May 3, 2019 : Character Modeling: Back To Lightwave!

Now that the characters’ heads are designed, the next step is creating their bodies; and that means spending some time in Lightwave. Before I did any modeling, I decided to review rigs of the most recent projects. They have become more and more complicated (and versatile) over the years so it was a much needed refresher.

It’s been a while since I’ve been able to really dive into Lightwave (it’ll be that much more fun when animation gets going!), but that’s part of the fun. To make sure the characters can do everything I want of them, a good amount of time will be spent setting things up.

To save some time, I will be re-using some parts of previously created characters; but I will also be able to make some new elements, and that is where the fun in the Lightwave is really at.

posted by Pi Visuals at 11:36 pm

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April 19, 2019 : Other Character’s Head Design

After putting in some time the last two weeks, I finished the character design of the head for the other character in my upcoming short. Below is a compilation of the angles:

The hair for this character will require a slight variation in the Lightwave with respect to the rig. To ensure there won’t be problems, I need to do some beta testing. This is probably a good thing because it’s been a while since I’ve delved into the program for character animation, and this will give me a refresher on how to create the rig that will be used for the project.

posted by Pi Visuals at 9:46 pm

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March 30, 2019 : New Short Character Designs

The last week or two, I’ve been able to spend small amounts of time here and there working on the design for one of the characters in a new short. I’m using the technique I used in Ad Wizards for the Head/ Face. Below is a compilation of the angles I will be using:

I considered having a larger range of motion for the head turns but decided it was not necessary for this project. Next, I need to work on the other character. After that, it’ll be time for some body modeling in Lightwave.

posted by Pi Visuals at 11:38 pm

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March 14, 2019 : Happy Pi Day!

Do I really need to say what today is? Unfortunately… yes, probably. Either way, today is that great day where Pi gets its due.

Things are a little busy at the moment so I need to keep this brief. Be sure to take a few moments today to fully appreciate the awesomeness that is Pi. Take a look at a circle and smile a few moments longer knowing you can calculated not only its area but the circumference thanks in part to my (and your) favorite irrational number.

posted by Pi Visuals at 12:00 am

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March 1, 2019 : How Animation Gets Done (Video)

Not a lot of people know how Animation gets made. To help enlighten the masses on the process, I created a quick video that shows what is entailed:

This nonsensical bit was made for a quick presentation I had to give. It did have a deadline, which meant I couldn’t tighten up a few of the movements – but I still get a kick out of watching it.

posted by Pi Visuals at 11:16 pm

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February 24, 2019 : Sketches For New Short

Over the summer, I started developing a new short. It was intended to be a quick one (under 2 minutes) – mostly because I haven’t created anything new in a while and wanted to correct. Sadly things got busy, and it was put on the shelf so I could address other projects. 

Things have started to lighten up, giving me some time to move forward on pre-production. As a result, I was able to dust off the Gaomon and start some character sketches: 

It was nice to get back to work on a personal project. In fact, I kinda got lost in things, and some of the sketches above really weren’t relevant to the short.

For the short, I don’t have a set time table. I realize things will move slowly since I will have to jockey between personal and professional projects. Still, my goal is to try to get some work done each week – even if it isn’t that much.

posted by Pi Visuals at 1:11 am

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February 7, 2019 : Hood Cowboy Bebop

I’m not sure what is weirder: that I found this or that I didn’t do so sooner:

The video has the Bebop vibe through and through, and Spike nailed it. The real Spike wouldn’t have smiled as much, but it works. The dancing through me for a loop at first, but I loved it; and while the sound quality could be improved, having the intro theme song playing on top of the action sequence was perfect.

posted by Pi Visuals at 8:43 pm

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January 20, 2019 : New DBZ Movie Killing It

I vaguely remember hearing about the new Dragon Ball Super movie, Broly, but I didn’t realize it opened up this past week (January 16th to be exact). I don’t remember seeing this trailer, but it looks pretty sweet.

Despite clearly dropping the ball, it sounds like the movie is killing it, pulling in over $7M opening night – the biggest opening for an event film in the US. Unfortunately, I don’t think I will be able to watch it at the theaters, but I’m sure I’ll catch it eventually. As it is, I’m still very behind with the series. Not sure how many episodes at this point, but it’ll take some time so Broly will have to get in line.

posted by Pi Visuals at 12:32 am

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December 28, 2018 : Gaomon In Practice

Last month, after much procrastination, I decided to purchase a drawing tablet – the Gaomon PD1560. Even though I ordered it shortly after that decision, I didn’t get a chance to use it until a few weeks ago.

When I did finally crack it open, it took a little time to set up and figure out the settings; but for the last few weeks, it was heavily used for some storyboarding. Below is one of the boards:

Overall, I like it a lot. For starters, the tablet is very friendly with Photoshop, which is what I used for the Storyboards. Creating everything digitally from the get go also sped up my process considerably. In the past, if I needed a hand-drawn Board, I would have to draw them by hand, clean up the drawing, then scan it into my computer, and then clean it up digitally. Very tedious.

Being my first drawing tablet, I thought it would take a little time to get used to the sensitivity of digital drawing. However, that did not prove to be the case.

While I don’t have anything planned at the moment, I hope to use the Gaomon again soon. At the very least, I would like to do some recreational drawing on it. It is relaxing, plus it will help me better familiarize myself with Photoshop’s brush capabilities.

posted by Pi Visuals at 9:24 pm

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December 8, 2018 : Live Action Cowboy Bebop On Netflix

It isn’t much of a secret that Cowboy Bebop is my favorite anime. That is why the news of Neflix making a Live-Action series piqued my interest.

In the past, I would have been skeptical about things moving forward and actually coming to fruition. However, with Netflix’s recent tweet, it seems like it’ll happen.

Personally, I don’t think it will be anything incredible, but I’ll definitely give it a shot – especially since Watanabe is on board as a consultant. Of course it’s not a shocker to learn many people on the Interwebs think the idea alone is sacrilege. In either case, it won’t diminish the greatness of the original series (because it’s awesome).

On a side note, I just found out (or maybe was reminded of?) that Netflix made a Live-Action series of Death Note last year. Sounds like it didn’t light the Earth on fire… or destroy it. So there’s that.

posted by Pi Visuals at 4:16 pm

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