Video Capture
I said we'd throw a little bit of video editing into the mix. In order to capture digital and analog video, edit it, and output back to digital or analog videotape, you'll need a video capture card. This card will accelerate your video editing software, as well as allow you to work with an NTSC monitor or television. With the proliferation of Firewire cards and miniDV camcorders, you may be able to skip this component. It depends on how much editing you plan to do.

Video capture recommendations: Pinnacle DV500plus, Matrox RT2500.

Other
There are some other, less exciting components that you still need to consider when building the workstation from the ground up. Some of these you may be able to cannibalize from an old PC. You'll need a three button mouse (get an optical one that uses the USB port), keyboard (USB), CD-RW burner (Plextor is everyone's favorite brand), CD-ROM, floppy drive, sound card (Creative Labs Audigy is great), ethernet card (if you plan on networking or connecting to the Internet with a broadband connection), and a UPS/surge strip to protect everything from electrical spikes and blackouts.

One other piece of advice: Make sure all of your components are compatible with each other. It can take a good bit of research, but finding out about conflicts before you buy is worth it. Try the Usenet newsgroups or the support page of a specific manufacturer for more information.

Putting It All Together
Well, now that you have all these expensive parts laying around, it's time to plug them all together! I'll cover the basic process in broad strokes here, but if this is your first time poking around inside a PC, you should seek a more detailed guide. Something like Upgrading and Repairing PCs from Que Publishing, or the videotape How To Build Your Own PC from www.informit.com will help.

Be sure to read all of the manuals that come with your components. Really. No one wants to, but it pays off in the end. Plan your attack before you start opening up the anti-static bags.

Here are your major steps:
1. Install the fans and power supply into your case. Be sure to check that the lower fan is going to pull air in, while the upper fan will blow out. There are usually arrows on the fan housing that indicate airflow direction.

2. Using brass standoffs and screws, attach the motherboard to the case. This is easier if the case has a slide-out motherboard tray.

3. Install the CPU and heatsink/fan combo onto the motherboard. This is a delicate operation, so check for proper pin alignment. Socket-based CPUs require "zero insertion force," which means it will drop right into place. If you are pushing on it at all, then you've got a misalignment. Whatever you do, please don't forget to attach the CPU fan lead to its connector on the motherboard.

4. Add RAM. Read the motherboard manual to be sure that you've inserted RAM pairs into the correct channels. Rambus-based boards will require you to leave dummy CRIMM modules in any unoccupied slots.

5. Set motherboard jumpers. Again, the manual will have a chart that tells you which (if any) jumper settings you must set for your particular CPU clock rate.

6. Set SCSI ID numbers and IDE jumpers, then mount all of the hard drives, optical drives and floppy drive into their respective bays.

7. Connect the case switch/LED/speaker leads to their place on the motherboard.

8. Attach the case fan leads to the motherboard.

9. Plug the power supply leads into the motherboard.

10. Connect the power and data cables for all of your drives. This is a good time to use some trial and error in order to find the optimal path for cables. The idea is to keep things neat and out of the way, in order to encourage airflow.

11. Insert the graphics card in the AGP slot. If you have an AGP Pro card, it will be necessary to first remove the AGP Pro sticker and plastic spacer from the slot.

12. Insert and connect the other peripheral cards, like sound, ethernet, video capture and SCSI.

13. Close the case and then plug in the monitor, power cord, keyboard and mouse.

14. Fire it up. If everything has been properly installed you should hear a single, happy beep and be on your way to setting the BIOS. Follow the second half of your motherboard manual for this one.

15. Install the operating system. I recommend Windows 2000 for the animation workstation.

16. Install your software.

I know, I know, that's a lot of work! While it's easier to buy a pre-made system, off-the-shelf workstations don't have the same degree of customization you've just achieved. And the best part about building your own rig is that you know it inside and out, literally. When it comes time for upgrades or other system modifications, you can do all the work yourself. You may never need to buy a full-on computer again.

So good luck, and have fun with your new animation workstation!

John Edgar Park is a 3D animator, instructor and writer based in Los Angeles. He received his B.A. in Drama from the University of Virginia.