This was a project for the Discovery Channel and Science Channel through a grant at The Ohio State University with Brave New Pictures. A core team of artists, engineers, and faculty worked through a film studio to develop a one hour long documentary about a juvenile T-Rex in Hell Creek Montana. We worked with a team of scientists from the Burpee Research facility in Rockford, Illinois. These scientists had worked with Dr. Robert Baker, who was the consultant with Industrial Light and Magic, on the Jurassic Park films. In addition, Dr. Stuart Sumida was brought on board to critique physiology and motion. I handled modeling, rigging, animation, compositing, and partial DVD creation. This project bi-weekly conference call meetings with the scientists to not only make the physiology accurate, but make the dinosaurs move bio mechanically correct. Software used: Maya, Combustion, Photoshop, Deep Paint. Worked with leads of DreamWorks SKG on this project as well on critique, rigging implementation, pipeline, art direction, and texture painting. During the six months of the DreamWorks SKG Outreach Program (I was a participant), I was an assistant lecturer and presenter in the lecture hall at The Wexner Center for the Arts. This was through the DreamWorks SKG program on computer animation under their supervision. The team we worked with from DreamWorks SKG were on the following projects: Shrek, Shrek 2- (modeling supervisor- Mr. Jeff Hayes), Shark Tale (animation lead- and DreamWorks SKG film director ((who happened to also animate on Spirit- Mr. Cameron Hood)), lighting supervisor- Mr. Bert Poole), Madagascar, and Madagascar 2- (texturing artist leads- one of whom also worked on Spider-Man 2)- Mr. Travis Price, head of visual effects for all of DreamWorks- Mr. Nick Foster; and finally a director of operations for DreamWorks SKG, Mr. Frank Gladstone. Lastly, the rigging supervisor at DreamWorks SKG who I worked with in several one on ones was formerly at Pixar on Finding Nemo, Mr. Martin Costello. When the DreamWorks SKG program concluded, the participants were treated to an onsite guest lecture at THE Ohio State University by owner of DreamWorks SKG, Mr. Jeffrey Katzenberg. Link

I worked directly as a two person team with the Madagascar Texturing Lead , Ms. Lisa Connors, on one of the dinosaurs in the project. Other faculty involved on this project were my academic advisor (the director of ACCAD and former head of the computer animation department at The Ringling School of Art and Design)- Ms. Maria Palazzi, and the motion capture supervisor (and good friend- I took motion capture three times) from ACCAD who was brought on board for critique sessions (formerly a supervisor at Giant Studios and Acclaim), Mr. Brian Windsor.

Link to Burpee Museum

Link to ACCAD

Link to Trailer  featuring John Madden discussing the direction that the MADDEN franchise is headed (in full agreement with my side of the debate on realism in EA Sports- Madden should look identical to television).

Entirely new rigging setup from scratch with scientifically accurate proportions. Lead rigger on central football. Quaternion research and development for deformation completed and implemented in rigs. Custom quaternion node usage in deformation while working with core engineering team. Deformation solved for poses as presented by lead animation director for Madden '09 version. In addition, physiology and motion experimentation completed and implemented. Existing animations broken down and analyzed with the beginning process of biomechanics as seen on television show "Madden Nation" on ESPN. Physiology and flexing differences and improvements from Madden '08: biceps, triceps, knees, forearms, wrists, shoulder deformation improvement. All of this was achieved with the quaternion node developed by EA Sports lead engineer (done as a favor for me, thanks Jayeson!). This was done under the supervision of my mentor at EA Sports, Mr. Chris Hummel. When I left to go to Lucasfilm Ltd., in Singapore as senior staff, all four body types were completed and the same quality as Reggie Bush (see the photo of Tour). Scenes from the MADDEN NATION finale on primetime ESPN.

Promotions for MADDEN NFL '09.

Full working knowledge of proprietary rigging software for Industrial Light and Magic and "The Force Unleashed". Credited published work for "The Force Unleashed Ultimate Sith Edition" including Boba Fett, Hoth Apprentice (main playable character seen in the photo), Rebel Trooper, Gamorrean Guard, Wampa, Jabba the Hutt, and a few others. I was considered lead rigger on this and involved in the hiring of other people to the department. Jabba the Hutt was a newly customized rig with an entirely new facial setup, exporting and building in engine. I worked with Industrial Light and Magic's lead engineer at LucasArts on modifying the export nodes in order for Jabba to work. Side by side animation and deformation tests were done between real time "TFU Jabba" and visual effect "film Jabba". These characters not only had to build in gameplay but work in vignettes with render quality deformation.

Also, I rigged up handheld props. Vehicular rigs included the following: snowspeeder, Millennium Falcon, AT-AT. Boba Fett is the most complex LucasArts character. Breakdown of Boba Fett: expression driven shoulder pads; projectile missile pack; effects on back pack; cloth simulation (real time); and hand prop (rifle). Worked with Industrial Light and Magic engineering development team on changing nodes that export in order to build in The Force Unleashed engine. In addition, I worked with The Skywalker Ranch main librarian (in the same building that Mr. George Lucas works in), Ms. Jo Donaldson, on deformation research through the library on these characters. These books included material on biomechanics. I submitted concept work to the core team for potential art direction change of "TFU Ultimate Sith" title related to lighting and rendering. On global steering committee meetings with Lucasfilm Animation Singapore, LucasArts, Industrial Light and Magic, and Lucasfilm Animation for optimization of assets to render for frames with same visual quality as in real time (vehicles and humans were the test case). Constant use of LOIS for information (Lucas Online Information System). I especially like LOIS. It gave me access to all Industrial Light and Magic documentation, such as the overlapping blendshape papers written for Hulk and all of the research on the Harry Potter films- not to mention Star Wars. The Jango Fett research studied was applicable to Boba Fett. Also, researched total documentation on ZENO including build/ exporting and animation systems APE for Industrial Light and Magic/ LucasArts. Main playable character I rigged up (Sith Playable, "Ultimate Evil") on cover, inside cover, and disc. Hoth version of "Ultimate Evil" seen on demo reel.

The rigging modification of all four body types: athletic, muscular, heavy, and average. In addition, worked with proprietary EA Sports tools on the exporting of skin weights as XMLs. This version was before scientific visualization principles were introduced. These figures were not based off of scan data, rather artistic interpretation of what a football player should look like with tweaking of proportions. Debates took place between myself with the (modeling team, art directors- on my side) and an animation director brought down to EA Orlando from EAC (who wanted to keep long arms and improper anatomy). Science (new proportions based on scan data and first executed on NFL Tour) won the argument and the proportions were changed to be anatomically correct and not like a cartoon (non applicable to EA Sports)- like the animation director wanted who came down from EAC (see the above non proportioned figure with elongated arms in comparison to Reggie Bush on Tour- the anatomically correct way).