Thursday, February 28, 2013

March 20th - Maya Users Group Meeting - MPC "Thomas"


Bill Dorais and Andres Weber 

of  Moving Picture Company 

to share behind the scenes and making of 

for their dell commercial "Thomas"








 Bill and Andres have been kind enough to offer their time and show us an in depth look into just what went into making this incredible commercial. 

In advertising, MPC has worked on some of the most well known and ground breaking commercial spots in the industry, working with director’s such as Daniel Kleinman, Adam Berg, Rupert Sanders, Noam Murro and Traktor. While our foundation is in photo-real visual effects, we have extended our reach into additional disciplines including Digital/Interactive, Design and production. We have recently won accolades for Digital/Interactive work for Nike +, NBC Universal and HBO.


Our range of skill-sets provide a multitude of creative solutions. Digital compositing, color grading, 3D / CG effects, design, motion graphics, directing, experiential, conform/finish, data and asset management and any combination and collaboration thereof. MPC is the sum of the parts: a range of creative partners and a range of creative solutions.

 


Bill Dorais:
Bill graduated top of his class with a BFA in film from the university of Colorado, Boulder where he studied under experimental filmmaker Stan Brakhage. He is a self-taught 3D artist and photography enthusiast.
After living and working in Iceland for two years, Bill landed at Buck LA where his taste for design and 3D animation flourished. Over the last seven years, Bill has worked for notable companies such as Digital Domain, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Framestore and The Mill. He joined MPC in 2011 as a project and lighting lead. He enjoys the craft of experimental and traditional filmmaking as well as cutting edge technologies and methodologies. Bill’s work has a unique aesthetic that is accomplished by incorporating both new and old techniques. 


Andres Weber:
Andres Weber is a 3D Generalist currently working at MPC New York, contributing on Motionographer and all around swell guy who is happy to have worked at studios such as Buck, Disney Interactive and Leviathan. He was raised in New York and came back here from LA because he hates nice weather. Originally, he was a Computer Science major in school but realized that he really liked making the pretty pictures more than figuring out how to code them. While he's not playing with computers at work he avidly plays video games, does nerdy things, and loves climbing rocks. His hands have been in 3D pertaining to Video Games, Visual Effects and Motion Graphics and is always looking to expand his skills and knowledge.


Refreshments will be provided thanks to Heidi and Brad of  Great Eastern Tech !

                   


please  sure to RSVP to: nycmayausersgroup@gmail.com

and join us on face book at :  https://www.facebook.com/groups/301048576637798/


Psyched to see everyone there, and I hope you can make it!


Wednesday March 20th 
7:00 - 9:00


CADA | NYU SCPS
11 West 42nd Street (Between 5th and 6th Avenue)
10th Floor
New York, NY 10036
7:00 to 9:00










MAYA 2014 sneak peek : Grease Pencil

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Autodesk UNFOLD 2014 event in Montreal



DON'T MISS THE UNFOLD EVENT. 

A 2-DAY CELEBRATION UNVEILING THE LATEST AUTODESK ANIMATION RELEASES.

WE'VE GOT A LOT TO EXPLORE:

Join us live in Montreal for the Unfold Event to see Autodesk 2014 software workflow demonstrations and a heated State of the Industry Panel
Can't attend? Join us on AREA for live streaming and great online exclusives: The Expert Challenge and Product Managers Unplugged

Autodesk presents
The Unfold Event

Join us in Montreal for an evening of drinks, snacks and special presentations. Catch an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at a thrilling new project, see live Autodesk 2014 workflow demonstrations, and don't miss the heated State of the Industry panel where experts will debate the future of the 3D industry.


DATE:
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
TIMING:
Registration Starts: 5PM EST
Presentations Start: 6PM EST
* Parking available next to the Autodesk offices, at the corner of Duke Street and De La Commune Street
WHERE:
Autodesk Lobby
10 Duke Street
Montreal, Quebec
H3C 2L7



SCHEDULE:
5:00 PM EST Registration
6:00 PM EST Welcome
6:05 PM EST Client Presentation
6:25 PM EST Workflow Demonstrations
7:15 PM EST The Evolution of the 3D IndustryPanel: Who will survive?
7:55 PM EST Wrap Up
Register to Attend the Montreal Event
Registration required for the Montreal event (space is limited)
Set a Reminder to Watch Online


State of the Industry Panel

The Evolution of the 3D industry:   Who will survive?

Don't miss this provocative debate between 3D experts on the current status of the industry and what they believe is in store for the future. You'll be at the edge of your seats as they discuss controversial topics like: outsourcing, subsidies, the competitive landscape, and work/life balance.
Client Presentation
Stay tuned! More information to come.



2014 Workflow Demonstrations
Let our technical experts show you the 2014 animation releases in action. Don't miss this special opportunity to see the new features in Autodesk® Maya® 2014, 3ds Max® 2014, Softimage® 2014, MotionBuilder® 2014, and Mudbox® 2014 software before they are released.


Join Us For Online Exclusives
Product Managers Unplugged

Do you want to be one of the first to see the new Autodesk 2014 animation products in action? Then make sure to join us on this page again on March 26, 2013 to get the first look at our latest releases. You'll be able to browse the new interactive site and get face time with our product managers who will be answering your most pressing product questions. If your question isn't there, you can register for a The Expert Challenge session to ask your question live. Don't forget!

