August 1, 2011

CONGRATULATIONS TO VIZZERS KEVIN PRIMM AND JAKE ROSS



The Texas A&M VIZ students Kevin Primm and Jake Ross got selected to present their project “Running out of Steam“ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-FMdfuc3vM), created during their AIB study abroad semester 2010, at the SIGGRAPH conference in Vancouver next week.

The SIGGRAPH conference is is the premier international event on computer graphics and interactive techniques. Kevin and Jake will have the chance to present their animation to an estimated 25,000 professionals from five continents. Congratulations to these two and good luck in Vancouver!

“Running out of Steam“ by Kevin Primm and Jake Ross


Given a character description we were to design and incorporate our character into a live action environment... or small universe.


The project is a testament to just how expansive a project can be. It utilized elements such as 3D objects modeled, textured, and lit in Autodesk Maya; special steam and blur effects created in Adobe After Effects; final composition done in Final Cut Pro; and live action footage taken with a professional-grade video camera to create a setting for the character and an introductory time lapse video. Unique elements that also influenced the project were interactions with the German culture, as well as the pre-determined aspects of the assigned character’s personality. All these elements were combined into one immense conglomerate of innovative design.


Using creative problem solving skills, we were able to combine all these parts to our project in a relatively short amount of time. The project also forced us to step outside our comfort zone and interact with a culture completely different than what we were used to. This caused us to open our minds up to more than just the bubble that we were used to living in, and learn knew and exciting things about Germany, and the world as a whole.