My Name Is Ben Stanley and I Am an FX Artist Primarily Working in Houdini, Blender and Nuke

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

My Name Is Ben Stanley and I Am an FX Artist Primarily Working in Houdini, Blender and Nuke My name is Ben Stanley and I am an FX Artist primarily working in Houdini, Blender and Nuke; although I’m very flexible and eager to learn new software and workflows! I have a lot of experience in fluids, pyro and RBD, and I enjoy creating magical FX as well as various particle dynamics. I started out 5 years ago mastering Blender and I then decided to expand my knowledge by learning Houdini and Nuke. I use Mantra, Arnold or Cycles for rendering, and Adobe After Effects for various compositing tasks as needed. I am always looking for ways to learn and expand my knowledge of the vfx pipeline and so in my free time I enjoy Modelling, Texturing and Sculpting, mostly for personal projects. As for education, I graduated from CGSpectrum with a degree in Advanced Houdini FX for Film, taught by some amazing industry mentors such as Ben Fox, Robert Thomas, Lewis Taylor and others. During High- school, I studied programming (C# and Swift) and 3D art for my electives. I also went through Allan Mckay’s FX TD Disintegration course where we focused in on production standard fx, compositing, lighting and rendering. In addition, I completed the Houdini FX Bootcamp by FX TD Raffi Bedross. This course focused on all aspects of Houdini FX, including water, fire, smoke, sand, snow, cloth and procedural animation. I feel like one of my really strong traits is the ability to work very efficiently both on my own and in a team based environment, as well as stay self-motivated through long projects. I always strive to go the extra mile when it is applicable, while at the same time honing in on the requirements for the project at hand. I invite you to view my latest Reel, and thank you for your time! Feel free to contact me at your best convenience. Email | Reel | Website | Linkedin Phone: (205)-552-3969 .
Recommended publications
  • Procedural Content Generation for Games
    Procedural Content Generation for Games Inauguraldissertation zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades eines Doktors der Naturwissenschaften der Universit¨atMannheim vorgelegt von M.Sc. Jonas Freiknecht aus Hannover Mannheim, 2020 Dekan: Dr. Bernd L¨ubcke, Universit¨atMannheim Referent: Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Effelsberg, Universit¨atMannheim Korreferent: Prof. Dr. Colin Atkinson, Universit¨atMannheim Tag der m¨undlichen Pr¨ufung: 12. Februar 2021 Danksagungen Nach einer solchen Arbeit ist es nicht leicht, alle Menschen aufzuz¨ahlen,die mich direkt oder indirekt unterst¨utzthaben. Ich versuche es dennoch. Allen voran m¨ochte ich meinem Doktorvater Prof. Wolfgang Effelsberg danken, der mir - ohne mich vorher als Master-Studenten gekannt zu haben - die Promotion an seinem Lehrstuhl erm¨oglichte und mit Geduld, Empathie und nicht zuletzt einem mir unbegreiflichen Verst¨andnisf¨ur meine verschiedenen Ausfl¨ugein die Weiten der Informatik unterst¨utzthat. Sie werden mir nicht glauben, wie dankbar ich Ihnen bin. Weiterhin m¨ochte ich meinem damaligen Studiengangsleiter Herrn Prof. Heinz J¨urgen M¨ullerdanken, der vor acht Jahren den Kontakt zur Universit¨atMannheim herstellte und mich ¨uberhaupt erst in die richtige Richtung wies, um mein Promotionsvorhaben anzugehen. Auch Herr Prof. Peter Henning soll nicht ungenannt bleiben, der mich - auch wenn es ihm vielleicht gar nicht bewusst ist - davon ¨uberzeugt hat, dass die Erzeugung virtueller Welten ein lohnenswertes Promotionsthema ist. Ganz besonderer Dank gilt meiner Frau Sarah und meinen beiden Kindern Justus und Elisa, die viele Abende und Wochenenden zugunsten dieser Arbeit auf meine Gesellschaft verzichten mussten. Jetzt ist es geschafft, das n¨achste Projekt ist dann wohl der Garten! Ebenfalls geb¨uhrt meinen Eltern und meinen Geschwistern Dank.
