Free if you live in LA and want to pick them up at DD, ro arrange to make it ubber easy for me to ship them to you. I have 2 sets of 3 DVD's Fundamentals, Particle Integration, and Pyrotechnics (that I made years ago but still hold up for the most part) I also have a RigidBody Simulations for Visual Effects from the Kolektiv from 2002, that also has some neat tricks and worth a watch, hah considering those RBD's are still there in maya! Email me if you want them. Thats sort of a trick, whats my email? Not too hard to figure out, or you can find it for sure. Find it, guess it, email me and ask for them, (or linkedin message me) I'll update this post when they're gone.
Update: Gone.
Indie Game Development & Tutorials. Primarily Maya and UE4. Now with a hint of Chinese 5 spice!
CG Jobs are Hard :`(
This article is part of a growing sentiment in the vocal disgruntled CG artists, whom I want to give a general “fuck off” to. Pardon my French. http://goo.gl/BSWvJ and http://goo.gl/ralvJ
A lot of people come into this industry, with false/unrealistic expectations. They think they are going to be making explosions and animating lead characters, and having fun, yaaay! People are going to know their names and see them in the credits! Then it turns out to be hard work and competitive. Guys work hard but not enough work smart. They work tons of hours and a lot of people don’t get compensated for it, or rather didn’t in the early days. Companies pushed them for more and they just fold like a deck of cards then get mad that they got taken advantage of. They lash out by saying how hard this industry is and how many shit jobs there are. There are no shit jobs, just shit attitudes. I loved roto, and did it better than 99% of roto guys, why? b/c I studied the frames and found key frames in action to make the least number of keys in my rotos. Matchmover, I enjoyed that too, b/c I tried to get good, matchmove what others cannot, make clean plates that are next to impossible, use my artistic skill and push myself to be even better, faster. 3d Model clean up, I figured out how to write MEL that would automate what I could, tried to make tricks to clean up geo faster, researched other applications that can re-topo... its all what you make of it. Render rangler is one of the best jobs, you learn one of the most important things, how to trouble shoot render issues. Everything needs to be rendered, and you then become an expert at it, very valuable easy to move into other positions.
Long hours? sure. We had deadlines. I work my best at everything I was asked to do. When asked to do OT w/o pay I said I’m not available to work w/o OT pay. They said but we really need to get this done! I said yeah we do...(pause) they say, “ok fine!” then I’m like, “great lets do it!” Thats an example of push-pushback that everyone in every job needs to have. Don’t get pushed around, or when you see how you are being pushed around push back or quit. If you work hard and smart constantly trying, then you have real job security. Places you worked before will want you back, b/c you bring real value to the company. They make money off your talent = real job security.
I did and still do, go home at night and continue to test and push my FX and other CG knowledge further. Its never enough, there is no end, this is not a marathon! Its running from the “nothing” (never-ending story reference). All these people who bitch about how hard it is can go cry me a river. Work your ass off, and that’s not enough, but FUCK, you’re getting paid $100,000+/- fucking be worth it!!! Don’t cry, make your life better, work smarter, think and rethink how and what you are doing with your time. Or alternatively, leave this industry b/c its not for you (btw “games” is not another industry it’s just another format).
There are too many people already who don’t know what the hell their doing. It doesn’t take long to figure out who’s good and who’s a button pusher. Know how? It’s not 2 kinds of people, talent and button pushers, its people who never stop trying and people who do*
} //End Rant
* with the exception of super talented people who never need to try, I’m looking at you Ben Neall
A lot of people come into this industry, with false/unrealistic expectations. They think they are going to be making explosions and animating lead characters, and having fun, yaaay! People are going to know their names and see them in the credits! Then it turns out to be hard work and competitive. Guys work hard but not enough work smart. They work tons of hours and a lot of people don’t get compensated for it, or rather didn’t in the early days. Companies pushed them for more and they just fold like a deck of cards then get mad that they got taken advantage of. They lash out by saying how hard this industry is and how many shit jobs there are. There are no shit jobs, just shit attitudes. I loved roto, and did it better than 99% of roto guys, why? b/c I studied the frames and found key frames in action to make the least number of keys in my rotos. Matchmover, I enjoyed that too, b/c I tried to get good, matchmove what others cannot, make clean plates that are next to impossible, use my artistic skill and push myself to be even better, faster. 3d Model clean up, I figured out how to write MEL that would automate what I could, tried to make tricks to clean up geo faster, researched other applications that can re-topo... its all what you make of it. Render rangler is one of the best jobs, you learn one of the most important things, how to trouble shoot render issues. Everything needs to be rendered, and you then become an expert at it, very valuable easy to move into other positions.
