Nanyang Polytechnic NewsBytes Newsletter

Hi! :D

I came across the Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) NewsBytes Newsletter Page the other day.
I found myself featured in the 12 June 2009 NYP NewsBytes Article! Thanks to the Desmond, NYP Communications and the NYP NewsBytes team!

The article is a special edition for NYP Graduation 2009, covering the highlights of the memorable occasion and interviews with some of the special graduates.
The section "Glad to have graduated!" covers how "Ronald bounced back after a major operation" and some other interesting stories about my learning journey in Nanyang Polytechnic.

Enjoy! Click here for the article.

Happy 44th Birthday Singapore

Ronald Fong wishes Singapore a Happy 44th Birthday!
Singapore is doing well in so many areas in recent years, including the digital media industry. I am very excited to be part of this growing industry in Singapore and hopefully Singapore will be a digital media hub in the coming years! Majulah Singapura!!

Nanyang Polytechnic Graduation 2009

Guest-of-Honour
Mr Seto Lok Yin, Director of Industry Development Division [Left]
Media Development Authority of Singapore

Ronald Fong, Digital Media Design Merit Diploma Graduate [Right]
Recipient of MediaCorp Silver Medal Award
Recipient of Lucasfilm Animation Singapore Outstanding Project Work Award [Animation]




Mr Freddie Yeo, General Manager of Infinite Frameworks [Left]

Ronald Fong, Digital Media Design Merit Diploma Graduate [Right]

I am very honoured to receive my Diploma in Digital Media Design with Merit, MediaCorp Silver Award and Lucasfilm Animation Singapore Outstanding Project Work Award from Guest-of-Honour Mr Seto Lok Yin, Director of Industry Development Division, Media Development Authority of Singapore and Industry Guest Mr Freddie Yeo, General Manager of Infinite Frameworks at the Nanyang Polytechnic Graduation 2009 Ceremony.

I know I have mentioned this before but once again, thank you Nanyang Polytechnic, MediaCorp and Lucasfilm Animation Singapore! =)

New Script Category in Downloads page

Click to go to the downloads page. :)

Hello everybody :)

I have picked up a little bit of Maya Embedded Language (MEL) Scripting in my own free time and have quickly written two scripts which can be helpful when rigging characters.

The Shape Switcher
Have you ever come across rigs with controllers which are difficult to select?
You can now use the Shape Switcher Script to swap away controllers which you do not like. It has proven to be useful for animators and riggers.

The Curve Color Changer
Having different colors for different controllers in a character rig can save a lot of hassle when trying to select the right controllers, especially in the case of differentiating the limb controllers of the left and right sides.
This little utility can help you change the curve colors of either the shape node or the transform node (override color) depending on your preference.
Once again, it can be very useful for both animators and riggers.

Though they are meant to be used for rig controllers, they can largely be used for any Maya Dag Object. :)

If you have any suggestions to improve the script or report any bugs, please feel free to email me.

Enjoy! :D

The MEL scripts are written by Ronald Fong with the sole intention to help himself and fellow digital artists who wants to learn. Use at your own risk and do not use them for commercial use.

Mini Cooper S 3D Animation Wireframe

Hi! :D

Here is a wireframe version of the 3D MINI Cooper S Lighting and Rendering Exercise I did earlier. By the way, there has been some queries on how to achieve the rendered wireframes on 3D models. If this information is of help to anybody, tt is actually done using the mental ray contour simple shader.

Hope you'll like it :)

MINI Cooper S Photo Realistic Rendering

Hello =)

I have always wanted to take my 3D Mini Cooper S model for an animation ride.
The 3D model is done in Maya some time ago and I rigged it for animation for this exercise.

I have already created a still
using this set of HDRI and backplates I got from www.hdri-locations.com some time ago.

But a still image was not enough for me :P

I played around with the camera and backplates to give the illusion that it's a real trucking/zooming/panning camera. I feel that some shaders can be improved but I am quite happy with the results. This is a very fun exercise for me. I hope this may inspire some out there who wants to do some photo real animation with their 3D vehicle models and I certainly hope you'll like it ;D

It's fully rendered and composited in High-Definition, so feel free to watch it at 720p resolution! :D

Nanyang Polytechnic Graduation 2009

Hello,

The Nanyang Polytechnic Graduation 2009 Ceremony was awesome!
Guest of Honour Mr Seto Lok Yin and Director of SIDM Mr Daniel Tan each gave a very inspiring and encouraging speech.

I have graduated with a Diploma in Digital Media Design with Merit!
Plus, I am super happy to receive the following awards:

MediaCorp Silver Medal
Lucasfilm Animation Singapore Award for Outstanding Project Work (Animation)

Thank you Nanyang Polytechnic, MediaCorp and Lucasfilm Animation Singapore! =)
With this encougarement, I am even more motivated to do my little part and contribute to the digital media industry.

F1GPSG.COM Animation Competition Winner Announced

I did not win, and I got an honourable mention! :)

"It was a very close race to the finish but Gorgeous Prabowo (kutudaun) of Indonesia took the top honors! Two who almost made it were Ronald Fong (minifong) of Singapore and Tomasz Ochotny (tomay) of the UK. Congratulations to Gorgeous for winning the US$3,000 prize! We will contact you shortly. On behalf of F1GPSG.com, thanks to all those who participated in the competition. It was an incredible race!"

Source: [Eyeka Asia Blog: The Race is Over, We Have a Winner!]

You may view the winning entry [here].
You may view my humble entry [here].

Thanks to all who voted for me! :D

Coke Zero - Impossible is Possible

Description:
In order to convey the message of "Impossible is Possible" in line with the new Coke Zero Campaign to reach out to youths, our concept revolves around this mighty Coke Zero can which is able to survive all forms of disasters, just as how we youths will be able to overcome the seemingly impossible adversities we face in life! Impossible is possible, just as how it is possible to have real Coke taste and Zero Sugar!

Hello everyone! :D

This animation is created by my buddies and I (Ronald Fong, Lee Yong Yi and Tan Zi Chao) of Channelbox for the Eyeka Asia Coke Zero Video or Animation Competition.

In this production, I worked on mainly on the compositing and editing, look development, developing the ink stroke and fluid visual effects, the cars and buildings modelling and animation and the coke can rig.

I'm glad that Channelbox has matured a lot through this production, in terms of communication, coordination, quality and the possibility of effective online meetings. We are a team!

You may view our work in progress thread here
You may view our Eyeka Asia Coke Zero submission here.

F1GPSG Singapore Animation Competition

Hello! I worked on a F1GPSG Singapore Eyeka Video / Animation Competition recently :)

The objective was to promote www.f1gpsg.com as a hub for F1 fans.
Instead of just showing my passion for the sport, I wanted an additional touch to have the viewer think about what this sport means to him or her.
Here's the final product which I submitted on the 29th of March 2009:



Description:
A play of words in the introduction to spark the viewer's thoughts. The viewers starts questioning what exactly F1 means to him or her. The tension builds up and awakens the viewer, who will start to find out more and share with the rest of the world about F1!

Hope you'll like this video!
You may view it on Eyeka competition website itself here.