All of my life I have been driven to learn new technologies and utilize them in ingenious, innovative, and creative ways.
It has been a wild journey of excitement, frustration, breakthroughs, and disappointments.
From mechanics to electronics. From video production to animation. From interactive media to programming. What you find on this site is a small example of my continuing studies and work.
David S. Young
This was an animation that looked at the historical invention of the telephone in a humorous way. It shows Alexander Bell in his lab putting the finishing touches on the telephone before using the device for the first time.
This Augmented Reality experience was designed to explain and demonstrate the equipment located on the top of a cell tower. it looked at the splitters, active and passive, the amplifiers, and the antennas used to provide cell service to the surrounding areas.
This animation explained the several Whys behind a properly designed marketing campaign. It employed the never ending why questions posed by children to adults to deliver several key points about how marketing campaigns help businesses thrive.
This is Thomas Watson, co-inventor of the telephone. Tom and Alexander Bell interact while reviewing the history of AT&T in a light-hearted bantering about all of the wonderful technologies and services that came from the invention of the telephone.
This is an example of using visual effects in animation. The example was created with 3D Studio Max and PheonixFD and rendered using V-ray. Utilizing several different rendering engines from V-ray to Arnold and everything inbetween.
There were several models created to highlight some of the technology that came out of AT&T company. This is just one of them, the Telstar satellite used to provide service to the four corners of the world. One of the many technologies that came out of Bell Labs.
This paperclip character was created as a reminder to employees to always follow protocols around the office to avoid doing something that could affect service to customers. The virtual stage in this case is the inside of a Centeral Office. This setting has been used for numerous training programs that required a Central Office location. These buildings are very well protected so having a model of the environment came in very handy.
The Pizza guy here was created to show off some of the technology found in a smart home. In this instance you are in the home watching the doorbell camera on your smart phone while the Pizza Guy delivers your pizza. The delivery takes a surprizing turn and you get to witness all of it on the live feed to your smart device.
This is a model of the Pink Panther, a saturday morning cartoon character from my childhood. This was part of a tutorial from the 3D Character Workshop by Shane Olsen. I enjoy the creative outlet of character modeling and continue to study the various techniqes available while using the program ZBrush. One of my ongoing learning endeavors.
This model and animation were part of a marketing campaign from 20 years ago. It was designed to be added to the company's website to briefly explain the work ethic and dedication to customers this company exhibited. The animation was a better way of getting the clients to understand the company's commitment to excellence without doing it in a boring document or content written on the website. It was however a little ahead of it's time due to the fact that the web hadn't reached the speeds available today. But as far as I know, it is still being used by the company.
This character is named Oscar and was used to pose questions to an off-screen narrator about the operation of a phone app for monitoring biling and services for a technology company. Designed to be used through a web based experience, this was very popular with the clients who enjoyed the creative way the information.
This is an architectual model of a Network Center originally designed to be used in a 360 degree Virtual Reality project. It was designed to be viewed on smart devices and VR headsets. Since the inital project this 3D model has been modified and repurposed for several different projects including interactive experiences located in the future. This was a fun project to build. The original use for this was for it to be used with an animated character that would talk about service quality. Alas that project didn't mature. The client couldn't decide on what type of shoes to put on the model. This went on for over two months.
This living room environment was created for troubleshooting training where the student would type in questions for the make believe customer. The customer would react to the questions and the student would then use the information to further troubleshoot the situation. The customer in the scenario was based on a member of the Mafia so the responses from the customer were quite entertaining for the student asking the questions. Just don't ask about the horse's head in the bedroom.
This filmstrip was part of an information campaign to introduce members of one company to the inner workings of the acquired company. It looked at the differences in management styles associated with the two companies becoming one. It also explained some of the cultural differences between the two marketplaces and how they were to be addressed. The initial merger had both companies under one roof but were positioned to operate as separate companies. Last I heard they were going to absolve the merger due to the present economy and the results of the pandemic.
