All the Tech in the World Can't Save You Now

A quick note on technology... it's only as good as the PEOPLE using it.

Having the latest and greatest tech won't help a single bit, if you and your team don't make sure you know how to use it. This is a good thing to consider when starting your next project. Remember that your team's personal responsibility, creativity, resourcefulness, experience and common sense are going to be what matters in the end.

Choose wisely.

Use Wubi to learn Linux

As a huge proponent of learning new widely used technologies, I have been telling students who work with Internet technologies to learn Linux because 99% of all new web servers coming online are on Linux servers. Workplaces, especially small companies, often use linux file servers to avoid the huge licensing costs associated with Server 2007.

Now there is an easy way for beginners to install Linux on a second hard drive and play with the Ubuntu version of the Linux Hardy Heron kernel. If these terms sound like a foreign language to you, then this post is something you need. Wubi is a simple linux installer program that you can run straight from Windows. It will set up linux on the hard drive of your choice, make a boot loader and generally configure some of the more geeky settings. There are many different versions of linux and Ubuntu is one of the most popular. Check out the Ubuntu installation guide at seo.gadget and begin to learn!

Use Acrobat.com as a meeting place

Adobe's new AIR/Flash platform is ripe for application development and they are showcasing the possibilities with the latest in web 2.0 cloud computing. Acrobat.com is a powerful little conferencing application that provides for three vital functions:

1. You can make PDFs online and share them with anyone using an email address.
2. It contains a full-featured web meeting application complete with easy to use white board, web cam conferencing and telephone call-in numbers for voice only conferencing.
3. A free word processor, Buzzword, also is available for generating quick documents on the fly. You can also export them to your favorite format and save them on your local disk which is convenient for the jump drive enthusiasts.
   

Though, I love google docs/apps too, this user interface is simple, sleek and efficent in delivering the goods, all for free! Try it out and move into the sphere of cloud computing.

Get Motivated and Stay That Way!

We all know it is sometimes hard to start projects, even those we care about and want to do. Thus, today's lifehack comes from the Zen Habits blog offering The Ultimate Guide to Motivation. My favorite aspect of this article is that it breaks down two categories in which procrastination usually stops progress:

1. Getting started, and
   
2. Staying motivated when you are in the middle of the project.
   

This latter category is especially helpful because natural stalls in project workflow can make downtime, wasted time if we're not motivated to keep moving forward. Thus, for the long hot days of summer, let the zen expert be your guide.

Who Registered MY Name As THEIR Domain?!

Ever wonder who owns a domain and when it's up for grabs?

Stop wondering...

http://www.who.is/


NOTE: On certain domain registration sites, after you check the availability of a website, a bot automatically registers it. That's why you'll see so many domains owned by hosting companies. You are then forced to "make an offer" on the domain by "hiring a broker". In the end, you pay for the service to buy the domain and then pay more than necessary for the domain. I register my domain through dreamhost (my hosting company) and haven't had a problem.

Learn IA and WebDev simultaneously

Hope you are having a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! This is a post for my fellow geeks who spend holiday weekends dreaming about new projects, software and design tools.

For all of my IMD/Web Design students and those getting ready to launch web portfolios, here are two hot links. The first is the is from one of my old school faves, Webmonkey. The tutorial covers information architecture and sets the stage for content design/management. If you are planning websites for clients this is a must read. It lays out the web site planning and content design process in detail. To design tight sites you have to know how your clients and users will view the

The second is more of an inspirational site designed to fuel your creativity. It's entitled
30 Websites to follow if you’re into Web Development and the web sites featured provide tons of code, design tips, and tutorials to get you started on an awesome adventure.

ciao!
phree


Technorati Tags: web design, information architecture, wevdev

Get out of Debt - Part 2

Though I've posted a number of finance tips in the past, recent research has turned up a host of how-to financial sites that I wish I had known about as a college student. If you are a financial wizard and understand amortization calculation, debt to income ratios and FICO scores, then the sites below are on a beginner level. However, if these terms are new to you, then the following sites are a godsend for learning about debt, money mangement, and methods of moving toward a debt-free existence.

Learning the ropes of finance 101: everything you wish someone had told you earlier...

About Debt:

1. Debt to loan Ratios the basics: http://ezinearticles.com/?Debt-To-Income-Ratio---A-Critical-Factor-In-Your-Credit-Score&id=806220
2. Debt to income ratios - part 2 from Buzzle.com
3. The Motley Fool provides a wonderful free guide and workbook for getting out of debt; this site alone is a great first step toward financial solvency.
4. Finally if you are in debt, Dave Ramsey presents an interesting take on the psychology of debt reduction with his debt snowball site.
   
5. Buzzle.com has a nice debt reduction resource list. It's a great place to survey the range of considerations necessary to make a serious go at debt.
6. The Federal Trade Commission has tons of information about credit repair, debt management, financial counseling,
   

Learn about loans and interest by playing with the amortization calculator.

Finally, the following blogs are written by people who've wrestled with debt and survived. They teach money management skills, provide goos links and provide a nice place to learn about budgeting, financial investing and resources for tracking your cash.

1. The Get Rich Slowly blog is a nice place to learn about day-to-day management issues that are critical for financial success. The tone is friendly and the posters are real folks, not account managers or sleazy "credit counselors" trolling for clients.
   
2. Ramit Sethi's I will teach you to be rich blog is valuable because it also covers business building techniques.
3. Mint Money Management free software might do the trick if you're looking for an all-in-one stop shop for organizing your finances. As always, verify that privacy concerns are respected and this could be a great tool.

So that's it, a fairly comprehensive get started set of finance tools.

Enjoy!
phree

Adobe AIR apps worth a look!

Below are two sites that feature cool Adobe AIR applications that take care of small tasks we often farm out to larger pieces of RAM hogging software. The applications run on the adobe AIR runtime platform which you can download for free here. Better yet, most of the applications are free too which means wonderful interfaces, open source design and responsiveness to user requests.

1. The first site is from Mashable and they featured a top 10 list.
2. The second site, Fresh AIR Apps, provides a stream of new tools, most of which are useful utilities you wish you had invented.

As always, feedback on these tools is appreciated.
later,
phree

Keep focused while working...

It is easy to get distracted and not get the most out of time set aside for work. Thus, in the spirit of fostering productivity, this post from Zen Habits provides numerous tips for keeping work time focused on must-do tasks. These tips fall into the "don't waste time and prioritize" categories. Though most seem like common sense, there are a few gems worth noticing:

1. Take more breaks,
2. Plan you day with details, and
3. Notice your lazy routines to name a few.

Klok is a cool Adobe Air application that allows you to keep track of the time you spend on projects. It might be useful for quoting jobs or just tracking a work session.

As always, I appreciate feedback on the application if you try it.

Now get to work!

Windows XP Quick Tip(s): The Status Bar

If you are constantly managing a lot of files, you will find this one small windows feature pretty helpful.

In any open explorer window, navigate to View> [check on] Status Bar.

You'll now see some info about the file size for the contents of the folder or the selected file(s).

That's it!

Scripting... isn't that just for programming geeks?

Silly cg artist. That's why you can't figure out why your software package won't 'work'.

The attitude that artists only make art is NOT embraced by lead cg artists. Maybe you do feel that you don't need to get a basic understanding of scripting (which is just a simpler version of programming) simply because you, "Just want to animate." Maybe that'll get you by. But do you really want to be so clueless about your tools? Every good painter knows how to use their brushes, pigments and surfaces. Can you honestly say you know how to use your software?

There are lots of resources to give you a basic idea of how programing works. That's easy to find. What isn't always so easy is finding out exactly how scripting helps you - the artist. Here's a short list of the benefits:

1. Trouble Shooting: When you understand what's happening 'under the hood', you'll be able to more quickly figure out exactly what's causing your current issue and fix or work around it. Example: You hit the "make pretty" button and nothing happens. You look in the script editor and see an error message that alerts you to the fact that you did not have an object selected to be 'made pretty' (it says something crazy like, "invalid input argument; operation failed"). You select an object, hit the button and now have 'the pretty'.
   
2. Automation: Making the computer do what is was designed for - let you be lazier more efficient. Have the software do more of the boring and/or repetitive tasks while you spend your time improving the mood of your shot. Examples: preparing characters for export to a game engine, building rigging elements you frequently use, creating automated secondary motion for tentacles, etc.
   
