http://search.deviantart.com/?q=by:ShoTro&section=today deviantART RSS for by:ShoTro en-us Copyright 2009, deviantART.com Mon, 28 Dec 2009 12:30:25 PST deviantART.com http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://s.deviantart.com/minish/widgets/apple-touch-icon-precomposed.png http://ShoTro.deviantart.com/journal/23485061/ http://ShoTro.deviantart.com/journal/23485061/ Mon, 02 Mar 2009 08:25:05 PST
Since my tutorials seem to be in high demand I am planning a new one to arrive with the betas for the newest version of Blender due out in the next couple months. Also I have a ton of projects waiting for a machine capable of rendering them within this decade to finish up...

I hope this actually comes to pass.

]]> ~ShoTro http://ShoTro.deviantart.com/journal/21410803/ http://ShoTro.deviantart.com/journal/21410803/ Sun, 09 Nov 2008 18:57:59 PST
No free time or anything, but I was feeling well enough for one night to go see Nine Inch Nails... and it was fucking amazing. Trent is a freaking genius!

Hope all is well with everyone else.

]]> ~ShoTro http://ShoTro.deviantart.com/journal/21074358/ http://ShoTro.deviantart.com/journal/21074358/ Mon, 20 Oct 2008 05:10:19 PDT
]]> ~ShoTro http://ShoTro.deviantart.com/journal/20801279/ http://ShoTro.deviantart.com/journal/20801279/ Thu, 02 Oct 2008 22:03:03 PDT
I mean she seemed overly uncomfortable at times, ignored several questions, especially if they were related to her having any weaknesses. My biggest complaint is that she, in front of everyone, suggested that homosexuality is a choice. Grrr... Her kind of constant on the attack attitude mixed with "I don't know" then look as cute and innocent as possible stance on the issues was kind of sickening. Biden had quite a few biting remarks that she just replied to by not acknowledging them then saying something stereotypical of her.

Anyone else notice the whole thing was sponsored by one of her big campaign contributors in the past ExxonMobile? I don't know, the whole thing is extremely transparent, then they march out woman after woman to critique how well she did compared to how "nay-sayers" thought she would.

Well, she looked like she has been practicing for weeks on a few issues, and trained how not to answer EVERYTHING else. Then for all these women to say she passed their low standards for her (hurray?!?) is just kind of insulting. One of them even suggested that they expected Biden to lash out at her, like the insider man he was. Considering Biden was a single father and has an, I think, equal sized family if not larger, it isn't fair that Palin get special consideration for that compared to him.

It was all very polarizing... I think sexism has been pushed back, in my mind, a decade thanks to what took place in front of me tonight. Overall I felt a little sick, if people did think the way the media grand-stand did, I feel very sorry for this country.

]]> ~ShoTro http://ShoTro.deviantart.com/journal/19014013/ http://ShoTro.deviantart.com/journal/19014013/ Tue, 24 Jun 2008 05:05:39 PDT
Moved into a new place and have settled in already, I have my tablet and sketchbooks ready; actually starting to do studies in my book, although, I suck.

If you haven't noticed I have been doing a lot of modeling for the original Quake. It is an interesting experience since it takes about 1-2 hours to model something, then about 3 days to get it in a working condition to start animating then, ???. Not sure how you animate these damned things reliably.

It will be a mystery for sure, I might just switch to a manual compiler by the time I finish dealing with all the half finished editors out there...

Anyways, I am working on one serious 3D rendering project, a digital wallpaper that I am taking my time with, a NEW BLENDER TUTORIAL!!! (seams and UV mapping) and more Quake mdl goodness.

As well my side-jobs in web development might get posted although they require minimal effort to produce... meaning there isn't anything THAT interesting about them visually.

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http://ShoTro.deviantart.com/journal/15897381/ Tue, 11 Dec 2007 23:18:01 PST
Check out my progress with blender.

