@@JaredOwen haha now we're like old generals who've seen some sh*t. Simulating is way too hard. I mean, it's amazing too, and I love the wacky simulations ya see around online for the sake of simulating. But I already spend 2-2.5 months in the deepest trenches with these things! And I have no more hair to lose over it! ;D Erindale's channel has a ton of procedural nodes tutorials. Somehow, in the end, I really only use the couple of techniques though, and pull out other weird procedural strats only occasionally. Also, asking blender to do all that math with built-in noise texture nodes and whatnot can get intense memory-wise. So I use noise textures in images sometimes to keep memory usage down. But overall, the couple tricks I showed in this vid can make all the liquids/gases I've needed so far. That includes the water treatment vid too!
Let me boil the essence of this clip down, for those of us with little patience. This is extremely easy to build. All you need is an artist's mind and a huge, inhumane amount of work! Let's face it! Dudes like this one, right here, are extremely rare because very few of us can display the passion and the stubbornness of putting in so much work to create what usually is done by animation studios. Don't tryto do what this guy does. You'll go insane. Just thank him and enjoy his work. Thank you, mate! Hats off to you!
I think you’re completely missing the fact that modeling is ENJOYABLE to a lot of people 😅 just like anything else that’s a lot of “work” e.g. programming, woodwork, sculpting, video editing, painting, composing, etc. etc. etc. if you’re finding that an activity is testing your patience and not offering any satisfaction in return, you should probably look into doing something else
I can appreciate both your points of view, because right about the time modeling is wrapping up, I'm READY to be done. But it's dope because with modeling I can listen to podcasts and whatnot, even in the midst of trying to figure out how something should look. But with animating, for example, I have to hear my voice as I go along. So no more podcasts.
Well I'm doing something similar. Modelling and animation in Blender for leaving. Yeah, that can drive one sort of insane. Sometimes I miss old days when I had simple job at construction (apartment renovations).
Sir you have blown my mind this day … the layers upon layers upon layers of masks you use have solved at least 3 of my most recent texturing issues. Please never stop uploading!!
No wonder you need few months for only one video. What really big effort for impressive content quality. Please dont stop, i always wait your new video.
Man, you are the best. The explanations you are giving are outstanding, I wish studying courses at schools and universities were done the half as good as those videos
I am siting here after watching few od your videos on planes and heli and diesel-el loco, I just have my mouth wide open and staring on level of your skill and complexity. This is unprecedented! I have 1 year old son, once he is little older I will definitely use all your videos to explain him technical word! 20 years ago I was chasing this stuff on discovery channel and it was like 10%lvl of your content, but on cable tv... Big thumbs up from Czech Republic! Keep it up!
@alphasbirdcage You mean software or hardware? Software, I use Blender's command line renderer to spin up multiple blender instances and dedicate them to one of two GPUs I have, as eevee render engine can't split up renders any other way. I've found I can max out my capabilities this way, and closing the window (terminating the render) is easy and doesn't crash Blender, unlike trying to render from the interface. As for hardware, it's just a beefy gaming type PC, with two GPUs. A Ryzen 5900x cpu and the GPUs are a 3080 and a 2070 super. I prop the case open with a big fan at render time and it heats the entire apartment. lol.
@@animagraffs That was my Reddit post at 10:12 but I didn't think you would ever see it, let alone make a video responding to my question! I think Blender should incorporate your technique , because I'm sure other people have looked for a simple solution like yours. In any case, thanks for the hard work!
Amazing work, man... Your rigging system is borderline-scary... hahaha But, given the amount of views that you have it all makes quite a lot of sense to work as much. Trust me, I'm usually working on my projects for a couple of months and I barely get 1/10 of your views.
😮🤯 Holy cow! You build parametrically whatever you need to manage the complexity of the project. He basically makes it like if it were a game. Even the tricks for performance with faking materials, the animations, the scripts for parametrically manipulating stuff. I'm mind blown. I'll definitely use this kind of thinking for any large projects for videos, graphics, programming, etc.
Recently, I had the fortune and pleasure to actually see the 4014 Big Boy when it came out to Roseville, CA for it's Westward Bound Tour. Seeing it in person is simply mind-boggling, it is absolutely freaking HUGE. The engine without its tenders is 85 ft. long, that is 15 ft longer than a big rig with its trailer... think about that the next time you're driving next to one. I watched your Big Boy video a few weeks before seeing the real one, I have to tell you, that video helped me a lot, in understanding and comprehending what I was seeing sitting there right before my eyes. It made the experience that much more enjoyable, thank you!! If you ever have the chance to see the Big Boy... do it!! I'm equally blown away with what it took to produce the video... I have no words other than, thank you!!!
I very much wondered. Perhaps the most amazing thing is that you're a one-man operation. I didn't expect that. Terrific work back from the non-video days.
:) a fan from way back to the animated GIF days! heck yeah. Oh the things I could show! I found ways to make, for example, a fire effect like this BUT seamlessly repeat in a loop. So far online I haven't seen someone pull it off for pure noise based textures, you can usually see where the loop jerks at is start / end. Anyways, glad to have you on the channel!
I like how you organize and label everything. By making the whole thing understandable to another user, you impose a discipline to your work that enhances your efficiency. I can’t stand working with a lazy model.
