Drawing the line

I'm currently re-making an old Missile Command-esque ZX Spectrum Next game I wrote a couple of years back that, to be honest, could have been way better (but I really didn't know any better back in those days).  There are some graphical differences I want to make, and one of the major considerations regarding graphics is how I can get more speed when it comes to creating linear missile trails.

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What is MMUFPHK?

Yes, what is MMUFPHK?  I recently ran into a situation regarding file management and team production which resulted in a task I decided to call Massive Multi User File Path House Keeping.  This is where you (hopefully don't) find multiple Maya project folder structures that have become buried within a singular project on a team server, and worse - production files that are referencing or importing elements from a variety of these individual project folders.

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The NEXT Generation...

It was around 39 years ago that I started using my first home computer.  We're talking of a time waaaaaay back - the web hadn't been invented, only scifi shows like Star Trek had these futuristic concepts like "video communication" and hand-held devices... There were no cellular phones, there was no sign of any 'internet' and some people still watched TV in black and white if they weren't outside the house doing something non-digital related.

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'Kit-setting' 3D for printing with Python in Maya

I've been toying about a lot with prepping models for 3D printing and one of those things where problems pop up is working out how to cleanly break up a model to minimise the need for supports.  The same goes for how to deal with round shapes like spheres - if the bottom is on the bed, you can lose some of the 'sphere-ness'.

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Archive those Maya projects - cleanly...

A great way to make sure that you keep the project files that made up your scene in Maya is to use Maya's File menu's Archive Scene option.  One of the reasons I like Archived scenes is that it keeps things clean.  It makes sure that only those files that make up the project are backed up, which then ensures we don't end up with the usual bombardment of multiple 'test' files, WIPs, etc.  This is a great way to set up a project to be transported across to say, a render farm.  Which was part of my original goal for developing this...

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A new home for Sega carts

I've recently been collecting game cartridges for my old Sega SC-3000. This is a home computer that is literally the same hardware sound in Sega's first game console (the SG-1000) with a little more memory housed inside a keyboard. While I am not even sure if the machine still works (it needs a missing video daughter-board) I figured that old cartridges are not always that easy to come buy so I'll grab them when I see them.

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Maya TD tips - that awesome 'toolkit' you always wanted...

I got tired - tired of seeing icons on shelves in Maya disappear and noting that even when working, flipping to shelves to change the tool set that was being used meant the pipeline tools that I'd painstakingly developed would be hidden in a shelf that probably wouldn't be set back again when needed.

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