Aka Gaii

Bifurcator · Jun 11, 2008

Mmmm... Delicious!

It's kinda big but I sized it for a different site that auto-scales it with clickable zooming. Same software as this site just they added a mod. I might size it down a little later.

Emerana · Jun 11, 2008

...that is so gross looking...not to yuck your yum but omg what is that?

King Mango · Jun 11, 2008

I think it might look good on a nice oak cutting board. Not that there's anything wrong with the black but it makes an almost surreal look. And then there's that ONE grain of rice hanging out like that kid jumping up and down behind the reporter at the news shot.
Where did you get this shot? Are you a chef?

Incidentally Gnomon Workshop just did a tutorial on rendering a CG construction of sushi. Specifically how to get the sub-surface scattering looking good. Check it out: (I <3 CG, AND sushi)

http://gnomonology.com/tutorial/233

Bifurcator · Jun 11, 2008

Hhehehe SSS in sushi - sweet! Thanks for the link! (They got the rice all wrong tho.) If you knew how many SSS tuts I've written... UG!

This came from eating sushi at the sushi place down the street from here. They place it on a black (Japanese) lacquer raised portion of the bar. Like about the dimensions of a street curb but only 5 inches high. I flashed it and when I brought it in through CameraRAW the defaults I had been working with previously turned the BG all 0,0,0 black. I brought it in like that, tweaked curves a bit to bring back the natural color of the Aka Gaii (red clam) and posted it up.

BTW, I love the way you described the singular rice kernel! Classy!

@Emerana,
Don't worry about yucking my yummm.. The piece is meant to be a shocker. If 8 out of 10 votes say "I Hate It!" I'll feel real good! It is actually delicious but I placed that comment there just to associate the image with food in order to get some response. Like, put THAT in my mouth???

King Mango · Jun 11, 2008

It's funny you should mention the rice in the Gnomon tute. I also immediately singled it out as just not quite right yet. But to use Maya's wood procedural was pretty cool lol

I didn't know you were into CG. And a guru too? Very cool. Mind showing off some stuff?

Bifurcator · Jun 11, 2008

I want to remain anonymous. If I showed my CG work I would (or could) be immediately recognized. :thumbdown:

What apps do you use besides Maya or is that your main?

King Mango · Jun 11, 2008

I started out in UED then got more into Maya as I made my own assets. I diddle in Max, but mostly Maya for me. That's what I started on (the PLE v5) so I am most comfortable in that workflow and toolset.
I used to use World Machine and TG a lot. Haven't for some time now though. I'm trying to focus on reality-based career goals lol
Besides I had some really satisfying successes in game level design, so I can move on with comfort.

What's your weapon of choice?

Bifurcator · Jun 11, 2008

It depends on my mood and the job at hand the only mainstream CG apps I haven't used professionally are C4D and Max. I love where Houdini is going recently! I dig the heck out of Motionbuilder too but too bad Autodust bought it.

Of just the mainstream 3D CG tools I own, teach, like, beta-test, and/or develop for the list includes:

MotionBuilder, Houdini, XSI, Maya, Lightwave, Modo, Cheetah, Messiah, Rhino, Blender, form-Z, Massive, trueSpace, ZBrush, Silo, Hash A|M, Electric Image, and more than a handful of render-engines of which I like KRay, Maxwell, MentalRay, RenderMan, and FryRender. FPrime is ok too.

That's of course not mentioning all the add-on packages, support utilities, or specialized apps like Vue, RealFlow, WCS, and etc.

Whew, that was a mouthful. Anyway after a little more than 20 years of it I'm strongly thinking of retiring from film and animation work. I want to start up a nonprofit charity organization or work in some kind of international aid.

King Mango · Jun 11, 2008

:hail:

lol

Hard to believe you could have avoided Max after all this time!

Charity work is one of the few things where I sometimes feel I missed my true calling. I'm always stopping to help push cars that are out of gas etc...

I'm interested where your focus would be. Medicine? Shelter? Food?

Bifurcator · Jun 11, 2008

Yeah, I managed to miss Max.

I dunno yet, Not medicine for sure! Maybe disaster relief, and teaching self sustaining technologies.

Graelwyn · Jun 15, 2008

I have to say, that had the 'yuck' factor for me... it made me think of something removed from within the human body due to it's fleshy appearance... having said that, it is great you get that reaction from something so simple, and very well shot

invisible · Jun 16, 2008

I don't think I'm man enough to eat that. Heck, I don't think I'm man enough to even look at that

Bifurcator · Jun 16, 2008

The Japanese people think that looks like female genitalia and so the name of that clam "Aka Gaii" is used here much in the same way they use pucci-cat in the USA - or any of the other various animals for that matter.

Hehe, Japanese slang trivia.