Day 11: Testing the tutorial on Hodini Procedural Modelling

Today morning was a great cloudy day ! I was working on the assignment and suddenly my software crashed...so I request Hafsa help me to to switch to Windows OS in my computer.. It took almost half day to switch and configure the Houdini on windows7.

Afternoon I desided to test the Robb's new Houdini Tutorial on Procedural Modelling.
The tutorial is very detailed... I started witht the first part ............creating a pillar.
Using different techniques of poly extrusion the poly bevel and also use some modifiers like revolve and mirror.

I completed half of the tutorial of poly building today. Tomorrow will continue with the rest.

Day 10: RBD coin fall & breaking wall

Morning I continue with the digital tutor exercise. Falling of the coins...

I created a "pot" using the curve and revolve function then use torus to create "coin".
Use Houdini's procedural concept "copy node" used to duplicate and spred the coins.
then I used rbd object to fall coins in to the pot.. I convert pot in to the static object...
So the coins will not go through the pot.

Morning Mr. Kim came to see me. I asked him about his UK tour? He told me UK has a great movementum in the houdini users.. he explained some of the the fantasies created using houdini and showcase duing his visit to UK

Afternoon, Mr. Richard VP of Sales & Marketing bring me for lunch to a TimSum restaurant in China town. It was a great experience for me to visit local food in Toronto.

Afternoon I worked on RBD object to crate a wall (I used box and grid to merge to create a wall.
then I RBD glued it and add a sphere to add as a static object... the sphere hit the wall with velocity and it breaks the bricks of the wall....This was a very good animation...

Day 9 : Rigid Dynamics using cookies and voronfracture

I was very exited by the rigid bodies dynamic so morning i spend most of the time in creating and linking the a basic tourus from the top to a solid object and break in to pieces..
In this exercies, I had spend most of the time in using cookies to link and break object in to pices.. after merge the whole object, I applied RBD glue object to animate on static base object.

Afternoon i discuss with Nic he shown me the more simpler way to slice the object using veronifacture node.
I created a tourous and a glass and use the simmiler concept to break and animate.

 It was a great learning experience as I was thinking of creating similar effect using different perspective.

Day 8: Regid Body Dynamics

Today I started with the tutorials from Digital Tutors: Rigid Body Dynamics.

I started with the tutorial of creating a simple glass and apply some RBD Facture to spit it in to polygons. I used Static object as a ground in the animation used gravity force to breack the glass in to pices.

In the afternoon I tried to model a Wind Chime and used Rigid boy objects to link it.
Animation Used fan force to make the relative movements of the chimes.

Today got a heavy rain so left office around 5.30 PM. to pack my dinner.

Day7: Exploring the modeling fundamentals

Today morning, I continue with the modeling fundamental exercise.  creating a model using basic shapes of the geomerty tube. learn how to modify and appy the parameters like bend, mirror and duplicate using copy SOP nodes.

Afternoon in office got the preview of some animation sharing done by CANADIAN ANIMATION companies.. Its was a very informative section about the learning about the capabilities of the software.

Day 6: Exploring the procedural modeling fundamental

Today Morning I continue on the CMIVFX video tutorial on Procedural modeling technique
Morning I build a chair from the a grid also in parallel note down the steps for our students tutorials.

After lunch Jeany Help me to arrange a telephonec conversation with Houdini LA office where I spoke to LA interns who has major in Game design during her college days,
From our converstion, I mage to go get a work flow of the total game cycle.  She has used Houdini for Modelling and rigging, after that she used an Unreal game engine to export the files in the form of FBX.
 In Game engine she develop shaders and lighting.. using the library and later she pass the files to programmer to export for PC game.
She suggested to use unreal engine although Tourque has diet export from Houdini.

Afternoon I tried another tutorial of procedural modeling concept... Evening I was very tired after screening the Monitor for too long... so back home and rest...

Day 5: Fundamentals of Houdini

when working on a software like Houdini for special effects it is important to learn the fundamentals. Houdini is bit different software than the 3D software available in the market.

It's a Node based software allow people to get a good control of the software core. Today morning I able to complete a tutorial on UI of Houdini and different levels of Houdini interface.

after the lunch, I able to complete one more tutorial on modeling the telephone wire. Evening I talk NICK alone for solution

Day 4: Creating a simple particle emitter

Today I decided to start with a tutorial " Creating Simple particle emitter " using Houdini.

Morning..I explore the houdini popnetwork nodes.. I went through the tutorials from CMIFX..
It's actually a paid online tutor but for Houdini Interns has account. So able to go through the tutorials of different parameters of location, birth and attributes tab.