Long hours? sure. We had deadlines. I work my best at everything I was asked to do. When asked to do OT w/o pay I said I’m not available to work w/o OT pay. They said but we really need to get this done! I said yeah we do...(pause) they say, “ok fine!” then I’m like, “great lets do it!” Thats an example of push-pushback that everyone in every job needs to have. Don’t get pushed around, or when you see how you are being pushed around push back or quit. If you work hard and smart constantly trying, then you have real job security. Places you worked before will want you back, b/c you bring real value to the company. They make money off your talent = real job security.
I did and still do, go home at night and continue to test and push my FX and other CG knowledge further. Its never enough, there is no end, this is not a marathon! Its running from the “nothing” (never-ending story reference). All these people who bitch about how hard it is can go cry me a river. Work your ass off, and that’s not enough, but FUCK, you’re getting paid $100,000+/- fucking be worth it!!! Don’t cry, make your life better, work smarter, think and rethink how and what you are doing with your time. Or alternatively, leave this industry b/c its not for you (btw “games” is not another industry it’s just another format).
There are too many people already who don’t know what the hell their doing. It doesn’t take long to figure out who’s good and who’s a button pusher. Know how? It’s not 2 kinds of people, talent and button pushers, its people who never stop trying and people who do*
} //End Rant
* with the exception of super talented people who never need to try, I’m looking at you Ben Neall
Pulled the Trigger on Sandy Bridge
Upgrade time. Well time b/c my computer died, and the RMA process on a mother board is long and painful. Basically started buying new parts (geforce gtx465) to test if it was in fact the mobo that died, until I was like screw it. The Sandy Bridge, Core i7 2600k went on sale today. The K being the unlocked multiplier, but even still looks like a 20-25% gain on the core i7 920 I had/have. Not as exciting as if I'd waited until 3Q of this year but whatevs, need the new parts so got it.
If only it were that easy, get a new mobo and chip! Argh, I have 12 gigs of triple channel RAM, well guess what, triple channel isn't supported on the P67 platform, yaaaay. I guess the benefits were never shown for triple channel in real life tests.... aaanywho if you've even read this far I'm boring myself. So I got 16 gigs of DDR3 1600 dual channel RAM, and a 120gig SSD for the OS and apps. So all in all about 1.5 years later from my last computer build I spend another $1100 on my desktop. All on the hope that the power supply isn't the bad thing, oh god if it is I'll cry, then buy a new power supply.
I looked into a Dell but they are all, as expected, old PSU's and seem over priced. I do wish I had their support on my computer now but just can't bring myself to go that route. I'll probably go Mac... I keep saying that, if only for resale value, but never want to drop the actual initial money. Funny I hate spending a lot of money on that which I most.
If only it were that easy, get a new mobo and chip! Argh, I have 12 gigs of triple channel RAM, well guess what, triple channel isn't supported on the P67 platform, yaaaay. I guess the benefits were never shown for triple channel in real life tests.... aaanywho if you've even read this far I'm boring myself. So I got 16 gigs of DDR3 1600 dual channel RAM, and a 120gig SSD for the OS and apps. So all in all about 1.5 years later from my last computer build I spend another $1100 on my desktop. All on the hope that the power supply isn't the bad thing, oh god if it is I'll cry, then buy a new power supply.
I looked into a Dell but they are all, as expected, old PSU's and seem over priced. I do wish I had their support on my computer now but just can't bring myself to go that route. I'll probably go Mac... I keep saying that, if only for resale value, but never want to drop the actual initial money. Funny I hate spending a lot of money on that which I most.
CG Unionization
The topic of CG Unionization is heating up, let me say more on the topic since I feel like my views have changed recently.
A Union is as simple as we agree to group together on these issues. Could be enforcement of labor laws, and lobbying for equal laws across states, fighting subsidies inequalities where they can.
Union is not an agent who will get you more money, agents are agents. Unions are not going to keep students/jr level artist from being abused and over worked b/c they do it to themselves. They can’t effect base salaries b/c that has to be able to naturally sway on a number of factors.
Unions could organize health care, but then companies won’t be afraid of that b/c all their competitors pay equally so it’s easier to add to budgets, and not a line item to be removed.
