Caligraphics

I did it.. I finally did it!

2011-04-27T15:17:00.002+02:00

After 1.5 years of training, finallyI caught a fish on the fly rod. It was exciting, refreshing, fulfilling, amazing and so much fun to catch a fish omn the flyrod. I simply loved it.. I dont know if I can really describe teh feeling, other than saying that the 1.5 year hard work I spent, was all worth it. Its not the last time I fly fish!

So what is new?

2011-04-18T09:34:00.003+02:00

I have been neglecting the blog a long time, as you can see om the date for the posts. However, that doesn't mean that I haven't been doing stuff.

Take a look at the sketch gallery and you'll see new sketches done with new techniques - I really feel that I am evolving and moving forward with my sketching skills.

Regarding 3D, I have been using Zbrush a lot at work, creating textures for our models. Hereby gaining more control over this awesome software. Learning vray for Maya is also ongoing - I really like that renderer.
Been looking into effctive ways to do re-topology for models and found TopoGun, and currently looking into that and trying to see if that fit into our pipeline.

Fishing season just started, and I caught 3 trout so far. Still havn't had luck with the fly fishing, but I am getting better at controlling it. Its still a bit hard if I havnt got enough room behind me, but I am practicing every chance I get.

Thats it for now.

Fly casting training.

2010-06-13T15:57:00.003+02:00

Saturday came, the day where I was going to the fly casting class at Filskov lystfiskersø together with my brother in-law, his son and my dad in-law. We were all quite excited and had been looking forward to the class. But the weather was against us with wind-speeds at 14 m.sec and heavy rain showers early in the morning, the possibility of the class actually going to happen was very minimal.

But we decided to go to the lake and take the chance that the class was going to happen. So we packed the car and added our normal spinning rods too, in case we couldn't get the fly fishing going with all the wind.

When we arrived, 3 others was attending the class too and the instructor had started helping one who just bought a fly rod in the store, showing how to attach the backing line, explaining knots etc.

He then put one of those loops on that you glue to the line, so that you don't have to tie so many knots and makes it easy to change the line on the reel. He also attached one in the end of the fly-line, so he could change leader very quickly - neat trick (which is the same way my own line is attached, but it still impress me when I see it)

Creating the leader, he told that buying the pre-made leaders was kind of waste of money, but instead you can just take some normal 0.26 mm mono line and use that. The tapering really didn't do that much difference in his opinion (However, I have only tried the pre-made tapered leaders, so I can't really tell if theres any difference or not. Once I try, I'll let you know).

A few of the things that just needed to be prepared was, that my farther in-laws fly line was rolled on the wrong direction on his reel, so we had to unroll that and re-roll it in the other direction. This was quickly done by grabbing the end of the line, and start running until the reel was out of line. Then Just roll it on again.

When all the rods was assembled, it was time to select a fly, and attach it to the leader - and he taught us a knot that was a little loop, called the Rapala-knot. This loop should enable the fly to act a lot more lifelike in the water.

I usually just use the clinch-knot to tie every hook to my lines, so this was a new to me.

The weather look a little better, but still with extreme wind, so we found a place where we could have the wind in our back. Far from optimal for a casting class, but at least we gave it a try.

The instructor started slowly, telling the basics of the fly cast:

- It's the line you cast, not the fly.

- Keep the elbow to the body

- Don't use the wrists too much.

- 10 and 12 o'clock stops of the arm.

- Timing.

Casting in high speed winds is hard!

Now it was our turn, so we spread out, making room for each other and started casting. I started by taking out a little line, and just threw the fly in the lake in front of my feet. And then I saw the fly's movements in the water, with the rapala-knot. The fly was moving like a lifelike insect struggling for its life, compared to my normal clinch knot which just lies there doing almost no movement.

People started casting some with nice success, others with limited success. My brother in-law had a fine grip of the technique however a little too fast and unrelaxed, but as time went on it got a lot better. His 12 year old son, who had never even held a fly rod before, was struggling in the wind with the line too long, too short, too fast and so on. Most of the time he was entangled in the line.

My farther in-law had tried fly casting once before, so he was a mess to begin with, but quickly got the hang of it, ended the class with pretty decent casts, but with the same issues that I just stopped having : the back cast stop. He was stopping at 2 o'clock instead of 12, which makes the fly catch the ground behind you more often. I don't blame him, since it is so hard not to bring the arm too far back.

