Gears and gear

It seems I'm finally getting somewhere in my metal work. Some time back I was able to get a Canon powershot A495 cheaply and I got CHDK (Canon Hack Development Kit) for it.

Now I've decided to make a geared meter of track for interesting timelapse photography using this camera and CHDK. It has yet to be geared but right now the motion is smooth, and I feel good about that.

More to follow.

Them changes

I have a lot to report currently but actually it becomes a prioritisation thing.

I'm pining to finance a Xbox kinect camera for using with Brekel Kinect and Motionbuilder. Now first an explanation on what that is.

Brekel Kinect is a nifty piece of software which I have downloaded and installed on my laptop. It allows the Xbox Kinect camera to capture the motions of your limbs to a armature/skeleton in Motionbuilder. So now one can produce realistic motion for animation right in one's home.

I have several projects that I have been pursueing now for many years to affect the same result.

Having just finished studying to become a programmer I can now develop some of these tools, or at least their software parts to realise what I've wanted for so many years.

So now again like a junkie I find myself thinking of what I can sell to finance this need, that is until I get a job.
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Steps forward again

Its wonderful to be able to come up with an economical solutions that empower me to do new things.

By this I'm referring to the new portable DVD player I have that has a video input. With this new addition and a little cable I have made with a friends help, in one fell swoop regained functional use of my digital camera (now viewing what I shoot on the DVD players screen) and a monitoring solution for my steadicam.

So now with completion of the steadicam on the cards again, new creative things can happen.
Exciting times ahead.
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Big Strides forward

In a singulary serendipituous moment I was blessed with a great laptop computer from a friend. It even has the Mac OS on it.

Now with this advance I'm feeling so much more empowered to create.
The MacOS installation needs redoing though but I'm up for that challenge.

Hopefully with a little trading I'll be able to soon buy a suitable HD shooting camera. Then armed with me trusty hackbook and Shake 4.1
and camera I can begin to finally start doing some serious work.

Its going to be great fun and I can't wait. Oy... So much to do.
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Built and working

I've had a bit of a break from updating the blog, but where the beginnings of my new sanding gear was pictured last, I now have a two very handy and completed machines.

I itch to finish the steadicam but making the remaining 8 bearing housings proves tricky since its getting darker faster now with winter approaching. That makes decent work on the lathe (and I'm no fitter and turner) more difficult. But I may cheat And throw some money at getting 16 of the plates made. It all depends on the budget.

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Finally...

A chance to do some non study related creative work. I've sooo missed puttering around in my workshop and I'm thinking I'm glad studies are coming to an end because I'd like to revert my attention to some overdue projects.

Specifically completing my steadicam and then hopefully when I'm employed I can follow up on my DSLR photography and HD film ideas. I can hardly wait to get another nintendo DS for using as a camera controller.

Then I also can finally weld up a stand for my big chromed steel HDRI ball (high dynamic range imaging). Using the DS to do multiple exposure of the reflections in the ball.

I recently got some very nice welding gloves from a friend and now I'm really enjoying the creativity in the workshop.

Pictured is the beginning of a big belt sander I'm hoping to finish soon to greatly ease things like shaping guitar necks and smoothing metal edges.
Just a other tweaked tool realised from a motor I've harvested somewhere.

The future looks bright and oh so much fun is ahead. I can hardly wait.
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