Chrysler Uses 3D Animation: An Assembly Line Gone Hollywood

Chrysler workers are using tools normally found at film animation studios -- such as 3D videos and computerized motion sensors -- to reshape the way they assemble a car or build an engine.

The automaker and the UAW have created an amusement park-like atmosphere in a generic industrial building in Warren to teach problem-solving skills that workers apply back at their plants, said Scott Tolmie, World Class Manufacturing academy leader.

By Brent Snavely Detroit Free Press Business Writer

Read Article

http://www.freep.com/article/20120124/BUSINESS01/201240322

Forensic Animation- Forensic Computer Animation

Here is a short interview about forensic animation – The Forensic Files.

Lexus Engineering – Virtual 3D Crash Test Dummies

Check this Lexus promo out,  they are using virtual 3D crash test dummies to enhance their existing research. Very Cool! ~Cornell

See how Lexus is engineering amazing with digital crash test models that give engineers a better understanding of the human body. To learn more, visit www.lexus.com/EngineeringAmazing.

3D Glass Printer??? - SolarSinter Project

Now it seems a bit crude, but think of the 3D potential – printing in glass.  Specially from the perspective of a digital sculptor.   I think is is way too cool!  We are just entering the teen year of 3D technologies, printers that print in food, plastic, wax, metal, tissue (medical uses) , and now glass.  The 3D industry is not going away; it has only just begun.  ~Cornell

In this experiment sunlight and sand are used as raw energy and material to produce glass objects using a 3D printing process, that combines natural energy and material with high-tech production technology.

 

Markus Kayser - Solar Sinter Project from Markus Kayser on Vimeo.

Check out the Autodesk IBC 2011 Show Reel!

It is by far my favorite Autodesk show reel, check out.

http://area.autodesk.com/ibc2011/showreel/showreel?KeepThis=true&TB_iframe=true&height=450&width=650

Autodesk at IBC 2011–LIVE

If you happened to miss any of  the Autodesk live feed presentations, Autodesk added a cool feature DVR, which allows you to jump anywhere in the  presentation.  So if you missed the beginning, you can always rewind a bit.  Now since it is Live, you can’t watch the future unless you are in the past.  If that makes sense.  We just watched the latest Autodesk reel and Maya live feed in class to day.  Very COOL!

All the videos seem to be on-demand, so it is great for the varying classroom schedule, including interviews, on-demand demos, behind-the-scenes reports, and more.

*You need to at least watch the latest Autodesk Show reel.  It is awesome and the students really get  PSYCHED!  ~Cornell

http://area.autodesk.com/ibc2011

A Different Side of Architecture

Interview with Paul Nicholls and Jonathan Gales (Factory Fifteen) - Winners of the 2011 CGarchitect 3Dawards Film and Image Category
By Jeff Mottle
During the Mundos Digitales conference in La Coruna, Spain this year CGarchitect sat down with Jonathan Gales and Paul Nicholls to talk about their recent 3D awards win. Jonathan and Paul were classmates at The Bartlett in the UK and were independently selected by this year's panel of expert judges as the winners of the 2011 CGarchitect Architectural 3D awards Film and Animation categories. Since their win they have gone on to form a new company called Factory Fifteen with several other classmates.

Video :  http://www.cgarchitect.com/upclose/article1_FF.asp

Interview with Paul Nicholls & Jonathan Gales (Factory Fifteen) from CGarchitect on Vimeo.

 

Interview with Paul and Jonathan at Mundos Digitales

Paul Nicholls - Winning Film entry from the 2011 CGarchitect Architectural 3Dawards.

Shadow Art

I love light & shadow AND I love sculpture.   I have experimented a bunch with creating sculptures where the subject was the actual shadow not the sculpture.   It is not easy, well at least not for me.  I just came across this software that does exactly that.   I wish I had a 3D printer.  The design examples that are used are a bit on the simple side, but it has potential.  - Cornell

Niloy J. Mitra, Mark Pauly
ACM SIGGRAPH Asia 2009

Abstract:

To them, I said, the truth would be literally nothing but the shadows of the images. - Plato, The Republic

Shadow art is a unique form of sculptural art where the 2D shadows cast by a 3D sculpture are essential for the artistic effect. We introduce computational tools for the creation of shadow art and propose a design process where the user can directly specify the desired shadows by providing a set of binary images and corresponding projection information. Since multiple shadow images often contradict each other, we present a geometric optimization that computes a 3D shadow volume whose shadows best approximate the provided input images. Our analysis shows that this optimization is essential for obtaining physically realizable 3D sculptures. The resulting shadow volume can then be modified with a set of interactive editing tools that automatically respect the often intricate shadow constraints. We demonstrate the potential of our system with a number of complex 3D shadow art sculptures that go beyond what is seen in contemporary art pieces.

The rest of the article.   http://graphics.stanford.edu/~niloy/research/shadowArt/shadowArt_sigA_09.html

 

 

Also check out this movie produced with the Shadow Art tool.

http://www.silhouettesofjazz.com/

Creativity: Phineas and Ferb Get Busted! “They are forced to think inside the box.”

