End of Code is the title of an
animation by Professor James Duesing.
Professor Duesing is an art professor at CMU to whom I was directed
towards at the beginning of the summer.
In a short summary of the animation’s storyline, two groups of
genetically altered/humanoid-like creatures are racing to obtain control of the
traffic lights in the city. In order to
do so, they must study the social and behavioral patterns of the city. In the end, both groups break into the
control system at the same time inciting a traffic jam. This match was ideal for me since I am more
drawn towards the artistic aspect of computer animation. As a result, I was able to gain an
understanding of the process of beginning to make an animated piece from
preproduction to the start of execution.
In addition, it was the intention of Professor Duesing to use motion
capture data for the entire piece. I
therefore held an important role as the unofficial mocap specialist and helped
clean and process the initial test data that was used to determine the best
approach to the project. The group also
consisted of three other students who were working on different parts of the
project. As they were far more experienced
using Maya then I am they provided much support throughout my entire research
process. This was a very interesting
project and I was able to learn numerous skills that I can now apply to my
future work. End of Code is still in the very beginnings of development and I
will be interested to see how the final result turns out.