C.J. Cow's Domain

2009-01-03T06:37:00.000-08:00

Check out this totally awesome article, from Mr Incredible ( not from the movie,) this guy who's an amazing CG guru and one of my inspirations. It's written in Chinese, but basically, it says "sky is the limit." Something like that. Be positive. When faced with defeat, learn from it, and never give up. There maybe many obstacles along the journey, but never let them stop you from pursuing your dreams.

Below is a new piece done over the new year's. It has also been submitted into 11secondclub monthly competition, but this one has a bit more polish. Been quite a while since I dropped any keys, thus I feel a bit rusty. Still, I am not using that as an excuse, just saying.

Anyways, I am slowly learning to be more patient and more sincere in animation. Sincere in my acting choices, and sincere in my attitude towards this art form; patient when things don't work as envisioned and curves get tangled up. Ultimately, perseverance is what it takes to get better, like how I am determined to keeping my blog alive and updated. And passion, too, of course, you gotta love what you do.

2009-01-01T05:55:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!!

2008-10-28T05:53:00.000-07:00

You were more than just a teacher. You were a mentor, a inspirer, and so much more.

2008-09-07T00:07:00.000-07:00

You don't see this kind of buildings in America!

2008-08-19T21:44:00.000-07:00

America is huge. It's something that becomes abundantly clear once you're on the road exploring beyond the norm. There is so much to see and experience in this vast and mysterious land, your mind expands so much just by you embracing all the different cultures unique to each place.

First stop, "Travel Plaza?" In Chicago that's called an Oasis.

Drove into a National Park, and lo and behold, a mountain trail right next to the highway!

Warning Sign Fail! "Dicks will be cut..." LOL

Buffalo wings from Buffalo... Taste better? Hecks no, but then again, that's probably not the reason this dish is called "buffalo wings."

I took this picture? No way... I should consider pursuing a career in photography! What a perfect way to wrap up. Except, this isn't the end.

Somebody clean that wind-shield!!!

"My land is where my dead lie buried"

Buffalo sausage! Yummy? Hecks no... But then again, how often do you get to savor bison meat?

2008-07-13T23:31:00.000-07:00

Random notes on animation, can sound a bit dry so be forewarned.
In Maya, the word "spline" can describe a few thiings. In rigging, a "spline" spine is an IK (inverser kinematics) spine. In animation a "spline" tangent is a type of tangent that defines how the curve should travel from one key to the next(and previous.) Both splines are extremely difficult to work with IMO.
Below are a couple of different approaches to animating:
Straight ahead --- most spontaneous
pose-to-pose --- good in keeping the character in scale
Layer/offset --- creates nice followthrough and secondary motion
Ultimately, though, it is the heart and performance that makes an animation gold, not the technicality in which methods are used...

*edit:

An update WIP.

Above is an animation exercise I have started this weekend. Youtube cuts off with audio so it's missing a few frames at the end, and that's my excuse why the last frame looks so bad. Plus it's still WIP.

2008-06-29T10:58:00.001-07:00

The magic inherent in cartoon, in its extravagant visuals and curious rhythms, are dazzling beyond words. To create personality through movements can be so difficult but when you finally get it, so rewarding. When you finally see a drawing, even just a stick figure, come to life through motion, and you feel it is alive with character, that sense of accomplishment is worth every bit of sweat and effort.

Above isn't necessarily something I look at and feel proud of, but it's just a thought process I am experimenting with. Making things move is tougher than it looks.

2008-06-27T06:43:00.000-07:00

So the Chinese writings next to the drawing doesn't really make much sense, I know. Though I feel it's a fair enough self-portrait and proof I still draw these days, even if just on rare occasions.

