Originally posted by Shambolam
Also (completely off the subject)... From newbie to actually animating a character... for a dedicated and quick learner - how long would you say that self teaching should take?
It's hard to say as everyone work and picks thing up at a diffrent pace. With alot of practive it shouldn't be too hard.
I've seen people on SM who becomes rather good after only a few weeks/months, other a few years. I also find those who people who pick it up easily have a good artist's eye (howardpotter specfifcally 
)
For animation, anyone can do it, but for good animation, it's a good idea to learn the fundamental animation techniques/skills. The Animators Survival Kit by Richard Williams explains everythink and i highly recommend it. Learning the fundamentals will make animatng in Maya alot easier.
Yeah, but no but yeah but no....