Oct 17, 2009

Live Blogging: Prologue

Just setting myself up for my live blogging tomorrow, and giving those who tune in an idea of what I'm aiming to accomplish.

Obviously I want to get a Sauropod done, but the extent to which has now come into question. Traumador's unexpected break out this week (will be talking about this experience soon) has thrown my entire life off the creative tracks. As of such my Sauropod may not be the prototype of drastically new 3D Dinosaurs I'd been hoping to make it.
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As many know this year I have been pushing my boundaries and comfort zone on nearly every ART Evolved gallery and piece (even my failed Pterosaur had a big modelling experiment in it). The Sauropod was possibly going to mark my biggest, as I'd hoped to tackle radically brand new methods of BOTH modelling and shading my Dinosaurs.
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Sadly the time taken up by Traumador has meant I haven't been able to play with the modelling technique enough to feel it'd make for entertaining live blogging material. So it will likely just be shading.
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On that note, here is where I am starting from. My Sauropod texture from over a year ago.

Up close here is what it looks like. Not particularly impressive. In fact I'd venture it sucks, but that is the point of tomorrow.
I have started to isolate the unique challenges of texturing a Sauropod. As their bodies, in particular, are long cylinders that go from thin to immensely fat any texture applied to them will stretch in weird ways. See here for what this rainbow version explains about my problems.

As I'm likely to be skipping the modelling experiment (as I think it will mostly be me reading the manual... not exactly exciting to read a live blog about), I will try to plug my finished Sauropod into my pre-made Jurassic Forest...

If I still somehow have some extra time after this, then I might build a co-occupant for my Sauropod.
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So I can't see how that won't occupy me for 7-10 hours. Hope you'll join me every hour or so for the progress.

3 comments:

Peter Bond said...

looking forward to it. Are you planning on working on the sauropod's texture during the liveblogging?

Glendon Mellow said...

I see what you were doing with the texture, I think. Kind of a cross-hatched scale sort of thing? Can you blur? A slight layer of transparent colour or blur effect may soften it enough.

davidmaas said...

Off to bed now. Look forward to seeing what you do!