ringroadsupermarkets

I'm leaving this place.

2011-02-27T15:56:00.000-08:00

For Here

2011-02-21T04:25:00.001-08:00

City Scene Composite (WIP) from Alexander Card on Vimeo.

Walk Cycle 2.

2011-02-08T08:51:00.001-08:00

City Scene_Ambient Pass from Alexander Card on Vimeo.

Jungle Scene_Ambient Pass (WIP) from Alexander Card on Vimeo.

The Ambient passes of the City and Jungle scenes.
Their mouths aren't too great but will be edited once I have voices in there. Might edit a couple more things too - smoother shoulder/elbow movements, speed up the floor, some other stuff...

Walk Cycle.

2011-02-03T16:04:00.000-08:00

Just a test render of the walk cycle and the particle effects in the Arctic/snow section of the 'Travel' scene.

Walk Cycle and Particle Spray Test (WIP). from Alexander Card on Vimeo.

Environments.

2011-02-02T17:29:00.000-08:00

These are animated but just need voice tracks on. I know it should be the other way round, but there are only a few words - besides, it'll always need tweaking.

Still No.

2011-01-26T07:13:00.003-08:00

Still not there, but the extra detail of the wireframe is nice. I had to erase it from the clothing, so I guess it won't be in the final production as I'm not editing every frame!
Going to have to re-draw the unwrap thingy but scribble a lot more. I've also fixed the little guy's shoulder (not in this image), it works better now.

Time to do some environments!

Almost there!

2011-01-21T05:27:00.000-08:00

There is just something missing, I don't know, more depth and solid'ness'. I'd quite like shiny eyes too.
This has 3 render passes - texture, ambient, normals. What else doI need? Argh.

(Edit) Might drop a wireframe model over the top - give it that 'Work in progress' feel and help define the characters features.

Aaand some more.

2011-01-21T03:00:00.000-08:00

Rendering is always really hard! I always get to this stage and then can't achieve the picture I have in my head (or on paper).

I played about with the levels to make the ambient occlusion show up more, but the actual drawings on the characters look awful. MUST FIND ANOTHER WAY OF DOING IT. Unwrapping is not the answer for me.

It's about time...

2011-01-21T02:56:00.000-08:00

...that I posted something. I'm going to ignore that previous post and keep updating.

Some concept drawings for my 'client' project.

Hello.

2010-11-22T16:43:00.001-08:00

So I can't actually post any of my work for the live client project due to copyright issues. It says so on the D&AD brief, something about the brands and things like that. It doesn't matter, nobody follows this!

But I will post updates about the research project's artefacts. Once I figure out what they're about.

Digital Piracy (Don't Over Do It)

2010-10-27T09:45:00.000-07:00

3ds Max 2011

2010-10-23T06:54:00.000-07:00

Is horrible!
Everytime I change a material on an object it messes up the animation bar, meaning that you have to restart it everytime you edit something. It also means I can't animate the materials, which is a big disappointment. I wanted to be able to switch between different the different character poses, but can't. Nevermind.
However, the new material editor layout really suits me as it allows me to layout all of my drawn textures in a way where I can understand them and find them much quicker (as opposed to the grid layout).

Other problems I've encountered are with ambient occlusion - you need to edit all of the parameters before you can even notice it on a render, unlike the previous version which was great as soon as you applied it.

I guess these aren't massive flaws in the software, but they are probably half of the functions I even use. Who knows what's wrong with the rest of it?

I'll have some videos uploaded soon.

Progress.

2010-10-21T02:38:00.001-07:00

Some Pictures of everything getting into 3d.

Storyboard.

2010-10-18T08:06:00.000-07:00

Pretty Straight forward.

Deadline Ahoy.

2010-10-18T07:42:00.001-07:00

The small 3 week project was a great idea, ideal to get us used to producing something of worth in a short time (ready for PRP artefacts) especially after having so long on everything last year.

So I've not posted anything yet, I've done quite a bit, nearly ready to animate it all - think Cravendale advert style(/A Town Called Panic), with about 6 poses for each character all moving as if they were cardboard cut-outs.

I won't describe the plot, just look at some scans (click to go bigger!)

Final Year.

2010-09-24T03:23:00.000-07:00

I have no idea what I'm going to do this year. For any project. I need help. I'm hoping it won't be as hectic as they say it will be, since the past two years have been fairly relaxed, until I made them stressful by not working hard enough.
But still, no ideas at all.

Just a quick thing

2010-06-12T00:43:00.000-07:00

I was bored of doing no work so I helped one of my housemates with his last project. I made a model of the clock he had to design, this helped me learn some features of 3ds max, such as the trees! also more playing around with the lighting and water texturing.
The renders aren't anything amazing or incredibly realistic but they aren't bad.

Evaluation.

2010-06-04T07:23:00.000-07:00

Right, so, bitterly disapointed with both projects.

I changed my designs and way of working towards the end of the project and don't think I left myself enough time to get the exact look I wanted. The Airport is ok but let down by having to copy and paste too many panels due to time running out. If I had spent all the time originally on this technique I think I could have achieved something much better. But still, it's ok, quite original. Poor effort on the video though, some terrible shots and camera work. I might do a better one.

