Incase you thought it was fairly quiet in here, it's all because i've been doing my final major project updates on a seperate blog, here's the link.
http://scrapyardgarlick.blogspot.com/
Friday 19 February 2010
Tuesday 22 December 2009
Achievement
So i've recently been getting into cycling again, as i kid i always loved being on my bike, but i guess growing up slowly meant i did it less and less, screw that i say! I can see my self really getting into to it now, always do the things you love, there's just no excuse.
Anyway me and my house mate decided that instead of getting the train home for christmas that we'd cycle home, thats from leicester to near birmingham, and is just under 40 miles. We'd planned a router before hand that took us directly across the country through some good scenery, amazing what you can find when you leave the mainstreme roads and citys, and went through a few small towns, one of which we found a great little pub where we stopped for lunch.
We got to Tamworth which is where we parted, my house mate continued onto Litchfield, and i onto home in Aldridge. It was these last 6 or 7 miles that were the hardest, it started to get dark (we would pick the shortest day of the year wouldn't we!), and my legs were litrally starting to run out of energy. But i powered on, slower that before maybe, but i got into alridge and it was when i past the croft park that i suddenly felt this great sense of accomplishment, wonderful feeling and when i finally got home i was absolutly shattered, but so so glad that i'd done it, really was a great thing to do.
So i'm going to keep this up, i've got the bike now and have been slowly buying the kit and sorts for it, expensive hobby at times but you gotta do what you gotta do.
We have also decided that mid next year we want to do the End to End, thats cycling from Lands End to John O'Groats, which is over 1000 miles. It's going to be a big challenge and will take a lot of getting ready to do, but it's definatly something i really want to do, and we've decide that were going to raise money for charity as well when we do it.
Wish i'd took some pictures so i could put some on here, but i've got to get back to leiecster some how, so see you on the other end.
Anyway me and my house mate decided that instead of getting the train home for christmas that we'd cycle home, thats from leicester to near birmingham, and is just under 40 miles. We'd planned a router before hand that took us directly across the country through some good scenery, amazing what you can find when you leave the mainstreme roads and citys, and went through a few small towns, one of which we found a great little pub where we stopped for lunch.
We got to Tamworth which is where we parted, my house mate continued onto Litchfield, and i onto home in Aldridge. It was these last 6 or 7 miles that were the hardest, it started to get dark (we would pick the shortest day of the year wouldn't we!), and my legs were litrally starting to run out of energy. But i powered on, slower that before maybe, but i got into alridge and it was when i past the croft park that i suddenly felt this great sense of accomplishment, wonderful feeling and when i finally got home i was absolutly shattered, but so so glad that i'd done it, really was a great thing to do.
So i'm going to keep this up, i've got the bike now and have been slowly buying the kit and sorts for it, expensive hobby at times but you gotta do what you gotta do.
We have also decided that mid next year we want to do the End to End, thats cycling from Lands End to John O'Groats, which is over 1000 miles. It's going to be a big challenge and will take a lot of getting ready to do, but it's definatly something i really want to do, and we've decide that were going to raise money for charity as well when we do it.
Wish i'd took some pictures so i could put some on here, but i've got to get back to leiecster some how, so see you on the other end.
Monday 14 December 2009
Just a reminder!
So after Jolyon and Simon from blitz Games came in today, i think the reaction was similar in a lot of people. There knowledge is obvious, and there critique spot on, but the most odd thing is that it was things that i already knew, or well at least i thought it knew.
What i mean is that they would give use the hints and what not to and what to's, and i could have told it someone else, but for some reason it just wasn't getting to the front of the brain and becoming apparnt. Some times you just need someone to give you a little reminder, of what you already knew. And just a point by this i don't mean i know all they do, just that a little kick start like that can do wonders.
I think in this term a lot of this 'realisation' has been happening to me, at the start i was able to turn to chris in life drawing and say 'It works!', it's only took two years!, but all the work i put in has paid off, and since then i've gone slightly further, and hopefully will always continue to do so. Same goes for 3D, one main thing i've been doing this term is research, a hell of a lot of it, and i mean research in the sense of going out in the real world and doing it yourself, none of this google crap, and it's paid off again in my work.