Almost all of us had minor issues in the casting technique, but those of us who was "good" quickly got instructed very nicely how we should do it, and the mistakes was fixed during the session.

My learnings:

- One of my biggest problems was the actual cast, that often ended too close to me. And the instructor taught me to do the stop correctly and the result is a nice long controlled cast (yay!).

- I also learned how to do the roll cast, how to lift the rod keeping the line tight by the tension of the water and then with a flick of the wrist/arm, the line rolls two meters forward/sideways. Its going to be very useful for when your having trees or the like behind you, preventing a real back cast.

- The rapala-knot, was a nice learning, this baby really moves the fly.

To my surprise the instructor praised my technique, and he could really see how I had practiced a lot and he didn't really had much to correct! I had seriously feared that I would be corrected a lot and my hard work had been wasted.

So it is really possible to learn to do it without an instructor, just use Youtube and other videos a lot! and then practice, practice..

On the hook

While we were fishing, the guy next to me and I was talking about this and that, when I spotted a fish wakes in the water and I said to him "one there" and we both casted for it, both very close to it. And the fish took his fly, he landed the fish nicely - this was really fun to see, so his second time fly fishing and he caught something - Well done!

There was a farther and his boy attending the class and the boy accidentally caught himself in the nose about 1 cm from the eyes, in a way that it was impossible to take it out. The blood from his nose was not the way it should have ended for him and I wish him all the best.

But this should be a reminded for all to wear a hat and glasses, every time you fly fish no matter how experienced you are. Theres always sudden winds, other people fly casting or a moment where you are not 100% focused - so please wear the glasses and hat!

My conclusion of the class is that even though we didn't have the optimal weather conditions, we still learned a lot and I am really looking forward to next time I am going fishing - I am most certainly going to fly fish!

A couple of hours of solitude

2010-06-06T12:13:00.001+02:00

Yesterday I went to Billund Put and Take. Just to try the place and get some fly casting training.

Now the place might be cheap, but it is in horrible condition. The lake need to be cleaned, and there's almost no place where you can land your fish, due to the grass and weed is do high at the bank of the lake.

During the two hours I spent, I only saw two splashes from fish, which makes me think that, the lake is almost deserted. Also the quality of the water wad really bad, with tons of Algee all around the edges of the lake.

Anyway, I got to practice my casting, which was my goal, and I tried the roll cast too.

But I don't think I am going to the same place again.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Diaries of a fisherman.... I must be crazy.

2010-06-04T22:05:00.012+02:00

Well, the thing is...

My wife gave me a fishing rod and a reel for birthday a year ago. I was a bit baffled by that, because I had no idea whatsoever what I should do with that, when was I going to go fishing? Yes, I had been fishing as a child, so I wasn't completely clueless, but it was more that I don't ever fish - why would I want a fishing rod ?

I was frankly a bit disappointed by that present, but fate wanted it differently.

My brother in-law came visiting and we found a put and take lake not too far away from here and I brought my new rod and behold I caught a nice trout - And at that moment I was interested in the sport again.

During this spring, I have been fishing in Put & Take lakes quite a lot, my fishing equipment has grown to a considerable size, at least compared to before, and I have caught and eaten several fish, mainly trout.

I have been experimenting quite a lot with different kinds of fishing using spinners, different kinds of lures, made my own lures etc. and caught fish!

One day, I caught 2 really nice Rainbow trout at a around 1.5 kilos each. The next many times I didnt catch a single thing, but then one evening, two 1.5 kilo Rainbows and a Brook Trout around 1.1 kilo.. all in the same evening.

So now the problem arrived! Now I want to learn fly fishing!

I hate my wife was right, but I am HOOKED on fishing!

Fly fishing for newbie like me:

Okay, so I decided to learn fly fishing, so where to start? Well first of all, my brother and father in-law are crazy with fishing, so I mention it to them. And with enthusiasm in their voices they both say that they have tried and have taught themselves how to do it, but they really want to learn how to cast the fly correctly.

So I have enlisted all three of us with an instructor later this month. The course will cost 1000,- Danish Kroner and that includes a fly fishing kit and training and some fishing etc..

And I am waiting patiently - but....

one day at a P&T lake, in the little shop they have, I chat with the owner and I mention that I have enlisted for above mention casting course and telling him about the included equipment.

