RobiNZ CAD Blog

BBC Formula 1 graphics from New Zealand

Formula 1 fans watching the BBC, including N.Z. which gets the U.K. feed via satellite, will see graphics from Dunedin Company Animation Research. I must admit I'd rather be in Melbourne to see it live but it will be interested to see what the return of the BBC to Formula 1 brings to the coverage. I have read it will include a revival of their legendary F1 theme, Fleetwood Mac's anthem The Chain. I can't wait! 

Dunedin firm wins Formula 1 bid
Dunedin computer graphics company Animation Research Ltd has taken the chequered flag in a race to win a contract to provide graphics for this year’s Formula One series for the BBC...

Image Credit: Animation Research

RIP Tony Hart - The Television Artist

I think there is a direct link from the brilliant work of Tony Hart to the work I do today and my preference for visual tools (click to view the map). Thanks Tony, from a big kid who watched your television art.

Tony Hart, artist and inspiration for children, dies at 83 | The Guardian

Tony Hart - The Official Tony Hart Website - Television Artist

 

I found the YouTube via this tribute at Thoughtspurs Blog

Play-Doh, coming soon... is here!

• 2.5 tonnes of plasticine on set.
• 40 animators.
• 3 weeks.
• 189 2ft bunnies
• 150 1ft cubes
• 10ft x 20ft purple wave
• 30ft giant rabbit.
• 6 cameras.
• 40 animators working through 4 hours generated 4 seconds of footage.
• 40 animators working on the same scene had never been attempted before.
• The 60 second spot will be constructed of approximately 100,000 stills

In the tradition of Balls and Paint, it’s Play-Doh 

See the preview and wallpapers - Sony BRAVIA - New York - Downloads
(I’ve seen this on YouTube but the “official version” is much better quality)

The result is at http://www.bravia-advert.com/

Disclaimer: I have a Sony ES component Audio system and Trinitron TV, but not a BRAVIA. I just like these adverts!

Tags: Sony+BRAVIA, Play-Doh

Recommended Television for my Swedish Readers...

If you’re reading this from Sweden, according to the stat’s 1 – 2% are, keep an eye out for the Kiwi movie Whale Rider. It’s a wonderful movie based on Maori legend and filmed at Whangara – a small settlement on the East Coast.

I’m not sure when it will screen on Sweden television (see this preview at SVT) but, in a roundabout way, I helped with the subtitles!

RobiNZ Personal Blog: Blogging helps people help people - Whale Rider, a Blog and a helpful Author
I received an email, via the blog, from Swedish Television regarding subtitles…

Tags: Whale+Rider

The new Sony BRAVIA "Paint" Advert is...

As good as the first one!    BRAVIA – commercials.like.no.other

Sony BRAVIA - View The New Advert
The new BRAVIA TV commercial was directed by award-winning director Jonathan Glazer, who is responsible for a dazzling array of original work in the fields of commercial, music video and film production.

It required: 70,000 litres of paint, 358 single bottle bombs, 33 sextuple air cluster bombs, 22 Triple hung cluster bombs, 268 mortars, 33 Triple Mortars, 22 Double mortars, 358 meters of weld,
330 meters of steel pipe, 57 km of copper wire, 1 High-rise Apartment Block and (I’m guessing) a huge clean up afterwards!

 

UPDATE 29–10–2006: Video added, found it thanks to iplot

Time to save Top Gear

This is off-topic but if you are a fan of the BBC Show Top Gear it’s time to act:

See; Time to save Top Gear - Sign the "Save Top Gear!" Petition - RobiNZ Personal Blog

Tags: Time+to+save+Top+Gear, Top+Gear

A look back at the early days of the net, maybe even BIM?

This 1972 documentary on the early days of computer networking is fascinating. The ARPAnet pioneered many of the concepts and technology that became the Internet and it may even have the first mention of BIM?

J.C.R. Licklider of M.I.T.

“When they are developing plans the blueprints, as it were, don’t have to be copied and sent all around the country, the blueprints come out of the database and appear on every-bodies scope and the correlation, the coordination of the activity, is essentially right there in the computer network itself”. (about 11:00 min)

“It’s just  fundamental that if one wants to deal with information you ought to deal with the information not the paper it’s written on”  (about 22:00 min)

They dream of banking networks, information sharing, instant communication across wide-band networks. Could that change the world? Oh, it already has!

Computer Networks The Heralds of Resource Sharing - Google Video

Via Make Blog