Board index › Coping in life › Parents' Discussion

Learn Animation (for kids)

Page 1 of 1 [ 3 posts ] 

Previous topic | Next topic

Tmmmm
Emu Egg
Emu Egg

Joined: 12 Apr 2016
Age: 47
Gender: Female
Posts: 3

12 Apr 2016, 12:42 pm

I have a high functioning autistic 10 year old son who is very interested in animation. I want to do everything I reasonably can to encourage him especially during his summer vacation . A tool he could use to put some of his ideas in motion would be, I think, a good place to start.

He's high-functioning, and has had no problem figuring out at least the basics but to begin with simpler is very likely better. It doesn't have to be free, although I'd certainly consider free software if there's something suitable, but in any event I'd like to keep the cost modest.

Problem is I dont have much knowledge on this so was planning to get a high school kid to tutor him or any online classes if that'll help.

Please suggest how to go about it or any animation program which can be used as a beginner.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions



mikeman7918
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 7 Mar 2016
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,929
Location: Utah, USA

12 Apr 2016, 2:17 pm

I am a high functioning autistic person who is interested in animation. The program I use for 3D animation is Blender, which is free and is great entry level software. There are a ton of learning resources online for it like Blender Guru.


_________________
Also known as MarsMatter.

Diagnosed with Asperger's, ADD, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder in 2004.
In denial that it was a problem until early 2016.

Deviant Art


Edenthiel
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 12 Sep 2014
Age: 57
Gender: Female
Posts: 2,820
Location: S.F Bay Area

15 Apr 2016, 2:12 am

My daughter is right around his age & started by making animated GIF's in GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) and then moved on to Blender when she was messing about with Kerbal Space Program (a rocket simulator). This summer she's going to be taking a local course on animation.

Another system she has used is Scratch. It's actually a system where you learn to program using objects; each one is a programming function that can be modified and connected to other objects. It's really easy to create simple automated animations this way such as for games, as the programming controls the object's actual movements. Geared more toward learning the gears and bolts of computer animation as the end results are somewhat simple (but can be used to create entire games).

A few others are here, we've played with about half of the Windows & Linux ones:
https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/best-free-open-source-animation-software/


_________________
“For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love.”
―Carl Sagan