I just missed an opportunity to go on a local animatronic manufacturer tour by not checking a text message my cell phone.  I've been trying to get in on a Sally Corp tour for a year now.  They're booked a year in advance and, at the time, wouldn't let us book for more than a year out.  (Not being a student or teacher doesn't help.)  My coworker, Richard, got a last minute invitation this morning from a animation professor friend of his.

Sally Corp:  Dark Rides and Animatronics for Museums, Theme Parks, Exhibits, and Haunted Houses

Luckily, Richard didn’t take his camera, so he really, really wants to go back.  It’s a long shot, but he’s putting in a request with his friend, who was acting as a substitute animation professor for a man who knows a man whose wife works there. 

So, we’re practically there... :\

I'd laugh my ass off if I saw one of these guys walking down the street.  [They must be ferried via an underground network from one hip, blood-sucking club to the next.]  However, they'd make excellent 3d characters.  Drapey things are excellent for secondary motion, especially in contrast to the bare skin.

via haute macabre:  http://hautemacabre.com/2010/01/julius/

and fashionisto:  http://thefashionisto.com/blog/2010/01/paris-fashion-week-julius-fall-2010/

Papervision 3d [or pv3d] is an open source, realtime, 3d rendering engine for Flash.  It's written in Flash Actionscript, so it renders quickly [realtime], doesn't require the user to download a plugin, and is understandable to anyone with Actionscript or Javascript experience.  Since it's open source, it's both free and has amassed a huge community of artists and developers.

I'm just now getting into it, but here are a few links to get you started:

• Shark demo:  http://www.papervision3d.org/
• Showcase:  http://www.papervisionshowcase.com/
• Forum:  http://forum.papervision3d.org/
• Developers' blog:  http://dev.papervision3d.org/
• More tutorials:  http://pv3d.org/, http://pv3world.com/blog/
• Downloads:  http://code.google.com/p/papervision3d/downloads/list
• News:  http://dailypv3d.wordpress.com/, http://blog.papervision3d.org/

Flash CS4 Professional provides 3d functionality with its 3d Transform and 3d Rotation tools.

Tutorial with text introduction and 26 minute video:  http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flash/articles/3d_support_02.html

Gallery:

3d shark tank:  http://www.papervision3d.org/

3d UI (hit the spacebar first, then the arrow keys):  http://www.lbiatlanta.com/

3d terrain:  http://www.ceranco.com/#/1/1/