Course Overview

things I learned:

People are much more capable beings than they put forward. People can do amazing things if pushed hard enough, and if they allow them selves to be flexed under pressure.

Skill level rating, is a hard one to pinpoint, because it's so open ended with the different directions of the course, I can't really say definatly, but I'd say I started the course at about a 7 out of 10 and now I'm a 9. Only at the things I dedicate myself to. Anything else is just unconsious thinking and learning.

soft Maths and programming, I knew I wasn't going to do amazingly at, and maybe that's because I thought, and believed I wouldn't. Maybe I never really tried as hard as I could have. I have allways been really off with numbers. At times they're too open ended, but at others, really linear. I'm more of a lateral thinker, I don't think much in patterns and set modes. I like to experiment and venture out creatuively, and I can't seem to do that with numbers as I can with physical art.

3D, I got better at, but mostly because of outside experience. I got better at using Blender, but to me, using Blender and being great at 3D graphics are riding the same train, but in two different carriages if you know where I'm going with this.

Bitmaps, digital imagery, I certainly improved on, but mostly outside class as well. Most of it wasn't really owed much to the work at tafe, more of my outside game industry work, but I still learnt alot about flash and vector art.

video, I had alot of fun with, it was hard and pretty overwhelming at times, but It was a great experience and I had a load of fun doing it. I wished there was more focus on editing though.


all in all, the course was a great learning curve for me, allowed me to meet other people and work with them, nut out problems and do alot of fun stuff.

Reflections on Discrimination in the workplace

I have some pretty harsh and conflicting views on this one. I mean, if your gay, that isn't really the normal mainstream thing, and being programmed for one gender in our anatomy as we are, those who step outside the box in terms of gender relations are offen frowned apon, wierd and strange, dirty.

Racism I don't tolerate, but at the same time, everyoen has their staples. there are good and bad peopel everywhere, that's a pretty general thing, but I think peopel shoudl be given the benefit of the doubt, until they act like a jackass.

Sexism, I dunno, in this day and age never really comes across to me. It only ever occurs if you run into some jockish last generation asshole. We can't really mence words here, people are what they act, and if they act like jerks, I'll give them that status in writing.

In terms of all this and the workforce, racism and homophobic I can see happening in certain industries, the common belief that aboriginals are dirty and have so self respect or heigeine, would be a task for them to get a job in hospitality. As very close minded as this is, it's an ongoing fact, and I aknowledge it.

Sexism, I dunno, these days you'd have to be really proud and prominent of your own sexual gender to cause a schism with other people. I think most who claim sexist descrimination are themselves projecting their own form of sexist double standard.

No ones a saint in this planet.

How I Appear to others

I'd like to think I come across as honest, I mean, I'm only ever me, I never step around the bush or pussyfut away from the truth, which may upset people who don't necesarily like what they hear, but I consider that their problem, not mine. I am very well grounded on certain apsects of the course, so at times I possibly come across as egotistical and up myself. I guess that sort of stuff comes with knowledge itself.

Awesome Flash 3D links

http://drawlogic.com/2008/04/17/as3-flash-3d-engine-alternativa-platform-drops-a-nuke-isometric-and-fps/

Instance 3D Walkthrough

http://blog.alternativaplatform.com/ru/files/2008/04/bunker.swf

Static 3D Flyover

http://blog.alternativaplatform.com/ru/files/2008/04/factory.swf

Parralax Mapping

http://blog.alternativaplatform.com/ru/files/2007/12/parallaxmapping.swf

Normal Mapping

http://blog.alternativaplatform.com/ru/files/2007/12/spotnormalmapping.swf

Dynamic Shadows

http://blog.alternativaplatform.com/ru/files/2007/09/dynamicshadows.swf

Complex 3D Sprites

http://blog.alternativaplatform.com/ru/files/2007/10/goldenelephants.swf

Normal Mapped Sprites

http://blog.alternativaplatform.com/ru/files/2007/12/spritenormalmapping.swf

Texture Objects with Ambient Occlusion

http://blog.alternativaplatform.com/ru/files/2007/08/textureobjectsandlightinghouse.swf




Holy moses with dragonfire. That is awesome.

Game Design course prospects

Personally I think the idea would be great, and appeal to alot of people, but only if you teach current generation stuff. Teaching people how to make games developed for the last generation of visuals and gameplay is a good start, but I guess it's totally up for debate.

Last generation game design would be fine, and would be much easier to create for, where as current generation would be more useful.

