Rigging course, on my own.

I'm learning some of the fun things about rigging.
Actually a lot of this makes sense once I figure out what the book is going on about.
Though I'm not sure why it didn't work the first time but did the second.
Picture shows my little hand rotation controlling the skeleton hand.

(google thinks that 'rigging' means with rope, and puts up rope ads. I laugh)

No, really, I'm working...

I chugged through the rest of the tutorials in my Maya 09 basics book, time to tackle the Rigging book Miles has stashed somewhere.

Oh and I've continued to play with sketch pad, and continued to like it.

There's a mirror function, both for x and y axies... this weird face was fun, kinda a thin man squished out and placed on a wall. I don't really know.

Playing with Photoshop and painting...

Just cause it's fun. If I own this program at home I will waste so much time playing with it...
I like the trees more, playing around whith what happens when you add something like yellow to a green tree, then smudge it...
Wish I could rotate the image while working on it...

My goals for the distant future...

Here was a job posting for Activision in the San Francisco area:

Lighter/Environment Artist - Activision Bay Area

· Light characters and environments (interior & exterior).

· Understanding of composition and the ability to enhance mood by lighting.

· Expert knowledge of Maya.

· Working knowledge of industry standard rendering programs, such as Renderman or Mental Ray.

· Ability to do UV mapping/modeling/texture work as required.

· Working knowledge of Ambient Occlusion maps, HDR rendering, Lightmap generation, and Global Illumination solutions is a must.

· Knowledge of color theory and strong sense of light and shadow.

· Ability to follow design reference and ability to work with wide range of styles.

· Initial responsibilities will be 50% lighting/50% environment art creation. 100% lighting duties once in production.

Please click the 'Apply' button below

THis is pretty much right up my lighting alley. I just need to work with the rendering stuff and the other bits in the middle of the post.

Still need to finish the puppy first...

Maybe ask Gore-face if I can use his many models to light interestingly....

Another link

http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JamesGonzalez/20090827/2859/AAA_Game_Jobs__How_to_Prepare_Yourself_To_Get_Hired.php

Another 'how to get a game company job' link...

Finding my direction

[Alternate title: fumbling around for a compass.]

I take a moment to ponder. What do I want to do? Is coding really my forte? The security sequence sounds interesting, but is it for me? SOU's master's program has assistantship money but no mentoring in the field I've become so attached to: 3d art, game creation- stuff. My corgi is cute, I hope the video will be good too, and I hope I finish it. This summer wasn't nearly as productive as I hoped it would be when it started. Time off is good, playing games is good too, but only after work has been done. But back to the subject.

Is this masters degree pursuit of a year or two going to be what I want to do, help me get to where I'd like to go? Making video games is a strange, vague, nice-sounding fantasy to me; I don't know what it's really like. Imagining is all I can do and that worries me. But it sounds better than the other stuff I've thought about pursuing. Is 'it sounds better' sufficent to choose a life-changing path?

It's time to leave the rogue valley, maybe to leave Oregon. Rather, it kinda feels like it maybe time. Time to find a city and place with learning available in person as well as from books and the web.
I found relative success in Theatre by the help and door-opening of the faculty here, by proving to them that I got it. Then proving (kinda) to those they introduced me to.

I guess I could take that success and go with it, and keep games as a hobby.

Mom and Dad say 'find a job that makes you happy and has health insurance.'

I'm inclined to be quiet, stationary, an introvert. Sometime I feel the need to break out of that shell, then I go back in for a stretch. It takes a lot of hermiting to build up the break-out energy.

A data point that is solid is the joy of a progressing, well done model. I haven't done many but they've been fun.

Project idea: find an excuse to make something in Zbrush. Just play with it. Maybe make a squirrel for the 2d game Idea, or just make a thingy.

And I ought to exercise more. And Draw too. And scan and post the drawings.

Ok, moving on. This is the part where I make a to-do list for the near and long term, of which I'll follow a little then get distracted playing Braid or something.
-Finish book work like I should have at the start of the summer.
-Finish the puppy, and try Rigging then lighting.
-Maybe ask someone if they'd let me play with their models to do lighting...
-Hike/run.
-Draw.
-Find myself and my center.

-This term, Schedule out and stick to a work schedule. Drop one of the classes if need be. Try them first though.
-Talk to Pete about System Analysis and if it really is worth the time/money to me.
-Stretch.

And here are some websites to look at more:
http://www.gamecareerguide.com/

http://www.gamasutra.com/

Some work, and Some news

I hopped into the ole saddle and mozied on down the tutorial path some more today; working on skeletoning. They had some stuff I'd seen before and some I had not. The next chapter is on attaching the skin, which has always seemed like a dark art portion to me, but after seeing some to the graphics looks fairly simple. We'll see.

