Are you Facebook official?

Due to the fact that I want to separate my social life from my teaching life, I never wanted to associate with my students on Facebook. This month I jumped in by adding a fan page for my 3D program. With a fan page, I do not have to be “friends” with my students, but can still build a strong social network. It helps community members & leaders, parents, present students and future students to stay up to date with my program. It also keeps present students in contact with past graduates for networking, which is key in the 3D industry or just about ever industry. In past years, I created our own program web based forum, but it was too difficult to maintain and was just one more thing to check every day. Not that I spend my nights on Facebook, but it is a very powerful networking/marketing tool.

Now I know that majority of people over 35 do not have a Facebook account . . . yet, but it is still growing and if not Facebook some other form of social networking will be around; it is just too powerful. Even with 3DTeachers.com I have hundreds of followers via the main site, but only a handful on our Facebook fan page.  Anonymity  . . .  I think there is just something about it that you have to buy into and our students bought into it day one.

On the other hand, my 3D program fan page is growing everyday and even with a month in, I can see its potential. I have over 150 students per semester, probably 200+ per year and building that dynamic sense of community particularly with graduates is huge. I also think inviting community members and getting them more connected with what you are doing can really develop more community involvement and support.

Now my main sites will still be the actual focus, I just want to give a few more options to get the word out and build more of a sense of community. I came across RSS Graffiti which will dynamically update my main sites content to Facebook with little or no effort.

So the question is  . . . Are you Facebook official? --- Cornell

 

Here is our Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/3DTeacherscom/117382278311855?ref=ts#

THIS IS HUGE!!! Autodesk offers 3-Year Licenses to Students

THIS IS HUGE!!! Autodesk has just released their product line-up to students. With the economy the way it is, less and less of my students work on Maya at home, tend to spend more time in the lab, and over all less time using Maya overall. This will have a huge impact on my students skill set, and the quality their work.

Despite the fact that majority of my students want to work for “Pixar” and probably would pay to work there, only about 3% of the 3d industry is entertainment related. There are so many careers out there from bio medical sculpting to archeology. With over 25 products available to download, students have a chance to explore other applications that they would not necessarily have the opportunity to use. Thirty day trials just don't cut it, I don't even bother downloading them anymore.  It is just not enough time to really get into an application.  Eliminating the initial costs, and offering three years to explore is HUGE!!! --- Cornell

http://students.autodesk.com/

Start the academic year off right by downloading 2011 Autodesk software that professional architects, engineers, and digital artists are using to push the boundaries of design. More than 25 software products are available for free* download at the Education Community—all with a new, extended 3-year license.

Update Your Software License Now 
If you already have free* Autodesk software from the Education Community, follow these easy steps to renew your license to a 3-year term.

1. Log in to the Education Community
2. Get a new serial number from the Software Download section
3. Update serial number in your software Product License Information Screen.

For more information on the 3-year license terms, please see our frequently asked questions (FAQ).

It’s that simple. Once you’ve renewed your license, you may want to explore the new features and highlights in the Education Community. You can access exclusive lessons from today’s top industry leaders, learn about the latest design trends, and see how professionals are applying their skills and knowledge to turn global challenges into opportunities. There’s even a place to share how you are turning innovative ideas into real designs.

*Free products are subject to the terms and conditions of the end-user license agreement that accompanies download of the software. The software is for personal use for education purposes and is not intended for classroom or lab use.

Autodesk and AutoCAD are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product and services offerings, and specifications and pricing at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.

Lighting Challenge: 3DRender.com

Here is the latest lighting challenge by Jeremy Birn from www.3DRender.com.  He has twenty four challenges available to date, #24 is the only active challenge and the deadline is October 16th.  I have never been able to line up his active challenges with my curriculum, but I generally assign past challenges anyway.  Some of his scenes can be intimidating to take on, because they can be a bit time consuming particularly as a class assignment.   If you have independent students who are focusing lighting and rendering, have them try one of his challenges; it will really push them.  One nice thing is that most, if not all, file formats are provided, so it doesn’t really matter what software you use.  In the past, I have assigned to my advanced class his first challenge, the fruit bowl, and this fall I am assigning the Halloween scene #12 as an independent assignment.  Jeremy has been a Technical Director at Pixar Animation Studios since in 2002 and has worked on lighting for The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille, and Wall-E.  He has also written  Digital Lighting & Rendering, which is now in its second edition.

Check out his site and the past challenges and I hope this helps out.   -- Cornell

Challenge #24: The Cabin -- Deadline October 16, 2010

View Discussion Thread Download BLEND file: theCabin_BLEND.rar Download FBX file: theCabin_FBX.rar Download LWO file: theCabin_LWO.rar Download MA file: theCabin_MA.rar Download OBJ file: theCabin_OBJ.rar Modeled by Andrew Kin Fun Chan and Dan Konieczka.