The animation looks terrible, it wasn't as clunky and slow in the viewport of 3ds Max, so when it was like that on the final video it was very disheartening. The video was made far too late to change this.
Stylewise it wasn't what I expected to make, It seemed too 3d. and lacked a certain 'magic'. Foley was definately needed! (for some reason the video uploaded now has no soundtrack) The sound of doors slamming, water, footsteps and several other effects would have improved it quite a lot.

I think what I tried to create was quite a challenge to pull off in half of the time, but I have learnt a lot in terms of how I can manipulate 3ds Max in order to achieve a look I want. I will certainly work on my style over the summer, try and get it to resemble what I picture in my head.

Sneak Peak.

2010-06-02T01:13:00.000-07:00

Finally.

2010-05-27T08:01:00.001-07:00

I've been trying to upload this picture for days! After trying (and failing) to upload the whole finished video. Click on it.
I'll get the video up when I can.

Update.

2010-05-16T09:21:00.001-07:00

Animation is slow. It's made slower by the deadline being a week later, but it is taking a bit longer than I anticipated anyway. I blame the quality of my model-making, everything seems a bit harder to do when what you want to move doesn't move very well.
I'm trying to keep the quality as high as I can, luckily my render times are really short (except one or two scenes) so I can focus on the movement of the man character. Some camera shots can use the same walk cycle but just tweaked, this saves a lot of time. The feet are horrible! So i'm trying not to show them a lot.

I don't feel as though I am in danger of being rushed and losing quality...yet! Haha, but seriously, with the extra week, this should be fine.

And the Airport is fine too.

More Pictures

2010-05-10T12:39:00.001-07:00

The first one was too blue, so the close up and edited verion has a less transparent glass, with a small bump mapped pencil drawing.
The water looks great.
I need to change the floor and walls so that they blend in and use a good angle while filming, so that the 2d and 3d are both shown , otherwise the creature things are the only objects that appear solid.

One More Quick One.

2010-05-06T12:44:00.001-07:00

Creature with skin. (It's a video file) The skin, not the picture)) So is the eye)))

Update.

2010-05-06T12:32:00.000-07:00

Been a long time coming.
Far too slow.
The character is bad, he doesn't move very well, at all. I'm either going to have to use clever camera shots or find another way. Another way is proving hard to find in such a short time.
I think I've had too long on this project.
Too long to think about it.
Too long to want to change it.

Anyway, picture updates.

Airport Again...

2010-04-29T05:04:00.000-07:00

Here is an update of that.

The Boiler Room. The reason for the 3d models is because they are the mechanical driving forcce of the entire aircraft carrier. Will that do as reasoning? I just like how it looks.
You can see the dials and things like that. The top image has the rays of light, nice.

Long Overdue Animation Post.

2010-04-29T04:52:00.000-07:00

I've been doing a slight re-think on the design of the setting for the animation. Due to how well the visualisation project is coming, I wanted to use that technique a bit more, making it look more interesting, a surreal mixture of 2d and 3d.
Also got a much more in depth storyboard, I'll post this when I can scan it.
That doesn't make too much sense. Hopefully this test video will. (It's missing parts - It's a TEST) I like the fire))

N.B. The scanner that I need and have been waiting on for nearly two weeks isn't coming, Amazon won't accept my card, probably due to it being a long way into an overdraft. Brilliant.

Here's a taster

2010-04-23T11:42:00.000-07:00

Just a simple spin around a more detailed version of the plane's gun. This model will be hovering around the planes as a form of annotation, lots of text around everything.
It's my way of creating a 3d environment which feels like my design pages.

Note on animation: just waiting on getting this project under control and then it's time to focus on that. Still need some modelling doing (an entire character!) but it should be fairly easy. Once the similar textures of the airport get pasted onto everything it should really come to life.

Like Most People...

2010-04-23T11:28:00.001-07:00

... It has been a long time since an update (nearly a month). I have been working however, modelling on both projects and getting bored of what i'm producing. A little uninspiring.

SO... unlike most people, I have completely scrapped my Visualisation Airport project in favour of something more exciting. It just got so boring moving vertexs around. The 'new' style i'm working on is almost jigsaw-esque, it uses planes slotted around each other so that when the camera is at the right angles, the planes appear to project a 3d object. It's complicated, but once you get the hang of it - really fun.
The render times are really, really, really short too, a problem most of you will be facing (probably should be now, otherwise you'll be pretty late).

Here are some pictures.
The 'base model', basically it has one central plane and no paint job. Easy to clone.

Some with paint jobs, getting the impression of depth? I really hope so.
Simply Xref these onto the runway of the aircraft carrier, which is also in the same style.

I did actually model the plane - maybe find a way to fit it in the final piece too.

March.

2010-03-19T05:16:00.001-07:00

March has been the world's most unproductive month, I hate this pointless essay.
It's really ruined the progress of the actually important projects.

Mwurgh.