So it was pretty exciting to get people in from industry to do more than just a lecture, so a thank you to them for taking time to come visit us in our samll space on the 8th, and hopefully we'll be getting more attention in the future.
Things to take away are always look at the reference, compare objects in the scene together, do quick paint overs to eliminate the hassel of tris and texture space, and always review your work, weather on your own or with/by someone else, but you already knew that now didn't you.
What i mean is that they would give use the hints and what not to and what to's, and i could have told it someone else, but for some reason it just wasn't getting to the front of the brain and becoming apparnt. Some times you just need someone to give you a little reminder, of what you already knew. And just a point by this i don't mean i know all they do, just that a little kick start like that can do wonders.
I think in this term a lot of this 'realisation' has been happening to me, at the start i was able to turn to chris in life drawing and say 'It works!', it's only took two years!, but all the work i put in has paid off, and since then i've gone slightly further, and hopefully will always continue to do so. Same goes for 3D, one main thing i've been doing this term is research, a hell of a lot of it, and i mean research in the sense of going out in the real world and doing it yourself, none of this google crap, and it's paid off again in my work.
So it was pretty exciting to get people in from industry to do more than just a lecture, so a thank you to them for taking time to come visit us in our samll space on the 8th, and hopefully we'll be getting more attention in the future.
Things to take away are always look at the reference, compare objects in the scene together, do quick paint overs to eliminate the hassel of tris and texture space, and always review your work, weather on your own or with/by someone else, but you already knew that now didn't you.
Monday 7 December 2009
Rubbish, Not Trash!
Oh and yeah i've just realised, why do i keep refering to it as trash, i'm not American! I feel slightly ashamed and will only call it rubbish from now on.
For A Wii Game
Fancied doing a new post but as all my recent ones have all been about my work i thought i'd stray a little. However i've not gone too far as i'm just going talk a little about a game, The Conduit.
The main reason i feel i need to talk about this game is i followed it from the start and put up two or three post about it, so seems only fair now i've played it that i draw my conclusions.
Now the reason i was following this game is because it was promising to be the first person shooter that the Wii needed. High Voltage had made there own engine for the game so they could do all new effects other Wii games couldn't, and although the story may have seemed to be a a bit cliché it looking like it could make for a good all round game.
So after all the press and build of the game i suppose it comes down to one thing, was it good? Answer is... it's was alright.
I said this in every post that i did prior to playing the game, i tend not to follow too much hype for a game and not to read too many reviews any more because it builds up false hopes, which is exactly what happened in this case. They boasted about the games engine that could do all these effects and new technical things, but then they made a game with repeating corridors and not all that scenic views, why, if it had the potential why not use it.
Now this is not to say i didn't like the game, i enjoyed playing it and will probable play it through again some day as it wasn't too long, just the hype i read before ruined it i think. The level design/layout was pretty good in places keeping the momentum of the game moving along nicely, there were some cool little easter egg like things with the high voltage logo which made me chuckle. Obviously the control system worked really well, it think the Wii remote was always going to work for this sort of thing.
Anyway back to some bad points as they are more fun.
The story, i knew before this may not be brilliant, but i think the turning point for me was when the main character say's (in a typical deep action movie voice) "I must get to the president and save him", with the response "Your the only one who can do it". Why, just why do 'you' have to get to the president and save 'him', the world is falling apart so why does that one man have to be saved and why am i the only person who can do this. done well this 'cliché' can work, but it that scene it did not.
Another point to make was that it all felt a little bit lazily made, it didn't feel polished and had a lot of corners cut, just one that i remember, your in the white house (i think it was anyway) and you can look out the windows, but instead of looking out on a pretty view, you get a horrible texture that is completely obvious that's it's in front of your face, that's right a plane just a couple of feet out of the window, in this day of games that's just not right.
I think i know what the main nag about this game is, and was before it was released, it's selling point was... it's a really good game and has amazing graphics, for the Wii. That there is the worst thing for a game to have said about it, for a Wii game it's really good. you should never have to use those words to describe a game, it should stand on it's own regardless of the platform. I just saw that Call Of Duty Modern Warfare has been released on the Wii, and for you casual gamers this may be alright, but if your actually interested in the game your going to get it on the Xbox or PC, why would you get a game that's really good, but decide i want the version with reduced graphics, you wouldn't, simple as, and what casual gamer is going to get Call Of Duty on the Wii, it makes no sense!
