Some people pride themselves on "Just figure it out yourself"... F that, I want to pay someone to hold my hand because time is valuable.

Oh, I'm just sure it is.

It's not so much "figure it out yourself" as it is learn by experience. One of the first lessons in 3D animation is a figure lifting a heavy object. Know why? Because it's something that teaches external physics, body motion, and expression, all in one package. Beginning animation students spend weeks learning how to do just that one little motion; it's usually their first exam. And everyone does it differently because everyone sees that action in a different way. But it's how the individual student interprets it and then executes it that demonstrates how well s/he understands what animation is all about in the first place.

And you want to skip past because "time is valuable".

Sorry, bud, but if you're not interested in learning the basics and spending the time to learn them properly, then all the DVDs in the world aint gonna help. You might as well just get some mocap files and use those and be done with it.

Still think I'm full of it? Go to your local bookstore and look at all the tapes and CDs that purport to teach you a foreign language. I dont know anyone who mastered a language using those. Like every other skill on the planet, these things take time and study -- and it doesnt sound like you want to invest in either.

Just my 0.02. No doubt worth every penny.

docandraider.com -- the collected cartoons of Doc and Raider