The Expert Challenge
Is there an Autodesk software task that's been frustrating you?
Do you have a 3D challenge that you can't solve?
Want to test the knowledge of our 3D experts?
Well, here's your chance to get the answers you've been looking for. Introducing The Expert Challenge, a one-hour session where you can ask our experts your toughest 3D questions. They will be ready for anything, so get your product, industry, workflow and development questions ready! The more challenging, the better!
TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2013
12:30 PM EST Autodesk Mudbox
2:00 PM EST Autodesk Softimage
3:30 PM EST Autodesk MotionBuilder
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013
12:00 PM EST Autodesk 3ds Max
1:30 PM EST Autodesk Maya
3:00 PM EST Exploring Maya 2014 with Duncan B.




http://area.autodesk.com/2014unfold?mktvar002=541601

Thursday, February 21, 2013

ThinkBox releases Krakatoa for Maya



http://www.thinkboxsoftware.com/news/2013/2/21/thinkbox-software-releases-krakatoa-my-for-autodesk-maya.html

http://www.thinkboxsoftware.com/krakatoa-my-overview/


___________________________________________________________________________________


Los Angeles, CA (February 21, 2013) - Thinkbox Software today announced the release of Krakatoa MY, the high-volume particle renderer for the Autodesk Maya 3D software running on Microsoft Windows and Linux operating systems.


Krakatoa is Thinkbox Software’s production-proven volumetric particle renderer previously available for the Autodesk 3ds Max 3D software. Krakatoa is CPU-based, highly optimized, heavily multi-threaded, and can be used successfully on most hardware running Windows or Linux operating systems including laptops and render nodes without dedicated high-end graphics accelerators.

Krakatoa MY seamlessly connects Autodesk Maya with the Krakatoa renderer and provides a number of features designed to accelerate artists’ workflow when manipulating millions of particles. Krakatoa MY shares the same rendering core with Krakatoa SR (Stand-alone Renderer) and Krakatoa MX (3ds Max) and will produce identical results given the same input data and settings.

Key features of Krakatoa MY include:


  • Point or voxel representation of particle data, with various filter modes, motion blur and depth of field camera effects, and HDRI render passes output to OpenEXR files
  • Simultaneous support of both additive and volumetric shading models, with per-particle control over color, emission, absorption, density and more
  • Support for various light scattering algorithms, high-quality self-shadowing and occlusions from both geometry and DTEX maps
  • Dedicated particle loader object supporting Krakatoa .PRT file sequences, RealFlow .BIN file sequences and .CSV file sequences, with the ability to offset, retime, combine and modify already cached particles
  • Dedicated PRT Volume and PRT Fractal objects inside the Maya viewports provide procedural particle creation from polygon mesh volumes and mathematical algorithms
  • Particle partitioning tools for caching multiple versions of the same simulation to combine into high-density particle clouds
  • Particle repopulation for render-time conversion of low-count simulations into high-count particle clouds 




“Versatility and performance have made Krakatoa a favorite tool among studios of all sizes for years. With the release of Krakatoa MY, we are thrilled to bring Maya users access to an efficient pipeline for particle effects creation, something they have been requesting for some time. We love feedback from our clients and are more than happy to go above and beyond to make whatever they want a reality so it’s exciting to see Krakatoa MY come to fruition,” said Chris Bond, founder, Thinkbox Software.

 Krakatoa MY requires its own dedicated workstation license for interactive use inside of Autodesk Maya, but is compatible with the network rendering licenses used by the other Krakatoa implementations (Krakatoa SR and Krakatoa MX). Workstation and render license bundles are available at a reduced price.

Please visit www.thinkboxsoftware.com/sales or call 1-866-419-0283 to request a 15-day evaluation license, or for more information about Krakatoa MY, including pricing.

About Thinkbox Software
Thinkbox Software provides creative solutions for visual artists in entertainment, engineering and design. Developer of high-volume particle renderer Krakatoa and render farm management software Deadline, the team of Thinkbox Software solves difficult production problems with intuitive, well-designed solutions and remarkable support. As an artist-driven company, we create tools that help artists manage their jobs and empower them to create worlds and imagine new realities. Thinkbox was founded in 2010 by Chris Bond, founder of Frantic Films. http://www.thinkboxsoftware.com/



Gwen & Dave's Getaway contest !




Gwen & Dave's Getaway Contest
Help us send Gwen and Dave on vacation by submitting an animated short and/or postcard image created with one or a combination of the products in the Autodesk® Entertainment Creation Suite 2013 Ultimate edition.
Get your thinking caps on! We want to see your most imaginative vacation ideas – whether it be an exotic jungle adventure, white water rafting in Alaska, soaking up rays in Tahiti, climbing Mount Everest, or exploring outer space.
   6
inShare
Get Started
Start by downloading the “Gwen” and “Dave” and/or “Iiko” character assets. You must use the Gwen and Dave characters assets in your submission to be eligible to win one of our grand prizes. Use of the Iiko character asset is optional. You can choose to submit entries in two categories: animated short (film based) and/or postcard image (still image). Please note that this contest is open to US and Canada residents only (Puerto Rico and Quebec excluded).
This is an Entertainment Creation Suite challenge, so you must use one or any combination of the products included in the Entertainment Creation Suite Ultimate edition: Autodesk® 3ds Max® 2013, Autodesk® Maya® 2013, Autodesk® Softimage® 2013, Autodesk® MotionBuilder® 2013, Autodesk® Mudbox® 2013, and Autodesk® Sketchbook® Designer 2013. For more information on the contest and submitting your entry, see the FAQ.




http://area.autodesk.com/contest

Thursday, February 14, 2013

autodesk : 123D creature app

Okay, I have to admit, this looks pretty cool,
 I've only bought about 3 i-phone apps ever. "one second every day" being one of them.
but I think i might have to drop the $1.99 for this...



Create fantastic 3D characters like a pro with Autodesk 123D Creature.
Design your creature, then sculpt detailed features and paint on skin, fur, feathers, or whatever you imagine. Export your finished creature as an image or 3D model, or have it 3D printed into a real sculpture!

























https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/123d-creature/id594014056?mt=8