The engineering that went into the making of the Big Boy Engine was engeaneous. The way you were able to produce this video and present so perfectly was just as amazing!!! Thank you for your great work👍👍👍
Hey Jake, hear me out real quick!!!... So in addition to my Reddit post which you mentioned at 10:12, I forgot that I had emailed you first (on 5/5/23), before I had even made that Reddit post (wasn't expecting a response, just a shot in the dark). After watching this video, I see you pretty much fulfilled what I had requested in that email. So even though I don't have the right to ask for any more requests, I'll ask anyway and make some suggestions 😀... Maybe once a year, you can have a "special project" which you can break up into 3 parts: PART 1 - This would be your normal TH-cam explainer/animation video. However, you'll also mention that you'll be including a "bonus" PART 2 video that explains how you created this project, and a much more detailed PART 3 that people can take as a course. PART 2 - This will be a follow up 15 min. video (exactly like how you made this video), providing details and a glimpse of how you made PART 1. Give examples of how you researched and prepared for this project, challenges, resources, etc... You'll provide just enough so that people will want more. PART 3 - PART 2 is just an appetizer for PART 3, which will be a full course that shows step by step how to replicate what you made in PART 1. You can offer this course on platforms like Udemy for something cheap like $5 (*** IMPORTANT - this needs to be cheap and affordable for the masses to be successful ***). Some of your TH-cam videos have millions of views, but you don't need that many people to buy your Udemy course. For example, if all you get is 10,000 people (a reasonable number) to sign up for a course, at $5/person - that's still $50K, which would be well worth the effort! From reading many of the responses of this video, it looks like there are some appreciative 3D artists who watch your videos that could also be interested in taking a course from you. You're blessed to have a sizable (and faithful) audience that you can share your expertise with, and some people would be willing to pay for it. *** YOUR MISSION, SHOULD YOU ACCEPT IT!*** Make a 3-part project called "How A Dual Fuel Generator Works" Specifically, this should focus on modern "inverter" generators. It might be a topic that's interesting enough for your audience, but most importantly, it's NOT overly complex to turn it into a course. All you would need to animate is a small 1-cylinder engine, starter motor and/or pull string, and maybe the carburetor. FYI - You said that you purchased exterior 3D models for most of the videos you make. Similarly, maybe you can ask a generator manufacturer for their exterior 3D models. Talk to companies like Honda, Champion, or Generac and see who would be willing to help out, maybe they might sponsor your project. You can offer those same 3D model files from the manufacturers into your Udemy course, sparing your students from tedious 3D modeling (unless it's necessary), and it'll will help you focus most of your course on animating and materials. From there, you'll also offer your script and audio recordings, and the student's job will be to follow along and recreate your "PART 1" video in Blender (Blender LTS version if possible). You don't have to show students every single step, just enough to get the job done, and let them finish other parts on their own once you've shown them what to do. If you have these "special projects" over the course of time, you'll be able to have a library of videos and courses that can supplement your income aside from TH-cam and Patreon. Anyway, all this is just a suggestion. I know being a content creator isn't always the most stable job financially, but this approach might help you maximize your time and effort so that you're not relying on TH-cam and Patreon all the time. Wish you the best! -Alex T.
Dang, that course idea is pretty cool. I'm a fair teacher and can get into the headspace of folks who need a lot of patience and don't know much blender yet. I mean, charging big bucks goes against the spirit of Blender anyways, seeing how it's open source. I'll have to think on this. Thanks for sharing!!
@@vmcprojects this would really be so great for us who would like to learn from this great guy. He's such an inspiration to me and many other guys out there👏👏
Hey Jacob, great amazing work you do. I know exactly what it takes to model. A great deal of one's time is spent in research, going through drawings in detail and measuring. Albert
HI, Jake, Nice to see the creator of these. Always appreciate not only the CG but the research, script and narration (also the selection of music) and vast amount of time you put into these.
You have an amazing control and talent over this Blender program. I've been using 2D Drawing programs for 3 decades, but I couldn't understand how to bring my drawings into the 3D realm. The UP Big Boy was always my #1 favorite steam locomotive. Your "How a Steam Locomotive Works" was my attraction in finding and subscribing to your channel. Many Thanx for all the time you've put into all these videos... There's nothing else like them on the InterWeb that I've ever seen... Tremendous work, Sir...
Be proud, make more production videos! This is inspiring! When my son will grow up, I want to show him videos like these, with people like You ;) that it is possible, and it is satisfying!
Video game developer here! Seeing your materials, and the node setups you have for them, makes me indescribably happy. YOU, sir, are the type of artist that I *love* to work with. 🥰 Thanks for this! Super cool breakdown. Your work is really special, and I love watching it. Keep doing what you do!
