Working with multiple iterations of Maya open is a great way to save time, it allows you to copy and paste individual objects/nodes from scene to scene, just like many pro apps out there. No one has done it better than Apple with Logic Pro 9, making running multiple iterations unnecessary as they have added a fantastic method of importing whatever data you like without importing entire projects (although this is still possible with Logic) :

Selective Track-Import

If you want to have this same type of functionality with Maya on OS X, you can’t just fire open another instance of the app like you can on other platforms by just launching the app again, but luckily it is very easy to do. One method is popping open Terminal and telling Maya what to do:

open -n /Applications/Autodesk/maya2009/Maya.app

This is something you want to do quickly though, so a one click solution is a must, and that is the point of MayaMaya:

Download: MayaMaya (56KB .zip)

An app to pop in your dock, or Finder toolbar, or wherever is most convenient so you can easily open as many instances as your system can handle.

NOTE: The version available here is for Maya 2009 as it is the version I use, if you would like to use this for 8.5, 2008, 2010 it is a very simple process of opening the app with “Applescript Editor” which you should have in your “Applications” or “Utilities” directories, and changing 2009 to the appropriate version.

One annoyance you can run into is the “Pasted__” prefix that will be added to all pasted files. This can easily be taken care of using a simple .mel script that Alex Villabon does a great job outlining on his site Green Soda.

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact me or comment, and I will help you sort out any problems.

[andoru.LABS] | [Green Soda]

QuickTime Version 960×600 (95MB)

iPhone Version

An overview of some of the rigging/technical work I have done. Including:

-Maya Camera rigs
-character rigging
-layout/scene rigging
-camera projection
-dynamics

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments! A lot of this work will be appearing in fully rendered form in upcoming and current projects or on my next reel and some of these assets may soon be available on this site.

Rendered out at a very low sample rate (to avoid hilarious overnight renders) in RenderMan slapped together in Nuke:

Really just doing some tests for some IDs for a fake company, also have some new workflow tools coming up the pipe. . .

EDIT: Just had a Ahh Yes! moment with this one, you will definitely see something in the future involving this idea that should be quite interesting indeed!

Looking to get a little bit more friendly with that new Magic Mouse? Look no further.

I have been using BetterTouchTool since I got my hands on the Magic Mouse to be able to middle click in apps like Maya, Nuke, whatever. I actually asked the developer Andreas Hegenberg for very specific middle click functionality (being able to click with one finger in the center of the mouse and to have an adjustment for the exact parts of the mouse that would respond to it) and he came through 100% within 48hrs:

He has recently added many other types of gestures, and a favorite of mine, a single tap right on (or right above) the Apple logo. I have a few tools I have made to make my day to day workflow a little bit more efficient. fn & layout are simple workflow tools that promote laziness to its full extent and the Magic Mouse has managed to make them a little lazier!

960×600 .mov

iPhone

If your mind is blown then comment or email and I will uhh. . . un-blow it for you. Hmm. . .

[BetterTouchTool]

Listen on iPhone

Here’s something with a little swing to it. Kicks, and snares, and hi-hats, and the like.

[EKAHWERDNA]

720p

Just trying out a technique using the iPhone to capture some handheld camera data and use it in a comp. Even with only 640×480 pixels and an envelope with hand drawn tracker markers it still works very well.

Section of the iPhone camera track:

Watch it on an iPhone

This is a fantastic way to take the “perfect” out of the CG camera without messing with the CG methods of doing it. Randomization does not equal human, the way a human moves while holding a camera, large or small, is very far from random. Should be fairly simple to move data like this from application to application once a good track is put together.

Essentially the poorest, least efficient, laziest man’s version of James Cameron’s SimulCam without any of the benefits, except the human feel.

(Vimeo. . . I just can’t deal with Flash in my life anymore, I will still upload to you for continuity’s sake, but I want iPhone viewable embeds!)

And animators need some frame by frame action damn it!

