gus torres: illustration - animation - design

The raspberry, or razzberry, or Bronx Cheer is one of the all-time great sounds. But even though a baby can do it, no one can actually spell it.

The following is a collection of valiant and horrendous raspberry spellings in print… (courtesy of Drawn)

“The Museum Of Bad Art (MOBA) is the world’s only museum dedicated to the collection, preservation, exhibition and celebration of bad art in all its forms.”

I’ve got a few pieces of my own that would feel right at home…

Find out more here. (courtesy of: Drawn)

I’ve been using Mac OS X since its initial release and many of the marvelous applications that utilize the power of this fantastic operating system. But there are still a handful of apps from the 1990’s that I find myself still using. In some cases there are newer versions that work well, but in many cases the old versions are so quick and simple to use that I find it hard to find elegant substitutions.

Three of my four selections are 3D applications. Strata 3D CX has been around with the rest of these since the beginning and has maintained its simplicity while still adding features users like myself crave. I currently use it as my prime 3D application in OS X. I can’t afford what it would take in time to learn and money to purchase a version of Maya or Lightwave and can’t quite get my head around Cinema 4D.

#4 - Alias Sketch 2.0 (circa 1994)

No… not their new product “Alias Sketchbook Pro” used to create paintings and drawings on a computer. I can best describe Alias Sketch as a (very) stripped down version of their powerful 3D software. It has a small learning curve (compared to its counterparts then and now) and I’m still partial to how well it models organic shapes. Sure there are many better 3D apps out today but they tend to be expensive and complicated and require a large commitment of time to learn.

#3 - Pixar Typestry 2.1.2b3 (circa 1994)

I think I keep this one around for nostalgic reasons. Long before Pixar became the movie giant, their application division came out with a simple 3D text effect program for the Mac called “Typestry”. The program is incredibly simple to use but the best part is that it renders using a Macintosh version of their award-winning “RenderMan” software.

Oh… and I bought it as a bundle with a VHS tape that included much of Pixar’s animated projects at the time, from Luxo Jr. through “Knick Knack” (the unedited version).

#2 - Specular Infini-D 3.5.1 (circa 1997)

I still use this program on occasion when I want a more illustrated feel to the 3D project I’m working on. I just like how it renders, not too “photo-realistic”. If I could find an inexpensive version (think eBay) of the last version they made (4.5.1), I’d probably still buy it. And no, Carrera doesn’t count. They took two good easy-to-use 3D Mac applications (RayDream Designer and Specular Infini-D) and merged the worse parts of each.

#1 - Studio 32 1.20 (circa 1991!)

Studio 32, from Electronic Arts (yep, the game company) was an upgrade from its earlier incarnation, Studio 8. The numbers at the end designating 8 bit and 32 bit color support. I prefer Studio 8 to Studio 32 because it’s even simpler to use, but since it only supports monitors that display up to 256 colors, I have problems working with it in Classic mode in Mac OS X.

Another nostalgic choice, Studio 8 and Studio 32 were the first programs I used exclusively to create images at the educational software company I worked at in the early 1990’s. When I’m after that “old school” or “supertiny simcity” bitmap style, I’ll crank up my old version of Studio 32 and start pushing pixels.

There’s something surreal about working with applications that are up to 14 years old on a new PowerBook running a state-of-the-art operating system… it doesn’t hurt that Apple’s Classic mode works as well as it does in OS X. But bottom line is this is another example of how great software can truly stand the test of time.

Personally, I like the fact I can write whatever I want, regardless of who might actually be reading it. If what I’m posting keeps folks coming back here, that’s a bonus!

Enjoy the Wall Street Journal.com article here…