Wow amazing, as a person who works with mechanisms in SOLIDWORKS i know how hard and time consuming that process is specially when you don't have the right dimensions like in a drawing to create a thing.👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Hi Jake, I work in aviation maintenance. I really enjoy your videos. It would have been great to have videos like yours available when I was first learning the concepts of how aviation technology works. I often refer your videos to the younger mechanics as general reference material to help them understand how systems work. It would be great if videos like yours were available for specific (patented and branded) company designs, such as General Electric, Pratt & Whitney or Allied Signal. Have you ever thought of approaching technology companies like these about creating educational materials for them?
hey brother, you are loved. by the insanely obsessed members of the mechanical world. i once was a mechanical illustrator, by hand back then, truly understand the amount of dedication you have... im sure i speak for many, when i say, we look forward to every rendering you create...and thank you! keep it up... much love from Texas
Why am I watching this with a huge grin on my face??? I know it’s said for sufficiently advanced technology but we can very well extend the quote to a insanely talented and hardworking artist to say ‘a sufficiently sophisticated artwork done by a master can be indistinguishable from magic’ :)
Providing research sources is much appreciated. Learning python code and making videos is madness thanks for everything. I am considering you as a mentor!
Yup...IMMENSE amount of work. 99% of the time, there's WAY more work behind TH-cam than people think and this is a SHINING example of that. Keep up the fantastic work, man. And...MOAR BTS!! 😁
WOW!!! I have only recently found Animagraffs with the SR-71 video. I was and continue to be absolutely blown away at the quality of your productions. And now with this, to have a glimpse at what it takes to make the graphical content makes it that much more impressive. I would like to say thank you so very much for what you do. This is the kind of content that provides real value to this platform.
This is so extremely cool! It's awesome to hear you geek out about shaders and stuff while still making it all approachable. What an impressive show of skill and artistry and hard work this is. Thank you for sharing :)
Wow, this is absolutely amazing! The best part for me is to see that you're really enjoying this work. That's so important because there's really no point in doing so much work if it doesn't excite you and make you happy. On the other hand, I also hope you're able to make a good living out of this work because you truly deserve that. I wish you many many more exciting projects in the future and thank you for your inspiring work! 👍
Unlike a magician revealing his tricks, my awe of your efforts and abilities are not at all diminished after a glimpse behind the curtain. Just incredible work all around. Bravo!
I just discovered you, saw the SR-71 video, and this. Rarely does one think, " This person I want to be my role model," but you convinced me in 90 minutes of watching. I admire your dedication, expertise, and clear vision.
Thank you for such a great channel. Me and my 5 year old son love your content. I’ve worked on and repaired equipment my whole life and I always learn something new. My son has watched the diesel and steam train videos about 300 times now.
It's pretty special when folks tell me they watch with their kids, or that their kids just love to watch my work on their own. I dunno, it's, like, sacred in a way. thx for being here on the channel!
OMG . The amount of work and talent here is off the scale. You are the GOAT. You are the Blenderdaddy for engineers ... I feel humbled and inspired. AnimaGOAT. 🚀🚀🚀
This is unbelievable. The amount of work you put into this as an indie and the level of knowledge you demonstrate in each field of 3D/animation is outstanding. It showcases not just your talent but how intricate and complicated this field is while you also introduce the concepts and building blocks of this profession in a way even a layman can understand!
I absolutely loved the episode on the big boy steam engine. A topic very close to my heart. So a very deep thankyou. I have a suggestion for another amazing piece of mechanical wizardry. The combine harvester. Some how it manages to cut the crop, feeds it into the machine itself, opens up the pods, takes the seeds and saves them and at the same time discards the rest of the plant and at certain intervals when the hoppers are nearly full are able to dump the produce into a tractor and trailer running along side. And doing all this virtually non stop at about 10 - 15 mph. A seriously clever piece of machinery!!
I've been doing 3D professionally for about 25 years now. I am seriously impressed by this (and I get how incredibly difficult it is to do what you have pulled off). Kudos!
Jake! I am a 3D animator since 1991. However my work took a turn away from 3D motion in 2005 only being sporadic through now. What has happened in this field is incredible. The work is amazing. Your candid honesty about our industry and the “smoke and mirrors” to pull off the amazing fire, steam, coals and the nodes it takes to layer it all is so cool. The way you programmed the opacity groups and the scale groups is inspirational. Thank you for your dedication to the craft of 3D and education of how things work.
As an aviation enthusiast, I was introduced to Animagraffs by the P-51 Mustang episode showing up in my recommendations when I was watching videos about WW2 planes like the Spitfire. I was blown away by the graphics and just by getting such a deep and intuitive understanding of how all of the moving parts fit and worked together. I immediately binge-watched the rest of your animations and have eagerly awaited every new release since. This channel is one of my absolute favorites on TH-cam. Thank you so much for all the great videos, and keep up the outstanding work Jake!
One of the few channels I hit the bell for. It's almost incomprehensible how much time and effort must go into each video, even knowing broadly how you do it.
So cool man! I really enjoy watching people do what they enjoy. Whether it's this, welding, gardening, sports, teaching, robotics etc...Really cool behind the scenes look at something i know nothing about. Good stuff man!
The quality and attention to detail in your work is on another level, but what struck me the most is how proud and passionate you are about your work, it was palpable from the way you talk and react about the little details in your work! Would love to see something about Fusion reactors next.
Wow! I'm very impressed! I just watched for the first time your sailing ship breakdown. I had no idea you were using Blender, that is my favorite 3D modelling program as well, but you are on another level!
