Dispatches

Dominance War V Mini Challenge Final

2010-12-10T14:52:00.001-08:00

Dominance War V WIP # 6

2010-12-08T17:18:00.000-08:00

The contest submission date was pushed again which is good because I wasn't close to finishing. I have cobbled together a shot that feels dynamic and tense. I need to go through and fine tune the animation and light and render

Dominance War V WIP

2010-12-06T07:22:00.000-08:00

I am really behind on this, could thing they extended the deadline a few days. Blocking pass done, now I have just a few days to turn this into something

Dominance War WIP #4

2010-11-30T06:46:00.000-08:00

Well I planned on doing a lot of work on this over the Thanksgiving holiday but that didn't happen. This morning I added a bit more of a blocking pass and spent some time working on the first 3 seconds

Dominance War V WIP #3

2010-11-24T21:07:00.001-08:00

Still ugly, rough and incomplete but progress none the less

Dominance War #2

2010-11-23T16:52:00.000-08:00

Okay this is rough, ugly and incomplete but in the spirit of posting works in progress here you go.

Dominance Update- Rigging Complete

2010-11-17T06:44:00.000-08:00

I have my two characters rigged and I am ready to start blocking in the animation.

Dominance War V

2010-11-16T10:19:00.000-08:00

Dominance War is an online artistic challenge held every year that pits various online artistic communities against one another to create characters, animation and videos around a theme. Details are here. I have always wanted to participate in this but haven't every had the time or known about it in time to join. This year I am in. The official contest starts in January but they just announced some mini challenges to warm up. I am representing CGSociety and I am entering the animation mini challenge due on December 6th. The rules are here. I have chosen my two characters and have rigged the first one up.

Here is an image of The Corrupted Character rigged and ready for battle.

More Character Studies

2010-11-08T23:25:00.000-08:00

More Character study, working on correct anatomy and drapery.

Ace of Spades-Slow the Pace

2010-11-05T13:30:00.000-07:00

Motorhead takes me back to high school and all the angst and anxiety that represents, Lemmy and the boys were a big part of the wall of sound that I surrounded myself in. Lemmy has to be one of the coolest people on the planet. Someone showed me this today and I have listened to it about five times, I would buy this on itunes if I could.

I don't know if I would like this campaign as much if this video wasn't my first glimpse of it but now I want to see what else they do.

Rugby and Leadership

2010-10-29T13:02:00.000-07:00

I played rugby for over 20 years. In that time I have learned a lot- about teamwork, competing with class, about what it means to have to meet very high expectations, almost everyone I consider a close friend is from that world and my wife and I met through the club. This is a great little piece from Andrew Cosslett, CEO of InterContinental Hotels Group on the impact of rugby in his professional career.

http://online.wsj.com/video/leadership-on-the-rugby-field/5EB51EEF-7254-45E3-9883-E05AA738E345.html

More Evidence of a Sea Change

2010-10-29T12:51:00.000-07:00

So if you have spent any time with me you will know that I believe that the way in which we 'watch TV' is changing. What I mean is that how it is distributed and how we get it is changing and that has some real ramifications for those that depend on TV as an advertising medium. I have written a few posts about this here and here. This week there are three news stories that seem to support the idea that people are starting to 'cut the cord' or at least seriously consider it. Gigaom has a series on the topic.

The first story is a report from Sandvine that states that 20% of all primetime downstream bandwidth (in the US?) is streaming video from Netflix. Let's say that again for effect. Primetime, 20% of downstream or download bandwidth is Netflix streaming movies to people who are watching movies and TV commercial free. hmm.

Next, is a Gigaom report from MSFT that their Xbox live service has more subscribers than Comcast. Now XBox Live is global and it is primarily a live game playing platform so at a glance this may not be that impressive. But a few other data points brings the threat to cable in sharper focus. Xbox live subscribers spend an average of 40 hours a week on the service and are increasingly downloading TV and Movie content through live via services such as Netflix, ESPN2 and Hulu. The amount of time that users are watching TV and Movie content has grown 157%. But so what, that doesn't mean that people are going to cancel their cable service.

Well maybe, maybe not. Comcast has just reported in their latest earnings report that they lost 275,000 subscribers. There are some who wrote this off to the economy but a report from strategy analytics tells a slightly different story. The report is here and there is an on going thread over at gigaom on the topic here but the bottom line is that 'cord cutters' are young, educated, employed and cutting the cord because they can get the content they want in other ways while saving money and saying goodbye to their cable companies.

This may be the early stages of an interesting sea change in how we get to consume our favorite media. stay tuned.

More work in progress

2010-10-14T11:41:00.000-07:00

Lots going on, haven't had time to update so I thought I would post a scene that I am working on.

