Photoshop AI Generative Infill tool

I played around with Adobe’s generative Infill tool now available in Photoshop Beta.

I competed in the Kitbash3D Mission to Minerva contest

I recently competed in a competition for Kitbash3D’s Mission to Minerva challenge. I’ve never actually worked professionally in photorealism or CGI before but I figured I could learn along the way during the competition. Honestly the prizes for the competition were pretty modest, the grand prize all together may have only been worth about $2,500 but regardless I was interested in using the free kit they provide and the skills I’d learn while using it. The kits are produced for several softwares, I only really had access to free softwares like blender and Unreal Engine. I started out trying to learn blender and produce a moon environment and terrain using their noise generators. However after spending about a week or two learning and trying to render a couple simple scenes I ran into an issue where Blender would bloat to fill out all 48GB of my RAM in my high-end gaming computer. Sometimes rendering in Blender would take 24 to 48 hours while my computer would be completely unresponsive. There was also the option for real-time rendering with cycles that’s supposed to rely on the GPU which I had a high-performance Nvidia RTX 3060 with 12GB of GDDR6 and it would still lag and be unresponsive. 

I eventually started looking into Unreal Engine because graphically the engine renders scenes nicely and it natively works in real-time because it’s a video game engine. Working with the terrain and the environment were obviously different but because I could see how the scene was rendering in color in real-time I could iterate in it much faster. So I kept working in Unreal Engine and I was able to find and buy several assets for the 3D environment from online retailers that helped me to put together the scene quickly. 

I had an original idea of designing out a whole planned moon colony based on proposals from NASA and ESA. I ambitiously also wanted to make a video animation because I knew less people would produce videos than 2D renderings. I thought up an engaging story about a potential moon colony rebellion against Elon Musk. I started out making the animation and in fact I got pretty involved with animating a moon rover, and having camera tracks follow this rover through a planned moon settlement but eventually I realized the scope of work I had planned to complete a whole story in 3D animation was beyond the remaining 2 weeks I had left to submit. So I ultimately had to abandon my original plan an pivot to a 2D rendering. 

I decided instead to imagine if in the future there was space tourism to the moon, what would a potential vacation look like. I started with an authentic moon environment and kept the layout I had of structures for the moon settlement. Then to make it personal I added an astronaut couple lounging in an inflatable pool with floaties. This is a sight I’ve never seen before in other renderings of the moon or space tourism which is why I thought it was unique.

At the end I submitted my rendering, it obviously could have been a lot better if I had more time put into it but it was good enough to me. I sent it out and never heard any feedback on it. It obviously didn’t win a prize. There were a lot of other good renderings that real artists produced, but even so I think many of the best ones got overlooked by Kitbash3D. At the end I at least got the skills I wanted to develop and a free kit to experiment with. I have more ideas and more time so I can also then use the same environment and assets in a new production.

My Mission to Minerva Moon Vacation entry
Cheeseburger Digital Art

How to Make Burgers and Clean in 5 Minutes

Burgers are a classic American food that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. They are perfect for cookouts, parties, or a quick meal at home. While burgers are typically cooked on a grill, it is possible to make them without one. This guide will show you how to make burgers in 5 minutes without a grill, as well as the best way to clean up after cooking burgers.

Cooking:

1. Preheat a skillet on the stove over medium heat.

2. While the skillet is heating up, shape the burger patties out of ground beef.

3. Once the skillet is hot, place the burgers in the pan and cook for about 3 minutes per side.

4. Remove burgers from the skillet and place on a bun.

5. Add your favorite toppings, such as cheese, lettuce, and tomato. Serve immediately.

Cleaning Up After Cooking Burgers

1. Don’t let the skillet cool.

2. Soak up the grease with a dry paper towel.

3. Dampen a paper towel with water and clean the pan while hot.

4. Dry the skillet with a clean towel and return to the stove.

So there you have it – everything you need to know about making burgers on the stove and cleaning up afterwards. In just a few minutes, you can have delicious burgers that are cooked to perfection, and a clean kitchen to boot! What are you waiting for? Get cooking!

Lightsaber Digital Art

How to Replace Tube Lights DIY

Replacing fluorescent tube lights with LED lights is a simple DIY project that can be completed in a matter of minutes. First, remove the old tube light from the fixture. Next, disconnect the wires and remove the ballast. Then, insert the new LED tube light into the fixture and connect the wires. Finally, turn on the power and test the new light. LED lights are more efficient and longer lasting than fluorescent lights, so this upgrade is a wise investment for any homeowner. Plus, it’s a quick and easy project that anyone can do!

DIY Work Table

DIY Work Table

I designed and built a DIY work table out of wood.

I’ve recorded all the video for it to youtube which I’ll show here

I’ve posted an instructable here: https://www.instructables.com/DIY-Wood-Work-Table/

You can download the CAD design files from GrabCAD here: https://grabcad.com/library/wood-work-table-3