The timeline-based Antics GUI is not unlike that of a typical NLE.
When I tested Antics version 2 last year, it was as a director of photography who was intrigued by the software’s potential as an affordable and user-friendly previsualization tool. My impression was that while Antics was an extremely versatile program, its steep learning curve and somewhat obtuse interface made it better suited for the enterprising production designer or individuals with storyboarding or 3-D animation backgrounds.
For version 3, Antics has adopted the mantra “3-D animation for everyone” and has skewed away from a strictly previz approach to embrace the fields of machinima, 3-D hobbyists, education and military, police, and fire training.
Opening the software up to a wider audience required a jump in accessibility, and for those who aren’t familiar with Antics, the latest release is a great way to get acquainted. The developers have managed to add a boatload of new features to the program and have also streamlined its controls — the “drag and drop, point and click” aspects have been greatly emphasized. For me, jumping back into Antics after a long absence proved to be relatively painless, and after some befuddled clicking about, I either remembered what functions did what, or was guided to the answer by helpful button icons or pop-up descriptions. All the familiar elements are there — the construct and direct modes, camera and character controls.
After designing an overall setup, one can reposition the virtual camera to replicate any angle or move.
Antics is designed around a Windows-based GUI. You have your 3-D workspace, a Set List for organizing individual scene elements and a Project Bin for all your project elements. Creating sophisticated scenes with voices, interacting characters and elaborate camera moves may take some time, but getting started can be as easy as building a floor and walls into your 3-D space and then simply dropping props and characters into the environment. Sets can be as small as a bedroom, or as huge as a city block. At this point, your only limitation will probably be the speed of your computer (recommended spec requirements: 3GHz processor, 2GB of RAM, and a 128MB video card with support for Open GL 1.4).
One of the most noticeable V3 additions is a content viewer that allows the user to sample any one of the hundreds of detailed characters, props, sounds, textures or animations before they are implemented. The viewer can browse asset libraries on local or remote sources, such as Antics’ own expansive online Content Warehouse. Users also have the option of importing 3-D model files from other programs for manipulation in the Antics environment. A new feature I found particularly useful is the ability to scale virtually any object to any size. If a door is too big, use your mouse or enter a number value to scale it down. Need a pear the size of a beach ball? Scale it up.
The ability to cheaply plan complex scenes involving expensive locations or props is a key advantage to using Antics.
All elements in the 3-D environment react intuitively towards each other. If you direct your CG character towards a desk chair, he or she will automatically sit in it. Walk someone up to a book on a bookshelf and click the “pick up button” and the character will grab an item. All characters come designed with a series of built-in animations that are tagged to correlate to whatever objects are being interacted with, be it inanimate or another virtual actor. The system isn’t infallible, however. Sometimes I would perform what I thought was an easy point-A-to-point-B operation and my actor would just stand there and twitch. When I reset the take and tried it again, it worked fine.
Once you have your set constructed and your scene blocked out, it’s time to start placing your cameras. Previous Antics versions included the “free” and “follow” camera modes, which make a return appearance here. New presets allow you to choose between orthogonal (right angle) or quarter views with a single mouse click, and lock those positions in or add pans, tilts, dollies and tracking moves. Once all of your moves are dialed in, the “Direct” mode allows you to swap between cameras by keyframing on a timeline when a certain camera records a specific action — very similar to that of a nonlinear editing system.
When the time comes to output your final sequence, Antics offers a variety of AVI and QuickTime codecs to choose from. V3 enables users to letterbox or pillarbox only the output of a given sequence, which means that you may “shoot” a scene using one aspect ratio (anywhere from 1.33 to 2.35 and beyond), but output in another. Users have the option to output their sequences with the alpha channel intact, allowing for manipulation by such third-party software as Photoshop or After Effects.
The folks at Antics took aim at what was really V2’s only weakness — its tendency towards unwieldiness — and stepped up to correct the problem while managing to expand its appeal to other markets.
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Antics V3.0
$595
DV Score:
Pros:
Improves on previous versions in almost every way; flexible interface; easy to use.
Cons:
Can be a little buggy at times
Bottom Line:
Can easily be used as a multi-purpose visual aid.
