Still trying to get this done

I took a long (4 month) contract to work on children's show doing quite a few 3d animations and it leaves no time for anything else. I did get a few minutes to put my almost done character into my street scene for my Lovecraft project and it encourages me that I might be able to pull it off.

Hopefully I will be able to get some time to myself and my work before the year ends... but I doubt it.

Indie gogo campaign almost over!

Only 2 weeks left to donate to the Million year Picnic Documentary! As of now, i have received some donations but only covering about ½ of what I've already spent so anything anyone wants to give will be a big help.

In the fall and possible the start of next year I will be re-doing some early interviews and doing more b-roll. Hoping against hope to get some photos as well. I will need to to stay at a hotel in Harvard Square near the store to do the interviews in a quiet space so, hopefully, I will have enough at least for that so I can edit and start putting this together all winter.

Another Acrobat drawing done!

I spent the good part of the last few days just working on this drawing. Feels good to get something done you want to do and not have to do! I feel this one was much more of a success than the last. Might be because the face isn't visible or that this one has a better silhouette.

Cinema 4D release 15

2004 render

2014 render 

Today Cinema 4D release 16 came out, but since I hadn’t been able to afford the every escalating upgrade prices since version 11. There isn’t much to complain about in my opinion as far as the software goes. Of course there are always a few things that need to be worked out. 

Rendering: fantastic improvements, the « physical render » really can make things go faster. It does tend to render « city" with grain but that can be adjusted and the simplified way you can add depth to field and motion blur is a real godsend. 

Rigging: this has always been a huge pain to do but C4D has made it a lot simpler with their auto rigging tools. pretty much all the programming and annoying zeroing out of joints is not done in the background and you can mix and match arm, leg, wing etc set ups from different types of pre done rigs and then move them to fit your model with amazing speed. the sole issue I’ve had is the thumb is rotated in the wrong direction and has to be manually adjusted. Binding is also done automatically, and isn’t perfect but takes hours of trial and error away with a click. 

Simulation tags: these are a true innovation in the software. The physics set ups in times past have been painful and often badly realized. These rage make simple collision set-ups extremely easy and, again, save days of fiddling with settings the average user knows nothing about. 

Sculpting and other modelling improvements: haven’t played with sculpting much but it’s very cool and nice to see it integrated into the software directly. Chamfering and some other tools are greatly enhanced as well. 

The camera simulation tag: I really love this. You import a photo into this camera tag, draw out the perspective lines and C4D automatically lets you drop objects into the scene with correct perspective and positioning. Version 16 has a similar video tracking feature which I could really use in this new contract, but I won’t be making enough to get this version and I doubt the studio will drop the cash for it either so quickly after buying version 15. 

New interface: It take some getting used to but putting things together that go together like the tools/arrange objects item can make finding things less of a safari. the default interface set ups (sculpt/animation/standard etc) are now on the right top corner with a drop down menu that’s easier to switch back and forth with. Giving a selected item an orange outline really clears thing up in the viewport when you need to move or change things. 

There are tons of other things of course but these are the ones I’ve noticed the most so far. I have to say the current Maxon owners are milking the upgrade thing for all it’s worth, most of the features I love were introduced in version 13 and it seems every three versions would be the way to update except if you don’t update more frequently you end up paying full price again. 

They removed soft IK with no way to get that effect for some reason which is a deal killer for some people and for good reason. I don’t get the reason and couldn’t find one, only that it was removed. Doesn’t seem to have returned in version 16 either. There are still no fluid dynamics, which even free programs offer which is another mystery. There are plugins for that but it seems a no brainer to have it included. 

Balance

I have been very frustrated not having the time and privacy to draw lately... like all summer.  The past week I've had some time to finally get started on the 16 or so images I have ready to go (in my mind anyway). I did try to draw a couple things more piecemeal, 5 minutes at time here and there and they were HORRIBLE. I've just finished this so I might hate it later, but for the moment I feel like I got something back I had been missing and can add this to my series of acrobat illustrations. Still not happy with how I've been doing hair.. but overall I think it works.

Introvert, "L'enfer, c'est les autres"

I have a very satisfying inner life. 