This challenge is of a landscape and cabin which has been modeled by Andrew Kin Fun Chan and Dan Konieczka. Please credit them for the modeling anywhere you display an image outside of this thread.
Post your work in progresses (WIP) in this thread to receive feedback and ideas. Please do not post any WIP images in the Final Images Thread but, don't forget to post your final images there. The deadline for this challenge is October 16th, 2010.
You can download the 3D scene files from the following:
http://3drender.com/challenges/index.htm

Catch Live Streaming of the Autodesk Main Stage at IBC 2010

September 10-14 for Virtual IBC to catch product demonstrations and customer presentations streamed live from the Autodesk booth.

Here is Saturday's schedule for example of the the weekly event.

by Autodesk Media & Entertainment User Community on Saturday, September 11, 2010 at 2:30am

Schedule of booth presentations/live streaming from IBC 2010. All times are in CEST.

See the live stream or watch presentations on demand by visiting The AREA:  http://bit.ly/9A0IfL

9:30 AM:  Autodesk Lustre and Autodesk Flame: Finishing & Grading Workflow for Commercials

10:30 AM:  Autodesk Flame: Visual Effects for Television

11:30  AM:  Autodesk Lustre and Autodesk Smoke; Timon Mahony, Empire Design, Despicable Me & Tamara Drewe

12:30  PM:  Finishing with Autodesk Smoke for Mac: Stereo Finishing Workflow

13:30 PM:  Autodesk Flame; Richard Lyons, Redrum Post, Carousel

14:30 PM:  Entertainment Workflows with the Autodesk Maya Entertainment Creation Suites

15:30 PM:  Autodesk Flame: Visual Effects & Finishing for Commercials

16:30 PM:  Autodesk Smoke, Autodesk Flame & Autodesk Lustre: Editorial Finishing and Grading

17:30 PM:  RED Event; Ted Schilowitz

 

Extra Credit: Game Design Webisode

A while back I posted a video call the Uncanny Valley by Daniel Floyd, which was just awesome,  Since then, he has created an entire weekly series called “Extra Credit” hosted by The Escapist,  where he talks about the gamming industry in a very entertaining way.  Topics change weekly and he has done seven webisodes to date.  He mentions that they will be weekly, but I think he realized that it is tons of work, especially with a new job at Pixar.  I have not seen them all yet, but check them out. -- Cornell

 

 

Join James Portnow, Daniel Floyd and Allison Theus each week as they take a deeper look at games; how they are made, what they mean and how we can make them better.

 

Enriching Lives Date: 09/09/2010	Free Speech Date: 09/02/2010	No Redeeming Value Date: 08/26/2010	Where Did Survival Horror Go? Date: 08/19/2010
Innovation Date: 08/12/2010	The Future of MMOs Date: 08/05/2010	Video Games & Bad Writing Date: 07/29/2010

3D Bio-printer? Print Out an Actual Kidney?

I'm always talking about the future of 3d, but I couldn't foresee this.  The 3d industry, is still in its infancy and will evolve into industries that we can’t even imagine.  It will be intertwined with almost every industry in one way or another, but a 3d organ printer? Very Cooll! 

I was kind of blown away today after hearing about the 3d bio printer.  It does seem a bit Star Treky, but I know it is fairly realistic.  I had a job about a year ago creating an animation that shows how kidney tissue can be grown on a 3D lattice.  Either way, check it out. -- Cornell

 

 

Discover Organ Printing - Gabor Forgacs Interview

 

Here is a longer TED video, if you want to hear more about it.

From Hand Puppets to Shadow Clouds?

I just came across a little video on shadow clouds; they give me one one reason why I want a 3D printer – to make cool stuff!  The videos are not that exciting and a bit slow, but the idea is very cool.  It starts out with simple shapes but then shows some cooler complex ones.  Check it out.  Either way it is worth showing your students.  I remind them daily that 3% of 3d graphics generated are for Hollywood and Game design.  So what else is it used for?   -- Cornell

From Drzach & Suchy’s website: http://drzachsuchy.ch/

A shadow cloud is a three-dimensional object, consisting of multiple shadow-casting elements semi-randomly arranged in three dimensions in such a way, that depending on the direction of illumination the overall shadow of the cloud displays various images encoded in it. A shadow cloud can be viewed as a generalization of shadow casting panels, but of course the basic idea of multiple shadows from one three-dimensional structure is already present in well-known GEB-triples. However, in contrast to GEB-triplets, a shadow cloud can encode up to four arbitrary images and display them under appropriate illumination without any distortions.

