I apologize for the lack of updates, folks! Work has been a little slow on the model, I'm afraid. I started running out of things I could do for Soarin', and I wasn't feeling like working on the main model, and then I was struck by a need to start painting in Photoshop again. So I've been doing a lot of 2D artwork of late, and not much 3D. (If you'd like, you can check out some of my recent paintings here.) I also recorded and posted some piano recordings to my YouTube channel yesterday. If you like Star Trek, Michael Giacchino, and/or piano renditions of film scores, you should check out these 5 Star Trek recordings, starting with the one simply entitled..."Star Trek." The others are longer, mind you.
But through all these side project, fear not - history tells us that I always come back to the Disneyland 3D model before too long. As you may have noticed in the CURRENT FOCUSES box, I've put some work into an interesting little side project, too. The Shipley-Lydecker house was a real mansion in Baltimore that was demolished sometime between 1957 and 1971, a photo of which was the primary inspiration for the exterior of the Haunted Mansion. I've matched the camera angle of that one good photo of the house and built a model of it, using aerial photos to make sure its scale is identical to that of the real model. This will allow me to do interesting comparisons between the house and the Haunted Mansion facade, as well as simply see the house from lots of different angles. I hope to do another post soon with lots of renders.
On a side note...I ordered myself a 3Dconnexion SpaceNavigator the other day! I first tried out one of these little beauties in the "Holodeck" at Google's campus, and I instantly fell in love with how it enables you to navigate through 3D spaces in a fluid, dynamic, flexible way. It's compatible with all the 3D apps I currently use with any frequency (Blender, Google Earth, Bing Maps 3D, SketchUp, NASA World Wind), and I intend to make constant gleeful use of it. Only problem is that it probably won't arrive till the end of the week. =P It'll actually be a bit of a race to see which will arrive first - my SpaceNavigator, or the new Haunted Mansion soundtrack that I'd ordered over DelivEARS a few days earlier?
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- Two Pope house renders
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7 comments:
Thanks for the update, Joe! Take your time on the model...the inspiration always comes.
-Derek
Oh, I've got to get myself one of those SpaceNavigators! How has it changed how you design things in Blender (that's what I use)? Does it make it easier/faster to design things? I know moving the camera around can be a pain in the butt at times!
The only thing that I don't understand is paying the extra $40 for the standard edition versus the personal edition. It's the same product! You're just paying for a different license agreement.
Why are there two different license agreements!? I mean, are they really going to hunt you down to make sure you're not using the personal edition as part of your work? That's just silly! Which one did you buy?
Oh, and which Haunted Mansion soundtrack did you order? Is it really a new one? I'm always on the lookout for new/updated attraction soundtracks. I wish they'd do an updated POTC soundtrack.
Well, to be honest, I haven't really done any modeling since I got the SpaceNavigator, so I can't say how it's impacted my design process, but it's certainly a slick way of navigating. I've done a lot of exploring in my existing models, and it's quite a bit of fun. Not gonna lie...there IS a learning curve. It takes some practice to start flying like a pro, especially in Blender, which offers full 6 DOF (as opposed to Google Earth, which doesn't let you roll the camera). But it's a lot of fun.
I agree about the licensing business, though...I bought the personal edition because I'm not currently doing paid 3D work...but, as I saw another person describe it, would you make a person pay more for a horse if you knew that horse were going to be plowing a bigger, more productive field? It's silly.
As for the HM soundtrack, yes, it's an all-new product that can be found in the parks or by calling DelivEARS, as I did. It's...a mixed bag, I think, but a worthwhile one. The sound quality is a HUGE improvement over the earlier one, and there are some new highlights such as the complete gazebo music box track and some of the Constance attic lines. The Phantom Manor track is the one that has the most problems...it's really weirdly edited, but again, the sound quality is insanely better.
Well you've done more than me recently, at any rate
Had hoped a Disneyseas trip would kickstart some inspiration, but I got rather a negative experience at the place
And as it turns out, despite the high acclaim, the majority of the rides can be ridden in equal or even better version in the Paris or American parks, with a TENTH of the queue!
Now it looks like I'll have to wait for you to get on with your own work before I am interested in my own again ;)
That's too bad! =/ I hope you get to go back and have a more positive experience. I haven't been to the Tokyo resort yet, but I hope to get a chance someday. Hopefully we'll both get our inspiration back before then! :P
I have, however, been working on stuff, even though it wasn't the 3D model. My biggest project at the moment is an alternate concept for the Soarin' over California exterior and queue...I've been working up some illustrations and models that I unfortunately will not be sharing. Gotta keep my better ideas so I can actually present 'em to WDI when the time comes, y'know. ;D
Well, that's a pity, though I can certainly appreciate the reasoning.
If I hadn't lost grasp of my own dream job already, I'd probably do doing the same, hah.
However, I like to think I am trustworthy and respectful, so if you ever wanted to offer a private viewing or "soft-opening" of such projects... ;)
Hey, you seem to be leading my muse by example nowadays, so I have to ask!
Haha, I shall keep that in mind. :D What dream job did you lose, though? =(
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