3D PRINTING-A LOOK AT KENYA

2012 was an interesting year. It’s the year that saw the Daily Beast(Newsweek) put their last print edition and embrace digital issues fully, the Higgs Boson/field ‘discovered’, London hosted the Olympics again and TIME magazine listed 3D printing(Makerbots Replicator) among the best inventions of 2012.

3D printing is becoming a consumer product and is widely being embraced. Among those leading Kenya in adopting this ‘new’ technology are some enterprising Kenyans(offices located in Westlands, at the junction of Mpaka road and Parklands road. Opposite Fedha plaza inside the Mayfair apartments suit 4) who have seen the trend and have already brought 3D printers to Kenyan shores. The team deals with 3D printers called UP, from a company Delta Micro Factory Corporation , a Chinese firm that is establishing a name for itself in the 3D printing world. The same UP printers which are sold under the brand name of AFINIA in the USA ,won awards in Best overall experience, easiest setup and ease of use categories in a ‘competition’ pitting 15, 3D printers from different manufactures carried out by MAKE.The company sells the products at a fair cost (120,000Ksh-190,000Ksh) considering the logistics of bringing them to Kenya and support they offer to buyers.

 Now that they are here and more will be coming from other suppliers as  interest in the technology increases, the next logical question would be what can they do for a consumer/client/customer? To answer this question we will look at some of the uses 3D printing technology is being used for in other parts of the world. A company by the name Organovo is utilising 3D printers to print human tissue (bioprinting), a development that may see us printing human organs in the near future. That Autodesk (a leading supplier of CAD/3D software products who have also partnered with Makerbot among many other firms) entered a partnership with them to create software that will design and print living tissue just goes to show how this technology will be revolutionary.

Just recently a UK based firm that makes dolls created an app available in the appstore that enables users to create customized dolls and have them printed and delivered to where they wish.3D printing is also being used to create custom jewellery, guns (this will need controlling), prototyping (e.g. at Reebok), 3D replica creation in Museums as Dr. Louise Leakey is doing through through the site AfricanFossils.org , and ideas are being floated on how to use/integrate this technology in classrooms to enhance the learning experience-check out Nairobi University's Fablab.(Fablab also offers 3D printing services to the public-billed per hour at sh 2000 according to Mr Abwao)

Local 3D Artists/CG artists have an opportunity to make money in this new development. They can offer their skills to potential customers e.g. to create a model for a customer who lacks the knowhow, edit CAD files for clients and prepare them for 3D printing, Make cool stuff and print them for retail in the local gift shops/supermarkets e.g. KICC souvenirs/memorabilia for tourists, Museum artifacts models e.t.c.The soft copy 3D models may also be sold online. In addition the CG artists will also be crucial in offering training.

3D printer render

The applications of 3D printing are too many to tackle in this article but what is clear is that Kenya needs to step up and join the world in putting 3D printing to use. Maybe we can start by integrating open source 3D software into the solar powered laptops that will be distributed to every school age child in Kenya. Secondary schools may also be encouraged to start 3D clubs whereby students will get to know the basics of 3D early hence be able to integrate it into their field of specialization when they go to university. So mboss anza kazi…..You are the industry!

Animation-The January Outlook

The year 2013 has kicked of on a very high note for the Kenyan animation industry.Recon digital released a series of short animations that were done by their team of apprentice animators and from what we can see,we should expect nothing but the best from them in 2013...probably even a TV animated series(domestic disturbance).You can read about their story from Techmoran    

 
In addition...we've been following up on international news and it seems that part of the visual effects company, Digital Domain  has been sold off to the Chinese..... "The latest deal Zhong completed was a joint venture between the US division of the company and Reliance Media Works Ltd of India for the special effects unit and various other businesses and assets of the US visual effects and animation company Digital Domain. Galloping Horse owns 70 percent of the new venture"

