Sunday, November 8, 2009

Another update or two.

First but foremost, I've got a job.  I'm moving to Reno and starting work the week before Thanksgiving.  

I'll hopefully start modeling work after that.  I put together an asset list and I've got a ton of work to do!  A bunch of robots, weapons, sets, props, humans... I think it's everything I'll need, but I'm sure I'll add more stuff to it soon, though.

And last but not least, my wife found the Lego joint I lost a few weeks ago.  I'm not sure I'll actually do anything with it, but thanks, Carey!

Thursday, October 22, 2009

I'm not made out for kitbashing

I recently went to Michaels and saw a few models there that would perfectly fit in with some of the Prototytans, so I picked them up, along with a few other supplies.  I picked up a couple of packs of Legos for the joints and set out working on them.

I didn't get very far though.  I believe my designs will work as good toys, but the model itself may be too small for what I want to do with it.  I'm not used to using the tools and it certainly showed today.

As I was working with my Dremel to shave off some excess Lego bits, the blade broke and cut me in the forehead.  On top of that, I can't even find the piece I was working on.  I looked over the place for about 20 minutes, and it's nowhere to be seen.  So I'm definitely not made to kitbash.  I didn't even get very far either.



As you can see, I removed the wings and cut them in half so I can glue hinges to them to let them fold up.  I did the same with the tail.  I glued one wing together, but the hinge is so tight now, I don't think I can get it to fold if I wanted to.  The engines on the side would split in half and fold down to become the legs, but the wings would only interfere with it.  And I have no idea how to mod the plane's nose to make it a head.  And just so you know, it was supposed to end up being a wolf.  

So anyway, I think I'm giving up on this.  Or at least until I can find that piece that shot into my noggin.  At least the models were cheap.  Maybe I should just stick with 3D models.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Demo reel

Yup, this is my final demo reel. You know what that means? That I'm finally done with school. My last day of class was the 10th of September (actually the 9th, I skipped the last day since I had already turned in my assignments). But this is the fruit of all my labors, and the final project I wanted to have done in my last two classes but didn't have enough time. I really like how it turned out, I think the transformation works out really well. I'm still not completely happy about it though, I need to add some more explosion effects, but that could wait for another time.

So now school is over, along with my job since it was related to my VA education benefits. So now I've got lots of free time (when I'm not looking for a new job, that is), and lots more interest in the Prototytan Project. I've been working on redesigns for some Autobots now, not major changes, but ones that update the characters and still keeps them recognizable. I've also got plans to try my first kitbash - I bought a F-4 model plane and I'm hoping to make one of my original designs with it. I'm not sure how good it can turn out though; the model's pretty small and I have to use assorted Lego pieces for articulation. I'm excited to try it though, so keep coming back for it.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Grades

Just checked my school's website and it turns out I did better than I thought on my animations. I got an A- on both of them (along with an A- in my Global Economics class)! I think I may just go out and celebrate sometime this week.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

The Trade

Last year I took a Screenwriting and Storytelling class at school. I really got into it, working on a script for a cartoon I had been working on for the last 10 years or so. I quickly got burnt out on that prject, but I really enjoyed screenwriting, so I started up two scripts: a Survivor-meets-zombies action/horror and a dark comedy about supervillains. With all the constant assignments in school, of course, these two projects got lost in the shuffle.

Along with my Asset Production class, which was to make filler for my demo reel, I was taking a Game Art Development class, which was also to make filler for my demo reel, except in this one, we focused on After Effects. I'd never used After Effects before, which lets you edit video and insert special effects, because the class that taught it, Videography, was never scheduled (I don't know how they missed it before, but now I've got to take it next term). Anyway, I decided to revisit my old screenplays and make a trailer for one of them as my project. Maybe one of these days I'll actually finish it (writing it, I mean).

Tank v2.0

I just last week finished up my Asset Production class, which is solely aimed at making filler for our demo reels.  Most of the people in my class decided to model out a number of fairly impressive low-poly models.  But I decided to go another route and try some animation.  I thought I wanted to do prop modeling also, but unwrapping is a BITCH.  So I decided to take a previous animation and update it.

