TMG Philosophy: “Do Not Feed the Alligators!”

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Tim

So, this morning I am sitting in a hotel lobby in Orlando, Florida, writing this blog entry, eating my breakfast muffin sandwich (which was way too expensive by the way) and waiting to go out and get some shots (photos, not tequila!).

The other day I was out walking around the grounds of the hotel, exploring and trying to find some interesting shots when I kept running into small ponds and streams blocking my way. There were things on the other side of these barriers that I wanted to get to, but I kept getting blocked at each turn. The water in these ponds was an odd greenish brown color with things floating on, and just under the surface. The water was pretty murky and it was hard to tell if it was a foot deep or 10 feet deep.

I really didn’t want to get my feet wet, and not knowing the depth of the water or what was in it, I just decided to see if there was another way around. For a good part of two hours, I wandered through the paths and tried to find a way out of the grounds of the hotel, but was always blocked by these “water hazards”.

In a few cases I came across a sign that made it even clearer that I should not venture into the murky water. It read: “DANGER Do Not Feed Alligators”.

A sign in Orlando, warning you not to feed the alligators, which, when you think about it, doesn’t NOT feeding them only make them hungrier and more desperate…?

Some of you may now see how this blog entry ties in to my last blog entry about “fear”. Some would say that there is a good type of fear that keeps us from doing things that could be harmful to us. I do believe this is true and in this case, I am not sure that it was actual fear of alligators that was keeping me from entering the water (my heart rate wasn’t increased, my palms were not sweaty, etc.) but more the fear of the unknown: Were there even alligators in there? If so, how many? How big were they? Had they just eaten a deer, someone’s pet or a small child so they were now lethargic and napping on a full stomach? Had they moved to a better neighborhood, possibly one with better schools, closer to work…? My mind calculated all of this, and many more options and I finally decided that since I did not know enough, it would be better to avoid that water.

And that is my point. Some barriers are in fact there to keep us safe. And some are there to protect us from the unknown. But I firmly believe that it is our responsibility as individuals to study those barriers, ask questions, and generally just learn more about why we are being told we cannot do something. Then we need to decide if we want to question and test them or not. Sometimes the barriers need to be broken and sometimes they do not. It is not black and white. In short, we are meant to explore, and exploration is risky.

Now that I have finished my muffin sandwich and iced-tea, it is time to get out there and explore…

You should too (just watch out for the alligators)…!

SketchUp IMHO: SketchUp and Plug-ins

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Tim

In the last post I talked about SketchUp and Layout and how those two programs in one work very well for creating 3D models and then the working drawings that are often necessary to build the object you have created.

This week I want to talk about one of the many plug-ins that work with SketchUp. One complaint I have heard from some people about SketchUp is that it looks “too sketchy.” I actually think that the ability to make the design look more hand drawn is a plus to me as I have found that some people just do not respond too well to the “cold” look of a computer generated design. (In a later post I will talk about the “Style Builder” part of SketchUp.)

So, in response to those people who think SketchUp can only do “sketchy” there are programs that work within SketchUp and are often referred to as plug-ins. One of my favorites is a program called Twilight. No it is not the teenage angst/vampire love saga, but a program that allows you to place lighting throughout your model, adjust details on textures (which I will cover in a moment) and then render the image. This results in a nearly photo realistic image.

Here is an example of a set I designed for a TV commercial created in SketchUp:

The SketchUp model for the set design

As you can see by this image, the design is pretty straight forward. It is meant to be an apartment for a single man that was built into an existing loft space. There are large windows and a vaulted ceiling with skylights. Most people would look at this and be able to see the space very easily.

There are times, however, that you need to create a rendering that shows the space in a more realistic look. This is where a program like Twilight comes into play. By placing the lights where you want them to be, determining the color and focus of the lights and then when you render it, the result of this work is shown below:

The rendering of the set

As you can see, the way the light interacts with the models and the textures (yes, of course textures make a HUGE difference in how a model looks when it is rendered!), does make the image look much more realistic.

In later posts I will talk specifically about how Twilight works and how you can use it to create images like the one above.

