fae_alba

you have it

Is it me or do they go thru a lot of steps to do what we do in just a few?

I've got Mark's project and was able to render a quick test... who's next?

So Robcat is on track with his post of "sounded like something for simulation data, like for fluids or gases?". It comes down to a method of storing volumetric data to allow unlimited, faster calculations for volumetric effects. Cartoon Brew has a good description here.

SVN is a little different. I don't like it myself...it's tough to maintain when multiple users are involved. The database hook is much nicer, but then I'm a db guy to start with

Sounds like Data Cubes, or a new up and coming approach for databases. While I haven't looked into the Dreamworks approach, it sounds like they have created their own database utilizing data cube storage. The api is nothing more than the programmatic interface into the database. I'd hazard that they use this to store/archive movie assets during a project life cycle. From the data cube databases I've reviewed for work the reputed compression factor for files is close to 70 percent, perhaps better than winzip, with the added ability to retrieve records through the api. Using it with A:M would be fairly simple to do. Perhaps a hook into the project that instead of saving a model to a disk file, it is written into the database...sounds good to me.

I'm on V16b and am trying to import an image sequence. On the images folder I and select Import Image Sequence. The problem is I don't get a file open dialogue displayed. This happens on both the 64 and 32 bit apps. I'm running on a win7 box. Any thoughts??

I really want to hear your comments about setting up your render farm. For me, this is the primary reason for these projects!

no I do not Rodney is trying various things. Keep your eye peeled at the bottom of the forum. Robcat/Rodney you're efforts paid off...I see the forum, I made roll call....yeah!

no I do not

i get the following: "The error returned was: Sorry, the link that brought you to this page seems to be out of date or broken."

that'd be fine too!

OK, so I have set up an ftp account on the a business site of mine. in order to control what is going onto the account I want to have each person submitting projects to do the following: email me (pharris430 at gmail dot com) I'll send you the url, and logon info. Zip your projects up, name them with your name. It would also be helpful to include a text file with titles, credits etc.

Well then, Good Job!

I notice that if you scrub through the frames the foreground seems to slip out of focus, then back in as the camera zooms in. I'm wondering, is that the nature of the beast, or should it not be happening?

that is amazing...great stuff

For the moment, hold on to it. Either Paul or I will probably collect everything but i don't hink we've thought that far ahead yet. Of course you've looked at your result and it's what you expected, right? Let me dust off my ftp site for pappa bear studios and set up some credentials to submit to.

I'm in! Never afraid to learn some more.

Now that just reminds me of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Predator!

Sometimes they are impractical. As the brains of the outfit, it is up to you to guide the powers that be during the bidding process to ensure that a realistic timeframe is set. Allowing your employer to take a contract that states 1 week to finish when you know that in the past it will really take 3, is unfair to you and your boss. This is usually a bargaining point. Normally in my world, if an RFP comes in with a stated deadline, and I/we/the consultant knows that in order to meet that deadline more staffing will be required, the bid will state something like, in order to meet the stated budget it will take x times longer, in order to meet the time frame it will take x times more FTE's (full time employees) costing y times more bazoozas. The project manager doesn't have a say in the amount of time, or the budget he/she has available to them. They come onto the scene after the contract has been inked. It's their job to get the project done, within the time frame, and (preferably!) under budget. In the film making world, the PM is the Director, the boss (or money man) is the producer, the client would be a studio.

that might be a good way to do fog perhaps.

It is a business model that worked then so why not? Also, here's a thought sparked by Darkwing's comments. It is true that dvd's are a dying media, much like real paper based books (much to my old fashioned chagrin) are being made extinct by e-readers. But here's an idea....why not make a mobile game from the Paunk Show??? Find someone to create an iPhone, iPad, Droid, FaceBook, game of it. Sell it for 99 cents, make it free and do ad placement, etc. You may find that that is a faster path to financial success than a more traditional route. If you're interested, a gal I work with loves to make mobile game apps, almost for fun, I can put you in touch with her. In truth, the mobile app path excites me more than anything else does. It's the trend, and your shorts are a perfect tie in. You have a growing following for them already, the games the next step. Think about it....

I have wondered if ad inserts into a short would be viable. You know something like "Oh no my space toilet is plugged" "Try ACME DECLOGGER for all your space toilet needs!" (character grins stupidly at the camera)

Let me re-phrase my last statement but the budgeting estimate issue. It's not really a simple padding of the estimate just to squeeze another buck from the client. It's a estimate born from experience, that no matter how well you estimate, something will invariably come along to blow that number out of the water. A lot of it is the "everyone wants to be an art director" as Largento points out. I could be fairly comfortable with the knowledge that I can complete project "x" in 2 hours, but I also know that when a happily deliver the product, the stakeholder is going to say "that's not what I wanted". So I build that in. Now, also understand that in my world, we bill hourly, for hours worked, not on a fixed price contract (those are considered evil to my consultant ilk) like is being posed here, so perhaps it might not be entirely appropriate a model to use. But the premise is is that a budget needs to take into account somewhat of the unknown. Otherwise you will always come in with a project that is late and over budget. so let's draw this out further: Let's say, as above that we have the concept guy, the modeler and the rigger. They cost us as follows (let's presume that this includes benefits, perks, payroll etc.) concept guy: 10 plunks/hr modeler: 15 plunks/hr rigger: 17 plunks/hr we are going to design, model, and rig one character, and we feel that the concept guy will need 2 hrs, the modeler is going to need 10 hrs, and the rigger needs 5 hrs (all arbitrary of course) that gives us a cost of: concept guy: 2 hrs @ 10 plunks/hr = 1 bazooza modeler: 10 hrs @ 15 plunks/hr = 7.5 bazoozas rigger: 5 hrs @ 17 plunks/hr = 3.75 bazoozas total cost = 12.25 bazoozas. Now as a business, we have determined that we need to make 1.5 times the employees rate per hr worked for each employee in order to keep the lights on. This means that we would quote a cost to the client of concept guy: 2 hrs @ 10 plunks/hr = 20plunks * 1.5 = 30 plunks = 1.5 bazoozas modeler: 10 hrs @ 15 plunks/hr = 150 plunks * 1.5 = 11.25 bazoozas rigger: 5 hrs @ 17 plunks/hr = 85 plunks * 1.5 = 4.25 bazoozas total bid = 17 bazoozas You could view the 1.5 margin as my guestimate bump, since it represents the uplift required to keep things going. A different way to look at it, but I think it means the same thing.

Rodney, you know better than to "assume"! my estimating "bump" if purely an arbitrary "consulatant-ese" number based on years of hard experience! You can use whatever number you want, the point is to budget and plan for the need for the extra time and money.