[IMAGE] Decimate Modifier, or Where’d All That Nice Detail Go?

On By Cullen M. M. WatersIn 3D ModelingLeave a comment

Okay, so I should have mentioned this is a low polygon count image. Most of what I’m learning now is low polygon stuff. The Decimate Modifier, therefore, was used to lessen the amount of faces the image have.

Down to around 1% of the number I had.

Having a better idea of where I wanted the project to go, I fiddled about after I decimated (kinda) my island. The result is closer to where I want to end up.

To illustrate, before:

After:

While I’m partial to Before, this will make it easier for me to reach my final goal.

[IMAGE] Rocky Base/Island

On By Cullen M. M. WatersIn 3D ModelingLeave a comment

The above is the rocky base/island that the houses and lighthouse will reside on. Note that this time it isn’t just lost in a grey void. Over to the right you’ll see some shadow action going on. That’s because this object is now in what will become the sea. Or lake. Wherever this place is set in whatever world it comes from.

Amusingly, when I went to render it for this post, I forgot to tell the program to take out the lighthouse. Leaving a HUGE BUILDING right in the center of it.

This was the only real mistake I made on this lesson.

If I can take a moment to discuss improvements, compare efforts:

With this effort, I’m keeping the hill a little smaller in height. Hopefully this will result in a better final image.

Next comes something called the Decimate Modifier. Sounds like a Doctor Who title.

[IMAGE] The Lighthouse

On By Cullen M. M. WatersIn Image1 Comment

Here is the lighthouse. As this was on the same file as yesterday, there are houses behind the shown object. I’ve just made them invisible WITH THE POWER OF MY MIND!

And the option that removes objects from the render.

Not nearly that impressive, put like that.

Don’t want to go into how long I fought to get this. I swear, I followed instructions to the T and I still screwed up.

Everything started to go pear shaped when opening the program. Found I had a circle select instead of the box select on my cursor. It in no way shape or form worked like the previous select. I could muddle through and do the lesson, no problem. Well, a little problem. No worries though.

Then it went back to box select.

How?

Same way it went to circle in the first place. Computers are the tools of the Dark Lord and everything that touches them goes MAD!

To think I wondered what I would talk about on loading this up.

Next comes the rocky base. AKA an island the lighthouse and houses will sit on.

[IMAGE] In One Week I’ve Taken More Notes For These Lessons Than I Ever Did In High School

On By Cullen M. M. WatersIn 3D Modeling, Annoying AutobiographyLeave a comment

Okay, here’s the deal.

I’ve mentioned that I’m taking lessons in computer graphics, via Blender. Above is an example of this, a nice lighthouse scene.

Problem is, I took a month or so off of lessons. So even though I’m a quarter of the way through the first course, I’m not confident enough in what I recall to go back to where I started.

So I restarted the course. Watched the lessons not quite from the beginning, but where they started actually talking about what I need to do to succeed.

This time through? Lots of notes. Copious amount of notes.

I keep wanting to say “Just like I was in a real class”. That, though, would be a lie. I seldom took notes in class. Found it boring.

Look where it got me.

All that said, I thought I’d post my progress here. Every time I finish a lesson, I’ll take a render and post it. With a little commentary, like this.

Thus I kill two birds with one stone. Clever? Maybe.

Below is the start. Houses. Not impressive. Just gray shapes in the fog. Color and lighting comes later.

Next is the lighthouse.

[THOUGHTS] Jokes Just For You

On By Cullen M. M. WatersIn Stories, TelevisionLeave a comment

When trying to be funny, on line or in the really real world, you have to remember one thing: Some jokes are just funny to you.

Of course this holds true with a lot of things. Like Horror for instance. Some people are scared of spiders, some aren’t. Some are willing to believe in ghosts for a span, some won’t. You can’t make people feel the terror, you can only try.

Thing is, with Horror, there’s always going to be the other option. That it’s funny when it should be scary. That happens. You might not want it to happen, but it does happen.

Humor doesn’t have that fall back.

Bad humor kills. It even angers.

I have seen many a Comedies I didn’t get. Like Napoleon Dynamite. Well, fair’s fair, I haven’t watched the film, so I’m not speaking out of experience. But what little I’ve seen doesn’t encourage me to see more. I know people who love the film. Maybe I’m missing out.

I don’t think so.

Of late, though, more and more Comedies have been leaving me… irritated.

Family Guy, for instance. Once upon a time, I could watch full episodes of the series and enjoy it. Over time, however, I’ve gotten to the point where if every single main character in the show died of cancer, on fire, covered with bees, with sharp things jabbing under their fingernails I could get behind it. If there are decent characters on the show, they’re few and far between.

Thus I don’t watch the show.

But. I can still see how some people might like it.

I’ve watched small bits of certain episodes and said, “Hey! That’s funny. Be funnier if they all exploded in a ball of green flame, GREEN FLAME! Still, ha ha.”

I understand Family Guy‘s exisitance.

I don’t understand Velma‘s existence. At all.

This is a brand new cartoon that came out this year. Allegedly the “true story” behind the classic Scooby Doo series. Only everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY is to one degree or another a hateful, soul crushing monster.

Again, in fairness, I’ve not sat through a full episode. There may be some bon mot or sight gag I haven’t seen that’s simply hilarious.

What I have seen from clips makes me doubt it.