This is the result.  I had higher hopes for it, but I learned what I need to do to fix it the next time.  The main changes here are in vehicle movement and the effects.  In the first version, I moved the vehicles through keyframe movement, but this time I decided to use path contraints for more fluid driving.  

I had a lot of stuff to work on with the effects, considering the explosions I had in the first one were so small you couldn't see them.  In fact, that weren't even explosions, I just used a short fires.  This time, at least they're visible.  I used a ton of Supersprays too, for gunfire and the missile.

Unfortunately, this video is just as short as the previous one.  I need to make it longer, and not just by stretching out the time.  I plan on adding a lot more stuff to it, but with only 12 weeks before I graduate, I'm going to have to bust my ass to get it done in time.

Friday, May 8, 2009

25 Awesome Years

Today is the Transformers 25th Anniversary. A quarter of a century ago, the first Transformers merchandise hit the stores - the first of a four issue limited series. After that, we were flooded with cartoons and toys and so much other crap that kids could live on it for decades!

I was 7 when the cartoon came out and I sunk my teeth into it and never let go. I watched a lot of other cartoons and had a ton of other toys, but none of them held my interest (or lasted long enough) to rival my love for Transformers. I would wake up at 5 in the morning just to see reruns of the cartoon - and I was in the 3rd grade! What kid wakes up that early? A kid who loves 30-minute toy commercails, that's who! When the movie first came out, I begged and pleaded for my parents to take me (and was constantly denied), but I finally saw it on video and was totally ready to get spanked because a movie I wanted had the word 'damnit' in it. Thankfully, the home version cut out the "Oh shit" line!

Cut to 1989, I'm in 7th grade and I'm still buying up Transformers everywhere I can. I go to some run down store and just then find out the Transformers have a comic book! I had never read a comic in my life before then so imagine my durprise that Transfomrers had a whole life there, even after the cartoon had ended. I snatched it up and immediately got a subscription and ordered every back issue I could (I still haven't gotten the whole series, though I check the comic shops everytime I go there).

After the series got cancelled, I truly believed Transformers to be dead. I had a huge lump in my throat as I read the last issue. But then I saw a commercial for Generation 2 and mistakenly thought it was for the comic book and not a repackaged Generation 1. I was still hyped about the resergence, no matter how short it lasted.

By thte time Beast Wars came around, I had been in the Air Force for a year. It didn't matter to me that I was considered an adult now, I was ecstatic that a new series of Transformers was out. I had just gotten married and my wife watched (probably with embarrassment) as I'd play with my toys while watching the cartoon. I didn't care, I loved the new series because it was growing up and maturing with me.

Shortly after all that, my modest collection of toys was stolen during a move and I found myself a lot less upset than I thought I'd be. My collecting had kind of dwindled and I was disappointed with the Japanese dubs we were getting so I didn't follow the cartoons much. I collected all of the comics Dreamwave produced, and later the IDW ones. I also bought the boxed sets of Generation 1 and watched them a lot even though they didn't hold up as much to my memories.

Finally, some great things happened - Another freaking movie! And another American-made cartoon series! A girlfriend who likes it too and collects more than I do! So now my collection is building up again and spreading to other series (robot Heroes and Legends class stuff). I found some online forums that has sparked my interest in fan contributions and I'm planning to make my own soon. I'm proud and happy to be a fan again and really looking forward to the future of Transformers more than ever.

Transformers has been a huge part of my life almost as far back as I can remember. It's something everyone I associate with knows about me. I even had it put into my wedding in a small part. Honestly, I can't imagine what my life would have been like without it. It may sound cliche, but I truly believe it. It's something that has shaped my creativity - I started writing stories about them when I was in 6th grade and I continue to do so to this day. My love for the original cartoon even helped figure out what exactly I want to do with my life.

Happy birthday, Transformers, and thank you for all you've done for me.

Friday, May 1, 2009

No news is good news, right?

Well, not exactly. Right now, no news is just that... no news. I wish I had more to update with, considering how long it's been since I updated last time, but I really haven't done anything. I'm still planning now, but as with most projects in my life, planning is a lot easier than implimenting.

