Mondays at SIGGRAPH are nice and relaxed. After getting my badge, I checked out the Birds of a Feather meetings. Terry Posthumus from Humber College gave a great talk on how experts are made, not born, and how to apply the 10,000 hours rule popularized by the Malcolm Gladwell book Outliers to become an expert in 3D modeling and animation.
Then I attended the Autodesk Educators event, where we got a sneak peek at all the new features for 3ds Max, Maya, and Mudbox. These are the same features the general public will see at the exhibition Tuesday through Thursday, but I got to see them in a comfortable seat while munching on a delicious array of cookies and dried fruit.
Walking through the vast halls of the Los Angeles Convention Center, you never know what you’re going to find. Small technology teams often set up a mini-booth right there in the hallway, showing off their products old-time market style. One such team is working on software to turn a 3D model into a pattern for fabric, so the model can be constructed as a plush toy. The stuffed animal they had on display was, of course, a giant squid. The technology isn’t ready for consumers yet, but it’s just a matter of time. I can’t wait to own my very own giant squid hat.
Best swag ever!