New Demo Reel! Just in time for the Game Developer’s Conference!

And just in time for the Game Developer’s Conference! What an amazing coincidence!

Checkout the shot sheet on the reel page, too. All sorts of fun facts there, too. And a bigger version of the reel.

Yet another test render…but it’s getting there

So I had to change my schedule for how I was going to work on everything, but I’m kinda glad I did. It turns out once the lighting was set up, the render ground to a halt. Big time. Like I couldn’t finish it in time. And there’s another scene that needs rendering still. I think I need to break up the render layers more…

Anyway, there is now hair and cloth simulations, which worked surprisingly well…except for one intersection error…but I can live with that. I’m just glad not to have girl Kojack as the star anymore.

The scene test render came out great!

I wasn’t actually going to upload this one, but I’m tickled pink about how it came out. I know that Sydnee looks a little weird without hair and her trench coat, but this was a test to see if the particle system worked right. So far, so good. Right now, Fog just has key poses without a lot of inbetweening. Or any other animation. I really wanted to see how it turned out and how well everything read in an actual scene with other characters with a story to tell. Some of the particles are going to have to be massaged a bit, but I didn’t see any real problems, which is a refreshing change. Next up – more animation, add a camera or two, and add Sydnee’s hair and cloth simulations.

Updated Characters and Environment – New animation is a’ coming!

As certain individuals remind me of on a regular basis, it has been a while since my last post. Sorry about that. Well, not really. It was a combination of holidays, alien invasion, the big Steam sale, and some travel that kinda derailed me. But I’m back and working steadily.

First up…you know him, you love him, the man made out of particle effects and desperately needs new name, Mr. Fog!

This is the final batch of test renders before I start animating with him. I think I’ve taken him as far as I can without actually seeing him in a scene and interacting with other characters and environments and such. The results aren’t perfect, but I’m getting the look and feel that I want.

From a technical note, he’s constructed with curve emitters throughout his body, with each curve emitting two sets of particles, one that emits a high number of smaller particles with a short lifespan, and another with fewer particles per second but bigger and longer. The former serves to define the form of the character and give him shape and something that begins to resemble a sillohette, and the second gives him a cloudy vapor effect. Animating him should be interesting. I’m finding a combination of very slow and very fast moves works the best, as anything inbetween just produces an amorphous mess.

I debated on giving him a full flexible body, but for now, he’s going to have a traditional biped set up. We’ll see how that animates first.

Next up, is Sydnee! She’ll be doing…something with Mr. Fog. I have no idea what yet. That’ll be something for later today.

I’ve animated with her before, and there’s some stuff for her on my reel. I’m actually pretty happy with her…except for the knee deformation, which needs a revision. but that’s coming. soon. Honest. Maybe this week…

Finally, here’s a still of the environment. Eventually environmental fog will be added, too, but this is the starting point.

Test Render – The fog of Mr. Fog

Mr. Fog (and I know the name is lame) is a character I had the idea for a while ago but just recently started working on again. I wanted a characters made of misty fog that kind of flowed around and generally looked insubstantial and creepy. I had a couple iterations of him before, but the particle systems weren’t quite working and became unmanageable, so I had to take a step back and try again. I’m getting more the results I wanted this time, and the video is a test rendering of the arms and body. Next up are the legs and head…again.

Once he’s done, I’ll post some info about the rig itself and the particle systems that go along with it. And some motion tests will be up soon.

A new blog…because the world needs another Blog!

So I’ll be firing up my scanner and rendering engines in anticipation of putting work in progress up online. Over the next couple weeks, I’ll be posting work in progress on, which includes some 2D animation work, a new rig, a new character made out of particles, and a couple other odds and ends. Fun stuff for one and all!

Stay tuned.