TechArtJam by Rigging Dojo

We recorded a very short note as this was the first time we were all together in over 10 years! It was a great weekend with Brad, and Josh. We were talking about why we started rigging dojo 10+ years ago and someone said to “connect artists to answers”. I like that. I like it a lot.

In this episode, I share some thoughts on being a force multiplier as a lead. How tech art continues to evolve, and organizing ourselves to accomodate that. Going from an individual contributor to a lead required a major mental shift in what being good at my job looks like. This didn’t come easy after almost a decade of straight-up production work. I still struggle with not being able to do as much work myself. - Nina Fricker twitter.com/TechAnima…

Tech Art Jam Episode 7: Leadership. Hello everyone, this is the TechArtJam microcast from Rigging Dojo, I’m your host, Chad Moore. A Thread on leadership popped up on twitter recently, started by Jeremy Ernst. It made me think of how there is a lack of training for people transitioning to leadership roles, or even discussions about that transition. So, I’m going to talk about it a bit here, and try to get a guest or two on as well. That thread also reminded me about our recent newsletter interview with Nina Fricker. Nina mentioned some really interesting points on her own movement from individual contributor to lead. To me the most important trait of a good lead, regardless of discipline, is that your focus is on making your team successful. Going from an individual contributor to a lead required a major mental shift in what being good at my job looks like. This didn’t come easy after almost a decade of straight-up production work. I still struggle with not being able to do as much work myself. As with all aspects of my career, I’ve received wonderful guidance and mentorship from so many people at Insomniac. They’ve helped me realize that I make a big impact as a force multiplier through leading. This came in the form of CONSTANT reassurance that the success of my team was first and foremost and that my feeling of not doing enough showable production work was a normal reaction. It’s become very fulfilling for me to see the amazing things the folks on my team accomplish. Leadship has many styles, and every situation is nuanced. But you can relate leadership to the things you may already know. You can unit test your leadship skills to see if they pass or fail. You can determine a pipeline for the people you serve as a leader to grow their strengths. Ask yourself these questions, they’re a good first start about thinking on your own work. Then think of a situation at work with someone you lead, or a leader of yours. Frame the same questions with that lens. - Do I know what is expected of me at work? - Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right? - At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day? - In the last seven days, have I received recognition or praise for doing good work? - Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person? - Is there someone at work who encourages my development? - At work, do my opinions seem to count? - Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel my job is important? - Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work? - Do I have a best friend at work? - In the last six months, has someone at work talked to me about my progress? - This last year, have I had opportunities at work to learn and grow? These questions come from Gallup’s Q12 employee engagement survey. Check it out here.

Tech Art Jam Episode 6: “Next Gen” Part Three. Hello everyone, this is the TechArtJam microcast from Rigging Dojo, I’m your host, Chad Moore. Interview with David Hearn and Charles Wardlaw, Part three! Brad spoke with Rigging Lead David Hearn about rigging and about working with Blender on a large scale production for the new Netflix film “Next Gen” by Tangent Animation. They were also joined by friend and Blender master Charles Wardlaw. ~~

Tech Art Jam Episode 5: “Next Gen” Part Two. Hello everyone, this is the TechArtJam microcast from Rigging Dojo, I’m your host, Chad Moore. Interview with David Hearn and Charles Wardlaw, Part two! Brad spoke with Rigging Lead David Hearn about rigging and about working with Blender on a large scale production for the new Netflix film “Next Gen” by Tangent Animation. They were also joined by friend and Blender master Charles Wardlaw. ~~

Tech Art Jam Episode 4: “Next Gen” Part One. Hello everyone, this is the TechArtJam microcast from Rigging Dojo, I’m your host, Chad Moore. Quick note: we’re on the Google Play store now. Find us there on your Android devices. Interview with David Hearn and Charles Wardlaw Brad spoke with Rigging Lead David Hearn about working with Blender on a large scale production for the new Netflix film “Next Gen” by Tangent Animation. They were also joined by friend and Blender master Charles Wardlaw. ~~

Hello everyone, this is the TechArtJam microcast from Rigging Dojo, I’m your host, Chad Moore. What’s new at Rigging Dojo Our interview with Isabella Cheng * www.riggingdojo.com/2018/05/1… * Really interesting to hear her talk about the balence of reusing animations via in-engine retargeting versus uniqness of multiple characters movements. This is a really interesting topic that doesn’t get enough discussion. Would love to hear if you have any thoughts on it. Animation budgets are beasts. Dash * www.instagram.com/p/Bi2hEJN… Numbers * www.facebook.com/RiggingDo… Danette Beatty * www.danettebeatty.com/my-proces… * Duplicating, scaling up, revresing normals and vertex paining to make an outline. This may not work in every situation but it’s a clever idea. No reason you cant add a deformer as well to do a little toon shading as well Ryan Porter * Ryan is exploring rigigng a very complex model on his blog. I love reading through his thought process, and seeing how he’s working within the constraints the model poses. Check it out! * yantor3d.wordpress.com/2018/05/1… * twitter.com/hashtag/C… Question of the week What’s the biggest change coming to the industry in the next two years? What should be more predictable, but isn’t? Ryan Griffin’s Audio * Collaboration, within a disclipline and across disclipline twitter.com/ThE_JacO Raffaele Fragapane “The Jaco” (who’s cult of rig is fantasic) answered: * Animators * User Experience Interviews: www.designkit.org/methods/2 Peter Saumur twitter.com/Stitched * Schedules * Abstraction is your friend: Story Points: www.tothenew.com/blog/how-… I think hiring can be more predictable * How can we be better match-makers?

We’re live in the iTune podcast section, as well as Overcast. Search for TechArtJam. What’s new at the dojo Brad’s GDC talk MotionBuilder - 10 things you aren’t doing but should be. Free! ondemand.riggingdojo.com/store/vLp… Photoshop course ondemand.riggingdojo.com/p/Photosh… Coaching wait list - I’ll be in touch soon What’s happening in the industry Maya 2018.3 help.autodesk.com/view/MAYA… Thanos Face Rigging Article - spoilers www.fxguide.com/featured/… QA - What’s the biggest change coming to the industry in the next two years? Brad’s Answer My Answer Call for submissions Send me a 3 minute or less audio clip The Mayonnaise Jar and Two Cups of Coffee The Mayonnaise Jar and Two Cups of Coffee When things in your lives seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee. A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous “yes.” The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed. “Now,” said the professor as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things–your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions–and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else–the small stuff. “If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you. “Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first–the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.” One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. “I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.”

Episode 000 Hello everyone, this is the TechArtJam microcast from Rigging Dojo. I’m your host, Chad Moore. Spring 2018 Newsletter What’s new at RD - Seths Mobilty course & webinar - Introduction to Photoshop scripting - Coaching - Agile Development - call for info/interviews - Brad’s new “MotionBuilder Keyframe animators qucikstart” course 25$ News and notes Randall Hess techanimator.blogspot.com Recent posts have everything from customizing fbx files for exort to game, topology concerns for mechanical rigging, Cusomizing characters for Radical Heights, Boss Key’s latest game. Artist can export from Maya or Max to Engine. That’s really nice touch to be able to let the artist work in whichever software is best for the job at hand, and let the computer handle the conversion www.engadget.com/2018/02/2… Siggraph registration August 12-18 in Vancouver Registration is open Thanks for listening!