AniMotion NM - The Maya - Mudbox Production Cycle

Another don't miss event is coming up in May from the good folks at AniMotion NM:

AniMotion NM - The Maya - Mudbox Production Cycle

Date and Time:
May 12, 2009 from 7:00pm - 8:30pm

Cost: FREE

Address:
ARTS Lab
131 Pine St. NE
Albuquerque, NM 87131

Description:
Join us for a very special evening with Senior Solution Engineer from Autodesk, Marcel de Jong.

Learn how Maya2009 and Mudbox2009 are used together to create extremely detailed characters while maintaining optimum performance. Marcel will start by preparing a simple character in Maya so we can sculpt and finish a highly detailed version in Mudbox. Once the sculpting has been completed in Mudbox all the modeled information will be extracted in the form of image maps to be used in Maya where you would typically animate your character.

Speaker:
Marcel de Jong is a Senior Solution Engineer at Autodesk and a Digital FX Consultant. Marcel is the co-founder of Gnomon School of Visual Effects a which specializes in training for careers in high-end computer graphics for the entertainment industry.

Marcel has worked with a wide range of clients including DreamQuest Images, DreamWorks, Digital Domain, Warner Digital, Walt Disney Feature Animation, Pixar, and Sony Imageworks. His credits include numerous feature films including Inspector Gadget, Sphere, Armageddon, Batman Returns.

Marcel has been published in Popular Mechanics, ID magazine, MayaSavvy 4.5, CGW magazine, and Innovation. He was the 1999 winner of the IDSA Design Excellence Award. Marcel has a BS from the University of Texas and Art Center College of Design.

More info at: AniMotion NM - The Maya - Mudbox Production Cycle

Chris & Trish Meyer @ Next AniMotion NM -- @ ARTS Lab!

Cover via Amazon

The people with AniMotion NM are really making great strides in building New Mexico's Animation/Motion Graphics/VFX community -- and we're very glad to host their events here at ARTS Lab. We're especially glad of their efforts to recruit rockstars like Chris and Trish Meyer to move to New Mexico!

AniMotionNM is hosting an evening with After Effects experts/authors Trish and Chris Meyer, Tuesday, February 10 from 7:00-8:30 PM at UNM ARTS Lab.

What's new in After Effects CS4

Join the foremost After Effects experts Trish and Chris Meyer as they show some of the new features in After Effects CS4 that are of particular interest to motion graphics artists. Learn about new effects. Explore the ins and outs of the new integration with Photoshop Extended, Flash Professional and Device Central. Take a look at some of the changes in the user interface – which are sure to make life easier. And, find out answers to some of the gotchas such as the new pixel aspect ratios introduced in CS4.

Book Signing
Chris and Trish will be on hand after this event to sign copies of the latest edition of their book, After Effects Apprentice {2nd Edition}.

This event will be broadcast live via Adobe Connect for our communities throughout the state. For information on how to access the broadcast, read the full article on our website.

The event takes place at the ARTSLab Map

The cost is FREE for all AniMotionNM Members. It's free to become a member.

To attend:

- join AniMotionNM --- click the 'JOIN' button on the right.

- reserve a ticket --- click the 'REGISTER' button

It's a great opportunity, so spread the word to colleagues and students who may be interested.

For those who live outside of ABQ, we will be broadcasting this presentation via Adobe Connect. At the time of the event:

- go to <http://experts.na3.acrobat.com/animotion0209/>

- select 'enter as guest'

- sign in using your first and last name

You must be a member to enter, so be sure and join AniMotionNM first (IT'S FREE).

Thanks! We hope to see you in person or online next Tuesday!

Please pass it on…!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Trish and Chris Meyer's books: excellence and excerpts (take 2) (blogs.adobe.com)

This Week: Animators, Game Developers & Tech Legislation

Lots of good things going on this week that we'd like you to know about.

AniMotion NM Holiday Meet-up (12/9)
IGDA Holiday Fundraiser (12/11)
NMITSA Tech Legislation Preview (12/12)

Animotion NM
Animotion NM is teaming up with the Art Center Design College Animation club for
a holiday potluck celebration with film, food and friends: entries from 2008 motionawards and motionfest will be shown and they're also planning a holiday exchange, so please bring books, software and/or hardware that's collecting dust to swap with others and the items they've brought

WHEN: Tuesday, December 9th from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in the
WHERE: The Art Center Design College Auditorium ( Map ).
For more info, contact the Art Center Design College's Animation Club President, Jake Anthony Mirabal, at jayxter@gmail.com


IGDA Child's Play Charity Game Night

The Rio Grande International Game Developers Association chapter is glad to announce our 2nd annual holiday fundraiser for Child's Play (http://www.childsplaycharity.org/).