    [Show full text]
  • Making a Game Character Move
    Piia Brusi MAKING A GAME CHARACTER MOVE Animation and motion capture for video games Bachelor’s thesis Degree programme in Game Design 2021 Author (authors) Degree title Time Piia Brusi Bachelor of Culture May 2021 and Arts Thesis title 69 pages Making a game character move Animation and motion capture for video games Commissioned by South Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences Supervisor Marko Siitonen Abstract The purpose of this thesis was to serve as an introduction and overview of video game animation; how the interactive nature of games differentiates game animation from cinematic animation, what the process of producing game animations is like, what goes into making good game animations and what animation methods and tools are available. The thesis briefly covered other game design principles most relevant to game animators: game design, character design, modelling and rigging and how they relate to game animation. The text mainly focused on animation theory and practices based on commentary and viewpoints provided by industry professionals. Additionally, the thesis described various 3D animation and motion capture systems and software in detail, including how motion capture footage is shot and processed for games. The thesis ended on a step-by-step description of the author’s motion capture cleanup project, where a jog loop was created out of raw motion capture data. As the topic of game animation is vast, the thesis could not cover topics such as facial motion capture and procedural animation in detail. Technologies such as motion matching, machine learning and range imaging were also suggested as topics worth covering in the future.
    [Show full text]
  • Blender Instructions a Summary
    BLENDER INSTRUCTIONS A SUMMARY Attention all Mac users The first step for all Mac users who don’t have a three button mouse and/or a thumb wheel on the mouse is: 1.! Go under Edit menu 2.! Choose Preferences 3.! Click the Input tab 4.! Make sure there is a tick in the check boxes for “Emulate 3 Button Mouse” and “Continuous Grab”. 5.! Click the “Save As Default” button. This will allow you to navigate 3D space and move objects with a trackpad or one-mouse button and the keyboard. Also, if you prefer (but not critical as you do have the View menu to perform the same functions), you can emulate the numpad (the extra numbers on the right of extended keyboard devices). It means the numbers across the top of the standard keyboard will function the same way as the numpad. 1.! Go under Edit menu 2.! Choose Preferences 3. Click the Input tab 4.! Make sure there is a tick in the check box for “Emulate Numpad”. 5.! Click the “Save As Default” button. BLENDER BASIC SHORTCUT KEYS OBJECT MODE SHORTCUT KEYS EDIT MODE SHORTCUT KEYS The Interface The interface of Blender (version 2.8 and higher), is comprised of: 1. The Viewport This is the 3D scene showing you a default 3D object called a cube and a large mesh-like grid called the plane for helping you to visualize the X, Y and Z directions in space. And to save time, in Blender 2.8, the camera (left) and light (right in the distance) has been added to the viewport as default.
    [Show full text]
  • A Procedural Interface Wrapper for Houdini Engine in Autodesk Maya
    A PROCEDURAL INTERFACE WRAPPER FOR HOUDINI ENGINE IN AUTODESK MAYA A Thesis by BENJAMIN ROBERT HOUSE Submitted to the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Chair of Committee, André Thomas Committee Members, John Keyser Ergun Akleman Head of Department, Tim McLaughlin May 2019 Major Subject: Visualization Copyright 2019 Benjamin Robert House ABSTRACT Game development studios are facing an ever-growing pressure to deliver quality content in greater quantities, making the automation of as many tasks as possible an important aspect of modern video game development. This has led to the growing popularity of integrating procedural workflows such as those offered by SideFX Software’s Houdini FX into the already established de- velopment pipelines. However, the current limitations of the Houdini Engine plugin for Autodesk Maya often require developers to take extra steps when creating tools to speed up development using Houdini. This hinders the workflow for developers, who have to design their Houdini Digi- tal Asset (HDA) tools around the limitations of the Houdini Engine plugin. Furthermore, because of the implementation of the HDA’s parameter display in Maya’s Attribute Editor when using the Houdini Engine Plugin, artists can easily be overloaded with too much information which can in turn hinder the workflow of any artists who are using the HDA. The limitations of an HDA used in the Houdini Engine Plugin in Maya as a tool that is intended to improve workflow can actually frustrate and confuse the user, ultimately causing more harm than good.
