I Was a Teenage (well, 22 yr old) Model for a Lamp
In which I jump over a trash can. We did a lot of reference footage, back in the day. Here, specifically, in the mid 1980s, we wanted some reference for Luxo, Jr. So, out to the parking lot… Read More
Hayao Miyazaki gave me this Cat Bus. No you can’t have it.
Back in the late 80s, Hayao Miyazaki came to visit Pixar. He brought gifts. He had something for everyone, he gave the animation group a Seiko Talking Pyramid Clock. Craig Good and I spent the afternoon trying to… Read More
David Bowie Wants Ideas
I grew up just down river from Ann Magnuson, one half of Bongwater. They informed the world of David’s needs in this wonderful song. In between leaving Pixar and starting back to grad school, I connected with then-former… Read More
Stolen Valor
I owe Bausch & Lomb an explanation. In high school, I convinced my Chemistry teacher that my time for that class was better spent at the local community college (Go Flood Wall Tech … Steamers?) learning Calculus, since… Read More
Pixar Retirement Keyboard
An example of the clash between Caps Lock and 40+ years of emacs motor control. When I ‘retired’ from Pixar in 1992 to go back to grad school, my friends got me a (digital) gold watch. Neftali “El… Read More
The Veiled Virgin illustrates visual segmentation of shape by cause
The geometry of the physical object does not represent the visual experience. Three-dimensional (3D) shape perception is one of the most important functions of vision. It is crucial for many tasks, from object recognition to tool use, and… Read More
Perceptual plausibility of exaggerated realistic motion
Squashing and stretching our way across the uncanny valley. Abstract The informal heuristic practices of the fine arts have much to offer to our understanding of the appearance of phenomenological reality. One interesting example is the use of exaggeration to… Read More
Turdpaint
In my computer graphics youth, everyone wrote two programs – a 2D paint program and a 3D renderer. Such was the curriculum of the time. Ed Tripp taught CIS 781-2-3, a three quarter sequence that took you from… Read More
Papa’s Draft Card
Found my Grandfather’s draft card in a bunch of my Dad’s stuff. About a year before my Grandfather passed away, I visited him and he pulled his draft card out of his wallet. He handed it to me… Read More