Bible Animations

 - Font:
   This was my first time creating a font and I just have to witness that GOD loves throwing me into the deep end and helping me swim, haha. It is such an adventure when you learn to lean on HIM. It doesn't mean bad stuff doesn't happen or that things are just a breeze, but it does mean that all things work together for your good, because you love GOD and are called according to HIS good purpose (Romans 8:28).
   The font itself, took about two work days total, spread over three days, which sounds odd, but I get a lot of interruptions and I had a little troubleshooting with the program too, because if the direction of your lines aren't right, you can't have filled shapes with other making holes, so things like eyes or wings would be invisible, just like on a silhouette. Praise GOD for it being done and functional!!

 - Hieroglyphics
   Larger scenes are typically the challenge for creating Egyptian environments. The fine print also play a very large role, but if one is out, both are. In the case of the larger scenes, they quickly show if they are repeating and I really don't like that, so thankfully, GOD has already stepped in and given me quite a list of possible scenes I could make, but they would get made as the project goes along, which means that things will have to be rendered out of order. Should be interesting, hahaha!

 - Fan + slow parent
   Obviously, I've talked about using the slow parent feature for a while now. I didn't even know about the feature until this year with the whole speed mesh thing. Very interesting year to say the least! GOD has been so good to us and so faithful, not to mention even letting me share all this with you guys!! :D
Now the fan, as cool of an object as it is, I've seen that they are often depicted in a way that they can be interpreted as solid boards. You know, like those pizza spatulas, hahaha. I've even seen a few that could be understood to be grass, but from research, I've found that they pretty much stuck with ostrich feathers in various arrays. I was not happy about it, because I wanted to go for the grass one (would've been easier), but I am so grateful GOD insisted on the feathers because, imo, they look stunning!!!!!
   From the get-go I've felt that GOD wanted me to use the slow parent feature to control the feathers, but I was concerned about the recoil when the fan's direction goes back down and the outer edges pull back towards the fanner. No issues in the end! Again, HE is so faithful!

 - Fanners and extras
   This week was filled with characters! 7 in all, but they all, except the girl, need some level of work still to get them complete. Simple things like rigging and other things like individuality. Whenever you have extras, you have to remember that they are also individuals. The assistant to Pharaoh was a real person that came under judgement because of idolatry. The magicians were real people that GOD loved dearly, but chose to go after the Devil... I want to treat the character creation process similarly, but it can be really had to balance the severe time constraint with individuality. As long as they are different enough to distinguish clearly, I am satisfied that they are individuals and therefore settled to give each a reaction. "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:" 1 Peter 5:8, KJV! Without vigilance to not go into too much detail, I would definitely become a target for burnout.

 - Compositing
   While editing the audio, I felt like GOD showed me that I can use the alpha combined with the material index to cut out a really nice shape to create a cohesive mask that can be used to separate out the different shapes. How this translates for the depth information, I can't say, except it be blurred like crazy, but I do know that GOD is faithful and HE may certainly give me that info should the situation call for it - HE always does! :D

 - Clarity and cost
   Initially it kinda bothered me that GOD didn't take me back to Egypt to show me what things really looked like. The big problem with that is if I know what it looks like and I cut corners, this would be true of me:
"Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." James 4:17, KJV
It doesn't mean that HE doesn't have the confidence in me, but it may mean that I'd be so overwhelmed with the work, that it'd never get finished (the Egyptians loves them some detail!). What took them centuries to put together, would be practical for me in a few months...
I refer you again to John Paul Jackson's video on the clarity-cost principle (it's part of the episode):


On a side note for clarity and cost. This week I really felt led to go back and look at the situation where Aaron had to throw down his rod and the magicians theirs. The reason I felt led to, was because I was starting to get confused about whether the Bible said "and their's also became serpents." I am so glad that that is not the case, because it would be a very strong indication that what the rods turned into, would've been the same!
"For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods." Exodus 7:12, KJV
Thus giving the space to let what they used be different from what GOD gave Aaron and Moses. The word that is used for serpents is the same, in case you were wondering, but the word usage is, again, broad enough to give difference between them. Huge relief! hahaha.