My name is Greg and I have a bag problem

2010-09-03T12:46:00.000-07:00

There, I said it. I have a bag problem, I like bags. Messenger bags, cases for electronics or multi tools, shoulder bags, backpacks, brief cases, belt pouches, what ever. I actually wish that my job required that I carry some sort of shoulder harness rig like the guys in the army. You have to love the beauty and precision of those rigs; everything placed based on how important it is and how quickly you need to grab it in the middle of a firefight. So being a guy with a bag problem I will look from time to time at offerings from different companies to ensure that I have the right gear. You see I have a few different kits depending on the scenario so there is always some fiddling that I can do. So it's not surprising that the Temple bag company caught my attention as from the looks of it they have some nice kit, but it was their ad on Uncrate that really caught my attention. Their ads for ipad cases takes the piss out of Apple which is just plain fun. The copy in the banner ad is 'These bags survived WWII they will protect your ipad just fine' and the copy on the site take some jabs at Apple with lines like 'for your beautiful and magical....'. Funny stuff. Great bags too, now I am off to see what they have for my lightweight setup.

One Possible Future for TV

2010-08-11T10:17:00.000-07:00

I am having an interesting conversation with Alan Brown at DNA about the future of TV advertising. Since our future is closely linked to what 'TV' looks like 5, 10, 20 years from now I think it is helpful to think about what the actual content and delivery is going to look like. If for a moment we stop talking about TV and switch the discussion to 'content that we watch', whether in a theater, while we are riding the bus or at home on the couch, in the next 10 years who is going to be creating this content and how are we going to get it onto what ever screen we are watching? I see an evolution to a mix of providers and vehicles that breaks down into some categories that look like the following:

1. Advertising supported, highly targeted and specific content developed for very small audiences, relative to the size of typical network TV show audiences today. We have already seen a couple rounds of this happening; it started with cable TV with whole networks devoted to certain kinds of content; CNN, CNBC, History Channel Discovery etc and those networks have sliced themselves even thinner to serve up content to specific audience tastes 24/7, there are several flavors of the history channel or discovery running specific content based on what you want to see. But if you want to get a glimpse at what ad support content is going to look like in the future you have to turn your attention to the web. Youtube, G4, Twit TV, Revision3 are just a few places where you can watch (either live or not) weekly shows dedicated to any number of subjects. These shows all share a few key traits that give a glimpse of the changes a foot. They produce shows that are very highly targeted and serve small segments of larger categories. The shows are, by broadcast or cable TV standards extremely cheap to produce. The content is available in a number of different formats and via a number of media 'channels'. I can subscribe to the show and listen to them on my iphone during my commute in, watch them live in my browser or watch a downloaded version while I am riding on the bus on my tablet computer. Most of these shows are supported by a few advertisers who are very relevant to the small audience for these shows. And the content? Because it is produced for a very specific audience, largely by members of that audience most of the content is very good. At the moment it tends towards a more tech centric audience but that is changing and fast. What is game changing for the TV industry, I think, is that the big networks or even the medium sized networks aren't set up to create this kind of product. They are big, risk averse and like a battle ship don't turn on a dime. I am also betting that this kind of programming is very hard for the networks to do profitably due to their size etc. One last point, the ads tend to be read, or rather discussed by the host and the guest rather than a slick :30 spot. Why? Because the hosts add credibility to the message that a slick spot can not.

2. Subscription based programming. Much of the most critically acclaimed programming in the past few years has come to us via HBO and Showtime. The Sopranos, The Wire, Dexter, 6 Feet Under, Band of Brothers, John Adams, The Pacific, Weeds, Secret Diaries of a Call girl, all of it served up uncensored and commercial free. There was an article in one of the trades recently discussing how we will never see another Lost on ad supported TV because the networks can't afford to produce it and sell it ad time to support it. The subscription networks are stepping into that void big time and frankly doing it better, in many cases, than the TV networks every did, especially because they don't have to worry about network standards people watching over their shoulder. So let's take this idea further, what TV shows would you pay to subscribe to and watch when you wanted and commercial free? I recently started watching MadMen and 30 Rock but instead of watching on their respective channels I am downloading them from Apple TV. I am actually paying to watch 'free TV' and paying happily because I can watch several at a time, commercial free. This leads me to the third leg of my stool, what I call the 'straight to DVD model'.

3. One of the biggest impacts of DVDs on the movie industry is that many shows were produced for the DVD market that wouldn't have been produced if they had to live on their own merits at the theaters, and I am not talking about porn. Today's version of Straight to DVD is YouTube, AppleTV, Roku, Hulu and a bunch of other services where we download stuff to watch. In the two scenarios above technology is playing a large role in reducing the financial obstacles to creating quality content but I think the impact is largest here. The recent Levi spot shot by three guys on a DSLR and edited on a laptop in a van across america shows how technology is enabling us to make great content, with increasingly better production values. Just think what a few talented people with a RED camera, Maya, and a MacPro could create? There is a growing realm of fan films that are showing just how much is possible by amateurs. This is going to result in a lot more crap but it is also going to result in a lot more original stuff being produced because it doesn't have to get 'green lighted' by the system either in Hollywood or at the TV networks. And now, there is a growing host of places where you can make your latest opus available to the entire world for the cost of bandwidth. As the next generation of talented artists, directors, and visionaries starts to create the next Blair Witch or Good Will Hunting do you think they are going to go through the system or will they just shoot it and then distribute it via itunes? What would you do?

