September 23, 2014 : Ramayana Inspired Sketch
Six or seven years ago, I read (and enjoyed)Â the Mahabharata. It is one of the two great Hindu epics. The other is the Ramayana, which I finally got around to reading last month. As with the Mahabharata, I found the characters very interesting. This includes the main villain, Ravana, a demon king with multiple heads – who inspired the sketch below:
In the story, Ravana had ten heads, which he was able to hide and reveal at will. The premise reminds me of a homunculus you would see in Full Metal Alchemist. In either case, I think the design of a character like this would be fun to model and animate.
posted by Pi Visuals at 2:41 pm
Tags: Mahabharata , RamayanaComment
September 16, 2014 : Production Bump For The New Season Of Rick And Morty
The new season of Rick and Morty, slated to air late this year/ early next, is currently in production. Apparently, there was a bit of a snag in the past week. The artist crew, feeling overworked and underpaid, unionized and ratified a new labor agreement – and at one point, threatened to walk out. Ultimately, things have been resolved; and while the artists seem to be pleased, it left a bad taste with co-creator Justin Roiland.
As with most disputes, I’m sure each side has their version. Ultimately, it appears everybody is ready to move on. Hopefully there won’t be any lingering friction that could negatively affect the quality of this season (or cause problems in future seasons). Rick and Morty is a solid show, and it would be a shame for it to derail because for these reasons.
posted by Pi Visuals at 3:01 pm
Tags: Rick and MortyComment
September 8, 2014 : Pipeline: Adding An Audio Interface To The Mix
In addition to building a new computer, I also purchased a new piece of hardware for my setup… the Akai EIE Audio Interface. It acts as a removable (and improved) sound card for recording music. While this is something I’ve wanted for a while now, it did require a good amount of time and effort to figure out exactly how to incorporate it into Music Creator 6, my DAW (Digital Audio Workstation… the software I use to generate music).
Basically, I had to get this new piece of hardware to work with the software so allow my MIDI keyboard, MIDI drums, and guitar to record music. This involved several weeks of testing, researching, and forum browsing; but I was finally able to get things how I wanted. And since IÂ don’t write and record music in Music Creator 6 everyday, I made sure to document everything so that I can refer back to it in the future.
Below is a quick audio file I made to test everything out. It’s nothing special; but I wanted to create a file that used all three instruments that I record with (MIDI keyboard, MIDI drums, and guitar).
[audio:http://www.pivisuals.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/MC6_Testing.mp3|titles=MC6 Testing]As mentioned a few months ago, I am considering using Adobe Audition for Mixing and Mastering audio. As such, I threw the audio files from Music Creator into Audition for some basic editing. The little time spent with the program made me realize two things: 1) there’s a lot I need to learn about Adobe Audition if I want to effectively use it, and 2) there is still a great deal I need to learn about Mixing and Mastering.
I’ve already spent some time this summer learning about general concepts, but I hope to delve even more into it to really improve my abilities on the subject. After all, a better handle on audio mixing can benefit not just the music for a short, but the overall audio quality as well.
posted by Pi Visuals at 12:41 am
Tags: Audio Production , PipelineComment
September 4, 2014 : Researching iPad Styluses and Animation Apps
For a while, I’ve wanted to sketch directly on my iPad. It’s an older model that is mostly used for surfing; and with Cintiq models still being crazy expensive, it could be a cheap substitute. In order to determine its feasibility, I had to research Styluses as well as Apps geared towards drawing (and animating).
Styluses range from very cheap to pretty darn expensive; and while I haven’t pulled the trigger just yet, I am leaning towards the AluPen. At $20, it seems like it could do the trick for a reasonable price. App’s are cheaper, and I want to get one that doesn’t just allow me to draw, but one where you can animated in it. This lead me to Animation Desk Premium. It seems pretty impressive, particularly for $4.99. I don’t plan on making any elaborate animations, but it could allow for basic animation tests (or ways to kill an afternoon).
My desire to use the iPad for doodling and stick figure animations didn’t come from a desire to fit it into my Pipeline. Honestly, I just think it would allow me to draw a little more and possibly work a little more on my 2D animation skills – both of which I’ve wanted to do. Although, it is possible that it will aid in future Storyboarding.
posted by Pi Visuals at 11:58 pm
Tags: PipelineComment
September 2, 2014 : The Tick Get Revived?
The reports are pretty vague, but Amazon Studios is looking to revive the live version of The Tick. The story only goes as far as citing unnamed sources so it’s far from a done deal. However, the fact that this is even being considered is good news.
At this point, Patrick Warburton has signed on to reprise his role, and creator Ben Edlund is slated to produce and write. Of course, no time table has been hinted at, nor has there been any word about other cast members.
