revilleaj

[revilleaj]

Silly

if you get the reference, you deserve a soul

[revilleaj]

i don't know what to post right now so

[revilleaj]

Updates #2

Good day, or night or whatever. It has been a few months since my previous post, which was another update. That was a long one, but this one will be shorter.

I have finally built a new computer. The MacBook I was previously using won't be used unless I ever decide to tinker with it in the future. There's no point going back to it, because this new machine is so much faster.

Also, I'm still trying to get a job. Things have been mostly the same in that sector...

Anyways, here's the latest drawing I made on my MacBook a month ago. Even though everything was slow, it was surprisingly fun and mostly easy to draw. This is also a preview of a slight redesign of Robodi; his legs are now tubes just like his arms and tail, as they are easier to draw and animate while allowing him to be shorter.

Hopefully things continue to improve. At the end of June, I entered a slight depression which I have since overcome. I keep worrying about my friends and family more than myself. The past 6 months were mostly bad, so I want the rest of the year to be at least decent just to balance things out.

[revilleaj]

Updates (and why there's been inactivity)

I hate to sound sappy, but I really hope there isn't more drama regarding recent changes on here. At least I can opt out of data being sold to AI websites, but the fact it's on by default alongside some other stuff I've heard about is rather a little worrying. I know alternatives are going to pop-up here and there, but most suffer from toxic communities or just die off quickly. This is the only social media website where more of my friends are available, as almost everyone has since left X.

Anyways, I have been inactive for quite a while, about nearly a month, because the battery in my MacBook died. This makes the whole thing forcibly underclocked until the battery gets replaced. I can't even boot into Windows nor Linux anymore, as it is too weak to do so. Everything just feels really sluggish, it's miserable. I can't even draw, because every line I make becomes angular.

I'm not going to bother continue maintaining this machine. I mean, it is 12 years old now. I'm aiming to build a new computer, now that I have enough money, but getting the parts has been quite difficult. There's just also the fact I am worrying if the parts will arrive when I am busy or away. I have so much going on in my life right now (trying to get a job while companies rarely get back to me, and I've been getting way too many tasks to complete in such short time etc.), I don't know when I can actually get a new PC.

Hopefully it all gets sorted out before Summer. I really want to get at least something more than just a drawing or so done before the end of the year.

[revilleaj]

Art update & 3D Robodi model images

It has been quite a while since I've last really done anything online. I've been heavily burned out and tired constantly since at least December or so (I have done drawings in months prior, but I have never posted them publically). I still do not have a new computer, even though I have enough money (about £1k) to buy the parts or even an entire computer, but there are other factors in life that need more attention being put towards right now.

I'm still in the midst of trying to get a job (damn required experience and driving license listings!), and drawing right now is bottom priority. It feels like a chore and it's not fun when I have rusted from not drawing in so long (making so many mistakes really sets off my anger problems). I really do not like being pressured into trying to do things, and I have been experimenting with 3D, but only to an extent.

So, with that said, I am going to put making newer drawings on hold for an indefinite amount of time until I feel motivated enough to draw. I'm not done with art entirely and I never will be, but I think I really shouldn't pressure myself as if art is some kind of requirement in life. I've been also having drawing tablet issues, and I noticed there's a small crack in my Huion that I haven't been able to use almost ever since I had it (thankfully the thing still works, and the crack is near the top, only half getting on the drawing area).

I may also finally add some images to my empty DeviantArt account. As much as I do not like that website nor its community, I think it would work if I just put my favorite drawings I've worked on there, specifically ones up until the end of 2023. All of the really old and weaker art (mostly from 2018 and 2020, and anything from 2017) I won't be reposting, as they no longer reflect me, and have not done so for a very long time.

-----

Now, for the second topic of this post, and in a much better light; the 3D Robodi model. I'm sure I've talked about this years ago on Twitter. Back in 2020, when I was still in my first year of university, I worked on a 3D model of one of my characters named Robodi, using Cinema 4D. It was never finished, but I did learn quite a bit when working on it. Here's some newer screenshots of him, now that I've managed to pick back up an older version of C4D (I do not like the 2022 UI layout change):

This is the last version of the model to not be animated, from May 2020. The image is rendered using the Sketch & Toon shader with the Standard renderer. A few options were altered to remove unnecessary outlines.

The model in the renderer itself; right is the objects list, bottom are the materials (vertex colors and textures, some with C4D specific features).

The last ever version of this specific model from September 2021, with the FOV heavily reduced to improve the depth. A single black thin cube was added between the eyes to create a fake extra outline. A bit of a hacky effect; I did not know how to do inverted normals, in fact I don't think I knew that was how most computer games handled outlines.

The very first saved version of the model, in Cinema 4D's editor, made earlier in May 2020. The pieces have default names and are not parented, some materials are not added yet, and the shapes are noticeably bigger, especially the base of the head and the torso.

I once experimented with "realistic" materials and shading (including the dreadfully slow Global Illumination), which doesn't make the most sense for a cartoon character. Here you can see the unit plate on the back of his head, which I don't think I have ever shown before. The camera may look close here, but it's actually extremely far away with a very low FOV (dubbed Super-Telescope). Some textures are no longer in the project files, so this looks slightly off from how it did back in 2020.

In October 2021, I went back to the older May 2020 model and decided to try and remake it. I realized that using one mesh and extruding it works a lot better with the Sketch & Toon shader, as it does not create unnecessary outlines when the default shader options are left the way they are. The lines in the middle of the eyes and nose are from the shader, rather than a black material cube. Of course, it would be more wise to just duplicate each mesh, enlarge them and invert the normals while applying a pitch black texture to them. I abandoned the model shortly after the progress I made here, and I am not sure why. Maybe I was burned out and lost interest.

I should probably try to attempt making a 3D model of him again and some others, now that I know a lot more than I did nearly 4 years ago (yeah, can you believe it has also been nearly 6 years since my Reville character was created? Robodi was first created in mid-2019; almost 5 years ago! Good things take time and care). It will be a difficult task, but I'll make sure to export whatever I make to a .FBX model, so that it doesn't get lost to C4D licensing Hell. Hopefully, that would make the models work in Blender and such (the materials will have to be baked into textures however, instead of being separate C4D ones. At least .FBX doesn't use an external material file unlike .OBJ, which I and others have had issues with). Maybe I could use them for rotoscoping or somethin'.

Here's hoping to me eventually finding motivation, losing my tiredness, and getting a job with stable income alongside continuing to work on my passion projects, no matter how much time has past since the day I first thought of them. I want to keep doing things, not resting in bed most of my days. Too bad winter is freezing cold where I live, and I suffer from mild hypothermia...

[revilleaj]

Where I've been.

It's been a while since I've logged into nearly anything. The reason I've taken so long is because not only have I been busy, but I don't really have anything on my mind to post about right now.

From June to October, I was running Linux, which had some technical issues with my drawing tablet. I'm running Windows now (after a lot of tinkering to get the audio working on this machine), so I might put out more stuff in the near future.

I'm not sure what I will do with my other accounts on other platforms. I was thinking of deleting my X account, but then I would not be able to see posts there or get newer updates from my remaining friends on it.

I don't have much interest in making more social media accounts. I hardly even use Mastodon, so I know well that I would barely use Bluesky if I ever do make an account there after getting an invite code (not to mention then anyone who doesn't have access to Bluesky won't be able to see my posts).

So, Tumblr will be my primary place of posting stuff publically, which is rarely (for now, at least), but I much prefer what is going on here to what is going on in X. Say what you want, but I'd rather deal with some of the "typical people" from here than be charged for making posts or whatever happens next on X.