After a massively successful first term, fxphd.com, the high end training sister site of fxguide, is open again for people to join. This term fxphd doubles in size to 14 courses in Flame, Toxik, Maya, 3ds Max, Combustion, Final Cut Pro, After Effects, Photoshop, daVinci colour grading, and more. We have free clips from classes, actual shots composited by students, outlines of upcoming courses and info on joining.
Term 2 at fxphd kicks off with a massive miniatures effects shoot done at the Warner Bros Studios in Queensland. The shoot aims to create the digital capture pipeline used on the miniatures shoot of Superman Returns. Members of fxphd postgrads will have access to the Panavision Genesis Camera HD footage from this shoot as well as other effects material, such as traditional 2D animation and advanced multi-pass 3D render. This allows them to create their own composites and build shots for their reels under the instruction of fxphd Professors.
Click here for a QuickTime promo for term two at fxphd.
fxphd.com is the world’s premiere vfx online training site, with hundreds of members from over 58 countries. Each course at fxphd is run by a practicing vfx or editing professional, hand picked for their expert knowledge in the field. The Professors come from a background of working on wide variety of projects from films like Titanic, Lord of the Rings, and Xmen 3 — music videos from the Sugarbabes and Will Young — and commericals from Ford, Samsung, Disney . The key is that fxphd is not random tips or disjointed quicktime tutorials. It is a full professional training center online and 24/7.
fxphd will be offering courses covering Autodesk Flame, Toxik, Combustion, 3ds Max, Maya, Shake, FCP. Future term plans include a course in color grading on Lustre and advanced editing techniques using Smoke. For the first time anywhere, students of fxphd will also receive VPN access to a special version of Toxik 2007 for Windows. Students will be able to use this software firsthand and see for themselves what this groundbreaking software is all about. fxphd also offers Shake via the VPN as well.
The point of fxphd is to allow you to go to the next level when you’re clearly too busy to stop and take a week or two off to attend any type of course or training. fxphd deals with real world issues – for example in term 1 we discussed:
* how to set up 3D tracking markers on set
* tips for producing good optical flow
* the latest research in HDR and image based lighting
* how to use toxik
* how to use expressions in flame
* how to do multicamera editing in FCP
…..and much much more.
Each term you get original 35mm, 16mm and Panalog footage to composite and work with. This coming term we will be cover issues such as:
* how to light and shoot miniatures
* matte painting design and approaches
* complex keying in flame
* smart objects in Photoshop
* rpf files in Combustion
* effects animation in Maya
* rpf files in Combustion
* how to make particle animations in Flame
* using Final Cut Pro to make DVDs
* colour grading hero beauty looks on actresses
* how to negoiate your rate.
Sample clips
We’ve pulled out a few sample clips from our Term 1 classes we are offering again this term — brought back by popular demand from students who weren’t able to take them in Term 1:
Introduction to Shake Sample Clip
Introduction to Final Cut Pro Sample Clip
After Effects for Compositors Sample Clip
3ds Max for Compositors Sample Clip
Introduction to Toxik Sample Clip
Student Comments from Term 1
“I can definitely say that it has exceeded my expectations. fxphd has had a flying start. Being able to learn about advanced topics like optical flow, having access to production quality footage and great lectures that are delivered always on time – definitely worth every cent.” — Mihail Temelkov, Canada
“I was unsure when I joined just what to expect but it really just keeps getting better, and they keep announcing upcoming projects that make you go WOW….” — Chris Wayles, UK
“Being self-taught, I am always on the lookout for training that will take me to the next level. fxphd is the exact training community that I have been searching for…fxphd rocks” – Wes McDermott, USA
Download the winning entry of fxphd Challenge 1, created by Kenneth Bonde (Denmark).
Full List of Term Two Classes
202 Background fundamentals (A theory course – covering HDR, 3D tracking, Optical Flow, etc)
201 Maya for Visual Effects
301 Advanced Flame I
201 Photoshop for Effects
201 Final Cut Pro Real World Integration
201 Intermediate Combustion I
201 da Vinci Colour Grading
201 Intermediate Shake I
102 Introduction to Toxik II
101 Introduction to Shake
101 Introduction to Toxik I
201 After Effects for Compositors
101 Introduction to Final Cut Pro
101 3ds Max for Compositors