Set up and manage 401k’s to make it easier for artist to keep theirs, this doesn’t mean the company matches contributions. This could even be cheaper for a company if the benefits are already there.
Union will be what the market wants and what will fit naturally.
The negative is the artist will start paying from their own pocket some full time staff people to use their money on union salaries and lobbying. Organizing health care ++ doesn’t come for free. I think another large part is many union members don’t want to be involved and want it to work for them w/o voting or taking part. Union maybe sound scary but it doesn’t have to be. You have a voice.
So, is this what you want? yes or no?
A Union is as simple as we agree to group together on these issues. Could be enforcement of labor laws, and lobbying for equal laws across states, fighting subsidies inequalities where they can.
Union is not an agent who will get you more money, agents are agents. Unions are not going to keep students/jr level artist from being abused and over worked b/c they do it to themselves. They can’t effect base salaries b/c that has to be able to naturally sway on a number of factors.
Unions could organize health care, but then companies won’t be afraid of that b/c all their competitors pay equally so it’s easier to add to budgets, and not a line item to be removed.
Set up and manage 401k’s to make it easier for artist to keep theirs, this doesn’t mean the company matches contributions. This could even be cheaper for a company if the benefits are already there.
Union will be what the market wants and what will fit naturally.
The negative is the artist will start paying from their own pocket some full time staff people to use their money on union salaries and lobbying. Organizing health care ++ doesn’t come for free. I think another large part is many union members don’t want to be involved and want it to work for them w/o voting or taking part. Union maybe sound scary but it doesn’t have to be. You have a voice.
So, is this what you want? yes or no?
SOuP dev
I keep waiting to have a better more perfect'er video to post on the SOuP dev I've been doing. But this will be a start/where I'm at. Peter's been working on (as some of you do, and all of you should know) but the newer part is an uprezing wavelet turbulence.
I wrote about each video on the vimeo page so check them out.
http://www.vimeo.com/17243715
http://www.vimeo.com/17249372
and
http://www.vimeo.com/17249372
SOuP upRez Wavelet test 11d_1 from destruct007 on Vimeo.
http://www.soup-dev.com/
SOuP, get it. Its free.
I wrote about each video on the vimeo page so check them out.
http://www.vimeo.com/17243715
http://www.vimeo.com/17249372
and
http://www.vimeo.com/17249372
SOuP upRez Wavelet test 11d_1 from destruct007 on Vimeo.
http://www.soup-dev.com/
SOuP, get it. Its free.
FX Houses Open for Biznass
I know when I'm looking for a list of US FX houses it's a pain in the ace. I found a list of some on a reply to some talk about Asylum closing, I added the links... Anyway, the list!
Psyop
Eight FX
Motion Theory
Prologue
MPC LA
The Mill LA
Public
Logan
Brand New School
OOOii
Svengali
D-Train
Method
Sway
Look
Hydraulx
Eden
Stargate
Zoic
Buck
Radium
A-52
Brickyard FX
Blue Room
Sight
Luma Pictures
Crazy Horse
CIS
Psyop
Eight FX
Motion Theory
Prologue
MPC LA
The Mill LA
Public
Logan
Brand New School
OOOii
Svengali
D-Train
Method
Sway
Look
Hydraulx
Eden
Stargate
Zoic
Buck
Radium
A-52
Brickyard FX
Blue Room
Sight
Luma Pictures
Crazy Horse
CIS
Getting Good with Maya Fluids
Maya Fluid Testing from destruct007 on Vimeo.
Ok ok ok its been a while since I last posted. I have for you my "scientific method" of fluid testing. I use this a few times a week when in heavy development of a new effect. There are so many combinations of settings, it could be arguded billions of combinations, but lets say even a few million. There is no way and no one who can predict how a fluid will react given a set of attributes and influences. This is one of the key parts of fluids that make it hard to learn and harder to master. A master of fluids is someone who knows how to narrow in on the attributes that are effecting the fluid... well faster than someone who would just be good with fluids. I use this technique to help me understand different attributes. A lot of the time I fine my understanding challenged, and refined as I continue to learn what the hell is going on in there.
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I'm just going to make you tube vids. Not going to post here and there b/c its redundant. If you like'a dah posts, subscribe to my y...
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Overburn technique video tutorial from destruct007 on Vimeo . From Peter Shipkov's Overburn technique (maybe not the first to do it b... -
I've been playing around with proportion and simplicity. Trying to find something interesting and unique. I know for I want simple colo...