He then looks at me and tells me that I am about to do a mistake; not with the casting course, but with the equipment. And he then pick up the last fly fishing rod of a brand that I most certainly wouldn't be able to get in a kit! And also a reel of a quality that most certainly is NOT in a beginners kit like the one the course include! Total price is 1200,- but it is top notch quality gear!

Now to make a long story short, I end up buying the rod and the reel, and now I am the proud owner of a top quality fly fishing rod that I cannot use, because I have no idea how to cast the damn line.. I am living the dream of being one of those cool guys in the sunset, with the fly rod and - add more dream sequence here yourself..

Determined to learn how to use the rod, with the casting course awaiting in the horizon, I start to google. And end on Youtube where I watch numerous videos on how to fly fish. I even go to the local football field, to train by myself (I have seen the video, I can do this.....)

Well, no .. The result of the football field trip ends with me actually being able to cast the line, making the classical cast where the line is in the air, back and forth... I am on the right track.

Now I am ready to fish in a real lake! so I call a friend and we are going to the local P&T lake, fly fishing. But when I start with my newly learned moves, some old fly fisher starts talking to me and I have to confess that this is my first time actually fishing with the fly kit.. To my luck he doesn't laugh, but start teaching me (or rather correcting me) and I feel like I learn something that night at the lake.

The mistakes I made:

* I was holding on to the rod too tight, getting cramps in my hand

* I was casting way too fast

* When I got my false-cast going - lets say 30 meters in front and behind me in the air, when I wanted to make the actual cast, it landed frustrating 10 meters away, instead of the intended 30 meters!

Now during the fishing trip I learned a valuable lesson about fly fishing, "don't go fly fishing for the first time, without someone who knows what you have to do, so he can instruct you". Needless to say, we didn't catch a single thing, except what I caught : A tree behind me, where my fly was approximately 3 meters up in the tree - a trashcan that I pierced the plastic bag and a lamppost was hit with a loud "Tjiiiing" sound, but I guess that doesn't count like a real catch :P

However, I am very happy that I bought the right gear, everyone who has tried my fly fishing gear is saying "wow this is a great rod" - and it is also those who are experienced who said so.

But the effort was not wasted!

Since the total failure at the fishing trip, I have been studying fly fishing online and I found more videos on how to make the casts. And today I practiced what I studied on my lawn, using a practice fly (a piece of yarn) - And after a few casts, everything suddenly just worked as it should! ..

I am a lot more relaxed, I can shoot the line the full distance and not just the few meters, like at the lake, and the fly is ending in the place that I want!

I am not saying I am a pro now, that would most definitely be lying, but I am in control of the fishing rod, not the other way around!

So no, the effort was not wasted, but I need to practice, a lot! Practice makes perfect and I really want to make this perfect.

Whats next?

Next adventure in my fishing is waiting in the horizon: The fly casting course, next weekend. I am really looking forward to it, I hope to get to learn more about the different types of cast, I hope to be corrected a lot! - and I hope that I soon catch my first fish on the fly. People say it is so special to catch one on the fly fishing rod! But I am patient and humble.

I am also arranging a fishing trip for the colleagues at work, and I Am very surprised that so many were interested in a fishing trip!!

So, until next time - please post if you have experience with fly fishing and want to share your thoughts.

New Macbook Pro..... waiting...

2010-04-29T09:32:00.004+02:00

I ordered a brand new Macbook Pro, with all the sha'bang included. Delivery was to be quick and easy, but behold... its been delayed. Due to Intel inability to produce the i5 and i7 CPUs fast enough - oh and a small volcano that decided to spew ashes all over Europe.

Now, I can understand the Volcano thing, but when I received an email from Apple telling that my laptop has been shipped, then I expect to receive it aswell. The 18/4 it was shipped and a message telling me that carrier details to be updated soon. But no update as of yet.

On my tracking report it says it will be delivered today 29/4, but still no carrier information. Come on Apple, update your carrier status so I can know where my Laptop is!..

I called Apple..... And the friendly Apple after sales representative said that all customers with a delayed MBP should have received a an email telling it will be delayed... wheres my email???

All I can do is hope that it will be delivered today..... tick tock tick tock...the waiting is unbearable!

What an inspiration and vray for Maya.

2009-12-21T14:03:00.006+01:00

I know its been a long time since I posted anything on my blog, but I lost my HDD in my iMac, and then I was pretty damn crippled for a looong time!

