It's alive...ALIIIIIIVE!

Yup. I got Medim rigged. Finally.

The animation (action) is not mine but I thought it would make a good test- you may recognize it as the ballet.BIP that comes with 3Dmax. I'm still working on my animation technique.

I'm glad this bad boy is rigged but it ain't pretty. There are still a lot of anomalies that bug the shit out of me- there are a few problems in the crotch area and the back of the leg (That little turd looking thing at his butt is actually a section of the skeleton that, for some reason doesn't "hide" with the rest of the skeleton- don't pay attention to that- I'll remember to hide it next pass).

His arms consist of more shoulder than bicep- which is how I designed him. It was my plan to animate in a different manner so when I use a generic animation like this it tends to look weird. It makes me want to rethink the design but I gotta stick with my experiment.

The "face" is NOTHING like what I want the end result to be like- THIS IS JUST A TEST.

This was just a quick animation I did in FLASH- imported into After Effects for resizing and exporting- imported into Avid in order to add the "glow" and "scanlines" effects and then imported back into Max as a texture (where I made it self luminate) and rendered the animation. Total time: about 15-20 minutes.

I'm VERY happy with the process. There are some steps that I will be able to skip- (going into After Effects AND Avid aren't necessary as they both have glows and scanlines) but I wanted to cover all my bases.
I will work to tighten things up and finalize a few things now that I know my process is more than a theory.

I will work with the toon shader to actually get the look I want- this shiny thing is the default setting- I may try to work with Illustrate since I am familiar with it.

I have a lot of plans for that monitor face. It's generic now but I'm going to be working on a way to make that face look scary- cute- weird- all kinds of stuff.
What you see here- like I said, is just the most basic of animations. The eyes blink at random (well, I did plan the one on the end) and the mouth doesn't move.
I may even loosen up the rigidity of the monitor so it can stretch a little and therefore add a little more to the expressions.

I also need to work with the real textures and add the "knobs" for nipples I'm soooooo looking forward to.

I have a lot of work ahead of me.

It's been a busy week.

Got a lot done this week but nothing to really show- yet.

Let's see.
I found a site to help me bone and skin Medim. Lynda.com I think it is. It's pretty cool. So I've been working on that.

I also wrote another song for Sith Vicious and believe THAT will be the song for the first video maybe- Or maybe I'll do "Def Star Rising" as a warm up since it's shorter.

Anyway the new tune is called "I got Jacked when I bought a Mac". Poignent and based on a true story. I can't wait to upload it- gotta record the lyrics though.

I even got a great start on another song for the Sith. Look for that bad boy too.

For now, the long awaited still from the underground up. Enjoy!

Okay- here is the Olion Half textured

I REALLY gotta revisit this thing. I can do better.

Full Figured.

Now, here is the 3D version. My ideal path for animation is to build in 3DMax and Flash- and then composite and effect in After Effects and Avid.

Also note that I've added big speakers as ears whereas in the original drawing I had the speaker in the belly. This is a weak attempt to make the creature (I'm calling it "Medim" for the now) look more like a radio than a Television despite the fact that his face is a full fledged monitor. Ugh. I feel like I'm one of those bad producers I have to work with from time to time BUT DAMNIT, SCREENS ARE VISUAL!

I was trying to name it Medium but in the original file I accidentally called it Medim. So that's the name.


Next will be the texturing-

I've also textured the Olion robot for Smuggler's Run- but I'm kinda rethinking the model a little bit at the moment.

Work and Work.

Okay, Okay.

I still haven't put up the title sheet to The Underground Up. That's because I keep forgetting to make a one frame still of it. HOWEVER-

I've been tasked (I kinda tasked myself) to do an animation that represents how large record companies have been given the okay to own other record companies and how that has kind sprawled into this 4 way (soon to be 3 way) split of the music industry.

I decided to represent the businesses (both large and small) by one type of creature. The bigger bussinesses will be- well, bigger. And meaner. And more vicious. etc.

My first Sketch was a round blobby type creature that looked kind of monster-like.

Then I got the idea to have video monitors instead of faces since we are talking about media companies- (even though we really mean record companies)and the other drawings followed. Actually, before these sketches I made a few pages I really liked in a notebook at work.

What I will have to figure out is whether I want the screen to actually open up when they eat each other- or should I just make them shove the "food" into their screens and have the victims vaporize in an electric ZAP (which is cheating in a lot of ways)



Anyway. After the idea to do the screen face came up- I went on to develop this drawing a little more.

Note the notes to myself about making the screen shake and stuff. I don't know how I'm going to do that but I'm trying to challenge myself and do something interesting to look at.

That graphic for From The Underground Up IS on it's way. HONEST.

Slip me some skin!

Here he is... One version of Olio Robot anyway. I designed one with one eye as well but basically it's the same model.

This badboy weighs in at 2527 faces. That's 527 more than I was trying to spend but still okay. I just really wanted to stay under 3000.

HOWEVER. I WILL need to texturize the HELL out of it to make him look any kind of mysterious or menacing or anything. Not that all Olions are mean- but this dude looks almost cuddly. Must be the eyes.

One thing I like to do with my models once I get them kind of built out is to throw a parameter on them like Taper or Bend. This makes the model not look so stiff. A litle curvature in the lines always helps.

I will start working on the textures on this guy to scare him up a little as I get a chance.

Next I will put the graphics up for Underground Up- I just didn't get to render a page today.

Computer blues and bright spots

So, I logged onto the blog spot tonight- excited to upload some stuff and spent well over an hour trying to get the shots loaded on the Kimmygorden.com site in order to link to it. But for some reason nothing I tried worked. It just DOES NOT want to load these stills onto the site.

