SIGGRAPH 2012 Electronic Theatre Reel Is Out !

The SIGGRAPH Electronic Theatre  teaser reel is out today. The BEST OF THE BEST. Say no more...

Cobwebs Max Script Gets new V6.0 Upgrade

 I am not a MAX guy. Never was and it's probably to my detriment. I am a fan of natural phenomena represented by 3d computer graphics. There is an ever shrinking list of mountains to climb in CG. I always thought of GOOD cobwebs as one of them. Now a new MAX script does wonders for getting your CG covered in webs. Perhaps in time for The Amazing Spiderman, but I digress. Cobwebs V6.0 does a bang up job of creating spooky looking spider webs and cobwebs. John Martini developed the script in his spare time. His site is jokermartini.com. Check him out. The best part of this . . .the script is free.
 

 

 

SIGGRAPH 2012 Announces Computer Animation Festival Winners

SIGGRAPH 2012

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SIGGRAPH 2012, 5-9 August at the Los Angeles Convention Center, announces the Computer Animation Festival's Best in Show, Jury Award, Best Student Project, and Well Told Fable Prize recipients. A total of 94 films will be shown during the Computer Animation Festival. Nominees were chosen by an expert panel of jury members from 601 submissions representing 43 countries.

The Computer Animation Festival is recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as a qualifying festival. Since 1999, several works originally presented in the Computer Animation Festival have been nominated for or have received a "Best Animated Short" Academy Award. This year’s selections will be featured during the Computer Animation Festival through a series of daily Festival Screenings and the iconic Electronic Theater, allowing attendees to get a glimpse behind the making of computer-generated effects, visualizations, and animations.

BEST IN SHOW AWARD
Réflexion
Directed by Yoshimichi Tamura, PlanKtoon; France
 
In a boutique in Paris, Louise looks at her reflection in the surrounding mirrors. Tonight, she has a rendezvous with Jules, her fiancé. Suddenly she notices that she's late, and goes off in great haste to her flat to get ready. Réflexion is a description of women's concerns about the way they look.

JURY AWARD
How To Eat Your Apple
Directed by Erick Oh, Independent; USA
 
Here is a delicious apple. How would you eat it?

BEST STUDENT PROJECT PRIZE
Estefan
Directed by Jeff lCal, Brigham Young University; USA
 
Estefan, the world's greatest hairdresser, must design a hairstyle for Clara, a woman with no hair, in order to preserve his reputation.

BEST STUDENT PROJECT PRIZE RUNNERS-UP
Globosome
Directed by Sascha Geddert, Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg; Germany
 
In the vastness of space, a small speck of rock is inhabited by the most peculiar lifeforms: Dark little dots that start to replicate fast and begin to show signs of intelligence. "Globosome“ tells the story of the rise and fall of these little creatures. 

Herr Hoppe und der Atommüll
Directed by Jan Lachauer and Thorsten Löffler, Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg; Germany

A barrel of nuclear waste drops into the living room of Herr Hoppe, an average suburban German. He has to get rid of it and does it in his own wacky way.

WELL TOLD FABLE (WTF) PRIZE
Rosette
Directed by: Romain Borrel, Gaël Falzowski, Benjamin Rabaste, and Vincent Tonelli, Supinfocom Arles; France

 In a cured meats deli, a customer starts fantasizing about the butcher. She takes us into a clichéd vision of couple-hood, transcribed, for better or for worse, within a universe of pork products.
 

Siggraph is sneaking up on us swiftly. If you are planning on going then you should try and book everything by June 18, 2012. That is the last day to take advantage of discounts.

If you want to see what is going to be happening so you can plan ahead the Advanced Program is always a good place to start. You can get it as a PDF HERE

Etsy Site is Finally Up and Running

I finally got around to getting part of my Etsy site up. What's Etsy? It's like an Amazon.com for hand made crafts, art, vintage stuff, and other home made goods. My wife and I make small and uniquely painted night stand tables. I also do salt dough sculpture (not on site yet) and pen and ink drawings. If you're bored and have time come by "Color In Wood" and take a look.