2008-06-24T04:49:00.000-07:00

Summer has arrived, and here in Chicago, that means lots of tourists and fun city events. There are so many people, just out and about, the crowd on Michigan ave. reminiscent of Time Square new year's eve. If you are a student, this would most undoubtedly be your favorite time of a year. Three-month summer vacation, you get to do all kinds of crazy stuff. City kids venture out camping in the woods, and farm boys wander their way through the big Apple. It is really this time of year, people grow spiritually and explore beyond the charted, experience the new and broaden their horizon.
A couple weeks back I got into chatting with one of my childhood friends, who I have not seen in years, and all these memories of all those summers ago, just kept on coming back at me. It is a very rewarding feeling, justified or not, to suddenly see with clarity that the journey being made thus far has been unique and exciting, at times testing and emotional. Sometimes I have this tunnel vision, like when doing a life drawing, I'd get caught up sketching the details without roughing out the composition. It's the same thing in life, with everything you juggle in the air, it's hard to take that step back and look at the bigger picture.
And. Well. Time to goto work.

2008-06-07T12:35:00.000-07:00

2008-05-10T17:14:00.000-07:00

If it sounds naive, if I sound ignorant, it is because I truly believe dreams do come true, and I am not afraid to pursue them. Animation is not just a childhood affair; it is part of me. Only through lyrics of movements have I been able to unlock the door to my wild imagination. I am grateful to be in this field and I can't see myself doing anything else, ever. It hasn't always been easy, though, to keep a positive attitude and stay motivated. Animation is, hard, and the learning curve is steep. The frustration is bad. Sometimes I would forget to remind myself: learn from the mistakes, the failures, and not let it get the best of me. Sometimes I would almost toss in the towel, thinking I just don't have what it takes. There is a long road ahead of me, and I am eager to travel far. It is okay to take a break once in a while, and it is important to enjoy the journey, but I have my sight set straight high.

This here is a rough 2d pass of a scene from my short. It still needs much tweaking before being brought into Maya, but I thought I'd take a break and try to get some feedback. Thanks to JRA for sharing his invaluable wisdom. learning and tweaking timing and spacing is so much more intuitive in 2D. Everyone should give it a whirl.

2008-04-28T01:08:00.000-07:00

New demo reel. :) This one focuses on rigging and may be quite boring to watch, so I apologize in advance. But, rest assured, an animation reel is in the works and will *hopefully* follow shortly. I am studying hard at the moment to become a better animator. Wish me good luck!

2008-03-02T23:48:00.000-08:00

I know, it's true, it has been a long while since I posted any new animations, but that doesn't mean I have neglected on practicing and trying to improve my crafts. So... Here we go, a new lipsync piece, currently at polishing stage. :)
*edit: somehow the clip went MIA. no worries, I will upload again, once I clean it up some more. I definitely did not delete it on purpose because it was getting a bad rating, I swear. Although it did kindda made me sad, I was still proud of all the work I have produced thus far and see myself improve over time. Yup
**edit: clip is live again. :)

2008-03-01T03:36:00.000-08:00

Urgh... feels like I am going backwards. By the looks of it, you can hardly tell which way the progress is made. :P I have mainly brought back the Proxy due to the rig suffering from slow-downs, but in doing so, it taught me simplicity is virtue. This is true in character design, and this is definitely true in animation.

2008-01-27T13:36:00.000-08:00

The Teddy Rig 1.13 is up!

The Teddy Rig 1.13 is up for grabs. Goto Highend3D and get it through Maya/downloads/character_rigs, or follow the link to the right for a direct download. Below is a screen-capture demonstrating the usage of newly implemented IK/FK fingers. RMB access to space switching & snapping is still work-in-progress and is not included in this release.