Early December Showcase

]]> ~ShoTro http://ShoTro.deviantart.com/journal/14299842/ http://ShoTro.deviantart.com/journal/14299842/ Thu, 23 Aug 2007 07:25:37 PDT
The first character I have been working on is Athu, The Shroud of Darkness, Messanger of Chaos. His role in the universe is to assist with the balancing of power in the Aladrius Conflict, a war between two separate dimensions separated by a barren dimensional span known as Aladrius. The legions of the departed Paradox and many other races inhabit the planet Zin and through the slipgate, across Aladrius and through the other slipgate is the universe controlled by Nizarieth aka the Great Mother. Nizarieth's goal isn't completely clear, but she has moved to destroy all living creatures or "purify" them in her image by implanting them with cybernetics. While the Legions of Paradox seem like the good guys, they really are simply the better of the two evils to most. They invaded Zin and took over in a heartbeat their goal seems to be to make a stand against Nizarieth using anyone they can find to assist in their effort.

The followers of the 13 are rebels against the iron grip of Paradox. Anything associated with Paradox is evil. They now seem more like religious zealots then a political moment, killing before asking their questions because they believe they already know the answer to saving everyone: Destroy Paradox... even though Paradox is gone, they believe a part of him lives in every member of the legion.

Then there are the other races/mutations: the Eihort, Marquai, The Inurbane, and the Shan are those that I can name off the top of my head. Then there are the Legacies... a small circle of the sons, daughters and others created in Paradox's image or are of equal power, they keep the balance of all things in check.

Visually designing this world is going to be a huge task... I hope I am up for it or can get some help. XD


My Mature Gallery


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http://ShoTro.deviantart.com/journal/13333563/ Wed, 13 Jun 2007 18:35:42 PDT
So much stuff needs to be done... that is right. NEEDS!!!


My Mature Gallery


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http://ShoTro.deviantart.com/journal/13308019/ Mon, 11 Jun 2007 19:31:11 PDT
Reason? I want to actually show family and friends without them feeling uncomfortable. I to also want people to go to the different galleries for the different styles so there will be less chaos throughout.

Feedback on this idea would be nice.

]]> ~ShoTro http://ShoTro.deviantart.com/journal/13280498/ http://ShoTro.deviantart.com/journal/13280498/ Sat, 09 Jun 2007 16:44:02 PDT
My life has been crazy!!! I hope to get some stuff going eventually but it is going to have to wait a bit. I am working on a ton of art for a new game development engine called Stencil. I want to basically develop a "kit" for designers to use in order to bring my Aladrius project to life. I make the characters, levels, and mechanics then other people can build what ever they like around those things. It has me pretty excited. Also I have learned to do animations in Blender3d!!! It is going to be awesome once I get the process down pat.

So leave me a message people!!! It has been forever!

P.S. - Odin's Sphere is the most beautiful game I have every played!!! The artwork is to die for!

]]> ~ShoTro http://ShoTro.deviantart.com/journal/12536821/ http://ShoTro.deviantart.com/journal/12536821/ Mon, 16 Apr 2007 10:36:10 PDT Deviant Art
While Deviant art is... well, "all messed up" taking minutes to visit a single page on the site, if you are lucky, I have decided to attempt to write this journal... I am feeling the sting of this horrible lag and dysfunction since I have been submitting a bit of work over the past evening and today. All efforts to update my images have been pointless it seems... Oh well, I will get them up later.

Sucks mainly because DA is my only source of entertainment while at work.

Year Zero
Ok, not the typical Nine Inch Nails album like we were warned, but still featuring a lot of NIN's signature sound as well as a lot of surprisingly classic rock mixed in for measure. Trent loves his themed albums and this continues the legacy with a heavy focus on America's new found ideals. So far, I like a lot of the tracks but a few seem to be let downs, which wasn't always the case for NIN.

