---
tags: projects
---

# on-spec-projects

throughout the term we have a number of reoccurring projects that frequently need some kind of custom visual. this usually has the most utility to a select number of use cases(obviously this is universally useful, these are just the most frequent requests). below I've pulled together a list of the most requested types of projects, along with a variety of tools you might use to make them.

the goal here is to actually make something that aligns so closely to the actual request that we might even be able to take your project files and place the requestor's information directly into them -- obviously this is a total shot in the dark, so not all of them will work out so smoothly.

when you finish your project, export off a version of it and post it in Slack, in #show-your-work. and once you've finished, create a folder in [this google drive link](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1IeN7A9bkejwwUD1z7WKJVo_PsMtZfRp3?usp=sharing) and upload your project files and assets there. just take care that you're uploading everything you've used, so if you built materials for your Blender project, the image files need to be there. or if you background assets in your After Effects project, those need to be added as well.

it should also be noted that **your goal is to not copy the tutorial 1:1, but to use what you learn in the tutorials to make something uniquely yours**. not only will this help cement your understanding of the tools, you'll have something cool to be proud of. **feel free to mix and match tutorials or functions**, build a room in Blender and animate a camera through it or use AE's duplication functions to animate a bar graph.

if you're sourcing materials from Google, I also recommend searching for the highest quality images possible. you can use Google's Advanced search functions to define what the minimum size for each image you're looking for. If you're planning on zooming all the way into a map, it might not make sense if it's smaller than 1920x1080.

## projects - by application

### After Effects

* [animated graphs and information](https://helpx.adobe.com/after-effects/using/data-driven-animations.html)
* [line graphs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB1Woq8Kf78)
* [bar charts](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LUypV1fpig)
* [timelines](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6WUKn1S8ZY)
* [in multiple styles](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIWf11QcarQ)
* [so many styles of timelines](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crFgP3pkUOc)
* [maps](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRwFvQknc7k)
* [here's a couple approaches](https://nofilmschool.com/create-maps-adobe-after-effects)
* [another method](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJqbaONV5nQ)
* [seriously, there's so many ways to animate a map](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ17qbEFvko)
* [the ever classic super-zoom](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGuqzVbzS4I)
* [representing scale](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2IaOUjo8mE)

### Blender
(Cinema4D is also great to work with, just let me know if you want and I'll set you up with a license)

* [modeling](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hf2esGA7vCc)
* [cells](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SnPPKyhCwY)
* [the earth](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SonjWzu9Tw)
* [stars](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amVoEm1GgOI)
* [rooms](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XZQhLRQTDw)
* [the classic donut](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMA3S2EGM6U) -- this one is less frequently requested, it's just a classic tutorial
* [extruding](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF1UbZGtjrY)
* [from a simple line drawing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOyxTAhx594)
* [from a photograph](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnWSkQbSVjA)
* [animations](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBJp82tlR3M)
* [rotate around an object](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RADeCcafCI)
* [walk or fly through a scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ0VjXEUPXs)
* [mapping an image to an object](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_anN4ujtHEs)
* [same idea, different approach](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aPCPCsgE2o)