Lesson #1- NOTHING is EVER as easy as it should be when it comes to computers.

Working with a computer is like a scene directed by Stephen Spielberg. Something always goes ridiculously wrong- complicating everything. Now, I LIKE Speilberg movies and I like computers. I'm just pointing out a fact.


Oooooooooh. The original files were too dang big. /shrug.

Alright. Let's try this with the almighty BLOGSPOT baby!

I'm designing a game called Smuggler's Run (tenatively). Currently, I'm doing it on my own and hoping to pick up people along the way- I even have some stuff lined up but won't make a hard core press for help until I get a clear line of how everything works.

I'm using the Torque engine by Garage Games and I plan to pick up the MMOKIT at My Dream RPG

Anyway- as part of the game. The Player will be able to play one of several races of characters. Two of the races in Smuggler's Run are Robosapians.
I decided to build an Olion robot as one of the test meshes for the game (I need to learn the best way to import meshes into the game).

Okay. I started out with some sketches.
ALWAYS have some sketches first before you model- unless you have many days to model and don't care how many files you rack up.

I tend to ignore that rule but then always head running back to it after about an hour and a half of false starts.

Olion robots are from the "planet" Olio. A world run, built and inhabited by robots. They are mysterious because no one has ever been to the planet Olio and it's more of a fable than anything else- with the exception that there are alls these bots with the Olio mark on them all over the place. Even the robots themselves have no recollection of being on the planet.
Other Robosapians are those built by living creatures. They have a code of ethics and everything- Olions do not. Therefore no one trusts Olion robots and other robots pretty much get worked.

Anyway- I want the Olion bots to be more "organic" and weird than the other robots- which will be bulkier and more in line to what they thought robots would be in the 50's.

I leaped at the Olion bots first 'cause I like to be weird. However- I wasn't really designing anything weird by just throwing some models together. So I went to the sketch pad and started drawing bulky bots as opossed to what an Olio robot would look like. I still have a ways to go before I totally cut loose and do some weird stuff but I keept going and came up with the sketch with the little fish monster looking robot.

I wasn't really happy with it as far as being weird enough but decided it was a good start and started to model parts (as I understand it- I will be loading characters as parts so as to give the player a chance to customize their robot).

As I was building I made a third sketch to kind of hash out some different head styles and where I was going with the arms.

Next post- the model that I built.

Sith Vicious Is In The House

This is Sith Vicious.

Sith Vicious

Dig the tunes. Feel the Force.

I've decided to animate the video for the song "I'm Coming".
I've started a very loose stroyboard- but it's the type of storyboard that's for my eyes only. As I start to do more serious sketches and details I will put them up.

I've also got more sketches from Smuggler's Run- that will come out this week as well.

I figure it will be easier to throw up sketches (which I've been doing a lot of)and stuff if this blog is my main page so I'm making those changes now- Hence the experimentation with the look of the blog- expect some changes 'round here. Like the posting of weekly sketches.


My comedy troupe is going on a hiatus as a couple of key members have other projects they need to work on. So that means more time for me to work on my own personal stuff.

Also later this week I will put up a sample of the graphics I'm cooking for Liz Moore's awesome documentary "From The Underground Up". It's a film about the underground Hip Hop scene and it's gonna be good so watch for it.

So long story short. I got more time to dedicate to my personal projects again- that means this blog will get some more loving. :)

In the meantime. Check out that vicious Sith.

The DoppelBlog LIVES!!!

Okay. If you want it you can go to the Doppleblog at www.Doppelblog.blogspot.com and you can see breakdowns of the skits we did sooooooo long ago.

Hanging in Belgium

I'm chilling in Belgium at the moment and will be back home and on the mic in a few days. I got a lot to drop and some big surprises for any of you Doppelgang fans- as if they exist any more.


What?

You think I'm lying?

Alright. We'll see...

Going to Germany

I'm headed out to Germany for awhile with the fam. So I won't be a-posting for a couple of weeks...

Not like that's any different- Hell, ya'll won't even notice. WTF am I tellin' ya for!?


Ah, well.

I been working on an indie game called "Smuggler's Run" and I designed some space ships for it- Wanna see'em? Here ya go:

www.kimmygorden.com/fighter101.jpg

www.kimmygorden.com/fighter102.jpg

www.kimmygorden.com/fighter103.jpg

http://www.kimmygorden.com/carrisian_fighter2.jpg

http://www.kimmygorden.com/carrisian_fighter3.jpg

http://www.kimmygorden.com/carrisian_fighter2.jpg

SERIOUSLY sidetracked

Well,

A lot has happened since my last post.

My son's birthday. Christmas. New Years. A strong commitment to the gym. That big weird thing at work. I joined a comedy troupe. My wife's birthday. Work going on hiatus.

A lot.

But I'm back.

I've been doing a lot of side projects- as usual.

I think I need to drop the Batman animation though. It just seems like a lot of work for a character I don't even own. Not only that. I could get one of those "cease and desist" letters. I doubt I would in this case- but why waste the time when I could be doing something in my own right.


Speaking of that- I've been at Atomfilms door a couple of times trying to straighten out what I'll have to do in order to start making some more Stems and Seeds stuff. As soon as I get word I will put it up here.

So- I've slooooooowly been adding to my "Unbearable Truth" bears library so's I can animate them better/easier. That's the shot above...One of them anyway. Click it and you will see.

Also on the agenda will be adding this blog to my web site good and proper.

Look for it.