MAAM Meeting - March, 2008

[Hubukai]

Dear mid Atlantic animation master members.( Also opened to anyone interested in coming, new members always welcome and encouraged to come! )It has been light years since the last animation master meeting and it is now 2008 and a plethora of new technology and software is raining down upon us! How will we all survive in this new digital revolution of animation master version 15 that downloadable?

 

Here is the answer. Schedule the next animation master meeting and make it happen! It has been far too long since the mid Atlantic animation master team has joined forces to battle the evils of the digital world. So I put out a call for a meeting of the minds, shining the MAAM spotlight in the night sky so that we can all converged in one location to join forces and the feet the monster known as "lack of creativity"!. I'd like to propose the following dates for the next meeting. March 1 (Primary Date )March 22 (Secondary Date ) The Hubickey Fortress of solitude is always open for a meeting but if anyone else would like to host or anyone else has other ideas for a meeting location please feel free to post in the thread. I will be posting this in the user group portion of the hash forums so please reply in that area so all may see. Don't let the cold winter get you down and turn your colorful creative ideas in to gray clouds of fog. Make an effort to help me schedule the next mid Atlantic animation master meeting. Sincerely,--

John Hubickey

[heyvern]

Either date is fine by me. I want to see you guys sooner... but the later date gives me more time to "do stuff" with my new version of A:M. Woohoooo! I am on the same page with you guys now! Yeeehaaa!

 

Maybe we can do some SIMPLE SHORT stuff with the "MAAM Squad" idea? I still like the idea of animating to the sound of one of the meetings or we can do some "improv" stuff on the fly and animate that. Something SHORT (15-30 seconds tops). I am thinking we go with AM despite my... uh... other pursuits. :oops:. I've got my own forum section I have to justify the privilege. Now that I have the latest version I will be paying more attention at the meetings. I especially want to play with the new hair jitter feature.

 

Maybe you guys more familar with cloth and physics and other features like SSS can help with my AM "promo" animations (in Verns World). Rich, do you use any of those fancy shmancy skin shaders? I need a really good one for that "Change your pants" promo.

 

-vern

[entity]

Vern: Yeah.

John: the 22nd of March

[Hubukai]

as of right now i think we are shooting for March 22nd. place to be determined. Don and I are working that out... but dont worry we will. :- ) well keep you posted.

[ddavis]

Hey Everybody,

 

OK! It seems that we have the 22nd locked down.

Is everybody still up for that??

As far as a location goes I am trying to get us a place at my work located in Center City Philly.

But if that doesen't work we can have it at my house.

Thouble is I may not know until the week before so stay tuned.

[Hubukai]

i am down with that.

philly, your house, either or.

 

Rich? Vern? Mac? any new people... all are welcome, all are welcome.

[Mechadelphia]

Hi Everyone,

 

The 22nd sounds good.

 

I think that I'll be able to make it to this meeting but I'm not certain just yet. I will keep you posted.

 

I'm not sure what I can show this time around besides a preview of a tutorial I'm working on.

 

Take care.

[heyvern]

If anyone is interested... I have a geeky chiphead over the top nerdy demo for the meeting. I will bring my laptop and build a functional datadrive blog from scratch in 15 minutes using Ruby on Rails. I've been telling John about it. Finally! Something new and cutting edge in the web world that I know about before it's old news!

 

This type of web site construction really is the future of the internet. A smart child could build Google with it. I plan to move my website to a host that supports RoR.

 

I'm swamped with work at the moment. A big site update, a bunch of crappy print jobs... another poster for my brother (anyone heard of the play "Doubt"? Community theater... I shouldn't be surprised). I also landed a pretty fun... animation job that won't involve Animation:Master... sorry it's out of my hands. I had no choice in the program used.

 

Looking forward to the meeting.

 

-vern

[Hubukai]

Vern, RoR sounds good. It dosent seem like there is much in the way of new rendering or animations taking place. i personally want to bring something new rendering wise but even if i dont ill have something to show. as always , i am looking forward to it. Don, have you found out if it will be in PHilly or at your house yet?