If there is a hard game design prospect, the best way to do a game design course would be to actually have the class develop content for a specific game engine, as a group(for example, making a game where your character has to drive a car through all the rings to win the game, doesn't have to be complicated to the point of narrative and plot).

The blender engine may be ok, but I feel it could be pretty sub par compared to an actual engine. Many games come with a software development kit that allows people to create their own content, the most well known is the Unreal Tournament series of games. The games are built on modding and user created content, and the ediitng tools are by far the best, and the easiest to learn. The good part, is that if you for example purchased a copy of Unreal Tournament 3, it comes with the full suite of tools used to create custom content that the game developers themselves use. The only difference is, you don't have a licence to sell your mod or game you create within it.

However, you can use the games default librarys of content (textures, models sounds etc) to make maps and levels, but if you want the class to be able to create content for the engine, you'd probably have to look at another kind of 3d modelling package, one that is assured to work with the engine. Introdducing that also means you'd have to have someone who could teach that specific 3d suite such as 3DS max, which creates a dilema.

As far as I'm aware, there is a blender plugin that exports to the Unreal Editor (the Unreal Engines ediitng interface) but I haven't researched it much. Anything is possible I guess.

It all comes down to resources and how much funding is assigned to the course.

Gtroup Dynamics

I find the class has a good group workflow, allthough the class is seamingly split down hte middle in terms of age, we still all co operate and help each other when they need it. Generally though, the younger part of the class sticks together, and In ways I think its beter that way. As far as I know, there are no leaders or chiefs of the group, we all sort of have our times where we contribute more, but as a whole everyone brings something different to the plate.

There also seems to be a good range of talents and speciaties within the group, I myself have a broadened awareness of game development and anything 3d and 2d, whereas other people are better with coding and audio. I think it's a great balance and I'm glad there aren't 8 3d modellers in the class.

Number Types

Skills Audit

Name	Dane Brennand
Qualifications	Self taught in Photoshop CS2 and CS3, advanced user, texture painting, matte painting and design Self taught in Autodesk Maya 8, 3DsMax 8, Bodypaint 3D and Mudbox
Other Qualifications	Next gen material set ups, rendering occlusion maps, normal maps, coloured specular maps and mask bitmaps
Education	II Cert 2, self taught digitally
Significant Life Experiences	Sister died in 07, work with the most well known mod team for Halo: Custom Edition, and currently a texture artist for Warm Gun, an Unreal Tournament 3 mod
Things you really like	Texture painting, rendering, drawing, concept design, guitar, singing and listening to music
Work Experience
Voluntary	All my mod work is voluntary
Personality	Open minded, quick to learn, enjoy working in teams, appreciate good art, believe heavily in constructive criticism
Artistic Skills	Pencil drawing, digital drawing, digital painting
Technical Skills	Material compositing, rendering, painting material bitmaps (normal, specular, ambient occlusion etc)
“Creativity”	I like to look within implied space, to think of space and how it can be filled, I like to design patterns and shapes
Musicality	I like dissonant harmonies with simple but layered melodies, with offbeat irregular time signatures
Inventions	Never invented anything, but I would like to think I am reinventing my art style all the time
Design Skills	Design wise, I like anything intricate, small details, being founded by large strange ones. I have a love for alternative colours, I rarely use Primary colours and tend to go for inbetween shades, teals, oranges, maroon
Project Management skills	Managing a project isn’t really my forte’, at this stage I have a “when it’s done” philosophy in mind, but I do always manage to get my work done on time and to quality
Time management skills	Time management, I’m fairly steady in, but I need to learn to work faster, physically
People management skills	I can deal with people easily, but only if they can handle my direction
Levels of expertise in which software packages	Photoshop: I’d like to think very advanced, knowing much about perfectly creating great realistic, yet stylised matte paintings. 3d programs, I am quite a novice, but only in the modelling and animation sides of things. Materials and rendering, I am intermediate
Talents	Guitar, drawing, ability to learn quickly, multitasking
Maturity level	I would like to think I am quite mature in mind, but I act openly eager to people to make them feel more comfortable around me
Weaknesses	I find it difficult at times to initiate conversation, being a visual person, I get very frustrated with myself if I look like a dogs breakfast on occasion
Type of Intelligence	I believe I’m as intelligent as I’ve been allowed to be.
“I believe…….” (personal motto or core belief)	I believe the world isn’t as complicated as we all see, that we the people are all one and share a collective unconscious, the real god is the mind and we are merely a dream experiencing ourselves subjectively