But what about the SuperBowl? What about those shows that seem to grab our collective attentions and draw us all together to chat about on Facebook? Those will still exist but will they exist on an ad supported network or will they look like one of the above scenarios? I am betting on the latter. Some, like the Superbowl may never change but they will be fewer and further between.

I am sure I haven't exhausted all the possibilities but those three categories cover a huge chunk of how I think content is going to be created and viewed and this leads me to the original point, if this is what the future of watching stuff on screens is going to look like, where does advertising fit in? Where do you shove your :30 spot?

WIP Continued

2010-08-02T22:34:00.000-07:00

WIP_July 14

2010-07-14T21:57:00.000-07:00

MudBox WIP

2010-06-14T20:29:00.000-07:00

Testing out Mudbox, so far I really like it. I find it much easier to use than Zbrush, maybe because it is an autodesk product and the interface can be set up to mimic Maya's controls. My latest character WIP

Mea Culpa

2010-06-14T18:26:00.000-07:00

So this morning I was watching live, streaming coverage of the MSFT presentation of Kinect at E3, I didn't watch the whole show, mostly because it was terribly dull and the presenter was wretched but the point is that didn't get all the details and my comment was "Yawn". Later in the day I heard more of the details and I have to admit that the technology sounds pretty impressive. I don't think I am interested in playing many games this way ( I am not much of a gamer anyway, I play FPS only and don't play but 2-3 games a year and only on line on xbox live). Anyway, credit where credit is due. I spoke too soon.

Project Yawn

2010-06-14T11:39:00.001-07:00

I was just watching some of the live coverage of Xbox Kinnect from E3.

yawn.

I like this spot

2010-06-12T18:01:00.000-07:00

Okay so I am a sucker for this kind of thing but I laughed out loud at this spot. I like it and it is certainly more interesting than the typical driving down the California coast at magic hour bullshit. There is a least a message here, whether you agree with it or like it or not. Well done.

Curating your Audience

2010-06-11T19:14:00.000-07:00

The idea of curating content on line has received a lot of attention in the past year or so, if not longer, but something that I haven't heard very often is the idea of curating your audience. A great post by John Sviokla on the idea. Now the countdown until I hear someone talking about it in a marketing meeting while ignoring the actual practice of treating their audience/customers like precious items.

Finished Guard Character

2010-06-08T15:34:00.001-07:00

see more images here

Character WIP

2010-05-27T15:12:00.000-07:00

A little bit of rigging genius

2010-05-19T17:36:00.001-07:00

The tweek rig by Kevin Hoffman, can't wait to try this out on my next character rig

http://lesterbanks.com/2010/05/behind-the-tweak-facial-rig-using-maya/

Character WIP

2010-05-19T17:18:00.000-07:00

This guy is getting there. Down to sculpting in details and then texture and materials. stay tuned.

IBL Tests

2010-05-18T23:54:00.000-07:00

Doing some research tonight on the concept of smart Image Based Lighting and playing around with the sIBL GUI for Maya. Fun stuff.

Going Commando

2010-05-16T13:05:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite rituals each spring is the switch over from hard top to the bikini top for the Rover. I don't know why I associate the soft top with the term 'going commando' but I do.

The beginning of the end for one more brand

2010-05-13T10:23:00.000-07:00

You know what irritates me? Brands that become meaningless for the sake of corporate growth. American Express used to stand for something, getting your green amex card was special, you got a phone call from them to congratulate you on being approved and to let you know that your new card was on the way. Today that brand is just another credit card company. The day I cut up my amex and sent it back the amount of solicitations for new credit products dropped in half. All this for the sake of growth. Growth for the sake of growth. The only way to meet wall street's expectations was to create more credit products and expand who you would give them to. So what was once special is just another company urging you to go deeper into the hole. Starbucks is my most recent favorite example. A year ago they announced that they were producing an instant coffee product. Instant coffee is the antithesis of what your local coffee shop stands for and what Starbucks used to strand for. The slide began when you couldn't swing a dead cat in any city without hitting a starbucks (At one point in time there were two Starbucks at the base of a building in NYC not 20 yards apart. The old Ogilvy building at 49th and 8th). Again all for the sake of growth. More, more, more. The only way to get bigger was more stores and then when that wouldn't work anymore they needed to sell more stuff and the crowning achievement there was to produce instant coffee. Having ruined their own brand they are now turning their attention to Seattle's Best Coffee. SBC has a really interesting story and was started by a guy who was nuts about coffee. The stories I have heard about how he worked directly with the small growers just underscores this point. But SBC is too small, Starbucks needs to grow-more, more, more is the chant from wall street so SBC must undergo a new brand transformation and grow. Say goodbye to what is left of one more brand that stood for something.