[ddavis]

It's leaning more towards my house but I'm still not sure.

[Hubukai]

Keep us posted Don. Feel free to call me to let me know the final location.

 

any new people interested, please email us or post here. we would love to have some new AMers.

 

Vern, Mack, Rich, hope your all in.

[heyvern]

I'm in of course.

 

I wish I could have it at my house but I assure you... it would NOT be fun... very small... no big screen... not a lot of outlets... no air conditioning... the house is a bit of a mess... very small. You'd think a small house would be easier to clean but I don't have a live in maid wife. (i'm kidding! No flames!)

 

I will offer up another option for a future date. My parents house. No fast internet but they do have a new HD flat screen tv with computer hookup, lots of seating. We would have to end it early... 11 or 12 pm. They are in their 70's.

 

I might look into renting some space for the day. Can't be too much on a Saturday and it would be pay back for all the hospitality from you guys.

 

Let's go ahead and confirm that the next MAAM meeting (after this one) will be my job to supply the location. We can talk about this at the upcoming meeting.

 

-vern

[ddavis]

OK,

 

Looks like its my house, Saturday at 1PM sound OK???

For those of you who don't remember.... check this

Any questions, give me a call.

Any ideas on a menu? I'm open for any suggestions.

Rich, have you learned to cook yet?

Vern, bring your keyboard and we can turn it upside down and shake it, that should be good for a bowl of... something, right???

[Hubukai]

OK,

 

Looks like its my house, Saturday at 1PM sound OK???

For those of you who don't remember.... check this

Any questions, give me a call.

Any ideas on a menu? I'm open for any suggestions.

Rich, have you learned to cook yet?

Vern, bring your keyboard and we can turn it upside down and shake it, that should be good for a bowl of... something, right???

 

 

Don, Saturday 1pm is good. i will be ready. do you need chips, soda? anything?

 

Who else is coming?

hubukai

[heyvern]

A close colleague and friend of mine passed away very suddenly on friday. There is a huge party in his honor on Saturday. I've known this guy for 20+ years. The people at this party will be people I haven't seen in ages, old coworkers, old friends, old bosses... business opportunities. I must go.

 

Anyway, this is NOT a sad morbid wake... this will be a huge blowout party, a celebration. He wanted it that way. There will be no viewing, no funeral just this huge party with drinking and food, music dancing... and whatever... I have to go. I must go.

 

It doesn't start until about 3:00 on saturday and will probably go till the wee hours of the night. I figure I can spend 3 or 4 hours with you guys and cut out early. Sorry about this. It seems that the MAAM meetings for me are some kind of ethereal junction in the space time continuum.

 

I will be there on Saturday I just won't be able to stay as long as usual. If we could move the start time back a little bit that would be nice but isn't necessary.

 

I'm going to miss my old friend. I still can't believe it. I love the idea of a party though. He would have loved that.

 

-vern

[ddavis]

Vern, if you can make it for 3 hrs or so that will have to do, despite our collective sadness.

John, if you could bring some soda, cans or bottles, or perhaps beer if you feel so moved.

I though we could just order pizza or something.

What ever you decide will be great I'm sure. I'll do a little munchie shoping in the morning.

We will want for nothing!!!

Oh, could somebody bring a laptop, I'd just like to always have a fall back plan.

[Hubukai]

I will bring Soda, Diet soda and some munchies.

 

i will be bringing my Brand Spanken New MacBook Pro with cables and other stuff.

 

ill be there by 1pm or a little before!

[Hubukai]

I will bring Soda, Diet soda and some munchies.

 

i will be bringing my Brand Spanken New MacBook Pro with cables and other stuff.

 

ill be there by 1pm or a little before!

 

Apparently Rich Jackson will not be with us physically but will be skyping in.

[Hubukai]

To all MaaM Members.