The good news for most of us is that we will actually get to see the Legend of Tembo produced and released ‘on schedule’-which is probably in 2014.There is very scarce information regarding the above animation but from the name,I believe it will have a lot of references to Africa or even more specifically,Kenya.We’ll just have to wait and see.
Check out these links for the additional information:

http://www.chinesefilms.cn/141/2013/01/22/122s13453.htm

http://www.chinesefilms.cn/141/2012/11/30/122s13064.htm

http://www.tcpalm.com/photos/galleries/2011/aug/12/legend-tembo-exclusive-first-look/74552/#section_header

Another development that will excite any CG Artist in Kenya, is the prospect of having a 'render farm' with quite a lot of rendering power (not everyone can get a G5 Mac/Mac Pro you know..) right here in Nairobi.This may soon be possible if the project being undertaken at the iHub-Ngong Road, in Nairobi,Kenya achieves it's goal.The iHub-through some of it's members and other partners, is creating/hosting a cluster based computing system that will be equipped with enough power to render most of the processor intensive simulations and photorealistic3D images any CG artist in Kenya aims to create.The iHub Cluster project-conceptualized by a Kenyan ICT guru..Idd Saalim seeks to bring 'supercomputing' to Kenyans and will be used to teach/test parallel programming software developed in Kenya among many other things...e.g 3D rendering so be sure to check their page on the iHub website for any updates.

Animators-A Kenyan Inception

There have been various developments in Kenya recently, some of the major ones being in the ICT industry. For starters it is now quite easy for the average Kenyan to get decent internet speeds on their phones and most importantly on their computers. We’ve all heard the hullabaloo that the internet is THE opportunity place to be and I’m here to show you that indeed it may be. There is a tendency in the country, I presume it’s due to ‘demand’ from the respective market that most of the best work to be done in IT is only in the programming field. The reasoning is IT=programming=money.I would however like to tell you that there is another field that though still underdeveloped, has the capacity to take this country to ‘the next level’ if I may refer to it as such.3D ANIMATION……….Yes…yes… it can be ones job too and believe it or not there’s more to animation than just ‘cartoons’ like Madagascar, Toy Story and of course Finding Nemo (I just had to fix it in here….big fan!)’........3D Animation is a very broad field but basically it refers to the process of giving the illusion of movement to drawings, models of something e.g. cars and objects.This site hopes to bring together the practitioners of the art of animation in Kenya to be able to come together and share ideas and their creativity for the good of this still young industry in Kenya. As part of this below is a list of some of the people and businesses already set up in Kenya doing 3d animation. I will also include  several places offering 3d animation courses in Kenya.The list is in no way comprehensive and any business in Kenya in the above field should feel free to contact us so that we can include them too.Do also leave your comments on any new developments in the field or experience with 3d animators or colleges

A chat with FatBoy Animations

If you happen to search for Kenyan Animations on the internet-there’s a high probability that you will come across a funny guy dancing to the song Huratete by Jimmy gait. The animation with almost 60,000 hits on YouTube (a hit by local standards) was made by none other than Michael Muthiga, a man whom if you don’t know is the owner of Fatboy Animations.Last week on the Wednesday 9^th January, 2013,i had the great opportunity of meeting the crew at FatBoy animations, a company which,as some of you already know, is behind the series of creative adverts  aimed at promoting Jamii Telkom's 'Faiba' product.The company's located in a serene environment near Jamhuri ground,lots of trees,cool wind and you actually see horses outside the main compound....The interview was quite revealing so read on......

1. What is your background as Fat Boy Animations, and why the name FatBoy?

FatBoy Animations is made of two CG artists Michael Muthiga and Sendeu Kanyare.The two are responsible for the creative Jamii Telkom adverts currently being aired on local TV stations in Kenya.

Michael Muthiga states that he was a lead animator at the Tinga Tinga tales project by Tiger aspects.He started FatBoy Animations  after the contract ended (around 2009).Muthiga says he was trained by Joe an Australian animator  in the Tinga Tinga tales, who also mentored him. Claudia Lloyd-the show’s Producer was also instrumental in shaping him up to become the man he is, as she provided him with the opportunity.

