Some Helpful Links

Hey everybody! I thought it would be helpful to you all if I shared this online game that I used to get better at the pen tool. I'll warn you, though, it gets pretty difficult, but you learn A LOT from it.

I'll also give you this link to a page of online games that are meant for creative graphic designers. They're fun, helpful, and wicked competitive. I'm not kidding. I've lost friends because of some of these games.

And last, but not least, Lynda.com is now free for IC students so I highly suggest going on and checking out the After Effects Essential Training course.

Bézier Curves

Bézier curves are used all the time in computer graphics and animation. They allow you to make complex vector shapes and motions while only using a very small amount of data. Instead of having to plot every point of a curve, a Bézier curve can be produced from a simple equation. All you need is two points for the beginning and end of he curve, and two extended handles that you can stretch to change the angle and intensity of the curve. It is very simple to use these curves, and you can easily achieve the curves you want with trial and error, but it is hard to understand how they work without a good explanation. I found an extremely simple and satisfying video explanation of how Bézier curves work. This might help you in the future if you work with Bézier curves, and if not, it's still entertaining for anyone who has no idea what a Bézier curve is and doesn't care either.