2010-03-04T10:26:00.000-08:00

Everybody hates the 'envelopes' on the 3ds max bones. After a lot of trial and error I eventually got something which will move to the positions I wanted. The cramped up pose made it tricky to get the limbs to fold up nicely.
Luckily the character won't have to move much, the elbows are a bit dodgy when moving the arms around. Just have to morph the face/mouth and get the textures on.

LOOK ANDY, IT'S ANIMATION!

2010-02-25T09:28:00.001-08:00

Got the first character modelled now. Rigging the bone system (no feet) The other character does! I will show I can do a foot rig) and envelopes should be easy.

Just have to get it to look like this. Tricky?

Found a Bug?

2010-02-25T09:21:00.000-08:00

This years version of 3DS Max doesn't like volume light passing through objects, whether they be clear (glass material) or just a hole cut out of the middle of it. I couldn't get the thick rays of light I hoped for, but i'm still working at it. So is Simon. He's one of the tutors here. Here at Nottingham Trent University.

Even without the 'rays' I think I have created a decent looking scene. Just need some extra indoor lights and the textures and materials on every surface. And something on the other side of the room. And the rest of the project. Thats a lot.

Simple Geometry? Pfft!

2010-02-23T14:59:00.000-08:00

Here are the images I promised.

First one shows the 'simple' shapes I made (I love the 'in progress' look of Ink and Paint'. Definately be using it at some point soon)

I put some Sky Portals by the windows to get the light in, just have to work on making it look 'thicker' and more defined (fog perhaps?). Bring on the textures! Most importantly - the floor.

Really need to put a base on the pipe in the back left, looks pretty stupid now.

It's Nearly March

2010-02-22T07:56:00.000-08:00

Here is some progress. It's not finished, see, bad. Simple, low polygon models. Quite effective though, just wait for the textures and lighting.

I have a bit of work on paper which is not scanned in yet - designs for the aircraft and control room/bridge.

Also a bit on the 'Cup of Tea' project. Should have a character model posted up soon (and this boiler room fully modelled).

Seasonal Affective Disorder.

2010-02-15T05:47:00.000-08:00

The past week i've been finding energy and work hard to come by, so I went to see the new studio Ghibli film 'Ponyo'.

Some incredible animation and design; the opening scenes were actually mindblowing, like a completely different world, something you all need to see.

It is however, a kids film, the darker and sinister tones of some of Myazaki's previous films aren't there, except in two or three cases where 'water demons' are summoned (by Liam Neeson's eerie, but ultimately harmless character) to chase the boy after he rescues the fish Ponyo.

This isn't an actual review by the way, i'm just trying to say it was really quite good. Obviously a kids film, but I didn't care, I was let down a bit by the very end and the way the story was resolved. (Just get out of the Cinema before the song at the end, the horrible one, sung by the franchise children - the youngest Cyrus and Jonas - who perform great in the film by the way)

Watch it. But watch everything else Studio Ghibli have done first, or failing that, just these My Neighbour Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away and Porco Rosso. ('Grave of the Fireflies' for something very different)

Now I should get back to work.

Presentations

2010-02-09T06:51:00.000-08:00

They really make it look like you've done no work. I have. Although, not enough considering how long into the year we've been.
Excuse: Getting original concepts is hard, now I have them (with decent drawings/planning) I can produce my work with relative ease.
Great. Getting the board game was torture. I'm not telling you anything about it.

From the Visionary Director that Brought you...

2010-02-02T10:53:00.000-08:00

Two pages which are trying to establish a narrative from the previous scribbles.

DELAYED.

2010-02-02T09:49:00.001-08:00

Finally got round to scanning in the concept drawings for the projects (Airport).
Very similar to the last post.
Here you go.

DELAYED.

2010-02-02T09:40:00.000-08:00

Finally got round to scanning in some of the concept drawings of the projects (Cup of Tea).
I won't bore you with details.

Here they are.

Rhubarb

2010-01-21T15:35:00.000-08:00

By Aphex Twin, is making it difficult to do anything which isn't dreamy swirls and long pauses.

New (not really new) Projects.

2010-01-19T07:45:00.001-08:00

Ideas...
Not too sure right now. Had a decent plan for the 'Cup of Tea' project but sort of scrapped it. Not that focused on the actual process of the tea making. Maybe i'll still use some ideas from it but i'm not going to force them.
Scribbles later and after talks with Andy i've moved away from the 'Mental Ray' solution - Moved onto mapping scribbled/drawn textures onto objects/characters/whatever. I thought that I could animate these textures too, so that they were constantly changing, hopefully creating a weird but dynamic feeling to the scene. I could have some objects with 'Realistic textures' - just to throw you about, for instance; Real clothes but with a scribbled skin, or a mug.
Testing needed.

Airport project is still a dirty, punkish Aircraft carrier. Been looking at the Ark Royal. Obviously I need to modify it heavily. Overlapping metal plates, pipes and vents etc...

I'll put pictures up when I get on a scanner.

Presentation?

2009-12-14T15:06:00.000-08:00

Yeah it was nice, good to see what everyone else had done with the animation.
If we weren't all shattered and stressed from everything ending within these two days I think it would have been better to have done a more formal presentation of the project (this is because i've not updated the blog enough and realise (again) that it is assessed).

