Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Toon from: http://blogs.indystar.com/varvelblog/

Malibu in November

When my parents were visiting a week ago, we took the PCH up to Malibu and spent the day just relaxing. You gotta love going to the beach in november. Besides a few brave surfers, some pelicans and sea urchins, we got to see the fallout from the wildfires. It's amazing how much was on fire, and even more so, how many houses were completely untouched in spite of the charred landscape surrounding them. In a tragedy like that, it's good to look on the bright side and count the lives saved instead of the property lost. Malibu is a really nice place though, and if you remind me, we can go there when you come visit!

Rigging Tutorial!

First off, a big thanks to everyone who has posted in my comments section. I really appreciate you stopping by to say hello, especially since my posts are so few and far between. It's fun to hear from some of my favorite people. I especially liked Debra's comment about Jeremy's Vespa, which makes me feel better because people at work are often giving me flack about wanting one.

Now to business, I've just posted a rigging tutorial about a feature I've called "smart blinks". We've implemented this setup at work and it's pretty handy. Though the eyes rarely get much attention, I think something like this is a small, but important feature for speeding up the animation process. I thought I'd share it since I had fun figuring out how to make this kind of thing work. I hope you'll enjoy it too. You can find it at the rigs and scripts section of my website. Expect to see it as a part of the new JTDriggingTools and Andy 2.0 if I ever get those done :-)

In other news, I finally cut my hair. I've had long hair with a part ever since middle school, so I thought it was time for a change. I'll see how the short hair/no part thing goes over. So far its gotten good reviews. Now if I can just get myself to the barber shop more often I can keep it that way!

Also, I picked up the Chip & Dale Rescue Rangers DVDs last week and have been enjoying re-living some fond childhood memories. When I was a kid I was crazy about this show. I've always had a fondness for rodents, adventures and inventing things, so needless to say it was the ultimate afternoon cartoon. Also, I have to admit that I had a crush on Gadget the mouse and I wanted to see if it still held up. Well, it's true, Gadget is still one great lady mouse. Now if I can just figure out why she's the only girl in a house of four other guys (Monteray Jack, Chip, Dale and Zipper)...

Lastly, a big endorsement for the people at Valve Software and the recently released: Orange Box. I picked this up the hour it came out on Steam and have been enjoying it ever since. I had forgotten how great the Half Life games were and can't recommend them enough. Halo who? And yes, ep 2. is the best episode yet! Portal (which also comes with the Orange Box) is truly an innovation in gameplay and really messes with your head when you play it. I can't wait to see how they integrate this mechanic into Half Life 2 ep. 3. Good work Valve!

wip's

I've got a number of works in progress that should be seeing the light of day in the not too distant future. First off, I've already started the rewrite of the JTDriggingTools. When I started this project over a year ago it was half utilitarian and half learning experience. Now that I've got a better handle on things, I felt like a complete overhaul was in order. Last night I got pretty close to finishing off the new arm rig. This time around there's less restrictions on how you rig things - for example you no longer have to specify if it's for the left or the right side because it works with any position or orientations in the world space. Also I'm doing a proper implementation of rig primitives so it's now possible to make as many arms or legs or spines as you want and easily hook them all together. It's also possible to unrig things with the press of a button. Besides cleaning up the code and making it smarter I'm also throwing in new features all the time. For example the arms and legs now have smooth stretch (so the IK handles dont "pop" when they hyper extend) and I significantly improved the auto-bending feature to get bendy elbows/knees for free. Also, I'm finally taking into account rotation orders which are untouched in the previous versions. It's already a huge improvement over the old code and quite a lot of fun to see it working the way I had envisioned it from the start. By the time it's done, you'll wonder where all the errors went!

Also in the pipeline is a rewrite of the andy rig. Once the rigging tools are done Andy will get a complete overhaul to use the new rig. I'm planning on remodeling it to better accomidate clothes and body blendshapes and making an all new facial setup. Some friends let me look over their shoulder at the animation mentor rig and it gave me a few ideas, so expect bishop to positively influence Andy 2.0.

