Updated personal website

[auric]

Hey gang!

My first semester of studying at Filmakademie is officially over.

I have updated my personal website and included some more images from the projects I've been involved in: www.crona.de
You can find them in the menu under Computer Graphics (2), then Red Rabbit and fmx Monster.

I also uploaded a short (17 seconds) QuickTime movie with a layout edit of the RED RABBIT animated short that includes the two effects shots I am working on. You can download the movie from substance.crona.de.

Heavy workload is also the reason why I haven't had the time for any major updates to CENTROPOHOLICS.com lately. :(

4 more semesters to come. :)

[trina]

wow, the red rabbit movie is pretty cool! Very nice work! :) And very sweet rabbit!

[trina]

I also wanted to ask you, Stefan, how much of your work (in % maybe) would you consider technique and how much creativity?

[auric]

Hey Trina,

I think your question cannot be answered in percentages. :)
Working with technology can be a very creative process, so I wouldn't necessarily separate technology and creativity.

We had a very interesting workshop here at Filmakademie held by Armin Bruderlin who is a senior software engineer at Sony Pictures Imageworks (http://www.imageworks.com/). The workshop was titled Digital Effects: Artistic Engineering or Technical Artistry?, and he talked about differentiating between digital artists (like animators, modelers, texture painters, etc.) and software engineers (developers, programmers, etc.). The bottom line is that both fields require creativity. Software engineering is a very creative process.

You could say that on one end of the spectrum you might have texture painters that have little knowledge of technical backgrounds and on the other end you have die-hard software engineers that have not a clue about art. Then there are all kinds of people in between with different levels of skill in art and technology. But everyone requires creativity.

Technical directors for example (that's what I'm studying) combine technical with artistic skills to support a wide range of people working with technology to solve artistic problems. ;)

[JAG!]

Yo!

Just saw your new anims. VERY NICE! :D

Keep up the great work, Stefan!

[auric]

Thanks JAG! I'll try.

or wait... "do or do not, there is no try" -- Yoda. ;)

[Crazy Pavarotti Man]

Thanks JAG! I'll try.

or wait... "do or do not, there is no try" -- Yoda. ;)

"Only sith deal in such absolutes!" - Obi Wan Kenobi :p

[trina]

Thanks Stefan for your answer, I certainly get your point! I was wondering about a related thing, too: For example, when you are doing such a scene like the ceiling coming down in the red rabbit movie. How do you know or get the information of how to animate this so that it looks *natural* - in regard to speed, size of the pieces falling and all that... just trying and seeing how it comes out? Or using certain formulas for computing it? Maybe these questions sound strange... it's just what comes up to me as a layperson when watching it. ;)

[auric]

Luckily all I need to do is find out a certain combination of parameter values for all kinds of physical properties and object can have, like density, rotational stiffness, friction and the like. Then the computer does the simulation, and if all goes well it looks the way you want it in the end. If not, you have to further tweak the values, add additional forces, combine the simulation with animation, etc., until you have the result that you want to achieve.

The next version of Houdini will include a next-level fluid system with which it will be possible to also simulate fluid substances like water, oil etc. By the way: Houdini has been used to create many of the water effects for THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW (e.g. the tidal wave through NYC). :)

[trina]

I see now how this works. Thanks for your explanations, Stefan! That software out there is really fascinating! :)

[auric]

Only $9,995.00 per license. ;)

(Used to be $16,995.00 ... There was a price drop recently. ;) )

[trina]

wow... and I thought the experimental software we use is expensive... ;) Is that for *one* computer, yes?