33 ways to stay creative

33 Ways to Stay Creative

I saw this list, and wanted to share it with you. Hope these thoughts can be a bit of an inspiration for you too:

1. Make lists.
2. Carry a notebook everywhere.
3. Try free writing.
4. Get away from the computer.
5. Be otherworldly.
6. Quit beating yourself up.
7. Take breaks.
8. Sing in the shower.
9. Drink coffee/tea.
10. Know your roots.
11. Listen to new music.
12. Be open.
13. Surround yourself with creative people.
14. Get feedback.
15. Collaborate.
16. Don’t give up.
17. Practice, practice, practice.
18. Allow yourself to make mistakes.
19. Go somewhere new.
20. Watch foreign films.
21. Count your blessings.
22. Get lots of rest.
23. Take risks.
24. Break the rules.
25. Do more of what makes you happy.
26. Don’t force it.
27. Read a page of the dictionary.
28. Create a framework.
29. Stop trying to be someone else’s perfect.
30. Got an idea? Write it down.
31. Clean your workspace.
32. Have fun.
33. Finish something.

From http://www.linkedin.com/groups/33-Ways-Stay-Creative-3667168.S.110400376

About Python variable arguments

http://www.saltycrane.com/blog/2008/01/how-to-use-args-and-kwargs-in-python/

still do not quite understand.....

Set up eclipse for Maya

http://techartninja.com/using-eclipse-with-maya-a-quick-reference/

Gimble Lock and Rotation order in Maya

From: http://thinkanimation.blogspot.com/2007/03/maya-rigging-gimbal-big-no-no.html

how to avoid gimbal lock in rigging

Gimbal is a major pain in the rear . . .

. . . everybody knows that.
even if you animate in gimbal (set rotation tool to gimbal) you often have problems with it

"Gimbal" or "Euler" is how most 3d packages "think" about rotation values
it is a hierarchical system with rotation orders
the default rotation order is usually ZYX
If you Rotate in Z: X and Y rotate with it
If you Rotate in Y: X rotates with it but Z stays where it is
If you Rotate in X: Y and Z stay how they are

<- check it out

this is what happens under the hood when you have gimbal lock (ZYX)
maya does not know what axis you want to rotate when X and Z are overlaying

You can set the rotation order in the attribute editor
XYZ YXZ . . . .

The only thing that causes Gimbal Lock is the second axis

here is another video i did in XSI which nicely explains it for visual people.

This means for rigging in Maya or other Euler based apps:
DO NOT PUT THE Middle AXIS WHERE THERE IS MUCH MOVEMENT
2nd rotation BAD
1st or 3rd rotation GOOD
Put the middle rotation where there is little movement

For example a Head usually rotates a lot in Y (global axis)
it would be a good thing to make the rig that it does NOT use XYZ or ZYX order
best would be Y as THIRD (zxY, xzY)
and the "look up down" via 1st (since thats the second most used one)
use the middle axis for "left right tilt" since thats the least important one of those three

also you can change the rotation order as an animator
before you start animating
think about what your most and least used axis are going to be
then change the rotation order in the attribute editor
use the third one for most used
the middle one for least used
231 (1 most used, 3 least used)

once you have already animated your char and run into problems:
1.try GE ---Curves --- Euler filter
2.zooChangeRoo from the zootoolbox www.macaronikazoo.com

other apps allow keying the rotation order out of the box

Fake shadow - one of the ways to do that

http://www.3dbodega.com/downloads/?p=383

A way to create structure in mel using node

http://nccastaff.bournemouth.ac.uk/jmacey/RobTheBloke/www/mel/PROB_nostruct.html

Can not get emitter's name from particle? Maya

It seems not. http://www.creativecrash.com/forums/mel/topics/query-name-of-a-particle-s-emitter

Particle system in this engine problems and relusion

1. Too many particles render overlap with each other may cause engine to stop render it.

2. The unit in maya and in the engine is about 100 times scale. Maya is much larger