So interesting, such patience. You had such a problem with the valve gear - can you imagine the work Walsheart did to design this on paper without computers, just a slide rule. Not only that he had to calculate the modifications as a result of the mechanical movements of the parts to make the gear. Beautifuly done except for one thing. IT IS NOT A TRAIN. It is a LOCOMOTIVE. And it is beautifully done, telling the layman something they can not learn even watching the real LOCOMOTIVE in operation as it pulls a TRAIN. Thanks not only for this, but all the other astounding projects you have undertaken. But do remember, names do have meaning and correct names are vital to educating, which is what you are doing - Big Time. Even with your explanations, I don't think most viewers can comprehend the amount of work, imagination and creativity you put forth to accomplish this amazing illustration.
Your work on this locomotive is absolutely insane. Not only you managed to show everything there is in enough detail to explain a complete basics of operation, but also you did it about something that is far gone I history. I’m absolutely amazed that I finally learned everything I ever wanted about locomotives
I am not working in the modeling field (nor I am planning to), but even I can see how much work you had to put into recreating such a complex object. Enjoyed the video a lot, wish you the best and thank you for presenting such a beautiful piece of work in a simplistic way :)
the Big Boy video will forever be ingrained in my mind as a work of ungodly effort, genius, and artisanal skill in the way of animation/blender/explanation. Animagraffs is the best out there in this regard!
I am speechless. The passion for these projects I can see and hear in your voice as you explain what is involved making these machines come to life. Thanks for sharing. When I saw the locomotive its design - I had new respect of the people that designed and built these machines. Personally I would place you there with them.......
Jake, You truly have a talent that is rarely seen or experienced. When I first watched a video you had made, How a Formula 1 Race Car Works, I was mezmerized by your commentary, detail and above all the fluidity of the animation. I have been following your work for sometime now and appreciate it as a teacher myself to be truly an education. Please keep your work and dedication going as it would be such a great loss to the world if you stopped. Finally hats off to you for working as an individual on these projects. Thankyou.
You are right to be proud of yourself, you built a whole system to do this stuff and it's really valuable methodology to pass on to lesser experienced animators. All of this behind the scenes work doesn't show up on the screen but the results do, and they are absolutely insane!
Halfway through the video and already amazed to discover you combine Blender + Python. Not many people in the world are able to do it; you are a special talent in helping us learn incredible machines and facts. Thanks for sharing man
One of the coolest videos I've seen in a while. It's incredible to see just one person doing such an amazing job of creating educational content. What's more incredible is seeing that the secret sauce behind the accuracy is just lots and lots and lots of hard work and dedicated research. Browsing old forums for 1930s magazines might be one of the coolest research processes I've ever seen.
Wooww!!! Thank you so much for this video! Amazing content! Your videos are about how things work, but this is the first video about how making videos of how things work works. If that makes any sense at all.
I had to do a lot of research on locomotives when I researched my book (called The Locomotive). These machines are nothing less than a work of art, and your work is greatly appreciated by countless people. This was one of my favourite videos on your channel!
Love what you do, I feel I have a good appreciation for what you do. I have worked with autodesk and have worked on some personal projects that I know what you mean about the efficiency of the model.
Wonderful, thank God TH-cam algorithm suggest me that, so much inspiration filled inside that I can do whatever I wanted in blender, rather to rely on 5-6 different programs that create syncing problem. You have to push your limits and you have also done scripting by yourself for that. Your video will set a milestone for other educator as well that want to utilize blender to demonstrate their work. Visualization simplified....
This was fascinating and you've got some serious skill - thanks for sharing Jake!
Hiya Jared! Always good to see you. Thanks for your compliments. Isn’t it great to be doing what we do?! :D
@@animagraffs Yes it is😀 I gotta get better at some of the shader node tricks you use. Simulations are a pain in blender
@@JaredOwen haha now we're like old generals who've seen some sh*t. Simulating is way too hard. I mean, it's amazing too, and I love the wacky simulations ya see around online for the sake of simulating. But I already spend 2-2.5 months in the deepest trenches with these things! And I have no more hair to lose over it! ;D
Erindale's channel has a ton of procedural nodes tutorials. Somehow, in the end, I really only use the couple of techniques though, and pull out other weird procedural strats only occasionally. Also, asking blender to do all that math with built-in noise texture nodes and whatnot can get intense memory-wise. So I use noise textures in images sometimes to keep memory usage down. But overall, the couple tricks I showed in this vid can make all the liquids/gases I've needed so far. That includes the water treatment vid too!
big friendship right there
Let me boil the essence of this clip down, for those of us with little patience. This is extremely easy to build. All you need is an artist's mind and a huge, inhumane amount of work! Let's face it! Dudes like this one, right here, are extremely rare because very few of us can display the passion and the stubbornness of putting in so much work to create what usually is done by animation studios. Don't tryto do what this guy does. You'll go insane. Just thank him and enjoy his work. Thank you, mate! Hats off to you!
I think you’re completely missing the fact that modeling is ENJOYABLE to a lot of people 😅 just like anything else that’s a lot of “work” e.g. programming, woodwork, sculpting, video editing, painting, composing, etc. etc. etc. if you’re finding that an activity is testing your patience and not offering any satisfaction in return, you should probably look into doing something else
I can appreciate both your points of view, because right about the time modeling is wrapping up, I'm READY to be done. But it's dope because with modeling I can listen to podcasts and whatnot, even in the midst of trying to figure out how something should look. But with animating, for example, I have to hear my voice as I go along. So no more podcasts.
