Stephen <mca### [at] aolcom> wrote:
> On 27/05/2013 10:06 PM, TreeLimb Jim wrote:
> > I spent a couple of months working on this and several hours, including sample
> > and example code.
>
> Excellent modelling and animation. Only a couple of months in the making?

I decided to cut it into a project first week in May. The basic 13-note keyboard
object came from another project. Some object development went quickly, defining
component libraries from net-available dimensions or with a scale and calipers.
I think all the amps, connectors, tubes, caps, etc. were defined over three
3-hour evenings, including shape and textures.

I do use a ProjectName_Globals.inc file to keep common textures. I'm using the
..inc files for non-critical stuff but am increasingly using them as a base to
tweak. Getting a wood grain or the amp chassis (still not happy with it)
Define T_Carcass, and then extend the definition to T_CarcassX as texture{
T_Carcass rotate 90*x }, etc. Possibly better to use T_Carcass( Orient ) macro
as texture{ T_Carcass rotate o+Orient } (read one of the .inc files that forces
the parser to interpret the argument as a vector adding o=<0,0,0> or  uv=<0,0>
when convenient!)

A) Did the static modeling.
B) Re-wrote to accommodate animation by basing things off <0,0,0> and
translating, things that were symmetrical were built and then wrapped in a macro
as in Panel( Side, ...) where Side was defined as Left=-1, Right =1.
C) Wrote splines for cables.
D) Wrote splines for animation paths. Used clock from 0.0-1.0. This way I could
control steps and tweens by frames. Only rendered partials with lowest
resolution, quality, components.

E) Rendered frames that didn't require wires as I re-wrote the dynamics of
animating their 'growth'. Next time I'll take better care as to the origins of
end pieces and paths. The chapter timeline makes the animation component move
between Start_Component and End_Component. When the chapter clock >
End_Component it places a static object. That's why the wires look like they are
'plugged in' at the end of their 'growth'.

THANKS TO A WORKING GUI! Command line stuff would have been tweaking huge amount
of scripts, which is do-able but would take my muse from right-brained work to
left-brained.

Use of multiple cameras is helpful. The tools to do that are somewhat broken. I
usually have a prototyping camera set that project four views in adjacent
panels: ortho, Xaxis, Yaxis, Zaxis. MegaPOV did this well.

The 1300-odd renderings were finalized on an iMac 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo and a Mac
Mini 2GHz Core 2 Duo. It probably would have been faster if I farmed out the
renderings to the spare horsepower of my friend's iMac 3.6GHz Quad i7, but
that's another story in distributed processing and put/get scripting.

>
> What is the story with the hedgehog?
>

This sketch was getting entirely too serious (or silly). Needed some humor.

Spiny Norman is a reference to Monty Python's sketch Ethel the Frog. Check the
Wiki and the Monty Python YouTube channel. Python fans will understand.

Al Hirshfield used to place his daughter's name in nearly every one of his ink
drawings. I may continue this tradition in his honor.


I could be out on a limb
Treelimb Jim

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