1. Striving to preserve an endangered species.

2. TEAM
WE ARE THE BLOODTHIRSTY SASSY CATS.
We are a team of eight individuals with a passion for
creativity and technology.
3D MODELING
DESIGN
DEVELOPMENT
Vickie Angie
Lindsay Cangialosi
Amy Fairbrother
Jordan DiSanto
Devin Caskie
Joshua Hutchins
Roger Clark
Jared Rutnik
BLOODTHIRSTY SASSY CAT
01

3. PROBLEM
BENGAL TIGERS ARE APPROACHING EXTINCTION
HOW CAN WE HARNESS THE
CULTURE OF THE RIT TIGERS TO
PROMOTE TIGER CONSERVATION?
02

4. PROBLEM
WHAT’S HAPPENING?
Wild tiger population has dropped by 97% in the last century. There are
less than 3,200 left worldwide, occupying only 7% of their historic range.
1900
HISTORIC TIGER RANGE
Wild Population: 100,000
2012
CURRENT TIGER RANGE
Wild Population: 3,200
03

5. PROBLEM
WHY ARE TIGERS DISAPPEARING?
POACHING
DEFORESTATION
HUMAN-WILDLIFE CONFLICT
Tigers are hunted for nearly every
part of their body.
Tigers’ natural habitats are being
destroyed.
Growing populations impede on
tigers’ natural territory.
Pelts for status
Expanding agriculture
Retaliatory killings
Claws & teeth for jewelry
Illegal logging
Competeing food sources
Bones for medicine
04

6. PROBLEM
WHY SHOULD WE CARE?
TIGERS ARE CULTURALLY SIGNIFICANT
TIGERS PROVIDE HEALTHY ECOSYSTEMS
TIGERS BENEFIT THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES
Tigers are admired by people all
over the world.
As a large predator, a single tiger
protects 25,000 acres of forest.
Tigers draw awestruck tourists to some
of the poorest communities in the world.
If considerable action isn’t
taken, this iconic animal could only
exist in books and photographs.
Tigers play a key role in protecting
ecosystems and other species.
Tiger conservation projects also help make
these communities more sustainable.
05

7. THE IDEA
WHAT WE PROPOSE.
CREATE AN EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE
THAT EVOKES PERSONAL INTEREST IN
TIGER CONSERVATION.
WHAT WE HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH
Enlighten our audience about issues concerning Bengal Tigers’ population.
Engage the RIT community through an immersive experience.
Promote empathy for conservation efforts.
Inspire people to help tigers.
06

8. THE IDEA
HOW WILL THIS HELP TIGERS?
SPREAD THE WORD
EDUCATE
INSPIRE PEOPLE TO DONATE
Twitter is a mass-communication
platform that allows the message to
spread beyond Imagine RIT.
Through interaction, the user will be
informed about the specific threats
tigers face today.
Our project will create a connection
with wild tigers that continues as an
online experience.
RESULT
RESULT
RESULT
People worldwide will see tweets
from someone they know, and cause
them to question their impact on
the lives of wild tigers.
People will learn the specific behaviors
that impact tigers, and what they can do
to support tiger conservation.
Through donations, WWF will be
able to fund an agressive approach
against poachers and can help
monitor tigers in their habitats.
07

9. THE IDEA
OUR TARGET
Tigers are visible throughout RIT campus on t-shirts, banners, and statues.
They serve as a reminder of our mascot RITchie, and school pride.
WHY RIT?
Students, faculty, and alumni,
owe it to themselves, RITchie,
and future RIT students to help
protect wild tigers.
Tigers unite us and give us
something to fight for.
If tigers become extinct, what
will being an RIT tiger mean?
Photos property of RIT
08

10. THE IDEA
CAN WE INSPIRE AN ENTIRE CAMPUS?
It has been proven to work in the past.
RIT & TIGERS
In 1963, a group of RIT students adopted
a tiger by selling 50-cent shares to students.
Having Spirit was “the best thing to end
student apathy” and it greatly improved
school spirit. (David Page, ‘66)
Photos property of RIT
09

11. THE IDEA
PROJECT DIRECTION
NATURAL
Our tiger will be life-size and will have realistic movements. We want users to feel
the presence of a wild tiger, and experience awe, fascination, and a little bit of fear.
SOCIAL
We want to accommodate groups of visitors at once. We’re going to encourage our
audience to tweet to our hashtag and spread the word about tigers being endangered.
EDUCATIONAL
We want users to learn about the dangers that wild tigers face, the severity of their
threats, and feel inspired to go out and save tigers.
10

