Computer Animation Arts

So the CGAA Summer Speed Paint Challenge is due to begin. Initially topics will have a 48 hour window, to see how we get on.  Although the most current offerings will be showcased at the appropriate time feel free to revisit any previous post. Other than that the format will be the same as the Christmas ones, with a 9am start and finish time. I also won’t be limiting this to environments, the length of time we have to play with means we can introduce characters, items, vehicles, illustrative narratives and even whimsical subjects. In terms of presentation on your blogs a simple post with the header : CGAA Summer Speed Paint Challenge: (Insert subject title here) Then your image plus a brief description if you wish. For archiving purposes if you could create a file titled “CGAA summer speed paint” and store the final high resolution images there. This way if we need to print the images we have the best quality images available. For this reason working at ...

Ages back, we applied to the UCA Creative Fund on your behalf for some additional dosh to purchase some picture frames and some lighting so we might at last create a course-centric gallery space in the lower 4th corridor.  It's been a long time coming, but today we completed the installation of our twelve new frames * and so transformed an otherwise unloved and unlovely expanse of wall into a glittering showcase of student work.  Ta da! The twelve lockable frames make it easy for us to refresh the corridor exhibition when we fancy a change of scenery.  First time out, I wanted to highlight character design as an integral aspect of the course and promote your unsung strengths as illustrators; next time, who knows - a cavalcade of digitally painted landscapes? A celebration of life-drawing? An anthology of Summer speed paints? (I did rather rashly promise Ernesta a theme on mutant typewriters, but this might prove a little too niche - even for CG Arts ...

That's it ladies and gents. It's all over bar the shouting. No more crits, essays, or Maya tutorials. No more film screenings, tutorials, seminars, or life-drawing classes. The baseroom will no longer smell of chips and ketchup and the lecturers will soon return to their musty wooden crates under the lower 4th stairwell where they hibernate until mid-September...  Of course, it's not over - not really - all this talk of endings is an exaggeration. Indeed, I could just as well have begun this PWTM preamble as a pean to beginnings; after all, the end of the academic year marks the moment year one students become year two students, year two students assume the mantle of year three students, and year three students become graduates who must now make their first tentative forays into that place sometimes referred to as 'the real world'. The May edition of the  CG Arts & Animation   Post With The Most has a simple enough remit - to showca...

“Neglect your art for one day and it will neglect you for two.” -  Chinese Proverb Good day ladies and gentlemen, The summer break is practically upon us and hopefully these days will be long and balmy, I say that with anticipation (fingers crossed).  In order to stop those little creative fingers from seizing up I am proposing running a new speed paint challenge throughout the summer break via the CGAA blog. Obviously this will be entirely voluntary and will be open to all years, including recent graduates and the incoming cohort, so it could be a great way to sign off, as well as introduce oneself to the CG Arts community. At this stage it will run in a similar fashion to the popular Christmas challenge, except with a slightly longer duration between subjects. So guys leave a comment and express your thoughts and ideas. It would be great if we could curate the results in some way, maybe take advantage of the UCA gallery spaces in some way. How...

As you watch this incredible showreel of Gustav Hoegen's animatronic work for the movies, keep a tab on the number of times you think to yourself, 'f**k me, I thought that was cgi...'

Friday 24th May is the CGAA Super Screening - an end-of-term celebration of all your creative endeavour this academic year.  By the agency of some raffle tickets and the now-legendary 'mysterious blue box', we'll randomise the running order and enjoy a veritable pot pourri of cg eye-candy.   I'll open Lecture Theatre 2 at 10am so you can come in and get your files on the computer; alternatively, you can present from your blog/Vimeo/Youtube etc.  This isn't a crit - it's a show and tell and an opportunity to share with others the inside-track on the highs, lows and home truths of making cg happen. In addition, Tom Beg & Jordan Buckner will be sharing with you their progress so far on the ACT Live Commission project and the  new look for the CGAA group blog will be unveiled! If you're participating in the screening, could you just leave a comment below so I can get a sense of our numbers/running time for the event.  Obviously you can atte...