I'm making very slow progress on my tank animation, mainly just cleaning up the tank model itself. After that, I need to skin the whole thing and make it pretty. I'm going to change a good deal of the animation though because at the end of the movie, the tank's going to TRANSFORM. Yeah, it's not a huge surprise considering who I am, but it will look cool (I hope) and it would show off more animation than just the tank rolling around. I'm still trying to figure out how to cut it up, but once I finish skinning, I should be able to slice that thing into pieces. It won't be a very detailed robot mode, but it'll get the job done. And my favorite part - the tank's giant cannon barrel is going to become a massive hammer.

On other school-related news, my graduation date has been pushed up to September 12. Don't ask me how, the school's messing with schedules left and right. My other classes are going good as well, but they both have big projects, making this one of the most packed-in terms I've had in a long time. Thank god I've got a week break coming up, though I'm still trying to decide if I should work it or not. On one hand, I need the money; on the other hand, I need the sleep.

I've also started coming up with an idea for another Transformer photo-comic, this one using actual photos! It's based around all the Legends figures I have. Of course, I don't really have time to do this, so even if I get a good story written up, I'm going to have to shelve it until I'm at least done with school. I hate how my mind wanders.

Monday, March 23, 2009

A-, Baby!

Esras stole the show. In an upset, the character I thought would only net me a C, won an A-! Well, okay, it wasn't competing with another student's character for the grade, but apparently this grade is the highest the teacher gave out. Other people got this same grade, so don't get too excited. Still and A- is an awesome grade for an assignment that I felt rushed and sloppy. Here's hoping my next character will turn out much better - Dr Arkeville!

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Transformers Animated: Transwarped

I recently was able to watch this due to the vigilence of an unnamed Transformers fan on Youtube and I've got ot say I wish I was able to see this show on television. Youtube does not do it justice! I'm not going to write a huge review on it here, but I do want to give me thoughts on a few things.

First, I'm so disappointed with Hasbro over their possible treatment of this great series. If they do indeed decide to end it after this season, they are doing a horrible injustice to the fans. I know they are not all fans of it, the vast majority I have seen do indeed like the cartoon and will miss it a lot if it goes away. It's sad to see it only last three short seasons when stinkers like Energon and Cybertron go on for 52 episodes.

Second, this movie had a lot darker aspects to it than previous episodes have. Considering Sari's relationship with her father and the changes she goes through, along with Shockwave's actions, this episode deals with more mature material than almost any other Transformers series has. I know Starscream's sacrifice in Armada was supposed to be touching (I've never seen it), but I find it hard to imagine that it would be as heart-wrenching as this. And it was a lot worse than any death in previous series because of how cold and gruesome it showed Decepticon could really be. I do want to point out that no matter how bad it was, I do suspect (and really hope) it is only temporary.

Third, it was really great to see all the new characters show up, even if their screentime was minimal. Strika, Cyclonus, Spittor, Blackout, Rodimus, Hot Shot, Perceptor, Wheeljack, Red Alert, Mainframe, Highbrow, even Alpha Trion - All homages going back from G1 to the recent movie and everywhere in between. Oil Slick was the only character I saw that was created strictly for Animated. Bonus points for even getting Judd Nelson to come back and reprise Rodimus's voice (but points taken away for Perceptor's Hawking imitation).

Overall, this movie was incredible, filled with a respect for the past, a more mature storyline for the older fans, and a ton of potential for the new season. Let's just hope it's not the last.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Change of Plans

Thanks to the extreme generosity of a friend, I should be getting a fantastic upgrade to my modeling/animating library; Lightwave, Vue, and Bodypaint 3D!  Thank you so much, Rich!

Anyway, its got me thinking about my the Prototytan Project vs my demo reel.  If I really want to get into the PP, I'm going to have to use Lightwave, primarily because I'll own a full version of it that I can upgrade and installon any new computers I buy, instead of Max, which is a limited version I got from my teacher at school.  So the PP is going to go on hold until I get the new programs. 

This obviously leaves me in a bind with my demo reel.  No Prototytans severely limits my plans, you know!  But I figured this morning that I'll go with my favorite animation from my previous class.