When told I am extremely introverted, the very idea seems to go right past most people. Simply put, I just don't get much from and actually lose something when I have to interact  with others. My ability to tolerate social situations is by most standards very, very short. While observing people can be interesting, I rarely have any desire join them. I get pleasure from solitary activities like drawing, reading, cycling to name a few. I get nothing but stress from group activities.  

I do have friends but I don't require any sort of social interaction even if they are sometimes enjoyable. I have been alone and isolated for weeks at time and never once did I miss the company of other people. By myself, I get a lot done, am never bored and my mental state is never better. I don't get lonely, I can’t even imagine myself feeling that way. I don't want solitude, I require it to function properly. Too long without and I have trouble eating, sleeping, working...even thinking.

There are huge advantages to being this way. I am self motivated, independent and can focus on my work and fun intensely for long periods of time. I don't need personal contact or hand holding to get through the day or a project. To process intense situations, like grief for example, the best way to support me is to leave me alone. I need personal reflection much more than discussion. 

If a more extroverted person is isolated from social situations for one reason or another, pretty much everyone knows its damaging, even dangerous to their heath physically and mentally. However, when I am forced into social situations, despite the having the same dangers, I am told it will be "good for me".

It won't be. 

Creative work is perfectly suited for my temperament. In fact, having other people around is deadly for many creative fields where focus, introspection and being able to experiment without people looking over your shoulder is key to being productive. The problem isn't being introverted, it is persuading people to let someone like me, with different strengths to take advantage of them instead of putting me into unproductive (to say the least) situations. 

This has been coming up a lot lately and no matter what I say, I get the same attitude that if I was just around more people ( like I haven't spent my entire life around them) I would magically go contrary to my entire life’s experience and see how "enjoyable" it is or because people find my company enjoyable then I automatically must feel the same way when I make it clear the opposite is the case. Just because I need to be left alone doesn’t mean I want to be an asshole about it. 

Sketchbook Pro update - a huge disappointment

It's sad, I really loved using Sketchbook Pro to draw with as it's pen brushes look like the real thing, something photoshop has yet to pull off. The stripped down interface also helps. It wasn't without it short comings, most drawing have to be finished up in photoshop, but it was getting closer and closer to a one stop drawing program for my needs.

The new version was inching even closer as they released news of the new features, but this was all thrown in the trash when it suddenly arrived for sale on the Mac app store.

Yes, the features were there as promised but Autodesk dashed all hopes of me (and many others) buying it  when they decided to let their marketing department take over the company in same way Adobe has and made the software subscription only. Yes, they offer a non subscription version outside the app store, for more than I ever paid for a full version before, and yes, they do offer an upgrade price, which is about what I paid for a full version before but that is not available to app store buyers. To top it off, their online chat help is a robot whose answer to ever question is to tell you where to buy the new version online.

"You just lost a customer, sorry"
"The upgrade is available to those with serial numbers online"

REALLY?

The thing is, this pay us protection money every month or your software will "have a little accident and not work anymore" scam has not been working out all that well for Adobe or Microsoft so I don't know why anyone else would adopt it. They might as well be screaming "please pirate our software" at the top of their lungs at people who would never normally even think of doing such a thing.

So I'll be sticking tot he old version, finishing in my CS version of photoshop and looking around for the alternatives who are ever so quickly nipping at the heal of these money hogs for eventual replacements.

Whale animation test

I might have a contract using Cinema 4d version 15 so I had to get access to it quickly and learn it as my current version was 11. I will write something up as I get more into it but I did manage to put together a short test.

You can also see the difference After Effects can make in this before and after still.

Give me money! (help fund my next film)

My new film about the Million year Picnic comic book store (the oldest comic book store in the USA and one of the world’s first) needs funding for me to finish it and get it out there. So I’ve set up an Indie GOGO page for people to contribute with little incentives for people who give above certain amounts. I have already begun filming at my own expense and just traveling to see more people, clearing images and music for the film is beyond my finances now. 

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-million-year-picnic/x/6192638

If you can’t give, please post my desperate plea for cash on Facebook or whatever other social media you have and tell anyone you think might be interested. I have been on this film over 4 years now and I’d like it to be DONE by next summer and out into the world. 

Thanks everyone! 

Streets of Prague

Just returned fro a photo trip of Prague and Berlin. I have 2500- 3000 photos to process and sort now so it will take a while.