Just a quick note that the game I participated in creating (as lead 
programmer) in May this year, FLIPSIDE (http://www.playflipside.com), has 
won the Independent Game Festival 2008 Student Showcase Award, as one of the 
12 finalist games out of the 125 entries.
http://www.igf.com/02finalists.html

The winner out of the 12 finalists will be awarded on February 20 at the GDC 
in San Francisco, but unfortunately it's pretty expensive to travel there 
here from Denmark, so I won't be able to show up.

In other news, I did get that arrangement with the game engine company Unity 
Technologies about writing my master thesis in collaboration with them. 
Basically what I'll be doing is like my "Walking System" I made for POV-Ray 
back in 2001, but "done right" this time, which is a bit easier in a 
framework that already supports skeletal keyframe animation. They've already 
lent me a MacBook (their authoring tool only runs on Mac so far). I look 
very much forward to it, and if it goes well, there's a good chance that 
they'll offer me a job afterwards.

Rune
-- 
http://runevision.com

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Extreme congratulations on your ability to live out the dream most of us
probably have-- the ability to get paid (to break even?)  on doing pov.

Would be interested in more details about what kind of product or code you're
producing in walking.

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Rune wrote:
> Just a quick note that the game I participated in creating (as lead 
> programmer) in May this year, FLIPSIDE (http://www.playflipside.com), has 
> won the Independent Game Festival 2008 Student Showcase Award, as one of the 
> 12 finalist games out of the 125 entries.
> http://www.igf.com/02finalists.html

Congratulations. I do remember you announcing the game here. For those 
like me that don't want to install HL2 to play it, there are some 
youtube videos of the game.
> 
> The winner out of the 12 finalists will be awarded on February 20 at the GDC 
> in San Francisco, but unfortunately it's pretty expensive to travel there 
> here from Denmark, so I won't be able to show up.
> 
> In other news, I did get that arrangement with the game engine company Unity 
> Technologies about writing my master thesis in collaboration with them. 
> Basically what I'll be doing is like my "Walking System" I made for POV-Ray 
> back in 2001, but "done right" this time, which is a bit easier in a 
> framework that already supports skeletal keyframe animation. They've already 
> lent me a MacBook (their authoring tool only runs on Mac so far). I look 
> very much forward to it, and if it goes well, there's a good chance that 
> they'll offer me a job afterwards.
> 
> Rune

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"gregjohn" wrote:
> Extreme congratulations on your ability to live out the dream most of us
> probably have-- the ability to get paid (to break even?)  on doing pov.

No, I'm sorry if I was unclear, but the "walking system" I'll be making 
won't be in POV-Ray but in the Unity Engine. I was just comparing it to the 
system I made previously in POV-Ray. It's still living out my dream though. 
Unity is *very* nice to work with. :)

> Would be interested in more details about what kind of product or code 
> you're
> producing in walking.

The Unity Engine already supports skeletal keyframe animations, which can be 
imported directly from for example Maya. Blending of several animations is 
also supported as well as manual control of bone transformations.

What I'll be doing is a system that figures out where to place to feet on 
the ground and then does this using inverse kinematics and other techniques. 
The advantage will be that the walking cycle will be adapted to curved 
paths, slopes, uneven terrain, stairs, and stepping stones. There will also 
be support for blending between standing, walking and running, stepping 
sideways and backwards, leaning forwards and backwards on acceleration and 
sideways on turning and other things. It will work for human-like characters 
as well as most other characters with any number of legs. It is targeted at 
game development.

Rune
-- 
http://runevision.com

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Rune wrote:
> Just a quick note that the game I participated in creating (as lead 
> programmer) in May this year, FLIPSIDE (http://www.playflipside.com), has 
> won the Independent Game Festival 2008 Student Showcase Award, as one of the 
> 12 finalist games out of the 125 entries.
> http://www.igf.com/02finalists.html
> 
> The winner out of the 12 finalists will be awarded on February 20 at the GDC 
> in San Francisco, but unfortunately it's pretty expensive to travel there 
> here from Denmark, so I won't be able to show up.

Forgot to reply to that. I think it is both interesting and good for 
your later career if you would go there. I did not check but I guess 

for a hotel for a couple of nights. That one could be solved if we can 
find a fellow POVer in California with a spare room. If we can find one, 
that leaves the ticket. I think it might be a good investment to pay a 
part of that, especially if others here feel the same. On the condition 
of course that you'll be wearing a 'sponsored by povray.off-topic' t-shirt.