Well i guess i just felt like ranting then really, felt good.
The main reason i feel i need to talk about this game is i followed it from the start and put up two or three post about it, so seems only fair now i've played it that i draw my conclusions.Now the reason i was following this game is because it was promising to be the first person shooter that the Wii needed. High Voltage had made there own engine for the game so they could do all new effects other Wii games couldn't, and although the story may have seemed to be a a bit cliché it looking like it could make for a good all round game.
So after all the press and build of the game i suppose it comes down to one thing, was it good? Answer is... it's was alright.
I said this in every post that i did prior to playing the game, i tend not to follow too much hype for a game and not to read too many reviews any more because it builds up false hopes, which is exactly what happened in this case. They boasted about the games engine that could do all these effects and new technical things, but then they made a game with repeating corridors and not all that scenic views, why, if it had the potential why not use it.
Now this is not to say i didn't like the game, i enjoyed playing it and will probable play it through again some day as it wasn't too long, just the hype i read before ruined it i think. The level design/layout was pretty good in places keeping the momentum of the game moving along nicely, there were some cool little easter egg like things with the high voltage logo which made me chuckle. Obviously the control system worked really well, it think the Wii remote was always going to work for this sort of thing.
This part was cool, biiiiig hole in a building, lots of explosions, what else do you really need
The story, i knew before this may not be brilliant, but i think the turning point for me was when the main character say's (in a typical deep action movie voice) "I must get to the president and save him", with the response "Your the only one who can do it". Why, just why do 'you' have to get to the president and save 'him', the world is falling apart so why does that one man have to be saved and why am i the only person who can do this. done well this 'cliché' can work, but it that scene it did not.
Another point to make was that it all felt a little bit lazily made, it didn't feel polished and had a lot of corners cut, just one that i remember, your in the white house (i think it was anyway) and you can look out the windows, but instead of looking out on a pretty view, you get a horrible texture that is completely obvious that's it's in front of your face, that's right a plane just a couple of feet out of the window, in this day of games that's just not right.
I think i know what the main nag about this game is, and was before it was released, it's selling point was... it's a really good game and has amazing graphics, for the Wii. That there is the worst thing for a game to have said about it, for a Wii game it's really good. you should never have to use those words to describe a game, it should stand on it's own regardless of the platform. I just saw that Call Of Duty Modern Warfare has been released on the Wii, and for you casual gamers this may be alright, but if your actually interested in the game your going to get it on the Xbox or PC, why would you get a game that's really good, but decide i want the version with reduced graphics, you wouldn't, simple as, and what casual gamer is going to get Call Of Duty on the Wii, it makes no sense!
You just know that car would have looked sooo much prettier!
Well i guess i just felt like ranting then really, felt good.
Thursday 3 December 2009
Treasure Chest 100 Percent! (in pirate and regular talk)
As i swore a few suns ago me final Chest of Treasure!
Here be one of ye Blitz merciless tasks, by where we was giv'n a painti'n and which we were to then craft a full blown '3D' construction, according to ye makers guides of course. This be pleasin' for me do, reason's bein' i chose not to use ye 'normal' and 'specular' charts and to sail solo with the chart of 'diffuse'. So i used the colours that ye earth gave to me, sort out those shadowy depths and bright lights, and created me my very own first hand crafted chart, something that'l go down in books to come, G'Arrrgh!
and now the translation...
As promised a while ago my fully finished Treasure Chest!
So this was one of the Blitz proffesional briefs, this one inpaticular they gave us a concept and our mission was to recreate it in 3D to the specifications givien. I had really good fun with this project, one of the reason's being that i chose not to use a normal or specualr maps and just to go with a sole diffuse. So i painted it from scratch giving it all the highlights and shadows and the like myself, which is the first real texture i've done like this so i've learnt from it and produced something i can be proud of, G'Arrrrgh!!
Will do a presentation board soon with wireframes and texture maps too, all in good time.
Untill our paths be crossin' again...
Thursday 26 November 2009
Textured Rubiish
Still need to play around with few things but this is that 95% finish mark you always get to.
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