    [Show full text]
  • 3D Data Visualization in Astrophysics Dr
    3D Data Visualization in Astrophysics Dr. Brian R. Kent National Radio Astronomy Observatory http://www.cv.nrao.edu/~bkent/blender http://iopscience.iop.org/journal/1538-3873/page/Techniques-and-Methods-for-Astrophysical-Data-Visualization Overview ● What we want to get out of 3D data visualization ● Types of visualizations when rendering 3D graphics ● How we can leverage Blender for 3D viz ● Examples Dr. Brian R. Kent (NRAO) ADASS 2018 Astrophysical Phenomena What do we want when visualizing our data in 3D? ● Effectively display a discovery, principle, data characteristics, or parameter space ● Show a data perspective not otherwise seen ● Collapse a high N phase space into a 3D animation ● Visuals for EPO Dr. Brian R. Kent (NRAO) ADASS 2018 Types of Data in Astronomy Dr. Brian R. Kent (NRAO) ADASS 2018 Data Volumes in Astronomy Dr. Brian R. Kent (NRAO) ADASS 2018 3D Graphics Software HOUDINI 3D Graphics, Python, and Astronomy I use a non-traditional package called Blender to render different forms of astronomical data - catalogs, data cubes, simulations, etc. Dr. Brian R. Kent (NRAO) ADASS 2018 What is Blender? Blender is: ● 3D graphics software for modeling, animation, and visualization ● Open-source ● a real-time 3D viewer and GUI ● A Python scriptable interface for loading and manipulating data http://www.blender.org Dr. Brian R. Kent (NRAO) ADASS 2018 Publications ● Kent 2013 ● http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2013PASP..125..731K ● Kent 2015 ● http://iopscience.iop.org/book/978-1-6270-5612-0 ● Kent 2017 ● http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017PASP..129e8004K Elements of 3D Graphics We need to consider: ● Models - physical or data containers? ● Textures - 2D, 3D, and projections? ● Lighting - illumination of data - physical or artistic ● Animation - How will the model move and change? ● Camera control - lens selection, angle, image size, and movement and tracking ● Rendering - backend engine choice ● Compositing - layering final output Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Powering a New Era of Collaboration and Simulation in Media And
    Image Courtesy of ILM SOLUTION SHOWCASE NVIDIA Omniverse™ is a groundbreaking POWERING A NEW ERA OF virtual platform built for collaboration and real-time photorealistic simulation. COLLABORATION AND SIMULATION Studios can now maximize productivity, IN MEDIA AND ENTERTAINMENT enhance communication, and boost creativity while collaborating on the same 3D scenes from anywhere. NVIDIA continues to advance state-of-the-art graphics hardware, and Omniverse showcases what is possible with real-time ray tracing. The potential to improve the creative process through all stages of VFX Built For and animation pipelines will be transformative. > Concept Artists — Francois Chardavoine, VP of Technology, Lucasfilm & Industrial Light & Magic > Modelers > Animators > Texture Artists Challenges in the Media and Entertainment Industry > Lighting or Look Development Artists The Film, Television, and Broadcast industries are undergoing rapid change as new production pipelines are emerging to address the growing demand for high-quality > VFX Artists content in a globally distributed workforce. Additionally, new streaming services are > Motion Designers creating the need for constant releases and refreshes to satisfy a growing subscriber base. > Rendering Specialists NVIDIA Omniverse gives creative teams the ability to create, iterate, and collaborate on Platform Features assets using a variety of creative applications to deliver real-time results. Artists can focus on maximum iterations with no opportunity cost or the need to wait for long render > Compatible with top industry design times to achieve high-quality results. and visualization software > Scalable, works on all NVIDIA RTX™ M&E Use Cases for Omniverse solutions, from the laptop to the data center > Initial Concept Design - Artists can quickly develop and refine conceptual ideas to bring the Director’s vision to life.