Since 2003, over 100,000 gamers worldwide have banded together through Child's Play, a community based charity grown and nurtured from the game culture and industry. Over two million dollars in donations of toys, games, books and cash for sick kids in children's hospitals across North America and the world have been collected since our inception.

Participants will have a chance to play different games of skill and chance to become tournament champion. All proceeds go to Child's Play.

WHEN: Thursday, December 11th, 6-9PM
WHERE: O'Niells Pub, 4310 Central SE Albuquerque
COST: $10 Donation
Info: More info at: http://groups.google.com/group/riogrande-igda?hl=en

Can't make it? You can also donate at http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/registry.html/?_&id=21EIN5ZGOFY3U

NMITSA Tech Legislation Preview
For our December luncheon, NMITSA heads north to hear what we can expect from the 2009 session of the New Mexico State Legislature. State Science and Technology Adviser Tom Bowles will provide an overview on state priorities and expected legislation. Also on the program, former ACI director (and current NMITSA board member) Sayuri Yamada will discuss how to work with the legislature and Santa Fe Complex Executive Director Don Begley will explain ways to become more engaged with the legislative actions affecting our businesses and our lives.

WHEN: Friday, December 12th 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM (Presentation begins at noon)
WHERE: Santa Fe Complex, 624 Agua Fria, Santa Fe.
Click here for directions
COST: $25 to NMITSA & Affiliate Members; $40 to other guests.
Please RSVP to Eric Renz-Whitmore (mailto:ewhitmore@gmail.com)
Or sign up and pay online here.

Following the luncheon session, we're also planning discussions of potential activities for a northern chapter of NMITSA -- and on digital media use of NMCAC, New Mexico's Supercomputer.

We hope you can join us!

Camera Mapping at Next AniMotion NM

AniMotion NM meeting November 11th at 7pm at the ARTS lab located at 131 Pine St. (northwest corner of University and Central)

UNM Instructor Brad Swardson will be presenting a lecture on camera mapping at the 11/11 AniMotion NM meeting. Brad holds a bachelor's degree in art studio with a concentration in electronic arts from UNM and is completing his master's degree in broadcast design and motion graphics through the Savannah College of Art and Design. He works as a Maya generalist for Boeing and teaches 3d animation and visual effects at UNM.

Description:

In a small production group the number of artists and time allowed for production may be limited, but the expectations of the customer are not. As such, we must develop techniques and work flows that allow us to create the best visuals in the least amount of time. This must be done while keeping the final product competitive with groups that are much larger and have more resources.

One of the many time saving techniques available to artists is called "Camera Mapping." This technique is widely used in film and television, in conjunction with digital matte painting, to bring non-existent environments to life without having to generate the entire environment in 3D. This presentation will include examples and walkthroughs of this technique being used in Maya and After Effects for use in both environmental creation and live set extensions.

Where: ARTS Lab Garage - 131 Pine Street NE, Albuquerque
(just north of Central and one block west of University)
When: 7:00 PM Tuesday, 11 November
Cost: FREE
Web: http://artslab.unm.edu/where.html

The Excitement: an Event Update

Hi everyone...

Been a little while, but after this Tuesday's excitement (Please VOTE, if you haven't already), there are a few things we're involved with that we'd like to share some information on...

Thursday, November 6th
ARTS Lab Experimental Music Series

ARTS Lab presents the first in a series of experimental music concerts featuring composer-performers who work inside (and outside) the musical fields of Electroacoustic, Acousmatic, Noise, and Free improvisation.

The first evening features a collaborative performance by Raven Chacon and William Fowler Collins and a set by Luperci. Doors are at 7:00 PM, with the first performance starting by 7:30 PM.

Where: ARTS Lab Garage - 131 Pine Street NE, Albuquerque, NM 87106, just north of Central and one block west of University
When: 7:00 PM
Cost: $5-10 sliding scale
Web: http://artslabmusic.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, November 11th
AniMotion NM

ARTS Lab hosts this monthly meeting of the local animation and visual effects community, with guest speaker Brad Swardson. More info to come...

Where: ARTS Lab Garage - 131 Pine Street NE, Albuquerque, NM 87106, just north of Central and one block west of University
When: 8:00 PM
Cost: always FREE
Web: http://www.nmaug.com/

Tuesday, November 11th
Rio Grande IGDA: An Evening with Novint Technologies
This month the Rio Grande IGDA proudly presents an evening featuring Novint Technologies, creators of the critically-acclaimed Novint Falcon.

