If you’ve wondered what I’ve been doing at work, well now I can tell you. CINEMA 4D R12 is out. Please read about it all here: http://www.maxon.net/news/singleview-default/article/maxon-announces-immediate-availability-of-release-12-of-acclaimed-3d-package-cinema-4d.html
Quick List of new features:
-Fully integrated Linear Work Flow including in the viewport
-Completely New Dynamics System using Bullet including Softbodies.
-A BUNCH of new great deformers for Character animation and more(Camera Deformer, Mesh Deformer to name a couple)
-Real World Units
-Morph and Posemixer had a baby. It’s name is Pose Morph and it Rules
-IES Lights
-Screw, the old Batch Render, Welcome the new Render Queue
-Python fully integrated
-IK Dynamics
-OpenGL 3.0
There’s a bunch more crap out there. Go to MAXON.net and check it all out. It rocks. Rick and Kai will be busy with CINEVERSITY Live This week:
“Cineversity Live! Will be on the air twice a day this week - Wednesday, Thursday and Friday - to coincide with the launch of Release 12.
To view Cineversity Live visit http://live.cineversity.com/
Wednesday, Sept 1
11 am PDT (1800 GMT/ 2000 CET) - General Release Announcement
3 pm PDT (2200 GMT/ 0000 CET) - Rendering Features and Q&A Thursday, Sept 2
11 am PDT (1800 GMT/ 2000 CET) - Dynamics
3 pm PDT (2200 GMT/ 0000 CET) - Release 12 Q&A Friday, Sept 3
11 am PDT (1800 GMT/ 2000 CET) – New Character Tools and Deformers
3 pm PDT (2200 GMT/ 0000 CET) - Release 12 Q&A”
And now some time to breathe as the madness unfolds
It’s been about a week now since I posted the last post. I meant to get all caught up right away, but I didn’t. Whoops. Ok, let’s continue. So SIGGRAPH has come and gone. I was scheduled to go for 2 days. One day(Tuesday) was to be my day to go around, see the sights, pass my reel around, schmooze, etc. Wednesday would be my day as a MAXON employee at the MAXON booth.
So I set out on making some reels. I bought some DVD’s, DVD Cases, and Labels. This would become my nightmare. See, first of all, I was out of black ink. I bought that and then set out on making my DVD’s. Memorex has frustrated the hell out of me. See, first of all, they don’t have a Mac version of their software. And I’m not like a big Mac zealot or anything, I work on one, I like working on one, but I’m not in your face about it. Since Mac’s can just as easily burn DVD’s you’d think you’d want to provide a version for those people right? Well, no. Then, even when using it on a PC, the darn thing wouldn’t even print properly! ARRRRGH! I had I believe 30 labels, and I was looking to print 15. I wasted 15 of those #$(*@#$ labels. Now, I’ll attribute about 8 of those to me just being stupid, but still! I swear to you, I’m going Lightscribe next time for sure.