12. THE IDEA
EXPERIENCE FLOW
Tiger moves on
screen. Pacing, ear
twitch, lick paw, etc.
On-screen hint
shows how to
start interactions.
User interacts with
the tiger and is
shown various facts.
After 4 gestures,
tiger gets bored
and walks away.
Stickers are handed
out with URLs for an
online experience.
40/50
On-screen twitter
tracker with handle
and hashtag.
Audience tweets
and spreads the
word about tigers.
Twitter tracker bar
rises, and approaches
a milestone.
For each milestone,
a twitter bird flies
on screen.
Online website offers
more information
and oppurtunity to
donate to WWF.
11

13. THE IDEA
WHAT’S NEEDED
C4D TIGER MODEL
UNITY REAL-TIME ANIMATIONS
Model, textures and animations
will be built within Maxon’s
Cinema 4D.
The Unity engine is idealy suited to
accept Kinect gestures and have
the tiger respond to the interactions.
CUSTOM KINECT GESTURES
SPREAD THE WORD WITH TWITTER
Custom gestures will be created
through Omek’s gesture recognition
and body tracking technology.
A Twitter hash tag will be displayed
on our screen to invite our audience
to spread the word for tiger conservation.
12

14. VISUALS
OUR SCREEN SETUP
TIGER
FACTS
THREATS
An active, life-size tiger dominates
the screen, and reacts to a user’s
specific gestures.
For each action, specific facts
appear on screen, next to the tiger.
Threats relevent to the tiger’s action,
are displayed on screen to educate
the user.
GESTURE HINTS
TWEETS
PROGRESS
Subtle gesture animations aid
the user in discvering new actions.
While guests wait in line and spread
the word about tigers, they can see
their tweet on screen.
As tweets accumiulate, a progress
bar indicates new milestones as
they are reached.
13

15. #savingourstripes
@sassycats
56/75
Toni Carlson @titicarl52
Loving this @sassycats! Can’t believe some of these
facts. #savingourstripes #tigers #imagineRIT
Allan Noisewater @babblingbrooke
@sassycats inspired me to donate to the WWF. Well
done guys! #savingourstripes
LARGEST CANINES OF THE BIG CAT FAMILY.
TIGER
LION
6.0
HUMAN
Sharon Newman @newshar
Help save tigers! There’s less than 3,200 left in the
world. #savingourstripes #wwf
7.2
1.2
CM
CM
CM
ROARS CAN BE HEARD UP TO 2 MILES AWAY
POACHING THREAT
Tigers teeth and bones are sold and
used for traditional Chinese medicine.

16. #savingourstripes
@sassycats
56/75
Toni Carlson @titicarl52
Loving this @sassycats! Can’t believe some of these
facts. #savingourstripes #tigers #imagineRIT
TIGER’S CAN JUMP DISTANCES OF UP TO 30 FEET
Allan Noisewater @babblingbrooke
@sassycats inspired me to donate to the WWF. Well
done guys! #savingourstripes
Sharon Newman @newshar
Help save tigers! There’s less than 3,200 left in the
world. #savingourstripes #wwf
30 FEET
AND CAN JUMP UP TO 10 FEET HIGH

17. #savingourstripes
@sassycats
56/75
Toni Carlson @titicarl52
Loving this @sassycats! Can’t believe some of these
facts. #savingourstripes #tigers #imagineRIT
Allan Noisewater @babblingbrooke
@sassycats inspired me to donate to the WWF. Well
done guys! #savingourstripes
Sharon Newman @newshar
Help save tigers! There’s less than 3,200 left in the
world. #savingourstripes #wwf
TIGER’S MAIN SOURCES OF FOOD:
WILD PIG
DEER
ANTELOPE
HUMAN WILDLIFE CONFLICT
People living near tiger habitats compete
with them for food. Tigers eat community
livestock since prey is limited in the wild.