Sendeu Kanyare is the other half of FatBoy Animations and acts as the Director at FatBoy Animations. Sendeu was also part of the team that worked on Tinga Tinga tales where he gained valuable experience.

The two have a combined experience of more than 11 years in animation.

Interestingly,FatBoy Animations company name is actually a tongue in cheek name Muthiga chose since as at that time, he was...well fat…..

2. What are some of the (major) stints/shows/productions you have been involved in? (A brief on the FAIBA project…conception e.t.c)

As stated earlier the duo,Muthiga and Sendeu were part of the team that created Tinga Tinga series,earlier on before FatBoy Animations came to be.In addition,as FatBoy Animations the two have been able to execute some great projects such as The Barclays commercial of a dancing robot and lately the Faiba adverts for Jamii Telkom among many others.

Faiba advert is undoubtedly one of the best animated adverts locally.Muthiga says the idea had been ‘simmering in his brain’ for awhile and luckily he was able to pitch the idea successfully to the Jamii Telkom Limited chairman who approved it. The first advert was well received and Fatboy animations was able to convince the Chairman to turn it into a series of 5 different adverts.Muthiga says he also prays a lot,for ideas and is sometimes surprised after seeing the final product he comes up with.

 

3. What are your preferred tools of trade?

As seen through their work,FatBoy animations is excellent in character animation and the company has settled on Maya-an industry standard for character animation; the experience the two had, using  Maya earlier in Tinga Tinga tales also helped them reach the decision on what tool to use.

4. Some of the major challenges you face in the industry and possible solutions

Modern day life is very dependent on electricity and for FatBoy animations, the dependency on  KPLC Power is one of the main hurdles that keeps getting in their way-the power is erratic and issues such as transformers malfunctioning usually mean lost productivity, interference with renderings e.t.c

In addition meeting deadlines for the various projects they are involved in is not easy and the rate the company has been expanding its hardware is indirectly/inversely proportional to the rate jobs are coming in.

5. Current projects we should know about/be expecting?

Stay tuned…….TOP SECRET

6. What are your sources of inspiration and motivation (what keeps you going)?

Muthiga finds his inspiration from various sources such as gospel music, animation movies and walking around animation schools locally too.

7. Word of advice to local budding animators and interested parties ?

FatBoy staff state that local animators need to understand that making good animation takes time, commitment and sacrifice. Studies are also crucial for one to excel in animation e.g. through hands on training. Lastly as a way of giving back to the society, FatBoy Animations is in the process of setting up an online animation training school for local animators. This is a great step especially for would be animators who are based outside Nairobi since most animators are based in the capital city. The online school should be up and running by the third quarter of this year. In addition,Muthiga states that excellent students will get a once in a lifetime chance to join the team at FatBoy Animations.

8. What are some of the services that one can expect from your company?

FatBoy specializes in animated commercials,graphics design,story-boarding,sound production,script production-and animation training soon,through their online school.

9. What are some of your interests apart from animation?

Michael Muthiga has other interests too such as travelling, checking out cars,movies,music,going out with friends, the good old PlayStation video game and going to church.

10. Any other information….

FatBoy Animations is very grateful to all the fans who made the Faiba advert a success and thanks all the fans out there e.g The Faiba fan pages on Facebook.As for the question of whether the advert may just morph into a full brown TV series, we’ll just have to wait and see. Lastly stay on the lookout for the animation school that will be up soon……

Animation Resources

In Kenya one of the things which are rapidly changing in tandem with the global pace has got to be technology.Among the key factors that are contributing to this is the internet. Unlike some years before,the country has been working hard to increase connectivity(reach and speeds) and the fibre optic cables have been a key driving force.

For an animator based in Nairobi,not much has changed.However one of the major benefits any animator in Kenya should/will receive has got to be an easier access to relevant content online and especially videos(tutorials mostly).Sites such as YouTube have great resources for any budding animator.In 2006,downloading such ‘bandwidth consuming’ content was difficult to some but impossible for most.GPRS and EDGE were the ‘top dogs’ unlike todays 3G and fibre optic networks and very soon 4G networks with highspeed broadband capabilities.