Nate’s Notes: A Whole New World

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Amanda

No, despite the title, I’m not going to break into song. I haven’t even seen that movie yet. I’m talking about changing my view, the way I see things. Again, folks…nothing deep here. Give me a break, I’m only 18-months old. I just mean that Momma and Daddy moved my caw seat. Honking horns, it is so cool!!!! I get to face forward AND I’m in the middle now, so I can see all the big twucks and caws and twees. Oh man, I love caw rides now. I just sing and talk about all the things outside. Sometimes I get stuck on one word and Momma reminds me to move on because I sound like a little bird. Hmmm…did she see a bird? I even notice the girly flowers and twees, the sky, the cool old houses and barns, the rocks and mud, the wood fences. I don’t just notice, I start to look for textures now. Metal…wood…metal…metal…flower…rock…metal…wood…wood…wood…twuck…twuck… twUCK…tWUCK…TWUCK!!! Oh- sorry. The cool drawings and words on the sides of twucks we pass are aMAZing. It all makes me want to find my lame baby camera, or convince Momma to stop and take pictures with hers. I get what all the fuss is about…kind of. Don’t tell HER that though. All the things and textures I see make me want to burst into spontaneous clapping and dancing, just like finding snacks in the couch cushions! I feel over-stimulated, to say the least. The excitement actually makes me sleepy, but I’ve decided nap times are an unfair idea created and mandated by adults who need routine and structure or they have tantrums. Soooo many years of tears. Okay…that’s for another day.

This is how I USED to feel about caw rides…

This is how I feel NOW about caw rides…

Seriously people, if you want to change your view point, just spend about 17 months crunched up and facing backwards in a caw…then turn around. Look at the world. Holy bananas- it’s a world to take pictures of…every detail!! It’s a whole NEW world. Every turn is a surprise, with unbelievable sights and indescribable feelings! Wait, that sounds like a song. Hmmm. Hmm -hmm-hmmm-hummmm-hmmmmm.

Random Stuff We Like: Another Book…

Posted on March 12, 2013 by Tim

Remember, the title of this blog section is “Random Stuff We Like” so I am going with the “randomosity” (a word I think I made up) of that title with this entry…

I like history. Always have. I think that history is so important in how it helps us to understand who we are, how we got where we are, and even help us with planning our future. Not to sound cliched, but we can (and should) learn so much from history.

One of the great side benefits of traveling and taking photos of places and architecture is that you get to explore, and many of the places you explore are of some historical interest. Walking up the well worn stone steps of the Acropolis in Athens for instance, it takes very little imagination to hear the voices and sounds of the people who did exactly what you are doing, thousands of years ago.

Unfortunately, I think we all suffered through history the way it was presented in school, be that grade school or university, or both. It was presented as a bunch of names and dates that we were forced to memorize and these things had seemingly no real connection to our lives today. They were often events that happened in far away places and long ago and had no real “human” quality to them, no way to relate to those people and events.

That is why it is so exciting when you find an author who tells history in a way that not only allows you to relate to the the events and the people who play a role in those events, but makes you feel like you are there.

Erik Larson is one such author. I have read several of his books and have enjoyed his telling of the events in each of those books. The one I have read lately (just finished it today) and have enjoyed the most, is called Isaac’s Storm. It is the story of the hurricane that hit Galveston, Texas on September 8, 1900.

The way the story is told, the pace, his style, the bits of information he includes almost as asides that help to flesh out the time period and the people in it, is wonderful. All history should be presented this way.

The book, of course, can be found in your local bookstore or online and will not disappoint you in the way it pulls you into the story of the deadliest hurricane in history. That makes it a perfect entry for “random stuff we like…”

Enjoy.

TMG Philosophy: The Other Side of the Lens

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Amanda

I have a camera. I love my camera. I take pictures. I love taking pictures. Lots and lots of pictures. Almost daily. Okay, daily. I’ve always felt alive behind the lens, excited to see a new shot, thrilled by the drastic changes of just a slight shift in angle, hypnotized by shadow and light, lines and forms. You can take a shot of the same place at first light and then again in the evening glow, and it can seem to be a completely different site. You can take a shot of rusty metal from 10 feet away, and then again 10 inches away and you might not be able to tell it’s the same texture or surface.

Not only do I feel alive, I feel comfortable. If I’m having an off day or off moment, I can pick up my camera and settle in to the familiar, knowing I’ll see amazing stories and fantastic images on the other side of the lens. You can imagine, then, my comfort level plummeting when my sister asked me to help her out and participate in a photo shoot for her hairstylist portfolio. Participate…as in be on the OTHER SIDE OF THE LENS…like a model. “No thank you,” is what I wanted to say. I knew that “no” was not an option, and certainly wasn’t going to “thank” her. So after some stammering and blinking…and more stammering, I relented.

And I survived. I survived, but not without some extremely comical facial expressions and stories captured permanently. Think blackmail material. Seriously…how awkward can one person be??!! Well, I sure showed them. After all, I’m used to capturing details, not being captured. I’m sure I was supposed to learn a lesson in stepping outside my comfort zone and facing a fear. Maybe I did. Maybe I grew just a little bit. Maybe I didn’t. The other side of the lens did give me some insight though. I was reminded that we all have talents. I got to see my sister use hers and shine that day, creativity oozing from her fingers and captured in the photos. I got to see a very talented photographer at work who amazingly made me feel about as comfortable as I was going to be on the other side of the lens! I watched others come alive while having their photos taken, vibrant, confident and lovely.

