1911.2.O Tail no. 104

1911.2.O Tail no. 104, as delivered in April 10th 1913, to FAOO Vasilyevna, the first to engage in aerial combat in the Great War.

Aside from changes I made to reflect going from prototype to production model, there are a few mistakes I caught which I'll have to go fix on the prototype. Going to Ikkicon for NYE's weekend, should be fun. Last week in Austin, still working on the Heron. Hope 2012 will be great, and not the end of the world. ;)

Heron WIP

This project has me shifting my hours to something more inline with how "normal people" live their lives - regular business hours. I can still go home whenever I want, and catch a nap if I don't have any other plans, so I'm not quite there. Anyways, just WIP on the APRD heron, showing my model, hand painted texture and rig. There's plenty of work left, but I think I just might be happy with where I'm at before I pack up and leave for Berkeley, hoping the weather favors me as I plan to take my time and see the sights. :)

1911.2.1 No. 002

The first flying prototype, loaned to the to Army Air Observation Branch on September 23rd 1911, for operational evaluations.

1911.2.1 Top View

Finally, the last orthographic view for the 1911.2.1 Prototype. Well, sort of. For one thing, those wings came out really fat. Since I've been tweaking the other views as I went along, I may go back to this one as well and address that.

1911.2.1 Front View

Front view of my jet powered biplane prototype. These take so long, especially now that I have to make sure everything aligns with what I have already established. Taking that into account, I think it'll end up in my portfolio, even thought I'm not quite sure it fits. After I'm done with the top view, then the fun really starts - production models with appropriate modifications and camouflage and markings all around. :)

1911.2.1 Side View

I'm deviating from the path I planned to take with my personal projects, the hazard of not having a boss hovering over my shoulder. At least I'm having fun, right. It'll be good to have more illustrator work in my portfolio, and what first started as a pain in the ass turned into a blast (what a difference a day makes.) I made some changes to the earlier illustration to make it more plausible and give me some room for future growth. Poor tail wheel will get burned off, but at least the engine won't scrape on the tarmac as bad. That's why you need prototypes ;D

Zeppelins and 3D

We have a winner for the Austin Parks and Recreation. I'm a little surprised they chose the heron. Fun shape through. :)

Before I started working on the bird, I practiced with this case fan. Blender still feels awkward, and I haven't even touched anything outside modeling. I'll have to figure out lighting, textures and cameras at the very least, with things like rigging, animation and particles bonuses if I have the time.

On the personal side, I've been having fun with zeppelins/blimps for the past couple of sketch nights, and thought I would do a few more digitally.

As I was working on them, I started thinking I should do something interesting with the planes of this universe, and strapping jet engines on wooden biplanes seemed like it would be fun. This is the 1911.2.1 prototype, seen in pre-war "bean pattern." (Can you tell I have further plans for this? ;) )

ANSC Trade Counter Front Rev. 1

Finally got critique on these cards, which I kept at the back of my mind, but had to open and take a look to remember what she was commenting on. No.2 one, with 1 at a close second. I agree with the choice, I think the art nouveau style fits well with the concept, and would be a good challenge. I'm already seeing things I want to change, and I will work on the back as well.

I'm also going to sneak into the Susanna Dickinson museum in the mornings. My sketches are still being passed around and reviewed, but I need to familiarize myself with the idiosyncrasies of Blender.

Austin bird sketches

A few cartoon birds, all Austin area natives (I hope :D ) Preliminary sketches for a 3D model I plan to do for Austin Parks & Recreation, to be featured in their publication. I hope I finish it before I leave to Berkeley, CA, as I'm working on their computer. It'll be great to have more published work in my portfolio, and showcase more of my 3D skills. I'll keep you posted.

Song Bird

Started digging deeper into designing aliens for my game concept, I thought a good first contact would be an alien that could heal, and doing it with sound would be an interesting concept. This reminded me of how barn owl use their face as satellite dishes, and I took it from there. The healing aspect then changed to buff/debuff using songs on one skill branch, while the other will turn these aliens into skilled night fighters. I started sketching adult-sized aliens at sketch night, and took the concept I liked into Photoshop only remember I wanted to go super deformed. I also decided I would call my game "Star Voices" as there will be many playable species, each with their own voice, as well as for the democracy system which will give each played a voice on global game concerns, such as alien diplomacy or research options.