Rodney

I missed these last two updates. Where was I? But... Oh No! Now John's doin' robots. Trying to put the squeeze on me eh? Competition huh? Okay. Okay. Umm. You win. Awesome and a great take on robot's. He/They should be easy to give personality with the design you've come up with. Rodney (Never was very good at competition anyway)

Ummm. Gaz. er Gary. Unless my eyes deceive me you ARE a HASH FELLOW! Unless I mistake the question, That is. Q: How long have you been working on Bella? Rodney

And JohnL who taught me that ANYTHING can make a great demo/project! Sorry. Done now. Rodney

You are inspiring me toward a new call in life: simplicity. Other recent lessons include: From Darklimit I've added the concept of mood From John (Artbox) solid character design and organization (among other things) From JavierP build it right the first time From Dearmad: Persistance of Vision William Sutton: Professionalism Jim Talbot: Good models proceed good animation And others... Sorry I've left so many out. You are all inspirational to me. Yes, even you over there next to the window by the phone. Rodney (Must stop... typing... start... splining...) (P.S. Verne is ALWAYS inspiring but he doesn't hang out like he used to)

I started to post a reply but looks like I got distracted in the middle of it and it never got sent. Love Firefly. I can appreciate the work that went into it. Not an easy thing to do in any 3D package much less POVRAY/MORAY. The best I could do back in the command line days was make an army of manequins march across a checkered field. (Ahem. I was rather proud of that at the time as I recall. Even though everyone I showed it to looked at me like I was from another planet) Good luck on completing your current project. Rodney

Javier, Moving along nicely. It's interesting to see how you are putting him together piece by piece. When a mesh looks this good it's expected that we'll see a final surfaced model that is simply fantastic. No pressure. Your WIP reminds me of clay sulpture prior to going in the kiln. Can't wait to see what you pour and paint on him prior to going in the kiln the next time. Not to mention the final product when it's all done. Rodney

Sean, There is something wrong with your project file that I cannot fix without going into the code of the .mdl file and trying to sniff out the problem. Not porceline. Not splines (that I can tell) I did successfully copy/flip/attach the right side of your head in both v10.5 and v11. The problem I'm still having is pasting back into your project file. Drops to the desktop each time. If you want me to upload the complete head model/mesh (minus eyes) I'll be glad to do it. Unless I figure out how to clean out your project file the only other thing I can think to do is go into your project file, copy the eyes out into the new model and work from there. (Edited to say... Ooops, I see you found the answer) Best, Rodney

Woaah! Another blink and I come back to this. You've made some great progress here. I like the improvements you made in the scales. One thing you can do near the end of the process is create a decal to stamp over the scales to give them additional differences, wear etc. Turn up the transparency so that the effect is as subtle as possible. John's suggestion of scanned scales would be fun to try BUT I like the look you are getting even now. If you aren't going for the realistic look so much as fantasy you are right on track. If realism is the goal... scan those scales. Keep postin' Rodney My World In Progress

Incredible as ever. Especially love the spline shots you post as this lets us know a little of the superb technique you use. Do you still have the Abe lincoln on your site? Perhaps a hair treatment on him would catch the eye of the masses off the list/forum. Rodney

Nominal Update to my Webpage in Progress (WIP). John (You there?). I've created a front page. Will update it with more characters in the future. Also hope to convert most if not all of the page to Animation Master 3D objects instead of 2D graphics. http://home.comcast.net/~rodney.baker/index.htm Hoped to have more up by now. Since I have a few days off I had better get working... I've been going through some of my models thinking I'd put them up for download. I stopped there though when I saw the ones I expected to upload weren't really very good. In fact in most cases they would make a good example of how NOT TO model in A:M. Hmmm. What to do. What to do. I'd hate to have newer hopefuls download bad models and come to the conclusion the way my models were splined in the correct way. I think I'll post a few models with a request to attack them with criticism and comment. Then maybe I'll get a return on investment by learn how to do this better. Yep. (End Self Dialog) Look for a few models soon. Rodney

Didn't see this posted in the forum so posting it here. Apologies to the list for any duplication. Awesome. Simply Awesome. Clearly demonstrates the usefulness of sharing information with each other.

