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This simple engraving of text was a major pain in the ass. I started with two spline primitives, one for the text and another for the rectangle. Made them both editable and then connected them via the Connect command. I parented the resulting combined spline to an Extrude NURBS object. Lastly, I applied a subtle motion blur just to the spin to spice it up.

I realized from making this that the order of the objects I animate is crucial to getting a clean animation. This is especially clear when working with the F-Curve editor. First animate the main subject as completely as you can with the F-Curves and then move onto the camera and its F-Curves.

Today finally marks my first image upload and retrieval via PHP. One thing I couldn’t figure out was how to name the images so that they were inherently unique. The CMS project in the book inserts all the other data of the record and then adds the picture afterwards and uses mysqli_id to retrieve the last queried id which is unique. But what if the image is the only thing in the record besides the id? How do you get the id of the record you’re about to add before adding it? Next step is deleting the image that was uploaded.

I’ve decided that I really have to master C4D once and for all. The two areas I want to focus on are animation to music and lighting. Keeping the shapes extremely simple and the textures to a minimum will enable me to do this. I’m also going to split the two focii into two projects: one for the animation and another for the lighting studies. The music for my first project, I have already picked out: Rae & Christian’s’ Armoadozeski Therapy-Strudel Strut.

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I’ve fallen in love with this shader called Nukei. It’s a material that looks like die-cast metal dipped in some thick transparent lacquer. It’s being used on the animation above. Two omni lights are being used. The object is moving forward as it does a 180° spin. The camera is also moving. Lastly, I’m using Sketch and Toon to make the background a solid color with no surface.

I had been so disappointed with sIFR in my previous use of it on this blog until I realized that it was really my own problem to figure out how to make it work. Version 3 seems to have cleared up a lot of my issues from the previous version. So that’s what I’m using on these entry titles. However, I was sad to see that my iPod touch does not display even the html version. It’s just a matter of time it seems ’til Apple figures out a way to deal with the energy drain of flash movies. Despite that, I still think sIFR is well-worth using.

I’d have to say that one of the most important things I’ve learned this year is to go straight for what you want. Take the shortest path to it. Figure out exactly what you want and then devise the shortest route. Time is of the essence. Cut as many corners as you can. This, I’ve learned gives you a cursory yet solid understanding of what you’re dealing with. From there, go back and fill in the details. Nobody said that you cannot come back and take other longer and possibly more scenic routes at a later time. The key is to keep yourself interested so that you don’t deviate from that path and thus lose the benefit of momentum.

The photographs of Henri Cartier-Bresson are about the decisive moment: that precise moment in time when events and things converge in a way that is not repeatable. That is what’s been on my mind lately. Must be ready for any experience. Otherwise, watch from the sidelines as the opportunities pass by.

This is evident with my experience with RDA. From the moment I whimsically responded to a job posting on Craig’s List to this day when I seized an opportunity to build something in order to learn-by-doing. I don’t even ask anymore.

After helping build the front-end of four content management systems in PHP, you’d think I’d have a good handle on how the PHP works. When I worked on those projects, I never had time to figure out what Jameson did. However, I definitely have a stronger understanding now in comparison to when we were building the first CMS.

So I finally reached the object-oriented chapter in this great PHP book I’ve been reading. At last, I clearly understand dynamic html page creation using classes. I found it very interesting that the book used classes as templates for html pages while Jameson uses them as objects that get passed around and referenced from page to page.

Also today, I built a quick form submission page for the Asian American International Film Festival. I’ve been wanting to figure out how to use the html mime mail package Jameson and Steve used for their php mail sending needs. With a little help from the internet, I managed to get it working and realized that the package was more than what I thought it was. Highly configurable and much easier to use than I thought. Check it out.

From the moment I woke up this morning, I’ve been practicing variations of the Mozambique. Then in the afternoon, I started practicing a new groove, a five stroke roll played on the hihat and snare. I was reminded of the lack of control in my left hand fingers. Made significant progress thanks to the electronic drumset. It was definitely a smart purchase. On June 24th, I bought my acoustic drumset (Yamaha Tour Custom), but I found out a few days later that it wasn’t going to be shipped ’til the end of August. Not a big deal since I’m not in a hurry to get them; I just wanted to take advantage of a 10% off coupon.

The careful selection of tools and materials is an integral part of an artist’s vision. If an artist is able to make the choice, then it’s his duty to his audience and to himself to make the best choice possible. I used to force myself to use awkward instruments to make my art in order to challenge myself just for the sake of challenge. But when it came down to it, it didn’t feel right and hence I was unable to express myself clearly. Life is just too short to “beat around the bush”. So now I choose carefully so that I can cut to the chase.