Best of both Worlds?

2010-05-12T15:02:00.000-07:00

What is the worst thing about the iphone? It has to be AT&T's service, right? I know that there are many that think the hardware is not that great, especially when compared to some android devices but for many the phone is great, it is the service that sucks. I heard someone today suggest that now that they have an ipad they can dump their iphone and get out of the clutches of AT&T. HMMM. With the ipad I can get access to my mail, web, apps and all the things that I need my iphone for and I can use my wifi or just pay a low monthly fee for the 3G plan. That would mean that all I really need is a phone for voice, right? There will probably be times when I don't want to carry something as big as the ipad around and still want access to email and the web. Okay, but now I have choices. I can go with the Nexus one and T-Mobile and do a monthly flat fee, or I can maybe switch over to Verizon and the Droid Incredible. Yea, it is a stupid name but the device is pretty damn nice. I do know one thing, I am not going to do anything until the new iphone comes out. At the first glance it is really nice and the rumor is that it might be available as CDMA which means Verizon or Sprint. It is good to have choices, hopefully I will have as many as I would like.

Zbrush on the ipad?

2010-05-07T10:21:00.000-07:00

I've been observing the ipad from a distance since it launched a month ago and I admit that I go back and forth on whether or not I can really use one. I know that I would like one, but that isn't the point. How useful will it be for me? I get that the ipad is a consumption device but there are some apps that bring some level of creation ability. One of the scenarios in which I see the ipad being very useful for me is where I can sit down and use it like a sketch pad. I know this is possible and there are several apps out there that are getting great reviews such as the sketchbook app but I don't actually sit and sketch that much. I tend to work out my ideas in 3D or at least 2.5D. Which leads me to the title of this post. If I could sit down and mock up some characters using zspheres on the ipad over a cup of coffee at the local that would be genius.

Zbrush on such a underpowered device? Crazy right? Well maybe not; the guys at pixologic have always touted that zbrush works very well on standard machines, that you don't need high powered graphics cards or super powerful machines. Sure you are going to need a lot of RAM if you want to sculpt a 1 million plus mesh but that isn't really what I am thinking. When I see the best artists work in Zbrush, they are able to block out a character with zspheres in low poly and breath life into it with gesture and form. Before you even start to sculpt in detail you can see the beauty in the work. So give me a ipad app that allows me to sketch with zspheres and the ability to transfer those sketches into my workstation and zbrush and I will buy a ipad tomorrow. Since this scenario relies on both Pixologic and Apple (Pixo for the app and Apple to make it easy to move files off and on the ipad), I hope they are listening.

The Scout-Final

2010-04-15T18:22:00.001-07:00

The Scout

2010-04-08T22:39:00.000-07:00

I am just about finished sculpting and ready to move into texture work.

Study of Man #7 Redux

2010-04-08T09:20:00.000-07:00

Is this getting old for all of "You" yet? Silence. My audience of none. hee, hee.

Study of Man #6

2010-04-07T08:32:00.000-07:00

Progess on the skull today but no sooner did I export these images I close Zbrush without saving the tool so luckily I will get the opportunity to do all of this work again. sigh. Well it should be better this time tomorrow.

Study of Man #5

2010-04-06T09:14:00.000-07:00

Do over. I received good feedback from the folks on the Zbrush forum, thanks guys. Starting from scratch working on better structure.

Progress on the Scout

2010-04-01T21:51:00.001-07:00

Some progress tonight on the scout project.

Study of Man #4

2010-04-01T08:11:00.000-07:00

Another 30 minute go on the skull this morning. The teeth aren't right, but it is looking pretty good. What I need at this point is some feedback on how to make this better

Study of Man #3

2010-03-31T09:06:00.000-07:00

Another thirty minutes this morning working on the skull.

10 Steps to becoming a better designer

2010-03-30T10:25:00.000-07:00

Not a bad post from Laura Seargeant Richardson on how to become a better designer. My favorite is Model or draw all the F&*#ing time! In the words of Chuck Guarigula -"Be a student of the craft!"
Enjoy

Study of Man #2

2010-03-30T08:27:00.000-07:00

Two steps forward, one step back etc, etc. First sculpt was looking simian to me, more ape than human so I backed up and reworked the eye cavities and the cheek bones. Better I think. Not bad for 30 minutes work.

The Scout

2010-03-30T07:10:00.000-07:00

I had to go back and work my base mesh for the Scout, so I am now re-sculpting. Starting with the hands because they are the hardest I think. Here is a progress update

Study of Man

2010-03-29T08:25:00.000-07:00

I get up every morning and due some sketching in Zbrush, mostly as practice and to experiment a little. Frankly less experimenting of late. Anyway, I am starting a study of the human form to become better and fast at base human shapes. I want to be able to model a base character form in a couple of hours. here is day #1 of the Study of Man.

30 Minute morning sketch workout. Working on the human form.

Work in Progress

2010-03-18T17:53:00.000-07:00

Here is the latest character project, WIP still sculpting in Zbrush. Not a bad start. Time for dinner, going for Pizza with the fam. mmmm.