On another front, I was poking around Blizzard's help wanted page today, and found something to warm my heart. In addition to having great 'What to have in your reel/resume/coverletter' stuff, they describe the depts and jobs within. And in that description is a preference for generalists who can help out on various parts of a given pipeline. Instead of excelling at one part so they can stick you in one spot on an assembly line, they want you to be able to jump around and help on story and tech and lighting and rigging and modeling and concept and maybe even quality assurance :)

This thrills me, as I am drawn to learning all sides of a creative effort, not just excelling at one. The stuff I'd been reading about the movie industry suggested that a niche specialist was what was wanted, and that made me a little sad.
The little catch being I haven't played WOW and it or making mods for it are mentioned on most of their "preffered" sections... right now I really cannot afford it, either, in time or money. But it's not like I'm going to be job hunting this next year...
We'll see if I can get better at being a 'functional addict' with the gaming, using a timer to limit my binges and keeping up the rest of my life before I try the Wow crack.

Vague goals list for summer

My to do list for this summer will be vague enough to enjoy some time off before knuckling down full time on Grad level classes next term.
By end of this month, finish the tutorial book.
By end of summer (september), finish pre-work on Puppy.

On the side I'll be working with Kyle and others on the Sanitorium game. I don't know how much or when, but I'll add hours to the schedule for it.

Oh yeah, schedule.
Not counting my during-help-desk work sessions, I plan to Art lab from 2-5 pm two days a week, and game lab the other two days, and friday off for Crysis, or finally finishing Gears of war.
If I hold myself to that, I'll expand the hours, or get another paying job (that'd be nice, money wise) or something.

Non work or project summer stuff: read books I haven't read before. Journal. Hike. Explore on foot or bike. Find new house or new roommate for old house before the Middle of July. (anyone looking for a room? $350/month including bills, w/d, house with back deck and pond, secure wireless, gamer friendly etc...)

Much falling out of chair

This is now my desktop background.
I watched "Bolt," from Disney Animation studios recently, as it is a whole movie of a 3d animated puppy. Jen was right about getting expression from the eyebrows: they need a lot of play in the model. Anyway I really liked most of the movie; though some parts were over the top cheese and the story was very predictable the characters were still likeable and the situations they got in amusing. Like this one, which casued me to fall out of my chair laughing, rewind twice, then stick the DVD in my computer to get this Screen shot.
OMFGosh and Golly Jeepers it's so cute and funny and... sigh. Yeah, did I mention that I turned 25 this April?

Back in the code saddle again

Playing with the tanks code was like a sunny day for the flower of my coding synapses, now they want more.
I tried to pick up an old project, a final for a class that I did OK in and which I could improve my grade by re-submitting the project (if it was better).
The project is open ended enough, and my needs and goals are contrasting enough that I don't really know what I'm doing. So I'll blab about it here.
The project guidelines are to use Visual Basic to create a little program that is useful. And provide documentation and comment the hell out of the code.
My idea is to have an inventory system for the Lighting Fixtures over at the college theatre dept. All this really needs is an excel file and the know how to have a few equations, allowing one to have totals that change as instruments are purchased or used.
However that doesn't use VB, and doesn't streach the learning muscles. So i'm trying to have a Database of some sort, and use either SQL or hard code in VB the functions for the totaling.

Today I worked at remembering all this stuff, and setting up the database, and trying to do some SQL queries. VB doesn't play nice with Access for me, so I'm trying to use VB's preferred MS SQL server lite 3.5 or something like that. You set up the tables through VB (lame), do the sql through VB (really lame), and can only view the thing through VB (lame). And the VB's way of doing SQL kick my butt so far. I want to lean, but this doesn't feel useful, so I don't want to learn it.
So, I'll hard code the math part and whack on the SQL till it just gives me some Select commands and an Update to reference.
Later, for now it's time to decompress with some web comics.

Miles suggestion

Miles suggested to combine the Tankity Tank game with some visuals of 3d creations, importing still renders and Photoshoping some drop shadows.
Also I could ask Cody if he'd lend me his little arsenal of tanks and such for it.
This post is so I don't forget

Good weekend, in some ways.

It's been a good weekend, in the LAZY way.
My girl made it through her Lighting Design and so we rested. But other than some messing around with the extrude style modeling, I haven't done any work for either class.
So, now that it's 6pm sunday night, it's time to do some work.
List:
- Flash tanks, make tank sketch, import one from a class, and move in at least 1 direction.
-3d Keep working on goblin head 2. I had no luck importing it into the 09 version at home, so I haven't done anything on that either.

What I've been up to this weekend

When I wasn't sleeping off that slight cold/sinus infection thingy, I was plodding through an 'intro to Maya' tutorial in a book I bought. To mile's credit, less than half of the stuff so far has been new, but still I feel it's been worth the $40, and there's lots more coming. I just hope I can get through it before the 30 day trial ends, or that the trial does simply look at the system clock for the current date. Meh.

