CNET.com is now offering a free course titled ‘Web Animation with Macromedia Flash MX.’ The course is available through mid-April, and all you need to sign up is an active email address. I just ran through the first tutorial, which offers instructions on how to download the trial version of Macromedia Flash MX 2004 if your computer doesn’t already have a full version. The course is truly for beginners, as it seems to go only as far as animating a face, and it’s also geared for those interested in publishing their work on the internet.

Each section of the 6-part course has a lesson, an assignment and a quiz; and if you get stuck, the instructor, Karen Rex, is answering questions by way of message board. It seems like an excellent opportunity for those looking to get started, as the various stages of the courses are essentially self-paced.

**** UPDATE – this course is no longer being offered ****

For free animation training, try this site…. CartoonSmart.com

With most major animation schools fully entrenched in Maya this or traditional that, Flash animation hasn’t been getting the educational support it deserves. It’s to the point where my good friends at Six Point Harness Studios have taken it upon themselves to go teach classes at local universities themselves for no money. The way they see it, their next wave of employees isn’t going to just appear out of thin air, sooooo….

Anywhoo, this leads me to the topic of tutorials. Last night I stumbled onto the CartoonSmart website, a cleverly designed, entertaining, all-Flash site with the solitary goal of bringing Flash knowledge to the unwashed masses. Justin Dyke, who also publishes a clever comic strip titled The Mows, narrates several Quicktime tutorials that walk Flashers through the basics, and even some not-so-basics. I followed him through one of his freebies he offers on his site, and I was impressed. Justin – keep up the good work. You’re doing us a big favor.