It’s worth pointing out that Venture Bros. creator, Jackson Publick, not only wrote for the live-action series, but he was also a staff writer and storyboard artist for the earlier animated series. While it would be awesome if he was involved in this revival, I’m not counting on it. After all, he needs to devote most of his time dragging his feet with the new season of Venture Bros.
posted by Pi Visuals at 11:05 am
Tags: The Tick , Venture Bros.Comment
August 17, 2014 : Finally, An Iron Giant Toy
This is a few weeks late, but Mondo (the art company that primarily makes stylized posters of movies) recently announced that it is getting into the toy business; and they’re doing it the best way I can imagine… by releasing a 16″ Iron Giant Toy!
A few things that will be included with it: a Hogarth figure, scraps of metal to chew on, and an interchangeable head and gun attachment – thus giving him a choice between his regular version and his ‘Battle Mode’ version.
Apparently to ensure its accuracy, the figure was designed from the actual CG files used in the film. As a side note, how awesome would it be to get said CG files?
The specifics of the release have not been announced, including when it will be made available or the cost; however, something tells me it will not be cheap. In any event, I plan on keeping an eye out for any updates.
posted by Pi Visuals at 11:36 am
Tags: The Iron GiantComment
August 5, 2014 : I Christen Thee… Piccolo
To say it was long overdue would be an understatement, but I finally got myself a new computer! This is the first new one I’ve had in 8 or 9 years; and to make sure if fully met my current and future production requirements, I decided to build it from scratch… something I have never done before. Seeing as how I wasn’t very knowledgeable about computer hardware, I had to do a lot of research into the various components.
It took some time and a great deal of effort, but the end result is the computer you see below (with and without side panels). I call him Piccolo.
I am very stoked to have a computer that can easily (and quickly) handle the programs used for production. Granted, I still need to install most of these, but I’d like to think most of the hard work is over. This is technically the third computer I’ve owned that was built from scratch, however the first two were put together by Moridin.
In case you’re curious about the name, I give all of my computers DBZ character names. This is the fourth one. The first one was Vegeta (obviously), who was one of the home-built computers I mentioned above. He was followed by Gohan, which was a Dell. I then received a used, home-built computer (mostly for music recording and additional storage), and it was named Tien.
And now, I can add Piccolo to the list. I considered naming it Trunks but felt the Saiyan race was already well represented. For the record, Vegeta is no longer with us. He died a painful death a few years ago, presumably at the hands of a virus named Frieza. Gohan and Tien are both still in my arsenal and was used to make Ultra. However, they are sorely outdated, and I have been questioning their usefulness for quite some time now. I briefly considered changing their names to Yamcha and Krillin…
posted by Pi Visuals at 9:54 pm
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July 29, 2014 : The Universe’s Take On Time Travel… Awful
I’ll be honest, I was torn on whether or not to watch The Universe’s episode discussing ‘Time Travel’. Like many non-reality shows on The History Channel (and H2), The Universe can be pretty interesting. Plus, the graphics and animations accompanying the material is impressive. On the other hand, I am not a fan of time travel (my rant about its obvious logical inconsistencies and blatant overuse in film and television will have to wait for another time).
Despite that, I gave it a shot. That was a mistake.
Good episodes of The Universe have a great deal of science and information involved. However, these were predominantly the earlier episodes. Later seasons of the series were grasping at straws and weren’t very educational (or interesting). So with this episode being in the 5th season, I should have realized it was going to be lacking in content.
It seemed more like an episode of Ancient Aliens – wildly speculative with no facts or logic to back it up. In fact, the second half of the episode talked more about space travel (hinting toward the concept of forward time travel via time dilation).
So as I should have expected, my disdain for time travel remains in place. If anything, I was disappointed in The Universe for having an episode on it (and doing it so poorly). On the plus side, there were some cool graphics.
posted by Pi Visuals at 6:18 pm
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July 22, 2014 : Happy Pi Approximation Day!
My second favorite mathematical holiday is upon us… Pi Approximation Day!
Did you know, Babylonian mathematicians used 25/8 as an approximation for Pi in the early 19th century? Not only is this over 4 times less accurate compared with the 22/7, but it would have resulted in celebrating this holiday in August… preposterous.
posted by Pi Visuals at 1:28 pm
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July 18, 2014 : Pipeline Improvement: Music Editing
Whenever I have some downtime, such as right now, I try to reflect on my current pipeline. The hope is to identify areas of improvement – either in the form of technique or general knowledge. Over the last few weeks, I have spent some time looking into how I create music.
After recording your various tracks, they must be mixed and mastered to create the final track – skills I definitely want to improve on. Much like animation, Mixing/ Mastering is an art form. While researching the topic, I found Adobe Audition in my bundle of Adobe programs. Plugging this software into my pipeline can greatly improve the quality of  the music.
In the past, I used Sony Vegas to mixing my music tracks. This was very limiting since it is a non-linear editing. I was forced to used Sony Soundforge to make any modifications; and while this is fine for dialogue, it isn’t ideal since it permanently alters the file. Since mixing is a dynamic and reiterative process, having non-destructive is preferred.
Learning a new program can be daunting, but personally I enjoy the challenge – particularly since it could result in an overall improvement to the music in future projects.
posted by Pi Visuals at 10:50 pm
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