I noticed problems with it as soon as it hit the big screen (wall). The floor wasn't big enough and ends before the shadows have completely blended out. I never saw this on my screen! (GENUINE) Maybe it's too bright?
Also realised that in a 32 frame walk cycle you only render to frame 31 because the last frame is identical to the first, it would seem to pause slightly when looped. Common sense I guess, but it had me confused until it was pointed out.

Pleased with my overall animation, would have been good to have some sound on it, but I didn't really want a music track. Foley would have been good with walking and movements but I don't think I would have given myself enough time on making them good enough - NEXT TERM. Lots to improve on. (Still love the banana skin 'swoosh' bit, just wish I hadn't rotated the whole thing at the end, just made it squish and twist a bit)

Render Coaster

2009-12-14T14:48:00.000-08:00

It takes forever! 28 hours only to die on me.
I have 20 seconds of animation and no matter how many times I try to render out more, 3DS Max crashes on me - something about a mental ray error.
BUT there was no way I was comprimising on the materials or number of reflections/refraction/bounce/QUALITY anymore. (Maybe i'm not doing it right? The next project will be as low poly as I can get, and that'll be tough, y'know, with it being a cluttered/delapidated steampunk aircraft carrier)

Heres a picture of the built thing. Terrible background, but just look at the lovely track.

Animating the camera proved very difficult and tedious, my track is suprisingly tricky to move round smoothly. Video is not as good as i'd hoped in terms of 'fluidity'.

Goodness Gaseous Me.

2009-12-07T06:26:00.000-08:00

Oh dear that was bad.

The roller-coaster is coming along (little too late and slowly) and taking shape. Not sure if there is too much geometry in each nebula cloud, but just adding a smoke map doesn't give the effect I want.

Difficult with lighting each part, I need to find out how to add a glow around the edges, I've tried a couple of options I found on a tutorial for underwater. Volume light, mist/beam shaders but only got one image I was pleased with.

Tested a lot of materials. But rendering times became an issue - also the pretty standard 'blinn' had possibly the best outcome (except for ambient occlusion - which sadly doesn't work with other lighting)

Pictures.

1. Volume light, Blinn, Smoke map.

2. Ambient Occlusion.

3. Ambient Occlusion (edited colours), Smoke map.

4. DSG material (wow?), Smoke map.

Fixed. Long time since an update.

2009-12-07T06:18:00.000-08:00

If this is being assessed as part of the course I should really show more work on here.

Anyway, the point is that the robot is fixed and working wonderfully. Would be good to add more parts to it.

A morph to it's cctv eye to make it seem like it's zooming in and out - camera lense style.

And the antenna to sway/move accordingly to the head.

At a push, buttons and the cd trays. Maybe smoke from the thing on the back. (which has been vastly improved!)

I have done a walk cycle, seem what needs changing and am now having doubts about all of my plans for the actual banana skin 'sketch'. Way to go, one week left!

Oh and I still have no internet at home...

It's all gone to shit.

2009-11-30T07:15:00.001-08:00

Total remake. Bugger. Maybe this time I can get it to work properly and not be too complicated.

Finding it very hard keeping up with work. Not done any modelling of visualisation project yet and not started the essay. WHY?

Looky looky.

2009-11-28T09:38:00.000-08:00

CHECK THIS SHIT OUT

2009-11-27T02:17:00.000-08:00

www.movieville.org

XXX

2009-11-23T09:04:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbnyfL0MQ9U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WHOvYOoIp0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FswHUA82pug

Some youtube links for my videos, seeing as the one below doesn't work.

Anyway, here's my arm.

Alright I guess.

2009-11-23T06:11:00.000-08:00

Heroin vs Prozac

2009-11-13T03:30:00.000-08:00

Roller-coaster designs.

It's in space.

It's colourful. Should be nice all lit up properly.

Image Haul.

2009-11-13T03:14:00.000-08:00

Finally. Here are some of the pictures of my robot design process.

I'll use the armless and legless torso for the final design - due to the spine rig that Andy showed us. . . . and it'll be much easier to model.

One More.

2009-11-03T07:43:00.000-08:00

Edit: It's not finished rendering...weird.

San Francisco Sun.

2009-11-03T07:17:00.000-08:00

Some bits look good, some don't.

Water is so easy. I think I didn't make it to the horizon. Nevermind.

Flash.

2009-11-02T09:04:00.000-08:00

Old Birksy taught me a thing or two about materials, I'm literally open mouthed at some.

This is ok...

"Here's looking at you kid"

2009-11-02T08:19:00.000-08:00

Rigged up a full working robot. (Using Andy's working legs - not mine)

Heres a render.

Animation coming soon.

I'll still remake everything when I aquire my own computer.

Hmm my designs look tough.

2x2

2009-10-23T03:07:00.000-07:00

Some plans for the robot in

the first 3d project.

And some scribbled bits.

Many more on the way.

Balls to you.

2009-10-19T08:57:00.000-07:00

Rig an arm and fingers to move like a real arm (well nearly real)

This was tricky at first (2 and a half hours). Linking and typing things and numbers, all a bit messy.
I think I have the hang of it now.

