Daryl Obert Shares some tips n tricks from AU 2013

If you weren't able to attend Daryl's master class this year at Autodesk University , he was kind enough to put up a tips n tricks video based on his presentation

 I always find I pick up a few little things here and there..  here are some of my favorites:

• in panel view and trans manip hold shift and gesture in a direction you want to constrain movement in 
• in the attribute editor, using cntrl + LMB will move slow, cntrl + MMB will move medium, and cntrl + RMB will move fast..  ( this is different than cntrl and shift in the channel box)
• windows key and arrow left or right will dock your open app, up will maximize, down will minimize
• scene annotation in bonus tools

modeling tips




shelf tips




update ( jan 8th)   Creating the BG for the demo (Daryl is the king of these types of tricks)





4 of 5




5 of 5 Dynamics..

Dec 11th meeting recap

Thanks again to our presenters Mark and Kyle, and to Kathy of CADA and Cinesys-Oceana!

 Here is a link to Mark's blog in case you didn't quite catch everything he did.
http://area.autodesk.com/blogs/marks

  main take away for me was:
      While the one-click buttons are great for transferring back and forth from maya to softimage, you may want to take the power back and use the cache manager from soft for porting particle info back to maya for best results..  and be sure to add rotatePP or any other special channels you might need back in maya that don't come across by default ( another good one is objectID if you are using multiple instanced objects) 


I definitely suggest taking a deeper look into zync for those of you that are interested.. I honestly do believe this is a game changer in our industry.  Every one wants it cheaper faster better.. ZYNC definitely helps in those categories.

https://www.zyncrender.com/



thanks again to everyone who came out to watch and participate and look forward to more of these in 2014 ( when we'll all be using maya 2015 )

-=s



( some bad iPhone photos from the event... )

3December User's group Meeting : December 11th

Last one of the year!
 Okay So I've got one last Users group meeting for you guys, and since its in December, it counts as a 3December Event..   get it,, 3 D ...




Mark Schonnagal is coming to show how to harness the power of softimage from maya  using  the interoperability tools between maya and soft.  Mark is the lead application engineer for Autodesk softimage.

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Brian Drewes of ZYNC will be on hand to give a demo of their cloud based online rendering solution.  We've talked a lot about cloud based render and storage systems and ZYNC, and I'm eager to see a little more into what zync is,  and how it can ease the pain of render farms for small studios and artists.



Brian Drewes is the CEO and co-founder of ZYNC. With nearly 20 years experience as a producer and executive producer on the west and east coast on both commercials and feature films, Brian started ZYNC as a solution to allow boutique facilities and individual artists to utilize massive and powerful computing resources in an on-demand hourly fashion without needing any of the capital start up costs that come with building and maintaining a large render farm.

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and

Kyle Raffile of ZERO VFX will be showing off some of their latest work for RAM trucks made with Maya and Vray and rendered with the help of the ZYNC platform.

Kyle Raffile is a CG Artist at Zero VFX. After graduating in 2009 and freelancing in NYC, he joined Zero VFX as a staff artist in 2011 and has worked on both national commercial spots and feature films.

Zero VFX:
Founded in Boston in 2010 by VFX industry veterans, Zero VFX provides the care and attention to clients of a boutique environment while delivering high end visual effects on numerous national TV commercials and feature films including "Here Comes the Boom", "Zookeeper", "The Way Way Back" and the forthcoming David O. Russell project "American Hustle". Zero's entire rendering pipeline is based on cloud computing and the scalable, on-demand power that ZYNC provides.

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This meeting is going to be at the Woolworth Building down by city hall as hosted by NYU CADA!

Woolworth Building

15 Barclay Street - Room 430

NY, NY 10279

6:30pm to 9:30pm
please RSVP to :  nycmayausersgroup@gmail.com

View Larger Map

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Refreshments and Technical Support Graciously provided by CineSys-Oceana

Autodesk Scripting and SDK learning channel

Not sure how long this youtube channel has been up ( maybe 3 months? )  , but looks pretty great for intro to scripting in Python , MEL, for maya  and xsi and motionbuilder.

 I havn't watched any of them yet, but they look promising...


 http://www.youtube.com/user/ScriptingSDKHowTos/videos



Introduction to Python Scripting in MAYA :

Part 1: Creating and Manipulating objects



Part 2: working with Selections and Constraints




part 3: Creating a scripted animation




part 4: Generating a user interface





part 5: Custom Attributes and Expressions

Quick Tip: Hypershade Icons toggle

By now I'm sure you're all using the node editor to create and work with your shaders in maya , but for those of you who are still using that clunky old  hypershade  ESC just posted a quick tip for toggling the icons in it to help speed things up..

 This is something I've been using forever , as it can make a huge difference in speed .. It seems that anytime you can tell the ui in maya to be quite, you get a big speed burst. 


 But, of course pre- Python in maya, the code I use is MEL .   so I thought I'd share it here. its super simple, and not much to it.. and of course you can add to it develop in further if you wish.

 code:

renderThumbnailUpdate (!`renderThumbnailUpdate -q`);



Just put that on your shelf and it works as a toggle to turn the hypershade icons off if they are on, and on if they are off.