Now if only I was getting paid for all this I could have some extra Vespa money :-)

a pipe dream

I've started saving for a Vespa. A 1964-65 Vespa 180 or Rally is the sweet spot but I'm mainly aiming for any vintage vespa with a unified seat (some have the split seat), the square headlight (instead of the round one) and a glove box (so I can stick a lowjack in there). I figure that LA is perfect motorcycle country and if I leave here without taking advantage of the fact that it never rains I'm going to regret it. It's even legal to drive between lanes so the horrible traffic doesnt affect motorcyclists! I've found a shop in northern CA that restores and modernizes vespas from this era, but I cant decide if I want an authentic restoration with all original parts, or a modernized version that wont break down.

http://www.classicalwheels.com/codenew/product.asp

These things go for $3-4000, so it's a ways off, but I'll be hunting one down as soon as I pay off my credit cards. They're awesome!

Observations from California

Who knew I'd ever end up living is good-old southern California. It's truly a different culture here. California is the place where people feel guilty about all the wrong things. By and large the people here love to kick time-tested morality to the curb, instead choosing to fight for the most fashionable cause of the day - even if it doesnt make sense. Take catastrophic man-made global warming for example. Over in Santa Barbara they want to paint a $12000 blue line to represent the area that will be under water when the sea level rises due to the consequences of global warming. As if there was nothing better to do. Likewise you've never seen so many people proudly drive "eco-friendly" prius's as you do in this state. For all the non-sensible chatter we hear about mankind [i.e. america] causing global warming, I'm relieved to see that the tide is finally turning.

Read this story:
http://www.dailytech.com/Blogger+finds+Y2K+bug+in+NASA+Climate+Data/article8383.htm

Though I'm sure it didnt make any headlines like the alarmist stories always do, NASA quietly corrected their mistake that led many greenies to believe 1998 was the hottest year ever recorded and thus fuel the fire that things are only getting worse as the economy expands. The corrected data now shows 1938 as the hottest year on record - confirming what we should all know by now- the earth warms and cools on its own and we dont have thousands of years of accurate temperature information to know if there is any sort of abnormal warming (or cooling) trend. Thankfully, more and more people are starting to realize that there's little more than environmentalist propaganda [*cough* al gore *cough*] to support the notion that your car exhaust is causing hurricanes, killing polar bears, and raising the ocean . Add this story to the mounting evidence debunking the myth of man-made catastrophic global warming and we may just start solving the real problems in this state. *sigh* I wish I could believe that.

pics of the place!

my new sofa couch! Thanks Ikea.

Check out the bathroom. What more do you need?

This is my house. I live behind the big window on the first floor. My car's parked in the back.

This is wilton street looking toward the Hollywood Hills. The Hollywood sign is just to the left.

My bed is behind the divider. There's the big window you can see from the front of the house. Notice the other windows behind my computer - it's a curved wall (like a turret).

This is my tiny kitchen. There's no counter space! Notice the doors on top where I store my stuff.

My fridge is very centrally located.

This is one of the beaches in Santa Monica at night.

I'm not updating much, but I figured I at least owed you some pics of my place. It's a small place, and it really does cost a fortune for what it is - but that's California for you. I really like the studio setup, and it's less than a mile away from work, so I walk there most days. It's probably too small for two people since there's no bedrooms, but perfect for just me. Plus it's all yellow and the utilities are included! I'll try to put some pics of my work too. Thanks for checking in.

It's been a while...

Wow, it's been a while and so much has happened. Unforuntately I dont have internet access yet so I'm doing this on company time (oops) and I can't write much right now. Here's a few highlights:

-Played some Guitar Hero

-Graduated with my MFA in Savannah!

-Travelled across the country - Georgia to California!

-Tire flew off my car in Louisiana

-Saw Mark in Texas!

-Working at Extra Large Technology (XLT) - it's great!

-Saw Bryan at Jim Henson - and got the tour

-Found a place to live in Hollywood CA

-Ate some good Sushi

Here's a few pictures until I can write some more:

It's that time again...