Trial and error is fantastic with a 200 undo limit.

I shall animate a little video to show the rigging of the arm.

Eyes peeled?

File Names

2009-10-19T05:32:00.000-07:00

I've lost my work from the first 3D seminar, as in can't find where I saved it.
Possibly in C:Drive so it's dead now.

I'll do it again - MUST BUY A LAPTOP!
Andy says not a Macbook......... but, but? Fine.

Vaio's are really expensive, what was I thinking?

Anyway, simple hierarchy, very nice to do, tricky getting back into it, I should have worked more over the summer instead of drinking.
All I did was draw some silly things, not that helpful.
Long story short. I'll buy a laptop and autodesk and work like a.... something that works mildly hard? Ibuprofen?
Then start posting some blogs, get some progress shown on all of the projects.
It'll be great.

I get internet on saturday. Thats a long time.

Ace of Spades

2009-10-19T05:29:00.000-07:00

Card games are hard to make. Everything is done. I dislike this project.

Slight Variation.

(only because it makes me think TOO hard) must not disappoint, this guys a ball-breaker)

RETURN

2009-10-19T05:28:00.000-07:00

So we're back.
This year looks much better.

Whoops, never be optimistic.

I got robbed. Busy week with the Police, still no computer, no practise, no work.

No joke.

Leeds.

2009-09-01T04:59:00.001-07:00

You got any ......err........weed?

WELL THAT WAS NEEDLESSLY DIFFICULT

2009-05-18T00:55:00.000-07:00

So the files are all corrupting everywhere, getting all about the place, being right knobs.
SO I had a few problems......
1. video file on the screens didn't play - SOLVED, for some reason it wouldn't play in a 'plane' so I used a box. Whoaaa!
2. After the massive 12 hour rendering of the 'final' (compromised) video it turned out I hadn't noticed the previously mentioned video file was playing mirrored to the one projecting out of the light, resulting in a pretty stupid looking effect - SOLVED? It would have been if the software WOULDN'T CORRUPT MY FILES because this ended up taking a lifetime to render and couldn't be completed. Oh yeah the video just got filpped in premiere and re-mapped. Easy.

More problems, but just little bitchy ones about flash reducing the quality of my video and stills. It was if it was squinting while I imported them. Ah well. Always next year to figure how to work things. WHY did it corrupt? Too many files pasted in? or too many objects used? Over 280 boxes, 150 cylinders, 180 planes and many more things.

heres a pretty picture.
(note) - how do you make the quality of a render like this much better? I only have ones as good as this.

Avatar

2009-05-15T10:41:00.000-07:00

Well we have to do one in 3D so heres an attempt.
I originally wanted to draw a small animation of
my avatar running about (looped) but for some
reason I could not get the movements right, i'll still
try to get it in there.
I did want a 2D avatar, as a scribbled type 'character'
would suit me better (that dog in the corner, previous post)
So progress of this..

Bit of guesswork (and Andy Love)

2009-05-15T10:26:00.000-07:00

So, desk area contains loads of stuff to look at,
not all of it clear, on purpose (don't want to be forcing it on you)
The pile of cartoon/comics will be clickable in flash,
I like drawing these and have plenty more to come,
maybe you'll laugh, maybe you'll cry. meh.
The real story here is the projections from the monitor
screens, it's really quite simple to do ......
If you (and I did) import an AVI file into the 'material editor'
(the bitmap option) you can set that to a light via 'projector map'
and 'shadow map', then it's just a matter of playing with
attenuation and density until you get an effect you want.
AND putting the same AVI file onto a 'plane' or
whatever, basically a TV screen , they'll both
playout together along the timeline. Looks nice.
Lots of static.
Hopefully everything turns out right and there aren't
any problems with framerate.

Even More.

2009-05-06T04:54:00.000-07:00

Textures and better lights. Look it's the paintings I did.

cd/dvd/book covers are in - but hidden ish, the point is to keep that a little subtle as it's not directly about me as a person although they have affected my personal growth and that, but this projects not about materials, unless they are significant..... what?
Well i'm trying not to be tired and cliched. I'm also a music snob and will not hesitate to cut you down (maybe it's to show that?) - this is a lie, opinions are opinions and I just don't care for yours.
Feedback? Your opinions count....oh yeah a twat and a hypocrite.

More.

2009-05-06T04:46:00.000-07:00

Heres some pictures of the room under construction
The floor didn't look good with the texture pasted flat so I had to make tiles, simple. Looks so much better.

Been a while etc...

2009-04-22T04:37:00.000-07:00

A very bad mock up of those textures I painted as walls in a section of a room (just to see if it would work) s'all right))
Imagine it with 4 walls and a ceiling full of things, much bigger.......you get the picture - if you don't - heres a picture.

This isn't EXACT it's a rough guide/ Monitor station much larger for example, I have loads more drawings and plans but this is the easiest for you to understand.
The brand of fridge is good?
A predict a tough month ahead..

A Few Partly Dry Textures

2009-03-18T12:38:00.001-07:00

One is from the garage wall........