As part of YouTube Comedy Week, the guys at Weebl's Stuff recreated their stupidly popular animation  Badger, Badger, Badger  as this fantastic homage to  Flash Gordon . It would be a crime against nature if I didn't post this for the world (more specifically, Phil) to see.  After viewing this, I think it is safe to say that this animation pretty much renders anything Pixar has ever created void and that as far as we're concerned, animation will never get any better than this.

At last!  Darren Wall from Planet Jump is coming to speak with us on Tuesday 21st May @ 2pm Lecture Theatre One. It's been a long time coming after 'snow stopped play' etc. so let's ensure there's a big crowd and lots of questions.   Alumni welcome!  See you all there :)

Incase you didn't see this message posted on myUCA for your attention: "The External Examiner, Tim Webb, is visiting on Monday 20th May. It is very important that you are available from 1.30pm in the CGA studio area as he may wish to discuss your work with you. Please ensure that you are present and prepared to speak to Tim if needed. Thank you." External Examination of your student work is a normal and necessary part of the academic process and nothing to worry about.  Tim Webb may talk with you - he may not - the important thing is to be available should he want to.  If for some reason you're unable to attend, please let me know.  Many thanks.

Hi - your CG Artist Toolkit summative proformas have been sent to your Ucreative email accounts.  If yours doesn't come through or you've got any queries email me at pgomm@ucreative.ac.uk.

Sorry folks - I've had to press the visiting lecturer cancellation button again!  Pete Hardy was due to come in tomorrow but he's had all his leave cancelled because Cinesite's gone into overdrive in order to get the new 300 sequel sorted... well, as excuses go, it's not bad.  As far as I know, we can still expect a visit from Darren Wall on Tuesday 21st... fingers crossed!

Just a reminder to all those Year 2 students who got messaged a while back re. the opportunity for a placement with Butch Auntie over the summer break: Pete Wallace is coming in on Friday 17th to meet and brief you at 10am in the CGAA  base room.  Don't be late!  This is a great opportunity to keep those creative brain cells of yours fizzing throughout the long summer months and to notch up some live project experience on those all-important cvs and showreels... grab with both hands and shake!

Has to be one of my favourite animated shorts, watched it quite a few times already. The use of colour and composition just makes it so easy to enjoy!! I also like the sounds used and how the objects seem to come to life through music!! [Description below via AwesomeRobo]   Japanese animation studio   Tange Films  is behind this surreal animated short, 'We Should Make Strange Things.' Definitely holding true to the title, it shows us the story of a [literally] drifting, lost man (man?) and his encounters with the bizarre and fantastical.  To say this piece is dream-like would be more than accurate, as it appears it is about sleep itself and the crazy things our minds like to come up with.  Utilizing a very simple color palette of blue, pink, and black/white, it's very stylized and abstract.

Really interesting little story from the BBC about people in the visual effects industry being overworked. Much better than being under worked.   http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/22397980

CGAA GTA Jordan Buckner has some words of support, comfort and inspiration for our weary year 3 students on this, the night before their final hand-in.  Go here for some words from the wise.

Hi 2nd years! I have just noticed on my UCA, that Chris Hunt has posted the following - Dissertation Proposal - results and feedback Posted on: Wednesday, 8 May 2013 The feedback sessions for dissertation proposals will now be on Tuesday 14th May (not 6th and 13th as previously advertised). Location: Lecture Theatre 1. The assessor giving feedback on these is Kath Abiker. The format is: Group A - 10am Group B - 11am Group C - 12 noon Group D - 2pm Group E - 3pm Please ensure you attend the appropriate session to receive your feedback so that you can build on the feedback over the summer. It is strongly recommended that you work on your dissertation over the summer period - this will enable you to get the most out of your tutorials in the first term. Any students who don;t attend will receive their feedback the following day in their pigeonhole.

Sad news: Ray Harryhausen died on Tuesday 7th May 2013.  I'm pretty sure without the legacy of Harryhausen's beloved stop-motion monsters, a course such as ours would not exist.  Read his obituary here and enjoy his most celebrated stop-motion special effects sequence below.