3. Consistency: When you script a task, you know you'll get the same result every time. This also helps to reduce human error. Example: You have scripts that build rig setups on the bones/joints you created. You don't have to spend time checking if the 291 controller objects are named correctly before passing the asset off. You can now leave work in time for your hot date AND not have your teammates later punch you in the throat for delaying the last shot for "The Land Before Time 17".
   
4. Extensibility: Sometimes the tool you need hasn't been made yet or doesn't work the way you need it to. You can often make it yourself. Additionally, you have more control and understanding of the tool, so modifying or re-purposing a part of it becomes a very appealing option.
   

Q: "Hey, I don't do 3d. This is worthless!"
A: Motion graphics artists sometimes need to write expressions for animating certain elements. They also occasionally need to duplicate a layer 243,917 times, change each new layer's overlay mode to something unique, and then derive the name from that overlay mode setting, etc. You can automate both of these silly task lists (as long as your software supports scripting). I'm willing to wager that if you started looking through this glorious world view, you'll find all sorts of ways to make your workload lighter, productivity faster and output quality higher. :D

Q: "But.. PHOTOSHOP doesn't support scripting?!! Oh, nos!"
A: You are not not not correct. Please check the first two links below, dear friend.

Further reading:

• http://www.tutorialized.com/view/tutorial/Photoshop-scripts-An-introduction/12077
  
• http://www.kirupa.com/motiongraphics/ps_scripting.htm
  
• http://www.xsibase.com/forum/index.php?board=26;action=display;threadid=16336;start=0
• http://www.bernardlebel.com/tutorials/learnscriptingxsi.htm

Clean Your Credit History

This site from the Make Your Nut blog teaches you how to give your credit history a makeover. The basic premise is that you can reset your credit history by asking the credit reporting agencies to justify the negative records that show up when a credit check is performed.


Read the story, try the techniques and provide feedback below.

Contracts for Freelancers

At some time in your career you may choose to freelance. Knowing how to write a solid contract and plan for unforeseen changes/contingencies makes a huge difference in profit margins. Often it will be the difference between losing and making money on a project. Digital web magazine offers a few reasons why you should never do a project without a contract and practices that are always useful in legal negotiations.

That said the following resources are useful starting points for writing contracts that help ensure both parties conclude the project with positive results. First visit:
writing web design contracts for the non-legal. There's a rough sample that requires customization on this site too. Second creative latitude provides many great resources for the startup design company. This is the site that you must visit to visualize the many steps necessary in client and work flow management. Finally "Bulletproof Web Design Contracts" contains expert advice regarding changes/contingencies that you should consider before you begin to fine tune the contract.

If contract terms and language still make you crazy, visit this glossary to get familiar with legal phrases/terms. Though a contract is not an absolute guarantee that your projects will be profitable and hassle-free, it can provide a good foundation so that everyone involved knows what to expect as the project progresses.

Happy freelancing!

The Pipeline? Yes, the Pipeline.

Pipeline.

For those unfamiliar to the term, I'll describe it this way:
Every asset, chunk of code, or change request that is generated to make a movie or series or commercial can be looked at as data. The 'pipeline' describes all the pathways this data can and will flow until it is eventually mixed to become the final deliverable(s).

Why the term 'pipeline'? Because pipes break... A LOT. They have many twists and turns. They divide and merge. When things go down the pipe, they're usually going where you want them to and when they come back up - you tend to get stuck cleaning up a mess. I can think of no term more appropriate.

You can look at a pipeline in it's basic form as 'development', 'previzualization', 'production' and 'post-production'. From there, it all breaks down into smaller and smaller steps and how they interact. Knowing your production at this level helps to insure that more time is spent on the art - the entertaining, than fixing your tools/workflows.

Here are a few links to give you a little insight into the world of building, using and maintaining a media production pipeline...