Anyway, lets see what they look like on a 3DS Max wall - with low light levels, HAH

HEADACHE

2009-03-18T11:45:00.000-07:00

Hmm walls of the 3D room i'm hoping to create for the identities project....
What to put on them? infact what should they even be? How to make them personal maybe, can't do that so much using materials in 3DS Max - so I get to play around with all sorts paints, chemicals and dirt!!!! YAY!! - this is an attempt to create textures to 'Map' onto the walls/floors/ceiling, depending on how successful this turns out - EVERYTHING ELSE TOO!

Yeah...yeah....the...film, it was err.. great

2009-03-10T05:53:00.000-07:00

a team effort
(me being captain as i had the knife and big pens)

Blockade

2009-03-07T07:11:00.000-08:00

Identities project? What to do? What to do? What to do?
I don't want this to turn out really cliched. Must think harder.

Portrait Of Self

2009-02-27T10:37:00.000-08:00

Supposed to represent who I am using objects which symbolise characteristics and my beliefs, or just me as a whole (nearly).

Looking at the table through my eyes as I sit in the dark, the only light calmly radiating from the laptop screen, TV and a few tealights.

Alone, i'd been waiting for what felt like, well it felt like a long time. A chance to relax and reflect and to immerse myself in what I love.

The wine seemingly leaked from the bottle in a vain attempt to escape me. The speakers whispered out beautifully crafted and heartfelt songs, my guitar clumsily tried to join in, they clash quietly in the centre of the room, strange, now more wine is missing.

Surrounded by technology I take refuge in meaningless drawings and words...

whatwas that? sorry, i'm messing about.

The reason why it's so dark is to obscure most of the objects to make you look deeper, triggering a higher level of concentration. It's framed so that your eyes are never still (or at least was intended to). Anyway quite a lot of thought was put into this, and a lot of it was how to blur what you see.

Oh when I look to the shape of my heart...(song continues)

2009-02-27T00:54:00.000-08:00

This was a hard/difficult/interesting task.

I found it really hard to 'sum me up' as just a shape.

Just to inform about the task - it's a branding sort of thing, to create an image that would be recognised as a representation of who we are (like Apple's apple - only not as blatent) Although - that logo does represent Apple very well. It's a clean simple image which gives the impression of quality and technology.))

Doing this for me was much more difficult then for a company. For a company you don't need to represent EVERYTHING (only the parts you want a consumer/drone to recognise) whereas with me I want to represent as much as I can, good and bad.

So here...... First off, it's messy and scribbely which is what a lot of what I do turns out like, but is a part of what I do, and I love drawing.

The dynamics of the image are varied, parts are frantic, some strangely calm and it looks a bit like it's a bird poo fired against a window (wonder why?).

The most important part of this is that it's a two dimensional shape giving the impression of three dimensions - in other words i'm not telling you quite a lot about who I am.

It's personal.

(The branding/company loyalty has pissed me off again today. As some of you may know Microsoft and Ensemble Studios (not Bungie) have released 'Halo Wars' - a strategy game set in the Halo universe. It's an alright game but thats not the point, the point is that people have bought this ONLY due to 'Halo' being in the name! They've not even read what it's about. http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/B000NG5AEW/ref=cm_cr_dp_synop?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending#RBDI44YU5YUNJ

Some of these are pretty good fun, some people are morons.

beta(?)

2009-02-24T11:07:00.000-08:00

If you read this
comment - just say here or present

please
just checking something

i try

2009-02-23T10:29:00.001-08:00

it needs a skeleton and a dozen or so more polygons but a starts a start, it's not my avatar, i'm nothing like this oh and it really needs a skin to stop it looking awful

Research/Part A - B Rolled into One

2009-02-23T09:53:00.000-08:00

So, I would say that my creativity over the past few years has been for me, my own personal gain, just like it always has been. Albeit that I did get an A-level, a foundation diploma and two other awards, BUT I would have been doing 'creative' things anyway so why not benefit by getting taught on the side.
The reason why I do what I do is mostly to get whats inside of my head, outside of my head. Why? So it's not in my head taunting me that it's not real. This is the only reason why, I don't aim to be famous or influential or a master in any specific field. I must please me. That is all.

My research techniques are varied, I take in information which interests me and it is stored in my unconscious, while there it merges with other infromation, the rest I don't know.
I am often forced to learn things that don't interest me.

I must broaden my mind.
I must act on impulse.
I must be patient.

a small selection of work - fucking slideshows dont load - these count as my moodboards

2009-02-06T09:54:00.000-08:00

box?