18. #savingourstripes
@sassycats
56/75
Toni Carlson @titicarl52
Loving this @sassycats! Can’t believe some of these
facts. #savingourstripes #tigers #imagineRIT
Allan Noisewater @babblingbrooke
@sassycats inspired me to donate to the WWF. Well
done guys! #savingourstripes
TIGERS PLAY WITH EACHOTHER BY STANDING
ON THEIR HIND LEGS AND BOXING
Sharon Newman @newshar
Help save tigers! There’s less than 3,200 left in the
world. #savingourstripes #wwf
9
4
FT
DO TIGERS STAND A CHANCE?
Tigers are considered a conservationdependent speices. It is incredibly difficult
for them to survive in the wild. Becuase
of this, most tigers live in captivity.
FT

19. #savingourstripes
@sassycats
56/75
Toni Carlson @titicarl52
Loving this @sassycats! Can’t believe some of these
facts. #savingourstripes #tigers #imagineRIT
Allan Noisewater @babblingbrooke
@sassycats inspired me to donate to the WWF. Well
done guys! #savingourstripes
Sharon Newman @newshar
Help save tigers! There’s less than 3,200 left in the
world. #savingourstripes #wwf
TIGERS TAILS ARE USED FOR BALANCE
AND COMMUNICATION.
3
FT
ENVIRONMENTAL THREAT
Tigers’s natural habitats are being
destroyed, which makes their natural
sources of food more scarce.

20. #savingourstripes
@sassycats
56/75
Toni Carlson @titicarl52
Loving this @sassycats! Can’t believe some of these
facts. #savingourstripes #tigers #imagineRIT
Allan Noisewater @babblingbrooke
@sassycats inspired me to donate to the WWF. Well
done guys! #savingourstripes
TIGER CLAWS ARE 4 INCHES LONG AND USED
MAINLY TO LATCH ONTO THEIR PREY.
Sharon Newman @newshar
Help save tigers! There’s less than 3,200 left in the
world. #savingourstripes #wwf
4
POACHING THREAT
Tiger claws are used collected as
decoration or used as trade items.
IN

21. VISUALS
CHINESE INK STYLE
PROS
Elegant
Emphasizes motion
Uncommon
Relates to tiger’s homeland
CONS
Particles need to be created in Unity
Slow render times
Questionable 3D interpretation
20

22. VISUALS
MECHANICAL STYLE
Intense
Eye catching
Memorable
Less organic
Works well with all black
Conveys wonder and fear
CONS
Could be too frightening
Too unrealistic?
21

23. VISUALS
LOW POLYGON STYLE
PROS
Simplified model
Simplified texture
Interesting to look at
Approachable
CONS
Used too often
May be out of place on black
Too disconnected from a real tiger
Can we get fluid, natural motion?
22

24. VISUALS
LIGHT FIBER STYLE
PROS
1
2
3
Gorgeous
Works well on black
Unique
Captivating
Allows for detail
CONS
5
6
7
Difficult to recreate in 3D
Possibly too reliant on Unity
8
23

25. VISUALS
PRELIMINARY STYLE TESTING
24

26. 3D
FIRST TIGER MODEL
CREATING A TIGER
ONE POLYGON AT A TIME
OUR FIRST ATTEMPT
There are several methods for
creating a model. Our initial
model was created by placing
each polygon point by point.
This method was promising but
showed limitations in correcting
overall form.
25

27. 3D
BOX MODEL
A TIGER OUT OF THE BOX
MODEL CREATION
By creating the model in this way
we were able to match the correct
proportions of a tiger before refining
it’s form.
26

28. 3D
BOX MODEL
27

29. 3D
SCULPTING THE DETAILS
28

30. 3D
MODELING
SWITCH TO LOW POLY
Attempting to model, rig, and animate
an organic model was proving to be too time
consuming for this project.
Simplifying our model to a low-polygon
allowed us to move on from the model
and focus on the tiger’s movements.
29

31. 3D
ANIMATION
TEXTURING THE MODEL
MAPPING
PAINTING
To create the UV map, strategically select where
you want the edges of the UV map to be. We found
it beneficial to cut up the center of the stomach up
to around the edges of the face.
To paint the tiger, each separate polygon was filled
with a different color. For each main section of color
(i.e. orange, cream), three different shades of the
main colors were used to fill in the polygons.
TIPS:
“Cut” the seams in places that won’t be seen as often such as
the down the belly of our tiger.
Making separate cuts to the face and feet gives you a larger area
to paint for the more detailed features.
Use a combination of different projections and the relax UV option
toachieve the most pelt-like UV.
30

