Clarity
So I’m pretty clear now on the concept and content of my thesis. The title is a little unfortunate, but perhaps that’s a blessing in disguise. For the most part, this blog will chronicle the creation of story, both as the graphic novel and also the creation of the animated prologue sequence.
I am hesitant to put up specifics before the project is done, but I will instead chronicle the obstacles I encounter in its production. For example, I have never been a 3d guy. I have on occasion purchased software to fulfill a client’s needs for a specific project, but usually I only scratch the surface in terms of learn the software beyond what I need it to do.
In the case of my story, I need to design some spaceships and some body armor for a character. I’ve never done that, so I’m looking for software that will make that really easy. I noticed on 3d-Coat’s homepage that here is a video that shows rapid production of a space ship which is facilitated by a library of obj objects that the user can use like boolean Legos. Getting the hang of it is a little tricky, but the interface is simpler and more intuitive than Zbrush. There seems to be a little funkiness with my video card and 3D-Coat, but I’m hoping that won’t be a big deal. I do notice that when I start a new file my window of objects disappears. This I rectify by restarting the program. With these little glitches, I debate on buying the full version vs. the student edition. The seeming difference is the ability to use 4K texture maps and no limit on layers. But again, it’s $349 vs $99.
3D-Coat is a little crashy for my tastes but if I can get the work done quickly enough I’m willing to spend $99. I’ve already got it working with the SpacePilot Pro. Getting that to work was crazy easy. The reason I bought the SpacePilot is that I figured it would help me with flying the camera smoothly through the scene.
I will continue to play with 3D-Coat and SpacePilot until I get something usable I can turn into class.