If you happen to be in Nairobi CBD,there’s a cyber café on the seventh floor of Norwich union house(Next to the Hilton Hotel)which has very fast internet,adequate for video downloads..Alternatively you can top up your modem(recommended) for a day and download e.g using Airtel's unlimited offer of 200ksh per day or even using Safaricom’s browse with 2ksh per minute(their unlimited offers usually have a fair usage policy)

Apart from YouTube other sites on the internet that will help any potential animator/CG artsist to better their skills,get news on the CG industry and network with other animators include.....

cgmotionbox.com

Itsartmag.com

3dartistonline.com

cgcentral.co.uk

cgtantra.com

cgsphere.com

cgarena.com

3dtotal.com

3dm3.com

Evermotion.org

cghub.com

cgchannel.com

cgsociety.org

Artofvfx.com

Animationxpress.com

Visualeffectssociety.com

Awn.com

Cgpersia.com

Fxguide.com

Canadiananimationresources.ca

There are also specific sites which usually cater to a given software such as blendernation.com for users of Blender 3D so look for them and use them to improve your knowledge on the software you use.If you have any other site you feel should have been listed above please share with us on the comments section.We would like to hear from you.

and as always, remember….You are the industry.

Kenyan in 3D4D Challenge

              In the last few years there has been a renewed interest in  a technology that was previously limited only to large industrial manufactures , military and the likes.3D  printing as it is commonly referred to is the process of creating items/objects by printing them out from a digital 3D model.This process basically entails buying a 3D model or creating a 3D model of an item (on a computer system using appropriate software such as Autodesk’s AutoCAD or the open source Blender 3D) you wish to have.This model is then saved in an appropriate format such as a .STL file.Lastly the file is printed using a special kind of printer that ‘prints ‘ out the object in a method commonly referred to as ‘additive manufacturing.’You can then do whatever you wish with your finished product.The potential ‘consumer 3D printing’ holds for the future is quite bright and there’s no telling how it will revolutionize the world.

            As expected several organizations are trying to find novel use for the above technology one of them being Techfortrade through 3D for Development Challenge.

            The 3D4D Challenge  is an international competition launched by London based technology charity, techfortrade that aims to unearth new ground-breaking ideas that exploit developments in 3D printing, mobile phone based scanning technology and web based design applications to improve the incomes and livelihoods of people in developing countries.The event will this year, be held in London, at The Brewery on the Friday 19^th October 2012.

Roy Ombatti, a Kenyan and Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Nairobi is one of the finalists after pushing the idea of printing shoes to help combat jiggers in Kenya.Winners will be awarded a 100,000 dollars to enable them implement their entry.Visitors at the event will be allowed to vote for their favorite idea and their votes will factor in the judges final decision so should you find yourself there VOTE TEAM KENYA!!...

As you see 3D printing is one of the technologies that will greatly impact the future just like mobile phones have done.What would you do with a 3D printer if you had one??

3D4D Challenge update(posted on 25/10/2012)

The 3D4D challenge came to pass and unfortunately for us(The people who were for Roy Ombatti's idea) we lost.The winner and each of the two runners up(see the list below) received a 3D printed trophy, designed and produced by Challenge sponsor, Econolyst. The winner was also presented with a 3D printing machine from MakerBot, who also sponsored the competition.

The 3D4D challenge trophy

 
1st place- WOOF(Washington Open Object Fabricators) A team made up of students across all disciplines from the University of Washington.Their idea mainly involves recycling plastic by using it as a raw material for 3D printing.

2nd place- Fripp Design-whose project involves using 3D printing technology in the rapid manufacture of soft tissue prostheses

3rd place-J. F. Brandon-whose idea involves using 3D printing for creating  a solar tracker(a device which follows the movement of the sun as it rotates from the east to the west every day.Solar Trackers are used to keep solar collectors/solar panels oriented directly towards the sun as it moves through the sky every day) that is easier to manufacture than existing models,cheaper and more efficient.