No Way A second post in 6 month? I'm really spoiling you Eh? Render test.

Okeys..    I did have serious intentions for this blog thing  so as I'm so busy ATM I thought that I am starting to have things  to post up in this thing...  First up A positive note to start (again)..

We did a rendering/lighting session in uni yesterday. A Subject I have been enjoying far more than I thought I should have.  Managing lots of tick boxes and sliders doesn't sound like the most artistic thing in the world but when it is all influencing the light/shadows/camera and how the surface materials behave it really can totally change the picture.  


The illumination is coming from the point lights I've got inside thelight bulbs (NOTE; UNTICK THE 'CASTS SHADOW' BOX FOR THE LIGHTBULB GEOMETRY, doesn't matter how transparent you make it, it still blocks the light! ) and yeah, they're emitting photons. I wacked up the iridescence , ambient and glow on the bulb geo but it wasn't bright enough. I guess because the model is so big.  I'm rendering in Mental ray with the whole GI/FG/AO shebang wacked up to 11.  31mins to render even on my workstation. I'd hate to think how long it would have taken the uni machines.  This time would not have been realistic if it were an animation, but I didn't set any limits to the renderspace and could have removed the stuff we didn't see, so I could have optimised more but I didn't think it would take that long. I'll be more careful next time


The shadows are slightly blue depthmaps.  With the filter on 3.  I'd set it higher if I re-did it though the shadow on the floor in the middle is far too heavy.  Tries raytraced shadows but thought these looked more convincing.

Anyone notice my Scarre (my heroine peeping through the port hole? :o) Can't really make her out now the pic is has been compressed for the web.  Laters.....

Wooo Hello world!

Hey team.  So I have set up a blog.  Exiting, eh?  I knew you would all be ecstatic.    I've got a couple of reasons for doing this, some might say drastic, action.

First, is to keep track of my friend's weblogs and other industry peoples blogs that i find interesting and contain some regular doses of solid gold.

Secondly, is to try and give my self a bit more impetus to be productive so I have something to report.  This I badly need.  I'm far to talented in the arts of getting comfortable with a brew and a book/film/magazine/series/............internet?   I've done it again haven't I?  I'm gonna be spending time on here as well as FB now...Crap....

And thirdly, in some far of distant time I may have some wisdom to pass down to others. For the time being this will probably just be solutions to notable problems that I have overcome.   "Have a butchers on google..." etc

I will endeavor to make this more professional affair than my daft facebook profile, so i can direct any grown ups here instead the place where they can see me drinking dirty pints out of measuring jugs!  In time I'll focus down on more Computer Generated Art and Music Themes and as a recent Linux convert I'll pop a bit of that in too if its not too dry, but to start out I will likely include more personal diary-style posts  to fill up some space.

So to start;
I'm might have a film night going on later.  Thought about watching an 80's vampire film called Near Dark.  I heard its an unsung classic.   Apparently its gritty and nasty style got overshadowed by the more  pop culture orientated The Lost Boys when it was released.  It stars half the cast of aliens. I have high hopes.   Though if it was that good it would surely have shined through.....?  If its no good. I'll just stick The Castle on.