Ok, so I gotta say you can certainly tell there was a recession. The floor was much smaller, and so was the job fair, but I was still determined to have a good time. So with a backpack full of Demo Reels, I set off walking around. First, I went to the Pixar Booth because I remember last time I went, I saw all of these people walking around with these cardboard tubes. I eventually found out what and where but it was too late. So I went to Pixar, but you know what? EVERYONE goes to Pixar first. I thought, “Screw this”. So I left, and went off looking for Disney because they were doing Reel Reviews. It was a really good thing I did leave because they were nearly out of slots by the time I got to Disney. With my slot in check, I left to go back to the exhibition. Also, I thought Disney’s absence from the floor a bit weird but you know what? They had a nice quiet area almost all to themselves, and it was really nice. I went back to the exhibition and I walked to Pixar, right as they were finishing up posters, and I got one! Sweet! It’s a nice poster too. After that I checked in with Libby to see how she was doing at the booth. Turns out she loves working at trade shows haha. I walked around some more stopping at places like Blue Sky, Sony, Nickelodeon, and Rhythm and Hues. Talked with some people got some names, but nothing terribly promising sadly. I did drop off my reel to a few places though which felt good, and I had a reel review at Nickelodeon as well. It was kind of funny, I didn’t even know they were there and I was just puttering around the floor and I saw them and saw they were doing reel reviews for animators today. Jackpot! Sadly, they were filled by that time. But someone missed their review and the lady who’s name escapes me but is written down, said “Is anyone an animator?” I promptly raised my hand, and got a free review haha. Sadly, the two people who watched it were texture and shader artists, but hey, they laughed at the gags is good. One of their advices was to learn different styles like their animated shows, because people there often will switch and hop around on different shows, so it’s important to be able to do the style of Fanboy as well as The Penguins or Kung Fu Panda. I went to go to the Animation Mentor and Animation Magazine Blockbuster Breakdown panel, but by that time, the line was enormous. I must hate lines or something. Who knows. So I went back downstairs and walked around some more. Then I went back up and went in a little late. Sadly, I should have just waited in line I think. I missed all of Eric Goldberg’s talking! GRRR! I did come in time for Aaron Hartline breaking down the Mr. Tortilla head bit. Then Michael Makarewicz did a breakdown of a very dramatic, piece from Up which he said was quite a challenge for him. Carlos was last and he broke down his animation of the Spanish Buzz Lightyear including some hilarious video reference. It’s was a blast to watch, but I wish I would have seen Eric Goldberg’s part.
So after that I puttered around some more before running out of things to do. You really gotta have a plan. I didn’t plan on what I wanted to see, so I was bored. I did manage to pass out a couple of reels cold turkey to Rhythm & Hues and Sony Imageworks. Pixar wasn’t taking reels because of the sheer volume there would be. Nickelodeon watched it but didn’t keep it.
So with nothing else to do, I donned a CINEMA 4D shirt and just hovered around the MAXON booth helping wherever I could. Now, I need to give Libby a lot of credit, she was pimping my name out to anyone who seemed remotely interested in animation or Character animation. A gentleman from Dreamworks came to the booth and Libby found this out, and immediately started telling him how her Boyfriend is a Character animatior. He told her to come get me, and she did. We talked briefly and he gave me his name and email(which is on a paper on my desk at work) and I gave him my reel. Life is funny like that.
Around 3, I went over to watch Kai’s presentation at the Pixar Renderman booth. It really was an interesting presentation about the Multicamera(I believe that’s what it called) where you could really help cut your render times a bit and also its usefulness for Stereo work. Renderman is a powerful beast. I want to learn Renderman, I really do. But I should learn how to light and make things look good. Ha!
. I did that for a little bit before I went to my reel review at Disney. I was fortunate enough to meet with Miyuki Kanno who would be reviewing my reel. She was such a nice person and she gave me some great feedback on my reel. She watched it once and laughed a few times(which is a good thing because it was when you’re supposed to laugh) and said it was really good. She said she could tell I knew how to animate. She said the first shot(which I have been documenting as I work on it) was really good, she liked his mouth shapes and told me that shot made he want to keep watching more. WHOO HOO! However, she was honest and told me that my next shot was not working very well. It felt kind of robotic and a little stiff, and didn’t really have the nice mouth shapes like the first shot. NOOOOOOO! I agree though, I should have kept it off, and, I also think I burned that one to 25 fps so it looks even worse than it normally does. She thought the weight and feeling of Stewie felt right, and good, that it was nice. With my AnimJam shot, she felt the weight of him lifting the bucket was off, and that he was kind of overacting. The saw was good but then the sigh was a bit much. However, she said she really liked when he picked up the board and knocked the things over. She said it looked very natural and that I might want to cut it to start right at that point. She felt that the end was really good and funny. So right now it looks like I got my bookend shots in place, and even the midpoint shot. I just got to either fix my dialog or cut it, as well as trim my animjam. It was really great feedback. It was honest, but not brutal, you know? It made me feel warm and fuzzy when she said the first shot made her want to see more. Now I just need to keep the interest throughout the reel.
So I went back to the MAXON booth and helped out where I could. After the show, all of the MAXON people went to Magnolia down the road for dinner. I got a club sandwich(what I would get anywhere). Then we walked back to our car, and drove home.