Venture Brothers
OMG!!! I got the second season yesterday and I haven't laughed that hard in forever!!! It, in my opinion, is one of two incredibly amazing shows to come out of Adult Swim, right beside The Boondocks. The rest of the shows are all too "novelty"-esque. Being fully animated completely makes it worth my time as well as being 22 minutes per episode instead of 10 like the rest of AS. The character designs are among the most brilliantly ripped off parodies of super heroes and Johnny Quest characters... ever? Might be because no one else really has tried. But even though the jokes are not rapid fire they are way funnier and hit the more "classic" nerve in my brain. One whole episode, the first of the second season, is a huge set up to THE funniest punchline I have seen in a TV show since the classic simpsons, the critic, or the upright citizens brigade. I laughed for about 20 minutes after, you know the type, where you are walking around to get a snack still laughing with tears in your eyes and you can't explain what is so funny because, they should just watch the show, you can't set it up even close to how well they pulled it off.

Anyways, if you haven't watched the Venture Brothers or have, but didn't think it is funny, it is one of those shows that greatly benefits from you being a geek and one you need to get to know the characters to truly appreciate the show. Worth multiple viewings. Think Futurama but based in a Johnny Quest universe and you have a pretty good idea what to sort of expect, just add a bit of very well handled raunchiness.


Schedule
??? Pushed back - Alex and Scott (new works)
Alie, Jacey, Sean and kim at an undetermined time.

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http://ShoTro.deviantart.com/journal/12522020/ Mon, 09 Apr 2007 08:54:23 PDT
I have one tribute to

Ready. Not great, working with swords in a small studio is very very very difficult. And I didn't get the chance to do everything I wanted to do. Lets hope I can get a few more finished this week and they are embraced at least a little. I don't think I am modeling material personally, so I need to rely more on creating eye catching visuals over full light and full body shots.

Working with 3D again on the side. Putting together the UVs for the quake models I made so I can begin texturing them. And also figured out how to make the pics far less blurry. Blender automatically applies blending to everything... I can now turn that off for sharper images. Which I like the style of better.

The commission
I am working on descriptions and sketches for the commissioned character sheet I am preparing for:



I will have the stuff ready this evening hopefully!!!

Schedule

Tomorrow - Alex (new works)
Next Saturday - Alex and Scott (new works)

Alie, Jacey, Sean and kim at an undetermined time. Jacey will not be an artistic nude.

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~ShoTro http://ShoTro.deviantart.com/journal/12481805/ http://ShoTro.deviantart.com/journal/12481805/ Fri, 06 Apr 2007 09:47:00 PDT
So my work on my tributes continues tomorrow with myself. OMG, I am nervious, but my fellow collaborator has about as much experience with photography as I do. And we have been friends forever. It should be fun, I hope to improvise. I also got photoshop finally and a 1GB card for my camera for about 1/4 the price I initially spent on my 256mb card I bought a few years ago.

The Updates
Anyways...

I updated a few images in my gallery to match the quality I would like to have in my gallery throughout. That isn't saying much at all... lol, I don't like the majority of what I do, but it works, which I guess is good enough.

The commission
I am working on descriptions and sketches for the commissioned character sheet I am preparing for:



One or two more days I swear!!!

Schedule

Tomorrow - Self Portraits (Sgthotlips tribute, centaur101 tribute, mahkato tribute)
Tuesday - Alex (new works)
Next Saturday - Alex and Scott (new works)

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http://ShoTro.deviantart.com/journal/12466181/ Thu, 05 Apr 2007 05:38:54 PDT 3 cats + spring fever = crazy kitties everywhere!!!

Anyways, I have my design for my first tribute to :



Ready to go... it is looking nothing like her works. The reason for these tributes is to show what I garnered (one of my favorite words ever!) when viewing the art of the person I am showing tribute to. Sgthotlips' works are mostly about controlling light or experimentation with light on the human form... I tried to copy this effect first with very little success. Now that I have a makeshift studio it is a lot easier to come by, but what I got instead was a method to force the light on specific parts of the body to produce incredibly interesting results. The description to the tribute is going to have a lot of explaining to do. But it is wholly inspired by her work. Shooting begins today.