OSCILLATE from Daniel Sierra on Vimeo . If you thought Rise of the Guardians was Particle Effects: The Movie , check this out. This visualisation of waveforms defies words; seriously, just watch it and see.

Hi - just to let you know that your Fantastic Voyage proformas have been sent to your ucreative email accounts - let me know if I've missed anyone or if you have any queries.  If you want to discuss your feedback, do please come and find me for a chat - no probs.

Year 2 Final Critique: 8th May 2013 10 Minute Crit Presentation Order: 1) State the source (Adaptation: Book title) and intended outcome (Eg Two games characters). 2) Show the final work 3) Present the making of... 4) Any other comments. Please Include on Your Submission Disk: Project Work (Final Piece) Making of Document Demo Reel Shot (Turnaround, Fly-through, or Stills) Up to Date Blog (.pdf)   Maya Tutorials Submission: 10th May 2013 Completed technical tutorials uploaded to your blog by 2pm Year 3 Final Submission: 10th May 2013 by 5pm Please Include on Your Submission Disk: Project Work (Final Piece)* Making of Document* Technical Document* Demo Reel* Up to Date Blog (.pdf)   *Copied on to base room computer also.   Good Luck Everyone!    

Great news!  CGAA alumni, Leo Tsang , who graduated last year with a first class degree, has just been in contact to let me know that he's just started his new job with London-based Bafta-award winning  Blue-Zoo Animation Studio   and  is working currently on Blue-Zoo's children show, Q-Pootle 5!   Congratulations Leo, from all of us on Ba Hons CG Arts & Animation - your success is sure to inspire! Well done and best of luck in the new role! :)

This is your formal invite to the CGAA Super Screening on Friday 24th May in Lecture Theatre 2 @ 10.30am.  For the very first time, all years are invited to screen their final project work collectively - an opportunity to celebrate your achievements this academic year and to engage in some inter-year Q & A.  The first years have already been challenged to return to their 'Fantastic Voyage' animations in readiness for the Super Screening - to tweak, polish and address any issues raised at the crit.   I'm going to suggest that all students now consider this a post-hand-in opportunity to excise any flies from the ointment.  The Super Screening isn't about assessment criteria (it's not a crit!).  It's about you and your pride in your work.  On Sunday May 26th, the next edition of the Post With The Most will go live; I'll want to be able to select the very best work that is looking at its very best, so if you need further incentive to return to you...

I've noticed the batch render seems to hang/ freeze at random points in the animation. I checked the render diagnostic and in snort it was saying : - If Completed_Book_w_Outlines_file2 is not a memory mappable file, use imf_copy to convert it to .map format, to improve the performance.   - Eye_texture has a resolution of 2048x2048 which may be inefficient. For almost all of the textures, is it basically telling me to make the file size smaller, like 1024x 1024 or do I have to lower the dpi from 300 to something else?

I recently moved my work to another computer and when I looked at a playblast of Rhea walking one of the hair pieces is, kind of flicking in an unusual way. so where the rest of the hair flops down this hair piece flicks and then snaps back into position. I'm not sure why its doing that so any advice would be greatly appreciated. Before I noticed it acting strangely the only things that had changed were: The computer I was doing it on, I had tried to create a collision object between The hair pieces and Rhea's body, (and because I'm using 2013) I had also tried using the ncloth collision object on Rhea at a point but it didn't seem to stop the hair from going through her head. I don't think Rhea's body is still a collision object although I'm not sure how I'd be able to tell it was. I had also checked the follicle that was misbehaving it seemed to have collision on , I turned it off and didn't make a difference, but when I went to look back it...

At first glance you may think "A Boy and His Atom" is a charming but slightly primitive animation. However, once you take into consideration that you're actually looking at individual carbon monoxide molecules magnified 100 million times you quickly reevaluate your thinking. Created by IBM "A Boy and His Atom" consists of 242 frames each measuring 45 by 25 nanometres (there are 25 million nanometres in an inch). Each image was created using a remotely operated two-ton scanning microscope operating at temperatures of 450 degrees below zero (Fahrenheit). Amazing. Enjoy!