Smart beer advertising?

2010-03-15T21:25:00.000-07:00

To say that beer advertising has never been the high water mark for advertising is a bit of an understatement. Given the audience, men between the ages of 18-35, it isn't really a surprise, right? I will admit to liking some of it, even laughing at loud from time to time. I am an immature, overgrown child of a man after all. The Budlight (or Bud) real men of genius radio ads were pretty good and the Bud light radio that featured Charlton Heston was really funny and Heineken work has also been pretty good from time to time. I am sure there are a few others but that isn't a lot of stand out work to show for over 40 years of pushing suds via the .30 and frankly the work of late is really bad. The coors light work where they cut into old post game press conferences with coaches-crap. I am not sure who is pushing drinkability but come on guys, that is the best you have? Drinkability? Really? That must of been a heady day at the client's when that was unveiled, eh? Miller light made an attempt to revive the less filling/great taste stuff from 70's etc. etc. etc. Beer advertising has gone from sophmoric humor to just plain stupid-most of it anyway.

So that is why a new series of commercials caught my attention the other day. They aren't great but they are pretty simple and they build off some ground that is, if not universal, certainly easily recognized - trying to get the bartenders attention in a crowded bar, struggling to carry several cans at once etc. As I said this isn't brilliant work but it is a nice departure from what has to be some of the worst advertising in the business. So a small tip of my hat to Bud and their agency. It hasn't changed my opinion of your product but it is a small respite from the depths of this business so thanks for that.

Seattle Addy's

2010-03-12T10:41:00.000-08:00

So the other night my brother in law calls me to tell me that he just heard my name announced over the PA system for being part of the team that won a Silver Addy for the web site that HL2 developed for HTC.

Congratulations to the team at HL2 who worked on the project, a great bunch of people who worked very hard to bring that site to life. An award well deserved.

Live Action

2010-02-16T08:23:00.000-08:00

I am doing some work that is an opportunity to integrate CG into live action footage. This is a test render of an environment I am creating to integrate with the live action stuff.

The Bread Judge

2010-02-09T07:19:00.000-08:00

Another character in development for Boulangerie. I am having a lot of fun creating these characters; after spending so much time developing characters from concept through animation it is great to work with someone else's concepts. A nice change.

Shop class as Soulcraft

2010-02-07T06:17:00.000-08:00

I am currently entranced by a book I am reading called Shop class as Soulcraft. The author is Matthew B. Crawford. One of the aspects that makes the book appealing to me is that Crawford uses examples from his experience as a motorcycle mechanic to bring points to life. He uses old european motorcycles in particular, bikes that he professes and affinity for; as a lover of old motorcycles it allows me to connect with the material even more than I would otherwise, but I love his premise for the entire book. One of the passages had me chuckling to myself as it mirrored my own experience. My first Harley was an old kickstart only sporster that I was unable to keep in tune so the act of starting it had become a spectator sport for all of my friends. I would frequently sneak out of a gathering in order to struggle with the machine without an audience only to find them all lined up with beer in hands enjoying the show as I struggled to start the bike. One of the regular features of this show was either the kick back of the pedal that would threaten to launch me over the handlebars or the miss and kick through which would wrench my ankle and cause me to limp around the street until I could put enough weight on it to continue the fight. Some passages from Crawford's book that had me laughing to myself the other day.

Boulangerie

2010-01-30T05:16:00.000-08:00

I have signed on with a group of guys doing a short for the film festival circuit as a character modeler and rigger.

I just finished the second character for Boulangerie, the dough creature that i am calling blobby. He is a fun little guy and I think the animators are going to have a lot of fun with this one. Here is a test shot of the Baker and Blobby to show both characters off a bit.

2010-01-03T06:10:00.000-08:00

This is a for a proposal to create a sculpture, like the one here for the front of a building. I hope the guy get's the the project.

Fat Guy Progress

2010-01-01T07:05:00.000-08:00

A bit more progress tonight, a few more hours, retop of the head and some clothing.

Daily Workout

2009-12-31T10:06:00.000-08:00

My goal is to start the day with 30 minutes of Zbrush sculpting practice, creating characters out of Zspheres. Here is day #1

Student of the Craft

2009-12-30T08:15:00.000-08:00

Some character sketching today on a new character for an animation that I am working on. This is a quick rough out, probably about two hours work

Al Ries Gets it right Again

2009-07-29T12:50:00.000-07:00

I have learned a lot from Al Ries over the course of my career; in fact the books that he penned with Jack Trout were some of the first books I read on marketing and I didn't just read them, I studied them. It's no surprise that his post on GM's marketing woes and how they still don't get it hit squarely on the mark. You can read it here.

Nicely said, Mr. Ries.