Dreamworks CG Pipeline
http://akeigher.wordpress.com/2007/10/16/dreamworks-cg-pipeline/

Interview with Olivier Ozoux
Associate Digital Supervisor on Happy Feet - Animal Logic
http://www.xsibase.com/articles.php?detail=125

Interview with Brett Feeney
Digital Supervisor on Happy Feet - Animal Logic
http://www.xsibase.com/articles.php?detail=126

Meet the Artist: Kenn MacDonald
Animation Supervisor on Beowulf - Sony Pictures Imageworks
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?f=165&t=566843


I HIGHLY recommend that all students training up to be professional CG artists get a hold of all parts of The Art of Rigging. These training resources do an excellent job of helping the reader to understand the depth of thinking that goes into CG production. You can take a look at it here... http://www.cgtoolkit.com.

Feeeeeature Creeeeep

http://sixrevisions.com/project-management/eight-tips-on-how-to-manage-feature-creep/

Save yourself a lot of pain in your professional life and learn from the above article.

In my experience (combined with a lot of reading/discussing other artists' own trials and tribulations), learning those lessons the hard way means uncomfortable stretches of unemployment or total abandonment of the industry to avoid dealing with clients.

Hope this prevents some disasters (or at the very lest gives you a cushion to fall on)!

QT Follow-up: Codecs for Reviews

Hey!

I've been using the Motion JPEG B codec lately. The file sizes are small, the quality is pretty good for animation reviews and XSI, Premiere, MotionBuilder and most of the Autodesk apps deal with it well (won't crash while rendering/capturing). In the Compresser, I'm using Best Depth and Medium for Quality.

PS: I tend to like rendering playblasts/captures as a .mov or a .wmv as opposed to image sequences, because they are easy to drop into an edit and view in a folder. Final renders are ALWAYS image sequences, though. They tend to take a LOT longer and if there's a crash or an issue, you only lose one frame instead of the entire set of frames.

10 Creativity Blocks

It's the end of winter and time to recharge your creative battery. Copyblogger.com offers 10 tips for recognizing creative blocks. If you can eliminate some or all of the blocks listed, you just might be able to see the world from a fresh standpoint adn get the idea engine started.

Check it out especially if you're stalled on a project.

Repair your credit and get a free credit report

So you're a college student with credit problems. Join the club. Many students face the issue of repairing credit mistakes made before they gained financial awareness. To make the recovery easier, visit the "Make your nut" site to learn how to repair a bad credit report. Having a good FICO score is vital for securing credit and loans post-college. This site teaches you how to raise your score and get negative elements taken off of your report.

Also you can get a free copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit agencies each year by visiting annualcreditreport.com.

Get out there and fix your credit!

Quick Web Designs for Mortals

If you need a web site that you can tweak and reverse engineer then the Open Source Design project is for you. Non-web designers often need to post projects sites quickly and the open source design project provides clean basic web sites that you can download, tweak and upload in a matter of hours. For graphic/web designers and photographers the sites may not fully meet your needs but for those who need quick design, the sites are ideal starting points.

If you download and use one of these sites, please provide feedback below.
take care,
phree

Logo Design - Top 50 Tutorials

For graphic designers working on projects that require logo design, the following tutorials may provide insights and inspiration: http://www.elogodesign.com/logo-design-tutorials/.

The site contains various pointers and tips for thinking about design concerns and is highly recommended for those having a creative block.

Use it to get a jump start on projects.

Keep up with the latest in design with Design Observer

If you are majoring in any type of design field, it's good to know what the people in the field are writing and thinking about. The Design Observer blog is a good place to start. It contains articles and links to literally thousands of resources posted by persons in the field. To see what's hot and what's not, go to Design Observer.

Get out of debt - Part 1

If you're in debt and stressed, Leo Babauta's blog Zen Habits provides wonderful advice for digging your way out. Be sure to read both posts linked here. The first discusses strategies for becoming debt-free; the second covers techniques he used to pursue his dream of turning his blog into his full-time job.


Though his path is not foolproof or tailored to every situation, it does offer insights for those who would work to live versus live to work.


As always your comments and insights are appreciated.

peace,
phree

Career Tips for Illustrators

Nate Williams offers solid career tips to get your work noticed by art directors. His blog is informative and provides examples of the ideas he advocates. This is a good "get started" place for graphic designers who wish to become illustrators. Check out his bio, client list and portfolio too!

Let me know what you think....
phree