I repeated the process of driving down in the morning through terrible LA traffic. Wednesday I was designated as a floater. I would work on an open station and answer any questions I could. If there’s no questions I would just work on various things. I practice a lot of python coding in CINEMA in my spare time. I really am going to bring a chair next time, I am not one to stand for long periods of time. Nothing eventful happened that I recall. We went bowling afterwards. I dazzled a few of the people with my ability to curve the ball, and bowl through my legs.
Now, the following Friday, Libby and I took a trip up to San Francisco for the Animation Mentor graduation and BBQ. We stopped at Firestone in San Luis Obispo. Holy CRAP! That was a delicious Tri-Tip Sandwich. I HIGHLY recommend you check it out if you’re in the area. SO Good. We stayed at The Crescent. It was an interesting hotel. Very stylish.
We walked down through Chinatown down to the Wharf. I like that place. We ate at Wipeout which had a good club sandwich. Then we walked back home later that night, but not before eating some Delicious chocolate dipped marshmellows from Chocolate Heaven.
Now, on Saturday it was time for Graduation. The plan was for me to take a Bus to the place where Graduation was. I waited at the stop for my bus…but it kept passing me. 3 Buses passed me because they were PACKED. Kai said he’d give me a ride, so I tried to walk to his hotel, but I was very confused and lost. Eventually, Kai, Amanda, Libby, and myself all drove together. We missed rehearsal.
The ceremony was nice. It was longer than expected but it was good. Lee Unkrich was the commencement speaker. He told a very heartfelt story about his Grandmother and how he took that experience of her passing and applied it to Toy Story 3. The story really moved me since my grandma had died like 2 weeks before. We all did our thing congrats Class 15 and 16 for graduation. We Schmoozed a bit and then headed off to the Wharf with Kai and Amanda. We ate at the Sea Lion cafe, and then we went back to the hotel. That was pretty much it. Then the next day we went to the BBQ before heading back home. Oh, one thing I want to say, Shawn Kelly may very well be the nicest guy I’ve ever met. He’s just such a friendly person, and I bet he’s a blast to be around more haha.
So that’s it. I’m pretty much caught up now. Since all of this, I’ve just been working a lot on some side projects, scripting, and more. I’ve been working on The Ottoman, which is making a lot of progress. We’ve just finished the rig(I guess it would be a Beta) and now we’re just weighting the Clothing before rigging the other characters. I’ve also been working on a lot of Scripting to make my life easier. I need to get back to work though. More animation needs to be done. Below are some pics from the last month or 2:
Yosemite River
Justin and I at the Base of the Upper Yosemite Falls Trail
Look at that trail
The Halfway Point. What a view!
Libby and I at Lower Yosemite Falls
Roommates from College at the Lower Yosemite Falls
Libby and I in Chinatown
Ting, Alma, Ryan, Adam, Me, and Rene all Class 1 Classmates. This is for you Joe Mandia!
It’s been over a month since I have last posted on here. So much has happened, and I just haven’t taken the time to sit and reflect on what has happened, you know? I don’t like to do that, it makes me feel busy busy busy work work work, and I for one like to kick back relax, and enjoy the world around me.
Summer Sevens has been going on. I’ve only participated in 2 tournaments so far, one in Vegas, one in Santa Barbara. Vegas was a blast. Stayed in the Luxor, never done that. the pyramid is an odd one to stay in(and dangerous I would imagine.) We played in the Kings Bracket which is the second best bracket. We were matched against the runner up from last years Aces Bracket(the best bracket), Tempe Rugby Club. Sadly, we lost to them. We did well but they pulled away at half time. And unfortunately, do to the way the tournament worked, we could only make 9th place at best if we lost our first game. We pretty much blew out every other team we played, I think including 2 shutouts. I might be wrong. I had a couple good games, with some good runs, and of course put on a pie facing clinic(one of which lead to a very long try). In the end, we won the “losers” bracket which put us in 9th which sucks but is kind of nice. It wasn’t very close the rest of the day for us. Tempe lost in the Semi final I believe to eventual champions.