We all have talents. It is up to us to figure those out and use them. We must use them, not waste them. And we can’t let fear, or fear of failure hold us back. “Use what talents you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.” ~ Henry Van Dyke

SketchUp IMHO: SketchUp and Layout

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Tim

In the past blog entries, I have talked about why I like SketchUp so much as a design tool. One of the main reasons I like it and it works so well for me, is that the Pro version of SketchUp comes with a separate program called Layout. The addition of this program is one of the things that makes SketchUp as a whole, so powerful. SketchUp is a very intuitive program for quickly creating detailed 3D objects, and Layout allows you to use those objects and all the work you put into them, to quickly create your working drawings without having to recreate the objects.

In a nutshell, this is how it works. You can create your 3D models in scale in SketchUp and create all the details and views on all sides and then import that model into Layout to create the working drawings. In case you do not know, working drawings are the scale drawings that need to be created to allow a shop to build something accurately.

You can set up templates and pages in Layout and then bring in your objects and quickly and easily lay them out (get it…?) on the page, add dimensions and notes and thereby create a working drawing. You can create as many pages as you need to communicate your design, even import photos for reference and added clarity, and then export them as PDFs for anyone to print and look at.

I mentioned above that Layout comes with the Pro version of SketchUp. The Pro version sells for about $495 (which is terribly reasonable for what you can do with the program). It does not come with the free version of SketchUp.

I have included a few pages below from a set of drawings that we created for a project a few years ago that was built in our shop. The pages show how you can create scale elevations (front on views of the different sides of an object) quickly and easily once you have created the 3D model.

Nate’s Notes: My First Camera!!!

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Amanda

I know what you’re thinking…I’m too young to handle the responsibility of such valuable technology and equipment. Well, wait till you see my photos! I know Momma needs help with taking pictures because she is always saying she needs more shots. Daddy has had a lot of super hero duties lately, so I thought I could help.

I took these pictures the other day.

My books!

My Legos!

My cars!

Benson- My dog dog!

My books, my dog-dog, my Legos, and my cars!! Aren’t they great?! I really love the lighting and the blurry effect. Now THAT is texture.

Well, I was happy to take more, but Momma came into the living room and found me with her camera. She had some interesting things to say. She looked like she had eaten hot sauce (I’ve tried that!!!) and was holding her mouth in a weird smile. Obviously she was excited to have my help! Clearly she knew she needed me! For some reason, though, she walked slowly to me and gently took the camera from me. She then put it up on a very high shelf. Hmmm. That’s strange…but then she told me she’d get me my own camera to use. Oh! Well, THAT makes sense.

Later that day, she gave me my very own camera! I was excited until she put it down on my desk. After I recovered from the initial shock, I managed to climb to her camera and capture these images to show you…the horror. THIS is what she gave me to work with!

I’ve never been so insulted. Look at the silly person that pops up when you push the button…and the grainy view through the lens. I just looked at her with her goofy smile and blinked. This was a baby camera! For babies…NOT me! Today, her smile was NOT spreading to me. Today, I needed to be alone. With my camera.

THIS is what she gave me??!!!

Grainy view through lens…*sigh*

No comment…*sigh*

TMG Philosophy: And Now, For the F-word…

Posted on March 5, 2013 by Tim

I want to take this opportunity to talk about the “f-word”. No, not that one. The four-lettered one! Oh wait – I know what you are thinking… No, the word I am talking about is one that we should all be more offended by than the one you thought I meant at the start of this…

I am talking about fear. Yeah – that f-word.

Fear, at best, can cause us to do stupid things and encourage us to make stupid choices. Oftentimes it does things even worse than that. It makes us hesitate to do something or even not do something altogether. How is that worse you ask…? How many times have you thought about complimenting someone or something someone does and you stop yourself? Often it is out of some misplaced, silly, stupid fear that it could be awkward or embarrassing for you in some way if you say something to the person. Think about that for a second. Really – we would rather not say something to someone that just might make their day simply because it might be awkward for us…?! How self-centered and pathetic is that…?

Also – how often have you had a dream or desire to learn something new by taking a class, go visit some far away land, try a new restaurant, try a new hair-style, make a new friend, learn to play a musical instrument, etc…? What stops you? Most of the time it is fear. It is just such a nice convenient excuse. If I learn to play the piano, I won’t be as good at is as so-and-so and they might make fun of me. Really?! You really think your friends and family will make fun of you for trying something new? No, they won’t so take the risk and get out there!