I'll let ESC share their tip with you for using Python in maya to do the exact same thing.
 ( be sure to check out their other quick tips as they are also super helpful)








Python Code from ESC :

import maya.cmds as cmds
swatchState= cmds.renderThumbnailUpdate(q=True)
if swatchState == 0:
cmds.renderThumbnailUpdate (1)
print("\nSwatches turned ON")
else:
cmds.renderThumbnailUpdate (0)
print("\nSwatches turned OFF")

Maya Users Group Meeting : Nathan Love & Bio Digital

Okay Summers over and its time to get back to work.   We are having our next Maya users group meeting on Thursday September 26th at the NYC Autodesk Offices.

 I have two presentations lined up for the evening,   BioDigital  and  Nathan Love.


 We'll be starting at 7:30 , with doors opening at 7:00 to allow for some pre meeting mingling.

I think this should prove to be a pretty good offering.. hope you all can make it, and be sure to tell anyone you think might be interested, and if you can.. rsvp.

see you there!

-=s

Bio Digital uses Maya to create virtual 3d apps to help everyone better understand accurate anatomy , and health conditions. Using Maya they've created over 5000 objects and animations that can be easily explored over the web.

John will be showing the process they use to create the models and animations that go into such a complex application

https://www.biodigitalhuman.com/home/



Nathan Love is our first repeat presenters, but they've been really busy and have a lot to show. This summer they've put out two fantastic animations to revamp the Froot Loops campaign. Joe , along with some of his crew, will be giving an inside look into the development and creation and what is next for these spots, and maybe for whats in their future.

http://www.nathanlove.com/

Food and refreshments sponsored by Brad Porter of Great Eastern Technology

See you all there! please be sure to RSVP at nycmayausersgroup@gmail.com

Thursday September 26th 2013

7:00 PM - 9:30 pm
Autodesk NYC headquarters

38W 21st Street, 9th Floor

ATDSK software rental plans

So it was inevitable , but it looks like they've learned from the Adobe back lash.. Autodesk is going to offer a rental plan along with traditional perpetual licenses.

rather than speculate too much, I'll just point you right to the source.

link here:

http://area.autodesk.com/rentalplans



TOP 10 QUESTIONS ABOUT RENTAL PLANS

1: What is an Autodesk software rental plan?
Autodesk is adding software rental plans as a flexible new way to pay for Autodesk software. Now you can choose to buy a rental plan and pay as you go on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis. You'll have access to a fully-featured version of Autodesk software and stay up to date with the latest tools.
2: Which Autodesk Media & Entertainment products are offered with software rental plan licensing?
Autodesk 3ds Max software
Autodesk Maya software
Autodesk Maya LT software
Autodesk Entertainment Creation Suite
Standard, Premium and Ultimate editions
For a complete list of Autodesk software rental plans, please refer to the Autodesk Software Rental Plan FAQ
3: Do I have to choose a rental plan if I want to purchase Autodesk software?
With new rental plans, you have more choices on how to buy Autodesk software. You can choose to buy a rental plan or a perpetual license depending on what works best for you.
4: How much do rental plans cost?
Cost will vary by product and by the length (monthly, quarterly, or annual) of the rental plan. In all cases, you pay up front for the full duration of the rental plan. And, the longer the commitment you make, the more you can save. For more information on Autodesk rental plan pricing, visit autodesk.com, the Autodesk Store, or speak to an Autodesk Authorized Reseller.
5: Are there any differences in the software depending on how I license it?
Both software rental plans and perpetual licenses offer the same full, commercial version of Autodesk software that you install on your desktop. You also have similar maintenance and support options whether you buy a rental plan or a perpetual license with Autodesk® Subscription. The primary difference is that when a rental plan ends, the software stops working until you renew your plan or purchase a new rental plan. With a perpetual license if you stop renewing your Subscription you will lose the maintenance and support benefits; however, your software will continue to function. Regardless of how you buy, you will always retain ownership of your work and the files you created within the software.
6: What happens when my rental term ends?
Rental plans purchased on the Autodesk Store will automatically renew at the end of each term. Software rental plans purchased from an Autodesk Authorized Reseller allow you to choose whether or not to renew at the end of each term.
7: Are rental plans right for everybody?
Not necessarily. Autodesk is adding rental plans to give you more choices in how you pay for and access software. For freelancers or small businesses, rental plans can be a great choice that provides immediate access to Autodesk software without the full upfront cost of a perpetual license. Rental plans can also be a good way to ramp up for a short-term project. For longer projects, or for people planning to use Autodesk software on an ongoing basis, a perpetual license plan with Subscription may be your best choice.
8: Will a rental plan cost me more in the long run?
Software rental plans may end up costing you more than a perpetual license, depending on how long you use the software. For short-term use, rental plans can be a cost-effective way to access Autodesk software. If you are going to use the software on a regular and ongoing basis, you should consider the cost benefits of paying for a perpetual license with Autodesk Subscription. You can decide which option works best for you based on your project pipeline and budget.
9: When and where can I buy an Autodesk Rental Plan?
Rental plans will be available soon. You'll be able to purchase a monthly or annual rental plan directly from the Autodesk Store. You can purchase quarterly or annual plans from an Autodesk Authorized Reseller. For more information, see the 'buy' page for the Autodesk product you're interested in on autodesk.com.
10: Where can I go to get more information on Autodesk software rental plans?
Find out more about Autodesk software rental plans at www.autodesk.com/pay-as-you-go.