Hey guys, when i created this blog i had tried to make it all about my 3d progression as possible. And while there have been a few instances where i have deviated from this path, some to test out features of wordpress, others just because i took my eye off the ball. AKA plugs (which i still feel are kind of warranted since the number of places for modellers/techies can never be enough).
But every once and awhile a piece of news will float around the internet and shock the world, to the point where i cannot turn away.
Tara Reid has cellulite!!!!!!
(im not sure if its actually cellulite rather than she has had too much liposuction so there is no more fat on here stomach, but it makes for amazing reference for old people with lopsided breast implants, poor girl)
Oh yeah and Autodesk has now bought Softimage.
WTF!!
Can lighting strike twice in the same place twice. Well of course it can. And it has (well not at the same place but at another big company). The guided bolt came down from the gates of Autodesk and struck its competitor between the eyes. I imagine it has been hard to keep this from spilling onto the forums and i must say they have done a pretty good job of it. (And i have recently heard that Softimage staff found out pretty much the same time we did, so we can see why it was so easy to contain).
A lot of people are saying it was expected that Softimage was gonna get bought, but from Autodesk was another thing.
Im not gonna harp on about this since I dont really want to say something stupid…… too late.
One thing i found awesome though, was i said over on odForce “I just want Kim Davidson to say ‘This will never happen to SideFX’ ” , which is a pretty naive and selfish comment, since i understand that sometimes its necessary to sell in order to keep the product and the staff alive.
But 7 hours later after a good nights sleep i woke up to find i had a message from none other than the president of SideFX software. I wont say exactly what he said, but suffice it to say he reassured me of SideFX and Houdini’s future (at least for the time being). I know you can never say never, but along with the fact that SESI is a privately held company, Kim’s passion for Houdini and the craft of CG, i think SESI is pretty safe.
The main thing people really worry about with acquisitions is, possible price increase, lack of innovation, job security (if you work for the target) and possible discontinuation of the product. And although Kim never said it in so many words, i felt the message he was putting out was SESI are in control of their products, their creative path and want to serve their customers to the best of their abilities.
back to business
So anyone notice the title of this blog post. This thing is meant to be about anatomy. I just thought i would take the opportunity to inform people of current affairs (yeah like you dont already know, but it will be cool to look back on this in the future)
Regular readers will probably know i have dabbled a little in anatomy over the year. Little attempts that i spend way to much time on and eventually looks horrible/wrong. Well the main reason it looks so bad is my knowledge on anatomy.
So last week i ordered a book, recommended by Scott Eaton (recent addition to the Artists/Modellers links). “Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist”. If there is anyone looking to further their knowledge for artistic purposes GET THIS BOOK. Its a cheap, informative and exhaustive look into anatomy for the artist. (ok thats the plug of the post). Get it now.
In the interim i decided to try learn as much as i could. One area where my skills have always failed me is when i model the back. I just never turns out right.
So i took a few anatomical images and decided to do an ecorche study (which i have never done before). (above right)
Also I wanted to sculpt the image on the left to completion but i knew i didnt have the knowledge or the reference to do it justice, so it will sit quitely on my hard drive untill i feel im upto it.
But eventualy the book. Ive spent the last two days just crawling over the images and text with no discernible order but this morning i decide to put this thing to use.
I did my first sculpture of a back in a very very long time.
It took a little over an hour from a base mesh.
I almost exclusively used the clay tubes brush, and built up the forms and boney structures and i must say it was a joy to watch my model come to life. Its not perfect, in fact i can already see areas that need a lot more work but i think its some of the best work ive done since its rooted in actual anatomy.
I dont expect to create models with the same quality i usually do using this technique and knowledge.
It will take a little time and patience, but already i have cranked something out in an hour of what might take me well over 3, and thats because i knew what i was looking for and not just trying to replicate an image pixel for pixel. So it’s a lot of practice really, its probably the biggest factor that will make you / me faster.
Andrew Loomis: Figure Drawing for all its worth
Along with these images the first thing i did when i decided to get back into anatomy was to look at the resources i already had. A few years ago i remember a few of Andrew Loomis’s books. One in particular that sparked my interest was “Figure Drawing for all its worth”. Alot of useful stuff and is a very good read. Its pretty hard for me to read book on the computer, dont know why but the books were out of print at the time. but i have heard his family are to re-release them (so i will stay tuned for that).
One of the early exercises in the book is on proportion. Many tips in the this section but here is my first attempt of the idyllic man.
I wish i could talk more about this but this post is already getting a bit long in the tooth.
I cant wait to see where this book takes me, im having a lot of fun and learning stuff along the way.
So over the next 50 years you will probably see some more images of my learning process. (since i hear it takes a long time to learn this stuff). I still havent come to that crossroads when modelling figures, should i model that penis or vagina? 
Hope to post more frequently in the next few months considering it didnt take that long to make these images and i know thats what a lot of you guys like to see.
And yes, the bee project is still alive. It needs some adjustments but i will be furring it up 
.
Take care, bee safe.
-andrew