32. 3D
MODEL RIG
SETTING UP THE CONTROLS
CUSTOM RIG
We created a custom rig for our model
based off of the preset quadruped template
in Cinema’s Character Object.
The rig is color coded to simplify the
animation process.
RED
RIGHT CONTROLS
BLUE
LEFT CONTROLS
TEAL
BODY CONTROLS
YELLOW
HEAD/FACE CONTROLS
ORANGE
MASTER CONTROL
PINK
ROOT CONTROL
FIRST RIG
FINAL RIG
31

33. 3D
MODEL RIG
BINDING THE MESH
WEIGHT PAINTING
The model requires some additional weight
painting in order to move naturally.
TIPS:
Changing the auto-weight mode to “Visibility” produces
more accurate results.
Make sure auto-normalize in enabled so all of the
mesh stays 100% weighted.
Absolute weight each of the bones first, then go in
and smooth/partially weight.
32

34. 3D
ANIMATION
USING THE RIG
CONTROLS
NEUTRAL POSES
Only the rig controls should be used
to animate the tiger. All bones and meshes
should be in separate layers and locked.
The tiger should start and end in the same default
position in the breathing animation.
TREADMILLS
All four foot controllers have additional
user data attached to them represented
in the form of the following sliders.
Toe Twist
Knee Twist
Stretch
Ball
Heel
Foot Side to Side
Toe Wiggle
Ankle
Toes
The tiger should always be animated in place and
appear as though he were moving on a treadmill.
The root null should remain at (0,0,0).
USING NULLS
To move the tiger of his spot, place the character
object into a new null at (0,0,0) and move the
null appropriately. Make sure the feet do not
appear to be sliding on the ground.
33

35. 3D
ANIMATION
PREPPING THE ANIMATIONS
BAKING
1
The animations must be baked in order
to work completely in Unity. The rig we
made requires a unique baking process.
Select all children of the character
object and view their frames in the timeline.
2
In the “view” menu, turn off all options
under the “show” tab and turn on “Link
TL/OM Selection”under ”link.”
3
Under “functions,” select “Bake Keyframes.”
4
In the pop-up window, tun on “Bake Expressions”
and turn off “Create Copy” and “Clear Tracks.”
Under “Include”turn on everything except “PLA.”
5
In the tools tab, turn off “Use IK” and “Use
Constraints” under the “Execution” menu.
When you are done, your keyframes
should look like this:
34

36. 3D
SEAMLESS ANIMATIONS
SWIPE
FRAMES 20-247
2.
RUN
FRAMES 20-41
(LOOP)
STAND
FRAMES 0-217
POUNCE
FRAMES 20-311
ROAR
FRAMES 20-271
JUMP
FRAMES 20-161
A SINGLE MESH
Each animation was created with it’s
own mesh in separate C4D files. In Unity,
a single mesh took on all of the animations
by calling their names and frame numbers.
This allowed us to seamlessly switch
between animations.
35

37. 3D
ADDITIONAL ANIMATIONS
5.
6.
BREATHING/ AMBIENT
FRAMES 0-293, 400-531, 600-750
SLOW DOWN
FRAMES 0-233
TURN
FRAMES 0-77
The breathing animation is what the
tiger always defaults back to.
The slow down animation is used
at the end of the “Pounce,” “Jump,”
and “Run” animations after the tiger
had left the screen.
The turn animation is used everytime
the tiger moves off of the screen.
It happens at the beginning of the
“Jump” and “Run” animations.
There are a series of three ambient
animations that are called when the
tiger is not performing a gesturecalled animation.
36

38. DEVELOPMENT
OUR GESTURES
GESTURE
ACTION
INFORMATION
Our gestures are chosen from
intuitive motions that are large
enough to be picked up by
a wild animal.
The actions of our tiger are
intended to imitate the
majesty of a real wild tiger.
With so much information to
share about tigers we will
display one of a variety of tiger
facts and the related threat.
37

39. DEVELOPMENT
GESTURE STORYBOARDS
JUMP
2
3
TIGER FACTS
THREATS
- Tigers can jump over 30 foot
distances.
1
- Poachers sell tiger bones for use
in traditional Chinese medicines.
- Tigers can jump up to 10 feet
high.
- Bones in their feet are tightly
connected by ligaments to
absorb impacts from landings.
SWIPE
1
2
3
TIGER FACTS
THREATS
- Their claws are an average of 4
inches in length.
- Tiger claws are collected and
used as decorations or trade
items.
- The main use of claws is to latch
on to prey.
- A dewclaw is a specialized claw
located further back on the foot
that aids in climbing.
RUN
1
2
3
TIGER FACTS
- Tigers can reach speeds of
approximately 35 mph for short
intervals of time
- Their tails are about 3 feet long,
and are used for balance and
possibly communication.
- Unlike flatfooted humans, tigers
walk and run on their toes.
38

