March 21, 2015 : Group Shot
Several scenes in the upcoming project have shots with many characters. I started animating the first such scene. Below is a quick screen grab:
I still need to send the scene to After Effects for additional touch ups – adding some shadows, possible color corrections, and creating some lighting from above to name a few. However, there are a couple things worth commenting on the pic. Firstly, I like the staging of the shot. It is well balanced and serves as a nice establishing sequence for the rest of the scene.
Also of note, working on this sequence showed me the power of my new computer. There are 6 characters in this shot (a character is in the right side of the foreground), and there were no issues working in Lightwave. My previous computer slowed down with 3 or 4. This was definitely validation in my choices for the computer components.
posted by Pi Visuals at 11:57 pm
Tags: ShapesComment
March 14, 2015 : Happy Pi Day!
If you’ve read this blog for any amount of time, then you probably don’t exist. In the event you are real, then you should know how much I enjoy Pi Day.
So take a few moments and think where you would be without Pi. You wouldn’t be able to calculate the area or circumference of circles, for starters. Can you live with that?
posted by Pi Visuals at 10:36 am
Tags: PiComment
March 12, 2015 : Animation Continues
One of the first decent-sized scenes is completed. It had a few elements that were new to me, which took a little extra time to complete. Below is a still I particularly enjoy.
For this project, I have made sure to stagger the key steps of production. In the past, it was common to do large chunks of Facial Animation, then move onto Animation, then onto After Effect, etc. This time around, I plan on pushing scenes through most of the Production Pipeline before working on the next.
One benefit to this approach is that it should prevent me from getting burnt out on any one step. Working on the same thing over and over can get tiresome, which could lead to some lackluster results.
posted by Pi Visuals at 12:48 am
Tags: ShapesComment
March 4, 2015 : Animation Underway
There are still quite a few items left in Pre-Production, but the pipeline has the major milestones staggered. As such, Animation began earlier this week. Below is a screen shot of one of the completed scenes:
I chose this frame because I find it funny, however I think the sequence as a whole is even better. Unfortunately (for you), I am not making this available at the moment so you’re just going to have to take my word for it.
Animation is still in the early stages, and I have only worked on a few, very short scenes. With most of my projects, I tend to work first on a couple short sequences. I find that it gets me into the animation groove. Plus, it helps me get better acquainted with the new rigs some of these characters have.
posted by Pi Visuals at 11:38 pm
Tags: ShapesComment
February 24, 2015 : The Powerpuff Girls Turn 20?!
In news that should be filed under “You’re Old”, The Powerpuff Girls turned 20 years old this week.
While the series didn’t premiere until 1998, the pilot episode aired on Cartoon Network in 1995, via What a Cartoon! shorts. After creating these Chemical X-infused characters, Craig McCracken followed things up with Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends and then Wander Over Yonder… not a bad resume.
Unfortunately it looks like McCracken will not be involved with the reboot, which is supposed to come out in 2016 – at least, he isn’t the EP so I assume that means he won’t be a part of things. Still, I will probably give it a shot. It can’t be as bad as Teen Titans Go! Right?
posted by Pi Visuals at 8:01 pm
Tags: Craig McCracken , Powerpuff GirlsComment
February 20, 2015 : Set Design Underway
With the main characters modeled and rigged, it’s time to work on the sets for the various scenes. One is already pretty much finished. Below is a quick render:
The character was placed in the scene just to ensure proper proportions. For the actual scenes in the short, I plan on using After Effects to pump up the backgrounds; but these renders show the general design. A variation of the set above will be used in a quick sequence, and that shot is below (I quickly put the character in the scene so ignore the fact that he isn’t really sitting in the chair):
I’ve used many rooms in previous shorts so this set was straightforward. Some of the extras in the scene had to get built from scratch, but I included a few callbacks to previous projects. There are three major remaining sets that need to get done. One will be pretty complex, while the other two are relatively simple. All of them will take some time, but I’m happy with how this one turned out.
posted by Pi Visuals at 11:20 pm
Tags: ShapesComment
February 17, 2015 : My Issues With The Venture Bros. (And Its Production)
Last month, Adult Swim aired The Venture Bros. hour long special All This and Gargantua-2. It was definitely entertaining, and I have been a fan of the show since it first aired back in 2004; however, after watching the special, I was reminded of my frustrations with the show as a whole. The complexity with its over arcing storylines is what makes the show stand out among most other programs.