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Commissioning
I am also commissioning :



To develop a character sheet for me. I want to work on some more advanced game related models for characters then produce a website for these ideas. Indy developers can collaborate with me to develop based on the game designs and ideas I have. I don't care if all the ideas are developed over time, but since I keep coming up with some interesting stuff, I want an outlet. So I expect to get some cool stuff running with that... since I suck at sketching and keeping proportion; commissions are something I really have never considered as a means to accomplish what I can't. We will see how this works.

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Side Note
It isn't often, but today's Sluggy Freelance totally upset me, not sad but totally has me in a complete spiritual quandary for poor Aylee. -_-*

[link]

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SHOOTS SCHEDULE
Today - Alie (Sgthotlips tribute)
Saturday - Self Portraits (Sgthotlips tribute, centaur101 tribute, mahkato tribute)
Tuesday - Alex (new works)
Next Saturday - Alex and Scott (new works)

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http://ShoTro.deviantart.com/journal/12426844/ Wed, 04 Apr 2007 03:53:05 PDT
I am waiting on adobe photo shop to arrive... the anticipation is agonizing!!! I have used it for years, but never owned it via my own license. Usually through a membership or via a school. I can't wait for a few months when they release their free web-based version of their software. If it can do layer filters then I would be in love.

There are a lot of strange things going on in my life. Specifically people's interest in me has peaked in the past week or so. Now that large clothing is shed from the populous it is apparent who has been keeping in shape... for one: Me. It is ridiculous how shallow people are! I have several people threatening to leave their boy/girl friends for me... simply because I am in shape after the winter fades. I am flattered, but... damn! You need a better reason then sexual attraction.

A lot of my ideas are starting to reflect my world in terms of how I view gender roles. Quite a few test pics have been taken, but... I am just not happy with things yet. So I don't post them. I need to be able to have two models... and I am not sure where I am going to find them. I have two models willing, but not willing to be in the same room as eachother... odd, but I need to respect their seemingly shallow nature to keep them in the shoots. Anyways, I am working with what I got... I love sgthotlips's gold reflector, it has been suggested to me plenty before she started using it, but that does it... I need one!

Anyways, one of the first things I am going to do is a heavy critiquing series. I want to imitate but not copy several deviants in a series of tributes to them. I am missing just a few things to start the shoots. It will feature myself and maybe another model if she is willing... (the roommate XD)

I am also totally willing to do post for deviants as well, just let me know.

But I plan to do tributes to the following deviants:

1.
I have been hounding her constantly. I love her work, and every time I think I have a brilliant idea, she posts a picture doing something very similar. It has me on my toes creatively, which is great! If it wasn't for this deviant, my work wouldn't be going the length that it is.

2.
Simply bad ass. An inspirational male model and photographer. My take on his work is a bit more pop-culture based, but the posing and lighting are all him.

3.
A wonderful person! I love her gallery and have watched her learn. Beautiful and wonderfully gifted person who I wish I could get to know more.

4.
I can't ever tell if his works are completely taken from stocks or not, but when I found out that not all of them are... well... I really don't know what to say. His photomanips are awesome and creative never staying on one idea for too long. Much like my own work, but I get the feeling he puts more effort into his.

And a minor tribute to DearDriver when I get my tattoo finished. XD Not really, but it will be me with my tattoo and the necklaces I hand crafted myself recently.

Update
Ever feel like you are putting all your eggs in one basket? And ever get the feeling guy nude models don't want to hear from guys or are overly enthusiastic when it comes to guys... if you know what I mean. XD Also, my tributes are not going to look like what you expect. Not simply copying the persons style, but taking what I have learned over time from their work.