Had me in the first half!
@@DrCaesarsPalace_MD wdym
Well I'm doing something similar. Modelling and animation in Blender for leaving. Yeah, that can drive one sort of insane. Sometimes I miss old days when I had simple job at construction (apartment renovations).
Sir you have blown my mind this day … the layers upon layers upon layers of masks you use have solved at least 3 of my most recent texturing issues. Please never stop uploading!!
Thats some level of dedication, great work man
We appreciate your selfless efforts for making these videos
No wonder you need few months for only one video. What really big effort for impressive content quality. Please dont stop, i always wait your new video.
Man, you are the best. The explanations you are giving are outstanding, I wish studying courses at schools and universities were done the half as good as those videos
Hope there's more of these to come! Just as enjoyable and intriguing as the main videos.
I am siting here after watching few od your videos on planes and heli and diesel-el loco, I just have my mouth wide open and staring on level of your skill and complexity. This is unprecedented! I have 1 year old son, once he is little older I will definitely use all your videos to explain him technical word! 20 years ago I was chasing this stuff on discovery channel and it was like 10%lvl of your content, but on cable tv... Big thumbs up from Czech Republic! Keep it up!
Excellent modeling, texturing and animation work
Amazing! Talent, planning and great delivery. Thank-you.
"Jake here, the creator of anime graphs." i've heard this line so many times, i couldn't have guessed how you looked man. i love your voice man
looks aren't half bad either ;)
Can you tell us the gear you use for your 3D rendering
@alphasbirdcage You mean software or hardware? Software, I use Blender's command line renderer to spin up multiple blender instances and dedicate them to one of two GPUs I have, as eevee render engine can't split up renders any other way. I've found I can max out my capabilities this way, and closing the window (terminating the render) is easy and doesn't crash Blender, unlike trying to render from the interface.
As for hardware, it's just a beefy gaming type PC, with two GPUs. A Ryzen 5900x cpu and the GPUs are a 3080 and a 2070 super. I prop the case open with a big fan at render time and it heats the entire apartment. lol.
@RobFeldkamp you're very kind Rob, us fellas somehow don't hear stuff like that very often. I'm keepin it.
@@animagraffs That was my Reddit post at 10:12 but I didn't think you would ever see it, let alone make a video responding to my question! I think Blender should incorporate your technique , because I'm sure other people have looked for a simple solution like yours. In any case, thanks for the hard work!
Amazing work, man...
Your rigging system is borderline-scary... hahaha
But, given the amount of views that you have it all makes quite a lot of sense to work as much.
Trust me, I'm usually working on my projects for a couple of months and I barely get 1/10 of your views.
These are so impressive. Thank you for posting your work.
😮🤯 Holy cow! You build parametrically whatever you need to manage the complexity of the project. He basically makes it like if it were a game. Even the tricks for performance with faking materials, the animations, the scripts for parametrically manipulating stuff. I'm mind blown. I'll definitely use this kind of thinking for any large projects for videos, graphics, programming, etc.
Man you are a master of Blender, Furthermore, you are a 3d Historian of technology, be proud of your mission
Recently, I had the fortune and pleasure to actually see the 4014 Big Boy when it came out to Roseville, CA for it's Westward Bound Tour. Seeing it in person is simply mind-boggling, it is absolutely freaking HUGE. The engine without its tenders is 85 ft. long, that is 15 ft longer than a big rig with its trailer... think about that the next time you're driving next to one. I watched your Big Boy video a few weeks before seeing the real one, I have to tell you, that video helped me a lot, in understanding and comprehending what I was seeing sitting there right before my eyes. It made the experience that much more enjoyable, thank you!! If you ever have the chance to see the Big Boy... do it!!
I'm equally blown away with what it took to produce the video... I have no words other than, thank you!!!
Dude this work is straight up beautiful I am legitimately in awe.
I very much wondered. Perhaps the most amazing thing is that you're a one-man operation. I didn't expect that. Terrific work back from the non-video days.
:) a fan from way back to the animated GIF days! heck yeah. Oh the things I could show! I found ways to make, for example, a fire effect like this BUT seamlessly repeat in a loop. So far online I haven't seen someone pull it off for pure noise based textures, you can usually see where the loop jerks at is start / end. Anyways, glad to have you on the channel!
Thank you for sharing your time , talent, and expertise.
Glad you take "shortcuts" like buying the exterior. Proof you are in fact human. So much work!
You are using Blender at the Divine level of proficiency. WWoooww. Thank you. I would love to have you as a Blender professor.
Your Voice is a Masterpiece Man!
I like how you organize and label everything. By making the whole thing understandable to another user, you impose a discipline to your work that enhances your efficiency. I can’t stand working with a lazy model.
The engineering that went into the making of the Big Boy Engine was engeaneous. The way you were able to produce this video and present so perfectly was just as amazing!!! Thank you for your great work👍👍👍
Hey Jake, hear me out real quick!!!... So in addition to my Reddit post which you mentioned at 10:12, I forgot that I had emailed you first (on 5/5/23), before I had even made that Reddit post (wasn't expecting a response, just a shot in the dark). After watching this video, I see you pretty much fulfilled what I had requested in that email. So even though I don't have the right to ask for any more requests, I'll ask anyway and make some suggestions 😀... Maybe once a year, you can have a "special project" which you can break up into 3 parts:
PART 1 - This would be your normal TH-cam explainer/animation video. However, you'll also mention that you'll be including a "bonus" PART 2 video that explains how you created this project, and a much more detailed PART 3 that people can take as a course.
