30 July 2007

A simple love story

This is the video with which I won the antics3d focus competition.
Let me tell you a bit about antics3d.

In case it doesn't show up in the flash thingy, here is the direct link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=7FAmNp8zsz0

Antics3d is a pre-visualization program, used extensively in the tv and movie industries as a tool to help explain everybody involved in the making of scenes just how the scenes are intended to look like. It is a wonderful alternative to sketch storyboarding, and has many very useful tools to set up cameras, lighting, virtual sets, and so on.

However, me being a 3dcg archviz illustrator, what do I have to do with antics3d?

Well, antics3d has more than meets the eye. The drag and drop way that one can create complete scenes can also be applied as a previz architectural tool. It even has a 3dsmax plugin which enables 3dsmax people to add to the huge library of premade content to quickly and effortlessly populate scenes, with people, cars, streetlights, doors that open and close, etc etc etc. Really great stuff. And fun.

So anyway, I was doing a bit of previz work for a friend, when I decided it would be more fun to do the work with a simple story. It would help showcase the intended work better, and would keep the potential client a bit more engrossed on what was being presented (as most clients are not too deep on architecture).

Well, here is the video. I should have done some cleaning and stuff, hidden the camera paths and so on, but it shows just what can be done in some 3 hours with the software.

Gaby Valero sings to a packed audience in the Zocalo!

Gaby Valero, a good friend of mine, and singer extraordinaire, sang to a packed audience in the Zócalo de Puebla (main square in downtown Puebla), Mexico. She sang as part of the repertoire showcasing the cultural season this year.
Accompaining her were three extremely talented musicians, one of which I have the luck of knowing personally, and let me say, he is a really virtuoso on the violin.
Shown here is the backstage bootlegged video ( :P just kidding).
What really happened is that when she got to the stage, there was nowhere to put her stuff, and I volunteered to help her out, so I became her "logistical manager" for the event.

27 July 2007

I just won the best video of Antics3d Focus Group!

I checked my mail, and this is what I got:

(from Antics Focus Group, email address suppressed)

Dear All,

The quality of the feedback provided and the videos submitted were of a very high standard, however, there can only be two winners and they are:

Winner of the Best Feedback Competition: Colin Le Roux

Winner of the Best Video Competition: Juan Manuel Bautista Hoepfner

Both winners will take home $500.


Once again, thank-you to everyone and please feel free to email me, at anytime, any additional feedback, user requirements, or project updates you may have. We will also keep you posted about other opportunities to contribute to the development of this product.

Best Regards

David Harragin

David Harragin
Antics Technologies Ltd

Linen Hall
3rd Floor
162-168 Regent Street
London
W1B 5TD

Tel: +44 (0) 207 038 3900
Fax: +44 (0) 207 038 3901
Web: www.antics3d.com

So congratulations, Colin! And congratulations to me too! :D
I'll upload the video soon, after I finish some pressing assignments

25 July 2007

Content Paradise winning image

This is the image that won.

I won the Content Paradise image contest!


For the benefit of those not registered as Passport users in Content Paradise, I attach a screenshot of the all-important announcement that I won :D

05 July 2007

Gaby Valero has a new homepage!

Gaby Valero, an extremely talented singer, and artist in general (did I say she's a friend of mine?) now has her own homepage. It is as of yet a work in progress, but I'm sure soon we'll have a very nice place to visit in internetdom.

You can visit her homepage at www.gabyvalero.com

02 July 2007

Amazon Warrior for Lucy Jet, now available


In a record time (at least for me) I did this set from the ground up in two days. Certainly an achievement I am proud of. Now available for sale in Content Paradise, here

25 June 2007

Nemesis Warrior for Poser G2males, almost ready!


This is what I've been working on my free time this week. It is supposed to be a counterpart to my all sweet and cute Amazon Warrior.

24 June 2007

G2James hair fit for Terai Yuki2, on sale!


This is a hair fit for the "barbarian" hair that comes with the G2James Poser figure. What amazes me most in how the impression on the figure changes with just a different hair.

On sale at Content Paradise too.

17 June 2007

Miki2 hair fit for TY2, on sale now!


Miki2 and Terai Yuki2 are both wonderful figures for e-frontier's Poser. I like the Miki2 hair, but unfortunately, it does not quite fit Terai Yuki2. Not anymore!
I made a custom fit workaround, now for all the world to enjoy!

Available here in Content Paradise

10 June 2007

Amazon Warrior character set for Poser, almost ready!


Indeed, just a thing of tweaking files, making some more promo images, decent thumbnails and stuff. It has been seme weeks of hard work, but I think it has been worthwhile.

It is a set of clothing, accessories, as well as some morph targets for e-frontier's Terai Yuki2 character, which works in Poser.

I have used Shade and Silo extensively for the modelling, Silo and unwrap3d for the uvmapping, the Gimp for generating the bitmap textures. And of course, Poser for posing, rigging, and rendering.

The wings on the angel are not mine, they were part of the bonus content for pre-purchasing Poser6. The famous Winter Queen set.

27 May 2007

Inspirational image, "lost", Poser version


I did some thigh-strapped swords, and decided this time around to render in Poser7, as I in fact pose my characters in Poser, less guesswork involved.

25 May 2007

Inspirational image, "lost"


Just something I fancied out in my free time. It is also a work in progress on a character set I'm working on for the Terai Yuki2 figure for Poser. I like the overall redness of the image.

19 May 2007

Restaurant facade in Puebla, Mexico


This is yet another revision on the restaurant, hopefully nearer to the clients needs!
Modelled in Shade (except for the palm trees, they are tweaked Vue5infinite palmtrees).
Also rendered in Shade.

09 May 2007

photomontage on proposed restaurant in Puebla, Mexico


This is in fact the second version of the restaurant. Really not much to work on, no working drawings, only photo references and some quick sketches. But for a day's work, I think it is quite convincing.
Modelled and rendered in Shade pro, with a bit of help from Silo2beta.

30 April 2007

Ita, Andrea, Juan


A really beautiful photograph showing us three in the really enchanting garden in the house of some relatives. As you can see, we are all quite happy.