The main character, Velma, is Evil with a capital E. She is a narcissist who hurts everyone around her. The viewer’s supposed to root for her. Laugh at her antics, nod at every truth bomb she lays out, whether it’s a jab at white people or a stab at men, or whatever is the focus of her ire at the moment. And there seems to be a hell of a lot of ire.

None of these people are even remotely like the characters they’re stealing from.

Remember what I wished on the characters of Family Guy? Well that’s too good for the characters of Velma. They need to be…

Excuse me for a second.

Here it is.

“Hanging’s too good for ’em. Burning’s too good for ’em! They should be torn into little bitsy pieces and buried alive!”

Heavy Metal. Kinda

I’ll bet that the writers simply loved every word they wrote. Thought they had a modern classic on their hands. Trouble is that they were writing stuff only they found funny. And it shows. On Rotten Tomato Velma has a below 50% score with the critics, and around 6% with regular people.

That’s an epic failure right there.

[SISTER SITE] It Has Begun!

On By Cullen M. M. WatersIn Sister Site2 Comments

I have three–count ’em!–THREE reviews up at the Sister Site.

They are, in order:

  • Frankenstein: We’re talking the original, 1910 version. Expect thrills, chills, and bone cuddling horror to be completely absent from this review. As it is from the movie.
  • The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave: Seven versions of this flick, and every last one of them should be burned or otherwise destroyed. This is a Golden Oldie review from Before the Reboot. I’m thinking going new review, old review, new review so I can get everything I wrote before formatted and back up some day in the distant future.
  • And last but certainly least, Doctor Faustus: The tragic tale about an out of control ego. Which can describe both the protagonist and the man playing him.

In other news, I’ve written another story and had a good start on another.

Progress? I’d like to think so.

[THOUGHTS] Shelob’s Sister

On By Cullen M. M. WatersIn Something Found On Line2 Comments
Shelob's Sister

That image is from a Fail Army video I found on Youtube. See that little shape right by Shelob’s Sister’s head there? That’s a regular sized spider. Our girl here is just.

That.

Big.

Check it out for yourself if you don’t believe me.

Surprise the one filming this thing didn’t try to pet it next. I swear, half the videos are people trying to pet wild animals and having the nerve to be shocked when they get bit.

Anyways, that’s someone’s basement in Australia. No way I’d be doing this. I have a hard enough time going into my basement now, and my spiders are normal sized.

Probably.

Look, I don’t go into the basement unless forced in fear of running into something like our girl here.

Just look at her.

I can take tarantulas. All day, all night. But her?

No.

The way she casually scuttles up the wall at the end of the clip.

Not a care in the world, that one.

Meanwhile, I’d be upstairs prepping to burn the whole place down.

Just to be sure.

[BLOG] New Year’s Resolution 2023

On By Cullen M. M. WatersIn Annoying Autobiography, Site Information5 Comments

So.

2022 was not my best year. Ranging from Mom getting sick, a horrible vacation, losing my job and one or two other things, I’m glad to see the end of it. I’m not saying it didn’t have a few good moments. Nor am I saying it hasn’t improved. It just sucked over all.

This year hopefully will be different.

To that end, I’ve a few thoughts.

I’ve started a program learning Computer Graphics. The light house island picture is a start. I haven’t done much more, but more I intend to do.

I intend to also write more. Yesterday I started and finished a short story. More would be nice. I also have been working on notes for my novels. Yes, plural. Over 15. I’m nuts.

I intend to write movie reviews again. Next Friday should see the start of that. I hope to have at least one review up every Friday.

I intend more posts on this blog on no certain schedule. I hope to have more than just one post a month. I hope not to miss a month like I did last.

I am also cleaning house, looking for another job, and other activities to improve both my mood and general situation in life.

This is my resolution for 2023. If I stick to even one thing, I’ll count this as a success. I’m just shooting for a total success.

Let’s see what happens.

[Month of Horror] Yokai Monsters: 100 Monsters

On By Cullen M. M. WatersIn Monster Movies, MoviesLeave a comment

Yokai Monsters

100 Monsters

An evil landowner pushes his luck once to often and awakens the ire of the Yokai.

Here’s a fun little flick. While I was unable to ascertain whether the title was misleading or not, it does have plenty of monsters in it. Not the best special effects, mind you, but most entertaining nonetheless.

Watching this, I was reminded of Daimaijin, which perhaps isn’t surprising. Not only was this made by the same company, it was directed by the same guy.

Anyways, both this film and Daimaijin follow the same structure in terms of story. The bad guy has a host of henchmen who run rampant across the medieval Japan. They more or less have their way about things until they offend the local supernatural agency. Said supernatural agency then starts acting up, leading to the climax.

Of the two, 100 Monsters is probably the more kid friendly. The monsters are plentiful and come far more frequently than in Daimaijin, which not only has just the one but reserves him completely for the finale. It’s a bit dark. Not too much so, just enough to mention.

Were I to compare the two, though (as if I’m not doing so now), I’d give the win to Daimaijin. There’s an awful lot of padding in this movie, and no real rhyme or reason why which Yokai appears where. The finale, which is deeply satisfying in Daimaijin, doesn’t have the punch.

A tighter structure would have helped enormously. There are also two short stories buried in this movie that should have either been removed or made more a part of the over-all narative.

To summarize, it’s a good flick (1.5). I rather liked it (1.5) and will watch the sequels.

But there’s better variations on this plot out there.

3 out of 4