With the basic game dynamics working, I started to add animation to the assets.  Blender's glTF exporter makes exporting animations to webGL relatively simple, but there were still plenty of Opportunities For Learning (OFL) to occur.  :)

One challenge with working on a project part-time is the variation in the look and feel of the models created.   I didn't have a good sense of whether I wanted the game to feel realistic or cartoony.  I didn't know if I wanted something that felt modern or pseudo-historical.  That generated a wide variation in the assets I created.  But I finally found some reference images that were close to what I wanted, so I went back and started updating the assets, concentrating on keeping everything consistent.

With the basic game dynamics working, it is time to get started on the visual elements of the game.  The plan is to use openGL on a browser for the interactive/dynamic elements.  During the first attempt at creating a game, this was killed the project.  This time, I am trying to take a structured, building-block approach.  Creating the elements has, so far, been fairly simple!

The first task was to design an overall program structure that would share data efficiently between the server (running node.js), the game board (planned to be served in a web browser) and several player mobile devices (also in web browsers).   

One of the many spin-offs from the Game of Life board game was a game called Life on the Farm.  I thought I would attempt to recreate the game on the computer.  Further, I want to  make the gameplay similar to the JackBox games, where each contestant interacts with the game through his or her phone, viewing the game board on a common (usually TV) screen. 

When a family member moved to a different house, I decided to memorialize their old house with a 3-D model and associated visualization.  It had been at least six months since I had done anything architecture-related and I was pleasantly surprised to find that both the Blender 2.8X update and associated Add-Ons continue to make the workflow better and faster!

In my first post about creating terrain in Blender, I discussed using BlenderGIS to combine multiple georeferenced sources into a single terrain.  This post will deal with the addon, Mirage, which I feel is better suited to creating either imaginary terrain, or terrain from an existing heightmap and then adding procedural rocks, trees, vegetation, snow, etc. as material(s) on that mesh.

I have tried creating environments in Blender and other 3D programs.  Usually it involved a lot of time and effort and resulted in frustration.  Part of my problem was that I tried to create too much of the world that was never to be seen by the camera, leading me to my Lessons Learned #1.  I've recently experimented with two Blender add-ons that make the process easier; BlenderGIS and Mirage.  They each have their strengths, depending on what you want to do.

 This is the second in a series. You can start the series here. Building on the previous episode of 3D airflow over a wing section, this episode calculates the lift and drag.

This is the second in a series.  You can start the series here.   The series follows my journey figuring out how to use OpenFOAM for something more than repeating tutorials that already exist!    Sometimes that journey gets a little rocky!   :)

This is Episode 1 in this series using FreeCAD and the CfdOF Workbench  to work through various OpenFOAM cases.  This is a 2D, inviscid, transient run.

Out of a nerdy curiosity, I have been interested in visualizations made possible by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) for some time.  It seems that OpenFOAM is a very capable, open-source option.  However, much of the setup and operation is through individual text files and command-line invocations.  For the 'recreational CFD-er', a Graphical User Interface (GUI) seems to be more productive.

​I'm starting a series of models, all involving commercial airline aircraft.  Starting off is the Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ) 700-series, known as the CRJ-700.

 This is a project I started almost a year ago, but which soon stalled.  I'm back to actively working on recreating one of the paintings in the series, ​Piazzo San Marco​, by the artist Giovanni Antonio Canal.

In anticipation of Easter, I thought a little frivolity was in order.  

 I have been experimenting with the SwiftBlock addons that simplify the process of taking a mesh in Blender and defining that mesh in OpenFOAM.  There are two versions and both are about at the same level of development.  While they both work as advertised, I have come to the conclusion that neither will be appropriate for complex models.  It was at this point, the little voice in the back of my head said, 'Of course, dummy!  A wise man once said, "Always use the right tool for the job!"' (That little voice loves to quote himself!)  While Blender is great for visualizing the results of numerical analysis, it was not made for creating the meshes used in said numerical analysis.  Luckily, I found something that is the right tool for the job...

 I finally made the plunge and contributed an answer to Blender's StackExchange.  It easier (and less scary) than I thought!

This is a permanent post--I will update it occasionally.  Some aspects of being an artist, and improving as an artist are difficult: it requires skill, creativity, passion and vision.  Progress generally involve hard work and there are seldom short-cuts.  But other aspects are primarily a matter of organization and discipline.  If you reduce your 'wasted' time, you'll have more time to devote to the time-intensive activities.  The list below is where I usually find myself wasting time, causing a 2-hour project to turn into a 2-day project.