40. DEVELOPMENT
GESTURE STORYBOARDS
STAND
1
2
3
TIGER FACTS
- Tigers are about 4 feet tall while
standing on 4 legs.
- Tigers are about 9 feet tall while
standing on 2 legs.
- Tigers play with each other by
standing on their back legs and
boxing.
POUNCE
1
2
3
TIGER FACTS
THREATS
- Long hind legs enable them to
pounce on their prey from a
distance.
- Because of proximity with
humans tigers will kill farm
animals and open themselves up
to retalitory killing.
- Tigers attack their prey by
pouncing on them and pulling
them down with their claws.
- Tigers mainly prey on deer,
antelope, wild pigs, and anything
else they can outrun.
ROAR
1
2
3
TIGER FACTS
THREATS
- Tigers have the largest canines
of the big cat family.
- Teeth are collected as trophies
or jewelry.
- Roars have a very low
frequency inaudible to humans,
and are warning signals to any
competitors.
- A tiger’s roar can be heard up to
2 miles away.
39

41. DEVELOPMENT
UNITY CODING STRUCTURE
TIGER SCRIPT
Animations
NULL SCRIPT
GLOBAL SCRIPT
BECKON SCRIPT
Position
Starting calls
Sounds
Keystroke animations
Gesture call animations
Pull sounds from global script
Custom gestures
TIGER SCRIPT
Play and destroy planes
40

42. DEVELOPMENT
SETTING THE SCENE IN UNITY
LIGHTS
Our scene is lit with flitered lights to create canopy-like
shadow effects on the tiger as he moves around.
ADDITIONAL ELEMENTS
The infographics and gesture hints are displayed on planes
that are created and destroyed at the beginning and end
of each animation. These planes are on a new layer and
are lit separately from the rest of the scene.
SOUNDS
Each animation has its own sound sequence added to it,
which is called at the beginning of each animation.
41

43. DEVELOPMENT
ANIMATION
ANIMATING THE INFORMATION
INFOGRAPHICS
The infographics have been stylized to mirror
the low poly style. The graphics include a fact
that corresponds with the specific animations
as well as an environmental threat.
1
Stylize your vector infographic.
2
Create a new texture in Cinema 4D and put your
vector graphic into the “alpha” and “color” channels.
3
Using the “knife tool”, slice up a plane object into
your desired pattern to be shattered.
4
Apply the new texture to the plane object.
5
Keyframe an “Explosion FX” to travel through the
plane object.
6
Render out as an .mov and combine with additional
graphics in After Effects.
42

44. BRANDING
INTERACTION
OUR WEBSITE
TIGER
A mini-version of our tiger
reacts to a user’s specific
keyboard clicks.
PROMOTE FURTHER ACTION
Additional facts about tiger
population concerns.
Information about WWF’s
efforts to help save the tiger.
PROJECT INFO
HOSTING
An explanation of our purpose.
Photos and videos of our
showcase of the project.
savingourstripes.cias.rit.edu
43
02

45. BRANDING
THE SAVING OUR STRIPES LOGO
Accepted uses.
COLOR CODES
Orange:
#ee8121
R-238 G-129 B-33
C-2 M-60 Y-100 K-0
Gray:
#6d6e70
R-109 G-110 B-112
C-46 M-41 Y-47 K-6
44

46. BRANDING
POSTERS
SPECIFICATIONS
Size 11 x 17
There is a total of four variations each containing a different fact
about tigers.
45

47. INTERACTION
ANIMATION
INSTALLATION SETUP
SPECIFICATIONS
Position the portable projector behind the 10’ x 8’
screen. Adjust the distance, so that the picture
fits on the screen.
Position the computer behind the screen, and run
the project from it. The computer should connect
to the kinect.
Place the kinect in front of the screen about 2’ off
of the ground.
TIPS:
Run the sounds through a separate sound system.
Make sure that the room is dark, and that the bystanders don’t stand anywhere that may
disrupt the kinect from the main user.
46
02

48. INTERACTION
BLOG:
SavingOurStripes.cias.rit.edu
TWITTER:
...JUST DON’T FORGET TO WEAR YOUR EARS!
-The Bloodthirsty Sassy Cats
@SavingStripes
02