Glows

Click image to enlarge

Above is a quick breakdown of how to do 'Glows' in Flash that I had quickly done for a friend of mine. It's fast and simple that's for sure, but it gives you the basic idea, here's the Flash file to go with it.

And here is the video file from a previous post regarding Eric Spiegelman's Time Lapse Film: Download

Why wield a whip when you can be the whip?

Scott Peterson has been busy during his time off from being an Effects Supervisor at PDI/Dreamworks. Inspired by games like Battlezone, Geometry Wars and Michel Gagne's special effects style, his latest project was diving into the world of game development. Focusing his efforts on an appealing visual effects aesthetic complemented by simple, abstract game actors, and a unique game mechanic that gives players a new gaming experience, his endeavors has lead to the original game labeled "WhipCrack".

This game lets you assume control of a space-age whip as you crack through swarms of deadly enemies. Solve puzzles, earn upgrades, and fling your master across the screen while battling across 19 devious single-player missions.

Gameplay Trailer:


Here's the link to the game's website.

Incredible Slow Motion Video Of Bullet Impacts On Various Materials

A 10-minute video showing the impact of bullets on various targets at 1 million frames per second. It was made by German engineer Werner Mehl who created the PVM-21 infrared chronograph, in many respects the most sophisticated ballistic speed-measuring system. There's so much amazing video reference out there online for FX animators, this is just another one of hundreds of great clips you can find. More Tutorials coming soon, I promise.

Awesome Flash FX in these 'Coke Burn' Commercials

The 2D Art & Animation Crew:
Kathleen Quaife, Philip Pignotti, John Armstrong, Jeff Zikry, Kendra Ryan, Joe Mullen, and Jon Gorman.

Eric Spiegelman's Time Lapse Film

I know I'm slacking on the actual tutorials, but I'll be making lots of new posts this month, I promise!

Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet

I love Michel Gagne’s work - he's one of our modern-day masters of 2D-animated special effects, here's his latest project:

Gagne writes more about this forthcoming video game project on his blog.

Michael Moloney showing off some nice Flash FX

Resources, Resources, Resources

The internet has unlimited quantities of research material the effects animators.
Here's just a few high-contrast black and white clips I've found recently, awesome video footage of ink drops in water and splatters of paint on a flat surfaces.

Download:

Ink Drops (25 files / 52 MB)
Ink Flows (10 files / 94 MB)
Paint Splatter (20 files / 4 MB)

Samples:







Enjoy.