Today in class we talked about “Creativity and Divert thinking”.  I posed questions such as, “Can you learn to be more creative or is is something that you are born with?” and  “How does ones environment influence creativity?”   I introduced the talk by sharing a short music video from Phineas and Ferb Get Busted!  It is an awesome Disney TV series about two inventors.  When my daughter watches TV, which is not very often, it is one of her favorites;  I love it too.  The students wanted to watch the entire episode, because they all seemed to love the show as well. 

In this episode Phineas and Ferb  get caught by their parents making a flying car and get sent to reform school.    The reform school tries to break them of all creative thought.

Sergeant: OK, listen up, maggots! You are here because your parents (mockingly) are worried about you. Now, the way I see it, the root of all children's problems is unacceptable levels of imagination, fun, creativity and unbridled enthusiasm! Don't you eyeball me! Our goal at this school is to crush the dangerous elements inside you and replace them with structure, order, discipline and conformity.    (Part 1, 05:31)

The music video “Chains On Me” sung by Dan Povenmire,  has a fun chorus ”Cause they say imagination is morally wrong.”

“Chains On Me” by Dan Povenmire

I woke up this morning, and the world was gray.
Haven't seen the sun since they hauled me away.
The boss man says there's no use in trying,
He won't let me color outside of the lines.
Got these chains on me,
And they're draggin' me down.
Got these chains on me,
Hear that clanking sound?
Got these chains on me,
Mister, hear my song
Don't say imagination is morally wrong
Mm-hmm
Drink of water, boss?
As long as I've been here I got nothing to show,
Try to make something but the boss says no
Wanna be creative but the man won't hear it
That big boss man, he's trying to crush my spirit
Got these chains on me,
They won't let me fly
Got these chains on me,
Won't tell me why
Got these chains on me
Mister, hear my song
Don't say imangination is morally wrong
No, they won't let us dance or bang that gong,
”Cause they say imagination is morally wrong.”

 

Inkling: Check it Out–Very Cool!.

A friend of mine just sent me this link – Very Cool!  I am going to get one to try out and will let you know what I think.  I have seen similar pens was not too sure of their accuracy.  The Inkling is still questionable and want to play with it first.  They say on main drawing area of A4 paper, it has  +/- 2.5 mm of error. Which I guess seems accurate. – Cornell

The Inkling digital sketch pen captures a digital likeness of your work while you sketch with its ballpoint tip on any sketchbook or standard piece of paper. Designed for rough concepting and creative brainstorming, Inkling is ideal for the front end of the creative process. Later, refine your work on your computer using an Intuos4 tablet or Cintiq interactive pen display.

In addition to capturing your sketch, stroke by stroke, Inkling allows you to create layers in digital files while you sketch on paper. Digital files are transferred to your computer using the Inkling Sketch Manager software, and later, exported to applications such as Adobe® Photoshop® and Illustrator®. Files can also be opened with the included Inkling Sketch Manager software to edit, delete, add layers or change file formats.

Highlights:

Sketch your ideas on standard paper or sketchbooks while capturing a digital likeness of your sketch.

Store hundreds of sketches on the receiver before transferring them to your PC or Mac.

Export your sketches with layers directly from the Inkling Sketch Manager software into Adobe® Photoshop®, Illustrator® (CS3+), Autodesk® Sketchbook® Pro (2011+) or Autodesk® Sketchbook® Designer.

Autodesk Student Experience Event at SIGGRAPH 2011 - Exclusively for Students

thanks to our strategic partners   

On Sunday, August 7, 2011, Autodesk will be hosting the Autodesk Student Experience event, a series of workshops and presentations exclusively for students. This full day of events will feature classes, one-on-one feedback sessions with Autodesk technology experts, a seminar from Carlos Baena of Animation Mentor and a keynote presentation by Duncan Brinsmead, principal scientist at Autodesk.

This event is brought to you thanks to our strategic partners Dell^™ Precision Workstations and NVIDIA^®. All Autodesk software showcased during the day’s event will be running on Dell Precision workstations equipped with the latest NVIDIA^® Quadro^® professional graphics.

Wanted:

• Student attendees in pursuit of their CG dreams

Location:

• Vancouver Marriott Pinnacle Downtown Hotel
  1128 West Hastings Street
  Vancouver, BC
  Sunday, August 7th from 9am-5pm PST.
  (Reception to follow from 5-7pm PST)

Description:

• * Autodesk is seeking students to take part in a full day of seminars focused on improving their skill sets with Autodesk 3D animation tools: Autodesk^® Maya^®, Autodesk^® 3ds Max^® and Autodesk^® Softimage^® software.

Your Responsibilities:

• Attend the Autodesk Experience workshops.
• Discover something new from industry-renowned technologists and visionaries.
• Learn from some of the best trainers in the industry, including an ACE, a Mentor and a Master.
• Network with like-minded students and industry leaders.
• Geek out on Autodesk technology.
• Chat about work-in-progress to Autodesk technical experts. (Optional)

Requirements:

• Register in advance. Priority admittance to the keynote and Animation Mentor seminars will be given to those who pre-registered for and attended the product sessions.
• Show up on time for the sessions you registered for. After we have admitted all pre-registered attendees, we will open the doors five (5) minutes before each session and admit students who are present (space permitted).
• Be currently enrolled in a program of study from a recognized college, university or community college, OR..
• Have graduated in the Spring 2011 or Summer 2011 semester of a recognized college, university or community college.
• Show proof of student status or recent graduate status upon on-site registration.
• Being passionate about the technology and art of CG is a must!