Lighting,

At work we have had a visit from former lighting TD at PIXAR, Jeremy Vickery (www.jermilex.com) who helped us understand color and light a lot better. It was really amazing to learn from one of the people with a huge experience from the top movies like Cars, Ratatouille and The Incredibles.

Jeremy was so kind to share his knowledge and that he was sitting right net to you while working was such a great help, just being able to ask "if I want to, then ... ??" and the answer was immediately answered.

During that week I really learned a lot of process, practical lighting and color theories - thanks a ton Jeremy! - looking forward to the next visit..

We were also trying out v-ray for Maya, and found that it produces some fantastic images with very little effort, but also that it still can be improved a lot!. Simple Maya things that you take for granted is missing, like the manipulator tool on lights and IPR is simply too badly implemented still.

Documentation is an area for improvement and also tutorial material that is targeted at Maya would be really nice. And why have a shader available that will crash Maya when you click it??

However it is the first version of v-ray for Maya and with that in mind, its a great renderer! The look of the result is fantastic.

Christmas,

yes, christmas is very close, and I wish you all a happy xmas and a happy new year.

Thoughts about the giant! (Autodesk and Maya 2010)

2009-08-07T15:32:00.004+02:00

So Autodesk (AD) announced Maya 2010 at Siggraph 2009 and now many people are mad/angry at AD.

The thing is that AD has merged Maya Unlimited and Maya Complete into a single Maya called Maya 2010. This also means that the price for Maya now is upped by half the difference between Complete and Unlimited. But what do you get for the price ?

If you have a Maya on subscription the upgrade is free for you and you get:

Maya 2010 (including the features previously only available for Unlimited users)

Maya Composite (Former known as Toxik)

Maya Motiontracker (a video tracking system)

More MentalRay render nodes (I think it was 5)

Your subscription fee will remain the same if you have a Complete license and will be a bit cheaper if you have an Unlimited license.

So why be angry with Autodesk for doing that? They dont have a 3D product for the sub 2000 USD market anymore, which leave plenty of room to the market which Modo, Silo, Blender, C4D and LW etc. tries to fill and you get the upgrade for "free" if you are on subscription and even the subscription fee is either the same or cheaper for you.

Now in my case, I am very happy with that, since we are on subscription and mainly have Complete licenses, except a few Unlimited and we are also missing a nice compositing tool. For me it is value for the money - and definitely not a reason to be angry at AD for.

If you have a composite solution already, like a Nuke setup or what not, then you are not forced to use Toxik, but you still get an unlimited license and Motiontracker. As I see it, there is absolutely no reason at all to be mad at AD for in this regard.

A little disappointed though:

Giving Maya a new name indicates changes in Maya itself, but as far as my current research says that are no changes in Maya, so basicly its a Maya 2009 unlimited with a name change. One would have hoped for atleast a short list of bugfixes and new features, but it seems that there are no new features if you are used to Maya Unlimited.

Please note, any information about package content and prices are based on my own personal research and if you are buying you will have to check the price and package content for yourself.

Feel free to comment on this article, because I would really like to know why people are mad at AD.

Zbrush 3.2 - GoZ !!!

2009-07-08T15:21:00.006+02:00

Recently Pixologic updated the mac version of Zbrush to v 3.2. that included a pre-release of GoZ, a link between Zbrush and your 3D application. This functionality will be available to both PX and Mac platforms with the release of ZBrush 4 around August.

GoZ with Modo works like a charm.. However it makes some object groups in Modo that I find annoying, but overall its brilliant. It is not a big deal, and its just to drag the objects out of the groups, but still a bit annoying. Its fast and very intuitive though and the displacement, texture and normal maps are transfered perfectly.

I miss some way to assign a save directory for the maps included (or maybe I just havn't found it yet), cause it will override any existing in the default GoZ path.

To me it seems like when using GoZ with Maya, that the shader for MentalRay has its displacement set a bit too strong though, but with modo it is pretty much spot on. The quality of the displacement seems a bit higher for Modo as well, but that may be the way that modo handles displacement vs Maya.

A little issue with GoZ and modo is that if you i.e. start making a zSphere model in ZB, then transfer it to Modo, it will be extremely small, probably something with difference in unit sizes.

