Rebounding Jalapeno

Here is an animation test with my jalapeño pepper for my Dancing Taco short film.

The Dancing Taco Project is a personal project I adopted just a few days ago, and depending on how well the work flows out or if I run into any big stumbling blocks – or it takes way too much time and I loose interest – I may not complete it.  But here’s to hoping that I it will come to glorious completion!

JaNoWriMo has started, but I have barely started.  Instead of writing on my 2007 in hopes of completing it I may use the time to write script material for my live action show I might create.  Who knows?  We’ll see which route I end up spending most of my time on.

God bless and Happy New Year!

2009 rocks!

-b

P.S. A big thanks to Tim Formica for helping me with the materials/lighting.  Also, thanks to Doom9.net for the excellent help on using QuEnc.  My video went from being too compressed and the wrong aspect ratio to what it is now.  Thanks, Doom9.net!  And thanks for all your help, Tim Formica!

P.P.S. This test animation was made with Blender, an excellent open source 3D modeling, animation, and rendering app.  Check it out, it’s free!

Inspiring artwork

I have stumbled across some intriguing or otherwise inspring artwork.

For one, I wish to make note to an artist I had previously discovered: Mathias Pedersen, a young, Dutch digital artist.  You can find his website here: http://www.mathiaspedersen.com/home/.  But this time I came across some of his tutorials.  The most facinating of these tutorials is this one:

10 Tips while learning Blender 3D

What I’ll try to, is to give you some general tips you’ll be able to use to work your way up the ladder and become a better Blender artist. Some of these tips are composed primarily of common sense, so you might already have figured out much for yourself.

– [http://www.mathiaspedersen.com/resources/]

These rules can be applied to more areas of life than beginning to learn Blender: they can be applied to much of life.  Besides, now I have a good beginning spot to send eager Blender users ready to learn.  “Read this 10 step outline and get back to me when you are done!” This is a good resource!

Besides that I came across Chaperon Rouge, an animated short by four collaborating students from the French school Supinfocom Arles (made as their graduating movie.)  The style touches upon Final Fantasy and a tad little bit of Miyazaki.  I want to create some 3D films similiar to their style (though my characters may have a different look.)  They used (digital?) paintings and composited the character into them (for at least some of it.)  Bravo!

On a side note, (however, an important one,) this following video has great importance to me.

Don’t Give Up, You Are Loved
Performed by Josh Groban.

Thanks for listening and God bless!

May all our dreams come true… see you on the other side!

-b

P.S. There are other films, etc., I could mention, but I will leave it at that for now.  Thank you, each and every artist out there: you, who have persevered to create what you believe is beautiful…

Working on new Minosa Films blog header

New design WIP - Minosa Films blog header (Blender's node editor.)

Recently I have been working on a new header design for the Minosa Films blog.  It is not done yet, but it is turning out well.  I am using render layers and compositing them together, which is a first for me.  Praise God!  The theme is darker and has a moon, branches, the words “Minosa Films” and a nifty little design behind it.

Originally I was designing this in a hope to make an animated Minosa Films title intro for a promo video about Minosa Films.  I could make it theatrical like a silver screen trailer, or I could make it more instructional, like an interview or special feature.

I need to get back to solving the mystery of a successful video workflow.  My current progress on that is:

Import HD SP video file (.tod) into PowerDirector Express.
Drag video file onto the timeline.  Hit produce.
Go through a number of options and choose to export as an MPEG2 (for DVDs.)
Wait for it to render.
Import .mpg file into Adobe Premiere Pro 1.0.
Place on timeline.  There are no apparent “hiccups”.
Export video to .mov (Apple QuickTime.)
Play video in Media Player Classic – it works.

Goals:
I would prefer to someday edit in full HD; use a faster (better) conversion method; buy and use a newer, different, HD compatible non-linear editing (NLE) app; edit .avi (or .mpg if I choose to);  export to .avi, .mpg. with no  errors when opening in MPC (Media Player Classic,); be able to use After Effects (AE) in conjunction with Premiere (currently when I export from After Effects I get a jittered effect to the video and some artifacts.  Most unpleasing and… terrible.)

Goals in list form:

• HD
• Best conversion method (no conversion if possible.)
• New NLE software
• No editing hiccups
• Excellent file export
• Cross-software use

But for now, no HD!  No fooling around with the unnecessary.  😉

Thanks for listening,

God bless, prayers,

-b

Blender 3D 2.46 Released!

How can I write about MaPZone and not mention Blender 3D’s new release, Blender 2.46! Blender is one of, if not my favorite, program I use. It is an excellent 3D modeling, animation, rendering, and compositing program – and besides that, it’s open source, which means you can get it for free! (open source = free content and free code, so that the community can contribute what they think is needed, resulting in a rounded, professional package and frequent releases.)

It’s got a bunch of new features, so go ahead and check it out now!

www.blender.org

Check out Blender’s new features!

Keep in mind, however, that Blender is a very complicated program and may take you a long time to learn how to use. If you have any questions as you are learning it, feel free ask me over e-mail or IM – I’d be more than glad to help. I still have a ton to learn myself…

God bless,

Banor