Student Workshops featuring 3ds Max, Maya & Softimage

The first part of the day will be focused on the individual product classes. Please register for the classes you are planning on attending. You can register for one, two or all three.

Keynote and Animation Fundamentals Class with Animation Mentor

After lunch, we’ll get started with our keynote and a technology preview from a member of our Games group. This will be followed by "Animation Fundamentals" with Carlos Baena.

Animation Fundamentals will take a look at basic concepts of animation, and how they are constantly applied even in complex animated shots. Through examples/demo these basic concepts will be shown all the way from basic simple exercises all the way to complex acting / physical shots.

Please make sure register for the sessions you are planning on attending. You can register for one or both of the sessions.

Autodesk Experience Schedule (all times are in PST)

9am-9:45am Registration (coffee and breakfast)

9:45am-11am 3ds Max Class with Sandeep Kulkarni  Register

10:45am-12pm Softimage Class with Adam Sale  Register

11am-3pm AE AREA open

11:45am-1pm Maya Class with Kenny Roy (75 mins) Register

1pm-1:30pm LUNCH

2pm-3pm Keynote: Duncan’s Corner with Duncan Brinsmead Register

3pm Games Technology Preview with Mathieu Mazerolle

3:30pm-5pm Animation Fundamentals class with Carlos Baena  Register

5pm-7pm Reception

Dell and NVIDIA

All Autodesk software showcased during the day’s event will be running on Dell Precision workstations equipped with the latest NVIDIA Quadro professional graphics based on NVIDIA Fermi architecture. Come meet with experts from Dell to find how to best optimize your Autodesk software by choosing the right workstation for your needs.

AE AREA

Come meet Autodesk Application Engineers & AREA Bloggers, who will be on site during the event. Gary M. Davis (3ds Max), Louis Marcoux (3ds Max), Lee Fraser (Maya) and Mark Schoennagel (Softimage) will be available to answer your questions about 3ds Max, Maya and Softimage. Come chat with them about your latest project, product tips & tricks, industry questions and more! No registration required.

Contact Us

Are you an instructor or educator who is interested in attending the Student Event? Do you have any questions about the event? Please contact me.education@autodesk.com for more information.

Autodesk Education Summit

thanks to our strategic partners   

On Monday, August 8th Autodesk will be hosting our annual Education Summit in Vancouver, where we are offering our worldwide community of educators, program directors, trainers and more the opportunity to connect with Autodesk staff and executives to discuss key industry trends and best practices, network with their peers and learn about our products and programs. This event will be followed by a reception. (Agenda will be posted soon)
Register here

Autodesk Education Summit
Monday, August 8, 2011
3pm-5:30pm PST
reception from 5:30pm-7pm PST
Vancouver Marriott Pinnacle Downtown Hotel
1128 West Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC

Autodesk Digital STEAM Workshops for Secondary Education

On Monday, August 8, 2011 at the Vancouver Marriott Pinnacle Downtown Hotel from 11:00 am to 12:30 p.m. Autodesk will be hosting an information session about the new Digital STEAM Workshop, offering teachers the opportunity to experience a project-based learning program. Designed for high-school students, the program explores the study of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics, through real-time 3D games and easy-to-follow videos guided by industry professionals.
Register here

Autodesk Digital STEAM Workshops for Secondary Education
Monday, August 8, 2011
11am-12:30pm PST
Vancouver Marriott Pinnacle Downtown Hotel
1128 West Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC

Please contact me.education@autodesk.com if you have any questions or you need more information about our SIGGRAPH 2011 events.

The Animation Podcast: Talent Development and Summer Internship Programs

 

The Animation Podcast is a great collection of classic animator interviews.  I have listened to them all and if you have a long car ride coming up, download them all for the ride;  it will be well worth it.  The latest interview is very interesting which explores Disney's Talent Development Program.  Put it on your iPhone today so you have it for that next traffic jam.  - Cornell

In the latest podcast: 

“You learn everything from every production that you’re on, even if it’s, you know, a commercial that lasts three weeks. You learn something from it.” It’s finally here – my exclusive podcast for Animation Mentor! It marks a few firsts: my first podcast in over a year; my first roundtable with five guests; my first women guests! Since this is an exclusive, you’ll need to head over to Animation Mentor to listen and download the show. My focus for this show was to grab five artists at Disney who recently went through the Talent Development Program at Disney and talk about how they got there and what it’s like to work at the studio. My guests include Story Artist Jeremy Spears, Visual Development Artist Lorelay Bove, Rough Inbetweener/Jack of all Trades Joe Pitt, 2D Animator Sarah Airriess, and CG Animator (and Animation Mentor alumni) Kira Lehtomaki. Please leave your comments and feedback on this this post. I’d love to hear what you think.