Obviously, this animation will need some major overhauling - there's editing errors galore and I want to improve on a lot of the efects in it.  I also need a much better render of it, since this one got mangled in Premier Pro.  But it saves me a lot of time in modeling and it's a chance for me to get one of my favorite animations to the highest quality it deserves.

Finished!





Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Mapping Complete

With only one more week left in my Character Modeling class, I've finally finished mapping out my guy. I found out what I was doing wrong last time - I was listening ot the teacher! For some reaosn he was telling me to do things way beyond what I needed to do and confused the crap out of me. But I've got it fixed and this guy is looking... well, okay. Hey, I said I only had one more week to go, so I had to put a rush on him.


Anyway, I gotta say I'm not very happy with this guy. I know there's no one to blame but me (except maybe my teacher), but I just don't like him. I wanted to give the character a certain watercolor appearance and I couldn't figure out a good way to do that. Granted I didn't spend a lot of time looking either. I also wanted to render him cel-shaded, but I don't know how to work that either. All in all, I'm pretty disappointed in myself. I'd say I don't care because I'm not hoping to get into character animation, but that's not entirely true since I'll be applying textures like this to anything I model.
Unfortunately, I've got skinning to do next. And I have no idea how to do it. Most of it looks pretty difficult and I've heard it's the most tedious part of the job. I've got the bones mapped out, but I'm stuck trying to link the chains from this guy's belt to his arms. I think by the time I finish this project, I'll have to delete the chains completely. It doesn't help when I ask the teacher how to do it and all he says is "I'm not sure, I'll have to get back to you on that." We'll see how it turns out next week. I'd just better not get docked points for missing details. Well, those missing details, I'm fine with them on the rest of it.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Mr and Mrs


Well, you're officially talking to a married man!  I got married this weekend to my fantastic fiance and fellow Transfan, Carey, and I even got to sneak Transformers into the wedding itself!  With us both being cartoon fans and everyone knowing it, we created a mascot for the wedding with Transformers and Carebears (her favorites) which showed up on our save-the-dates and our invitations.  Carey built about 100 favor boxes out of plastic canvas and yarn with the Autobot and Decepticon insignias and Carebears. She even got me some awesome Autobot and Decepticon cufflinks for my tux!

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Legends

I'm not a huge Transformers collector - I don't go out and buy every figure from any of the lines and I'm generally turned off by Hasbro's insistency to repaint every figure they've made. Before last year, almost every Transformer purchase since G1 has been a Megatron (and I still didn't buy every one they've released - stupid Titaniums). This last year has changed that a bit because I'm engaged to a special girl that's latched onto my collection and picked up most of the main Animated line - except the repaints, of course.

But since the 25th Anniversary, I've found myself rabidly collecting the Legends class. I even got the Target exclusive 5-packs. The toys are cheap and really well done for their size (most of them at least); they usually have decent articulation and more elaborate transformations than just flipping the chest over the head and the legs up. Some of them are better designed than others (I'm looking at you Vector Prime/Scattershot), but I'm surprised to say my favorite so far is Wheelie. That's right, that same little guy we all used to hate, with the giant flip-up face cover and his gangly arms has evolved into an awesome figure. He may not have the best articulation or the most involved transformation, but he certainly has a great balance of both of them. He has a transformation similar to Legends Brawn, but without the letdown of his legs visible on the roof and his feet sticking down below the tires. His feet fold in for vehicle mode. It's amazing.

So Wheelie's come a long way and, in truth, the 25th Ann. Legends line has done the same for a lot of the Minibots from over 22 years ago. I would have liked to see a few more of the first wave get updates (Specifically Huffer), but it's certainly nice to see those little guys get some big love.

Friday, February 27, 2009

Damnit!


Stupid multi-sub-object material! I don't understand how to use it and my teacher gave me the most useless walkthrough of it. I'm so freaking frustrated with this right now!
I'm off to find me some tutorials that might actually EXPLAIN how to use it.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Distractions

Okay so school's back in session and I'm stuck in the middle of homework. My curresnt class is 3D Character Modeling (or something to that effect) so I'm working in Max to build my own human. It's coming along, though I don't look forward to doing the mapping. I am having trouble keeping interested in it though. I don't think I like character modeling. I'm not having any trouble with the actual work, I just think I'd prefer asset production: vehicles, furniture, weapons, etc. I feel better knowing exactly what area I'd like to work in and character modeling just isn't it.



