So I have been working collaboratively with some people on a project at school [search]josephine[/search] . I have to say that I am quite leary about the whole collaborative environment since Trebors Network and Collaborations conference, but I thought I would give it a whirl. Today someone I worked with posted their website to our school listserv. My friend wrote to tell me that they saw my models on the web without my name anywhere, as reference.



The background was all my models with no credit on it. I assume it was just an oversight, but in the mean time, lots of people viewed the page assuming that the work was not mine. Don't get me wrong, the person who posted them did a huge portion of the project and is by no means a slacker or stealer but I would never post their portion of the porject (code/storyboard) to my website and add no reference to them. In fact on my web site for the project , the only link to work I didn't create mentions the makers of the storyboard right on the link.

In regards to this [inlink]paul,1868[/inlink]

Hi Paul,
Thanks for expressing your worries about a copyright violation because of me using your rendered model image as a background image in one of my pages in my personal site.

I think I will rather prefer to change the image or credit everybody in the project at the same time.

You are right that image is modelled and rendered by you. But you didn't conveided it on your own. The project is Josephine's, You did the modelling based on my storyboards which I discussed with Josephine, Trupti the AI, Dave the VR whole toolset, Prof Shspiro Sneps and etc. This is a chain of collaborators, and one is not independent from the other in this project's context. I explicitly express my role in the project, I say that I am doing the storyboard (put the actual image there), and build scenes in YG and write/extend code for agent navigation. Belive it or not, to be honest, I thought that this is clear enough. So that people don't get the idea that I did any modeling. I also explicitly stated the kind of programming I do there so that people should not think that I do more than that in such a complex programming intensive project.

Besides, I made videos of people walking in the environment with a footage shot by Dave. This videos were only possible by everybody's contribution, but I did them anyway. I will put a grab from them instead of your image.

The reason I didn't put every name about the project is because I am linking to the very site which tells all of the details about it in a proper way.

I wouldn't worry about you using my code as a background image on your site because it is not entirely mine. You have to credit everybody involved with that or non. I guess people belive that "looking" at images is enough to claim a copyright, than perhaps the use of code/text as a visual/image.

I have a lot of issues to say about copyright and identity, and what belongs to whom, or who you are (like should one need to credit mom and dad, or the monkeys in the evolution chain, if there is any, which made your existense possible for claiming a right to that image) anyway but this is a different discussion for a different interest.

Anyway, I don't see this as a big problem and except your argument no matter I agree or not. And I am sorry if I dissapointed you, as I like you as a friend.
So the image will go or replaced, but I got also warnings about sending this kind of a stupid e-maisl to the list even though this was totally a mistake. People thought that I want them to visit my site. I realized that this is a huge list, and I don't want to take people's time again. If you don't mind, I prefer to give a written explanation to the people whom went to my site and reported this act as a violation. But if your really really really really really want to me write to this list, anyway, I should think a solution for that.

I hope you understand, and got my points. Again sorry for the inconvenience,and I apology if I made you feel dissapointed.

The image will be gone, or replaced, 1 min. after I send this e-mail.

Unnammed person

So I decided to work on the mushrooms a little more and to test out Maya 6's new soft modification tool. It rocks. It is so much easier than using lattices and yet yields even better results.

Here are the same mushrooms from this entry [inlink]paul,1864[/inlink], rerendered and modified.

Watch how 3D mushrooms are grown.

Here is the texture file with the corresponding UV coordinates marked out.



Here is the model with the texture applied and subdivided at level 1.


Here is the rendered image with the mesh subdivided at level 3.


Here are some examples after tricking the renders out in photoshop

[size=m]Nancy King[/size]
Before, I explain this I would like to note that Nancy King in the Media Studies office is the most helpful person I have ever dealt with at UB. She seems really caring.

[size=m]I want to finish now[/size]
I am so used to small schools, so this UB megunivopolis thing is overhwhelming. I think I really made a mistake when I decided to get my MFA there.

I am so busy that I have a hard time keeping up with the nuances of school beaurocracy. I am so jealous of the students who are not working right now. I can't imagine being able to really focus on my own education.

It is just too hard to teach two classes at Cansius, continue to do free lance work, work on my thesis project, and take a full-time course load. I keep telling myself it's almost over but then little things creep up. A great example being when I discovered that i am supposed to take 3 out-of-department courses. This wasn't listed as overtly as I would anticipate on the paperwork. It should be listed in the electve section in bold letter (Student's are required to take 3 courses in outside departments.) I wanted to take 3 one-credit courses as it did not specify the number of ours per course. The school told me that wold not satisfy t he requirement.

Someone must have heard about my story because at 5:45 am I received this anonymous email that said:

.. (the school's) position is weak. The documents legal implications are strong for yoou. You can likely take 3 one credit courses. If you put it in court, you will win. Unless you have agreed to do whatever they say at any time in the future.

The person is surely right but I don't think I could deal with the drama of the court case, not to mention it would surely end up costing as much as taking the classes.

Today I also temporarily dropped under 12 hours and was nervous because I won't be able to add classes until Tuesday. I thougt I would be financially penalized as we are required to remain full time. Luckily, I called the grad school and spoke with Debbie. She told me that I have until Friday to get my schedule finalized.

The Graduate School
408 Capen Hall
Buffalo, NY 14260-2608
Phone: 716-645-2939
Fax: 716-645-6142