Mid-Semester Update

The one problem I have with these blogs is remembering to update them when I get busy; and am I ever busy! Creating a stereoscopic 3D game with 5 challenges from scratch in one semester, with a research project to go along with it is HARD. I've learned a lot from it though, including an important epiphany: I don't want to animate. Instead I'm going back to my drawing roots, with a hint of 3D modeling and texturing. Lighting also sounds interesting, but I'm not quite sure I'm qualified for a job as a lighter.

Anyway, here are just a couple pieces of concept art I've done for this game so far.

I've also got a portfolio site up and running (finally!) where more of my recent work can be viewed. Check it out!

And now back to drawing a zombie peace rally.

Back to 2D

Due to some "technical issues" with my 3D projects, I took a vacation back to 2D for a bit. I've found in the past few years that working in Illustrator actually relaxes me, unlike working in Maya which makes me want to cry half of the time. And who doesn't like sketching or coloring in Photoshop?

The first piece was a request from a friend of mine for a t-shirt design for America: The Series. These guys are still trying to get their show on the road for the senatorial elections this November, so any support--even a "like" on Facebook--is much appreciated. Check out all of the available t-shirt designs at http://www.freedomonlyrings.com/. (I don't think my design is up yet, actually.)


I've also done some designs for a couple contests on Deviant Art in my spare time. They were something to do while I watched "Keeping Up With the Kardashians." I created a lifeline design and a dragonfly design. Oh, and don't ask about the user name or the nickname.

I did have a chance to rework an old 3D project before my luck went south. A link to that will be up as soon as I get my portfolio site up and running again.

SIGGRAPH 2010

July 27th and 28th I was in Los Angeles for SIGGRAPH 2010. Even though I only attended two days for the convention, it was a lot of fun and incredibly informative.
I spent most of my time between the Exhibition Hall, the Electronic Theater, and the Emerging Technology Room, all of which were incredible.

If you haven't seen it yet, check out Logorama. This was by far my favorite video shown at SIGGRAPH for the great idea, creative modeling and animation, and overall humor.

On the 28th I also attended two of the production sessions for The Last Airbender and Day & Night. Both were fantastic! The Last Airbender session was very heavy on VFX and the rendering technology used to create it. The Day and Night session contained a lot more artistic background in addition to the technical discussion of merging 2D and 3D animation.

There were also some special events at the Exhibition Hall. Dick van Dyke and William Shatner made a special appearance at the Lightwave 10 booth. Although neither are experts in CG, I enjoyed hearing the enthusiasm when they talked about 3D technology. It reminds me why I love this field- it's awesome!

In the emerging technology room people from all over the world displayed technology from synthesized touch to 3D LED displays. Sony showed off their new 3D technology: a cylinder with spinning LEDs that produced a 3D graphic. You can even interact with it by moving your hand close to the cylinder. At another booth, I put on a special glove, stuck my hand in some water, and when I put my hand under a certain color of light the glove synthesized different textures.

Like most students and ambitious attendees, I also check out the job fair. Unfortunately, as a student without experience in the industry I barely got a word from the big name companies. There were a few smaller companies present, but overall I was disappointed with the representation at the job fair. I did get one helpful tidbit from the job fair: get experience. While, each person I talked to made a point not to verbally say, "Graduate school is a waste of time," it was apparent from their reactions that prior experience has a much higher value in this industry.

That is not to say there aren't great graduate, undergraduate, and in between programs out there. I stopped at several booths including Vancouver Film School, Academy of Art University, SCAD, and Rochester Institute of Technology to name a few. Each program offers something different, and each program sounds incredible. If I had known about SIGGRAPH in high school, I may not even have gone to a four-year college, despite my love of Purdue's Technology college staff.

I could go on about SIGGRAPH for hours, so I'll just cut it off here. It's an expensive trip for a student if you're not a volunteer, but well worth every dime.

Anne

Completed Beetle Mesh

I just "finished" the mesh for my Scarabaeus sacer; I use finished loosely in this context. A more active walking position looked better to me, so I played around with some of the legs. I also went ahead and combined the two separate sections of each leg into one mesh for rendering purposes.


And for some reason Maya "lost" my front camera. I don't know what is up with this bug, but it's happened on two different projects now and I'm starting to get worried. For this project it wasn't a big deal since I didn't have a front view to work with, so I left it as is.

Oh, and the hairs on the legs and underside will come in later during the texturing process. Now I'm going to try out Mudbox. Wish me luck!

Anne

Beetles in 3D

I thought about doing this in January, but never got around to actually modeling insects in Maya. So I asked my friend which beetle I should create, and he recommended Scarabaeus sacer (the infamous Egyptian "Scarab" beetle). You know, unlike The Mummy and Prince of Persia would have you believe, these beetles are a type of dung beetle, not flesh eating terrors of the desert. In fact, I think they're cute.

This is my second attempt; the first time I neglected the angle of the back, which would have led to problems when I textured it. If it turns out nicely, I might try to pose it with some dung. XD

Any suggestions?

Reference images from: http://www.zin.ru/animalia/coleoptera/eng/scasacne.htm

I Think It Needs Work

I tried to finish this model, but I'm having a bit of trouble creating a good poly flow. I think I understand how to do the eyes, but the mouth and nose elude me. Every time I try this I also end up with more polys than I think I should for a "low-poly" first draft, but that's just me trying to be detailed when I shouldn't. The circled parts are those I'm a worried about.


Any suggestions for how this thing should wrap the face? Should I make the cheek less defined?

Bug Bowl

I spent about 4 hours yesterday volunteering with my Entomology 105 group at the Purdue Bug Bowl. In other words, I made meal worm stir fry most of the day. Yum! I recommend that everyone try eating meal worms at some point; they're surprisingly tasty!

Speaking of insects, I just barely finished my children's book in time for the contest entry last week. Here are a few pages from it:
I have to admit, I really enjoyed working on this book. My research also got me incredibly interested in beetles and beetle biology. I almost wish I had another full year of school to take more entomology courses. I think I'll be creating more insect art in the future.