Years ago I created this character as a way of introducing Frank Kern, avid surfer and Web Marketing Genius. This project didn't go anywhere due to busy schedules on both sides of the aisle. However, it is a great example video for what can be done with animation in the Marketing world. And I ended up with a surfer dude character that can be used in coutless endeavors including games, training, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, the Metaverse. The options are infinite.
This was an experiment with animating ink dropping into a glass of water. It was a tutorial for learning how to use PheonixFD, a visual effects software used in conjunction with 3D Studio Max. I didn't really use this example for any projects but thought I would include it here as an example of what is possible with 3D software and render engines.
This 3D model of a small home office was used in the interactive training employing Oscar, one of the characters exhibited in this gallery. Since the initial design, bookcase and all, this home office has been used in a few other projects, without Oscar. Most of the modeling I have done like this has been repurposed at one time or another. It is kind of like having a library of virtual sets that can be used for multiple productions.
Over the years I have created many many models of equipment. Most of this has been done for the telecommunications industry. Which makes sense since I have been in that industry most of my working career. There are examples all over this gallery of that type of work. These models have been used in multiple training programs the years. Mostly because I have also been in some form of training environment also for most of my career. This type of work is very conducive with this enironment.
For the past 8 years I have been producing Augmented Reality content in one form or another occasionally. Well I have one of my very own! This one is titled A Visit with Simon-Peter, and is available on the iPhone App store for free. The Android version is still in the works. In this app, Simon-Peter is transported into your environment and answers questions about what it was like living in Israel during the time of Jesus. There is an introduction experience that ends at a menu of various questions Simon-Peter will answer. You can walk around the experience, look inside the boat, and learn something about the time period as well.
This is an example of yet another Virtual Studio that has been used for various settings in training programs. It has been used with animated characters and live productions for training purposes. it is designed in layer form so people can be placed in front of and behind cabinets of equipment and in and around the desk environment. It can be rendered with the various rendering engines like Arnold, ART, and V-ray to add various aspects of realism to the scene.
This is a detailed model of one of the early telephones designed by Alexander Bell and Thomas Watson. This particular model was the one that Alexander Bell demonstrated at MIT. It was used for investor demonstrations as well to drum up money for the young telecommunications company. I have a model of the version that stood vertical as well. It just isn't pictured here in the gallery. Both of these models are showcased in the Augmented Reality experience with Watson and Bell also highlighted in this gallery.
Many years ago in my telecommunications career I worked on the development of a digital loop carrier system. It looked a lot like this. Unfortunately this model did not exist at the time I was with this company. But I created it for the purpose of having it for training purposes at one of the companies that purchased and installed this equipment all around the country. It was kind of like going back to my roots in the industry. This model has been used in a lot of training courses over the years.
This model was originally created for the Alexander Graham Bell/Tom Watson Augmented Reality encounter. But it has been used as a prop on the desk of a detectives office in 1942 I created for some animation sequences as well as set decoration in the Interactive Technology House developed for training the istallation of equipment for communication services from Internet to television service. There was even a version of this model that had eyes attached and was animated to talk.
Another one of the 3D virtual sets created for video productions and interactive training scenarios. Each cabinet is equipped with models of equipment that can be exchanged with other equipment models for a completely different environment. This model makes for a pretty spectacular animation as the camera dollys out between the cabinets from the far wall. I think this set was utilized one time in a training project.
This vehicle was used in an Augmented Reality project that highlighted a vehicle tracking system that allowed companies to follow their drivers around the city. The tracking system was designed to be set up in zones so the company would know whether one of their vehicles had left its alloted zone or not. This experience also highlighted excessive speed, hard braking, being in one location for too long, and pinpointed the vehicle at all times on an interactive map. I enjoyed working on this project. It was really cool technology.
Over my career in telecommunications I have been required to model multiple pieces of electronic equipment. For the cable plant, the network, and for Internet and television services. This included satellite dishes, arial splice chambers, pedestals, Serving Area Interface cabinets, underground vaults, Central Offices, cabling, and many other devices. Some of these models were also used with visual effects to illustrate catastrophic failures. No equipment was harmed in these re-creations.
