July 22, 2021 : Happy Pi Approximation Day!
Just because it ain’t the real thing, doesn’t mean it isn’t real! Today is the day we celebrate the knock-off to end all knock-off’s… Pi Approximation Day.
Please don’t construe my love for this glorious day as an endorsement of half-assing things. The rest of my actions throughout life should more than attest to that. But in all seriousness, approximate Pi at your own peril – it can have disastrous results.
posted by Pi Visuals at 9:50 am
Tags: PiComment
July 16, 2021 : Kurzgesagt = Education + Solid Animation
A few months ago, I stumbled on the YouTube Channel, Kurzgesagt. It releases a wide range of adult-themed educational content, but in the form of animated videos.
The videos employ a minimalistic design – although the video’s subject matters are often complex, thus the overall visuals are deeply involved. Along with the simplistic design is solid animation (and overall production for that matter).
I watch a video now and then. Having launched in 2013, there are a lot – particularly since they still release new material every month or so. Between learning something of interest and getting design inspiration, I am a fan.
posted by Pi Visuals at 11:18 pm
Tags: AnimationComment
July 1, 2021 : Gif Making In Adobe
Over the years, I’ve created plenty of animated gif’s for various clients… and maybe a few for personal enjoyment. However, it wasn’t until recently that I did some research on the various ways of making a Gif in Adobe.
I’m working on long-term project, creating 3-second looped gifs of various icons. Below is a collection of some of the first drafts (click on the image to view the gif in all its glorious motion):
There are over a hundred that need to get done, and I have maybe fifteen. I try to crank one out every week or two… did I mention it’s a long-term project?
In the past, my process of creating a Gif was:
- Create the animation in After Effects
- Render out an mp4 (via Encoder)
- Import the mp4 into Photoshop
- Export the mp4 as a Gif
I recently found out Encoder renders Gif’s directly. While this reduced the steps, there were issues with the final render. Below is a version using this process:
Obviously the color bleeding/ artifacting was unacceptable. As such, I reverted back to the Photoshop Export. For good measure, I adjusted some of the export settings (most notably increasing the Dither to 100%). Below is the end result:
Chef’s Kiss! This project not only verified the necessary pipeline for creating an acceptable Gif in Adobe, but it forced me to dive deeper in Photoshop’s Gif export Settings… something I hadn’t done before. It’s not often I get a chance to dig into the nuts and bolts of Adobe so this was a fun (and worthwhile) exercise.
posted by Pi Visuals at 11:11 pm
Tags: After Effects , MoGraph , PhotoshopComment
June 9, 2021 : The Simpsons’ Animation Style Over the Years
I’ve long since stopped watching the show, but the video below is a cool history of The Simpsons’ animation style – including its visual development and impact of technological advances in the medium.
It was interesting to hear about the challenges that came with each of the changes made to its Production pipeline – particularly, the switch to 16:9. The differences in compositional methodology between SD and HD are often overlooked until they have to stage out scenes in the new format.
posted by Pi Visuals at 8:58 am
Tags: Animation , The SimpsonsComment
May 20, 2021 : Venture Bros. Movie Announced
As alluded to since their cancellation, The Venture Bros. will live on – at least in the form of a new movie on HBO Max, which was announced last week.
Movies for Metalocalypse and Aqua Teen were also mentioned in the release (no Stroker and Hoop? weak); but I am curious if these are simply development deals, and their actual execution is still up in the air.
That said, Venture Bros. looks to be a stand alone movie, thus leaving loose ends still untied. Who knows if other episodes are still in play. I hope that’s not contingent on the movie’s success because then we won’t know one way or another until 2028.
posted by Pi Visuals at 11:38 pm
Tags: Venture Bros.Comment
May 6, 2021 : Diving Into Lightwave 2020’s Lighting/ Cel Shading
I finally got to fiddle around in Lightwave 2020, with the goal of learning the new light system and cel shading capabilities. Beforehand, I spent some time researching things online. I learned a few things, but sadly Lightwave’s community is a far cry from where it was back in its heyday. Sigh…
Lightwave 2018 implemented a new lighting system (my previous version was 2015). One change was the unit of measurement for a light’s intensity. Previously it was a percentage but is now measured in ‘lux’ (or lx) – which is the SI derived unit of illuminance. This was a pretty straight forward change having found out 3.14 lx equates to 100%, and 0 lx corresponds to 0%.
The bigger change was the removal of the global Ambient Intensity setting. This was replaced with an additional default ‘light’, called the Environment Light. This light acts as a multiplier for the background and objects, which appears to have the same effect. Oddly enough, the intensity for this light is still measured in percent, not lux.