I think I'm going to have to rename this blog. Now that school's over, there's not a whole lot to write about. For now, I'm back home again in Indiana so I can attend my old roommate's wedding on the 19th. I left my car and stuff in Atlanta because I got plane tickets for $39 each way - it was such a deal because I can't even drive home for that little. At the end of the month I'll return to Savannah to turn everything in and get my signatures. However many people have asked me what I'm going to do next...

The big news is that I have secured my first official job! About two weeks ago, one of my professors told me about an opportunity at XLT (extra large technology). Apparently, they tried to hire her first, but when she decided to stick around SCAD, she pointed them in my direction. One of her former students (David Bokser - creator of "The Old Man and the Fish") has been there for a number of years and offered me a position as a Character TD and Animator. XLT is a small company that is most notable for its direct to DVD animated films, but what really sold me is that it seems to be a really good fit for what I do. I wasn't getting any love from the bigger studios (Pixar finally got back to me with the bad news - surprise, surprise) and I hadnt heard anything from the promising companies we met with at the job fair (LucasFilms, Framestore, Charlex, etc.) so I started looking at video games. I have nothing against video game work, but my best skills and interests are in animated film, so I wasnt all that excited about doing global tool development or pipeline work for interactive stuff. The cool thing about XLT is that they still make films, and since they're small I can wear a lot of hats and do the things I like to do. I'm not so worried that I'll show up at their door and not have a clue either, which is a really good feeling.

The catch is that this job is contract work, so I'm only hired until January - and I'm paid by the week instead of a salary with benefits. Don't get me wrong, the pay is very good for a first job, even in California where everything is more expensive (9.3% in state income taxes!? are they insane?). That's right, I'm moving to Hollywood. The day after Graduation I'm driving my little Volkswagen convertible across the entire United States (Savannah and Hollywood are two extremes). It'll be quite the adventure. I still dont have a place to live, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. I start work on June 8th and if I make it past January, they're likely to hire me on for longer. However, I'd also have the chance to go somewhere else, since there's so much work out in LA. I just hope it doesnt fall into the ocean when I'm there.

So that's the news. I'm working for my dad while I'm home and finishing up writing my thesis paper. I'll see some of you back in Savannah for Graduation on the 2nd!

I've also been prepping a new Andy release:

Scrap Metal and Such

Now that the wedding is over, it's possible that you've been wondering what I've been up to. Well, Sean and I have gone into the scrap metal business. We're pulling old cars out of the woods and selling them to the local recycling center. How redneck is that? The upshot is that we get $0.07 a pound for scrap and we've made two runs at around 5000 pounds a piece. The first trip we made $333 and the second trip we made $369. It's fun work and a good way to pass the time between writing my paper and playing guitar hero. Yes, we spent the first $280 on a PS2, Guitar Hero II (with guitar) and a second wireless guitar. The rest of my cut will go toward the clutch in my car.


I also spent some time writing a speech in preparation for an interview to decide who would be awarded excelsus laureate at graduation in June. I made it past the first round interview, but it seems I lost in the second round. The good news is that now I dont have to speak in front of the entire school and since I had to go to SCAD Atlanta for the interview, I got a chance to see that campus. It's a really nice place, and I really liked it there. It even has lockers and windows (take that Montgomery Hall!). If you're reading this and you had any involvement with getting me nominated for this award, I want to thank you for the honor, I'm very grateful.

I'm working on another update to the Andy rig. This one will add some nice texture enhancements. I just added a nice skin shader, and now Andy renders out really purdy. Maybe I'll even have time for a new hair style.

Stay tuned.

Now that school's over...

