Obviously, I'm Taking an Extended Break...

Hey guys,

It's looking like 2015 is not going to be a good year for Xam and Power Dog.  :(

I have a ton of stuff going on right now.  I've got a new job that I love but it is taking a lot of my time which doesn't leave me with much time to work on the movie.

On top of that, we're coming up on August, which is when we officially start working on Hollinger Hollow!

Frequent viewers of this blog, if I have any left after such little activity, will know that Halloween is a very big deal in my family and I never have any free time to work on my movie.  Plus, November and December offer very little time due to the importance of the holidays.

So, I wouldn't expect too many more updates here at Xam and Power Dog this year.  I genuinely feel terrible about that.  That said, I'm really kicking around some great ideas for my favorite fuzzy super heroes so when I finally am able to spend some time on the project I should be ready to work!

That's all for now.

Talk to you later!

Rough Opening for Movie!

Hey guys,

Okay, so, it's been a while since I posted anything.  It has been a real long time.  I'm sorry for that.  Work has been keeping me very buys, sending me all over the world.

But, I haven't been completely idle.  I have been working some on the movie, specifically, the very beginning of it, the opening titles.

Now, this is still very much a work in progress, but I wanted to post something since it's been months since my last post.

So, here it is, a rough cut of the opening sequence...





And there you have it.

I know, not terribly exciting.  But that's because I'm not remotely close to finishing it.  I still have a lot of sound to add.

So, hang around.  Who knows when the next post is coming.

Later!

Building The Solar System!

Hey guys,

I know, yesterday I said I'd be pretty busy and that updates may not be coming in as regularly, but I had some free time today and started working on building a model of our solar system.

Why?  Well, the opening credits follow the meteor that gives everyone their powers as it travels along it's path to Earth.  So, thinking this would be easy, I started working on it.

Although the process is easy, I spent most of the day researching how far apart the planets are and their size when compared to their moon.  Then I had to decide which moons to even make (Jupiter has 69 moons).  Then I started modeling.

Long story short, I ended up spending several hours on this.

Here's a quick pic!

This is a shot of the Earth as seen from the sun.  I think it's hilarious!  In the pic, you can clearly see the Earth and the Moon, along with Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.  Believe it or not, Uranus and Neptune are in this shot as well.  Heck, I know where they are and I still can't see them.  That's how far apart everything is!  You can see the planets that are easily visible with the naked eye (with the exception of Venus which is behind the camera) on a clear night and you can't see Uranus and Neptune, which I have never been able to see with the naked eye.  I love it! (and I hope that last sentence made sense)

Anyway.  Just a quick update.  Now back to work!

Later!

Finished New T-Boom Animation Test!

Hey guys,

It's been a very busy week since my last post.  Unfortunately, work is taking a lot of my time lately.  I can't really complain.  I love my job.

At any rate, I finally got around to running a test on the new T-Boom model.  Since he's a modified version of Thomas, all I really need to do is test out his hoodie and make sure it moves properly.

This new test doesn't exactly do that, but I've worked enough with this new rig behind the scenes to know it will work for my movie.

So, here it is, the new T-Boom test!





And there you have it!

I also updated the All Character Animation Test to include the new Thomas and T-Boom models.

And here that is!





And there you go. So, now what?

I need to start animating this movie. The only problem I have is I don't have the sets complete and I want to go over the script again. I know, I know. I've done the script review a dozen times. What can I say? I really want to make sure it is film ready. I have no intention of doing any rewrites. I simply want to tighten up the dialogue wherever needed and make sure it flows well.

I also am going to be very busy the next couple of weeks on work related issues. The only reason I mention that here is to explain why there may be a lack of updates this next month. I haven't given up on my movie. I just won't be able to focus on it as much as I would like until the work project is done.

So, keep checking back from time to time. I may surprise you and have an update or two.

Later!

Updated Banner Page!

Hey guys,

Was able to work on the hoodie over the weekend and it is now good to go.

I need to make a test video to ensure everything works properly but I was able to update the banner page with an updated T-Boom image. At first I thought I'd just do a new one altogether but I really like that banner image so, since I keep all my work files, I just removed the old image and added the new, did a few updates and BLAM! Only took me minutes to complete.

Here it is, just in case you want to download the image.

So, I have a very busy week ahead of me. I hope I can find time to work on the test video.

Check back from time to time. Hopefully, I have it here soon.

Later!

Got T-Boom's Hoodie Added!

Hey guys,

I've added T-Boom's hoodie and he is moving right along.

I need to rig his hoodie to move with his body and then I'll do a quick animation test.

I'm not planning on doing a test nearly as complicated as the one I did for Thomas. The point of this test will be to make sure his clothes move properly. Since this model is a modified Thomas model I know his phonemes are good.

I'm going into my weekend so it may be a few days until I get to all this.

I'll keep you updated!

Later!

Holidays Are Over! Back To Work!

Hey everyone,

Well, as the title says, the holidays are over and I'm thinking 2015 is gonna be a great year for the movie.

I've already started working on the T-Boom 4.0 model.

Now, this is just a work in progress. I've already started making some changes I'm not sure are gonna stick, but it's fun to mess around. As you can see, I've made his glasses red and given him new camouflage pants, one that incorporates all the colors of his costume. As I said, I don't know if I'm gonna keep them but I won't be making that decision until I've added his hoodie.

So, keep checking in. I plan on doing a lot this year.

Hopefully, by years end, I'll even be making this movie.

Later!

Final Posting for 2014!

Hey Guys,

One last post for the year.  I've updated the blog with a holiday banner and I thought I'd add it here so you can download a copy if you want.

And may you have a Wonderful Holiday and a Happy New Year!

See you in 2015!

Thomas 4.0 Character Test!

Hey everyone,

Well, I'm gonna say I'm finished with the new Thomas model's animation test. There are a few things that could be better, but as far as a test goes, this did that. His lip sync could be better, especially in the beginning of the clip, but his speech controls work as does his rigging for his body movements. Everything, as far as that goes, looks good.

So, here is the test.  Enjoy!





And there you go.

So, now I need to build the T-Boom model, which won't take as long since he will be a modified Thomas. Still, I don't see me getting that done before the new year.

So, if this is my last post for 2014, have a great holiday season and I'll see you in 2015!

Later!

Thomas Now Completely Rigged!

Hey guys,

So, I finally found some time to finish rigging Thomas' eyes and I can now turn his head and have his eyes follow, as well as target where his eyes are looking.

That means the Thomas model is done (baring some fine tuning that is always discovered during animation).

Speaking of animation.  It's time to start doing a test animation on Thomas and make sure he is good to go.

I have no idea how long that will take since I'm not sure how much time I will have.  This is the most unproductive time of the movie, sadly.

I'll certainly post it when it's done.

Later!