Houston We Have A Problem.....

After putting some ridges on the top surface and some lights around the edge, I figured it was time for a flight test.......

This is a really quick test clip to see how the UFO looks as it starts it's engines, retracts it's legs and takes off. There are some elements of the idea that I like, particularly the acceleration of rotation and the weight of the ufo as the legs are retracted, and others that I really dislike including the very quick take off.... it seemed like a good idea at the time but next time I think I'll try something a little more steady.

This really demonstrates the importance of testing concept.... an idea can seem great but when it is put into practice it might suck!

Retro Saucer

It's been a couple of weeks since I posted the little alien guy here and I figured it was high time that I put something new up here, so here's something I made yesterday to help the little alien zip around the universe.......

It's a very simple model again, this time taking design notes from the 1956 classic "Earth Vs the Flying Saucers"..... view the trailer for the VFX spectacular HERE. The hydraulics in the legs and the feet are all independently poseable, the upper side can be rotated and the door on the underside can open and close.

There's still work to be done on the model before I can say it's complete including some kind of crazy death ray being fixed to the underside door and some detailing needs to be applied to the upper surface to demonstrate the rotation. It shouldn't take too long and I'll post up the finished model when it's done.

Little Green Man

I made this little guy for my students to use in the VFX module that they are about to begin. He's a simple rigged character with a few blendshapes for expression and correction.... the basics are there for the students to expand from.

My students are already aware of and understand the rigging techniques required to create a simple character like this so hopefully, after a couple of sessions, the power of blendshapes will also become clear to them.