Greetings. I just had to drop a line to thank everyone who has contributed to making Mecabricks what it is.
I have been on a 2 year crusade to achieve a photo realistic way of rendering animated lego and minifigures in a way similar to stop motion animation with real lego which I started doing but decided that my ham-fisted fingers were a handicap and that 3D modelling was a way to perhaps go.
I have suffered the frustration of trying to work out how to do things in 3D with Blender and also in Carrara. One step forward and two back. For every solution a new problem.
I happened across your Mecabricks Blender Template YouTube video and gave it a go. Excellent still life renders from your downloaded models after signing up to Mecabricks. "Inspiration !!" I had to try animation now that the rendering aspect is resolved.
Then together with Mark LaBarr's YouTube series, I managed to animate the mini-figure in a lego like manner after using the Blender Template. I am now full speed ahead with completing a silly James Bond trailer that I started with my son a few years ago. He has long since lost interest with the project, but for some reason it has got under my skin and become a personal challenge.
My i7 2.5 desktop takes approximately 10 minutes a frame to render from Blender at DVD quality but I am SOOO chuffed at the results. Chuffing Great!!
Thank you Scrubs et al for Mecabricks and all of your models that you have on the site. Thank you for your dedication to placing your tutorials on YouTube and allowing access to these. I am looking forward to eventually uploading the resulting animation for all to share and hopefully give others the inspiration to do something similar (Giving credit to you all of course.) I have now acheived in 3 days what I have been unable to do in the past 2 years and given up so many times. Your Template was the solution I needed to get over the problem.
And so to the legalities - If I (or anyone else of the Mecabricks community) upload a video to YouTube using modified animated versions of Mecabricks models posted by various contributors, What is the correct respectful (and legal) way of getting permission to use them. Is getting individual permission a requirement, or is giving credit to the modellers in the credits of the video considered as being the gentleman's way of doing things?
Again, Thank You, Thank You Thank You!!
Hello and thank you very much for your message 😉
Regarding your questions, I'm not entirely sure what is the best way.
If it is official sets, I wouldn't do anything as design belongs to the LEGO company anyway.
For mocs, I'd say that simply giving credit to builders is enough.
Looking forward to seeing your video!!!
I have always wanted to learn and try digital lego animation but never got the time.
Hi Markal,
I'm very curious too! I really love Lego animations and I've also tried with stop-motion 😃
I think that you only need to mention in credits those who have built models, if they are public 😉
I think you have to declare the video as "fan art" and should not use the "LEGO logo on studs" feature. 😉
Well, eventually, some time off and I have managed to put a few more hours into trying to get some sort of experimental video up.
Using a few Mecabricks models (which have been given credit) I have just uploaded my second version video, which, if you view the first will notice a substantial improvement in the quality of the modelling over stop motion and the flat uninteresting 3D modeling I was getting before finding Mecabricks.
I have now decided to post something rather than wait another 4 years to get it finished, so its still a work in progress.
I do not profess to be a film maker, nor an animator, nor a modeller. Just a Joe Public who came across the Lego animation hobby and decided to give it a go, which then morphed into trying to work out complex programs like Blender, Carrara etc. So enjoy it for what it is. Its only taken me 4 years to get there.
I have not used any "LEGO" branding at all, studs included, and hopefully given credit where it is due to all the people I have taken notice of and their generous free models, effects, greenscreen, free software etc, but after 4 years, my memory of all the resources I have used is a bit faint. If I have missed any thing, or offended anyone by not giving the correct acknowledgement, or have inadvertently crossed the copyright barrier, I apologize and please let me know and I will make it right.
Would always appreciate feedback.
Here is the link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJ6ePtUf8t8 (Reposted March 2017)
Thanks for allowing the use of your resources, and also for the YouTube tutorial of "Mecabrick to Blender" that started version 2.
Who knows, I may get time to do a bit more in 2017.
That looks amazing! Wonderful job, particularly with the ocean, snow, and explosion scenes! 😄
Thanks, its been fun trying to work out how to do it. Blender is an amazing albeit complex program.
Wow neat! Haven't seen any of the Bond movies, but this is awesome. Nice job.
The only thing I can make in blender is a house. ( A VERY simple one) (well it wasn't simple for me) 😛 😃 lol
I am a Lego model designer, not a Lego renderer like most people on here.
Part one of my full length Thunderbirds animation has now been posted on youtube if you want to kill some time.
All modelled in Mecabricks with the advanced shader plug in, animated in Blender.
Very nice! It must have taken a lot of work to build and animate all that! 😃
You are not wrong! Thanks.
I have just uploaded another Mecabricks modeled, Blender animation for anyone who would like to check it out. Thought I would try one of the other Gerry Anderson creations this time.
I have developed a different system for animation the mouths which i will use from the next animation which should give more consistent mouth placements for lipsync.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v😛rnha-ideA0&t=26s
Uses the UFO models I did on Mecabricks.
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