Santa Barbara is a tournament that I love playing. I’ve played there twice now, and It was the place where I scored my first ever try. Last year our team won the social side, and we aimed to do the same again this year. This time around we split up into two teams: Open Side, and Social Side. Open division is a more competitive division compared to Social. I played on the Open Division side. We were matched up with Last years national sevens championship team, Belmont Shore. Belmont is one hell of a team, and they pretty much whooped us. Next we played the Santa Barbara Grunions, and we mopped the floor with them. I myself managed to score 2 tries(I’ve just shattered my previous scoring records for sevens which was 1 try all season, twice) against the Grunions. One came from an interception(a move I’m well know for doing while playing touch rugby), and then another on a break to the outside complete with 2 pie faces met with much cheering from the boys.
We next found ourselves in a must win situation against Kern County. Kern County has some big boys, and they brought it. The match was really close going back and forth, the last play of the game came from an interception from Brad who ran it back for a bit before being caught by 2 Kern county players, but he managed to dish the ball out to me and I ran as fast I could scoring the game winning try.
In the playoffs, we found ourselves matched against, get this: Mexico’s Olympic Rugby/National Sevens Rugby Team. No joke, the Outlaws get their first international test against Mexico. Unfortunately, Mexico beat us. They are shifty and fast and like to run stunts and they won. I think eventually Belmont Shore won. Our Social side also made it to playoffs but lost in the semi finals as well, partly due to some of the worst officiating I have seen, but those are the breaks.
The next thing that happened was Libby and I went to Yosemite. Now, I have never been to Yosemite before, and let me tell you, if you haven’t been you gotta go. The Valley is beautiful. It’s so inspiring there. It’s just so nice. I will have to post some pictures soon. We went up on Thursday(7/15) to stay with my friends Justin, Sarah, and Gonzo at the Housekeeping camp right next to the river. It was a primo spot. Justin, Sarah, and Gonzo had hiked Half-Dome Thursday, and that had kind of wiped Gonzo and Sarah Out. Justin however was game for another hike, and because Half Dome requires permits on Fridays-Sundays, we decided to Hike the Upper Yosemite Falls trail(”It’s only like 3.6 miles”). The trail is pretty tough, maybe because I’m not much of a hiker, but it’s steep with probably a billion switchbacks. When you reach about the halfway point, you get an absolutely beautiful view of the falls. It’s really stunning. We eventually hiked to the top, which actually was kind of a let down visually, but now I can say I hiked to the top of the 6th tallest waterfall in the world.
After Yosemite I found out that my Grandmother had died, exactly 2 months after her Husband, Pumpy. It was very sad to hear of this, and crazy to think about how just over 2 months ago, I still had one whole set of grandparents alive, and now, I do not have any grandparents left. It’s very saddening. I don’t know too much of my Grandmother other than she was a sweet woman and quite the fighter. She developed alzhiemer’s in her late years, which made her life much tougher, but she was a tough woman. The last 2 years I would say have been riddled with problems. A cold that developed into pneumonia and other things, my parents had prepped me of her death for quite some time. At least 3 times since 2008 I was told she probably wouldn’t live to see tomorrow. I feel like that is why this news hasn’t hit me as hard as when Pumpy died. I loved them both very much, but I had done plenty of bracing for Grandma’s death which is what made Pumpy’s death so startling because he seemed to be just fine. I guess Pumpy just needed to go get everything ready up in heaven for Grandma, and it didn’t take him long to do it, so I guess I can take comfort in the fact that the two of them are reunited again. May you both rest in peace. I love you both so very much, and was so glad you both got to meet Alice before you had to go.
We’ve arranged to go back east to Upstate New York(apparently WAY upstate because most people I talk to from NYC have no clue where it is) to Pulaski which looks to be about 50-100 miles east of Toronto, for a Memorial for them with friends and family. Almost a Wake I guess it would be, just to look back and remember the couple who were so dedicated and in love with each other for over 65 years.
So I’m in an interesting spot at the moment. I have about 5 weeks until SIGGRAPH which means, I need to get all of my stuff ready for the job fair. One of my mentor’s final suggestions was to keep animating and keep it simple, 3-4 seconds, and to explore. So I plan on doing just that(with sporadic breaks for playing Red Dead Revolver). And I thought, I should document the whole darn thing.