No free products

2009-07-14T09:19:00.000-07:00

I was reading a PR Blogger blackout being called by MomDot. You can read about it here. Apparently all the mommy bloggers are spending too much time shilling the products that everyone is sending them for free and it is adding to the growing concern that too many bloggers are accepting products for free and then doing write ups about them and it is hurting the perceived objectivity of the blogosphere, if it ever had any to begin with. So to be clear to my legions of fans (pauses to receive the thundering silence of an empty stadium) I just want to be clear. I don't receive anything from anyone to review. I rarely talk about products at all but when I do it is because I use them, or because I think they are cool or crap based on some passing interaction with them. No shilling here, just one man alone, angry in the wilderness spreading a little more piss and vinegar....

Character Work-Regn

2009-06-22T09:20:00.000-07:00

Base mesh for the character 'Regn'. Need a few more pieces and then it is off to Zbrush

More Sculpting Practice

2009-06-06T16:17:00.000-07:00

Another practice sculpt from z-sphere. no ear work or neck detail yet. I am going to stick with this one for a few days, see what I can do.

Honing the Chops

2009-06-03T08:34:00.000-07:00

Mornings are for honing the body, the mind, the craft. I alternate days between illustration (the Stucture of Man Series), sculpting, and general techniques and tutorials. Here is this morning's sculpting workout.

Progress

2009-06-03T00:37:00.000-07:00

A still image. Scene is shaping up nicely. A few more animation pieces to work on but this section is almost finished.

real world engagement

2009-06-02T18:26:00.000-07:00

I am having an interesting back and forth on twitter on the subject of understanding how to navigate the digital world yet also having real world engagement experience. My thought is that in very general terms we have some older generations that to a large degree are not comfortable with the digital space and we have younger generations that seem to prefer a digital engagement at least on some levels. This is a broad generalization but there is a thread here and it is interesting to think about how this will play out. To that point I offer this story as an example.

So I heard an interesting story the other day; I was having a beer with a guy and we were discussing my notion that Seattle is a hard place to be single and over the age of 30. I haven't experienced this first hand but having been single and in my 30's in a couple of cities my gut tells me that Seattle is not an easy place for someone in that situation. The reason why is another post entirely.

His story was this, he was out to dinner with a group of people, all single and at the table were several women who rather than engage with the other single guys at the table were far more interested in going home to check their messages on match or whatever on line dating community they participate in. So I get that there a number reasons these young ladies chose not to engage with the collection of men at the table, none of which having to do with a preference for a digital engagement over the physical world but without that digital crutch, might the outcome been different? With out the safety net of going home to see what email presents cupid had left under the tree while they were out maybe they would have spent a bit more time getting to know the flesh and blood sitting across the table. Just a thought.

I guess my larger point is that in many things the pendulum swings one way or another and right now there is a cultural swing towards the digital engagement and I don't think we have seen the zenith of that arc. So while that plays out, it will be interesting to see how the foot soldiers of this cultural wave behave. How far will they allow social media take over their social lives?

Creating a Reverse Foot Rig with IK

2009-05-28T22:15:00.000-07:00

This is a technique I learned from CG Toolkit (Kieran Ritchie). They have a three volume set called the art of rigging that is fabulous. So an all IK based reverse foot rig.

Here is a shot of the finished product.

Okay start with your leg bones. I typically only use five joints. Hip, Knee, Ankle, Ball, Toe.

First run an IK handle from the Hip to the ankle, make sure you use a rotate plane solver as it will give you the ball and socket motion that you have in your hip joints. Rename this IK handle Leg_IK. Next run an UK solver from ankle to ball and name this Ankle_IK and then one more from the ball joint to the toe and name this Toe_IK.

Now select the Toe_IK and group it to itself. Snap the pivot of this group to the ball joint and rename it ToeTap_GRP. Make sure that you only snap the pivot (on a mac you hit 'D' to just move the pivot) now if you rotate this on it's X axis you can see that you get a toe tap motion. Now select Leg_IK and Ankle_IK and group them together and rename this group PeelHeel_GRP. Snap the pivot of this new group to the ball joint. If you rotate this new group on it's X axis you see a peeling of the heel that you get when you walk. Now group the ToeTap_GRP and PeelHeel_GRP together. Rename this new group ToePivot_GRP and snap the pivot to the toe joint. If you rotate this group on it's Y axis you will get a toe pivot motion like someone stubbing out a cigarette with their toe. Now group the ToePivot_GRP to itself and rename this group HeelPivot_Grp and snap this pivot to the ankle bone. If you rotate this group on its Y axis you get a heel pivot motion. Now group the HeelPivot_GRP to itself one more time and name this grp AnkleRoll_GRP and snap the pivot to the ball joint. If you rotate this group on its Z axis you get a foot roll that is very usefull for walk cycles. Here is a screen shot of the node heirarchy.

Now if you parent this heirarchy to your foot controller you can translate the foot controller to get good IK leg movement and then you can connect attributes or other controls on your foot controller to the peel heel, toe tap, toe pivot, heel pivot, stand toe (toe pivot group x Axis), ankle roll attributes. Those controls will give you pretty good foot movement for the leg and foot.

hope this was helpful.

creating a controller for a joint that is attached to the joint

2009-05-27T23:28:00.000-07:00

This one is for nomad. I am rendering so I can't fire up maya to show you this in a screen capture.

