iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Jonathan Cooper @jonathan.gameanim.com · 29/09/2026

All you have to do is just move your arms like this...

Jonathan Cooper @jonathan.gameanim.com · 29/09/2026

Great day yesterday sharing mocap best-practices with the latest Abertay University MSc in Technical Art & Visual Effects cohort.

Wildy flailing my arms as a explain mocap direction.

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Jonathan Cooper @jonathan.gameanim.com · 29/09/2026

Matt's Technical Animation in Video Games has helped me a lot and this updated revision should be an essential purchase for every animator working in video games.

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Jonathan Cooper @jonathan.gameanim.com · 26/09/2026

Great experience advising some incredibly talented highschoolers, students and recent graduates this morning. Returned some optimism for the future of the games industry.

Poster for Into Games, reading:

I'M ATTENDING
GET INTO GAMES
DUNDEE
WATER'S EDGE, DUNDEE
SATURDAY 26th SEPT, 11AM-4PM

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Jonathan Cooper @jonathan.gameanim.com · 26/09/2026

More detailed shots. From this CEDEC 2026 talk "Making Diana" by Capcom lead facial animator Serina Ohara & lead character artist Kenji Irie www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0K7...

Diana hair strand relaxation in Maya Xgen Interactive Grooming

Diana's hair strands converted to cards in Maya

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Jonathan Cooper @jonathan.gameanim.com · 26/09/2026

Pragmata - Diana facial capture, rig and hair system.

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Jonathan Cooper @jonathan.gameanim.com · 25/09/2026

None of us would even be making games if it wasn’t for these Dundee lads.

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Jonathan Cooper @jonathan.gameanim.com · 25/09/2026

Scottish Games Day 2026 highlight was the GTA Origins panel. So many heroes up there.

Dave Jones, founder of the legendary DMA Design

Former DMA Design staff (from left: Dave Jones, Colin Anderson, Keith Hamilton, Mike Dailly, Patrick Kerr & Gary Penn) recount the development of the original Grand Theft Auto

Revolution Software co-founder Charles Cecil gives a history lesson on the UK’s (and specifically Dundee’s) influence on global game development scene.

Opportunities for Developers panel (From left: Kristian Roberts, Corrie Green, Kathrin Radtke, Reese Wright & Juney Dijkstra)

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Jonathan Cooper @jonathan.gameanim.com · 25/09/2026

Glad to have left a mark on the Canadian gamedev scene (I worked on 3 of these).

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Jonathan Cooper @jonathan.gameanim.com · 25/09/2026

I knew a programmer at EA in Montreal who wore one of these. She was eternally frustrated that engine programmers would call themselves engineers.

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Jonathan Cooper @jonathan.gameanim.com · 23/09/2026

Just watched this on Netflix. Both her and her husband are absolutely mental.

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Reposted by Jonathan Cooper

Andy Kelly @ultrabrilliant.xyz · 22/09/2026

Very much enjoying all the mundanely familiar UK scenery details in Silent Hill: Townfall.

One of those things on the street that says H on it. I see them every day and I still have no idea what they are.

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Jonathan Cooper @jonathan.gameanim.com · 22/09/2026

Ninja Theory closing is such a loss. The only UK team that can really go toe-to-toe with the best out there in terms of 3rd-person action gameplay.

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Jonathan Cooper @jonathan.gameanim.com · 21/09/2026

Devil May Cry 3 (2005) motion capture behind-the-scenes and live-action previz. Capcom were really ahead of the game in terms of stunt choreography even then.

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Jonathan Cooper @jonathan.gameanim.com · 21/09/2026

The above videos came on UMD from the Japanese DMC3 artbook, Note of Naught. Here are a couple more mocap cuts and live-action prreviz sequences.

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Jonathan Cooper @jonathan.gameanim.com · 21/09/2026

Devil May Cry 3 (2005) motion capture behind-the-scenes and live-action previz. Capcom were really ahead of the game in terms of stunt choreography even then.

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Reposted by Jonathan Cooper

Luke Plunkett @lukeplunkett.com · 19/09/2026

this tweet is NINE years old and is still the best trans rights policy advice out there

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Reposted by Jonathan Cooper

James Cooper @jamescoopergames.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

I stepped away from socials back in 2020. Coming back, I find a games industry that's changed a lot since I left - in good ways, and in hard ways. I'm looking forward to being part of the community again. 👋

static.klipy.com

Uncharted: Nathan Drake and Sully Hug

ALT: Uncharted: Nathan Drake and Sully Hug

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Jonathan Cooper @jonathan.gameanim.com · 12/09/2026

Ah damn - Miro is essential for art reference gathering and reviews.