This was a fun and challenging project. In this one I had to mix an animated character in with live action to explain the process of procuring frequency spectrums for wireless service. The project took the live actor to the top of a cell tower, into an auction scene where companies were bidding for frequency spectrum allocations. And even to the to top of a building to explain the different frequencies that were used in the city and in rural settings. Yes we had a tennis ball on the end of a stick painted green so the actor could interact with the animated superhero. This project turned out great despite my never having done this type of production before. Five Stars.
These marketing brochures were my first attempt at creating this type of product. It took several iterations to come up with something the customer liked. If I remember right, I even collaborated with someone to make sure the copy was to the point and easy to read. I would have got it right eventually but it was fun working with someone else more familiar with the platform. At least I tell myself I would have gotten it right without the help. To tell the truth, I learned a lot from the collaboration. I am not afraid to admit my weaknesses and ask for help.
This is Alexander Graham Bell, the other half of the comedy duo Bell and Watson from the Augmented Reality experience highlighting all of the great technology advances realized by the company they started. This is an Augmented Reality project but it hasn't been uploaded to the app store for iphone or to the Andriod store as of yet. But it is on my list of things to do before the end of the year. I will keep you posted.
My wife and I found this place on the island of Kauai Hawaii several years ago and fell in love with it. We have been back multiple times. It is an Air BNB location on Aliomanu bay. Word is that the owner of this beautiful home has retired and is living there full time now so I am not sure that it is still available for rent any longer. But if it is, this video shows you all of the wonderful amenities you can expect. Spoiler alert, the animated Tiki in the video is a 3D model and cannot be found on the beach in front of the home.
This modeled location showing a Serving Area Interface where video servers and a cross connect are located were used for training how service gets from the telephone company to your home. It went into elaborate detail describing all of the different locations along the route used to get service to your home. telephone lines, pedestals, cable vaults, cabinets, Network Interface Devices, the list goes on and on.
The Pop Quiz School Marm project was created as a means of building a quiz for any training course. The developers were able to work with a configurator and build the questions and indicate the answers for the question in an interactive program. Then once they were done developing the quiz the developer would click a button and the quiz would be published for distribution with their course. This project unfortunately is no longer available. It was created in Actionscript which is no longer supported by browsers. I could rewrite the code and make it work again, but I no longer need it and other projects are more important right now.
This is a shooting arcade based on an old western ghost town. As you walk around town you run into various characters you would find in an old western town. But the people are actually ghosts, and they want to kill you so you have to kill them first. When you shoot them first, they revert back to their ghostly self and slowly drift up and fade away. The best part is that as you continue around town these same characters will show up again when you least expect them.
This lantern was modeled in a 3D program and brought into Substance painter where the materials and textures were created for the model. The textures and materials are attached to the model using layers to build the complex looks. A UVW map is used to put the materials on the model in the correct positions and by using materials from the 3D program as placeholders you are able to break the model into the various parts to make it easier to texture in Substance Painter. This is a great way to add diversity to the model textures so they look authentic.
I was asked in a meeting if there was a way to build an interactive game that would allow people to experience what it would be like to install telecommunications equipment in a house including choosing the correct cabling and products to complete the installation. Turns out that indeed there was. It took some experimentation and some artificial intelligence to get this to work correctly but the finished product is being used around the world to train customer service representatives so they better understand the issues customers face while doing a do it yourself install of the equipment. If you don't install all of the equipment required the service will not work.
This is a model of my best friend of many years. I created it using Character Creator and IClone programs. It was a learning exercise and it turned out very well. I haven't had a chance to use the character in any projects as of yet. I am still waiting for the right project to come along. I have to be careful what scenario the character finds himself in. Afterall it is my best friend and I would never do anything to discredit him or make out the fool. Hey, that is just how I roll.
This project was developed to familiarize trainees with a retail setting and store setup. These stores are found all around the world and the people who work There are well trained to be able to assist the customers with all of their needs. This was a fun project and required setting up multiple scenarios where the trainee needed to locate products and demonstrate their knowledge of the products. This allowed them to spend as much time as they needed familiarizing themselves with store products.