Shapeways Leads the Pack in RPT Services

Shapeways has been around for many years now and I consider them to be the best of the 3d printers out there. The New York based company can turn around your 3d print in about 10 days. That's not bad for individualized custom service.

 

 

Shapeways does some interesting things. amongst them is their catalog of items that you can get made for yourself but put a custom flair on it. Take these candle holders above. you can use your own word to create a really neat and personal gift.

 Shapeways has a nice selection of materials that range in price from $20.00 a cubic CM for sterling silver to 18 cents for ceramic per cubic CM. There are a nice range of colors as well. check out the materials HERE

If you want to get a good sense of the process then check out this VIDEO

I highly recommend  Shapeways for your first project as it is a fairly simple procedure to get your 3D work into your hands as a real world object. It is also somewhat gratifying to actually hold something created by your 3d program and now cast in something such as stainless steel. Give it a try.

For No Other Reason Than It's Neat #5

 

When it comes to graphic software giants the big Death Star in the universe is Autodesk. I still can't say Maya and Autodesk in the same breathe without choking. Maybe Death Star is not the right analogy. They are more like the Borg. They have been trapsing about the cosmos for years buying up small graphics software companies and technologies absorbing them  into the collective. There doesn"t seem to be anything wrong with that as long as they continue to innovate at a healthy pace. Autodesks newest adventure is an online affair called 123D. It has been in public BETA for quite some time now and it seems to target the low end every day joe.

123D is a small suite of programs that let the user do some really neat things. It brings rapid prototyping to the masses. There are 4 main component programs that are possibly available as a web application, for the PC, Mac, and Ipad/Iphone. Each one uses user created geometry in different ways.

123D is a modeler available for the PC only that allows the user to use some sophisticated modeling tools to 3d model whatever suits you and then send that model to a RPT service for a real world 3d printed replica.

123DCatch allows the user to take photos and turn them into a 3d object of that photo. THis of course can be RTP'ed out for a real worl 3d printed object. This application is available on the PC, Ipad, and as a web application. A series of photos taken of your object are sent to the cloud for calculation and assembly into a 3d object.

123D Sculpt is an Ipad only app that introduces the user to 3d digital clay and 3d texture map painting.

Lastly is 123D Make which can take user generated models and create a different kind of rapid prototyped piece not generally as widely known. 3d models are transformed into a pattern for assembling real cardboard lasered pieces that are fit together too represent the object. Very neat. This application is available  as a web application, for the PC, Mac, and Ipad/Iphone.

You can check it all out at http://www.123dapp.com/

Cat Lotto Debuts at Apple App Store Today !

Cat Lotto was designed with a few things in mind. Firstly, cats can sense things like earthquakes long before we can. It stands to reason that they MAY be better at picking lottery numbers than humans. Doesn't it? Secondly, we allow the user to configure the lottery to their own specific local lotteries, no matter where they may live on earth.

Cat Lotto starts where other lottery programs fall short. We allow you to pick your own numbers, let the computer do it, or let your favorite Kitty Kat do it. We give your cat, Let's call her “Fluffy”, a little incentive to swat at the screen. When she does she picks ever randomized lottery balls that will hopefully give you the winning number combination to your fortunes. Give her some time… She's thinking !

This, of course, is all based on the customization you set in the program. We make it easy to set the parameters you need for any type lottery. Each lottery is a little bit different depending on if you live in the United States, India, or Italy. It even differs slightly between states in the United States. With that in mind, we have devised the SETTINGS panel to allow you to specify your lottery picks to the rules of the lottery you are playing. We have even included provisions for DAILY numbers type lotteries and SPECIAL BALL Lotteries such as Mega Millions and Powerball lotteries as well. We covered all the angles so Fluffy can pick your winning numbers in almost any type of lottery you are playing.

Certainly, if Fluffy is not co-operating with your desire for fame and fortune, you can pick your own numbers or have your Ipad pick them. This is all based on your specific customized lottery parameters. While we can't guarantee winning numbers, we know it's a lot of fun. Try it today. It's a blast.

