The Foundry announced it’s VFX collaboration tool called Hiero this past week. I assume that this is good news for smaller VFX shops who haven’t already written their own. If anyone has an idea of the pricing point, please let us know.
I’m now anxious to see how Eyeon reacts with it’s latest version of Generation. Look for more on this soon.
Hiero Press Release HERE.
A couple friends of mine launched a new site called 3DSpeedy.com. It’s soul purpose is to deliver bite size tips for 3d artists. So far, they are accepting tips for 3ds Max and C4D, but who knows how it will spread! Go there now and post your tips and maybe someone out there will benefit!
I must say there are a significant amount of updates to ALL the Autodesk 3d products. Quite a few are impressive. Maya 2012 has some cool new features and updates. I’d love to say that I could now use it in production, but i’ve become too dependant on the mod stack, pflow, and all my lovely plugins. XSI continues to intrigue me. It is still the most under-utilized and under-marketed 3d app. It’s the only app in Autodesk’s lineup that has a fairly new core and they are definitely using it. ICE has got me VERY interested. Of course then there is the Max update. I’ll hold off on talking about it until I actually use it in production but I must say I wish they were moving faster with XBR.
Shane has given us a sneak peak to what looks like a way to one button export pcached scenes into XSI, apply some ICE particles and get them back into Max as a point cloud. AWESOME! Will XSI be included with the purchase of Max? Doubtful, but one can hope 
I think I’m in love with XSI lately. I’ve seen AMAZING stuff with the Lagoa Physics Engine and now these amazing videos for emFlock and emFluids! As a 3ds Max user, this makes me very jealous. Now if they can only release VRay for XSI, I may take a serious look at it.
Another video Here.
I first met Mark Theriault (pronounced Terry-O) when he came to Optimus in Chicago as an intern. He mentioned that he came to Optimus after seeing our 3d work and assumed he’d be interning with a big, bustling cg team. Imagine his disappointment when he got there and found out that I alone WAS the 3d department. Still, eager as ever, Mark hung out in my office and soaked up all the knowledge he could (3ds Max).
Not too long after he started his internship at Optimus, I received an offer to build a cg department from scratch at Somersault. Mark, being the loyal intern came with me and became my first hire there. He was Somersault’s first and only TD. After some time with us, he decided to spread his wings and move to Canada of all places. I guess Chicago wasn’t cold enough for him. I thought Mark would make a great interview as he has worked in TVC and Film, has a background in design, and is a super nice guy. Enjoy. Read more
Great article in NYTimes.com by Patricia Cohen about how scientists at a Columbia lab helped Disney solve the difficult hair problem in Tangled. Read it here.
We are all saddened by the fact that Cafefx has closed it’s doors. What really makes it feel real is the fact that it is now being auctioned off by Joeseph Finn and Company. This post hits close to home for me, as I saw a studio worked at auctioned off by this same company. It’s very hard to watch your entire pipe-line get broken up and sold. It’s a bit of solemn closure for a studio that has done some amazing work over the years.
For any of you thinking of attending the auction, I’ve included a link below to the auction site. You will be able to bid online, but as I have been through this, your better off being there in person. A bit of advice for those thinking about buying computers, be prepared to overpay and be sure to attend the inspection. Auctions are designed to drive up prices.
See the auction listing here.
In 2005, Lucasfilm and Pixar came to an agreement to screw the VFX artist. They decided that when poaching eachothers artists, they would agree not to get into a bidding war. This would ensure that sought after artists would not be compensated accordingly for thier talent. SHACKLE ME NOT!
Lee Stranahan is at it again (thank god). Read this stunning article that sheds new light on the growing labor problem in the VFX industry.
Read it here.
Great Article by Bill Desowitz on some of the amazing liquid fx done for the new Gullivers Travels Movie . You may have remembered me mentioning via twitter a liquid program called Naiad. It was used by WETA for some of the shots in the film. Scanline also contributed some liquid fx. Not a big fan of movies like this, but I’ll def check it out on blu-ray when it comes out.
Read the article here.
