A fourth.

I could have just updated my first post, but there we go.

A quick candle with a gradient or two for me to see what they look like.

I can do better but I want to go home to my wifey.

Peace.

Tutorials!

I found a pretty nice blog post that I think I'll try and follow.  It's a basic character and a basic technique in texturing it.

http://lowpolyproject.blogspot.co.uk/2011_03_01_archive.html is the link.  I think I'll go there now.

Peace.

...

I'll try that again.  Here's the link to the actual post - http://lowpolyproject.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/tutorialreference-texturing-casey-jones.html

More modeling stuff.

I don't take size into consideration.  This is a bad thing.

I spent a good while trying to iron out little flaws and niggly bits in this next model and then my tutor came past and showed me at what size it would be seen on screen.

 

It's not that big, really.

Now that I know that a bit better I'll try and spend less time on the texturing and more time making models.

Peace.

Research. Back to the grind.

So this blog is going to be a big list of research things that I've been looking at to help with my Augmented Reality stuff.  It's a good thing because it means I don't have to cart round a huge sketchbook any more but it's also a bad thing because at the moment I can only really update it twice a week, so I'll be saving up my research things and adding them when I can.

First for all of this is a rundown of a few websites I've been looking at.

We're encouraged to use websites, but not too much.  Books and journals are pushed.  Which is nice and I'm looking at a good few - but when I'm in uni and I'm on the computer doing whatever I'm doing, it's easier to get online and do a quick search for what I'm thinking of at the time.

All the websites were accessed today - the 16th of October, 2012.

As with all great research projects, I started with Google.  I searched for 'Making Augmented Reality business cards'.  At the moment I'm not interested in making AR business cards - although that'd be pretty nice - but I wanted to have something more specific to search for than 'Augmented Reality'.  ...  Which was last week's search  :D

First of all, I reached http://www.harmony.co.uk/use/augmented-reality-developer/?gclid=CIOylpyahbMCFYTMtAodq0UA7Q which is a nice looking site but very much a business site.  A lot of talk about how they'll do this and that for you; the customer who doesn't know what AR is yet.

Then I got to http://daqri.tumblr.com/post/6727434885/how-to-create-an-amazing-augmented-reality-business which was alright.  The video won't play because it's a private video.  Which is frustrating because it seems to be a public page.  The main page, however - http://daqri.tumblr.com/ is pretty amazing!  Not a lot about what I'm looking at, but there's a whole lot of stuff to look at.  Give it a go - there's a great video with a computer projecting contours on/in a sandbox and it updates to re-project the contours as the user digs and builds hills.  Pretty nice.  There's also the ZeroN - a ball that's manipulated by a big, computer-controlled electromagnet.  It's great.

From the first daqri page, I found this link to some of the top AR business card ideas - http://dzineblog.com/2010/10/20-incredible-augmented-reality-business-card-designs.html  and to be honest, I'm not that keen on a lot of them.  They all seem fairly samey and bland.  Burton Posey - about 1/3 of the way down the page - has an idea that I like more than the rest.  My idea is to have a little 3D me on a looped animation of my character running on the spot.  Nothing huge.

What I'm wanting to do right now is get an idea of how to go about making an AR card.  It'll be a huge step towards what I'm wanting to do in the long run and a great morale boost!  Even if it's just a static AR model of a prop that I throw together quickly - if there's something that I can see in 3D through an AR app, I'll be over the moon.

From one of the sites I saw this morning, I came across the company Aurasma.  The site - http://www.aurasma.com/ - is pretty nicely set out, but going to the 'pro' page - http://www.aurasma.com/partners/- it's a partner programme as opposed to a 'here are some steps for doing it' page that I was rather hoping for.

So my search continues.

Frustratingly, I have had several people download both the String app and the Aurasma app so I can get an image up on the computer and show them what happens.

Nothing happens.

There's only so much disappointment one can take.

My post may well be filled with typos and absent words.  Not that something can be filled with an absence...

I'm going to sulk and do Maya.

But before that - I'd really hate to post a wall of text.  I'll find an image to lighten the mood.

It's an image from my huge reference folder.
Nice and simple.

Peace.

Every day is a school day.

Today I learned how to do alphas.  Exciting stuff.

I'm getting a better grasp of what to do when I'm modeling and texturing, but there's still a way to go.  I coloured the other day's monster - the body and everything are very basic because I wasn't really focusing on them.  I'm really happy with the antennae - that's where I applied the alpha - a layer that tells the model which parts to show and which to hide.

Here's the monster:

If you remember the last post I put up here - maybe even go back to it - you'll see that the antennae are just four squares.  Here, they have rougher edges and the one on the left is damaged and bent.  All seen through the magic of alphas.

That's my best description.

Today I found out that this blog is going to be looked at as my 'reflective journal'.  This means that I'll be putting things up here that I'm looking at in relation to my course.  Things that show me what sort of thing to research so that I can show you and you can show your friends.

I'm tired.  It's Dan-day today - the 12th of the month.  Melissa-day is the 23rd of the month.  Because they're the days our birthdays are on, we do something to celebrate every month.  Nothing big, like.  It's nice though.  I got breakfast in bed this morning.  Which was lovely.

Peace.

A little better.

My tutor, Josh, showed me a much easier way of modeling.  Different strokes for different folks - not everyone models the same way.  I enjoy this way.

The picture of the creature I'm trying to make here isn't on this computer, so I'll have to upload it next time.  For now, here's the model of it:

It's an Ant-Headed monkey.  Of sorts.  I was really pleased with the drawing so I thought I'd try and do something with it.  I know the thing is blocky and I've left the legs out of the image for a reason.  I've still got a long way to go but I'm really happy to have done this today  :D

Now all I need to do is learn how to do textures and get this thing coloured.

I may use this as a test for my model-map-print-draw-scan line of working.  Or I may use something smaller and a bit more simple...

:UPDATE:
Here's the picture:

In hindsight I see I got the antennae mixed up with another character I drew a while ago, but that's fine. I'll use the damaged antennae on the model I have.

Peace.

Three times in one day.

Here's a quick example of what I'm doing.  It's also a super-quick, scrappily coloured example of another model  :D

So.

From the top left - I draw something.  Going to the right; I put that something onto a card.  Bottom;  when the card is viewed through the Augmented Reality app., the robot from the card appears over the image.

THIS IS WHY I'M SO EXCITED ABOUT MY MASTERS.

It's also why I'm trying very hard to learn Maya and get half decent with it.

Peace.