CompuServe Thread

JC < Did you go the ASOFT gathering at S94? > Yep. Had my Mardi Gras colors on! Went to The Disney Gig, the ASOFT Forum gathering and a bunch of other functions. Was there for a whole week. One of the first to arrive and last to leave for the last two years. No better opportunity all year long to meet so many people in this field and talk to them "face-to-face." Of course, because you meet so many people, its hard to remember everybody. And as I said, I'm a chameleon. A morphing mutant by birth. While Alan Iglesias went around slapping those neat sticky name tags he made on everybody's chests, I collected the tapes. And when I say "I had to pry them out of some people's hands," I really mean it. Last-minute stage fright. We're all so afraid of being criticized by people who don't think before they speak ( or don't think at all. ) I was reminded of this by a recent posting here in the forum. That's why I help out. I really want to see what everybody's been doing. My opinion is that the ASOFT gathering is The Best Place to see it fresh from the homes and offices across the nation… and around the world. And the people that created these images are right there to talk with. There's an incredible diversity of talent, interests and experience represented in this 3D Studio community…. Architects, engineers, product designers, video professionals, graphic artists, game programmers, and on and on. We are all unique and have something special to offer. It's too bad that at the last moment we sometimes get the jitters. I know all about it. It's happened to me many times in my life. Will it be good enough? Will someone laugh? One snide remark, one snicker, it can hurt. Some are crippled by the uncaring actions of others. We, who have developed thicker skins, tougher hides, harder shells, get back out there and plug away. I've managed to overcome major setbacks several times in my life. It's getting easier as I get older, but its still hard. Individually, we have the potential to do so much good in the world. Recognizing the contributions of others is so easy to do. It's as simple as a pat on the back. A sincere, "Good job." The clapping of one's hands. Collecting tapes and cueing them for review has been the least I could do. What's it cost me? Nothing I don't give freely. Then it's just a matter of getting the -G man to say, "Let's roll tape." For a minute there, this year, I thought we might not have a "show and tell." Gary was going on about this incredible light valve projector that they were going to use at the press party the following night. He was so impressed with this projector, it seemed he didn't want to settle for anything less in doing a group presentation. But we had a big monitor and VCR and everyone wanted to see each other's offerings. Maybe we'll get the light valve for next year's ASOFT meeting. Anyhoo, after a couple of rounds of drinks, hors d'oeuvres, and some great conversation, the room was filled with ANIMATION. The amount of skill and talent represented in that little hotel bar was just too much to believe. Those who were there know what I'm talking about. Thousands and thousands of man and computer hours rolling by in a matter of minutes. Pyros' mega-budget full-length presentation blew us away. But that was partly because of the volume. hehe Man, did some bucks go into that thing! I played tape collector in Vegas at the Mirage, when Trilobyte blew everybody away with their preview of 7th Guest, Origin's Chris Roberts set Wing Commander II loose, and Steve Speerer shocked everybody with his prolific model-making skills and his warped perspective of the world. ( He had this circus with all kinds of freaks and.. oh, this Sony 8mm Handheld Player that he kept his really bizarre stuff on. You wouldn't believe… ) At Kevin Ray's prompting, I talked Gary into showing Steve's stuff, then almost wished I hadn't. :-O He was really out there. Part of him still is. <BG> 🙂 Mega Morphin' Mutant Animator! Steve is. I collected tapes in Anaheim as well. And fed them to the VCR. Now this is the CIS ASOFT Forum gathering I'm speaking of. Not the big party at Disneyland which was a far cry from the intimacy of the Mirage/Vegas meeting. The Disneyland party was just that, a big party. Little head, atop a podium, in the darkness way across the room. Giant projection screens. Sony city. California craziness. Mannequins. Multilevel floor. 40 yards of food. Whew! The Anaheim ASOFT meeting was a very small affair. Like a local user group meeting. There was a dignified air in the room. I was really impressed at the maturing of talent exhibited there. It was kind of scary. I began to realize that it would get harder and harder to do a "show and tell" as the numbers of our gathering grew. The Big Shindig this year in Anaheim was an example of how overwhelming the whole thing is getting. The logistics of accomodating so many people were handled extremely well by Kathy Clinton, Tina and all of the others who had a hand. So many people! So little time. A giant room. A pool outside that never got used, though it would have been fun. I visited with a few people. Mostly sat poolside talking about life with familiar faces. I met a few new friends. It was all enjoyable. I just didn't get to meet all of my old friends. The family is getting bigger and bigger. But the CIS ASOFT party was intimate. It was cool. A tight little gathering. Spent time a lot of time talking with Max Hoffman about the Developer Program, Karen Anderson about the Advisory Board and life, Jonas and Marcella, Jack P., Jamie, Gary, Chris, Scot, Keith, Martin…. Wish the drinks hadn't been so expensive though. At least they busted out a few edibles. < Heck, we've probably met face to face but just can't remember! > You know James I'm not 100% certain we've done a "face-to-face." Forgive me. It would have been fleeting. So much to do. So little time. SIGGRAPH, Dallas, was my first exposure to this wide world. Michele Bousquet was demonstrating Animator and the clip art packages. These guys with Hawaiian print shirts, jeans and ponytails were at the next station demostrating a new product called 3D Studio. Michele went to lunch so I sat down to play with the Animator clip art. I'm playing for a couple of minutes and this guy comes up behind me and says, "How come you're not telling everybody what you're doing?" I look up at this big suit, and the pin on his lapel says "Joel Sher, Autodesk." I turn around and there are twelve people watching me play with all of these clip art packages. "Sorry. I didn't know. I don't work here. I'm just exploring your neat stuff." I say. He says, "Keep on exploring, I'll narrate." And for the next twenty or so minutes that's exactly what happened. I played…. Joel narrated. It was a real kick. I've been a SIGGRAPH junkie ever since. My love affair with Autodesk started only months before. I missed Chicago. I'm still kicking myself. But Chicago is way up there in the North. They tell me it gets real cold and windy. I'm allergic to cold, windy places. hehehehe < I look forward to meeting you in person at the next Siggraph! > Okay. Just don't call me Keith. Kevin Gibson Animation Nation <tm> -= I know, I talk too much. =-