3D animation equipment.

A computer.

A fairly obvious piece of equipmet needed to do 3D computer animation, but what sort to buy? Both Apple Mac and PC computers will run lots of excellent 3D animation programs (although there is less choice for an Apple Mac). Whereas all the programs featured in the book will run on a PC, only Maya and LightWave will run on an Apple Mac (both excellent pieces of software).

I have absolutely no preference when it comes to what sort of computer to use (they are only a tool after all). I've trodden the PC path because the first computer I bought brand new was a PC (my first computer was a second hand Amiga 1200) and I'm used to them. Also both colleges I teach at use PC's. So I don't know much about Macs. (If anybody would like to send me anything about 3D on Macs, please contact me).

So buy a computer with as fast a processor as possible with as much memory as you can afford and buy a big monitor. (At the moment a lot of people are selling off their standard monitors and replacing them with flat screen ones, so there are a lot of second hand bargains to be had. Take a look at www.ebay.co.uk or www.loot.com. A good quality 21 inch monitor should last about 10 years [the date of manufacture should bee stamped on the back], so buy one that is less than about 5 years old).

You could go to a specialist company that makes high end 3D workstations (and this way you will know that everything will work properly and all the componants will be good quality) but they will not be cheap. See the 3D Animation supplies page.

At the other end of the scale, buy as cheap a computer as possible and then if your program won't run properly on it (and it's usually graphics cards that give problems), up the specification of individual componants until the programs will run OK. Have a look at each software companies websites to see their minimum system requirements.

Whatever you buy will be out of date before you get it out of the box (I've got a 3 year old 1300 mhz PC with about 300 mb of memory, a second hand 21 inch monitor and it's fine for me). Second hand computers alway seem rather expencive to me and you never know what the previous owner has done to them.

I've also found that buying a basic computer and then buying all the nice periferals later (CD/DVD burners, External Hard Drives, firewire cards etc) can work out slightly more expencive but will spred the cost over a period of time.

Most of my book was written on a 700mhz Sony Vaio laptop which realy had too small a screen to do 3D with any precision.

A comfortable desk and chair.

You are going to be sitting in front of a bright light source for long periods of time using only a few limited muscles over and over again (you must be mad), so you need to be as comfortable as possible.

Take as many breaks as possible (at least every 45 minutes). Look away from the screen and focus on something else occasionally.

Take a look at; www.ergonomics.com.au/howtosit.htm for how to sit at a computer properly.

 

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