The idea of shadow clouds can be summarized as follows: the shadow cast by flat, thin elements depends on their relation to the direction of illumination: elements perpendicular to illumination cast clear shadows, while the shadows of elements parallel to illumination are practically invisible. Moreover, the elements perpendicular to the illumination can be arbitrary shifted along the illumination without changing the overall shadow cast by all the elements. This allows for a random, cloud-like placement of elements in space.

  

Free Game Rendering Webinar - Poly counts Don't Count!

Next Generation Materials and Advances in Game Rendering Technology

In this advanced webinar, theories are challenged and questions are asked. Simon Fenton, Ex Sony Veteran, will start by asking “What is a material?”. He'll take look at the physics behind CG materials from an artist's point of view and will question whether having an understanding of this changes the way you create.

Simon will then review the technology behind making next generation materials, in both Maya and the Unreal Development Kit (UDK). He'll also show you the best possible way of showing off your work.

Finally, Simon takes a glimpse at the future of Gaming Technology and will discuss the advances in real-time rendering. He'll finish with a Q & A session, during which you will get an opportunity to ask him any questions you have.

Webinar Details

Date of the webinar 30th September 2010
Format of the webinar

• 5.20pm - 5.40pm GMT: Material Considerations and Next Generation Technology
• 5.40pm - 5.50pm GMT: The Future is now: Advances in Real-time Rendering
• 5.50pm - 6.00pm GMT: Live Q & A: Whatever your question, seize the opportunity to chat with an industry professional.

Please note that there is no limit to the number of people who can attend this webinar. We will email you a couple of days before the webinar with instructions of how to access it. If you do not receive this, please let us know.

Free RenderMan Tips and Tricks Webinar – With Lee Danskin

Free RenderMan Tips and Tricks Webinar – With Lee Danskin

If you’re an aspiring VFX Professional and want to know the secrets that will help you perfect the RenderMan toolset, this is the perfect webinar for you. Expert Lee Danskin will take you through the industry standard tips and tricks used by the professionals.

Since the beginning of the CGI industry, Pixar's RenderMan has been there. It’s helped render VFX for classic films such as Toy Story 3, Avatar, Lord of the Rings – knowing how to use the software is a vital part of being a 3D Artist.

Date of the webinar  9th September 2010

Format of the webinar

• 5.20pm - 5.45pm GMT: RenderMan tips and tricks session
• 5.45pm - 6.00pm GMT: Live Q & A: Whatever your question, seize the opportunity to chat with an industry professional.

Please note that there is no limit to the number of people who can attend this webinar, so once you’ve registered you will have secured your place. You will not receive email confirmation of this. A week before the webinar we will email you with instructions of how to access the webinar. If you do not receive this, please let us know.

SketchUp 8 Released

Check out the new version of SketchUp and it is still free.  It has a lot of cool new features, but particularly the inport /export settings.    The DWG and DXF import and export features now support 2010 versions of AutoDesk software. - Cornell

What's changed in this release of SketchUp 8

Google SketchUp 8 contains the following enhancements and new features:

Add Location dialog box
A new Add Location dialog box makes it easier to find and capture location information from anywhere in the world (Google Earth is no longer required) - and in color!

Image Igloo tool
A new Image Igloo tool allows you to view thumbnail images, in the form of an igloo, used to model a structure. Select an image to enter the photo matching sketch mode.

Foreground and background photo
The Modeling Settings panel of the Styles browser now contains foreground and background photo settings for Match Photo modeling.

Outer Shell tool
A new Outer Shell tool allows you to create a shell of outer faces from a group of overlapping groups or components. This feature is particularly useful for removing internal geometry from 3D buildings.

Scenes Manager improvements
The Scenes manager has been improved to show scene thumbnails and allow multi-scene editing of scene properties.

Sketch axes
The axes can now (optionally) be aligned with component axes while editing a component.

Push/Pull tool pre-pick mode
The Push/Pull tool now includes a pre-pick operation mode.

Geo-Location interface changes
The Model Info dialog box contains a new Geo Location panel containing location information for the current model. An additional Geo-location menu item on the File menu organizes all the Geo-location tasks.

DWG/DXF import/export
The DWG and DXF import and export features now support 2010 versions of AutoDesk software.

Back edges
A new Back Edges checkbox allows you to display hidden back edges as dashed lines.

Launch Building Maker from SketchUp
Geo-Modeling got a whole lot easier! The Google toolbar (Microsoft Windows) and tool palette (Mac OS X) contains a button to launch Building Maker from SketchUp. Building Maker appears in a web dialog box directly within SketchUp. You can also export Building Maker models from this dialog directly into SketchUp.

Calculate volume
The Entity Info dialog box displays volume for any solid in your model.

Download Google SketchUp