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Rune wrote:
> Just a quick note that the game I participated in creating (as lead 
> programmer) in May this year, FLIPSIDE (http://www.playflipside.com), has 
> won the Independent Game Festival 2008 Student Showcase Award, as one of the 
> 12 finalist games out of the 125 entries.
> http://www.igf.com/02finalists.html
> 
> The winner out of the 12 finalists will be awarded on February 20 at the GDC 
> in San Francisco, but unfortunately it's pretty expensive to travel there 
> here from Denmark, so I won't be able to show up.
> 
> In other news, I did get that arrangement with the game engine company Unity 
> Technologies about writing my master thesis in collaboration with them. 
> Basically what I'll be doing is like my "Walking System" I made for POV-Ray 
> back in 2001, but "done right" this time, which is a bit easier in a 
> framework that already supports skeletal keyframe animation. They've already 
> lent me a MacBook (their authoring tool only runs on Mac so far). I look 
> very much forward to it, and if it goes well, there's a good chance that 
> they'll offer me a job afterwards.
> 
> Rune

Congratulations!  I remember playing the demo when you first mentioned 
it, and thinking "I'd like to see more of this" :)

-- 
...Ben Chambers
www.pacificwebguy.com

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"andrel" wrote:
> Forgot to reply to that. I think it is both interesting and good for your 
> later career if you would go there. I did not check but I guess that the 

> hotel for a couple of nights.

I have decided to go to San Francisco after all. Plane tickets were somewhat 
cheaper than I had expected and it seems to be very cheap to live at a 
hostel. My girlfriend will even come with me. She have been to San Francisco 
several times before with her family and loves that city (while I myself 
have never been outside of Europe). She can't attend the conference itself 
(or at least we think it'll be too expensive), but she'll be happy to be my 
guide in town when I'm not there. :)

Now the most difficult thing will be how to get the most out of it (the 
conference itself that is). I have never attended a conference and on top of 
that I'm not very familiar with how things are done in America. I've been 
reading http://tinysubversions.blogspot.com and it's great, but still I feel 
that it's very difficult to prepare for what to expect...

Rune
-- 
http://runevision.com

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Rune wrote:
> "andrel" wrote:
>> Forgot to reply to that. I think it is both interesting and good for your 
>> later career if you would go there. I did not check but I guess that the 

>> hotel for a couple of nights.
> 
> I have decided to go to San Francisco after all. 
That is very good news. Now that I don't have to convince you anymore, 

you wear that 'supported by p.o-t' shirt)?
> Plane tickets were somewhat 
> cheaper than I had expected and it seems to be very cheap to live at a 
> hostel. My girlfriend will even come with me. She have been to San Francisco 
> several times before with her family and loves that city (while I myself 
> have never been outside of Europe). 
SFO is great, been there a few times to work there a few weeks and for 
one wedding of a colleague/friend. Unfortunately, in true American style 
all my friends there moved to very different places.
> She can't attend the conference itself 
> (or at least we think it'll be too expensive), but she'll be happy to be my 
> guide in town when I'm not there. :)
> 
> Now the most difficult thing will be how to get the most out of it (the 
> conference itself that is). I have never attended a conference and on top of 
> that I'm not very familiar with how things are done in America.
Conferences are great if you use them to meet people and make friends. 
The talks are sometimes interesting, but when too many of them are given 
in something that the presenter thinks is English you get tired soon. 
Use the talks to find out who you'd like to talk to. i.e. look around 
and note which faces turn up every time.
> I've been 
> reading http://tinysubversions.blogspot.com and it's great, but still I feel 
> that it's very difficult to prepare for what to expect...
>

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"andrel" wrote:
> Rune wrote:
>> I have decided to go to San Francisco after all.
>
> That is very good news. Now that I don't have to convince you anymore, can 

> wear that 'supported by p.o-t' shirt)?

No, I can't accept that either, but thanks again for the kind offer.

> SFO is great, been there a few times to work there a few weeks and for one 
> wedding of a colleague/friend. Unfortunately, in true American style all 
> my friends there moved to very different places.

Aw. :(

> Conferences are great if you use them to meet people and make friends. The 
> talks are sometimes interesting, but when too many of them are given in 
> something that the presenter thinks is English you get tired soon. Use the 
> talks to find out who you'd like to talk to. i.e. look around and note 
> which faces turn up every time.

That goes well with the advice I've read. I'll try to do that.

Rune
-- 
http://runevision.com

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Hey Rune, I thought I'd point you to this: 
http://www.crymod.com/thread.php?threadid=15884

       Might make the CV look good if you enter, and there's quite a bit of 
time left. I'm thinking of entering myself.  :)

          ~Steve~

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