PART 2 - This will be a follow up 15 min. video (exactly like how you made this video), providing details and a glimpse of how you made PART 1. Give examples of how you researched and prepared for this project, challenges, resources, etc... You'll provide just enough so that people will want more.
PART 3 - PART 2 is just an appetizer for PART 3, which will be a full course that shows step by step how to replicate what you made in PART 1. You can offer this course on platforms like Udemy for something cheap like $5 (*** IMPORTANT - this needs to be cheap and affordable for the masses to be successful ***). Some of your TH-cam videos have millions of views, but you don't need that many people to buy your Udemy course. For example, if all you get is 10,000 people (a reasonable number) to sign up for a course, at $5/person - that's still $50K, which would be well worth the effort! From reading many of the responses of this video, it looks like there are some appreciative 3D artists who watch your videos that could also be interested in taking a course from you. You're blessed to have a sizable (and faithful) audience that you can share your expertise with, and some people would be willing to pay for it.
*** YOUR MISSION, SHOULD YOU ACCEPT IT!***
Make a 3-part project called "How A Dual Fuel Generator Works"
Specifically, this should focus on modern "inverter" generators. It might be a topic that's interesting enough for your audience, but most importantly, it's NOT overly complex to turn it into a course. All you would need to animate is a small 1-cylinder engine, starter motor and/or pull string, and maybe the carburetor. FYI - You said that you purchased exterior 3D models for most of the videos you make. Similarly, maybe you can ask a generator manufacturer for their exterior 3D models. Talk to companies like Honda, Champion, or Generac and see who would be willing to help out, maybe they might sponsor your project. You can offer those same 3D model files from the manufacturers into your Udemy course, sparing your students from tedious 3D modeling (unless it's necessary), and it'll will help you focus most of your course on animating and materials. From there, you'll also offer your script and audio recordings, and the student's job will be to follow along and recreate your "PART 1" video in Blender (Blender LTS version if possible). You don't have to show students every single step, just enough to get the job done, and let them finish other parts on their own once you've shown them what to do. If you have these "special projects" over the course of time, you'll be able to have a library of videos and courses that can supplement your income aside from TH-cam and Patreon.
Anyway, all this is just a suggestion. I know being a content creator isn't always the most stable job financially, but this approach might help you maximize your time and effort so that you're not relying on TH-cam and Patreon all the time. Wish you the best!
-Alex T.
Dang, that course idea is pretty cool. I'm a fair teacher and can get into the headspace of folks who need a lot of patience and don't know much blender yet. I mean, charging big bucks goes against the spirit of Blender anyways, seeing how it's open source. I'll have to think on this. Thanks for sharing!!
@@vmcprojects this would really be so great for us who would like to learn from this great guy. He's such an inspiration to me and many other guys out there👏👏
Hey Jacob, great amazing work you do. I know exactly what it takes to model. A great deal of one's time is spent in research, going through drawings in detail and measuring.
Albert
This is something else. Thanks for sharing the knowledge!
HI, Jake, Nice to see the creator of these. Always appreciate not only the CG but the research, script and narration (also the selection of music) and vast amount of time you put into these.
You have an amazing control and talent over this Blender program. I've been using 2D Drawing programs for 3 decades, but I couldn't understand how to bring my drawings into the 3D realm. The UP Big Boy was always my #1 favorite steam locomotive. Your "How a Steam Locomotive Works" was my attraction in finding and subscribing to your channel.
Many Thanx for all the time you've put into all these videos... There's nothing else like them on the InterWeb that I've ever seen... Tremendous work, Sir...
Impressive!
Be proud, make more production videos! This is inspiring! When my son will grow up, I want to show him videos like these, with people like You ;) that it is possible, and it is satisfying!
Video game developer here! Seeing your materials, and the node setups you have for them, makes me indescribably happy. YOU, sir, are the type of artist that I *love* to work with. 🥰 Thanks for this! Super cool breakdown. Your work is really special, and I love watching it. Keep doing what you do!
Wow amazing, as a person who works with mechanisms in SOLIDWORKS i know how hard and time consuming that process is specially when you don't have the right dimensions like in a drawing to create a thing.👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Hi Jake, I work in aviation maintenance. I really enjoy your videos. It would have been great to have videos like yours available when I was first learning the concepts of how aviation technology works. I often refer your videos to the younger mechanics as general reference material to help them understand how systems work. It would be great if videos like yours were available for specific (patented and branded) company designs, such as General Electric, Pratt & Whitney or Allied Signal. Have you ever thought of approaching technology companies like these about creating educational materials for them?
hey brother, you are loved.
by the insanely obsessed members of the mechanical world.
i once was a mechanical illustrator, by hand back then, truly understand the amount of dedication you have...
im sure i speak for many, when i say, we look forward to every rendering you create...and thank you!
keep it up...
much love from Texas
Absolutely insane amount of work and dedication just so we can nerd out. Fascinating and so wonderful
PLEASE make more videos like these, this was amazing to watch!