Listen on iPhone

The first track from Extended Service, the next bit of music from Ekahwerdna. Available for Download!

[EKAHWERDNA]

A few storyboard panels:

And a quick scene layout demo:

More to come very very soon!

[Floating World]

QuickTime Version (26MB)

iPhone Version

Added my Spec board/reel of my work from 2009 to my Projects page.

Many of these projects were group efforts, if you would like to know more about my specific involvement on any project feel free to ask. My contact info is available at the end of the reel and on the right column of this site.

Thanks for watching!

The Floating World is back in action, spitting out some RenderMan renders of some shots, and trying to get the CG shots really polished up. Should be posting more animation and artwork very very soon.

I have some more tools to post up as well, an update to the MayaRender droplets and some other interesting workflow tools.

[the floating world]

Click image to watch High-Bandwidth version.
Low-Bandwidth Version (iPhone)

The amount of tools they developed, with the amount of people they had working (around 90), in the amount of time they had to do it, is extremely impressive. And another reason why anyone interested in vfx/animation/film should definitely take a very hard look at Nuke.

[fxGuideTV]
[Image Engine]

I am a big fan of the Glock.

[EKAHWERDNA]

Good times! Thanks to all those involved.

Brilliant work by Baptiste Rogron, Gaëlle Thierry, Rony Hotin, Maïlys Vallade, Jérémie Moreau, and David François.

As always make sure to browse the blogs to see some freaking amazing concept and making of stuff:

An amazing bit of animation, beautiful high contrast, grainy imagery, great music and sound, and great idea really all coming together. Bravisimo!

[Gobelins]

Take a look at what is possible with one:

And check out some more info. They come in all shapes and sizes nowadays, originally starting with a 40 node grid, and as long as people keep tinkering with them, they will get more and more interesting over time. Brilliant.

And if you are feeling generous my birthday is in November. . .

[monome.org]

PSYOP is a fantastic example, not only have they been posting up most of their recent work, they have also been posting up breakdowns of how it was conceived from start to finish. As much as I enjoy the finished work I must say I enjoy these breakdowns and making of’s even more.

EDIT: Original video was removed by PSYOP, here is the complete ad:
>

Great stuff! Check out the rest on their Vimeo page.

[PSYOP - Vimeo]

When I saw the trailers I shed a tear of joy:

When I got to play the demo, tears of joy flew from my face. I would have been incredibly happy just to see still images that looked this fantastic, but when they have been made to be interactive, and when it has been done this well, something magical occurs. The artwork is gorgeous and plucking at my heart strings with every new scene, the characters, the environments, aren’t just pretty, they are clever in many senses as well. The puzzles are put together in a way that actually make you do some thinking, and make you smile when you solve them. The animation is top notch as well, there are a lot of nice little touches throughout the demo with little bits of interaction that are fantastic.

I have never played a game that was just so gorgeous that I played through a demo many times just to checkout the artwork some more. Bravo!!!!

One more thing to just further my obsession with little robots, I welcome more! . .

[Machinarium.net]

Start with a nice little short by Eran Hilleli called “knowledge of the cone”

I am really partial to the character design and style of the motion. Angular characters and quick direct emphasized motions definitely do it for me, and I always enjoy a good slap in the face. Check out the website, as there is a good collection of other work.

[eran hilleli]

Did you know you can look at this website on an iPhone!? Who knew? Now. . .if you add this site to your homescreen you will also get a sexy icon to go along with it, because who can go a day without checking up on what I am up to?

For the nerds: you can easily setup your site with this functionality by including a file named “apple-touch-icon.png” in the root of your site. Most people recommend starting with a simple square 158×158 (72dpi) image, you don’t have to worry about round corners or anything, the iPhone will take care of that for you.

My icon in it’s original form.

A fantastic bit of information, humor, and ideas so eloquently dropped by Mr. Jonathan Zittrain.

[TED - The Web as random acts of kindness]