Futzing with 09

Looking for a command that's been moved in 09? Under help, theres a "Find Menu" option. This pops up a little window that finds commands in the menu system. Very useful when working with tutorials for old versions.

An actual Tutorial on Modeling

And it's actually interesting and useful, to me.

A bit of Truth

Stumbled upon this gem, a syllabus of the hard knocks.

At work on help desk ramble/ web findings.

I want to do a few things. When I reached a certian point in my theatre educaiton it was time to design my own show, and then to intern at the world renown Oregon Shakespeare Festival, trying my hand at being a 40 hour a week lighting tech. Actually I did both during the same term which made both harder and less informative and successful. But even so they turned out well.
For various reasons I didn't leave to pursue a wildly successful yet sadly underpaid career in a big city, and now I've been nearly fully side tracked into this computer stuff. Coding, drawing in Photoshop, and now 3d modeling and rigging.
I know enough, barely, about 3d that I want to try it out. Reading the CGsociety page I can see that doing just one model and lighting it and slapping up some background scenery takes A LOT of time and effort, and is 'normally' done with several people working on it. This makes me pause.
I'd like to somehow intern in this field, try it out. But I don't have the kn0wlege yet to do so well. And, for me, the 3d class is plodding along slowly. I feel I could be moving much faster, but I don't know where to head towards or what resources to use to self teach.
Looking online everything is in Maya 2009. The books in the cabinet, that I've looked at, are for maya, like, 4. Hm.
I COULD activate the 30 trial copy I downloaded then forgot about. I COULD use the online tutorials, or even fork out the big $30 for a 'getting started' book. I would have to make myself do this, at home, where the distraction of all my beloved games are right there. Waiting to be played. And I've been kicking pixel and taking names on COD 4 recently.
So we arrive at the real reason for this post: shameing, convincing, motivating, whatevering myself into self study.
And wondering when/where I could do something like an internship after training up a bit.

Online animaiton schoolmaster interview

'Best animation schools' - but are they reviewed or just advertising here?

Maya tutorials - some broken links, some that looks like useful stuff, and even free.

And another thing: After reading the interview, I realized I have no idea if I want to go for Animation, rigging, modeling, lighting. Or all of them. I have to try them first. I guess modeling is the first part...

An Old idea

I've wanted to make something to the tune of Numa Numa, or dragon din Tis tae or whatever the real title is, everyone knows it from the Numa Numa kid you tube video. I really like the song and needed to think of a project to make around it...
So an 'anime' style animation sequence telling a really fast (4 min) story with a hero and teacher and boss and whatever else.
This was about 2 years ago. Here's my outline from then, I hope to pursue Flashing this out (heh heh, get it? Fleshing/Flashing...)

Numa 4 min story

---

--------------------OUTLINE--------------

big zoom down in, world clouds village trees (girl in garden?)

past baddies to hero outside last is face 'oh crap'

by second chorus establish strife burning village

'allo' guide? figthing alone

smaller 'allo' add hero trying to fight

(sound that beep boucy pet?)

chorus(des soon) both fight together

start with throwing sword replacing stick.

verse journey, 'allo' train

smaller more train, fight monsters

chours travle, fight in woods to castle

lose master?

maya hee.... success enter castle

sneaking around and black-jacking guards

oops caught

may hoo bigger.... boss, master\guide taken away

final chorus (raise the pressure) either beat boss or

really fast final moments of losing something dear and beating and then alone on road. hm.

Where am I headed?

Well. I looked through CG society today a bit. Just two areas really; a artist's brief story of how he created this amazing picture that won some contest (jaw dropping tales of "then I did this and this and this" for little me). Then I browsed through the job listings to one about pipeline development; I barely knew what they were talking about and certainly hadn't seen or used any of the languages or general stuff listed...

I'd been wondering "am I on the right path, what path is it anyway" and now I see where the path might lead, and how frikken far it is to get there. And now to wonder if my land speed and 'car' will get me there or close, or if I need to look for a different one. How much momentum can I create on my own, forking out money for products while I'm a student then trying to lean from books? Would be cheaper than a different big city college but more expensive if it doesn't work.

This kinda path is maybe more life consuming than theatre, while it'd be cool to do would it seem worth it in the end or would making a home/family be better?

How to test? I know I can spend 14 hours a day working theatre for about 2 weeks before burning up and crashing, can I do the same with photoshop and Maya and/or coding? Can I make myself try on my own?

What about the ozone layer?

or is all that we know a dream that we will wake from any moment and barely remember?

Blarg (this means I've gone too far away from tangible things and am simply worrying about that which I cannot reasonably affect today)

Just keep drawing.

Nurnie reference

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greeble