Welcome, welcome!

I wanted to make the first post to extend a warm welcome to the Fall 2012 section of Digital Illustration. It's going to be an insanely fun and fast-paced class, giving you guys the opportunity to grow technically and artistically, as well as giving you the opportunity to add the 3D modeling feather to your caps.

In order to make all this work, I'm going to require that you guys sign up with a few websites and online services:

1. Blogger. I'd like to use the blogosphere as our primary form out "out-of-class" communication. While I'm not requiring that every student operates their own, personal blog, I'd highly recommend it. Instead, I will require that everyone participate on this blog. If you don't already have a gmail or blogger account, please sign up for one. Also, please review the Class Blog assignment descriptions in the "Additional Assignments" module on Brainhoney.
2. Lynda.com. Instead of requiring that you purchase a textbook, you will be required to enroll in a specific Lynda.com course, at a cost of $37.67 This course will provide you with an incredible amount of information related to 3D modeling with Autodesk Maya.
3. Autodesk Education Community. While all the software that will be used is installed on the computers in the lab, Autodesk has extended an amazing opportunity to students! You can sign up with an account on their education community and download any of their applications gratis! That's right. Free 3-year, non-professional licenses that you can download and install on your personal computer. (Please note: At the moment, the computer lab has the 2011 license of Maya installed. While this is a little out of date, I would recommend downloading the 2011 versions for your own computers, so as to avoid backwards compatibility issues.)
4. Dropbox.com. Dropbox is a free, cloud storage solution that allows you to share files between multiple computers. It is awesome for personal use and is a must for this class. If you don't already have an account, it is recommended that you sign up for one, as it can facilitate your ability to work between the lab and home.
5. YouTube and Vimeo. Both services are excellent ways to get your videos out onto the internets. You will be required to upload a turntable animation to one of them for each major assignment. So go, get an account.

Let me know if you have any difficulties!