May 14, 2023 : Lightwave’s Return To Relevancy?

One could make the argument that this post’s title is total click bait, but that assumes people still care about (or remember) Lightwave. Anyway, the answer to the title’s question is probably not; however there was Lightwave news last month nonetheless. Specifically, it was sold off to another party with the intent on “reinvigorating” the software.

Ultimately, I’m not sure much will come out of this, but I suppose anything’s possible. The bigger question is probably why is this still on my radar, and the answer is I haven’t had time to move onto a different package (aka Blender) – which leaves the door open for Lightwave. Until I have another (most likely personal) project where I need 3D software, I’m still keeping Lightwave around since I have an up to date version. I’m sure there’s the nostalgia factor as well…

posted by Pi Visuals at 1:21 am

Tags: 
Comment

 

April 15, 2023 : C2E2 2023 In The Books!

Two weekends ago the joy that is C2E2 took place. I went last Summer, but this was the first Spring C2E2 since 2020… i.e. before the world ever heard of Social Distancing. As expected, it was a fun filled weekend with plenty of great costumes, including this gem:

I only hit one panel, and per usual, didn’t buy any artwork; but all felt right with the world. I must say the DBZ cosplay felt underrepresented. That prompted me to at least consider dusting off the Vegeta costume for next year (April 26-28!) with my Goku wingman. We’ll see if it comes to fruition, but to be honest, it’s something I’ve thought about the past few years. We last dressed up in 2017!

posted by Pi Visuals at 12:27 am

Tags:  , 
Comment

 

April 7, 2023 : Genndy’s Latest (and It’s Not Primal)

Last year’s agreement between Genndy and CN/WB mentioned the new series Unicorn: Warriors Eternal. The trailer is now out and looks awesome (aka on brand for Genndy):

The series is set to premiere May 4th on Adult Swim, and I am stoked. Although full disclosure: I still haven’t watched the second season of Primal. It’s on the list… sadly, time is a factor. But rest assured, that and this will be consumed sooner rather than later – and I expect to be fully entertained.

posted by Pi Visuals at 1:02 am

Tags: 
Comment

 

March 14, 2023 : Happy Pi Day!

Spring is upon us. Not only does that mean some potential Illinois March Madness action (apparently… but to be honest, I haven’t watched a single game this season), but it also means the return of C2E2. Most importantly, it’s that time of year where we get to enjoy the awesomeness that is Pi Day!

Fun fact: Pi didn’t get its name until the early 1700’s. Before then, people just used the definition when talking about it (“the quantity which, when the diameter is multiplied by it, yields the circumference”). Pi is definitely more succinct. Happy Pi Day!

posted by Pi Visuals at 12:03 am

Tags: 
Comment

 

February 18, 2023 : Watanabe Forbes Interview

Last week, there was a click-baity article floating around about a Forbes interview with Shinichiro Watanabe where he discusses his views on the live action Bebop… being sure to highlight his disapproval and its failure.

They had me at Watanabe so obviously I checked it out. The article has maybe a paragraph about the Netflix version, which is fine since I didn’t really want to spend much time bashing the project. In fact, he didn’t go into detail about his opinion of the series – basically, he wasn’t involved so he didn’t have much interest in it. It turns out, the article was predominantly him covering his career as whole, and it was a great read.

For the record, I still haven’t watched the Netflix Bebop. I’ll probably get to it eventually; but seeing as how it wasn’t very well received, it’s not a high priority. As an aside, if you are looking for a better analysis of the live action version, there’s this video by Corridor Digital Studios (which I saw via UrbanExile). That does a great job of discussing its deficiencies. As for the Watanabe article, enjoy his life story and straight from the horse’s mouth.

posted by Pi Visuals at 12:24 am

Tags:  , 
Comment

 

January 21, 2023 : Tis’ the Season – For An Overdue Post About A Holiday Card

I meant to crank out a quick post last month highlighting the most recent Holiday card, but I guess I never got around to it – which is weird since this Holiday season wasn’t particularly busy. Well, better late than never:

The theme for this last year’s card (number 6, by the way) was locked in pretty early. The same goes for the layout and photos. However, there was a lot of back and forth with the coloring and smaller design details. I’m used to tweaking things to death, but this one seemed more than usual. Either way, I was happy with the final product – and a few ideas were even brainstormed (and documented) for next year.

posted by Pi Visuals at 12:08 am

Tags: 
Comment

 

January 13, 2023 : Pretty Sketchy Stuff

Decluttering is a never ending process. Two months ago, I found a box of sketches I’ve done over the years. Many were over fifteen years old (?!). Some were specific to projects that actually came to fruition, while others were just random techniques and poses I was working on. I’m guessing these amounted to several thousand sheets of paper; and they ranged from awful to not quite as bad. That said, I went through them all and kept the ones I really liked. Being very discriminating, I ended up with 42… because Hitchhikers? Below is a compilation:

I had varying reason for choosing each one. Some reminded me of a project, and I liked how it captured the process. Others told a story (that may or may not have come to fruition). Others were kept out of pure nostalgia.

Either way, I am holding onto these and tossed (recycled) the rest. I haven’t drawn anything of significance lately, but it was cool to revisit all the old drawings I did over the years (good and bad); and maybe these saved ones will help provide some inspiration in the future.

posted by Pi Visuals at 12:03 am

Tags: 
Comment

 

December 25, 2022 : Join the Team, Goten

Gohan lasted about 8 years. Piccolo is now past that age; and while it has been mostly running without issue, limitations are now starting to appear. Specifically, it is unable to update to Windows 11, and Adobe will be releasing an update soon that will no longer be stable with its current GPU. The HDD also crapped out this summer, which fortunately didn’t result in the loss of many files.

As such, I already planned for a new computer last December to happen this year (it was also beneficial to do it this calendar year for tax purposes). I originally wanted to do it this summer, but I got sidetracked. With Black Friday sales providing the impetus, I finally started the process and purchased the components:

There were several starts and stops… the biggest one being me buying laptop RAM (doh!), but I also had limitations on when I was able to devote time to the build. That said, I was finally able to finish things up. The end result? Goten:

A big thank you to Moridin for returning the favor and doing the leg work on this build. I haven’t had a chance to give Goten a spin and see how he runs. In fact, he isn’t set up in my pipeline yet – I still need to figure out where he will physically sit – but it’s only a matter of time before that happens. In the meantime, I’m please the process is over, and I can finally check this off my to-do list!

posted by Pi Visuals at 9:44 pm

Tags:  , 
Comment

 

December 1, 2022 : Animation For Anyone Video Series

For no good reason, it’s been a while since I’ve worked on honing my animation skillset. Like anything else, it requires time and effort to stay on top of your game. Fortunately, I stumbled on Alex Grigg’s Animation For Anyone channel, which is a series of solid videos about animation. It is filled with explanations on theory as well as exercises. It’s great for beginners or seasoned vets looking to brush up on their skills.

His main software is Animate (which used to be Flash?); and while I’m not sure I have the time/desire to learn another piece of software, I keep wanting to dip my toes in the 2D animated pool and this could provide easy entry. That said, I think I would need to use a tablet – which my current setup doesn’t use.

posted by Pi Visuals at 11:30 pm

Comment

 

November 13, 2022 : Kevin Conroy is Batman

Mark Hamill said it best: “He will always be my Batman.”

RIP 🙁

posted by Pi Visuals at 12:32 am

Tags: 
Comment

 

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »