| 3/16/2008 5:56:27 PM | Some of my art. "The Steel Cross" (animation) | |
captpappy
Morgan City, LA
age: 53
| OK, I'll try this. I'm a 3D artist and animator and "hack" story teller/writer. This is a form of animation called "Machinima" (like machine and cinema blended together)and means it's put together from scenes from graphics games and other software designed for that purpose. Although it's not my 3D art directly it serves as a story board platform to my "pure" 3D animations.
This is just the Title sequence, pro-log, and scene 1 of act one of a story I'm still writing so take it for what it is.
It IS an animation; it is NOT a cartoon! Sort of Film Noir and Mickey Spillane mixed together.
I'm also known as 3DPDK in the 3D arts world but the movie says my name so there goes anonymity!
...I don't claim to be a voice actor, either! And let me point out that this is my work, I'm not posting someone else's video!
[Edited 3/16/2008 6:27:57 PM]
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| 3/18/2008 6:32:32 PM | Some of my art. "The Steel Cross" (animation) | |
explorer3
Warminster, PA
age: 33
| Thats really cool.I hope you post the rest of the story.You should post some of your art work too it looks really good.
Id also like to know the name of the software you used to make that story?
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| 3/19/2008 12:03:01 AM | Some of my art. "The Steel Cross" (animation) | |
captpappy
Morgan City, LA
age: 53
| Thanks Explorer!
It's a hobby really and keeps me entertained. This story is being written as I go but the premise is this poor jaded private "I" finds himself the focus of a two way double cross between two factions of "the mob" and the Don's wife.
Most of the raw action is done in a program called The Movies from Activision, a two sided program. One side is a simulation game of sorts of running a movie studio etc. The other side is a "sand box" program where you set up scenes and actions to suit the story you want to tell with full control over camera direction and such, a selection of about 70 or 80 sets like the bar, the office, and the city street I used here. Characters can be generated randomly or you can custom make each character. Some of the actions are designed for the entertainment level of a much younger audience, but careful editing can remove the melodramatic gestures (some) and you end up with a fairly convincing animation.
I edit with Video Explosion Deluxe now Sony's Vegas Video Editor and Crystal Labs Wave editor. (SoundBlaster included software)
The "Sour Pickle" logo sequence is pure 3D animation done in trueSpace 6.6, and some other trueSpace animation was used to blend a few effects in to the TM footage.
I'll try to post this as it develops. And maybe some of my 3D stills in the forum thread for that instead of my profile.
Thanks for noticing Explorer!
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| 3/19/2008 3:14:39 AM | Some of my art. "The Steel Cross" (animation) | |
explorer3
Warminster, PA
age: 33
| Captp.Thank you.Ive been interested in 3d animation for a long time.My brother went to school for 3d animation.Hes done some really cool stuff too.
[Edited 3/19/2008 3:15:42 AM]
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| 3/19/2008 4:53:31 AM | Some of my art. "The Steel Cross" (animation) | |
captpappy
Morgan City, LA
age: 53
| If you want to try your hand at 3D modeling and animation Caligari has an eirlier version of trueSpace (3.2) free and unrestricted.
http://forms.caligari.com/forms/ts3all_free.html
and tS 5.2 for $199. (US)
http://www.caligari.com/Store/trueSpace/tS52features.asp?Cate=STtrueSpace
Supposedly that price had been dropped last month to $50 (US) but the download/PR page still says $199. so Im not really sure of it's cost.
The trueSpace series produces similar results to Maya, AC3D, Animation Master, 3Ds Max, etc (probably heard your brother speak of Maya) but of course the eariler the version the less power and tools.
Good luck.
[Edited 3/19/2008 4:55:30 AM]
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| 3/19/2008 4:59:43 AM | Some of my art. "The Steel Cross" (animation) | |
captpappy
Morgan City, LA
age: 53
| Ok I'll do another 
This is pure trueSpace character animation. Well actually facial animation. The clip explains the software used.
Its not without it's flaws but not too bad for my first real effort at close-up facial animation.
Would have been a bit more convincing if it had a live voice.
[Edited 3/19/2008 5:11:12 AM]
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| 3/19/2008 2:05:23 PM | Some of my art. "The Steel Cross" (animation) | |
explorer3
Warminster, PA
age: 33
| Captp.That was really cool.I dont know how you did that using truespace but im going to try to find out.
Thanks for the link.True space looks like a really cool program.I think im going to have a lot of fun with it.
Im going to save myself some trouble and have my brother help me with it.
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| 3/25/2008 1:22:19 PM | Some of my art. "The Steel Cross" (animation) | |
cajunbelle65
Malvern, AR
age: 42
| Hey that was very inpressive> I am always amazed at the talents and gifts of others;especially from fellow Cajuns back home. I used to live in LaFourche Parish,near and around Galliano,Louisana. I have also enjoyed the mini-movie,animation was very good. Well I just wanted to comment on your work.
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| 3/26/2008 3:43:58 AM | Some of my art. "The Steel Cross" (animation) | |
captpappy
Morgan City, LA
age: 53
| Hi MissBelle, thanks.
I guess I should clarify, although my mother's side of the family originated in New Orleans French Quarter and later moved to Long Beach, Ms, my dad was from Philadelphia and I was raised (for the most part) in Richmond, Va. (My mom and dad met while my dad was in the Air Force, stationed at Kestler Field in Gulfport.)
There is no doubt that my grandmother was French, but not knowing her own roots, it remains a question weather she was true Cajun/French. ... but hooo-weeee, da tiny lady did stir-up a good gumbo I gaar-own-teeee! Shoooo!  ,
Until I came down here after Katrina to run a supply boat to help repair the Gulf oil fields I mostly lived and worked along the south eastern Atlantic coast from running tug boats on the Chesapeake Bay, to construction tugs and barges along the Carolina Coast, to a casino boat in Myrtle Beach and another in Savannah, Ga.
So technically speaking, other than my mother's French blood, I'm not actually from this area. I have met many wonderful people here in La that seem to me like family, but truthfully, I miss the quaint sea towns along the Carolina and Georgia Coast.
I'm glad you liked my efforts. The software and techniques to do this changes so rapidly it's difficult to ever become proficient. ... but I keep learning and practicing.
Like I said, at least it keeps me entertained.
[Edited 3/26/2008 3:50:53 AM]
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| 3/30/2008 9:20:02 PM | Some of my art. "The Steel Cross" (animation) | |
jeannies10
Diamond Bar, CA
age: 59
| "Captain"
COOL::thumbsup
Jeannie
edited to say, I only got to the first one, will watch the rest. quite different.
[Edited 3/30/2008 9:20:47 PM]
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| 3/30/2008 9:33:05 PM | Some of my art. "The Steel Cross" (animation) | |
jeannies10
Diamond Bar, CA
age: 59
| "Captain.."
Rebecca, oh excuse me you call her "Becky"...she doesn't like that you know.
Very interesting..........you actually get a feeling of her personality somehow.
Again, all I can say is very cool. what a fun hobby.
Jeannie
p.s. What did you mean, "if you had a voice" ... from where does her voice come?
Oh, and you must continue the story and "post it" about Jack Steele.
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| 3/31/2008 3:38:47 AM | Some of my art. "The Steel Cross" (animation) | |
captpappy
Morgan City, LA
age: 53
| Thanks Jeannie,
Becky's ...er ... pardon me, Rebecca's voice is completely computer generated. Text Allowed is a program intended to audibly read text documents and web pages using one of many voices available on the Internet from AT&T, Cepstral, Neo-Speech, etc.
Becky's "speech" was run through Text Allowed and recorded several times at different speeds, volumes, and pitch, then edited in a wave (sound recording) editor to piece it all together to give her voice the inflections and tones that make her sound a bit more human.
The technology still has a long way to go and a human voice still would have sounded much better.
ps, aside from the "Bogy" project you and one other have seen  , I am working on this scene 2, but it takes quite a bit of time to set up, sync the characters' movements and lips with the audio, and edit, as you probably can imagine. The next 4 minutes of the film will introduce Darla behind the bar and (sort of) explain who the two gangster looking guys are at the front door.
[Edited 3/31/2008 11:28:03 AM]
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