2008-01-22T22:07:00.000-08:00

2008-01-21T07:26:00.000-08:00

About time I updated my blog... :) It's almost three months to date since my last post, and needless to say, a lot of things have taken place between now and then. But first, if you haven't noticed, I have added on my blog to the right a link to a Maya rigging tutorial written by yours truly. It covers stretchy arm/leg setup as seen on The Teddy Rig but improved...
Where to begin? Winter in Chicago was fierce (and probably still is?), and more snow had fallen so early on than any previous year... Where is that global-warming everyone's talking about? But not that I have anything to complain about, this meant more opportunities to go snowboard, which is what I did, every week until Christmas came. I learned to to switch from riding regular to goofy then back without falling and gathered enough balls to attempt jumps and diamond routes. It was great fun tossing my body down the hill and watch it bruise. Wish I had taken pictures, though. The clear blue sky littered with cotton white clouds and gentle winter breeze brushing through evergreen tree leaves...
I took some pictures when I went to New York for Christmas, but with my cell-phone, and they turned out very grainy and low-res. Hence I have decided not to scar my blog any more by posting them. Boy, though, what a city, that New York was. I thought Chicago was big, but wait til it's new year's eve and you are in Times Square. Oh my lord, I was there at noon and already there were more than enough people to fill the entire street. I was stuck right in front of Mc Donalds for hrs, couldn't move an inch because no one around me would budge. By five the NYPD had barricaded the 7th ave (or was it 6th? I forgot. ), and allowed no more people to come in. Anyhoo, I just don't understand what's the big deal.
Currently, I am on vacation visiting home and family. Home is as I have always remembered, charming and oddly exotic. Here at the root of my journey, I return for a much needed replenishment, and a stroll down memory lane. That familiar scent immediately brings me in tune with my childhood, and in the midst of all the torn childrens book, dismantled Ninja turtles and high school uniforms that are too small to fit me anymore, flashbacks of devouring all of my grandma's delicious dinner dishes and playing chess with grandpa sprint to mind one after another like a slideshow on autoplay. And home is, no doubt in my mind of all the places I have been to, the most gorgeous. Just check out the pictures attached above. The majesty of mother nature only amplifies how small we are and how insignificant we can seem.
This is really, I consider, a time to sit down and seriously ponder on all the things I have been too busy and distracted to think about. After this nice little break, what awaits me is work and bills and dealing with friends and making acquaintances and time rushing me to make plans for the future. So then, here, away from all that distraction, this is where the soul-searching begins. This here is where I try to find myself, recognize who I am and define what I am. When my surroundings are peaceful, this is the perfect place to look within and study the mirror images.
ewww. Enough of me blabbering. I am sure no one cares about my sophisticated, scholarly epiphanies. And I am tired of typing. :P It's getting kind of late here and I should really goto bed... Expect more updates in the next couple of days. Eyes peeled, eyes peeled! XP

2007-10-24T20:08:00.000-07:00

Announcing Teddy Version 1.12!

XD Recognize it from somewhere? Yup, the sad excuse of doodles in my previous post, that was the concept art of sorts for this updated character. I am testing it right now to see everything works but do expect it on Highend3D soon! New features include IK/FK snapping capability, among a number of other changes and fixes.

And here is a quick walk cycle I did with the new rig.

2007-10-18T14:28:00.000-07:00

I haven't really sat down and drew in a while, all the learning how to use a computer and trying to pick up 3D has sort of discouraged me from doodling as much as I'd like. My sketchbook has still got too many blank pages needing to be filled!
Anyways, below is a rather quick action sheet I wiped out of a generic character. Coloring has never been my strong point, but I try to get better. :) Expect the character to be developed more.

Oh and here is a direct link to my demo reel in QuickTime format. This is for better viewing and of a slightly better quality. Thanks for watching!

2007-09-28T10:09:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture I took of my booth at the portfolio show yesterday. People seemed to have liked my presentation and that made me happy. :)

2007-09-25T20:25:00.000-07:00

So this is what has kept me busy these past few weeks. My demo reel for school's portfolio show.

It's been one long ride, and I am grateful for all the opportunities given to me. Thanks!

2007-09-14T18:49:00.000-07:00

Has it really been two weeks and counting since my blog was last updated? I haven't been slacking, honest. It's time really flies, especially what with finals creeping up on me at school and all the projects being due in so little time. My demo reel needs to be done in less than a week and along with it my resume and portfolio. Although I have been able to pump out a fair amount of materials so far to put forth, with each assignment I learn something new, and looking back, there is always so much room for improvements. I suppose meeting that deadline is equally as important as to doing the best that I can...

Anyways, this blog has been on my mind, too. But like I have stated before, I just don't feel comfortable posting with no attachments. And guess what, now I do have something to show...