I am ashamed to call myself an animator after I see this. man you are a legend
Why am I watching this with a huge grin on my face??? I know it’s said for sufficiently advanced technology but we can very well extend the quote to a insanely talented and hardworking artist to say ‘a sufficiently sophisticated artwork done by a master can be indistinguishable from magic’ :)
Providing research sources is much appreciated. Learning python code and making videos is madness thanks for everything.
I am considering you as a mentor!
Incredible dedication to your craft. Amazing work Jake!
Yup...IMMENSE amount of work. 99% of the time, there's WAY more work behind TH-cam than people think and this is a SHINING example of that. Keep up the fantastic work, man. And...MOAR BTS!! 😁
Your skills are amazing. You should be proud of your talent. Thank you for sharing this!
WOW!!! I have only recently found Animagraffs with the SR-71 video. I was and continue to be absolutely blown away at the quality of your productions. And now with this, to have a glimpse at what it takes to make the graphical content makes it that much more impressive.
I would like to say thank you so very much for what you do. This is the kind of content that provides real value to this platform.
This is so extremely cool! It's awesome to hear you geek out about shaders and stuff while still making it all approachable. What an impressive show of skill and artistry and hard work this is. Thank you for sharing :)
Wow, this is absolutely amazing!
The best part for me is to see that you're really enjoying this work. That's so important because there's really no point in doing so much work if it doesn't excite you and make you happy. On the other hand, I also hope you're able to make a good living out of this work because you truly deserve that.
I wish you many many more exciting projects in the future and thank you for your inspiring work! 👍
Unlike a magician revealing his tricks, my awe of your efforts and abilities are not at all diminished after a glimpse behind the curtain. Just incredible work all around. Bravo!
Agreed!
I just discovered you, saw the SR-71 video, and this. Rarely does one think, " This person I want to be my role model," but you convinced me in 90 minutes of watching.
I admire your dedication, expertise, and clear vision.
Thank you for such a great channel. Me and my 5 year old son love your content. I’ve worked on and repaired equipment my whole life and I always learn something new. My son has watched the diesel and steam train videos about 300 times now.
It's pretty special when folks tell me they watch with their kids, or that their kids just love to watch my work on their own. I dunno, it's, like, sacred in a way. thx for being here on the channel!
OMG . The amount of work and talent here is off the scale. You are the GOAT. You are the Blenderdaddy for engineers ... I feel humbled and inspired.
AnimaGOAT. 🚀🚀🚀
Your videos are so cool and relaxing I watch them in a similar way as putting on a movie on Netflix :D
Amazing work and patience. As a "flat" corporate designer I often forget how important cross-section referenceing is. You are next level.
This is unbelievable. The amount of work you put into this as an indie and the level of knowledge you demonstrate in each field of 3D/animation is outstanding. It showcases not just your talent but how intricate and complicated this field is while you also introduce the concepts and building blocks of this profession in a way even a layman can understand!
I absolutely loved the episode on the big boy steam engine. A topic very close to my heart. So a very deep thankyou.
I have a suggestion for another amazing piece of mechanical wizardry.
The combine harvester. Some how it manages to cut the crop, feeds it into the machine itself, opens up the pods, takes the seeds and saves them and at the same time discards the rest of the plant and at certain intervals when the hoppers are nearly full are able to dump the produce into a tractor and trailer running along side.
And doing all this virtually non stop at about 10 - 15 mph. A seriously clever piece of machinery!!
I've been doing 3D professionally for about 25 years now. I am seriously impressed by this (and I get how incredibly difficult it is to do what you have pulled off). Kudos!
Jake! I am a 3D animator since 1991. However my work took a turn away from 3D motion in 2005 only being sporadic through now. What has happened in this field is incredible. The work is amazing. Your candid honesty about our industry and the “smoke and mirrors” to pull off the amazing fire, steam, coals and the nodes it takes to layer it all is so cool. The way you programmed the opacity groups and the scale groups is inspirational. Thank you for your dedication to the craft of 3D and education of how things work.
As an aviation enthusiast, I was introduced to Animagraffs by the P-51 Mustang episode showing up in my recommendations when I was watching videos about WW2 planes like the Spitfire. I was blown away by the graphics and just by getting such a deep and intuitive understanding of how all of the moving parts fit and worked together. I immediately binge-watched the rest of your animations and have eagerly awaited every new release since. This channel is one of my absolute favorites on TH-cam. Thank you so much for all the great videos, and keep up the outstanding work Jake!
One of the few channels I hit the bell for. It's almost incomprehensible how much time and effort must go into each video, even knowing broadly how you do it.
This is stunning! Thanks you so much for this behind the scene view!!
So cool man! I really enjoy watching people do what they enjoy. Whether it's this, welding, gardening, sports, teaching, robotics etc...Really cool behind the scenes look at something i know nothing about. Good stuff man!
The quality and attention to detail in your work is on another level, but what struck me the most is how proud and passionate you are about your work, it was palpable from the way you talk and react about the little details in your work! Would love to see something about Fusion reactors next.
It's soooooo much work! Kudos to you.
I'm glad you're enjoying doing all this.