Let's assume we are creating a controller for the neck. Step one, point constraint the controller to the joint. then delete the point constraint. create a null, rename that Neck_Control_Null and point constraint that to joint as well. Delete that point constraint. now you have both the controller and a null in the right position. Now orient constrain the null to the joint. this will align the rotation axis. make sure you don't have 'maintain offset' checked in the options box. now parent the controller under the Neck_Control_Null and then 'freeze transformations' on the controller. This will zero out your values for clean channels and it will also align your rotation axis. if you point constraint the null to the neck it will travel with the joint but you should be able to still control the joint with the controller. I usually parent my neck control null to a chest control which helps the head to move with the chest but also allows me to manipulate the neck/head independently.

hope this helps.

Bomber, bomber -cue the Motorhead music

2009-04-30T08:49:00.000-07:00

I recently signed on to an independent film project, as a volunteer CGVFX artist. It is essentially a film school project and I thought the work would be cool for my reel. They are based in Southern California so it was interesting working remotely on a production when I haven't ever worked in film. The guys seemed like a good bunch, and I am excited to see the finished product. I won't give away the details but the script is set in a WWII bomber flying over Germany. They needed sky shots, clouds, flack and one scene where you see an engine on fire from inside the plane. I am no expert but the shots seemed pretty simple. Stay tuned for images posted. Good luck to the team in their careers as budding film professionals.

creating references, wrap deformers, lip syncing

2009-01-05T15:38:00.000-08:00

You know when something has been staring you in the face but you haven't taken the time to stop, pick it up and check it out so when you finally do you feel like 'duh!'' I have been trying to work on models where the resolution has just killed my workflow. I wrongly assumed that you needed higher resolution for certain kinds of deformation and while I knew that using something like a wrap deformer to drive a higher res model with a lower res model I have been concentrating lately on better characters that I haven't had the chance to try out some different methods. Well over the break things slowed down enough where I was actually able to work on some personal projects again and took the time to test some recommended approaches. Talk about a lightbulb going off! I used to spend hours upon hours painting skin weights on dense polygon models only to realize that by skinning a really low res model and then wrap deforming it to a higher res model would not only give me the deformation results I was looking for but would cut hours if not days off the time needed to set up a character. Talk about a 'duh!' I had heard that this method was a good approach but for some reason just hadn't made time to try it. It certainly is a reminder that sometimes what you need to do is to slow down and test a bit before you jump in waist deep.

happy 2009.

tired...

2008-12-05T19:27:00.000-08:00

it's friday, the last of a string of projects is this close to going live. 76 hours last week, 45 hours since Wednesday so probably 70-80 this week again.....tired. did I mention that? I am waiting for someone to make some updates so I can post an update for the client and go home. I have a beer in my hand and my body is shutting down. go home and sleep and hopefully put the lid on this project tomorrow in a few hours. the team has been working even harder and longer, we are all looking forward to the holidays, get some rest up for the new year. looks like it could be a busy 09, knock wood. a lot can change in a month or so but so far it looks like we will busy which is a good thing given the state of things.

a buddy from the rugby club in NY is in town, he is already at the house waiting for me to get my ass home. slice of pizza, glass of whisky I will be lucky if I am awake 10 minutes after walking through the door.

but its a good kind of tired, you know?
out

Do water heaters have mouths?

2008-11-06T07:36:00.000-08:00

If you were a water heater, where would your mouth be? If a water heater could talk, how would it?

Pitch theater. We have EA coming in on Monday, how much pitch theater should there be and what should it be, beyond the obvious rolling out of our work that is

just some of the questions bouncing around my head this morning as I watch my daughter play.

Creating Stuff

2008-10-27T16:27:00.000-07:00

I want to talk about creating stuff. It happens to be a passion of mine but I also think that its pertinent to what we do in this industry. It’s certainly not a new topic, The Kaiser has created a whole Content Manifesto which is a collection of posts about the future of content and agencies. At the moment I don’t have some earth shattering revelation about agencies and content and thus no underlying thesis from which I will spout but I do believe in a few essential truths as it relates to the business of communication and branding and it is from the position of these truths that I will observe, comment, rant (quite a bit of that actually), poke, jab, and participate as I go about my week. These truths are as follows:

