Month Old Blender Donut

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Month Old Blender Donut

Why did it take me over a month to make a donut and coffee?

Because it’s not real!

Most of this scene was made in “Blender”, a 3-d modeling and animation software program. That includes the Donut, Coffee, Plates, Cup, Spoon, Wall and Counter.

The animation was also (partially) done in Blender. However, I’m only running on a laptop, and graphics processing takes a loooooooonnnnngggg time. It took my system 4 hours to generate one second of animation!

So, to make the final video a bit longer, I padded it out with other tricks.

  • It starts out with a static image of the coffee on the table.
  • The donut slides in (1 second of real animation).
  • Added steam to the coffee (green screen fx), and a glowing logo.
  • Used background audio and plate sliding sfx to finish the scene.

The logo was generated separately and added as an overlay in my video editor (Vegas). I also added a green screen movie of some steam for the coffee (found on YouTube). All of these embellishments make it *seem* that there’s 10 seconds of animation. But that would have taken 40 hours or more on my system.

Here’s the final still shot from my project (click for full-size):

Joe-Nut Donut (Blender)

Joe-Nut Donut (Blender)

So… Anyone else take the Donut challenge?

Joe

References:

Blender (program site): Blender.org
Donut Tutorial (Blender Guru): Blender Guru Donut Tutorial (YouTube)
Blender Guru (main site): BlenderGuru.com

 

All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com

 

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Political Artwork

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Political Artwork Over the last 3+ years, I’ve been, uh… inspired? driven? annoyed? … to create a number of Political Artwork pieces. Some are graphics, some songs, posts, etc. Below, in random order, are some of the graphic ones. Maybe … Continue reading

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America: Sorry For Your Loss

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America: Sorry For Your Loss

America: Sorry For Your Loss

America:
Sorry For Your Loss

(Morals, Intelligence, Fairness, Culture, Sanity, World Standing, Children, Laws, Soul, Planet, etc…)

Get Well Soon

I’ve decided this will be my new greeting to fellow Americans. I really hope I don’t need to use it for very long…

But to be honest, both sides of this horror story are losing so much. But the difference is that one side knows what it’s losing. And the other remains terribly clueless.

It would be easy to call names. Stupid. Conned. Racist. But many are just ignorant. And the cure for that is education. Another thing sadly lacking in our country.

And those who refuse to listen? Who don’t want to know?

“Willful Ignorance” is far worse than any amount of stupidity.

Time to get out of our bubbles. See ourselves and “the other”. Mend the wounds. Heal the divide.

But I’m not holding my breath.

Stay sane out there.

Joe

 

All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com

 

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Joe J Thomas: Weird Beard Photoshop

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Joe J Thomas: Weird Beard Photoshop

(click on any picture for a full size wallpaper version!)

It all started with shaving my beard off as a Valentine’s day gift for my wife:
Joe J Thomas: Weird Beard (original)

… then, things got a bit out of hand:
Joe J Thomas: Weird Beard (destruction)

It was time to cool down:
Joe J Thomas: Weird Beard (undersea)

… maybe this is a bit *too* chill?
Joe J Thomas: Weird Beard (yak)

Going for an Andy Warhol vibe on this:
Joe J Thomas: Weird Beard (pattern)

… but my wife said the colors looked like balloons, so:
Joe J Thomas: Weird Beard (balloons)

 

All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com

 

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The Improv Trick

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The Improv Trick

Hey Voice Actor gang!

I’m always recommending Improv as a great tool for voice acting. It helps you to quickly interpret copy, build characters, react to situations and more.

So, if you’re near Los Angeles, check out “The Improv Trick“. It’s run by Second City alum Bill Chott (IMDB page here), and has classes in Sherman Oaks and Pasadena.

Anyone can take the sample class for $20 to try it out. PLUS! If you sign up for the Lifetime class and showcase you can take it again whenever you’d like FREE!

They also have periodic Improv Jam sessions that you can jump in on to practice.

Check out the website for more info at: www.TheImprovTrick.com

… and if you’re not in LA, be sure to look into Rebecca’s Improv for VO (ImproVO), run via Skype at: LoveThatImproVO.com

 

All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com

 

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Artistic Erosion

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Artistic Erosion

Voices.com recently acquired VoiceBank.net.
Now, if you’re not in the voiceover industry, that probably doesn’t mean anything. The upshot is that VoiceBank was a professional clearing house for VO demos and gigs through agencies, whereas Voices is a Pay-To-Play service with questionable business practices that will let anyone with the yearly fee in the door. Not exactly the news a professional VO wants to wake up to.

But let me spell out how it is the continuation of a disturbing trend. Not only in the US, but in many Western cultures around the globe.

One of humanity’s greatest traits is our adaptability… But it can also be our greatest pitfall. It allows us to change when adverse scenarios are thrust upon us. We normalize to them. And that allows us to continue with our lives. However, when presented with a series of ever worsening scenarios, we may adapt so well that we lose the big picture. We forget what it was like when things were better. Therein lies the danger… (more about adaptability here)

In this case, we’ve allowed art, in many forms, to be eroded in our culture. From the defunding of artistic institutions, foundations and museums, to the devaluation of arts in our schools and communities. As a people, it seems we value money, objects, sports, and junk food much more than artistic pursuits.

So, why does this matter? After all, we can get along without the arts, can’t we?

I would argue that arts and science are essential to the continued well-being of any civilization. Art feeds the soul, and science fuels the mind. Both are tied together to create innovation and advancement in society.

By stripping Art and Science out of our culture, we’re left with a teeming mass of consumers… ones who will rely on others to innovate, create, and produce what they are buying. They are easily controlled and ripe for being conned into whatever those in power want them to believe.

The solution lies in our own hands. Create. Innovate. Stand up for yourselves as artists or scientists. Don’t bow to the cut-rate offers and five-dollar sites that are growing like mold online. Have some pride and self-respect for your talents and creations. Spread Art and Science where you can. Dispel hoaxes and nay-sayers.

Becoming a “Great Country” depends on the citizens and what they value. Time to be the change you want to see…

There are two kinds of truth: the truth that lights the way and the truth that warms the heart. The first of these is science, and the second is art. Neither is independent of the other or more important than the other. Without art, science would be as useless as a pair of high forceps in the hands of a plumber. Without science, art would become a crude mess of folklore and emotional quackery. The truth of art keeps science from becoming inhuman, and the truth of science keeps art from becoming ridiculous.
— “Great Thought” (19 February 1938), published in The Notebooks of Raymond Chandler (1976)

 

All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com

 

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Sillyam Fakespeare

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Sillyam Fakespeare Yea, verily! Tis time for some newly minted sayings by the immortal bard’s third cousin, thrice removed… Odds bodkins! Milady most assuredly has a plethora of junk in thine trunk! Seldom is a man so forlorn than when … Continue reading

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