I like to do some rendering and animation, using Maya 5 for the modelling/rendering/animation part, and Adobe Aftereffects for compositing, and TMPGenc for MP2-encoding.

When doing my first experiments with Maya (4.5, back in 2002), I soon noticed that doing an animation is something completely different from doing a still image.

I was sensible enough to realize not to have the knack for doing animations.

I guess that an artist can either do "stills" (i.e. still images), or "animations". It's very rare that one person can do both (he/she will then be hired by Disney, Pixar or Dreamworks on the spot).

One more curious thing:
Most people responsible for rendering (in a production studio) do not know too much about typical photographic issues, like f-stop, "fast" or "slow" lenses, the resulting depth of field (not that it would be necessary for them to know). And vice versa, most photographers do not know too much about rendering problems. There seem to be very few people who have knowledge in both areas.

I came from painting and rendering to photography. When after learning all photo basics I returned to rendering, I found it fascinating that a typical rendering programms' virtual cameras feature all the things I use in photography - things like f-stop or focal length.

Maya's virtual cameras feature no such thing as autofocus, but using a very simple expression even I (=absolutely no MEL-nerd) was able to create a nice auto-focus:

I used the distance tool to measure the distance between camera and the object I wanted in focus.
The result are 2 so called "locators", which are start and end of a measured distance.

Using an expression, I then connected camerashape.focusDistance with distanceDimensionShape1.distance.

Then, I parented the first locator of the distance tool to the camera; the second locator of the distance tool was parented to the object in focus.

As a result, no matter how the camera moves, or how the distance to the object in focus is, it will always be rendered sharp.

Using a big aperture like f/1.4 and/or a small distance to the object, it's possible to create wonderful depth of field effects.

Enjoy:-)
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