Update 38: Artistry (Patreon)

Greetings!

This month has been one of conflict for me and my team, I don't like to presume but I've seen the same reaction from everyone when we settle in the 'meat' of a project where, for all intents and purposes it doesn't seem like a lot is getting done.

That's not to say we've not been hard at work, it's just you get things changing from awesome to, even more awesome-er

I like to hire people that demonstrate a remarkable degree of passion, it's how our work, in my opinion, stands out from the rest, when you have people who are, not creating for the sake of a paycheque, but because they want to see the end result as much as everyone else does.

It's why films and media that spend years in development stick around in peoples minds, it's how you get the Arcane's, the Into the Spiderverse's, the Severance's.

I can't compare our work to those masterpieces (yet) but it's the standard that I aspire to achieve.

The disadvantage is that, if, as an artist, you don't feel like you're doing your part or you're holding someone else back, it can be demoralising! The passion that we have is a double edged sword in that sense, for as much as it drives us, that drive can't be turned off.

I mention this now as the bulk of the work we've been carrying out this month is a process called retopology, For those outside of the business, it's the act of taking the absurdly high poly sculpts that flow from the minds of our artists and make them into objects that preserve the detail, but make it so it can be rigged and animated without bringing every modern computer to it's knees, Basically reducing the amount of points the computer has to consider when rendering the finished article.

It is an extremely time consuming, but necessary part of the process when it comes to developing assets, given that we are now moving into a space where, the assets we make are likely the ones we want to keep around for some time, we're spending more time than ever getting them just right.

Given the length of time spent on this set, and also some feedback from some members, both here and on the discord, we've decided to spend a couple of episodes in this new setup we've been crafting.

The idea being that the next episode should be dramatically quicker to produce, and also lends more time for our modeller to get working on the next set whilst I work within the same environment.

It also allows us to explore a couple scenario's based on what people have said they'd like to see in this environment, Denial verses reward, the details of exactly what will go down will of course, remain a surprise for the final product(s), but rest assured, we have been listening and are always considering how best to explore concepts and ideas within this universe.

With that all said I can say that the body and facial animation for the scene is all but done. The runtime of which is going to come in between 15-20 ish minutes (final cuts are always made for levity's sake so nothing firm currently).

There will be some polish needed, as ever, but we are at the stage now where the mocap and animation process is becoming very efficient, which is excellent news for when we have a sufficient set of environments and devices in which to.... delight our various participants.

I'll leave you all with a write up I asked INOPRBL to do for us about the new rebreather design he's been working on as part of this set:

The Rebreather The Deep Extraction Unit utilizes a closed-circuit rebreather (CCR) to provide a carefully-controlled breathing mixture to the subject, held in a self-contained breathing-loop.

• The primary function of the rebreather unit is to remove CO2 from exhaled breath and replenishing the O2 which has been consumed by the body, but it also serves as a distribution system for advanced mind-altering compounds used during operation of the DEU.

• This unit is designed to operate in mixed environments, both wet and dry, and can be used across a wide variety of applications.

Rebreather Operation:

• Exhaled breath is a mixture of CO2, O2, and an Inert Gas, such as Nitrogen- which acts as a Diluent.

• Exhaled breath travels through a hose into a Counter-Lung, which briefly holds a full tidal-volume of exhaled air before it is pulled through the loop by the Inlet Air Pump. This ensures that even under maximum workload and stress, there is never any perceptible resistance to exhalation.

• This unit is equipped with both an inlet and outlet Air Pump, which effectively eliminates the “work of breathing” concerns of traditional rebreathers, by carefully balancing inlet and outlet pressures in time with the subject’s breathing.

• After passing through the inlet Air Pump, the CO2 in the exhaled breath is captured using a pair of adsorbent beds; essentially a kind of filter which can trap CO2 molecules, and then later release them in the presence of an electrical charge.

• The O2 and Diluent pass freely through the adsorbent media, but CO2 becomes trapped within the sponge-like material.

• Trapped CO2 is further processed after capture, stripping away the carbon and allowing oxygen molecules to pass back into the loop.

• The adsorbent beds take turns cycling between capture and release states, absorbing incoming CO2 from the breathing-loop, and releasing it into the CO2 cracking unit to recover the remaining oxygen molecules present in the CO2.

• The air mixture in the breathing loop is now a combination of O2 and Diluent, which then passes into a Mixing Chamber that allows the blending of additional gases and vapors.

• Connected to the Mixing Chamber is a computerized aerosolizer unit with an internal magazine of various compounds such as Aphrodesiacs, Euphorics, Stimulants, Narcotics, Performance Enhancers, etc.

• The Aerosolizer distributes these compounds into the Mixing Chamber at a precisely calculated rate to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of the various drugs in use.

• The onboard sensors in the Deep Extraction Unit provide telemetry to the computerized controls of the Aerosolizer, allowing it to make realtime dosage adjustments while in use.

• The primary addition valves for O2 and Diluent also connect at the Mixing Chamber, where they can be carefully blended before passing through the loop.

• Once past the mixing chamber, the gas is monitored by a series of sensor within the Outlet Sensor Head, the last stop before passing through the outlet air pump and into a counter-lung, which stores enough breathable gas to compensate for the tidal volume of the subject during periods of maximum work and stress.

• The gas is then inhaled, where it enters the body before being exhaled and starting the cycle over again.

• In the event of an emergency, where the breathing-gas mixture in the loop cannot be maintained at safe levels of oxygenation, such as after an equipment malfunction, this unit is designed to automatically switch over to an Open-Circuit bailout system that can provide breathable air to the subject from a pressurized air source connected to the DEU.

It is in these outlets and shreds that I see from the team I've had the distinct pleasure to work with where the passion shines through, It makes me think that if he puts this much effort and thought into a mask, what lies for us in the future?

Exciting times, I hope!

Bye for now!