![homemade animation light box homemade animation light box](http://www.darlingdimples.com/images/sep06/lightbox.jpg)
The basic camera rostrum shown below is called a "copy stand"and is traditionally used for still photography, copying books, small objects, flat artwork, etc. So, if after all of these options, you still would rather just buy one, here are a couple of inexpensive alternatives. But, the perforated steel beams make a quick job of bolting pieces together! You just need to be able to cut the steel bars to length, and possibly add rubber feet to protect your floor. This one looks like it would be a fun project!Īnd here's a heavy duty version, better suited to a 35mm camera, possibly. (shouting out a big thanks for posting the info!)Īnd then here's a video from someone that actually built it! There's the wood and plumbing pipe rostrum style animation system without the actual camera in place. He includes all the pages with detailed instructions. If you only have a webcam to work with, then this would be great!ĭaniel Caylor, an animation student, posted info from an animation book from the 1970's showing a hand-made super full-sized animation stand, like a handmade mini-oxberry without the bells and whistles. Here's a flexible web-cam stand, but limited in the weight it can carry, which is 8oz. She provides some close-ups of the construction. It's mighty durable and I'm going to be able to use it for a very long time." I finished by applying three coats of polyurethane to the cherry base to protect it. The hardest part was probably making sure everything was level and in the right place. I mounted it with U-bolts, so I can simply loosen them and shift it towards either side. The camera mount is also adjustable from side to side.
![homemade animation light box homemade animation light box](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/1a/f5/74/1af5746a64427e94776e21be7a64352d.jpg)
In order to make sure the pipes stay in place, I had to make my own thread in the pipe by first drilling a hole into the nipple and then utilizing a tap to thread the hole to allow myself to add thumbscrews for the adjustable feature. I marked six levels with a hack saw on each vertical pole, allowing six inches of adjustability. I constructed them so that the bottom set was slightly larger than the top set, giving them the ability to fit into one another, which then allows them to be adjustable.
![homemade animation light box homemade animation light box](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/gDvuynayCdE/maxresdefault.jpg)
The bars are just black steel pipes from home depot.
#Homemade animation light box for free#
I tried to make it as durable as possible, using cherry plywood for the base, then stabilizing that with a pine frame, which I got for free because it was being used as scrap in my friends garage. It was also really inexpensive and now I can animate freely all day and night. I'm really excited about it and I think it was worth every second of work and time I put into it. The intention is to have a static camera over her lightbox.Īmanda posts: "I decided to just try making one that suited my needs. SMFA animation student, Amanda Bonaiuto, developed her own steel pipe animation stand in order to do some underlit sand animation at home. The lamps in this instance are again, just tungsten clip on lamps. This one is different from the first two because it allows the camera height to be adjusted AND to extend out past the support legs, which in both points are a pretty valuable asset. However, here's an early version of a square-stock, steel tubing stand that doesn't look too hard at all, but involves a bit of metal work like cutting and welding. Nystrom at ANIMATO has a long history of building his own animation stands, and they become very complex later on. Word of warning: these lamps can be a major pain in the neck because the reflector shades NEVER stay on very well.
![homemade animation light box homemade animation light box](https://expertphotography.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/how-to-make-a-lightbox.jpg)
The clamp reflector lamps are the next step up for lamps. You could also think of using plastic PVC tubing instead,which might be easier to cut, trim and glue together, not to mention being more lightweight. This steel pipe stand is a bit more complex, but still easy to make. The desktop gooseneck lamps are minimal lighting control and quality. This wood and c-clamp stand is possibly the simplest of all, and could be a way to go for those that don't want to get too involved or spend a lot of money. Here are a couple of cool ideas, ranging from the super easy to the more involved. There's been some discussion on a DIY, have-it-at-home camera stand.
#Homemade animation light box how to#
The idea is to gather the information together so anyone interested can have more info on how to do it themselves. We're documenting the various ways people create their own camera down-shooter stands, hand-made multiplanes, light boxes, stop-motion tables and more. This page is about setting up your traditional animation workspace.