Today I had lunch in an Lebanese restaurant dish called "Shohorma" it's like a bread mix with chicken and vegetables... I believe it's an Mediterranean food.

After the lunch, I able to explore the "create particles using geometry"
The tutorial was very technical, consist of few concepts like SOP network and  initial stage.
Till evening I am able to complete the tutorial. Particle concept, I put in to power point step by step for our students..

Day 3: Explore the posibilities of the attachment.

Today it was a sunny day ! Happy to see the sun as it keeps me warm during this fall season,
Moring, I went to office early.... so got some time to meet Monika, she is a Hardware engineer and deal with all hardware and office security issues. She infomed me how to lock and unlock the main security door... if i come early or last to leave the office..

She help me to configure my machine, At present my PC is has Linex OS and two monitors. When I was asked why two monitors was told it's easy to work on two.

Today  I was again created the hands on tutorial on "Copynodes". I manage to do to as close to I do it yesterday. After the lunch we had a meeting on "Exploring the posibilities of my attachment."

During the meeting we had very fruit full discussion between Me, Mr. Kim(CEO), Jeaney(Training & technical manager) and Richerd(VP of sales and marketing), The main objective of the meeting was how the SideFX people can help to fullfil the goal of the attachment.
I focus my goals in 3 areas...
1.Acquier appropriate skills and knowledge to perform the "Special effects for Games " elective.
2.Exploer the work flow of how different file formats able to export to game engine and test using game software.
3. Explaore posiblilities of Student attachment to Canada after completing the elective.

Overall For Sidefx side Game is the new area the sidefx people are also exploring on. They do know some companies/people in industry who do games, so may be later Jeanet may follow up on this matter.. to do some industry visits.

I was told first to be hands on with hodudini as much as can, if need help do ask interns Nick or Shawn.
Mr. Kim will be away to UK next week he will be back a week later...

about the student attachment Mr. Kim advice, we still need to work on it and explore the possibilities based on student capabilities.

Next week onward, I will be exploring different techniques of creating the special effects used in games..like fire/Smoke, Explosion, Glow etc.

Day 2: New world of learning begins here..

I arrived sidefx.. office at 9 am sharp, I was greeted by Mr. Nick (intern from Amersterdam). He bring me along to gie the overview of whole office and introduce me to differnt people in the office. Side Effects office located in the toronto downtown in the main business district of the 123 front street.

After the introduction, I was assigned a dedicated linex workstation, I was mentoured by two intern Nick(I introduced him before) and Shawn (intern from US). I was told to go through the some online tutorials to understand the Hoaudini concepts...

I stared to conceptulize the work flow of the Hodini software from the tutorial step by step. after a while Mr. Kim came greet me and he help me to clear the concept of "procedural modelling" faster by given some examples... Iwas told I was thinking a bit traditional way... I need to think out of box...let computer do the rutine work like creating objects, animation.. we have to think on the possibilities of connecting the differnt objects by changing their properties, values, etc to do the requird task..
Afternoon I got an chance to see the demo of some new fluid effects presented by Mr. Jeff.
althoght it was too High Technical stuff to absorb... I like the fluid effects he do in min.. it was a good learing for me "to create a online learing material".

I go through with Nick a Houdini procedural tutorial.. of creating the multiple objects and animationg using the popnetwork.. it's a really amazing to learn new concepts... My challenge is, I need to let go my traditional way of concepts of the 3D modeeling and aquire new knowledge of "procedural"... :0)

Day1: Arrival

15th SEP 10, I leff Singapore by SQ at 11 am and arrived HK at 15 PM. My flight was delayed due to bad weather. HK ground staff help 8 of us to board the connecting Air canada flight at another terminal... finally after 15+hr. flight I landed to to Toronto. I feel like a Cargo.
During the baggage collection I realized my baggae was miising due to delay... after the report I realize i will able to recive it only after 2 days...
I was touched , when I saw Mr. Kim (President and CEO of Side effects Software waiitng for me at the arrival lounge. He drive me from airport to my apartment at 77 Harbour Square to make sure I will get at the right place. He also given me a map to locate the SideFX HQ.

I was really tired so I went to sleep as soon as I saw the bed... but Surprise! I wake up back at 3 Am morning and not able to Sleep... then I realize... I am experiencing the "Jet Lack". every 3-4 hours I feel sleep and wake up... any way I desided not to sleep and go to office at 9 Am sharp.