Another busy month draws to a close. Let’s see if I can remember all the exciting stuff I’ve been able to create, which consisted mainly of video content.
Blender Logo Creation – Mini Series
I’ve created a 5-part mini series on how to take a rasterised image, turn it into an extruded 3D object in Blender and use it to create a snazzy logo.
I’ve used this technique to create thumbnails for two of my recent projects (the DAZ Studio 101 series and my WordPress podcast). There are many steps to the whole process and I thought I’d record how I did it. I also created thumbnails for the videos in the series using the same approach, showing bit by bit what each video is about. Like this one:
While I was recoding, an interesting “Presidential Alert” message was sent out to all smartphones in the US. It was a tad creepy, so I’ve split it out into its own clip:
DAZ Studio – Eye Reflection Series
After receiving a question from Biscuits about how to create eye reflections in DAZ Studio, I’ve made a video explaining the concept in some detail. This video shows how to do it with parametric lights, reflective surfaces and IBL:
In it, I’m mentioning that by using dedicated 2D shapes created in a modelling app, countless funky shapes can be shown in character’s eyes, for example a Ring Flash emulation. This video lead to a great many comments, one of them by s1rmunchalot, who explained that a Ring Flash can be created right inside DAZ Studio without the need to use something like Blender.
His instructions were so detailed that I decided to explain them in another video, in which I’m creating a Ring Flash, indeed right inside DAZ Studio:
That one was even more successful!
I really liked what this technique could offer, and I had fun playing with it, so I went ahead quickly created a new 3D product called SOUL REFLECTIONS – Vol. 1.
It combines ten dedicated 2D shapes that I’ve created using the technique I’m explaining in the above Blender mini-series, combined with several handy shortcuts for camera presets, cornea bulges and IBL/headlamp toggles. I’m showcasing and explaining the product here:
SOUL REFLECTIONS is currently available from Renderosity and is FREE for all my wonderful Patreon Supporters 🙂
Your Podcast on Spotify
Spotify have recently opened up their portal to allow self-hosted Podcast Feeds on their platform. This was previously only possible by going through what’s known as an “Aggregator”, or in other words, using a dedicated Podcast Host – unlike all other podcast directories, which do allow direct submissions from the likes of you and I.
Since it’s a new thing, and before I forget how to do it, I’ve made a video about submitting a podcast feed to Spotify:
I’m about to create a new Podcast Feed feed from scratch using WordPress and the Powerpress plugin. Since there are so many settings to take care of, I’ll add more videos to this playlist in November. I’ll let you know when I have a link to it.
This leads me to another interesting new creation, namely…
My Second YouTube Channel
I’ve had my other YouTube Channel since 2005, which dates back to a time when YouTube was still young and independent, and before it was bought by Google. I was working in broadcast television then, and I guess nobody could predict just how big this platform was going to be at one point – nor that such streaming services would eventually completely replace traditional television. Had we known, we would have taken it a little more seriously…
I’ve been using that channel on and off for various personal and less polished projects, and it’s in dire need of some housekeeping. But this month, I found myself wanting to share some behind-the-scenes stories from my life with friends. Things keep happening all the time (some of which are rather unbelievable), and many of which are worth telling and saving for the future. Which lead to this October 2018 playlist:
A couple of videos are scheduled to be added to this list in November, concluding with an interersting experience I had on the night of Halloween. Well worth watching!
I have been doing a Video Diary of sorts for many years, on and off, long before “vlogging” was a thing, however I’ve never done so publicly. Particularly during my cancer journey, such diary was a great way for me to put down important information I’ve received from doctors, or changes about my wellbeing – and watching it back I find it quite entertaining.
I thought perhaps some of it may be useful for other viewers, so I’ll start sharing more of what’s happening in my life – anything from the continuing story about my post-cancer journey, to the fascinating aspects of dealing with a growing YouTube channel and related aspects.
I briefly considered mixing content like that in with the other more polished videos on my main channel, but I’ve decided to keep them separate and not risk confusing my audience. I still don’t know if it’ll make a difference for YouTube’s algorithms, or if I may be missing out on reaching a wider audience. I guess I’ll never find out.
This second channel also serves as a test bed for things I’ve not tried out yet (like the new Premieres feature or live streams), and it allows me to build the Super Survivor Diary I’ve mentioned many times before. It’s something else to watch if you’re interested.
YouTube Playlists
Speaking of YouTube, it’s currently a complete nightmare to find the URL to a playlist – so I’ve made a video on how to do that.
In fact, YouTube’s whole interface leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to managing large quantities of videos. Vimeo is so much nicer, but the audience reach is infinitely smaller by comparison. Still, if you’d like to follow me along on Vimeo, you can do so here.
Planned for November
Looking ahead into the next (slash current) month, I’m planning two videos for my DAZ Studio Iray 101 series, in particular the long overdue Tone Mapping video, and one on the Noise Filter option. There’s also the fascinating topic of rendering to Iray Canvases, I’ll see if I can add that on this occasion too.
I also want to continue with the DAZ Studio 101 series, for which I’d like to explain D-Formers and how to bring in content from both the Content Library and the Smart Content Tab. There’s a lot to talk about on these two topics alone. To be able to do this, I’ll have to restructure my desk a little bit so I can work with my Windows system more conveniently and more often.
I’m going to create a new podcast feed from the October Playlist on my other channel for my Super Survivor website, and while I’m doing that, I’ll record and document what I’m doing to create a podcast from scratch. It’ll be another interesting mini series.
In addition, I’ve just added a second SSD to my Mac Mini and have recorded myself doing it. As soon as I have time to edit this together, I’ll share it with you.
Will I be able to do all that in this short month? Let’s find out!
As always, I’ll keep you posted on my progress 🙂