Pixologic has added sphere that will load automatically when you start ZB 3.2 - Why?? GO AWAY!, if I wanted a sphere, I will make one - this has nothing to do with GoZ functionality though.. But my overall verdict of GoZ is that it should had been made years ago - how have we been able to work in any other way!!

Seriously cool images

2009-06-28T12:19:00.002+02:00

The earth is magnificent, just take a look at these serriously cool images taken from the ISS, I promise you it will be a treat!

Images from the International Space Station click HERE

Zbrush and transpose

2009-06-25T12:30:00.005+02:00

Today I decided to fool around with an older model I did in Zbrush. And I wanted to try the transpose features, so this horse started as a traditional symmetric model, and 5 mins later it was posed and the worst deformation anomalies was corrected.

All in all, transpose within zbrush is a killer feature that I really love.

Highres video

Modo 401

2009-06-19T12:38:00.002+02:00

Finally, last night Modo 401 was released - a much anticipated update. The 2gb download was quickly received due to a fantastic community that keeps seeding the torrent.

Now, from what I have seen so far, it looks like a brilliant update - a must for any Modo user and it is evident that Modo is becoming a major player in the 3D market. Modo 401 focusses on animation and rigging capabilities, but also rendering has received major boost in form of an incredible replicator system with fur and all sorts of goodies. Also a speed increase in rendering is introduced.

The asset system looks promising, but with the risk of going to be a major flop, since its entirely user moderated. I hope that the community will take it seriously so that the assets will be amazing.

Now we are just waiting for Pixologic (as usual) to finish the GoZ plugins for Modo and Maya and we have a really powerful creation suite!

Zbrush or Mudbox?

2009-05-31T11:14:00.003+02:00

I need to say, that I have been extremely disappointed with Pixologic and their customer relations, and especially the way they have been treating their Mac users.

Let me summarize this for you:

ZBrush 3.0 is announced, with a message saying that the PC version will be released first and the Mac version will follow shortly after the PC release. The Mac customers are free to use the PC version until the Mac version arrive.

I am so blinded by this statement that I instantly buy the software, for Mac, and wait in anticipation of a release for Mac within a reasonable amount of time. For me that is somewhere between 14 days and 2 months.

After much writing and barking from an angry Mac community and total silence from Pixologic on the ZbrushCentral forums, a Mac version is finally released 1.5 years after the PC version. 1.5 years is NOT a reasonable time if you ask me or the Mac community.

Now you would think that the Mac community is happy, since we got the product we bough - but no, the version 3.12 as they call it, is full of bugs and cannot even export a displacement map which is the main reason why we should use Zbrush in the first place!!!!

Autodesk releases Mudbox 2009 for Mac which is a stable application that gets the job done, albeit not as many features as Zbrush, but at least it is working and working very well.

To make a long story very short:

After a loooooong time with total silence from Pixologic a version 3.12B is released for Mac, and now the software is finally working as intended - or at least it is usable - the release seem to be forced by the strong Mudbox release.

Zbrush 3.12B is not bug-free but at least it works!

This is almost 2.5 years since I bought ZB3.0! - No wonder I am not happy about Pixologic!

Now Pixologic has started to get their minds right and has begun releasing some very cool plugins for both the PC platform and for the Mac which is making Zbrush a very powerful application.

These plugins are:

GoZ (close intergration between Maya, Modo and Cinema4D and more to come)
Decimation (Geometry optimization)
3D Print (export optimized geometry directly as STL and more, ready for 3D print)

So what to chose now, Zbrush or Mudbox?

- I say both, since Zbrush is so much more powerful than Mudbox regarding features and possibilities, but Mudbox has a more clutter free user interface, is very stable, has superior texture painting capabilities over Zbrush and is in general much easier to use.

What can Autodesk Mudbox do to kill Pixologic Zbrush?

With the upcoming plugins for Zbrush it looks like Mudbox is gonna have a hard time hanging on to the user base, unless Autodesk has some really unique Mudbox features up their sleeves with a release within a few months - so to be frank I doubt that autodesk can do that at all, but they can still do something to hang on to the user base they have established - and maybe grab a few more users.