2009-02-06T09:27:00.000-08:00

box? box, box? it's not a box really is it, its more of a disc with some things that are possibly interactive and 3d and most importantly personal
now either i caught snow fever recently or i now have no idea what this project is?
something like a cabinet/room/space with bits in

i don't know how to 'make' anything in 3ds max yet and my far less than adequate flash skills will only SHAME the ideas in my head
i cant say that flash 'twists my dials' whatsoever and, AND studio max is looking like the hardest thing in the entire universe right now.

id actually like the ideas i have to end up looking decent and along the lines of what i imagine them to - im not a fan of compensating and especially due to lack of knowledge

---i may need surgery---

JAY RYAN

2009-01-22T08:50:00.000-08:00

he does silk screen posters for cool things and that
its worth looking, www.thebirdman.com

you might also like his style........pretty good for this project i reckon...

bloody needy dogs

2009-01-22T07:36:00.000-08:00

i couldn't sleep last night so i thought of things...
i now have a list * of so called things which can either be drawings or short animations...........mostly in the style of David Shrigley (thankyou Andy Love) but drawn like me, which is different, not going to copy them now am i.

a small sketchbook/post-it pad with these drawings/animations would be a nice twee interactive part of the identities box thing

as for the avatar, may well be born of these sketches, or maybe not, maybe it's that dog --> i hate bloody needy dogs

*i say list, i mean small piece of paper with scribbled writting from the on the bus trying to remember what i thought of before i fell asleep

2009-01-21T10:12:00.000-08:00

some animation i did for pixilation

the whole compilation video is on youtube but is all messy and not worth watching

drone drone drone

2009-01-21T03:29:00.000-08:00

....you know what the most BORING thing is?

well you're most definately wrong!
it's this, it's trying to look on other multimedia blogs and seeing beef joint size pieces of text and picture after picture after picture after picture after picture of second 'blind myself of the horrors of real life' life!
i'd spoon my eyes out if there wasn't a red X at the top of each window

all greek to you

2009-01-20T09:25:00.000-08:00

.maybe, here are some of the 'milllllllllions' of drawings and scribbled things i've done in the recent projects....except 1
they don't translate to text,
well i can't be bothered to describe them, when i describe i start to sound like i'm struggling to tread water or like boris johnson..and then look more and more like him.. and .. then ..damn, you'll know when you see me

i'm neat online so its a slideshow

twist your head? meant to be that way up

i've done lots of work

2009-01-20T09:17:00.000-08:00

...i just haven't shown you. you can ask and i'll give you a one word answer. although looking here is like asking reallyseeing as no one looks at them.

youtube link - i don't pretend to know anything about html so its a plain link and you'll settle for it.
http://www.youtube.com/user/ringroadsupermarkets

everything will appear on there but maybe blurry or shit or password protected or able to be edited - i dont know

coma

2008-12-15T03:03:00.000-08:00

Its been a loooooong time, but i've been working pretty hard - i'll post up some videos that i've done when i can actually upload them - but in the meantime, i wish i made BECK'S NEW VIDEO FOR YOUTHLESS

and one more thing (except everything i didnt mention)

2008-11-14T09:59:00.000-08:00

oh i also want to copy radiohead and have some form of helmet with a camera fixed onto it watching my face! insert story? ideas? just walk somewhere and fast forward it - instant music video?

one shot film ideas

2008-11-14T09:42:00.000-08:00

so we should write this stuff down

ideas for the one shot film - we had a few and i thought it was best to try to do one each (as a group) thus giving everyone the chance to do EXACTLY what they want to achieve - whether this will happen? doubtful.

ideas: we have a few
linking footage from cctv camera (positions!!) onto 4 or so monitors and the final film being the watching of the action as it crosses the screens. some issues about the story in this - personally i dont think it matters whether the viewer knows what is happening - they are just watching someone being watched for some reason oo0OO0ooo0Oo why?? i want to control the light in this to keep it dark and murky to add some more feelings to it, again to add more confusion - same in the monitor room

this use of multiple monitors is key to a few ideas so finger are crossed - we have sleepwalkers (to add a story to the cameras watching) and dropping of a package/deal - a remake of the first friday seminar)) another monitor idea was to film the same scene from different angles/viewpoints (pretty cool)

P.O.V of a tree? possibly narrating over the visual with it's thoughts?
same idea with a speed camera (mostly anger there)
a mexican standoff would still be cool - just need an empty warehouse

there was more but we'll see if anything else gets done
i hope everyone gets the chance to be director and 'boss' everyone about to get the scene they wanted

how about a suicide note?? everyone do one??????? group bonding? hahah no

on another note, i want the expensive HD camera as i will attempt to film the first scene of a good friends script 'the cull' this would be nice. im very careful

aaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh

2008-11-11T15:01:00.000-08:00

just to let you know - my pixilation is not finished yet because the only camera i own (and is new) corrupts every single file so they are completely fucked up! this isn't helping me as i have just stood in the freezing cold working and achieved nothing! im pissed off, so yeah it won't be done until i get my fucking money back from amazon! and a new camera

why spend more for form over function??

2008-11-10T07:12:00.000-08:00

why? why?? because it looks better?! hard to explain the psychology behind it i think... but in my case i would probably say it was some sort of wish that i designed it! or to pay a little more money on (what you percieve to be) a timeless/ modern design, which will be in 'fashion' longer.

saying this, i can't find anything i bought where i payed more purely for form....

laptop - paid more because of its specification (its good! it better bloody be for grand!)

