The Flobin Files: Archive

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Apr 18, 2012

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Apr 18, 2012

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I’m following 61 tumblrs and only 15 are following me. What’s up with that?

Apr 17, 2012

INTERIOR ELEVATIONS TUTORIAL (VIDEO)

[shared via Google Reader from BLOG]

As promised, I put together a video tutorial explaining the workflow that I use to create colored interior elevations using only Photoshop. There was a lot to go over, and I’m surprised I was able to fit it all in one 15 minute video. The steps are not difficult in terms of skill required, however, the sequence of steps to build up the elevation plays a big role in the success of the final image as well as maintaining control of all of the layers. The video is broken down into 6 steps which are summarized below.

STEP 1: POCHE

In the video, I filled in the section cut and exterior of the illustration in Photoshop. This was done to simplify things, however, I would strongly suggest executing this step in CAD or Illustrator for more precise final results.

STEP 2: TEXTURES

In this step, the textures of the walls and other architectural elements are added. One things I suggest doing is merging all of the same textures into one layer (such as merging all of the wood textures in the different rooms into one layer). Many times, I want to adjust the hue, brightness, or levels of certain textures. Minimizing the amount of layers means I can make these changes quickly.

STEP 3: BACKGROUND

This step involves adding background information that can be seen through windows. It’s very easy for the background to get distracting, pulling the viewers’ attention away from the interior spaces. To avoid this, I tend to make the backgrounds more monochromatic, meaning I stick with one hue of color. In this case, I chose blue to compliment the warm tones of the wood.

STEP 4: SHADOWS

This step is an important part of the process, and is where depth is given to the elevations. My advice is to go one room at a time like in the video. Shadow is added where you have a corner condition such as where the wall meets the ceiling or where a wall meets another wall. Also when there is a change in depth, shadow should be added such as in the stair railing. Check out my “Ambient Occlusion” tutorial or my “Quick Sections” tutorial which both cover the topic of adding shadow in more depth.

STEP 5: LIGHT

Step 5 discusses adding spot lighting and accent lighting. This puts warmth into the illustrations and brings attention to the important parts of the space. Adding light is as simple as adding white paint and setting the layer blend mode to “overlay”. To punch up the strength of the light, duplicate the layer.

STEP 6: POPULATE

The final step invloves adding scaled people and furniture. This is where a lot of my time is usually spent. I have a huge library of people already cut out, but finding furniture at the correct angle can be difficult. Most of the time, this means distorting pics to look like they are in elevation. Take your time at this stage, because this is where a lot of interior elevations can get ruined with shotty Photoshop work.

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The celebrity marriage duration equation

[shared via Google Reader from kottke.org]

In 2006, Garth Sundem and John Tierney published an equation in the NY Times that attempted to predict celebrity marriage crackups using a few metrics: age, fame, sexiness, etc. The pair recently modified the equation based on the evidence of the last five years and surprisingly, the equation is simpler.

What went right with them — and wrong with our equation? Garth, a self-professed “uber-geek, has crunched the numbers and discovered a better way to gauge the toxic effects of celebrity. Whereas the old equation measured fame by counting the millions of Google hits, the new equation uses a ratio of two other measures: the number of mentions in The Times divided by mentions in The National Enquirer.

“This is a major improvement in the equation,” Garth says. “It turns out that overall fame doesn’t matter as much as the flavor of the fame. It’s tabloid fame that dooms you. Sure, Katie Holmes had about 160 Enquirer hits, but she had more than twice as many NYT hits. A high NYT/ENQ ratio also explains why Chelsea Clinton and Kate Middleton have better chances than the Kardashian sisters.”

Garth’s new analysis shows that it’s the wife’s fame that really matters. While the husband’s NYT/ENQ ratio is mildly predictive, the effect is so much weaker than the wife’s that it’s not included in the new equation. Nor are some variables from the old equation, like the number of previous marriages and the age gap between husband and wife.

Tags: celebrity Garth Sundem John Tierney mathematics

Apr 17, 2012

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I would like to work in a place like this

Valve has no formal management or hierarchy at all.

Now, I can tell you that, deep down, you don’t really believe that last sentence. I certainly didn’t when I first heard it. How could a 300-person company not have any formal management? My observation is that it takes new hires about six months before they fully accept that no one is going to tell them what to do, that no manager is going to give them a review, that there is no such thing as a promotion or a job title or even a fixed role (although there are generous raises and bonuses based on value to the company, as assessed by peers). That it is their responsibility, and theirs alone, to allocate the most valuable resource in the company – their time – by figuring out what it is that they can do that is most valuable for the company, and then to go do it. That if they decide that they should be doing something different, there’s no manager to convince to let them go; they just move their desk to the new group (the desks are on wheels, with computers attached) and start in on the new thing. (Obviously they should choose a good point at which to do this, and coordinate with both groups, but that’s common sense, not a rule, and isn’t enforced in any way.) That everyone on a project team is an individual contributor, doing coding, artwork, level design, music, and so on, including the leads; there is no such thing as a pure management or architect or designer role. That any part of the company can change direction instantly at any time, because there are no managers to cling to their people and their territory, no reorgs to plan, no budgets to work around. That there are things that Gabe badly wants the company to do that aren’t happening, because no one has signed up to do them.

Apr 16, 2012

Apr 16, 20121,403 notes

Architectural Photography: Floriade 2012 World Horticultural Expo / Thomas Mayer

[shared via Google Reader from ArchDaily]

The Innovatoren | © Thomas Mayer

From now until October 7th, the southeastern Netherlands city of Venlo will be hosting the Floriade 2012 World Horticultural Expo. Covering 66 hectares, the expo invite visitors to experience nature in a variety of ways through the creation of five unique themed worlds. Wandering through wooded areas, the visitors discover each world and all they have to offer.

Swiss architectural photographer Thomas Mayer has shared with us images of unique pavilions and structures found throughout the expo. Each innovative pavilion is meant to educate and inspire. Continue after the break to view the Floriade 2012 pavilions.

The Innovatoren | © Thomas Mayer

Visitors are greeted by the 70 meter-high Floriade icon known as The Innovatoren and designed by the former Chief Government Architect Jo Coenen. After Floriade 2012 concludes, the building will become part of Venlo GreenPark – an innovative business park focused on sustainability, innovation, logistics, knowledge transfer and market orientation.

The Innovatoren | © Thomas Mayer

Kawaguchi City Pavilion | © Thomas Mayer

My Green World Pavilion | © Thomas Mayer

Northrhine-Westphalia Pavilion | © Thomas Mayer

Estonia Pavilion | © Thomas Mayer

Before Villa Flora becomes home to the companies of Venlo GreenPark, the 30 meter-high glass buildings will host the changing flower and plant exhibition. It is referred to as “the greenest office in the Netherlands”, setting the standard with Cradle-to-Cradle philosophy.

Find more information about the Floriade 2012 World Horticultural Expo here.

Architectural Photography: Floriade 2012 World Horticultural Expo / Thomas Mayer originally appeared on ArchDaily, the most visited architecture website on 12 Apr 2012.

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Apr 15, 2012

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Apr 10, 2012

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The Flobin Files

April 2012

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