It's a lip sync exercise I am doing for 11secondclub. For this clip I am aiming for over-the-top full body acting with fair exaggerations. Critiques are appreciated.

Also, I have been twiddling with my Teddy Rig, fixing bugs and adding new features. Do look forward to another public update soon! :)

2007-08-25T15:56:00.000-07:00

Here is a walk cycle exercise I did really quick to test out my new rig.

The Teddy Rig can be found on highend3d, or right here.

On a completely unrelated subject, I went to play some basketball yesterday. It used to be my favorite sport, and still is, but ever since I moved to Chicago I haven't had much of an opportunity to shoot any hoops, and have gone beyond rusty. Thus, yesterday was like a cruel wake-up call, as I slowly strolled down the court, completely out of breath, with everyone else already making several baskets on both ends, I gradually realized: I am way out of shape! Is it because I have been spending too much time in front of a computer and not enough time outdoors, or has the age thing finally caught up... Either way, it's time to get back in shape!

2007-08-20T23:51:00.000-07:00

What is this, you ask? Why, lo and behold, it's The Teddy Rig! I figured, if this was meant for all to play with, and I really, really do want people to animate it and breath life into The Teddy Rig, it ought to be more accessible and fitting to many different scenarios. Now with the ability to turn on this very generic model attached to the same setup, I hope people will find more of a purpose for The Teddy Rig. :D Right now there are still some weights issues needing to be fixed, but do expect this release fairly soon in the next couple of weeks.

Check this out...

*edit: Never mind what I said about having this update in a couple of weeks. After playing with The Teddy Rig for a bit today I have decided to post it up at its current state. Although ZooToolBox is not yet implemented as I'd like to, I think there are enough changes to garner an update already. So don't hesitate, go here to download the rig and check it out! :)

2007-08-12T23:53:00.000-07:00

Perhaps it's because of the trip I recently took, I have been feeling awfully tired ever since, what with the jet lag and all. Well, this weekend came and went just like that. I didn't get as much done as I'd like to. There is only about 5 weeks left before school is over, that's 35+ some days, and I am not confident I will be able to pull it through. :( Going to Siggraph has definitely inspired me, though. It was exciting meeting some very talented people working in the industry. They showed me where to look up to. Now I just have to stay motivated and push myself to the finish line.

Anyways, I have embedded below a YouTube clip of The Teddy Rig demo update. Not that I have added that many features to this character, it's simply because I felt awkward posting an entry with no attachment. The Teddy Rig 1.01b is an in-house update that only has a couple of changes/fixes over the one available online. For the next public release though, :P, I'd like to implement Hamish's ZooToolBox, like how it's done with Generick by Ian Jones, but that won't be until school is out towards October.

*edit: video replaced with a newer clip showing off abit more features. XP

2007-08-10T22:08:00.000-07:00

Below are a couple of pictures I took in San Diego. The city is lovely, just lovely, gorgeous weather, a beach around the corner... Too bad I was only there for a few days and didn't get to explore it much. Next time, though, next time.

2007-08-07T01:00:00.000-07:00

I am leaving for Siggraph in a couple of hours, and thought I should post something before taking off. There isn't much new to show so instead I am posting some past work I'd done. This one turned out half decent, I thought. :)

2007-08-05T13:17:00.000-07:00

So after participating in a couple of online animation challenges, I think I have learned much and improved my understanding of animation. Next up is to finish the animated short I planned a long time ago... Here is a snippet of what will be something GRAND! :D

And say hi to my new best friend, the X-sheets. :)

2007-08-03T23:16:00.000-07:00

A moment worthy of celebrating, Cow has decided to finally post on this blog. YAY. The plan is, I will be gradually migrating from my deviantart account to this place. In the meanwhile... Well, don't hold your breath, but know I am here to stay. :D

Below is a youtube link to something I did recently for an online competition.

It has plenty of flaws and the acting/animation leaves much to be desired, i. e. it blows. But as a profound surgeon once put it: "Learn by doing, learn by doing," I believe each step along the way makes me a better artist. Practice makes perfect. :)