Well, school ended without much fuss and I've now made my way to Atlanta. I'm spending my time helping my cousins prepare for the wedding (Whitney is getting married), trying to write my thesis paper and desperately trying to find a way to afford Guitar Hero II. The current scheme is to trade the engagement ring Sean bought a few years ago (the engagement didnt work out) for an Xbox 360, for which Guitar Hero was just released. I'm not sure how that one will work out. When the wedding is over I hope to be able to drive my paper back to Savannah for the required signatures - but before then I have to replace the clutch in my car (think big $$ that I dont have). There's no news on the job front, though I did get to meet some great people at the job fair last week. I sure hope I can find something soon because I havent had an income in over a year and you can only live on credit cards and student loans for so long. :-)

Some small insight

Just a little insight from good ol' Hammish McKenzie regarding scripting:

"...of course, more often than not, advanced tools generally enable people to work faster and find other problems based on the new tools. which of course means my work is never done. and thank goodness, or I’d be out of a job…"

As with the real world, If you're careful to always keep learning, automation won't put you out of a job. Instead, it will let you move on to bigger and better problems, which is very good because I hate doing the same thing all the time. "Forever a student," as they say.

Some great news...

First of all...the andy rig is posted (check my website)! There's bound to be some bugs in this release, but I won't know unless you download it and try it out for me! I think I managed to accomplish everything that I wanted to put into version 1.0. Sometime I'd like to put in the palm lifter (thank you Jason Schliefer) but I dont want to add anything that you can't get out of the JTDriggingTools, since the andy rig is supposed to be a demonstration of what's possible using that tool. However, when I figure out how to integrate it with everything that's there already, Andy will be updated accordingly. Also, I want to encourage everyone to modify the textures, create new hairstyles or even add some blendshapes. If you want them to be included in the next release (and I like them, of course) I'd be more than happy to give you the credit.

Also, I have a phone interview with Pixar on Monday! This is a huge deal for me, so I hope that I dont screw it up. I know that the reason for the interview is to see if I would be a good fit for them and if they would be a good fit for me, so I'll try not to get my hopes up just yet. It's for a chance at the Technical Director Internship in the Fall, which would be perfect timing as well.

That just goes to show you that especially in the hard times, you never know where encouragement will come from.

Currently listening to: Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible, The Submarines - Decare a New State

it is finished!

That's right, you heard it here first, Inside The Box is finished - and just in time for the siggraph deadline. It took some serious work, but it all paid off. Great work to all those involved, it's been a privilege to work together. Here's hoping the festivals like it as much as I do!

Generic Character rig and ITB screenshot

I know that I've been talking about this mystery rig that I'm building, but I decided to finally post a picture. Everything is still in flux, and probably will be for a while but I like where it's headed. Also, here's the latest composite for the opening shot of Inside The Box. It's beautiful!

almost a month has gone by...

I know, I know, it's been a while - almost a month, in fact. Needless to say, I'm pretty exhausted and the ole' blog isn't a very high priority. School and the job hunt has been keeping me busy - I'm just real tired. The good news is that Inside The Box is almost finished! We're compositing now, and it's looking sweet! I'm very proud of the four of us who have remained faithful to this project. We hope to finish it in time for the SIGGRAPH deadline.

In other news, the generic character (now called: Andy) is modeled and rigged and in the texturing phase. The very talented Ying-Chi (Rae) Chen has agreed to help texture it, so I'm very excited about that. She's the best we have here at SCAD, so her help all but guarantees that this project will be a success.

I've also just finished my finger rig module! I'm happy with how it turned out. Look for that to be added to the rig section of my website after a bit more testing.

To make amends for the lack of posting, here's a WIP documentary on my short film: "Inside The Box." All the credit goes to my right hand man, Nitesh Patel. I'm the worst part about this video, so if you can ignore me, this is a lot of fun to watch. Now it's your chance to meet the many talented people who slaved away on the project:

http://studentpages.scad.edu/~jdoubl20/files/ITB_Docdocumentary(compressed)_512k.wmv
(download is aprox. 50MB)

Just an update

I know it has been a while, but that's how it goes during my last quarter. If I dont manage to post here, be sure to check out my Visual Effects web page over at http://www.sfdm.scad.edu/faculty/mkesson/vsfx705/wip/winter07/john_doublestein/john_doublestein.html
it'll be updated with my work for that class.