So Part 1 is preliminary and planning. So first let’s think about the idea. I had wanted something that would be simple. Not looking to do a dialog, not looking to do a wordy monologue. And, because of technical limitations(my poor laptop’s battery is shot) it makes an interesting(to me) body mechanics shot for now. So, simple, one line. Ok. That is the idea.
Next thing I did was decide, “Do I want to try to find a movie quote?” which I said yes to. So I went looking for something simple. But, alas, it was kind of a pain in the butt to find one. I had an idea based off of a line I kept saying to myself which was simply, “Wait, what?”.
These are two words but there’s a lot of flexibility depending on how you say it. Then I started to drink a glass of water and say it. So I got up off my butt and began to record it using Quicktime and my laptop.
So the premise, A guy hears something chokes, and says “wait, what?” in an effort to clarify what he just heard. In my head I think the character hears “I’m Pregnant”. I may have to have Libby record that line for me.
So I have the premise, I have the video reference with a few different acting choices. I’m partial to the one where he(I) choke. So I have an idea of my approach for the shot. Great! So the gears are turning, and I have a direction I want to go. Now it’s just time to go do it!
That I think will do it for this Part. More to come later as updates are of interest, but I would like to truly document the process because someone might like it. But for now, I am going to go watch Game 7 of the NBA finals. Not because I’m a big basketball fan, but if the Lakers win, I will not watch Basketball for 2 years, this was a silly bet I made. I did this once before on the NFL…it didn’t turn out well. Remember when the Patriots almost had the Perfect Season?…Yeah, well, I said if they lost I wouldn’t watch the NFL for 2 years, but my clause was not until Brett Favre retires. So I haven’t served my punishment yet. For the NBA one, the clause is if Steve Nash is in the Finals I will watch then because I’m a big Steve Nash Fan.
I found out yesterday that my Grandfather, whom I have known simply as Pumpy my whole life, passed away on May 20th, 2010 at the age of 91. Pumpy died due to complications with his lungs thought to be lung cancer or mesothelieoma. Pumpy had a lot of problems but he didn’t let people know about them for a few reasons. For one he did not like doctors, and for two he was more concerned for his wife Loretta who has not been doing well with her health either in recent years.
This news has been a bit of a shock for me, since I only heard about his lung problems about 2 weeks ago, so it seems like it all happened so fast. Then consider that no one in my family thought Pumpy would be the first to go. My Grandmother has been having problems and bouts with pneumonia for the last couple years, and has been written off to not make it through the night at least 3 times. Through all of her problems Pumpy stood by her side. It’s such a shock that he has died.
Pumpy was everything a man should be. He built his own house, was a great father, grandfather, and husband. He and his wife had been married for 69 years. It would have been 70 later this year. He was an avid golfer, playing probably up until he was 89, he was 91 when he died. A very talented muscian, he played the guitar, banjo, mandolin, pretty much if it had strings I bet he could play it. I remember one time in Florida he took out a Banjo and started playing Frank Sinatra for my brother and I. He had a ton of instruments. I remember at his house in New York(I absolutely loved that house) there were I believe 13 cases for various stringed instruments.
This news has hit me and the family hard. We are able to take solice that his passing was very peaceful. Left behind is a legacy of a great man, father, husband, and friend. I was talking with my Mom about him and she told me what a great guy he was not only to his family, but to those around him. The part that is so sad, is that both of my grandparents lived on the East coast as long as I have known them. Most of it spent in Pulaski New York, the last several years have been spent in Florida. I know they wished they could have come see us more. We are the furthest from them here in CA. We would often see them at my Aunt’s in Vegas after Christmases, but I know they wanted to be around us more, and I wish they could have.
The last time I saw both Grandma and Pumpy was in September of 2008, when they made what we all figured would be their(mostly Grandma’s) last trip out to see us all. Grandma got sick so we didn’t get to see much of her until the night before and day we left. I got to spend some time with Pumpy and talk about music and such. He was a rhythm guitarist when he played and I think he was self taught. Grandma got out of the Hospital the night before we left, and they were staying in the Suncoast with us, so we went and visited them both. Then the day we left, we brought Liam and Alice so they could see their great grandkids. They had seen Liam 2 years before when he was only a few months old, but never Alice. So they got to see both of them which was great.