    [Show full text]
  • Surrealist Aesthetics
    SURREALIST AESTHETICS Using Surrealist Aesthetics to Explore a Personal Visual Narrative about Air Pollution Peggy Li Auckland University of Technology Master of Design 2020 A thesis submitted to Auckland University of Technology in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Design, Digital Design P a g e | 1 Abstract “Using Surrealist Aesthetics to Explore a Personal Visual Narrative about Air Pollution”, is a practice-based research project focusing on the production of a poetic short film that incorporates surrealist aesthetics with motion capture and digital simulation effects. The project explores surrealist aesthetics using visual effects combined with motion capture techniques to portray the creator’s personal experiences of air pollution within a poetic short film form. This research explicitly portrays this narrative through the filter of the filmmaker’s personal experience, deploying an autoethnographic methodological approach in the process of its creation. The primary thematic contexts situated within this research are surrealist aesthetics, personal experiences and air pollution. The approach adopted for this research was inspired by the author’s personal experiences of feeling trapped in an air-polluted environment, and converting these unpleasant memories using a range of materials, memories, imagination, and the subconscious mind to portray the negative effects of air pollution. The overall aim of this process was to express my experiences poetically using a surrealist aesthetic, applied through
    [Show full text]
  • 232 Advanced 3D Photorealism Techniques
    Publisher: Robert Ipsen Editor: Cary Sullivan Assistant Editor: Kathryn A. Malm Managing Editor: Brian Snapp Electronic Products, Associate Editor: Mike Sosa Text Design & Composition: North Market Street Graphics Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trade- marks. In all instances where John Wiley & Sons, Inc., is aware of a claim, the product names appear in initial capital or ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. Readers, however, should contact the appro- priate companies for more complete information regarding trademarks and registration. This book is printed on acid-free paper. Q Copyright 1999 by Bill Fleming. All rights reserved. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published simultaneously in Canada. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copy- right Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 7508400, fax (978) 750-4744. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158-0012, (212) 850-6011, fax (212) 850- 6008, E-Mail: [email protected]. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in professional services. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.
    [Show full text]
  • GTA Hoya V001 1920 N017.Pdf (4.8MB)
    VOL. I GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY, WASHINGTON. D. C, MAY 20, 1920 No. 17 GASTON FIRST IN DID MISGUIDED SENIORS PROPOSE REYNOLDS BEATS DEBATING HONORS THAT NIGHT AT SENIOR PROM? MARYLAND STATE Annual Inter-Society Clash Won By the Gaston Debaters Holds College Park Athletes to Again. Rumor Has It That Five of Them Offered to Endow With All Their One Run, While Team- Worldly Wealth Their Lady Fair—If So, Who mates Score 14. The question, "Resolved, That Equal Suffrage be Granted to Women Other- Accepted Them, and Why? wise than by Amendment to the Consti- There is an old trick among pugilists tution of the U. S.," was hotly contested whereby one fighter hopes to unnerve last Sunday night by the Gaston and his rival by putting in a belated appear- White Debating Societies. Tha Gaston_ While the elements threatened, and the damp, cold weather put warm ance at the ringside. Thus the early ar- Society upheld the negative side of the hearts much in demand, the Seniors got away with a most enjoyable rival, who has cooled his heels for an discussion and was awarded the decision, hour or so, feels his courage oozing drop which, according to the report of the week-end party, starting last Thursday night, inaugurating a custom that by drop as the minutes pass. "Curly" chairman of judges, was very close. bids fair to become an established thing on the Hilltop. Byrd resorted to these tactics yesterday Michael Bruder. '22, Joseph Little, '22, out at College Park in a last desperate and William McGuire, '23, represented And now that it is all over but paying the bills, the question agitating effort to snatch victory from the Blue the White Society, while Gaston de- the minds of many may be stated simply as follows: Did five Seniors and Gray.
