When working in C#, it is not uncommon to encounter nested object properties (e.g. Student.Grades.Total). Each chained object should be checked for null in order to avoid accessing null elements, throwing a NullReferenceException. This article aims to fix that. In C# 6, the Null-Conditional Operator was introduced, which solves the null-checking in chained objects. Unfortunately, this feature […]
Quick ‘n’ Easy Dual-Cone Spotlight in GLSL
In this article, I will be covering the implementation of a basic dual-cone spotlight in GLSL. Theory and GLSL are the primary focus here, and thus other code, such as C++, won’t be covered in detail. This tutorial is being written to hopefully aid students who are just starting, as well as others who are […]
Converting QT UI Files to Maya Python
Plugins are one of Maya’s strongest points. As plugins become increasingly complex, they usually call for some form of user interface. However, Maya’s native methods of building user interfaces is quite rudimentary and awkward to use at best. What many people are not aware of is that Maya itself is built using QT, and actually […]
Exporting Bézier Curves From Maya
In Maya, there are many degrees of curves available. Bézier curves are one of the more favored within Maya due to their intuitive usability and flexibility in comparison to other existing curve types. Bézier curves prove to be a useful asset in any toolbox, as is evident by its extensive use in video games, among […]
Exporting a Maya Light’s Radius/Range
It can sometimes be useful to know the radius or range of a light source within Maya. For example, an exporter for a video game could require the radius of a point light and the height of a spotlight to be exported for use in the rendering portion of the game engine, or the same […]
Introduction to MEL Programming for Artists
This series of slides provides an introduction to the world of MEL. The intended audience is artists familiar with Maya, with no required previous programming experience. The slides are designed to be presented as a workshop over five one hour sessions. By the end of the course, students should feel comfortable with the basics of […]
Undergraduate Works
Below is a collection of some works I have created during my Bachelors degree. They were made around 2011-2013. Real-Time Translucency As a final-year graphics module at university, I had to work on exploring real-time translucency. The technique I ended up using is based upon Translucent Shadow Maps (TSM). I did, however, cite multiple papers, combining […]
Notes on Implementing a Maya Viewport 2.0 Renderer Override
In October of 2014, I was working on a project in my free time that overrides Maya’s Viewport 2.0 renderer. A viewport renderer override can be useful to render the scene externally, such as in a game engine. The advantages of this are that you can fully control the rendering so that the result in the viewport matches […]
Maya Viewport 2.0 Renderer Override
This project was a voyage into replacing Maya’s Viewport 2.0 renderer with a custom-built external rendering system. This sort of setup is ideal for games development, as artists can see and edit final-quality art assets directly within the viewport without having to repeatedly export their scene. Technical limitations of the built-in viewport, such as the […]
Multi-Resolution Cloth Simulation
This project was developed for my BSc Computer Games Programming final project. My aim was to develop something novel in the area of cloth simulation, and I would like to say that I had succeeded. The principle behind the project was to defer complex calculations used in cloth simulation to lower detailed copies of the […]