Born out of haptics (3D touch) research conducted at Sandia National Laboratories, Novint Technologies has made it possible to simulate realistic sensations of touch through a low-cost consumer device. Recently, Novint Technologies has been a buzz in the game development world, with major publishers such as Electronic Arts and Valve signing up to have the Falcon integrated into their respective titles. Along with these titles, Novint has self-published several games featuring the Falcon, and just released the Pistol Grip addition to the Falcon, giving a new experience to the first person shooter genre. Representatives will be on hand discussing the latest developments at Novint and have plenty of Falcons on hand for attendees to try.

From the company website:

"Novint Technologies, Inc. (NVNT) is the pioneer of 3D touch for consumer computing. Novint is developing a new category of products that add high-fidelity interactive three-dimensional touch to computing, beginning with our introduction of the award-winning Novint Falcon. The Novint Falcon is a first-of-a-kind game controller that lets you experience realistic 3D touch and force feedback when playing touch-enabled games."

What: Rio Grande IGDA Meeting: An Evening with Novint Technologies
When: November 11, 2008. 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm (meeting starts promptly at
7:00).
Where: Arts Center Design College (5000 Marble Ave NE)
Cost: Free!
Web: http://groups.google.com/group/riogrande-igda?hl=en


Thursday, November 13th
NMITSA Tech Lunch: IT Projects as a Catalyst for Change

For our November luncheon, NMITSA is pleased to welcome Dr. Chelle Stringer in a preview of her talk to the Ninth International Conference on Knowledge, Culture and Change in Organisations:

IT Projects as a Catalyst for Organizational Changes: The Other Side of IT Projects

There is a synergistic relationship between information technology projects and organizational change. Organizations decide to implement new technology in order to achieve something they are not currently achieving or to continue performing in a changing environment. The technology implementation usually initiates and often requires changes to policies and procedures, job duties and responsibilities, communication channels, and use of terminology. Additionally, the technology design should address the organizational need which prompted the technology project in the first place.

This presentation will outline five hurdles that IT projects face and strategies for overcoming each hurdle. These strategies have been proven in both private and public sector organizations.

WHEN: Thursday, November 13th 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM (Presentation begins at noon)

WHERE: Technology Integration Group (TIG) 2731 Broadway St NE Suite F

COST: $25 for members of NMITSA Organizations (1 free each); $40 for other guests

WEB: http://www.nmitsa.org

Also coming up with NMITSA (full disclosure, I'm a board member), we're pleased to kick off both our Santa Fe meeting series and relationship with the Santa Fe Complex with our December event:

Friday, December 12th
NMITSA Launches Santa Fe event series with Tech Legislation Preview

As part of NMITSA's efforts to better serve our Northern New Mexico members, we're launching a quarterly luncheon in Santa Fe at the Santa Fe Complex Friday December 12th with our annual Tech Legislation Preview.

From the NM Supercomputer to broadband access and other technology initiatives, the 2009 NM legislative session will shape our tech business landscape for years to come. Featuring State Science and Technology Advisor Tom Bowles, Economic Development Department Director for Science and Technology Stephan Helgeson, and others in technology development, this special NMITSA membership luncheon will provide attendees with a rundown of legislation to watch and the players involved.

WHEN: Friday, December 12th 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM (Presentation begins at noon)

WHERE: Santa Fe Complex, 624 Agua Fria, Santa Fe

COST: $25 for members of NMITSA Organizations (1 free each); $40 for other guests

WEB: http://www.nmitsa.org


And... in January, the NM Media Industries Conference returns on Saturday, January 17th as "MIX" at UNM's Student Union Building. Please save the date.

Sound & Animation, tonight @ ARTS Lab

Tonight we're especially please to welcome our friend Michael Shorr to the ARTS Lab for this month's AniMotion NM talk. Hope to see you there!

Sound Design

Where: ARTS Lab
When: Sep 9, 2008 07:00 PM –08:30 PM

Great film makers like Spielberg and Lucas say that at least half the impact of their films comes from the sound and music. Many in Hollywood point out that music is so important because it tells (or tries to tell) the audience how they are supposed to feel about what's happening on screen.

Join sound designer Michael Shorr as he discusses sound design for animation and motion graphics. Explore the process of collaboration between the animator and the composer to get the music that serves your vision and enhance the emotional content. Discover other functions music plays in moving images.

Michael Shorr is the founder and Creative Director of Chocolate Strawberry Studios , a company which creates innovative music for new paradigm marketing. Michael's music has been used in feature films, commercials, documentaries, advertising jingles, web media and multimedia. He is Adjunct Professor of Music at UNM Taos, appears weekly on the nationally-syndicated radio program Art of the Song and is a Summa Cum Laude degree from Berklee College of Music..

See you on there!

ARTS Lab
131 Pine St NE
near central and university

AniMotion NM: Particles this Coming Tuesday

From Teri Farley at The Art Center Design College:

AniMotion NM: Particles in 3D Animation and Motion Graphics

Where: ARTS Lab
When: Aug 19, 2008 7:00 PM –8:30 PM

Join the Art Center's own 3D animator and Digital Prestidigitator, Aaron Barreras for an evening of everything particle emitters!

