University of Advancing Technology

Next week, July 20 through 25th to be precise, something excellent is happening within UAT's campus. During this week we will be hosting 10-12 summer computer campers who are clients of the Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center (SARRC). Here is the background - many individuals who exist somewhere on the autism spectrum love and are great with computers. The puzzle solving, patterning and ability to work deeply within ones own mind that comes with computer science and technology often nicely complements traits associated with being somewhere along autism's spectrum. The rub though is that the shifting environment, social dynamics and wide range of stimula associated with attending college makes earning a degree in technology areas very hard for individuals navigating autism. 

Here is how UAT and SARRC are partnering to help make this (and perhaps our community) a bit better. For one week UAT’s campus will host  SARRC learners for our second annual Geek Camp experience. During this time SARRC clients will apply for college, live in Founders, attend classes, navigate having room mates and schedules, peer through telescopes (monsoons permitting), create completed games and films. And for each day of these experiences SARRC counselors will be nearby to support, debrief and help the learners as they navigate this immersive simulated college experience. The hope is that after attending the UAT camp, these students will be better prepared to attempt and succeed in college and then go on to become technologists. At a larger scale the data gathered over the years from the UAT Geek Camp is being collected and shared with other autism research centers across the country so they can learn and build from the work started here in Tempe. 

Next week as we share UAT’s campus community with guests finding their technology path, I think we will see that we share a love of technology and the uniquely geek cultural cues that seem to come with our passions.

This is a summer event for all of us to be excited about each year.

Digital fabrication is about to revolutionize how we invent and create, changing the way we design and bring to market new technology products for all time. The Digital Maker Movement is opening new doors of opportunity for UAT's advancing computer technology students. Join us as UAT Provost, Dr. David Bolman shares the trends and technologies that make up UAT's newest and most innovative program to date.

Topics: Digital Maker and Fabrication Host: Bron Stadheim Date and Time: Thursday, June 26, 2014 10:00 am, Mountain Time (Arizona, GMT-07:00) Event Number: 578 432 612 Event Password: DMF123 To join the event as an attendee

Go to https://uat.webex.com/uat/j.php?MTID=md3d152d2c5b62940b75c0ff2cfc664cf

Click "Join Now".

The Arizona PHP (AZPHP) User Group and the Phoenix chapter of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) are both meeting at UAT this week.

AZPHP will be meeting in the theater at 7pm tonight (May 27th) and IGDA PHX will be meeting at the same place/time on May 28th. Both groups have free admission and all are welcome to attend, learn and network. In addition, the IGDA meeting will also be live streamed and pizza will be provide free of charge for all that attend the meeting.

Learn more about AZPHP here

Video recaps will be available at UATProductions

Time for another edition of WIP Friday! This week features an update to a previous featured project from Blake Bjerke. "The Swamp" is slowly being ported to Unreal Engine 4 and here are some of the work in progress shots of the environment.

Environment in Unreal Engine 3:

Environment in Unreal Engine 4:

Unreal Engine 3:

Unreal Engine 4:

Unreal Engine 3:

Unreal Engine 4:

Other work in progress shots in Unreal Engine 4:

That is all for this week! Look for another installment next Friday!

WIP stands for Work In Progress and this day is centered around showing off the newest projects happening at the University of Advancing Technology (UAT) and displaying how a project is created from start to finish.

University of Advancing Technology (UAT) is an elite, intimate, private technology University focused on educating students in advancing technology who desire to innovate for our future.

After a very brief hiatus last week, WIP Friday is back and bigger than it ever has been! This week features a fantastic piece titled Bread and Beer Inn from UAT Alum Dennis Porter!

Little background to get started--the entire piece is hand painted, took 73 days to complete and was Dennis's largest and most ambitious project he attempted. Dennis even took the time to put together a through postmortem of project that I would have to recommend as a required read for anyone going into the Game Art and Animation degree at UAT! You can read the postmortem here!

Now onto the project!

Starting with Food items:

All the dining ware modeled and unwrapped.  Everything below will be fit onto four texture maps.  One is for a single asset because it will have transparency.

Textures:

Weapon Models:

1st Floor Plan for the Inn:

2nd Floor Plan:

All Assets In:

Polishing:

Diorama:

Lightmaps:

Completed Inn:

Video Flythrough:

And that is it--the end of another WIP Friday! Despite how much was in this, you can see even more of the Inn and Dennis's work at his blog and portfolio!

WIP stands for Work In Progress and this day is centered around showing off the newest projects happening at the University of Advancing Technology (UAT) and displaying how a project is created from start to finish.

University of Advancing Technology (UAT) is an elite, intimate, private technology University focused on educating students in advancing technology who desire to innovate for our future.

From student Devin Gaviria:

From student Michael Densmore:

From alum William Tate:

University of Advancing Technology (UAT) is an elite, intimate, private technology University focused on educating students in advancing technology who desire to innovate for our future.

Time for another installment of WIP Friday! This week features a new environment created by UAT Alum Blake Bjerke for his portfolio. (See more of his work at  http://bit.ly/1fpVVhy)

P.S. All notes on art are from Blake

Whitebox. trees are not mine, character is not mine.  just a whitebox, for placement, scale, and general aesthetic.  it's a start.

Good thing UDK supports giant heightmaps

Basic Terrain

Still a lot to do - but I have a basic terrain in now; and a better idea of how to close up the backdrop. also have a moon and distant planet in the backdrop (not fully visible in this shot) researching Gothic architecture for the clocktower, and need to start on the trees pretty soon.

