Rocky is "Finished"!

Well, I had a little time to work on the movie this evening and darned if I didn't get Rocky colored...





So, I now declare the Rocky model "finished"!

Of course, I put "finished" in quotes because I'm always tweaking the models a little here and there and because the only model that is rigged is the Power Dog model so really, none of the models are truly finished.

In case I haven't mentioned it before, "rigging" is basically giving the models bones so I can move and position them in various poses. It is essentially the thing that gives them life and movement and it is going to take me a while to figure that out.

So, what's next? Well, I need to experiment with the rigging of the models and see what I can do with them. It is what I was working on with Power Dog before I decided to take a break and make the rest of the models. Now I have the models done so it's back to where I was a couple of months ago...working on the animation of the characters.

Once I get that done I'll be able to work on the backgrounds. Once I get the hang of merging the backgrounds with the models then it will finally be time to start making the movie.

I still have a long way to go before that day arrives. As always, I will keep you posted. :)

Rocky Is Almost Finished!

Alright!

It's been another crazy, busy week. I promised to have the Rocky model finished by today and almost made it!

Here is what I've got so far...



As you can see, the model is arguably done. As far as the character design, she is finished. Now all she needs is a little color, which I will try to get to this weekend.

It's the last weekend of summer so it's gonna be pretty busy around here as we get the kiddo's settled for the new school year.

The bad news is the kids summer is coming to an end and I'm gonna miss having them around. The good news is that starting Monday I will be able to dedicate a lot more time to the movie. I know that's hard to believe. July was a busy month for the movie but August has been a nightmare. Now with a little more free time, I will be able to get back to making my vision a reality.

As soon as Rocky is completely done I will let you know!

Still Working on Rocky Model!

Hey everyone,

I have only spent about 30 minutes on the Rocky model this week. I'm really trying to get some things done around the house (things I've been putting off so I can work on the movie) and it is leaving me with little time to work on the movie.

Still, I feel the need to post what little progress I've done on the model...



As you can see, Rocky is doing a Venus de Milo impression (one with a top at least). Don't worry! I'm still working on the model and promise to have it done by this time next week.

I'll keep you posted!

Been Really Busy but Managed to do Some More Work!

Hey guys,

Well, I mentioned last week that I didn't think I'd have a whole lot of time this week to work on the model and that has been the case.

I did find a couple of hours to work on the Rocky model today and although it doesn't look like I've done much I really did get a lot accomplished.

The problem with this particular model is the hair. Thomas' hair was short and spikey and that was fairly easy to animate but because Rocky's hair is long and straight it was giving me some trouble.

The other thing throwing me for a loop was the eyelashes. Thomas doesn't have any because he's a boy but it looked weird not having them on Rocky. As you can see below, I have added eyelashes. I'm not sure that I'm done with them but at least they're there for now.

So, here's the pic of what I've done today.



Later this week I'm going to start working on her body. I'm sorry this is takng so long but I'm really trying to get some things done around the house (projects I've been putting off for far too long) and I have family in town this week (Hi Mom!) and I'm trying to spend time with them as well.

So for now, this is what I've got done. I'll keep you posted!

Well, I Said I'd Keep You Posted!

Hey guys,

I know. I just posted that I hadn't got much done on the Rocky model this week but I had a couple of hours to work on her since posting and I thought I'd share what I got...



Obviously, I have a lot more to do, but since I went a week without posting anything I thought I'd at least put out what I got so far.

I'll keep you posted.

Haven't Been Working on the Movie This Last Week!

Hey guys!

Well, it has been a crazy week. I've been doing a lot of work around the house and have had little time to work on the movie.

This next week doesn't look any better as far as free time goes so I'm not sure how much time I'll have to work on the Rocky model but I will do as much as I can and I will keep you all posted!

Don't worry. I'm still working on the movie! :)

Starting Over on Rocky Model!

Well, it is as I feared...

I'm starting over on the Rocky model.

To be honest, I really don't mind. There were certain aspects of what I had done that I wasn't completely happy with but too hesitant to start over.

Perhaps this is a higher power's way of telling me to do what I should have done already...scrap it and begin anew.

I'll keep you posted.

May Have to Start Over on Rocky Model!

Hey guys,

Well, it's been a couple of days since I posted and that is because I seem to have hit a serious snag with the Rocky model.

After a couple of days of everything going great it seems something has happened to corrupt both the primary and backup models of the Rocky character. I am completely caught off guard.

I've had models corrupt before. The first time it happened it was with the Power Dog model. I learned then to keep backup copies. Since then, I've had the occasional problem but my backup copy always pulled my butt out of the fire. For the first time ever, both my files have something wrong with them!

I'm trying to salvage what I can but so far it isn't going well. I'll spend another day messing with the salvage attempt and if the model is still not working then I'll have no choice but to start over.

To give you an idea of how complex these models are, I usually have to compress them and they're still around 4G in size. Right now, the Rocky models are over 10G and that's compressed! That is usually the first indicator that something is wrong.

So, like I said, I'll give it one more day before I start over.

I'll keep you posted.

Think I Got the Hair Figured Out!

Hey guys,

After a couple hours and a completely different approach to Rocky's hair I think I got it figured out...



As you can see, I've started moving on to her body. I'm gonna call it a day and work on it some more tomorrow.

I'll let you know how that goes.

Can't Tell, but I've Been Working Hard on the Rocky Model!

Well, I don't know that it shows, but I've been busting my butt on the Rocky model.

I've spent the last day working on the shape of her face and her hair. The reason the shape of the face is so important is I do want it to look like her (in case you didn't know Rocky and Thomas are my kids) but she also has to look like she comes from the same world as the other characters who are all characterchers of themselves. I think I'm getting pretty close so I don't mind sharing.



The other problem has been her hair. I'm still not happy with it but I think it's getting better. Unlike Thomas, who had short, spiky hair, Rocky's hair is long and flowing. Believe it or not, that's harder to animate.

So, I'll continue to bust my butt on this model that is only in the movie for one minute. It'll be worth it though since her character has a bigger part in the sequel.

That is, if I ever get done with this movie!