Help - Animating a robot in flash, is it the best software?

[Ignition2k]

Here at my school I need to make a project that reflects what I learned in 3 years of Multimedia.
Im having some second thoughts and doubts about my idea and I thought I'd try to come here, and ask, because it just seemed like the right place.

So I thought about making a web site for a company that doesn't exist, that would be about new technology, developers of virtual reality goggles, consoles, etc. That's my subject theme.
I want to have a robot girl as host, introducing the website as a intro. Before the visitor clicks the 'enter' button, the girl would greet them and such.
I made some androids in the past in Photoshop, photo manipulating and a bit of painting here and there and got them done; Now the question is.. how well, or better, how realistically can I animate a robot person in flash? Would flash be the right software?
Alternatively I thought about making it in Maya, a 3D character, then animating it (Id have to learn how to animate) and then render the animation > import to flash
I cant decide whether or not I'd be wasting my time on something that can't be done.. so, if you have the knowledge, do you think Im heading in a okay direction?

[Nurdock]

We'd need to know what style you're going for, and also the details of how the website would work before we could say what the right choice is.

Timeframe would be nice also, I imagine it would be faster to do this stuff in flash than maya considering that you're already proficient at drawing characters.

[Ignition2k]

Ok, this are some robots I made:
[url]http://ignition-chemistry.deviantart.com/art/Love-Simulation-85673107?q=gallery%3Aignition-chemistry%2F3365421&qo=19[/url]

[url]http://ignition-chemistry.deviantart.com/art/Test-Subject-III-281455274[/url]

A long time ago too. But that's the style, a photorealistic subject. As for web details, I just want one of those intros that usually have preloaders, and the robot would go there, before heading to the mainsite, something made in HTML/CSS, simple really - with not as much thought and work as the intro. I have to finish it until July or end of June.

[TheSporeGA]

Those robots are very disturbing

[Ignition2k]

Well no offense, but they are works form 2008. They are the first p.manipulation I did, but I suppose you could do something better?

[Liem]

I think he meant that they are very dark/Disturbing not bad

[Elfy]

That escalated quickly.

And yeah Flash is decent for animation.

[Ignition2k]

Oh well,. yeah, but they are nothing good compared to what I can do now.. I apologise for overreacting
I was thinking something similar to: [url]http://michaelo.deviantart.com/art/AmalgaMATE-75726285[/url]

back on topic and done in flash though, I guess I'd need to make every single frame of the android movements in photoshop and then run them on flash timeline... that would be like 300 drawings...

[Neo Kabuto]

[QUOTE=Ignition2k;38397904]back on topic and done in flash though, I guess I'd need to make every single frame of the android movements in photoshop and then run them on flash timeline... that would be like 300 drawings...[/QUOTE]

It depends on what it's doing. If only a portion of the video is moving, you only need to update that part. If you can work in layers more, you might be able to get away with replacing very little each frame.

[Rowtree]

[QUOTE=Ignition2k;38397904]Oh well,. yeah, but they are nothing good compared to what I can do now.. I apologise for overreacting
I was thinking something similar to: [url]http://michaelo.deviantart.com/art/AmalgaMATE-75726285[/url]

back on topic and done in flash though, I guess I'd need to make every single frame of the android movements in photoshop and then run them on flash timeline... that would be like 300 drawings...[/QUOTE]

Holy shit, you are an amazing artist.

The problem with flash is that, obviously every movement being a different frame and yeah, it'd be way too many drawings.
I might suggest you could perhaps try and model them out? I know you said that in the OP, but from my view (which is a bit limited), animating and modelling might be your best bet.

[Elfy]

[QUOTE=Ignition2k;38397904]Oh well,. yeah, but they are nothing good compared to what I can do now.. I apologise for overreacting
I was thinking something similar to: [url]http://michaelo.deviantart.com/art/AmalgaMATE-75726285[/url]

back on topic and done in flash though, I guess I'd need to make every single frame of the android movements in photoshop and then run them on flash timeline... that would be like 300 drawings...[/QUOTE]

make parts of the drawing vectors and rotate them etc

[Aurora93]

you're probably better off with AE if you want to animate your raster pictures

[Squeegy Mackoy]

It really depends on how you want it to move. You just draw all the static parts of the robot (forearm, upper arm, jaw, head) and stick them together. As long as the movement doesn't involve radically changing the perspective any part is viewed from (can be done, but difficult) then there's no other real limit to what you can do with it.

For example, the first two robots could have hundreds of intricate moving parts, which aren't hard at all to set up, but just don't expect an easy way to make it turn to face you.

[manvsbear]

Is this just a way for the op to show off or does he really want an answer?

AE or any other non vector based animation program would be a better choice for the animation. Export in flv and use flash for coding the timing.

Or use html 5... which can implement video.

[Ignition2k]

show off what? what is there really to show off? old ass works?

I have been waiting to collect more answers from everyone and decide what is the best option to head with, I think I'll go with 3D animation because I don't want flat, boring, 2D animations that are natively made in flash.

I don't know AE, learned it long time ago, lessons were nothing especial at all, didnt learn much. I'll go with maya animation and rendering. I have a female shape and skin already made, just need to model the hair and add the tech cyborg lines and I think thats good. - Thanks, for the replies

[manvsbear]

[QUOTE=Ignition2k;38411091]show off what? what is there really to show off? old ass works?

I have been waiting to collect more answers from everyone and decide what is the best option to head with, I think I'll go with 3D animation because I don't want flat, boring, 2D animations that are natively made in flash.

I don't know AE, learned it long time ago, lessons were nothing especial at all, didnt learn much. I'll go with maya animation and rendering. I have a female shape and skin already made, just need to model the hair and add the tech cyborg lines and I think thats good. - Thanks, for the replies[/QUOTE]

you are quick to take offense to everything, and it seems that you already had your answer in your head... so why even post?

[Ignition2k]

I dont just take offense to anything, I did take offense in a previous post, thinking someone was saying my work was not good enough - I misread it and I apologised after. But I did take offense on your post, and it was just not 'anything' - but it was because you assume I'm a show off, well then buddy, whatever helps you sleep at night? keep thinking whatever you want - but to answer you, I just thought I'd keep replying on topic to clarify what I was going to do, which direction I was heading, so anyone who has the same issue, be it now or later, can check on what I decided, that and to make sure I don't post pictures for just show off and to confirm I am actually doing a school work. Im sorry though, if you were expecting to call me a show off directly and just expect me to stay quiet.

P.S. thats quite a assumption you make that I took offense, I did, but I was only asking a question to what was there to show off about