I havent been doing too much outside of school (what else is new?) but I'm pretty spead out on a lot of things. In addition to my course work, I'm trying to write my Thesis paper and perfect my rigging scripts. I've been working with many different students to test out my stuff and help them with their characters. Also, I've been learning more about MotionBuilder and setting up a pipeline to go from maya to MB and back to maya. The good news is that since my rig simply attaches itself to a normal hierarchy, it's easy to detach it and send the joints out to MB (sans the rig). I've also managed to strip the rig out of the maya file except for the fingers so that it's easy to merge the MB animation onto the skeleton back in maya and then animate the fingers with familiar controls. Animating in motionBuilder is quite nice, but it doesnt really have great finger support and you'd still want to do facial animtion in maya.

We're also finally in the compositing stage with Inside the Box. Yesterday I helped discover what has been wrong with our shadow passes, I'm really quite surprised that we didnt catch it sooner. Basically Maya only puts cast shadows into the shadow pass. That means that the surface shadows are only in the beauty pass. Unfortunately, we never rendered a beauty pass (only a diffuse pass) because we wanted control over the shadows, so we really only ended up with cast shadows coming through to the final render. The solution is to apply a white shader to the entire scene and turn off shadow casting in the lights. This gives us a frame that only has surface shadows that we can multiply over the diffuse pass (just like you would with an ambient occlusion shader) and combine with the shadow pass we already have. Now we have a complete shadow pass, and since we dont need to re-render the cast shadows we can turn off ray tracing and render it out through maya software. Instead of 12 minute render times for an entire shadow pass, it now takes less than a minute to repair what we already have!

On the job front, I think I've finally decided on some places to apply. I'll follow up on the PIXAR thing and see if that can happen this time, but if it doesnt, it seems that Blue Sky has a posting for my dream job on their website. I would be a happy man if I could work on the animated adaptation of Dr. Suess's Horton Hears a Who. I'll keep you posted.

Oh, and I got a new hermit crab to keep the other one company.

Hermit crabs etc...

Hey all, many of you know that I have two new pets. Unfortunately I lost one of them. I'm sad for my little hermit crab, he wasnt with me long. The other one seems okay though, here's a picture of us at the beach!


In other news, I'm working on a generic character rig. The school's been using other rigs off the internet, but it's high time we had our own customized for our purposes. Also, since there's plenty of cartoony rigs out there, we wanted something a little more normal. That means that it's not all that interesting, but it'll work for all kinds of situations (and genders), especially when a guy with a huge jaw or wearing tighty-whitey's is not all that appropriate to the scene. Here's the concept - thanks to Craig Scheuermann.

A quick render

We're busy rendering away, here's a quick composite that I put together. Chris Henderson will be making up the final shake template and we'll mess with Depth of Field later, but I just had to see what things were looking like all put together. Enjoy the HD720 render. Pretty Sweet!

The end is near

Hey all, my last quarter has begun and it looks to be as busy as ever. I'm taking two electives and Thesis, in addition to trying to finish Inside the Box, and find a job. So far I'm very excited about my intro to programming for visual effects class. I know nothing about Renderman or TCL, so hopefully I'll pick up enough to be a good foundation if I ever want to learn more in the future. However, I've heard that Pixar is going to be replacing Renderman and TCL soon, so I may be a bit late to the party. I'm way ahead on the MEL portion of that class, but my Professor is helping me find new ways to be challenged. My naturalistic 3D character animation class should be alright as well. We're doing some motion capture, so I hope to get a handle on our Vicon system and the IQ software. I also hope to pick up the ole' animation skills and dust them off a bit. Thesis is ongoing, but I've made some significant progress in the past day or two. With any luck, I'll have an updated website soon that'll have JTDriggingTools available for download.

In other news, I have some new pets! Ashley gave me two hermit crabs for Christmas! They live in a little habitat next to my computer. I also have a Chia Garfield to take care of, so I have my hands full. Until next time...