Photo Shoot Schedule
Thursday - Alie
Saturday - Self portraits
Tuesday morning - Alex
Following Saturday - Scott and Alex

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~ShoTro http://ShoTro.deviantart.com/journal/12385633/ http://ShoTro.deviantart.com/journal/12385633/ Fri, 30 Mar 2007 07:18:07 PDT
1. I need adobe photo shop ASAP

2. I can feature a person and digitally design their backgrounds with full shadows of them using metaballs.

The process involved in designing my new works are just getting more and more involved. I am willing to do post processing for other people while waiting on my works to gain momentum so just let me know and we can work stuff out.

Personally I have just noticed that people mostly just care if your life is going poorly, but god forbid you complain about it to them. So many different things are going on all at once, I am more involved in giving advice to fix the relationships of others instead of focusing on myself. And they almost never take the advice. Cheating and lying seem far more interesting to them. I can go on and on about how messed up the typical person's views on relationships and their limitations are, but I will spare you.

If anything it is fuel for my creative juices and I have found another model to work with. Things are looking up.

Well, looking up for me.

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http://ShoTro.deviantart.com/journal/12345823/ Thu, 29 Mar 2007 06:05:57 PDT
I recently came back into contact with my friend, lets call her M, a couple weeks ago. I have always had a huge crush on her since high school. Being two years younger then her I didn't think I had a chance... well, apparently I did. I recently let her know how I have felt this entire time, and she totally flipped out on me... not in a bad way either, just, "Why haven't you said anything before!?!?"

Since then things have been wonderful... but things are not right for a relationship. I being polyamorous and in several semi-relationships already puts me in an awkward place, she is fine with the way I am, which, well, is awesome, but I am now totally infatuated with this awesome and drama free woman who actually loves me back in spades.

Worst of all, she is moving away...

This is the story of my life it seems. But at least I have a reason to travel.

Update

Dear lord! The shit is definitely hitting the fan... Life has gotten a hell of a lot more complicated in the last couple hours. Not sure if it is bad or good... who knows only time will tell. Might have a new model as well...

Taking a different approach to my art lately... *gasp* is this the emergence of a style? Who knows but I am having trouble finding the time to get new things done this week... hopefully next week will improve things.

My mind is totally concentrated on the idea that those of us who have time finding love in this world are lost amongst the chaotic nature of other people's insecurities. After a while we become lost in our own ideals making relationships difficult to maintain... might just be me.

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~ShoTro http://ShoTro.deviantart.com/journal/12321594/ http://ShoTro.deviantart.com/journal/12321594/ Mon, 26 Mar 2007 07:13:41 PDT
My work is taking a bit longer because... *gasp* I am investing more time into them! Oh noes! will this be the end? Nah, but it is just taking a bit of time. I am getting along with a photography major in the area who has been giving me pointers and offering to assist me in my art. I in return, am offering myself as a model. Admittedly female models are harder to come by then male models, so we are both going to be taking advantage of the fact I have found a female model in the area, it should produce some better results as a whole.

I also expect to see some improvement with my 3D renders as well in the future now that I can import meshes and textures between files in blender. I hope to see some cool stuff soon!

Update!!!
I have been working with XNA recently and 2D sprites on a 3D landscape. I have found the perfect game to copy in terms of design: Jabberwock. A freeware Japanese indy game that kicks total ass... Think of smash TV meets legend of zelda. My idea would be to throw gauntlet and warning forever into the mix to create a very enjoyable 4 player experience that NEVER is the same.

So what about this really has me excited? Normal mapping sprites! WTF??? Yes, using normal mapping on a sprite to give the sprite dynamic lighting that matches the specific pieces of the sprite. Shoulder pads will look and reflect light like they were rounded, swords will reflect light onto the world, and torches will actually light the world realistically... in 2D. It is an awesome experiment for me and I hope will produce a 2D game that will revive a lot of genres that are not getting the mainstream attention they deserve.

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