Unfortunately, my real problem is in the class itself. My school has a habit of cannibalizing its students by hiring them to teach. I don't mind so much if the school hired people on years after they've graduated and had a successful career in the industry, but unfortunately, my teacher in this class only graduated here a year or two ago and has never gotten any real experience in the field, besides a few side project with friends. That's not enough lean on while teaching a class. On top of that, he's using tutorials online, instead of teaching us from his own personal knowlegde. I can find tutorials online without spending $50,000 on tuition. On top of that, we have one assignment in class - build the model. There aren't even any intermediate deadlines; finish the head, finish the hands, etc. My grade depends on one single project, pass or fail. I'm more than halfway through class and the teacher is just now checking to see how we're doing. Too bad I won't get a grade on that progress though. Now, I have no problem with the teacher himself; he seems to know what he's doing and he's nice enough. The class (and maybe the school) just needs an overhaul to be more effective.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Some clarification

I guess before I get too far into this blog, I should explain what exactly the Prototytan Project is. It consists of two parts - the first part is short term - hopefully completed by August 2009. I'll be modeling a few of my original design Transformers for use in my demo reel to help me get a job in television or game animation. I've started one model, but being the first one, it's slow going as I realize my desings don't translate into 3D perfectly and things need to be tweaked.

The second part of the project is a lot more involved because of the amount of work that needs to be done. As I said before I'm writing a fanfic, but I plan on making it ain comic format (inspired by a lot of the photo -comics posted here. They've done some great work and convinced me my story would be better in art instead of prose. Of course, a CGI comic requires a lot of modeling - the 12 Prototytans, and 12 Autobots and Decepticons each, along with sets and props. That's a lot of work! Of course, the Transformers won't be highly detailed or modeled directly after toys. If you want more accurate stuff, check out this guy, his stuff's great but way beyond my talent.

Unfortunately, I'm back to school tomorrow after a week off and now I've got to concentrate on homework instead of the PP. Looks like I need to crack down on the weekend, which won't happen until after March is over - I'm getting married in three weeks!

Friday, February 13, 2009

Insignia

Any good Transformer fan knows that a faction starts with an insignia. You can't have an Autobot, Decepticon, Maximal, etc without a little robot face on it somewhere (or an M in the case of Minicons). So as soon as I started modeling, I created this guy - it's actually the first thing I ever made in Max.


If it looks familiar to you, congratulations. It's a stylized combination of the fve minibot repaints from 1986. The visor is from Outback, the mouthplate is from Pipes, the crest is a combination of Hubcap and Swerve and the rest of the face is rounded out by Tailgate. There is a reason for it being made this way which will be related at some point in the story. Yes, that's right, I'm writing a fanfic, deal with it.


As you can see from this picture and the title image, I'm going with a cel-shaded look most remiscent of the Energon series. I want this to look like a cartoon and cel-shading looks good with minor details. I've tried numerous techniques for getting it to look right and I think I've settles on the one I'm going to use.

Now I just need to pick a color for the thing.

The Beginning

I'm a huge Transformer fan. I've followed the series since it's beginning in 1984 through the latest incarnation. When I was flying home in 2004 for my grandfather's funeral, I got the idea to write a Transformers story featuring a third faction, one I've called the Prototytans. I came up with a group of original Transformers and designed each one with a new body. But my art has faltered over the years and every attempt to draw them out just ended up frustrating me.

Then I enrolled in school at Collins College pursuing a Bachelors in Visual Art with an emphasis in Game Art and I'm learning how to model in Max. Forget drawing on paper, now I can build in my computer. It seems to be a perfect fit together.

So now I'm on the way to a September 2009 graduation and working on my portfolio and demo reel. I've decided the Prototytans will be the focal point of my demo reel to emphasize my talent and interest in asset production and animation. I've decided to post my progress in this blog to keep me motivated and let my friends and family and anyone interested follow along.