un-holy havoc

What a term. I’ve been plagued by so much freaky stuff that one of my profs playfully suggested that I might have bad karma. I have lost a 500 gb drive a 8 gb flash drive and I had to restore my hp and I’ don’t think my back-ups are going to restore. I had a health issue that took me out for half a week then sucked up a ton of time in appointments and lab work after word. the cord to my second 500 gb drive shorted and some how I’ve managed to keep my important data alive, but I’m starting to get stressed which normally just doesn’t happen to me. By the time I’m done with this course I’ll have fused some neurons, but I”ll be ready for anything. Hey, but at least I’m doing what I love. <sigh>

“Head” of the class

No I’m not actually the head of the class. But I did make a head for my class assignment in modeling. It was pretty good If I do say so myself. So were a lot peoples. The guy we modeled had a funky nose and an asymetrical face I enjoyed creating him. I find so far that the more I model the more I like it. There is a critical point every time I’m modeling where I go from frusterated to fun to serene it’s when I’m in that zone that I learn the most. Reaching that zone where I realize the challenge but at the same time am not intimidated by it, is the key. Then again it’s also possible I don’t know what the heck I’m talking about.

godly mischief

What started out as a project to create a Loki (the Norse god of mischief) character turned out to be a projecxt to create a character with a norsee feel. It will porbably eveolve a few more times but I hope it will not change much because this will sap valueble time. Ièm hoping to incluide this charactyer in my final demo reel. to those ends I will be doing a fair bit of preliminary preparation. Iève created a charater sheet. My 3-d modeling prof. is having us go through this exercise as part of his class and I understand that the idea behind a a character sheet is to to communicate an idea for acharcter to another individual who will be working on it. In our case we will be working on our own character but we will still be acting as if the charcter sheet is for someone else completely unfamilar

ahead of the grind

The key to less strees seems to be two fold. 1: maintaining a sense of fun and entertainment, and 2: staying well ahead of deadlines and pridein your work.

You can’t always get what you want

But if you try sometimes, you’ll find, you get a Robin. This week’s 3d design assignment with instructor Arayn is to model a neck, arm, body and leg as well as part of a glove and a boot from a reference of Robin, as in Batman and Robin. Pretty pictures pending completion. The idea is to use some simple low poly shapes to create a solid character taking care that each vertex is where it ought to be so that one gets full advantage of every trapezoid. So far I’m pleased with the results and I’ve found it to be one of the more enjoyable assignments. Perhaps that means I’m meant to be a character modeler.

Demo dreams

Yikes I like critiquing good work. But I don’t like critiquing awful work. But what I like the least is critiquing good work that is poorly presented. Me and my pals got to do a little of everything last Thursday morning. Yarg!!! There is something that’s really jarring about seeing something that’s well modeled and made with obvious care and attention stuck into a nasty clumsy little animation sequence. It seems to me, that if a solid modeler is not a good animator then he shouldn’t shoot for some fantastic over the top sequence. He should do some sweet hold poses with subtler animation and let the beautiful work he has already done creating his model, carry the scene. Or failing, that some nice pans or gentle truck-ins would be better than ruining a perfectly good model with lousy all over the place animation. Why oh why! I’m sorry I’m just overwhelmed remembering the slaughter afresh. Good pans. Good hold poses, people! It isn’t rocket science.

Under the board walk (we’ll be having fun)

Indeed, I am having fun but it’s mostly because this part of my assignment for 3d production is like a walk in the park. I keep catching myself singing “sitting on the dock of the bay.” We are just supposed to be slapping simple textures on this boardwalk scene that we’ve been handed but I keep catching myself unwrapping and stitching stuff This little boat in the scene is nearly perfectly unwrapped but I was just supposed to “slap some textures on.” The serious unwrapping is supposed to come a little later. Oh well. Unwrapping just gets more and more fun. Especially when you’re ahead of the schedule.

300 (or rather 400)

I just discovered I need to write 400 words for this blog by monday. It is part of my career prep assignment. Career Prep. is one of the courses I’m taking as part the digital animation program. I’ve never been a big fan of verbal diarrhea. But I’m going to have to find away to practice it in a dignified manner. “Damn it Jim I’m a doctor, not a journalist.” Alright, well I think it’s best that I approach this in regular spurts rather simply opening up the flood gates. One of the first things I’ll do is include some pretty pictures. So that whatever unfortunate being happens to stumble upon this misbegotten chile of mine, They’ll at least be able to see something nice. Oh and don’t worry. I’ll try not to be a bore by spewing out all kinds of details about my personal life that no sane person in their right mind would be willing to share with total strangers, and that no normal person actually wants to read either. If, not so dear reader, you feel an urge to contradict the previous statement then you know what category I’m placing you in. mwhaahahaa

First things first

Ok here goes this is my first blog.  I’m starting this weblog to document my adventures in 3D animation This is meant largely as a a professional exercise. but I hope it will also be entertaining for anyone who wishes to read this too. I am entering my second term in an intense 1 year program and I must say I am really jazzed about this course.  It sure is tough though.  but I”m getting faster and better as time goes on.