You can get Cat Lotto HERE at the App Store

How Creativity Works

I just finished a great book by Jonah Lehrer. "Imagine:  How Creativity Works". It delves into how we as humans use our imagination and the machinations behind the process that goes into insight, epiphany, and the creative process. It delves into the brain to show you what is firing and why. It also explains the whys and wherefores of creative people. Why do some have it and some do not. How can we use this book to gain insight in our own lives. This is not a self help book. This is a straightforward scientific treatise on imagination written for the layman. I found it to be compelling and thought provoking in and of itself. The book is written so well you'll feel smart reading it. Jonah Lehrer has a knack for taking difficult subject matter and condensing it into easy to consume chapters.

There ! A book review ! LOL

Here's the book description from Amazon:


Did you know that the most creative companies have centralized bathrooms? That brainstorming meetings are a terrible idea? That the color blue can help you double your creative output?

From the New York Times best-selling author of How We Decide comes a sparkling and revelatory look at the new science of creativity. Shattering the myth of muses, higher powers, even creative “types,” Jonah Lehrer demonstrates that creativity is not a single gift possessed by the lucky few. It’s a variety of distinct thought processes that we can all learn to use more effectively.

Lehrer reveals the importance of embracing the rut, thinking like a child, daydreaming productively, and adopting an outsider’s perspective (travel helps). He unveils the optimal mix of old and new partners in any creative collaboration, and explains why criticism is essential to the process. Then he zooms out to show how we can make our neighborhoods more vibrant, our companies more productive, and our schools more effective.

You’ll learn about Bob Dylan’s writing habits and the drug addictions of poets. You’ll meet a Manhattan bartender who thinks like a chemist, and an autistic surfer who invented an entirely new surfing move. You’ll see why Elizabethan England experienced a creative explosion, and how Pixar’s office space is designed to spark the next big leap in animation.
Collapsing the layers separating the neuron from the finished symphony, Imagine reveals the deep inventiveness of the human mind, and its essential role in our increasingly complex world.

http://www.jonahlehrer.com/ 

Imagine on Amazon 

SIGGRAPH Fast Approaches. Register Now !

Receive Maximum Registration Savings Before 18 June

Register and make your hotel reservations for SIGGRAPH 2012 to take advantage of maximum advance registration savings. Read more…
Select the registration category that works for your schedule and budget and register for SIGGRAPH 2012 on or before 18 June to receive the best discounted registration rate.
SIGGRAPH 2012 has negotiated discounts at select hotels available only to conference attendees. View a list of participating hotels. Discounted rates are guaranteed until 9 July 2012. Reservations made after 9 July will be based on availability only, and rates may increase.
Book your hotel today online or contact onPeak, the SIGGRAPH 2012 travel partner, directly at 800.631.5557 (Continental US and Canada) or +1.312.527.7300. Please note: If you are contacted by a hotel vendor other than onPeak, they are not associated with SIGGRAPH 2012 and may not be reputable.
View additional travel information and plan your trip to Los Angeles.

Brian Taylor Posts Opening Sequence of RUSTBOY

 I won't belabor an already great blog post from Og's Blog (Check it out) because the post is thorough. It goes into the long lost short feature called RUSTBOY that showed so much promise when it first came out. A Scotsman by the name of Brian Taylors designed and animated a cute character, Rustboy. He also teased us with short animated scenes of a short feature that was planned. In a nutshell, Hollywood got a hold of it AND... need I really say anymore. Till recently, the trailer was never posted anywhere but you can check it out FINALLY ( after 11 years )  below.





Funnily enough the original website is still up and running at RUSTBOY.com , Check it out because there is a lot of extra material on the character there. It's amazing how far this concept actually got. Whilst it was done a little backwards maybe... there was a "making of" book, and even a PVC toy.

While Brian has long put Rustboy behind him fans still clammer to see the short completed. You can see Brian's new site here at candykiller.com . Check out his new characters and PVC toys and definitely check out OG's blog for the interview with Brian Taylor.

One final note on the opening sequence, Brian's intention was to use off the shelf software to accomplish his feature. The work seen up to this point was done in Infini-D. Quite a feat.