They really need to implement some kind of posing tool in Mudbox.
A connection between other 3D apps would be very nice to have (Zbrush is getting this very soon with the GoZ plugin)
Layer blending for the 3D Paint.
Some kind of ZSphere like tool, for easy character/object creation so that you are not forced to use an external 3D application for geometry creation.
64bit versions of both PC and Mac versions. (Mac will be 64bit with Snow Leopard very soon)
Look at the powerful plugins like decimation and 3D print for ZB!
Upgrade policy to match Pixologic - (free)

What can Pixologic do to kill Autodesk Mudbox?

Most important thing for Pixologic is to re-think the Zbrush UI - make it clean and simple and not something for an alien from outer space!.. Zbrush UI is intimidating and extremely hard to start using.
Release updates and plugins for both Mac and PC at the same time. Users in the Mac community feel neglected when they see the "Coming soon" sign on the download page, and so will PC users when they see the same on the GoZ plugin soon. (GoZ will be the first Zbrush Plugin to be released for Mac before the PC version).
Enable texture painting without having to subdivide your model to 20 million polygons - a.k.a. painting directly on texture files/bitmaps.
Have Blending modes for their texture painting.
Clean up the UI
Clean up the UI.. oh I said that already.
And for the love of God, start to communicate with your users! Check out the outstanding way that Luxology is communicating with the users regarding Modo! We all know Modo 401 is deleayed, but still happy - due to communication from Luxology.

I started this post by saying that I have been very disappointed by Pixologic, but they are starting to get their grip on me again. However it is not forgotten. As of now, I will never pre-order form Pixologic again!

Autodesk, what a giant!

2009-05-20T23:28:00.002+02:00

I know many feel that Autodesk has become too big, and fear that the products will not get developed etc. and I fully understand that point of view. However, seen from a Mac users point of view, Autodesk is spoiling us these days.

First it was Sketchbook PRO that was ported, then Maya and recently Mudbox saw the light of the mac. And today I learned that Autodesk has finalized porting Alias StudioTools to mac and soon we will see ImageModeler and Toxik.

For me the arrival of Alias StudioTools (however in 3 versions with new names) is a feeling of happiness kinda like a "Welcome back" feeling. This is because that I am originally certified as Alias PowerAnimator lvl 2, from back when the software ran on SGI machines and I was working at Novo Nordisk with product visualization.

The Alias software was amazing (and hopefully still is), and today I still miss the navigation and the marking menus of Alias, when I am using Maya at work.

But the price of $4000 is too steep for me as an individual, but I am so happy to see it hit my preferred platform - the mac and as soon as its possible to get a trial version, I am gonna be the first to download it and play with it again.

Well done Autodesk!

Full Pull!!

2009-05-16T13:51:00.011+02:00

Yesterday I, the once a big city guy, was invited to come to watch Tractor Pulling in a small Danish town called Uhe. A bit reluctant I decided to accept the invitation and come to watch all the danish hillbillies gather.

We arrived to a stench of diesel and a smell of grilled sausages and french fries. To my surprise there was quite a lot of people gathered.

So, the first tractors started to pull the sleigh over the 100 meters and a huge amount of diesel oil was burned in a raving engine noise. The air turned black the seconds after the first tractor was done pulling. It was horrible, but at the same time fun. The driver was happy, because he made a Full Pull. The announcer was speaking about the tractors horse powers, using a poor headset with a poor sound.

These farmer type hillbillies were really showing off, all men of course. Except one girl that really showed how to do a Full Pull. And finished in second place!

They had a break where some guy showed how to fly a radio controlled helicopter and THAT was so amazing. I have never seen anything like it before. He sure knew how to fly a RC helicopter and I definitely have to get one myself - I gotta learn how to do that, but don't tell my wife!

This guy flew the helicopter upside down, flipped it around in the air, spinning it, flew backwards, vertical, stopped it vertically as if it hit an invisible wall - it was amazing!

As time past, more and more tractors made their pull, and to my surprise I found myself having a really great time with the hillbillies, the stench of diesel, the talk about horse powers, who did what, who owns how many tractors etc.

It was getting late, and the sun was setting and we were getting cold, so we decided to drive home after a fun evening.

Next time I won't be as reluctant to accept these kind of invitations, because danish hillbillies really know how to have fun!

Mollycoddle!!

2009-05-13T11:29:00.008+02:00

How annoying. I had to call in sick today, cause of a soar throat and a headache and in these times with the Influenza A H1N1 - or swineflu as it is also known as, cant help thinking if I should be coming down with that!