Unfortunately, the exceedingly large gaps between seasons makes it tougher and tougher to stay invested with the series. Below is a table I put together that shows the general timeline of the seasons of Venture Bros.
For the most part, there has been a two year gap between seasons – there was only one year between seasons 4a and 4b, but there were three years between 4b and 5. This higher than typical production times is not news; but if you look closer, the general output of episodes have also slowed over the years. The four year span between seasons 1-3 yielded 39 episodes, but the four year span between seasons 4a/b and 5 resulted in only 24 episodes.
While the episodes have gotten better over its run, the storylines have also increased in its intricacies. When you are several years removed from the previous season, it makes it difficult to remember everything that’s going on – both big and small. Watching reruns of Venture Bros. is definitely a joy, but having it a requirement to fully appreciate new episodes doesn’t feel right.
At the end of the day, I will still watch new episodes of the Venture Bros. – although who knows when Season 6 will finally air. I know I’ll like it, but something tells me it won’t be nearly as much as I should; and that bothers me.
posted by Pi Visuals at 12:39 am
Tags: Venture Bros.Comment
February 5, 2015 : Maya Switching To A Subscription Based Model
Autodesk is taking a page from Adobe’s playbook and converting their programs to a subscription-only model starting early next year. This will include Maya and 3ds Max. Obviously they are putting a positive spin on the change, claiming it will create many improvements for users, but I remain skeptical.
I haven’t been a fan of Adobe’s pricing structure for years. Even before they became subscription based, I felt they released new software versions way too frequently. The previous versions would become obsolete (and incompatible with newer ones), requiring people to purchase the latest release.
Picture “South Park’s budget will go through the roof.” ‘converting their programs’ Sadly, it’s probably the start of a growing trend.
It does sound like Autodesk is trying to distinguish themselves from Adobe. While the article doesn’t identify Adobe by name, Autodesk does say they don’t like how ‘other companies’ handle the subscription based model; and they intend on doing it better for the benefit of its customers. Proponents of this system claim that it reduces the number of cracked versions, which increases sales from legitimate licenses, which will drive the overall price down for the software. While the argument makes sense, I just don’t see a company lowering their prices (and profits) once a certain pricing structure has been set.
Lightwave is my main 3D program so this news doesn’t affect me at the moment. However, part of me is worried that Newtek will eventually make a similar transition. Having only bought three licences over the past 12 years, a yearly subscription would most certainly force me to pay more than I historically have on the program.
posted by Pi Visuals at 7:59 pm
Tags: Lightwave , MayaComment
January 27, 2015 : Another Rigged Model
I’ve been able to devote more time to work on some of the models for the new short. Another major character is modeled and rigged – although I will tweak the surface colors. Below is a posed shot:
Overall, I am happy with the model. Posing the character allows me to test out the rig, which help determine if any adjustments need to be made (as well its limits). With many aspects of the rig being reused among characters, this helps refine each one… even if it requires a little extra time to go back and make adjustments to every character.
posted by Pi Visuals at 11:01 pm
Tags: ShapesComment
January 20, 2015 : First Batch Of Character Rigs
This past week, I spent time in Lightwave working on the models/ rigs for the characters that had previous sketches made. After several adjustments, I’ve reached a solid first pass for the characters. As such, I decided to pose them in the same fashion as my design sketch.
There may be additional tweaks to these models/ rigs, but I’m happy with where they are right now. Many aspects of the rigs will be re-used for the other characters in the short (and there are many left to do). Therefore, I want to identify any potential issues with this batch of characters since it will cut down on time spent with future revisions.
posted by Pi Visuals at 10:58 pm
Tags: Lightwave , ShapesComment