What a Cloth Sim looks like and how to do it.

This is our workaround for the problem of exporting a maya alembic file into houdini and then tyring to rig a cloth sim to it.

Tab in a geometry node, Dive in and tab in an alembic node. Click on the alembic node and select the alembic file that will eventually be your deforming geometry. Tab in a convert node that will convert the file into houdini polygons by default. Connect the alembic node to the convert node.

tab in another geometry node, (this one will be your cloth object). On the cloth object, you may need to drop in a sort node to reorganize the points "by Y". You do this by diving into the cloth object, turning on your point numbers (on the toolbar right by the perspective view) and if they are not obviously organized, tab in a sort node. Click the view button on the sort node and then under the point tab, select "by Y" on the drop down menu and then click the "reverse" checkbox if you want it to go from top to bottom.

Open up your cloth tab, then select your cloth object, select your deforming collider, then attack to body.

The Return of the Carrot

Oh how much time I put into this and how bad it still looks. Oh well. The point of the project was to learn how to draw things procedural-ly. That means that I don't paint any of the colors on, instead we use a node network to create the colors using built in math. What's a node network you ask?!

See that ugliness that looks like an evil graph? That's a node network. Each little square mathematically determines parts of the render. Some of them make random noises (like the bruising on the carrot), some of them make random vertical lines (like the yellowish streaks), and some of them make the texture (like the cracks in the carrot). Its hard making a carrot without being able to paint anything or use any of my usual approaches. The result was ok, I guess, but not as good (or as bad) as some of the other fruit in the class. Here was the process.

Basically the process went: Colors, Texture, Lighting, Redesign the model, Final Changes, Video. Enjoy

Photoshop Carrot

I've gotten a surface pro 3 and a trial version of photoshop. My assignment was to make a photo realistic carrot (eventually). Of course I don't know much about photoshop so this is my first ever photoshop project. I'm sure there's some really cool tricks that I could use if I knew more but hey I'm pretty satisfied with the end result. Hopefully this is good enough! I used a bunch of layers stacked on each other. I kinda skipped a few of the layers but here is the progression in general.

So hopefully that is adequate. It's not perfect but it is certainly a start! I hope that the critique tomorrow is soft on me but also helpful! I also have a little clip of some animation I've been working on. I'll post it later.

CSANIM 150

So I finally finished my first Animation class. Here are some of the pictures of what I did. It was only 7 weeks with one class period per week. Most of the learning happened on the fly. I don't think either of the images are finished completely but at lease it shows what I've done with my time.

Above is the software running. Those are my legos when I finished the models with some default coloring that I would eventually change so that it looked better and more complete. Below is the finished Render.

After I finished my Lego people I began to work on an insect. The black I chose was a mistake so lots of the detail that I put into the legs was completely lost... I plan on going and painting him again to see if I can't get a better image. Plus I want to pose him so that he's not just perfectly standing but his legs won't be mirrored.

Head Angles

I have been working on making the same character multiple times. I think its called persistence of image or something along those lines. I'm not sure... Anyways, without further ado, here is the project.

Phase 1: (Building the sketch

Phase 2: (Shading)

Computer Science is boring

This is about the only way I can stay awake during computer science. Its 2 hours long and its just watching our teacher program while he explains why he's programming to us. Here is just a small doodle.

Also just because I can. Here's a balloon animal I made at work. Its Darth Vader's Helmit!

ACCEPTED

So Yesterday I received the email I have been nervous about receiving for about 5 years. The BYU Animation department wins the College emmies pretty much every year and get personal visits from Pixar, Dreamworks, and Blue Sky every year. That's the good news, the bad news is that only about 30 students are admitted into the program and... well... more than that apply. 20 are accepted into the art side and 9 into the computer side. I thought my competition's odds were unfair if I had 20 opportunities to be accepted so I chose to apply for the smaller half.

Well anyways, I was doing my Spanish homework in the library when my phone vibrated telling me that I had a new email with the subject name "Pick up your Animation Emphasis Decision." Nervously I opened the email, it read:

Hi all,

The faculty have made decisions for the Animation Emphasis. Please come to the CS Department 3361 TMCB to pick up your decision letter.

Best,
Kim (who must be someone important to know)

Needless to say I abandoned my Spanish homework and began what felt like a trek across the entire Oregon trail to get to the TMCB (The Talmage Building). When I got there I hiked up the stairs and turned the corner to see another applicant opening his letter then bursting out into a huge celebration. Really, he was shouting and jumping and fist pumping and dancing down the hallway. All I could think was, "8 spots left..." Well I got my letter and (acting super chill and collected) shakily walked to the stairwell where I opened my letter. I won't deny a certain amount of fist pumping but I did not dance or scream. Inwardly though I felt like I had just won the Olympics!

Well here is some stuff from my application that I haven't shown yet. They all come from a project that I did in High School. It took a really long time! I built ever piece on the computer, designed the coaster, an found a way to get it working! After designing the coaster I built the actual coaster using real K'nex that the school district was nice enough to buy me! Well here they are. This got me an A in Senior Projects at Grandview. Without further ado:

Ps. I TOTES GOT IN!