At lego we had people in Mexico who was sent home, so there is a theoretic chance that I actually could be in danger of that disease. But then again, it's just such a small chance that I would win the lottery before getting that disease - and I haven't won the lottery yet!

The mind really do play some tricks on you sometimes, but I should just stop being mollycoddle and then concentrate on getting well again.

So the prescription is Hot tea with honey, and then get plenty of sleep.

Must sleep.. zzzzZZZZ.. now.. zzzzZZZZ

Memorylane

2009-05-10T14:48:00.007+02:00

Last night I had a nice trip down memorylane with Mr. Glen Southern and while looking for old images, I came across my old and very outdated Demoreel. Yes, when that was made, it was actually acceptable with that small resolution on the internet. Today it needs to be full HD with all the effects you can imagine - haha

I thought you guys should have a chance to see it, so enjoy and have a smile. Notice the "great" colorcorrection, the "super" compression and the amazing "cut".

Misc credits to:

Sony EverQuest plane of time - the music

Duckling A/S - Dancing Cow for Arla commercial

viZoo - Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King promotion movie

ITE ApS - Trout & Neck Interactive TV game

Casper Thorsoe Video production - New 50 DKr bill Infomercial

Pencil vs Wacom - oh the pressure!

2009-05-10T13:32:00.008+02:00

This morning I got the chance to sit and sketch. Yes you guys know, sketch as in REAL LIFE!!! Pencil and a piece of paper. Not the digital thing, but actual pencil and paper.

Its been a long time since I have done that, so the pencil felt kinda awkward in my hand. But I didn't have a chance to get to the computer, so I kept drawing the traditional way.

While I was drawing, I realized that I kept breaking the tip of my pencil - simply because I have lost the touch and feeling with the traditional pencil and paper. I have become so accustomened to the wacom taht when I grab a real pencil, I break the tip about 30 times during a drawing.

From this I can conclude that my settings on the wacom is wrong. I need to up the pressure sensitivity, so that I dont have to press the pen so hard against the surface. This will probarbly release a bit of the shoulder/hand strain about every artist suffer from now and then.

Hopefully this will ease my painting next time I start Sketchbook Pro.

Zbrush to Maya woes but Modo and Mudbox goes!

2009-05-09T14:19:00.003+02:00

Now that I got my eyes opened for Zbrush again, I find myself struggling with the displacement maps from Zbrush 3.12B.

Using Mudbox displacement in Maya is perfect all the time, but Zbrush maps are - how to express that - GRRR!
They are bloated, and its really annoying!

When I try to use the same displacement map in Modo, then it renders fine..

So far the best displacement map settings for Maya in Zbrush 3.12B has been:

Adaptive = on
SmoothUV = on (I found that if this is off, the shape of the UVs will show up in the actual rendering, and it will not be smoothed off as one would expect)
mid = 0 (when using 0 instead of the default 0.5, you dont have to touch the alpha settings in Maya)
Scale = 1
FlipV = on
3 channels = on
32 bit = on
DPSubPix = 1 (haven’t tried with more yet, due to the extra conversion time)

If I get the holy grail of Zbrush 3.12B and Maya I will of course post them here

Zbrush for mac updated to version 3.12b

2009-05-09T14:08:00.005+02:00

Even though my frustration with Pixologic is gigantic, I decided to give the update a spin. And much to my surprise I found 3.12B a stable release, and it is living up to the promises - at least at first glance. And they even added a feature that I suggested!.

So you see the result in that little movie, of the spinning Ogre. Its simply an old model that I UV layout’ed, and brought in to Zbrush - and it was fun!

Highres movie

Zbrush 3.12b is a great software, however the UI is still the worst on the planet - but it gets the job done.
It is not the last time I run that software - so I am happy that I did not sell my license when I was super frustrated with Pixologic.

First Post

2009-05-09T14:02:00.002+02:00

I decided to change from the classic style homepage, to a more blog type homepage. Why?.. You see that I think it could become more fluid and it wouldn’t require too much customization every time I have something to add.

Usually the process would be to create the images and bring them to photoshop, find the template I have made, editit the images, then enter the HTML editor and try to code some lines that I couldn't really care less about - just to make an image show on my page in a certain way.

So the options were simply a choice between no homepage, or an almost static homepage that is really boring. Or this new blog type homepage that I hope will become a lot more “alive”.

Now, I just gotta figure out how to use Blogger :P

Anyway, welcome

C.