For Surfacing, there are now two tabs: a Material Tab and a Shading Model Tab. The Material Tab has several Material options. While the default is Principled BDSF, I used the Standard option – which looked to have settings similar to previous versions of Lightwave.
The Shading Model tab has several options, including the Cel Shading Model; and this looks completely different from Lightwave 2015. Here is how you can create different zones of shading. I wasn’t able to get this effect, but to be honest, it’s not something I strive for in my projects. That said, I would like to learn how in order to get a better understanding of the shader.
With respect to the actual Cel Shading, I was having a tough time getting the rendered colors to match the specific HEX Numbers given in the Material Tab. The colors looked similar but weren’t exactly what I set in the Diffuse property. I eventually was able to get this by lowering the default Distant light intensity to 0Lx (equivalent to 0%), and setting the Environment light intensity to 100%.
I still need to explore these settings. I’m not sure I am doing things the correct way, perhaps just accidentally stumbling on the desired results. Plus it felt like the stability was suspect – there were times I would get different renders while not changing anything.
Also, setting the distant light to 0 lx made the view in OpenGL dark, which isn’t ideal. To get a better view of things, I had to increase the light to 3.14 lx; but the colors got washed out in the render (see the middle render above, with the pastel colors). This might be a simple OpenGL setting change, but it’s a difference in workflow compared to what I’m used to nonetheless.
posted by Pi Visuals at 4:26 pm
Tags: LightwaveComment
April 19, 2021 : Dolly Zoom Exploration: Addendum
Via the comments of my last post on the Dolly Zoom technique, UrbanExile3d called me out pointed out that I didn’t properly execute the maneuver. In particular, the main subject did not remain the same size in the shot. Instead, I took creative liberties and chose to zoom in on him as well.
As a result, I created a new batch of renders, more accurately capturing the Dolly Zoom:
The top two versions definitely give that traditional Dolly Zoom vibe – although the workbench still looks funky to me so I prefer the upper right take.
Oddly enough, I wasn’t a fan of the lower left version this time around. I think the BG was too boring to really capture much emotion. Similarly, I felt the lower right version looked cool but wasn’t as compelling as the previous version.
Ultimately, the context of the scene should inform the proper camera angles and movements; and it was fun to dive deeper into the Dolly Zoom technique.
posted by Pi Visuals at 11:54 pm
Tags: Lightwave , MeAndMeComment
April 16, 2021 : Dolly Zoom Exploration
I finished up my quick Dolly Zoom Study. Several versions were created for review – using the same character movement but changing the background. I also threw in animated color corrections to better sell it in After Effects. Below is the final compilation (click on the image for the GIF to animate):
From a technical perspective, performing the maneuver digitally was very easy. I had full control of the camera and was able to tweak things to get things how I wanted.
The background composition sold the effect. Having a flat one dimensional BG (upper right) made things very dull and ineffective. Similarly, the upper left version added depth with the workbench, but it moved in parallel to the Character… not in contrast, thus limiting its value.
The lower left version did have two walls in the shot, and I felt it was an improvement; but the lower right had the most dynamic staging. As such, it had the most dramatic. Overall, it was a cool exploration into the Dolly Zoom, and I’m glad I have it in my skillset moving forward.
A footnote: this was done in Lightwave 2015… I still don’t have much of a clue how to use 2020.
posted by Pi Visuals at 11:35 pm
Tags: After Effects , Lightwave , The Dolly ZoomComment
March 31, 2021 : New Exercise Identified: The Dolly Zoom
A few months ago, I did some research on the camera technique called “The Dolly Zoom.” There are a lot of videos that cover it, and below is one I thought was solid:
I wasn’t planning on using The Dolly Zoom for anything in particular. Instead, it was more out of curiosity. Since then, I’ve wanted to re-create the effect in Lightwave – which admittedly will be much easier than doing it with a real camera.
My hope is to work on it over the next month, most likely re-using assets from Me and Me. I think it’s a cool technique to have in one’s arsenal. The real question is if I will take a stab at doing this in Lightwave 2020 or not.
posted by Pi Visuals at 9:51 pm
Tags: Lightwave , MeAndMe , The Dolly ZoomComment
March 14, 2021 : Happy Pi Day!
It’s been a year. However, I know a sure fire way to cheer you up – with the celebration of your favorite day and mine (probably mostly mine)… Pi Day!
Did you know there’s a site dedicated to Pi Day? The internet… who knew, amirite? Anyway, it’s filled with all things Pi. So pretty much porn for nerds. They even sell some solid shirts, which I may or may not be considering.
posted by Pi Visuals at 12:15 am
Tags: PiComment