High-poly WIP

Working out the rest of it now..

Almost done, just need to finish the roof.

So, the rocks are now mine. but the trees, grass, ferns, and lily pads are still from UDK's asset library. 

Totem

Perfect bake. 22k tris

Still need to replace grass, ferns, fungi, and lily-pads. 

Everything else is mine

Moss, functionality. Added to my material network. 

visual explanations of all parameters. 

All assets are mine.  Added moss to my material network - for the rocks and trees.  lilypads, grass, ferns, and glowing plants [dynamic emissive-by-height position] (which also appears to coordinate with the amount of light it's receiving) 3 assets left to deal with (Clocktower, clocktower foundation, and totems)

Final Piece: 

WIP stands for Work In Progress and this day is centered around showing off the newest projects happening at the University of Advancing Technology (UAT) and displaying how a project is created from start to finish.

University of Advancing Technology (UAT) is an elite, intimate, private technology University focused on educating students in advancing technology who desire to innovate for our future.

This week's WIP Friday centers around UAT student Cameron Wrightsman who has been hard at work creating a model of the Predator in his spare time! Take a look at the progress he has made below:

Reference images:

Models created in Zbrush 4r6

Cameron is still working on this project--look for another update on his progress in the coming weeks!

That is all for WIP Friday this week—look for another amazing project to be shown off next Friday!

WIP stands for Work In Progress and this day is centered around showing off the newest projects happening at the University of Advancing Technology (UAT) and displaying how a project is created from start to finish.

University of Advancing Technology (UAT) is an elite, intimate, private technology University focused on educating students in advancing technology who desire to innovate for our future.

This week's WIP belongs to Michael Densmore's Booty Bandits, a new game in progress at the UAT campus! Michael and a large team of students have been working on this project since the beginning of the semester and are making considerable progress on the project in just short time. Look for plenty of more updates on this project in the coming months!

Concept Art of Hulking Pirate and Swashbuckler

Swashbuckler Wireframe

Art of Pirate Crew

That is all for WIP Friday this week—look for another amazing project to be shown off next Friday!

WIP stands for Work In Progress and this day is centered around showing off the newest projects happening at the University of Advancing Technology (UAT) and displaying how a project is created from start to finish.

University of Advancing Technology (UAT) is an elite, intimate, private technology University focused on educating students in advancing technology who desire to innovate for our future.

Take a look at the stages UAT alum William Tate took to create his newest project built in Havok's Anarchy engine, GOLF- Valley of the Par 6! 

Concept Art of Course

Modeling section of the course

Modeling and textures

Finished Level

Playthrough of Level

See more of William's art at Art of William Tate That is all for WIP Friday this week--look for another amazing project to be shown off next Friday!

WIP stands for Work In Progress and this day is centered around showing off the newest projects happening at the University of Advancing Technology (UAT) and displaying how a project is created from start to finish.

University of Advancing Technology (UAT) is an elite, intimate, private technology University focused on educating students in advancing technology who desire to innovate for our future.

People should follow @freekeyfridays: IndieGames and FreekeyFridays brings you another set of free indie games. Freekeyfridays was created as a way to garner exposure for indies through giving away a mix of well-known indie games and up-and-coming titles. This week’s games are: Offspring Fling! from KPULV on Windows and Mac (Steam), Bionic Dues from Arcen Games on Windows, Mac, and Linux (Steam) The Bridge from The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild on Windows(Steam). There are two ways to win this week. Five sets of codes will be given for the raffle. Enter here:

Three sets of codes will be given for this Twitter contest: What is the craziest thing you did to get a video game or console that you wanted as a kid? Most interesting story wins. This week's games:

Offspring Fling!

Bionic Dues

(Without the singing, because you really don't want to hear me sing!)

I thought I would try something new this week--a recap of all the UAT stories that appeared on social media. Just in case you missed any of the awesome stuff that happened around here!

And here we go...

1. UAT Alum Godric Johnson was featured on Gamasutra

http://bit.ly/1aLbKe4

2. UAT students Molly Satterfield, Jaylyn Dawson and Amanda McIntyre show off their project, My Music Mosaic at the HCI International conference.

http://bit.ly/170vwOI

3. UAT Game Jam is happening this weekend! (Still time to RSVP!)

http://on.fb.me/1bdViGR

4. UAT Alum William Tate artwork was featured this week!

5. Finally, but definitely not least, UAT Digital Video had some amazing videos hit the Interwebz this week.

DVROCKS created in the style of the opening of 30 Rock

http://on.fb.me/143IYGA

w00tstock intro by Will Wheaton 

http://bit.ly/13b0Nx1

  And the best for last, George RR Martin smashing a guitar from w00tstock

http://bit.ly/13U366K

Tech Forum Presentation: Creating Your Kick-A$$ Website 

Bio:Betsy Cohen is the founder and lead designer at Positive Element (www.positiveelement.com), a boutique web design firm here in Phoenix, AZ. Positive Element focuses on custom web sites for authors, professionals and small businesses that are user-friendly, easy to maintain and easily optimized for search engines and social media. 

Betsy primarily develops with WordPress because it provides a powerful and user-friendly foundation of features upon which to build just about anything. 

Betsy takes time with each client to understand their goals, their audience and their challenges, and she works with them to develop a website plan that integrates with their business, supports their marketing plan, and complements their social media efforts.