Who’s the Geek?

Who’s the Geek?

What is a Geek? History defines a geek as a person who is nothing but foolish; so foolish that the identity created is socially differentiable. The word “Geek” originated from “Gecken” used in Austria-Hungary in the 18th century. “Gecken” was used to refer to circus performers displaying bizarre acts like biting the head off a live chicken (EEEK!!!)

Time is the biggest healer of wounds, and perhaps also labels. Geeks too have evolved over time. The modern era defines a Geek as a person obsessed with technology or sub cultures (thanks to the thinkers of the 1950s). Geeks can no longer be contained under one flag. Like civilizations and cultures, Geeks have flourished over time and now you can fins various types of Geeks. Let’s see if you can associate any of the people around you to the following Geek categories:

The Academic Geeks

Don’t you just hate that book worm sitting in the front row of your classroom? Who does the guy think he is? Always paying attention to the teacher, memorizing all the lessons and to add insult to injury, scoring a much higher G.P.A than you! Steer clear of this Geek or he might imprint you, savvy?

The Computer Geeks

These guys probably deserve glasses more than your 90 year old granny. Glued to their monitors, they have nothing better to do but roam in cyber space rather than the real world. Now these types of Geeks further evolved into internet Geeks.

The Computer Geeks

These guys probably deserve glasses more than your 90 year old granny. Glued to their monitors, they have nothing better to do but roam in cyber space rather than the real world. Now these types of Geeks further evolved into internet Geeks.

The Internet Geeks

These poor souls will probably never know the names of their neighbors, but will be-friend a person sitting half the world away. Oh the horror! Get a life man! Don’t spend the whole of your life surfing just on the internet. Try the real sport for a change.

The Tech Geeks

Moving on; these Geeks made the scene in 2004, with a fetish for anything and everything that Apple has to offer. Nope, not the one that got Adam and Eve kicked out of heaven, the one invented by the late Mr. Steve Jobs. Job well done?

The Star Wars Geeks

Here we go! Who on God’s green earth would be obsessed with Star Wars? Apparently, a lot of people. Just mention Sky Walker, Princess Leah or The Darth Vader and watch em bounce.

There are still many categories of geeks to be explained, but if I spend another minute trying to do it, I fear I might be counted as one too. So take a look at the following infographics and enter the world of Geeks.

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Not an ArchViz

Not an ArchViz

I love architecture, and I am not well diversified in the work I chose to take on. For the past 20+ years,  I have been illustrating architecture, both by hand and computer, but I thoroughly enjoyed my latest project, which was not architecture. Nuff said, meet The Big Boy! The Big Boy is a portable tornado shelter that I was asked to illustrate for a client out of Texas.

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Texture in Computer Graphics

The feel of an object's surface - its physical texture - depends on the degree to which it is broken up by its composition or treatment. The more broken, the rougher the texture. This not only determines how we feel it, but also how we see it. Rough surfaces intercept light rays, producing an often irregular pattern of lights and darker; glossy surfaces reflect the light more evenly, giving a less broken appearance.  As we see these patterns of different values, our memory of touching surfaces with similar characteristics then triggers a tactile response or sensory reaction. Thus, we can predict an object's feel without ever touching its surface. 

​CG Grass

​CG Grass

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Side Lighting in CG

Side lighting emphasizes an object's mass and helps develop the contours of its form; however, a light placed directly in front of the object (or multiple lights evenly spaced on either side) will seem to flatten the object by centering the highlight, restricting the shadow area, and limiting the range of value that defines the object. Not to be overlooked, of course, is the strength of the light source itself. Extreme drama often requires the greatest contrast possible.

​Although lights and shadows exist in nature as the by-products of strict physical laws, CG artists often adjust them to enhance the three-dimensional effect of a rendering and/or provide greater compositional interest.

​Side Lighting

​Side Lighting

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Blueprint Modeling

Typically, my projects start with PDF's. Today, I am modeling a roof to a custom home, so I thought I would take the opportunity to record my screen. The process is straightforward but isn't thoroughly documented any place. I hope you enjoy, and if you have any questions, please comment. Is your blueprint image not clear enough? There is another way to model from a blueprint, and it using a Directx shader.

​Now, here is how you lock your planes from getting moved.

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Aerial Perspective

Far-off objects don't just appear smaller as they recede, they also become less distinct, with little visible detail, paler colors, and reduced contrast of tone. This is known as atmospheric, or color perspective, and is the primary means of creating the illusion of space in a rendering. Tiny specks of dust in the atmosphere cause colors and tones to become paler in the distance, where objects have exceedingly little distinguishable detail. The colors also become "cooler", with more blues, grays, and blue-greens.

As far as I know, and for the most part, there isn't a render engine that can produce this natural phenomenon. So, take some artistic liberties in post production, to bring your exterior renderings to a whole new level, by using levels and curves, to achieve the color perspective effect.​

​Color Perspective

​Color Perspective

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Artist's Tip - Post Production

The most enjoyable part of any rendering is adding the finer details of light and color, but don't overdo things or the rendering could become busy and overworked. It is not always easy to know when a rendering is finished, so if you are not sure, put down the mouse for awhile and then come back to it with  fresh eyes.

​Post Production

​Post Production

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