 

Many thanks to Don for hosting and feeding us some wonderful , great food.

 

Vern for his Ruby on Rails Demo.

 

Rich for Virtually being available.

 

John or holding Virtual Rich.

 

Mac, What happened to Mac? The Search for Mac continues. This looks like a job for the MAAM Squad!

 

John R. will be giving an Adobe illustrator Lesson next meeting ( although he doesn't know it yet ) :- )

 

Don, can you send the photo or post on the forum?

 

PS, i was inspired, i started to THINK in 3D again!!!

 

~~~~

 

Things i personally want to see next meeting...

1. Don do something with that stop motion program,,, a video prehaps.

maybe something with star wars legos. A comedy...

((( Or wait, MAYBE we get 2 toy terminators, build a fake set... and do verns script in stop motion as well as in AM ????? )))

that would rock.

2. DSP coming along further

3. Rich Jackson ( the non virtual version )

4. MACK...

5. Vern Terminator sketch animated, verns please send script so we can read and send you files.

5.1 Vern do terminators sitting at table in Animation Master ( 3d for script ) i think u should do it in AM!!!

6. Me do something, modeling wise. maybe a fleet of space ships...

 

Don, what was the name of that program?

 

 

Nerds UNITE!!!

[heyvern]

Oh my aching head...

 

Anyway. I apologize for putting you all to sleep with my Ruby on Rails demo. I have to admit in hindsight it was pretty "DRY". (that's an inside joke for RoR programmers: D-on't R-epeat Y-ourself.).

 

If we do the skype thing again we must figure out a way to share the "screen" through the internet. I was amazed at how well that worked though. It really was almost like having Rich in the room... I have to admit... when his head was the size of a Cooper Mini on the big screen it was a bit... disconcerting.

 

Yes! Please! You must post the "Teletubbies" image!

 

As I said before, I think I will modify the Eugene skeleton model to look like a terminator... shouldn't take to long. I will send the scripts out tonight sometime. If anyone wants to try an Austrian accent go for it. In the meantime I will try some audio myself... as soon as I get my voice back... it's a bit rough right now from SHOUTING OVER THE MUSIC AT THE FUNERAL... that's something you don't hear everyday.

 

----------

I made it to my other party in plenty of time after the MAAM gig. I got a teeny tiny bit drunk and started telling people about Ruby on Rails... several of them passed out right in front of me. (The wife of the deceased tried to hit me when I was caught giving someone one of my business cards. I tried to be discrete but you got to do what you got to do right? Thanks Don!) People kept rubbing my bald head last night. Total strangers would come up behind me while I was sitting and just... rub my head for no apparent reason (several people said "Because It just feels nice"). I told them they have to make a wish first... and a small donation would be appropriate... give me a quarter, rub my head and your wish comes true... rub my head without warning and make me spill my drink... no wishes for you honey.

 

-vern

[entity]

I will be at the next meeting...physically! I promis! I'm sorry, but I had a ride there and then I didn't at the last minute and as Don and I found out later after the last meeting, the bus schedule is a little awkward and I'm not sure where all of the bus stops are in the area, because they are not marked on both sides of the road. I miss you guys, terribly!

 

Vern- your ROR demo was ok... I was following along there, I still have a few more questions and I still want to "see" the code that was written by the program... I think it's amazing. But I couldn't grasp the editing part that you were doing because I couldn't see what was being edited, but I understood what was going on because you gave a very detailed discription of what was happening. Thanks.

Don- Are you going to help with the opening sequence of TekNu... (the space background animation?) If so, you have total freedom. Do what you think will sell it as space. We can composit ships in later. Can you give us a sample of what you are going to do so we can see what you have in mind? (The animatic for TekNu is just a guide and any work done doesn't have to perfectly align to the way I did the shots... the camera position and length of scenes can be changed. Thanks!)

 

Maybe sometime we could have a "virtual" meeting? Like when we haven't had a meeting for a long time and we want to fit one in between meetings?