The world around us provides all sorts of adventure on a daily basis. We are creative, curious, inquisitive people and I believe we are meant to explore. That could be exploring an old abandoned village in the Middle East, or exploring a new look with a new haircut. Either way, it could be a great adventure and why deny yourself the fun of that adventure? Don’t let the fear of the unknown (many times things you cannot control anyway!) stop you from the life of adventure you should enjoy.

So, let’s agree that the f-word fear and everything it stops us from enjoying in life, should be more offensive than that other f-word. What do you think…?

Random Stuff We Like: CameraBag2

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Amanda

No, I’m not talking about the latest carrying case for your camera. I recently was introduced to CameraBag2, a photo effects desktop app designed to make it quick and easy for anyone to creatively edit photos. Oh, and it’s fun! Who doesn’t want or need more fun?

1962 style effect with Safety Film border

Silver effect with Eroded border

Plastic style effect

Here are my Top 10 reasons I quickly fell in love with the app, making CameraBag2 another Random Thing We Like (or love in this case).

It is easy to use– The main editing screen remains uncluttered, making the interface easy on the eyes, straightforward, and effortless to explore.
You can experiment with many different styles (about 20) to apply to your photo ranging from the nostalgic 1958 look, to the old-time saloon effect, to the crisp and clear wedding style.
The rollover preview feature for each photo effect makes it quick and easy to see the image in real time before you apply the style.
You can choose from over a dozen different borders to apply including some fun ones like Eroded, 35mm Bleed, and White Slide.
A number of Adjustments can be made to your photo. I was surprised to be able to crop, straighten, tweak the brightness, color, tint, exposure and more!
The Quicklooks feature allows you to see your image with each style, border or adjustment effect side by side. This is easy and great for those who need visual comparison to make a decision!
You can combine multiple photo effects, like tint, with matte finish and a safety film border…kind of like layers!
It’s cheap! I paid $14.99 on Steam.
This really is for anyone. Sure, photography purists may scoff at the “cutesy effects” and deem this app shallow…but why not get anyone and everyone engaged and excited about taking and editing photos?
Did I mention it is fun? It encourages experimentation…which is fun. And cool! You can see some of our fun on our www.tmgclearedart.com website.

I would recommend this to anyone to try. Visit Steam today to begin your editing bliss. Have fun!

Nate’s Notes: Dog-Tired…Whatever THAT Means

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Amanda

Momma often says she is dog-tired. I’m not sure about that, or even what it means. As far as I can tell, a dog’s life is easy and full of sleep. How can you be tired with that much sleep? Why would you want to sleep so much? I know I don’t!! There is too much to do and too much to see. Papa and Gram’s dogs are the perfect examples. The big one, Luther, who is really more like a moo- cow than a dog, sleeps a lot. Iris, the little one who is more like a kitty, sure tries to win by sleeping more. They sleep inside, outside, in the shade, in the sun, on the floor, on the couch, together, alone… everywhere and anywhere.
Papa takes them outside to run in the afternoon, and sometimes I get to see this if I am visiting. Actually, Papa takes me outside to run too! He’s super fun like that being a retired super hero and all. That’s how I learned about expo…epo…ag…sposy…oh yea… exposed aggregate (whew, that is a mouth full). When Papa takes me outside, I play with dirt, glorious dirt, and get to smell all the spring flowers. Papa has me touch the bricks around their outside bathtub thingys, the wood on their deck, the moss, the different plant leaves and the side of their house. He tells me about the different textures and says Momma would take pictures of them if she could! Oh man. What DOESN’T she take pictures of?
Of course, when we round the corner, there are those dogs sleeping. Again, I ask, how can anyone be dog tired if they sleep this much? Don’t these dogs know how much they are missing? I point to Luther and say, “Cow!”…and Papa laughs while saying, “Luther isn’t a cow silly. Cows go ‘Moooooo’, and Luther goes ‘Woof’. I know he looks like a cow because he is so big, but he is a doggy!” Could have fooled me. Luther is even black and white like the cows I know. Whatever, Papa will figure it out someday. He clearly has been retired too long. Papa says we have to go back inside for a snack, so we head back to the house.
Being the helper that I am, I decided to bring the textures to Momma that I had just discovered with Papa. So I pulled the flowers and leaves off the plants, grabbed the moss on the bricks, and filled my hands with dirt. I put them all in my pockets. I ran out of room in both pockets so considered putting some things in my mouth, but then Gram discovered my plan when I got inside. She called me a stinker, but my diaper was clean! I was just trying to help! I am sooooo misunderstood. So misunderstood. Maybe I should just go sleep with the dogs.

Nate’s Notes: BIG Helper

The Transmogrifier Blog

find . inspire . transform . create