MP3 player - easy drag and drop - after nightmares with certain software (sonicstage) but i'll be getting a big ipod soon because everything is on itunes and there is a lot of it.

both metioned are sony? that might be saying something? i like sony it seems, but for good reason really, make good/reliable products

i fully understand why someone would pay more for something more aesthetically pleasing - i would - if i didnt have reasons behind why i bought something in the first place.

examples - house? so TV////DVD////SPEAKERS////CHAIRS////EVERYTHING

wouldn't want to be living amung things you didnt like the appearance of! just now i want to understand the psychology of why you find certain things 'attractive'? (ending on a question, great)

there is a reason why they..

2008-10-31T08:38:00.000-07:00

..use software to animate instead of drawing every frame

i had a go at this old fashioned approach...and so far i've ran down TWO whole pencils and my fingers have developed an unholy gripping force

chinese whispers has made an appearence too i checked the 23rd frame to the original 1st and found that objects that shouldn't move (such as CLIFF FACES etc..) had ended up a long way from where they should be

i blame my bad trace/edit against a window technique for this........or its just an effect of water distorting everything (under the sea, so you know)

i doubt you'll notice so far two days work has resulted in two seconds of film

now if only i payed attention in maths i would know how many days it would take to make five seconds

i'll post it up when i achieve what i aimed for.

fresh air and exercise? article thing

2008-10-26T07:19:00.000-07:00

After seeing a video on the BBC technology page showing advances in touch screen computers, not too dissimilar from the ones used in the film minority report, I can't help but think that the direction we should be heading in is for a more human interface. Pointing and pressing will be a much easier way to navigate then the mouse or those fiddly little laptop touch pads. Touch screen computers are being used in several places already, such as shops or the i-phone, but they should be bought into the household and work environment. The Nintendo wii, (which isn’t touch screen, but uses an infra red remote designed to add a new element to games) has shown that by changing the way you interface with a computer you can make it easier to use and much more appealing to ‘non-gamers’(also guitar hero – different interface, massively popular). There have been complaints about the wii-mote’s precision, but Nintendo are making a newer version, which will allow games developers to start to make much more challenging games and software. By making this more accurate it would allow similar devices to be used on home pc’s to start off new more personal ways we can interface with them. This could lead onto them being controlled by sound or movements and eventually end up like the computers in nearly every sci-fi (remember HAL).
This new technology will lead gaming towards being much more realistic, Crysis has graphics that are almost life like, and this will be developed to the point where it’s indistinguishable from reality. There is a voice controlled RTS under development, adding another way to interact with games. Warcraft and second life have created massive worlds online where people from all over the world join together as if they actually lived there(marriages over second life!). Combine these with touch screen or gesture controls and you will eventually have virtual reality, leading onto being able to create an atmosphere where you can feel, smell and touch even though it’s not real. I hope this could happen soon because it would open up endless possibilities for design; you could create an entire interactive world as true to life or as impossible as you could imagine, you could literally create anything.
I feel I have been influenced too much by the Matrix but it will happen, soon enough we will all be travelling around inside a giant programmed city called the internet. Or even living in a virtual world to escape from the horrors of this one, let’s hope it works out just fine and pray the robots don’t attack.

oh...

2008-10-16T11:55:00.000-07:00

... do we get to watch twelve monkeys? i hope we get to watch twelve monkeys, i really like twelve monkeys! i don't think i can metion twelve monkeys again without it being obvious that im trying to fit twelve monkeys in twelve time.

i own it on VHS

so you're in group what??

2008-10-16T11:35:00.000-07:00

so far - no work, i want to work! but ill regret saying that when im trying to drown myself to avoid deadlines

pixilation looks good fun, endless possibilities, i'll look forward to doing this

hehe prog rock references eh? (bloody phill collins urgh) i'd actually seen the sledgehammer video, one by the beta band has a bit i with a paper plane, which i might steal and turn a bit violent.

i'm not mad on prog rock but KING CRIMSON??! yes? incidentially they have a song titled FRAME BY FRAME - go me, its pretty good, soundtrack perhaps? narr

ITS HERE!!!!!

2008-10-10T04:01:00.000-07:00

my group is roughly 2 minutes in - the one with the massive mushroom cloud and hand of god

my own venture is about 2.43 in, blink and you'll miss it (well thats not true, sneeze and you'll miss it)

WORK!!

2008-10-08T09:49:00.000-07:00

i actually stayed behind when everyone had gone to make my own VERY short clip - on the end of someone else's camera

i'm pretty sure i messed it up, ah well, i'll do more, animation ranks very high on why i'm here (maybe best you don't watch the clip)

i enjoyed today, right laugh!

the pinhole camera? pretty good too, mine came out ok, i wanted them to be distorted like last years, which are mostly incredible, but yeah they came out alright.

i like how on the first thing we do as a group is in a near pitch black room, almost encourages bad behaviour, also im quite sure i only opened a door into ONE persons face, thats all..

first day questioning

2008-10-07T04:39:00.000-07:00

1. What do you want to get out of this course, in addition to passing?

hmm, i want to make/do/create/think of work that i am proud of and like, although as with everyone (i guess) i'll not like any of it after about a month. Also i want to pass! Oh and get some good connections with potential companies and stuff like that. Friends would also be good - being local has a big disadvantage.

2. What did you get upto in the first week?

i don't know yet........