This story will have a happy ending right? right??? This new image is now burned into my mind. Threatening to remove DarkLimit's hold on that fragile piece of real estate. I see... darkness closing in... images... dreadful... frightening or is it a comedy? Looking Good. Can't wait to see the finished product. Rodney (I just have to learn the Talbotski Decalling method)

Excellent! I had to look really hard to find anything to *negatively* critique. About half way through the animation it appears robo's hand goes *through* his forehead. Other than that. I Likey! Are you lighting from scratch or using a Skycast or other rig? Rodney

There something about the perspective that is strange to my eye. The number of "clues" that they us what size things are in a picture may be confusing me. For instance: It took a second to realize the robot must be huge in size as must be the railroad itself. Ahah! I think that's it. The houses in comparison to the railroad tracks seem to indicate that small people may live in this world versus a large robot in a normal sized community. Also, It doesn't look like the boat will be able to make it through/under the bridges. If you place them side by side will can it? Just my thoughts. Good start though! Rodney

The only hint I can give you for now is that *IT IS NOT* this: Kinda wish it could be though... Rodney

Robert, Your work is strange AND compelling. Truly original to my mind. Did I read you are doing this for a movie or was it a game? When I need to approach dark reality in my art YOU will be my inspiration. (If that's okay with you... Mr, DarkLimit, sir) Rodney

Thanks John, Will create a splash/front page soon, honest. Just looking for the right images and ideas (not to mention time). Comics? I've created quite a few. Published quite a *few* too. (HA!) Seems I'm a hobbyist in more than one thing. Lots more to be organized and uploaded. One thing that HASH, this forum and moving back to the states is helping me do is get serious about publishing. Comings Soon: (Things I'd like to do or have done waiting to be refined and/or placed on the net): Sketches Comics (More comics covers) Comics (Sequential Art) Tips and Techniques (CorelDraw and A:M) Fun Projects: TtM The Wizard Wizard Secret Project 1* Secret Project 2* The Want List *I let you know when I figure out what they are. Things I need to do: Sleep Learn to program Spline Sleep I dare you to dare me to do this! Thanks for the response. Rodney (Need... more... time)

Haven't had much time to spline lately. I'm shifting gears for a moment BUT staying A:M focused. Below please find links to my space on the web. I'll be adding pictures to my site and trying to organize for the future. Animation Master, CorelDraw, Comics, 2D, 3D and more will be explored. So, Some really basic stuff here folks (some of which you may have seen) so don't laugh: http://home.comcast.net/~rodney.baker/index.htm One of my most recent revelations and a web interface idea I'd like to explore: http://home.comcast.net/~rodney.baker/amscreen/screen.htm The spinning animation was created in A:M but just there to fill space until I can get something else posted. I'll be changing/refining every chance I get. The site *IS* my current Work In Progress. Suggestions on what direction *you* think I should go will be appreciated. I need to take advantage of my current broadband connection while I've got it. Thanks Rodney

That's really neat. If I had to live in an apple I think I'd be happy in that one. About a month ago I created a worm when my daughter came home from school with a task to recreate a story from a book on a poster or somesuch. We designed a shadowbox (out of a shoebox). While we were thinking of ideas I modeled the scene in A:M. A fun time was had by the whole family. If the project isn't on my daughter's crashed harddrive I'll post it here. *** Wish I would have seen your apple back then. I would have had to add it to the scene *** With... ahem... your permission of course. Rodney

Not trying to distract you from the character or rush you but... Have you had a chance to work on any backgrounds, props or supporting characters. I'm interested in where you are heading with your project. 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!)