God wanted you to come first because you needed to build a nice place for you and Grandma.
It’s hard to believe I only have 4 weeks left at Animation Mentor. Four weeks and I complete the 18 month program. It is bitter sweet. On the one hand I think I’ve learned a lot, I think my skills have greatly improved. On the other hand, I’m still unsure what or where I will be after school. However, I cannot wait because the ammount of time I have spent working on homework has been insane. It’s basically eliminated any sort of fine art time I used to have. So I look forward to getting back into more drawing, painting, and printmaking in the near future.
Ultimately, I wish I heard back from Disney about the Talent Development program. I doubt I made it, but closure would be cool. I just would like to know what my next step in my career is, and where it is. le sigh
Sevens starts next month as well. In fact, the day after my class ends, Sevens begins! Be sure to check out www.venturacountyrugbyclub.com if you are interested.
Oh man, I haven’t updated my blog in over a month. Allow me to recap all that has happened. March came and went, and aside from some Rugby, I don’t remember too much. I did go to Disneyland with Libby which was fun. I hadn’t been there in probably 5 years. I hadn’t ever been to California Adventure either, so that was a cool experience. Woody’s Roundup is badass and I highly recommend it for everyone.
I have finished Class 5 at Animation Mentor. I am now in Class 6 with Kenny Roy. Class 6 is the polishing class. So I just put in probably 36 hours on homework this past week! Remember, I work a full time job too! Oy vey! But it looks like it’s paid off for one of my shots I think. As I write this, we begin week 3.
Rugby has been going very well. The Ventura County Outlaws have completed their regular season and the team went an impressive 10-0 in their first year as a club. Playoffs begin on the 24th of April with the Championship being played on May First. Currently, with VCRFU in first place, they have Home Field Advantage, and it would appear they are going to play the San Diego Armada this in the first round of Playoffs.
I did not get to play on Saturday(Which was a win, 105-0 against the Armada at home), because I was a groomsman in my good friend Mike Hartnell’s wedding. The wedding was held at the Adolfo Camarillo Ranch in Camarillo CA. The ranch is a beautiful place with a nice Victorian Ranch house, Barn, and HUGE garden/front lawn. Congrats Mikey on the marriage! I wish you all the best!
This past Friday I had the wonderful opportunity to check out Disney Animation Studios in Burbank as part of Inspire Days. The day consisted of several speaker panels on various topics from Creating and Developing a Story, Making/Animating Appealing Characters, EFX, Internship programs, and recruiting and stuff. It was really a blast, I was able to go as part of Animation Mentor, met some fellow AMers which was a blast, and I even got a reel critique from an animator at Disney. I got a tour of the place as well which was cool and I briefly got to see my mentor last term, Randy Haycock. It just was awesome. It really made me want to work at Disney…but their program for graduates isn’t up :/. Oh well. Maybe next cycle.
While at inspire days I got to see some exclusive looks at the new movie, Tangled which looks really good. I liked what I saw a lot. Well, I think it’s about time I get ready for bed here as I have been up til 3AM too many times this past week and I have work tomorrow.
PS, if you’re at NAB this week go say hello to some of the people from MAXON for me.
Every 2 weeks, some MAXON employees do a live show called Cineversity Live. It’s great. If you work in CINEMA 4D it’s a great resource. They cover a lot of awesome stuff. Kai Pedersen and Rick Barrett are typically the hosts, but occassionally they fly solo. Rick is in Germany this week, so Kai decided to do a Rigging episode, and due to my contributions to Cineversity and Rigging in CINEMA, I got to be on it today. I don’t do much but crack wise and demonstrate a few things like What pole Vectors are(all live, I don’t even use a computer!) and Gimbal Lock. It may have been the longest Cineversity live episode so far at nearly 2 hours! Check out the link below:
I'm Bret. I'm an Alumni at Animation Mentor, and I work at MAXON. I like to animate and to make art. I also like Rugby, riding bikes, drinking beer, and blackjack.
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