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Jonathan Cooper @jonathan.gameanim.com · 11/09/2026

Checkout line magazines are different in the UK

Two magazines in a rack:

Understanding ADHD

Senior's Guide to ChatGPT

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Jonathan Cooper @jonathan.gameanim.com · 11/09/2026

Cowardly Corporate Fuck is perfect - well done that person.

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Jonathan Cooper @jonathan.gameanim.com · 10/09/2026

What a combo. Never knew this existed, and funny because I literally left Scotland for Canada to make Mass Effect while most others in my then studio went on to make Crackdown. Both 9/10!

Crackdown and Mass Effect Double Pack for Xbox 360

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Jonathan Cooper @jonathan.gameanim.com · 08/09/2026

Fucksake I have to do that Water Temple again…

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Jonathan Cooper @jonathan.gameanim.com · 07/09/2026

🙋‍♂️I shall also be in attendance.

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Jonathan Cooper @jonathan.gameanim.com · 07/09/2026

This Thursday the 10th is the 27th Edinburgh Gamedev Drinkup - starting at 6pm at the Brewdog Doghouse. We have a few tables booked for the balcony so hoping for good weather (may be a little too optimistic). www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/game-dev-d...

eventbrite.co.uk

Game Dev DrinkUp Edinburgh

A meetup for game developers in the Edinburgh area, on the 2nd Thursday of every month.

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Reposted by Jonathan Cooper

SVB Station @svbstation.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

This is something that really shouldn't have been normalized in the gaming industry.

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Jonathan Cooper @jonathan.gameanim.com · 02/09/2026

The Famicom cart is gorgeous. Had it on NES as a kid so had to get this version. Played it so much with the Konami code that at some point we didn’t need the cheat and could finish on one life.

Life Force: Salamander Famicom card in transparent blue.

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Jonathan Cooper @jonathan.gameanim.com · 01/09/2026

Cheers - yeah we hit all the main points of it. You can see bits I mostly skip over because we were gonna throw in some regular gameplay like the slide mechanic. But yeah, The Great Mouse Detective was a key driver.

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Jonathan Cooper @jonathan.gameanim.com · 01/09/2026

It influenced our clocktower bell collapse sequence in Uncharted 4...

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Jonathan Cooper @jonathan.gameanim.com · 01/09/2026

Been a great week for music 🎵

Screen above the Edinburgh playhouse reading:

SIGUR RÓS

Performing with
THE SCOTTISH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

31 AUGUST
EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE

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Reposted by Jonathan Cooper

Steve Bowler @gameism.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Ha, this is exactly how I set up the mocap rig for Goro in Mortal Kombat (2009) in Motion Builder. Two mocap actors, one played "Goro," the other played the 2nd set of underarms.

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Jonathan Cooper @jonathan.gameanim.com · 01/09/2026

Onimusha: Way of the Sword mocap was creatively used for swordsmen and creatures. That multi-arm setup is similar to how we shot the Rat King on TLOU2.

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Reposted by Jonathan Cooper

Natalie (Tali) Vancouver era ✨ @talidev3d.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

this is a conversation I would overhear from my game designer coworkers after asking them how they want the door I just modeled to open

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Jonathan Cooper @jonathan.gameanim.com · 30/08/2026

The Prodigy last night at Edinburgh Summer Sessions. Amazing show and great support from Carl Cox and more.

Mirrored portraits of Carl Cox behind him on stage

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Jonathan Cooper @jonathan.gameanim.com · 28/08/2026

Assassin's Creed Altair being retargeted to Snake in Softimage, (the costume was an unlockable). It was before my time there, but Ubisoft colleagues told me Kojima and entourage visited the team during the development of AC, perhaps resulting in this crossover.

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Jonathan Cooper @jonathan.gameanim.com · 28/08/2026

More images of the mask system and other facial controls in Softimage.

MGS4 Old Snake in Softimage with audio waveform and face mask

MGS4 Old Snake in Softimage with facial sliders

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Jonathan Cooper @jonathan.gameanim.com · 28/08/2026

Facial mask system used to transfer facial animation easily between characters. In a pre-blendshape-driving-joints era it was very ahead of its time.

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Jonathan Cooper @jonathan.gameanim.com · 28/08/2026

Metal Gear Solid 4 (2008) cutscene mocap shoots

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Jonathan Cooper @jonathan.gameanim.com · 28/08/2026

They did! bsky.app/profile/jona...

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