Box Droid Concept Prototype 001 Sketch

Late 2006 I started designing the sprites for Blobbit Push  and one of the characters I came up with was a small droid known as a Box Droid which later became a series of droids all based around the same box like design.

With the new game in development and the totally separate but loosely linked book on the back burner I wanted to create some proper art for the Blobbit characters. There are various reasons for doing this but the main reason unquestionably is I just want to see these characters visualised how I imagine them rather than as 48x48 pixel sprites. Of course having proper images also helps to create 3D versions and will also do wonders for marketing the game(s) later on.

Anyway here's the initial pencil sketch I did of the Prototype Box Droid with which all other Box Droids were based upon. I suppose you could say this one pre-dates the sprite version seen in the games. Initially drawn on Saturday afternoon over a cup of tea or two, proceeded by the finished illustrated version Monday. Cheers me dears! -Stoo-

Design & Images (C) Copyright Stoo Cambridge 2006,2010

Is there anybody out there?

I was just thinking as I look into my Blobbit stars, 'is there anybody out there?'  Then it dawned on me, what I need is some space junk and some stuff to plonk in the background.

Background - check

Twinkle stars - check

Big Moon - check
Stuff - Yes 

That's that then.

Do I use the 2D illustrations mapped to quads or do I recreate the drawings in 3D with the drawings mapped onto the newly created objects?  Hmmmmm.... Maybe a mixture of both I think.

Ramble, ramble, mumble, mumble...

Ahh so that's what the 'd' means!

'Rot' or 'DRot' what the ??

Ahh now I know! Rot is an absolute value overiding the object's values and DRot is added to the current value! Ta da! 

Same applies to scale too. 

Stars are now converted to use Drot D??  where applicable! 

3D is now my best buddy, (this week anyway!)

      
I've been spending an awful lot of time learning all about IPO curves and key framing this week, which you could say is all fine and dandy. Ahhh but the real smile factor comes from looking back over the past few days and seeing how this thing is starting to shape up, how it is fuelling further art, details  and refinements to the design. Magic!!!!!


I like the mix of taking my 2D illustrations and whacking them into this unfriendly looking, techie laden ingested program called Blender which beneath the well published hard exterior houses one big bundle of cuddly lurve! I really must commend all the people who have helped create such a wonderful piece of open source, free to use software.Sorted!!

Next week I'll be introducing chilli to the mix for some extra heat!

*using Blender 2.49b

Titter ye not for I been mostly usingTwitter !

Over the past few days I've been using Twitter. I can certainly see the appeal of quick easy straight to the point updates of information. I registered ages ago but never really got into it, until now!



As you can see if you glance over the to the right of this blog I've added me last handful of Tweets which is working wonders for my web presence linkage. LOL 'Tweets!', see I'm learning the lingo too!


Over and out for now, I've got some stars to finish animating...

Tron desk v1.1

After the rewire and attaching of the lights to the desk, power is now back on and my desk is no longer at the mercy of the Master Control Program!

When I can source the parts my next trick is to turn the desk into a giant light box to aid my illustration work. It works to a degree at the moment but having white light underneath will give me a much better result.

Animation Time Offset is my friend!

Animating what seems like a zillion and one stars is not a desirable way to pass the day so I was so pleased to discover the magic animation time offset setting in Blender.

After animating one star I can now link to it from a duplicate, change the offset of the new one and wayhey  we have two stars animating from the same data block but at staggered times. 

Simple things please simple minds and that's cool with me as it's saving me lots and lots and lots of time! 

Ta da!!

Tron underdesk lighting. DONE!

Overted a desk disaster. Wire to one of me desk led lights got severed. Works again now. Soldertastic!

Wire does it hurt?

Spring clean phase 1
Unplug and remove gear. So many wires. :-(

As Blair is in the news....

Here's a little something I did a few years back...