    [Show full text]
  • 3D Scientific Visualization with Blender Brian R
    3D Scientific Visualization with Blender Brian R. Kent, Ph.D. Scientist, National Radio Astronomy Observatory www.cv.nrao.edu/~bkent/blender Twitter and Instagram: @VizAstro Watch the live broadcast of this presentation, courtesy of NCSA, at: https://youtu.be/8FqGNdvEVWo?t=539 Interesting in learning more? Book and tutorials available at: http://www.cv.nrao.edu/~bkent/blender/ https://www.youtube.com/VisualizeAstronomy Twitter and Instagram: @VizAstro Brian R. Kent, Ph.D. Scientist, National Radio Astronomy Observatory Overview - 3D Scientific Visualization with Blender • Science domain and data of astronomy • What and why we need to visualize data • All about the visualization tool Blender • Examples • Intro to using the interface Dr. Brian R. Kent 3D Visualization NRAO Radio Telescopes Dr. Brian R. Kent 3D Visualization Dr. Brian R. Kent 3D Visualization Astrophysical Phenomena Dr. Brian R. Kent 3D Visualization Dr. Brian R. Kent 3D Visualization Dr. Brian R. Kent 3D Visualization Dr. Brian R. Kent 3D Visualization What do we do in observational astronomy? Caltech/NRAO/NASA/STScI Remote sensing and planetary exploration Dr. Brian R. Kent 3D Visualization Remote Sensing ● Imaging from the ground or space of phenomena that we can’t physically reach ● The entire physical Universe is our laboratory ● Spectroscopy ○ Dynamics and kinematics, chemistry ● Imaging ○ Earth looking out, and from orbit looking at planets ● Time-series ○ Asteroid identification, light-curves for planet finding, and pulsar timing for general relativity Dr. Brian R. Kent 3D Visualization Astrophysical Simulations ● N-body simulations ● Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics ● Numerical Relativity ● Models of… ○ Interacting Binary Stars ○ Active Galactic Nuclei Jets ○ Black Holes ○ Interacting Galaxies Data from Matt Wood, Texas A&M University-Commerce Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Incredible Utility 1
    Incredible utility 1 Incredible utility: The lost causes and causal debris of psychological science John E. Richters Rockville, Maryland Direct correspondence to: John E. Richters 13200 Valley Drive Rockville, MD 20850 [email protected] Incredible utility 2 Abstract .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 3 The incredible utility of perpetual motion ................................................................................................................................ 4 Incredible utility thesis ................................................................................................................................................................ 4 The plumbing and wiring of individual differences methodology ........................................................................................ 6 Table 1. .............................................................................................................................................................................. 7 Individual-level theoretical models ................................................................................................................................. 11 Aggregate-level empirical models .................................................................................................................................. 12 The inferential passage from aggregates to individuals ..............................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Profile Skills Experience
    ALEX FRENKLAKH ​ (917) 355-2578 ● ALEX.FRENKLAKH​ @GMAIL​ .COM ● WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/IN/ALEXFRENKLAKH ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WWW.ALEXFRENKLAKH.COM ​ ​ ​ ​ PROFILE Experienced Visual Effects Artist working in animated films, commercials and live action. Adept at ​ ​ creating VFX solutions and rigs. Strong at applying technical knowledge and artistic sense to solve challenging visual problems. Passionate team player with excellent communication skills and ability to translate complex creative VFX solutions to simple concepts. SKILLS Software: Houdini, Maya, Blender, Nuke, 3D Studio Max, After Effects, Adobe Photoshop CC, ​ Premiere Languages: VEX, Hscript, Python, PyQT, tcsh ​ EXPERIENCE Blue Sky Studios 2008-Present FX Artist (2020-present) ​ Integral member of FX team responsible for delivering effects for an undisclosed studio project and “Nimona” (unreleased). Created rigs, performed shot work under tight deadlines using SideFX Houdini. ● As sequence representative, facilitated implementation of stylized fire effects for “Nimona”: unblocked work stoppages, problem-solved pipeline issues ● Liaised with other departments on FX team’s progress and issues related to “Nimona” fire effects ● Developed rig and a variety of assets for generating hero and background dust impacts ● Implemented setups for placing/altering elements using Houdini’s LOPs context and USD variants. ● Accelerated ability to meet deadlines by leveraging assets from existing department effects library created on earlier shows. ● Completed shatter shots using newly-developed proprietary HDA in Houdini. Visual Effects Technical Director (2010-2020) ​ Integral member of the Visual Effects department responsible for developing and implementing visual effects for Blue Sky Studios films using SideFX Houdini: “Rio”, “Ice Age 4: Continental Drift”,”Rio 2”, “Epic”, “Peanuts”, “Ice Age 5: Collision Course”, “Ferdinand”, “Spies in Disguise” unreleased: “Nimona”, “Anubis”.
    [Show full text]