Concerning what not to do.

After rendering for more than Twenty Two hours my VRAY renderer quits when I launched Firefox. No image.

I restart.

Twelve hours into the render, my laptop goes into standby mode and VRAY quits. No image.

I restart.

Been rendering since nine this morning and I have another nineteen hours to go before anyone can see what I have been up to.

So I guess you folks just have to wait.

And oh did I mention it’s only a single frame.

It’s finally here. My online order has arrived via FedEx. If you been a regular reader, you would realize that not too long ago I ordered 3 Maya 7 foundations books from Alias online store for 180 USD. These are the official Alias training guides that are written for Maya users.

I have got to admit I was actually surprised to see the package in my room because the online invoice stated that I would be receiving my package on Tuesday rather than today. Anyway I proceeded to open the package like a child who has just gotten his Christmas gift. Come to think of it, I never got any presents for Christmas. Oh well…

After opening the package, I took out the 3 thick books. I meant thick because each book has approximately 650 pages. The books are in full colour and also come with DVDs. I haven’t had the chance to look at the contents of the DVDs and I have just glanced through the books. From my observation so far, I am glad that I made the right choice in buying these books.

I don’t remember myself for being so enthusiastic about books before, for games yes but never for books. But seeing these books I feel that I am on the right path.

Let us hope the fire that fuels my passion doesn’t burn out and I would be disciplined enough to finish all the lessons in the books.

I took a day off from the Army on Tuesday because I wanted to attend the launch ceremony of Maya 7 in Singapore. Not many I guess would do such a thing. Then again I am the same person who took urgent leave from army just to Watch Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

My day began with a visit to Latifa’s home. She had asked me a day before to troubleshoot her personal computer. So being nice, I met her and managed to fix her pc. I even threw in a few softwares that I thought would be beneficial to her. She thanked me numerous times and even bought me a Burger King Meal as a treat.

Well I have got to admit, I was rather talkative that day. After our chat we parted ways and I went to MPH bookstore at City Hall interchange.

My intentions for going there were clear. I went there to buy a Paulo Coelho book. I actually ended up buying not one but two of his books, ‘The Devil and Miss Prym’ and ‘Veronika Decides to Die.’ I also bought a book for my brother, The Legacy of Blood based on the popular PC game Diablo.

After which I made my way to the launch of Maya 7 in Singapore. The launch was a pretty standard affair but Maya 7 was anything but standard. Maya is going from strength to strength and it’s great that the software has been more streamlined.

Version 7 builds upon the architecture and performance developments from version 6.5. No doubt in the hands of a competent user, Maya will be able to deliver on all ends. It’s just too bad Singapore only has a handful of real Maya enthusiasts but it was nice to see people sacrificing their time to be there.

I didn’t stay long at the launch as I wanted to return home and read my newly bought books. So I took the MRT back home and while on the MRT, I promised myself that I would finish reading ‘Veronika Decides to Die’ by this weekend.

Upon reaching home, I did my daily routine of checking emails and surfing net. I visited the Alias site because I thought they had some coverage on the launch event in Singapore. But I was sourly disappointed. But my disappointment quickly vanished when I saw an irresistible offer; Alias was offering 3 Maya 7 foundations books for $150 USD. On its own each of this books cost $70 USD. This offer had a 29% discount and a ton of goodies.

So I thought about it for 2 seconds and decided it was about time I took the next step in my passion for 3D. I paid $180 USD (including shipping) for books by my MasterCard.

Now all I have to do is wait till the end of September to receive my books.

It’s only been a year and already 3D companies are bringing new versions of their flagship products. Well although that’s good news, the thing that excites me most is that these new versions are more accessible and are also more affordable to enthusiasts.

With so many choices to choose from, one might be overwhelmed to pick the right one. My advice is to try these new programs before buying them. Although some of these softwares have yet to be released it is possible in some cases to download the trial version of the previous incarnations and try them out. And some companies even offer non commercial versions or personal learning editions to the general public.

Many of the companies chose SIGGRAPH 2005 which an international conference for computer graphics and interactive techniques to unveil their new version of their products. All these new products have new tools that set industry benchmarks for performance and creative flexibility. Here is the list of the latest software releases.

New Software Releases
• Alias - Maya 7.0
• Autodesk - 3ds max 8
• NewTek - LightWave 3D v9.0.
• Avid Technology - Softimage|XSI 3D 5.0
• MAXON - CINEMA 4D 9.5 & BodyPaint 3D 2.5

NaturalMotion Ltd., the developers of breakthrough 3D animation technology based on Dynamic Motion Synthesis (DMS), announced the immediate availability of the company’s free endorphin Learning Edition (eLE).

Based on the award-winning 3D character animation software endorphin 2.0, the eLE has no time restrictions, includes all relevant product documentation, and offers a comprehensive support network via the company’s endorphin forum. The software is fully functional; however, it is motion file export disabled and is not to be used for commercial production.

The eLE is available now through NaturalMotion’s Web site at www.naturalmotion.com.

endorphin is the only character animation software to utilize DMS, a technology based on artificial intelligence controllers that imitate the human nervous system. Unlike conventional animation techniques such as keyframing or motion capture, endorphin’s DMS technology uses the CPU to simulate the brain and body of 3D characters, which allows animators to synthesize human movements in real time.

This approach produces directed and fully-interactive 3D characters that essentially animate themselves with real-life movements that are unique every time; thus dramatically reducing animation asset production time.

The full version of endorphin 2.0 retails at USD $12,795. eLE users also have the option to rent the software on a monthly basis for USD $1,595.