a brief introduction
Open Source Multimedia, Hong Kong
Open Source MultiMedia, Hong Kong (OSMM.NET) is a public benefit community initially funded by the Jockey Club Design Institute for Social Innovation under the School of Design to promote Free Open Source Software (FOSS) for the creative professionals. We organize free workshops and coordinate free tutorials as well as Open Learning materials for multimedia creative disciplines (Open Design & Personal Fabrication). This website serves an Open Educational Resource portal for any person to access and we aim to stimulate synergies between artists, animators, educators, developers and CG hobbyists to collaborate on Open Projects so as to encourage local students and general public to learn and try out Free Open-Source Software for multimedia & creative works.
OSMM.NET (also osmm.hk) founder Ann Y. Y. Leung (aliases: Ann/y and 思之) has been working in a wide range of CGI-related professions for the past decades. She becomes a certified instructor for SoftImage product since 1996 and Autodesk (Maya) Instructor in 2006. Ann/y has been working as the Product Manager for a couple of regional computer graphics systems dealer/resellers based in Hong Kong providing turnkey solutions for various broadcasters and post-production houses in the Southeast Asia.
Ann/y has also been a full-time freelancer and her expertise is in CGI production design (www.anstudio.com). Her research interests include the art forms of 3D computer graphics images, digital Chinese imagery, animation aesthetics and openness movements in education and open source multimedia applications (https://independent.academia.edu/annyyleung). She performs the principal investigator and participates in creative works to experiment the axiom of Chinese art expression through CGI. Her works have been published in several art events including the Hong Kong Arts Festival (2009), The International Journal of Visual Design (2013), the TechArt: Journal of Arts and Imaging Science (2014) and conference proceedings of the Society of Animation Studies between 2006 and 2011.
Ann/y has also been a full-time freelancer and her expertise is in CGI production design (www.anstudio.com). Her research interests include the art forms of 3D computer graphics images, digital Chinese imagery, animation aesthetics and openness movements in education and open source multimedia applications (https://independent.academia.edu/annyyleung). She performs the principal investigator and participates in creative works to experiment the axiom of Chinese art expression through CGI. Her works have been published in several art events including the Hong Kong Arts Festival (2009), The International Journal of Visual Design (2013), the TechArt: Journal of Arts and Imaging Science (2014) and conference proceedings of the Society of Animation Studies between 2006 and 2011.
Free Open Source software (FOSS)
Free and Open-source Software is a movement begins in 1984 supported by the Free Software Foundation established a year later. They provide free computer software and open their source codes for everyone interested in collaborating and participating to develop the software.
Open Design & Personal Fabrication
Open design, which is supported by the 'Open Design Foundation', aka ODF, encourages creating physical products, models, machines and systems through adapting shared design information. This movement involves making of FOSS, open source hardware and products.
'Digital fabrication' is a process integrating design and modeling to build prototypes and its goal is to fabricate the design digitally and get them printed out in 3D. MIT's Centre for Bits and Atoms (CBA) initiated the first digital fabrication lab. in 2001 to explore on both computer science and physical science. They provide various rapid prototyping facilities and technologies for wide range of projects related to turning data into objects as well as turning objects into data. Their continuous research and development has fulfilled nowadays 3D printing technology and revolutionized digital fabrication. 3D printing is very popular nowadays and researchers anticipate there will be a rapid growth of DIY while Open Design movement facilitated Do-It-Together (DIT) alongside. With all these affordable 3D printers, 'Personal fabrication' has emerged and getting fashionable for today's youth to learn Open Design and DIT where this OSMM, HK serves a non-profit public benefit community to strive for well-organized DIT -- Open Projects for local creative professionals and enthusiasts to engage in FOSS multimedia productions.
'Digital fabrication' is a process integrating design and modeling to build prototypes and its goal is to fabricate the design digitally and get them printed out in 3D. MIT's Centre for Bits and Atoms (CBA) initiated the first digital fabrication lab. in 2001 to explore on both computer science and physical science. They provide various rapid prototyping facilities and technologies for wide range of projects related to turning data into objects as well as turning objects into data. Their continuous research and development has fulfilled nowadays 3D printing technology and revolutionized digital fabrication. 3D printing is very popular nowadays and researchers anticipate there will be a rapid growth of DIY while Open Design movement facilitated Do-It-Together (DIT) alongside. With all these affordable 3D printers, 'Personal fabrication' has emerged and getting fashionable for today's youth to learn Open Design and DIT where this OSMM, HK serves a non-profit public benefit community to strive for well-organized DIT -- Open Projects for local creative professionals and enthusiasts to engage in FOSS multimedia productions.
Open Educational Resources (OER)
Open Educational Resources are online materials under the open licensing scheme, they are free to download, remix and redistribute for teaching, learning and research purposes. In tandem with the Create Commons license, OER is changing the learning landscape and making available more free digital courseware for any person to re-purpose them for social good. OSMM.HK is our pilot repository to offer free courseware and digital assets from our workshops and projects.