This session will start with the basics of particle emitters presenting a variety of examples. Then we will take a look at particle emitters for animation and motion graphics using Maya and After Effects – including forces, collisions, rendering, instancing, track mattes, and Particle Playground in After Effects. We will also touch on Particular - a third party plugin for After Effects. There will be Q&A at the end of the session.

Also, lots of news from Siggraph, too!

This session takes place, Tuesday, August 19, from 7:00pm-8:30pm at the ARTS Lab

See you on there!

ARTS Lab
131 Pine St NE (Google map)
near central and university

This Week in ABQ Area Media Events

Busy week coming up here in New Mexico, with lots of neat events in the Albuquerque area (visit the NM Media Events page for even more events).


Tuesday, July 8th

What: NM Incentives @ AniMotion NM July 8th
When: Wednesday, July 8th from 7:00 - 9:00 PM
Where: ARTS Lab Garage (131 Pine Street NE, Albuquerque, NM 87106 -- just north of Central and one block west of University)

AniMotion NM welcomes New Mexico Film Office Deputy Director Jennifer Schwalenberg and award-winning animator Chris Kientz to talk about producing animation in New Mexico, our production rebate program and other incentives, and how they apply to animation and VFX work.
How can animators make use of these incentives? Come to the next AniMotion NM meeting and find out.


Wednesday, July 9th

What: MEL Scripting a Character Rig July 9th @ ARTS Lab with Chris Maraffi
When: Wednesday, July 9th from 5 - 8pm
Where: ARTS Lab Garage (131 Pine Street NE, Albuquerque, NM 87106 -- just north of Central and one block west of University)

This workshop will demonstrate an overview of how to approach MEL scripting a biped character rig in Autodesk Maya to automate and streamline the character rigging process. It will show you the advantages and issues in creating a rig through code, and will give you a sneak peak of the content of Chris' new book on the same subject, due out early fall.

Thursday, July 10th

What: NM Marcom & Tech Mixer July 10th
Where: Albuquerque the Magazine Offices, 1550 Mercantile Ave. NE, Top Floor, Jefferson & I-25, Above REI
When: Thursday, July 10, 2008, 5:30 – 8:30 pm
How: $12 at door includes A FREE ATM magazine subscription, hors d’oeuvres, hosted bar and your chance to win some great door prizes. RSVP to sasacco@aol.com

This year's 4th Annual “NM MarCom Mixer” will bring together not only the Marketing and Communications industries, but also leaders and top professionals in technology and media as well. And while there's no *one* association covering all that's happening in film and media -- all are welcome!


Friday, July 11th through Sunday, July 13th

What: 48 Hour Film Project New Mexico

Teams are already signed/signing up, but you might still be able to get involved. Visit the 48 Hour Film Project site for more details.

NM Incentives @ AniMotion NM July 8th

NM Production Incentives @ AniMotion NM, July 8th

AniMotion NM welcomes New Mexico Film Office Deputy Director Jennifer Schwalenberg and award-winning animator Chris Kientz to talk about New Mexico's production rebate program and other incentives and how they apply to animation and VFX work.

A cornerstone of the success we've seen in encouraging film production, New Mexico's incentives have become a model envied by states across the country. But while a few states are experimenting with rebates even larger than ours, none has been able to match our straightforward approach and commitment to customer service.

How can animators make use of these incentives? Come to the next AniMotion NM meeting and find out.

When: Wednesday, July 8th from 7 - 9pm
Where: ARTS Lab Garage
(131 Pine Street NE, Albuquerque, NM 87106)
just north of Central and one block west of University

AniMotion NM -- Next Tuesday @ ARTS Lab

Traditional Cell Animation

Where: ARTS Lab
When: Jun 10, 2008 07:00 PM –08:30 PM

Join Disney animator Dan Haskett for an evening of traditional cell animation!

ANiMotion NM is proud to present master animator Dan Haskett.

Dan Haskett, is a veteran animator with three decades in the business. He designed the character Belle for Beauty and the Beast and Ariel for The Little Mermaid. He won an Emmy for his work on The Simpsons and has credits for Toy Story and The Prince of Egypt, as well as for commercials and cartoons for Sesame Street.

Dan has designed commercials for Ford, Kellogg’s, General Mills and Best Buy and created many consumer products and character style guides for Warner Bros., Disney and NBC Universal.

He has served as an art supervisor for Disney and Richard Williams and as a lecturer at New York University, DreamWorks Animation and Nickelodeon.

See you on there!

ARTS Lab
131 Pine St NE
near central and university