Autodesk have started something new for those on support: it's called Subscription Advantage Packs. This is a way for those that pay the price of subscription to get new features dropped in, fast... One of the most awaited 'drops' is Mudbox on Linux!
Tracey Chung: a budding character animation artist
Last week, I promised to share with you some more of the work that our students have presented to us at the end of their courses. This time, I have decided to show you the work of Tracey Chung, who recently completed our Character Animation course taught by Alex Williams.
Lundgren vs Unicorn and The Hoff!
Absolute genius on the part of the creatives at Leo Burnetts for Norton.
The Most Exciting RenderMan Toolset in Years!
The upcoming RenderMan for Maya 4 and RenderMan Studio 3 offers mouth watering upgrades & new features; we are busy working away on the RenderMan Certified courseware and will cover these cool new workflows in depth.
Nuke, Mari, Ocula now available at Escape Studios!
Ultimate Geek Out
At the end of a busy day in the classroom - a day full of complex concepts and software training - conversations with Joe and Flora in our training sales team naturally turned to equally weighty subjects.
Calling all Professional Freelancers!
Escape’s recruitment team has been extremely busy lately. As I come to the end of yet another busy month one thing is becoming increasingly clear - there is a genuine shortage of VFX freelancers within the Post Production Industry.
Escape Studios hosts TIGA’s Self-Publishing Seminar
As part of this year’s London Games Festival, we are going to be hosting a free TIGA event in our studios. If you want to get an insight into self-publishing your games, come along and chat with the pros.
GoBOXX 1640 Really Goes!
The GoBOXX 1640 was recently reviewed by Cadalyst, and underwent a benchmark assessment designed to test and compare the performance of all sorts of systems running AutoCAD.
Has the boxed game had its day?
Last week’s high profile launch of Halo: Reach, and the stories of gamers camping outside retailers' doors, tell me that game launches have become just like movie premieres and create just as much excitement as the launch of new Apple gadgets.
VFX Professional - New work!
We've just had another round of courses finish and again we've seen some really great work!
Watch the RenderMan Tips and Tricks Webinar and download the Q & A
All of us on the RenderMan team were delighted to hear that so many of you found Lee Danskin's RenderMan tips and Trick's webinar so useful. There were a lot of questions at the end, some of which Lee did not get a chance to answer so we have put them in a Q&A which you can check out by logging into Escape's Free Resource Centre. We've also recorded the webinar, so if you missed it or want to see it again, log in and watch it.
Neil Thompson of Bizarre Creations to present at Autodesk’s Manchester Event
Autodesk have announced that Neil Thompson, the Studio Art Director at Bizarre Creations will be taking the guest speaker spot at this year’s Manchester event.
Last Chance to Apply for Skillset Bursaries
If you work in TV or produce work for TV as a freelancer, you could receive between 50% (employees) to 80% (freelancers) off the price of four of our visual effects courses. These are online courses, so can be done in your own time. They are: Maya Core; Nuke for 3d Artists; Zbrush Foundation; and Advanced Lighting and Shading.
Junior Artists - Keep that VFX Shot Simple
A common misconception amongst Junior Artists when preparing their first reel is that they have to come up with some overly elaborate and complex VFX shot to wow future employees. These usually feature exotic spaceships, massive explosions and weapons of mass destruction. It doesn't have to be like that. So, what makes a good CG shot? I had a chat with our Training Development Director and Maya Guru Lee Danskin to find out.
CG Whiz 2010 is coming! Adam Droy our 2009 winner tells all
When Adam Droy entered the CG Whiz competition, he didn't believe he'd even make it to the runners up stage. Like many, knowing that the competition was tough, he submitted his showreel and forgot all about it. When he got the call asking him to come along to the CG Whiz reveal event he was astounded, and when we called his name as winner, he just about managed to find his feet to collect the prize. 3D Artist caught up with Adam to find out what life has been like in the aftermath of winning the competition. As a judge of this year's CG Whiz, we're excited to know what he's going to be looking for.
Wireframes Structures Flavour of the Month
It seems that monumental wireframe structures are the flavour of the month, and for those of us who are into lo-fi 3D geometry here's a real treat. Antony Gormley's new sculpture of a crouching man and Iceland's prototype for human pylons.
Paul Franklin, VFX supervisor of Inception talks to our students
Few VFX artists can claim to have as prestigious a career as Paul Franklin. From junior VFX artist to co-founder of Double Negative, one of London's most prestigious post houses, Paul has been on quite a journey. He's worked on some of the most memorable and successful films of recent times, titles such as Batman Begins, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and The Dark Knight. His work has brought him nominations for an Oscar and two BAFTAs along the way.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: A Geek and Nerd References' Fest
I went to see Scott Pilgrim vs. the World at the weekend and I was taken with the visual style of the whole movie. Eccentric humour aside, the movie was pretty simplistic as far as plot is concerned, but the aesthetic complexity displayed was pretty amazing. The use of augmented reality styling with major references to to the likes of the Tekken franchise were really interesting to see.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
"Dad, can we go to the cinema?" Yes it was that time of the summer holidays when the children will do anything to get out of the house. I exclaimed "But we have already seen everything that's any good!"