1. The days of reaching your audience primarily through a mass channel like broadcast with messages pushed at them while they are sitting on their couch are over as we know it. TV is not going away but it hangs onto it’s perch at the top of the communications food chain with its fingernails all the while the ground beneath is giving way.
2. This means that the huge dollars that funded big programming budgets and production values will fade away as well . We are already seeing this, reality TV isn’t just another fad that all of the networks have jumped on because it is popular, it is also cheap compared to the 30 minute sitcom and the 60 minute drama.
3. The success of youtube, myspace, flicker and all of the other web 2.0 technologies and properties is not just about consumers taking back control, it is also about boredom. The TV and movie industry have been pushing formulaic, mass market one size fits all crap at us for decades and we have finally had enough. I point to the existence and success of ten different flavors of the discovery channel and niche networks like the Sci Fi channel as proof that there is a market for stuff targeted to specific audiences. Just look to the increasing strength of cable networks (read niche market entertainment) while broadcast TV continues to flounder in everything from the nightly news (dumbed down, lowest common denominator based digestible soundbytes) to the sitcom to the dumbest of all dumb – reality TV.
4. There is no doubting that youtube has been massively successful at attracting millions of people daily to watch everything from the latest Microsoft ad to a video of an infant puking all over his father’s face. But let’s face it, 99% of the stuff on youtube is complete crap. In fact I would wager that 90% of the entertainment content on the web is crap. The novelty of user generated content is wearing off and our expectations are going to go back up, meaning that if you want me to watch, participate, join in or otherwise interrupt my day you better make it worth my while.
5. Agencies are staffed with people, whose job it is to create entertaining stuff. Why can’t we set those people loose to create things other than the :30?

So what does this all mean? Here is how I see it.

You have an audience thirsting for entertainment and not willing to watch mass market crap and who will avoid advertising if they can.

You have an outdated model that will no longer support the huge budget mass market crap that was the mainstay of network tv for the past 50 years

Niche or highly targeted content is flourishing both on TV and the web

You have a plethora of outlets and distribution channels for this highly targeted stuff from cable networks to web and mobile based platforms

So let’s fill the gap! Lets produce stuff and see what takes hold, what people want. Let’s concentrate on creating interesting stuff and then worry about how to attach a sponsor or a brand message. Let’s also be clear that when I say ‘interesting stuff’ I mean lean back, lean forward, interactive, participatory, stories, poems, games, movies, series, comics WHATEVER. There is a big broad landscape of possibilities and micro interests and distribution channels, not to mention the power that one computer puts into the hands of the individual or small team so let’s get started shall we?

Who wants to play? I do.

Baby Steps

2008-10-23T23:22:00.000-07:00

This whole process has really been amazing. Four years ago I discovered Maya and jumped right in, only to realize the hard way how much I didn't know. One by one as the problems arose I would start the process of learning what I was doing wrong or what I didn't understand about creating digital characters and models. All during this process I have tried a bunch of different methods for creating characters with varying results but for the most part I didn't have a tried and true work flow that I could replicate each and every time. Part of the problem was learning a new application-ZBrush but there were some more fundamental things as well. I recently just finished an eight week course with Cesar Dacol Jr. who is a professional character designer. Cesar is a fantastic and inspiring teacher. The thing I enjoyed the most about his instruction style is the focus on the artistic foundation of what were doing. A lot of the instruction I have received has been more focused on the mechanics of an application, which Cesar covered very well but the real value came from his constant mentoring in how we should learn to observe, learn and know anatomy, understand the underlying structure of what we are creating. I think you will see the results below. A before and after image- the shot on the left was an early sculpt of a character and the images on the right a recent sculpt based on what I learned from Cesar. Baby steps.

Character Development

2008-09-10T09:09:00.000-07:00

FergusthreeQuarter_2
Originally uploaded by mostrostudios

This could be about developing sound character, calibrating the moral compass, weaving a strong fabric of principles but its not. I want to talk about making stuff.

Long time no blog. I have been working on my character building skills, I need to work on my ability to build more life like forms most of the work posted to date just isn't that good. soooo, I am in the process of doing some character study, approaching this by trying to blend the approach of an illustrator or sculptor with some of the processes designed for digital character design-which is how it is done by the pros or so I am told. Here is the concept sketch for the first study. I will let you decide what this guy is all about.

Very Cool Gift

2008-05-18T12:22:00.000-07:00

My wife's grandfather was born in Yugoslavia in 1908, he is Serbian and as a boy he remembers watching his mother roast coffee on the stove and then quickly pour the beans onto paper on the kitchen table to let them cool. While he was telling me his stories (they are amazing) he walks into a back room and produces a hand mill that they bought in Austria sometime around 1940 or so. I don't think it is any older than that. He gave it to me as a gift. unbelievable. I have already cleaned it up a little and tested it. It is beautiful.

Frickin Rigging

2008-04-16T22:17:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy the process of creating rigs, I think it appeals to the mechanic in me, creating joints and bones and their associated controls to drive a character and then testing and moving the rig and being able to get a sense of personality from just a set of bones and curves. That said I do find elements of it tedious as hell, setting the driven keys on fingers, BORING but important as hell so you have to do it and that is not a task that you can automate very well through a script. i need to take some time to create more scripts to automate this stuff. I also am planning on creating a screen capture video showing a rig and how it operates but I need to find some time when I have the studio to myself so it is quiet enough to do a voice over. Stay tuned, I am sure you all (cast of none) are very excited for this update.