Andy Nicholas

I wrote a little primer on rigid body dynamics in Houdini after seeing a lot of similar questions online. Bullet is a pretty deep rabbit hole to fall into and there's a lot of legacy stuff that's very confusing for new artists... hopefully this helps you get started!
www.toadstorm.com/blog/?p=1123

(…still need to read through the whole thing, but liking what I’m seeing so far!)

Love this ❤️

Thoughts Beyond C++ Thoughts Beyond C++ First published: 2024-12-30 Author: Adam Sawicki - see About the author This document is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC) 4.0 license. Short add...

I’ve written down some thoughts about C++ and how a better programming language could look like:
docs.google.com/document/d/1...

OpenAI Pleads That It Can’t Make Money Without Using Copyrighted Materials for Free OpenAI is begging Parliament to allow it to use copyrighted works because it's "impossible" for the company to make money without them.

"Sorry, we can't make this technology that sucks and nobody wants and that uses enough power to blow up the moon unless we *also* steal people's shit to throw into our content woodchipper in order to produce mediocre digital particleboard out of the cumulative artbarf."

futurism.com/the-byte/ope...

YouTube video by Framestore VFX Showreel 2024 | Framestore

Excited to share our 2024 show reel from the Film and Commercials team.

Some really amazing work here by them and definitely worth a watch with sound for the few shots shown with audio.

(FYI: some gore plus a few minor spoilers!)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=iORW...

#framestore #cgi #vfx

YouTube video by Framestore Spike Jonze: Directing the Invisible Art | Framestore

Last one. This time from Spike Jonze on Where The Wild Things Are.

youtu.be/v4GY7lr9PwY?...

YouTube video by Framestore James Gunn: Directing the Invisible Art | Framestore

Here's another. This time from James Gunn about his work on directing the VFX on Guardians.

youtu.be/_nGveoQTYq8?...

Hats off to our artists too. Some of the shots shown have some incredible integration with the CG characters. Particularly the lion and polar bear hugs towards the end.

YouTube video by Framestore Directing the Invisible Art | Framestore

Sharing some Framestore content here... it's got some directors that you may have heard of talking about directing VFX.

youtu.be/t4FbECOgaBw

Today I was attacked by a group of immigrants, who drugged me and gave me a new hip!

Grateful doesn't begin to cover it.

#NHS

1. The implicit deal behind Starmerism was this: you might not like what he stands for (or fails to stand for), but at least he knows how to win elections. If you want the Tories out, he’s your only hope.
But now? It’s as if he’s going out of his way to lose in 2029. 🧵

So here’s the update. The billionaire owner of the Guardian preparing to get rid of a core part of the news org + 100 journalists.
If you’re a Guardian or Observer reader, please share this. The need for a strong, free & independent press couldn’t be greater. Yet, here it is.

I'M ALIVE!!! Fuck you, Schrödinger!

As the historian A.J.P. Taylor wryly remarked, Reith had “managed to preserve the technical independence of the BBC…..by suppressing news which the government did not want published. This set a pattern for the future: the vaunted independence of the BBC was secure so long as it was NOT exercised."

Clive is bang on here.

This is very basic stuff that Labour are getting so completely wrong.

People who are struggling are not benefiting from hawks like Blackrock being given partnerships.

Not only are they not benefiting - they're a huge part of the reason that inequality is so huge.

1. The difference so far (and for god's sake let's keep it that way) between X and Bluesky is not between right and left but between abuse and respect.
A good society is built on mutual respect. But what does this mean?
A short thread.🧵

Massimo Branca is a true FX Gentleman. 🔥

He Shared his entire Mad Max Explosions Houdini project with us and recorded 5 hours of tutorials on it.

Just like and comment " MADMAX " and we'll send you the files and free tutorial in your DM's ✉️

Zuckerberg owns Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp.

Jeff Bezos owns the Washington Post.

Elon Musk owns Twitter/X.

When multi-billionaires take control of our most vital platforms for communication, it’s not a win for free speech. It’s a win for oligarchy

Creating video games is hard, but working with publishers can be even harder. To help level the playing field, I've been working with with a law firm to develop a foundational "starting point" for solo developers to use when developing publishing contracts.

It'll be free and uploaded next week 🙂

Victoria Derbyshire nails Jeremy Clarkson over his Inheritance Tax scam.

Hilarious to watch him squirm.

I have started a Houdini List as well as a Starter Pack, if someone either doesn't want to follow a bunch of accounts, or wants to get Houdini discussions in its own tab.
bsky.app/profile/did:...

Rabbit grass, microwaved tea, moonlight pumpkins, and waterfall police… what more could you want! 🤓

Randall Munroe talking with Matt Parker on a stage with the “What If?” poster projected on the backdrop behind them.

Saw the legend that is Randall Munroe (@xkcd.com) talking with Matt Parker (@standupmaths.bsky.social) tonight. Hilarious and educational exactly as you’d expect. Awesome evening!

Definitely getting “early days” Twitter vibes from this platform at the moment. Loving it.

Nice! 👏👏👏

Love it. So clever.

I'm currently working at www.framestore.com in London as a Principal Pipeline TD where I wrote and currently maintain the Houdini Pipeline for the commercials/rides/TV team in the UK and US.

Lots of folks are arriving from the "other" place recently, so do follow and say hi if you've just joined!

Home | andynicholas.com

Introduction post...

Nice to meet you! I'm Andy, I've been working in games and VFX for a lonnnnng time in various roles. I love the space where art meets maths/science! 😍

Website: www.andynicholas.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/andynicho...