight color=”eg. yellow, black”]Note: this clip stops on the last frame, you need to right click on the image above and select ‘play’ to view it again![/highlight]
Rules
You can enter as many times as you like before the [highlight color=”eg. yellow, black”]closing date of the 23rd of August[/highlight].
Hint: make it witty, funny, silly, inspirational, sexy, cheeky, whaterver just give it a shot and enter =)
The winner will be picked and announced by stimuli in around 7 days on the 24th of August (or thereabouts).
miro
August 25, 2011Thanks for the entries, the competition is now closed. The winner will be announced soon!
dovic
August 25, 2011The animation is indeed stunning, don’t think I’ve seen Western animation that good. Great work!
Ryan
August 23, 2011My favorite anime ”Cowboy Bepopped”
Ryan
August 23, 2011Sometimes I can’t help it, I just blow my ”whole” load!!!
Ryan
August 23, 2011Maybe she dated one of the ”Yankees”
Ryan
August 23, 2011What did you polish my ”wood” with?
Ryan
August 23, 2011There were no videos of the Super ”Kawaii” stimuli girls, so it fell off!!!
Ryan
August 23, 2011She was jerking me off with ”Super Glue”
Ryan
August 23, 2011Should we put it on ice until the paramedics arrive?
Ryan
August 23, 2011Do you think they will be able to sew it back on?
Ryan
August 23, 2011When I woke up today I sure didn’t think this was going to happen!!!
Ryan
August 23, 2011It’s going to be awfully hard to explain this to the emergency room staff!!!
Ryan
August 23, 2011Honey? Can you love half a man?
Ryan
August 23, 2011I guess I will have to pee in a bag from now on.
Ryan
August 23, 2011Not the ”toy” you usually play with when you’re by yourself!!!
Ryan
August 23, 2011I lost my penis in a game of ”Pokeher”
Ryan
August 23, 2011Holy Crap!!! A New Resistance ”Fall” Of Man game out already!!!
Ryan
August 23, 2011She’s the new Black and Decker ”Pecker Wrecker”
Ryan
August 23, 2011Just like the economy, up for a second, down forever!!!
Ryan
August 23, 2011Jill the ”Ripper”
Ryan
August 23, 2011A ”Stroke” of Genius!!!
Ryan
August 23, 2011Wax on Wax ”off”
Ryan
August 23, 2011It was a drive by, I didn’t even see it coming!!!
Ryan
August 23, 2011You told me you wanted me to get a ”vasectomy” but this is ridiculous!!!
Ryan
August 23, 2011EXTREME!!! ”COITUS INTERRUPTUS”
Ryan
August 23, 2011A penalty for early ”withdrawal”
Ryan
August 23, 2011What can I say, she has an appetite for my ”frank and beans”
Ryan
August 23, 2011Alright, bring in the ”stunt cock” he’s done!!!
Ryan
August 23, 2011Her career as a golfer is over. Too many strokes!!!
Ryan
August 23, 2011Burger King closed after a loss of their ”whopper”
mm777
August 23, 2011“another one bites the dust”
Ryan
August 23, 2011A horrible case of ”blue balls”
Ryan
August 23, 2011She sure put out my ”fire”
Ryan
August 23, 2011New M&M’s for 2011. They melt in your hands and not in your mouth!!!
Ryan
August 23, 2011The horse got out of his stable, and never came back!!!
Ryan
August 23, 2011No more ”fruit” in the loom!!!
Ryan
August 23, 2011She’s very ”handy” to have around!!!
Ryan
August 23, 2011Rubbing one ”OUT”
Ryan
August 23, 2011Tastes great, less filling!!!
Ryan
August 23, 2011An all new take on ”american pickers”
Ryan
August 23, 2011I said a handjob not a tugjob!!!
Ryan
August 23, 2011Oh look!! It’s an erector set!!!
Ryan
August 23, 2011The tug of war champion of the world!!!
Ryan
August 23, 2011Breaking up is hard to do!!!
Ryan
August 23, 20112011’s new ”snap-on” tools spokeswoman!!!
Amarantine
August 23, 2011If I had a penny for every time I snap off a dick!
miro
August 23, 2011Last Day!! Get your submissions in, last chance to give your career as an animator that all important kick start!
Apparently practice makes perfect, as some of you contestants have demonstrated 😉
Hilarious submissions so far from everyone, but keep ’em coming, it’s not over yet!
And check out stimuli’s links, his other gallery and animations packages. Well worth it!
Ryan
August 23, 2011This woman should go to prison for her crime of pulling off this man’s penis but the evidence wouldn’t ”stand” up in court!!!
Ryan
August 23, 2011No ”hard” feelings, it was an accident!!!
Ryan
August 23, 2011Snap, crackle, ”POP”