Wow! I'm very impressed! I just watched for the first time your sailing ship breakdown. I had no idea you were using Blender, that is my favorite 3D modelling program as well, but you are on another level!
I will never take one of your videos for granted ever again.
oh, man... incredible. you are maniac! keep on!
Your one of my favorites bar none.
There is Big Boy the big locomotive and Big Boy the big model. Both are super impressive. Thanks!
So interesting, such patience. You had such a problem with the valve gear - can you imagine the work Walsheart did to design this on paper without computers, just a slide rule. Not only that he had to calculate the modifications as a result of the mechanical movements of the parts to make the gear. Beautifuly done except for one thing. IT IS NOT A TRAIN. It is a LOCOMOTIVE. And it is beautifully done, telling the layman something they can not learn even watching the real LOCOMOTIVE in operation as it pulls a TRAIN. Thanks not only for this, but all the other astounding projects you have undertaken. But do remember, names do have meaning and correct names are vital to educating, which is what you are doing - Big Time. Even with your explanations, I don't think most viewers can comprehend the amount of work, imagination and creativity you put forth to accomplish this amazing illustration.
Your work on this locomotive is absolutely insane. Not only you managed to show everything there is in enough detail to explain a complete basics of operation, but also you did it about something that is far gone I history.
I’m absolutely amazed that I finally learned everything I ever wanted about locomotives
Everything you do is leaving me.. speechless. Masterpiece!
I am not working in the modeling field (nor I am planning to), but even I can see how much work you had to put into recreating such a complex object.
Enjoyed the video a lot, wish you the best and thank you for presenting such a beautiful piece of work in a simplistic way :)
the Big Boy video will forever be ingrained in my mind as a work of ungodly effort, genius, and artisanal skill in the way of animation/blender/explanation. Animagraffs is the best out there in this regard!
There is a man who loves what he does!!! Awesome to see how proud he is of his accomplishments... and they are amazing!!!
I am speechless. The passion for these projects I can see and hear in your voice as you explain what is involved making these machines come to life. Thanks for sharing. When I saw the locomotive its design - I had new respect of the people that designed and built these machines. Personally I would place you there with them.......
Jake, You truly have a talent that is rarely seen or experienced. When I first watched a video you had made, How a Formula 1 Race Car Works, I was mezmerized by your commentary, detail and above all the fluidity of the animation. I have been following your work for sometime now and appreciate it as a teacher myself to be truly an education. Please keep your work and dedication going as it would be such a great loss to the world if you stopped. Finally hats off to you for working as an individual on these projects. Thankyou.
I love to see the smile as you explain to all of us, your craft. You are a genius and you look really happy making this video.
epic! thank you for the behind-the-curtains look. love all your videos!
This is beautiful and detailed, consider doing a masterclass on doing animation with blender with a real project, from beginner to advanced.
Im blown away on how amazing Blender really is
Great breakdown!
Your videos are amazing. I recognized your voice from the voiceovers!
You are right to be proud of yourself, you built a whole system to do this stuff and it's really valuable methodology to pass on to lesser experienced animators. All of this behind the scenes work doesn't show up on the screen but the results do, and they are absolutely insane!
This was SUCH an awesome video to watch. Thank you for making this!! It is ridiculously impressive how you go about doing all of this
Thanks
Halfway through the video and already amazed to discover you combine Blender + Python. Not many people in the world are able to do it; you are a special talent in helping us learn incredible machines and facts. Thanks for sharing man
I love your work!
I could've used this rigging tutorial about 2 years ago. Figured it out but this would have been nice. Great Work.
One of the coolest videos I've seen in a while. It's incredible to see just one person doing such an amazing job of creating educational content. What's more incredible is seeing that the secret sauce behind the accuracy is just lots and lots and lots of hard work and dedicated research. Browsing old forums for 1930s magazines might be one of the coolest research processes I've ever seen.
I just watched your Big Boy vid and was blown away. Then I found this vid. I'm speechless.
Wooww!!! Thank you so much for this video! Amazing content!
Your videos are about how things work, but this is the first video about how making videos of how things work works.
If that makes any sense at all.
I congratulate you not on your talent, but on your hard work and work ethic.
Your fire animation is awesome!
I had to do a lot of research on locomotives when I researched my book (called The Locomotive). These machines are nothing less than a work of art, and your work is greatly appreciated by countless people. This was one of my favourite videos on your channel!
Love what you do, I feel I have a good appreciation for what you do. I have worked with autodesk and have worked on some personal projects that I know what you mean about the efficiency of the model.
Incredible work, very detailed and I love the dedication to refining the models for the sake of performance.
Wonderful, thank God TH-cam algorithm suggest me that, so much inspiration filled inside that I can do whatever I wanted in blender, rather to rely on 5-6 different programs that create syncing problem. You have to push your limits and you have also done scripting by yourself for that.
Your video will set a milestone for other educator as well that want to utilize blender to demonstrate their work. Visualization simplified....
My jaw dropped several times, it's just... unspeakably incredible. Your knowledge and skills are disgustingly cool
Big Boy was my fave
Until I saw your SR71 video
Keep up the great work
Actually the Victory was pretty incredible as well
Wow just wow! I hope you earn a very, VERY healthy amount from ad revenue because you deserve it!