Rodney

John, I've been thinking about purchasing the SkyCast program. Been delaying because there are a host of plugins and programs that I'd like to have. Looking at the product (and your efforts hinted at by your WIPs) has made me decide to take the plunge and commit to pursuing a new level of artistic (?) endevour. Thanks to you the flood waters are released... Next... The Setup Machine? My memory fails... do you use Setup Machine or rig your own? Rodney

Wow! I blinked and you posted some really great shots. More... More... More! I liked your tutorials as well. Trying to get the best out of toon renders has been a fun experience for me. Rodney

Bravo! and Congratulations. So what's the next project? Rodney

Very Nice! Looks like you kept the spline count low as well. Rodney

Looks like some of the guys I work with. How did you get the camo pattern on the pants? Material? Decal? Looks like real BDUs. But... ahem... what about the pockets? Rodney (Looks Good!)

Since I didn't say it the first time around. Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. I want to see the final product and how it's used (Please) Rodney

Keep updating (and adding personality) You are off to a good start. I like the idea of the tatoo. I might prefer a chest only location though. Speaking of one-eyed characters with personality... here is a link to THE site for one eyed characters: Victor Navone's Blit Wizbok Since Vic's work in AM help land him a job with PIXAR I think I can safely say he knows a little about adding personality to characters. Keep it up! Rodney

Not trying to reply for the other Robert (Darklimit) but here are a few suggestions to add personality: Cannot see a mouth in your post--does he have one? Does he have teeth? Fangs? Does he have eyelids--It's hard to blink/sleep/emote without eyelids. Check out even these simple emoticons (which I cannot seem to resist using in the AM Forum--very frustrating): What kind of props will he interact with in your story: Chairs, rocks, a sceptre. These all can add personality and interest to the story. Rodney (Edited to add: "Rocks" where the heck did I come up with that one)

John, Here's where I am on my production: 1. get idea 2. write... (Uhhh... Go back to #1) But I'm having fun, anyway. Keep the WIPs coming... I'm collectin' Rodney (Thanks much for your detailed reply)

John, Since I'm praising you in my own WIP area I thought I'd move over and comment here. 1st: Love your modeling--As I believe has been mentioned--the claymation feel to your characters really is a treat. 2nd: Any comments on workflow and/or storytelling? For instance: Do you have a preferred way to name rendered files and animations? Rodney (Not trying to be nosy)

John, High praise indeed. I'm watching your posts closely and finding it very hard to stay away from imitating your style. If you'll forgive me I may try to model in your style sometime in the future. The IA wizard stuff is right on the mark too. One of my favorite tools. Rodney

All, One of the things I love about AM is the variety of things you can model and the styles in which you can render them. Here is a link to a page of WIPs I uploaded from the mess that is my harddrive. None of these were ever finished. I tend to just play with AM to learn 3D. I learn something new every day thanks to the forum/list. Graphic Doodling Hope this link works Comments always welcome. Rodney

Not quite correct... ;o) The way to get a new (displaced) mesh/model using displacement is to save/export the file out of AM. Steps - Export the model with deform applied into an .ava (avatar) file. - Import the .ava file - Save back out as .mdl file Now you have the deformed mesh. When I first discovered this I had wondered what the purpose of the .ava files were. You may be able to do this another way but this way works for me. Rodney