Your read it right.Pragmatic Artistry is now self hosted under the new domain name CODECG.COM. CODE-CG is an one stop spot for downloading scripts and plugins related to computer graphics in various scripting languages including MEL,Python,Perl,Hscript and many more.

Pay a visit to the revamped PRAGMATIC ARTISTRY

Watch out for new scripts and plugins in the coming days!!!

Once again DNA Inc is in the news by winning all the awards in the Animation category at the SHORT AND DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL OF HYDERABAD held at Ravindra Bharati in Hyderabad. The event, organised in association with Andhra Pradesh State Film Television and Theatre Development Corporation Limited saw over hundred-plus entries in  various categories from different parts of the country. The film HUGO vs LINO won the BEST ANIMATION FILM AWARD while FEEL THE PUNCH won the BEST DIRECTOR(ANIMATION) JURY AWARD.

The award list can be found here

Finally got my linux distro equipped with full functionality to resume my work on open source platforms. Configuring the network using YaST was just a piece of cake with a really interactive UI that included every information for even the novice user to get the job done. This was the third time I was installing SUSE within a span of 6 months and I had switched back to good old windows every time because of the lack of fully functional drivers for my Radeon 4200. But this time the ATI repository came handy. Last two times I had tried the conventional  ”windows-user style“: Download drivers>run the file>and there you go, which proved out to be the most stupid thing on the earth to do. I had just neglected the need for a xorg-x11-server which I finally downloaded using YaST.

The next thing was to get the X Window display driver for the ATI graphics accelerators and also ATI “fglrx” driver kernel module. Both packages could be found at:

http://www2.ati.com/suse/11.3/

After successful installation of the drivers the configuration can be set using the command aticonfig –initial which will save the xorg.conf with the new settings. Display modes can also be specified optionally using the command aticonfi –resolution=0,1280×1024,1024×768. I was planning to go with 1280×1024 resolution by default which left me with the need to specify just these two display modes.

The drivers can also be downloaded from:

X Window display driver for the ATI graphics accelerators

ATI “fglrx” driver kernel module

The next requisite was a screen capture tool that would help me prepare demos of the tools and also let me compile future tutorials which I intend to share in this space. Got hold of a simple and yet powerful screen capture App called recordMyDesktop. It provides two frontend options, one built on Gtk and the other on PyQT4. My love for Qt urged me to go for the Qt-based one.

Here is a screenshot of the recordMyDesktop App

The packages can be downloaded here

recordMyDesktop

qt-recordMyDesktop

recordMyDesktop-gtk

The above video demonstrates the procedure for adding new assets to an existing project directory tree created using MADAM. All the assets of the selected project can be accessed from the Assets tab in the Project Manager module.

The asset tab provides different options for managing the asset files of the project.The asset section has been categorized in to three types: Character, Bg, and Props. The category selection can be changed using the CATEGORY combo box. This will list all the asset names under the selected category. Each asset folder will contain the different file types Model, Texture, Rig and Render scene files.

New Assets can be created using the Add New Asset Dialog which can be accessed by clicking the Add button at the bottom left corner of the Assets tab

The Add New Asset dialog has a text field for entering the asset name and also a radio button group for specifying the asset category. Clicking Apply adds the asset in the specified category folder. Once the asset folder is created files can be added using the Manage button in the Assets tab. The Manage button provides the option for adding, updating, deleting and locking files.

Adding an asset file to the particular asset folder imports the specified file in to the repository. The File Info button in the Assets tab lists the revisions of the selected file. Clicking the File Info button brings up the MADAM Revision Log as shown below.

The selected file version can be checked out using the Checkout button in the Revision Log. This will open up a file browse dialog box where the user can select the path where the Work Copy should be saved.

The above video demonstrates the procedure for setting up a new project using the Project Manager Module in MADAM. The procedure involves choosing a network location for setting up the project directory tree. After choosing the location new project can be created using the Create New button in the Project Manager Dialog.

This brings up a dialog as shown below, where the user can specify the various attributes of the project including the Project Name, Number of Sequences, Sequence Name Padding. After specifying the attributes the Directory Tree can be created using the Create Project Directory button.

Below Screenshot shows the Project Directory Tree

The next step is to create an SVN repository for file revision control. The repository can be created using the Create Repository button in the Project Directory Creator dialog.This brings up the SVN MANAGER dialog as shown below.

The Server IP field is for specifying the machine IP in which the Subversion Server is running. The Check button can be used to know the status of the Server, whether its running or not. Once the server status is confirmed, the Browse button can be used to browse to the Project Directory. Select the project name from the combo box to get confirmation dialog asking whether Repository should be selected for the selected project or not. Select OK to create project repository.

DNA Inc’s FEEL THE PUNCH triumphed at the TASI Anifest India 2010 by winning First Prize in the Student Film category of TASI Viewer’s Choice Awards ,2010 held at Fine Arts Cultural Center, Mumbai.

Been part of the movie as mentor for Rigging and Character Fx, I’m honored and delighted with the award that we have won at Anifest. This is the first award for ‘FEEL THE PUNCH’, hopefully the first of many to come.

Among the 320+ entries in different categories, the film earned a place in the finalists list of Student Films, which consisted of 15 films shortlisted by Jury Panel consisting of eminent personalities from the Animation Industry.

TVCA Anifest India ‘10 – Winners

Maya Muscle again!!!.This time not just in the form of a test to explore the features Autodesk has provided, but a case study on the project HUGO Vs LINO which proved out to be a huge challenge in terms of the quality expected. Even though I had got used to the Muscle tool set Maya provided, incorporating new features in to the existing character pipeline proved to be a tough task. The decision to go with Muscle System for HUGO demanded all the geometries to be cached out before being forwarded to the lighting and the Fx departments. The next stage was to automate the caching process. With a couple of tools for batch export and import of the cache, the process was well under control. Use of smart collision for the arm pits and elbows helped us get believable collision effects. Added to that self collision and smooth attributes were painted on shot basis in order to tackle the mesh artifacts that were encountered in extreme poses.

A mind-game between a beggar and a commuter waiting to board a bus takes a startling turn as the commuter realizes he is outsmarted. The experience leaves him wiser as he discovers that the good-old trick of shooing away beggars is no good anymore.

SocialVibe is a social networking website  that aims to reward publishers of social media content through mechanisms such as donations to their charity of choice. After joining SocialVibe, in addition to creating a personal profile, users are asked to select their favorite cause to support and to choose a sponsor. Once they have done so, they can earn points for themselves, which can be redeemed for a variety of different perks and money for their respective charities by posting their “badge” (a kind of advertisement prominently displaying their chosen sponsor) to another social networking site.The more a SocialVibe user’s networking site is visited, the more points they are able to earn.

keep a Child Alive provides with your help, first class AIDS care and support, care for orphans, food with a healthy dose of love and respect to the people affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa and India.

You can support the cause by clicking on the SocialVibe widget to the right of the page and following the instructions on screen.

Lets support this noble cause together!!!