Episode 2 Status Update (Aug)

Aug 17, 2021 | phungus & mowld

I’ve been working on completing episode 2 with limitations during my convalescence holiday, and have bumped into several software related issues that didn’t really make my life easier. Some were from macOS and some from the software I’m mainly using to create Phungus & Mowld. So my target of completing episode 2 by end of August might slip again.

However, from a pure “feeling” standpoint it feels like I’m really close to completing this episode. This is may be because all the difficult scenes are in the can, and the remaining scenes should be fairly easily and quickly animated. I might still go back to some of the earlier scenes and do some tweaking, but I can finally see the end of the tunnel, so to speak.

Software Woes

Lately macOS really has been a bit of a bumpy ride for eGPU users. With the previous version, Catalina (11.4), eGPU support was rock solid and I had no issues. The OS was overall very solid for me. When Big Sur came along, the “disconnect eGPU safely” option in the menu bar (kinda like ejecting an external drive before disconnecting) always led to the machine freezing, crashing, then rebooting. Always. So the “safest” way to disconnect my eGPU was to simply pull the plug, which would only result in a warning/error message to “safely” disconnect the device in the future. Another macOS update then resulted in general instability of the OS and external displays freezing at random times when using the eGPU (and it went downhill from there). So with the upcoming macOS Monterey I still have hope that these issues might be fixed, but then again Apple is now focusing on Apple Silicon support and their own GPUs, so they couldn’t care less about 3rd party eGPUs and graphic cards, I’m afraid. This had me use my Mac without the eGPU, which when working in Final Cut Pro and Motion really shows, export times and general responsiveness of the apps is much slower.

I discovered a few bugs in Moho, too. Overall stability is great so far with the new versions from the new/old owner of the software, Lostmarble LLC. Also their support is very responsive and they’ll look into any issue you have, with diligence and sincerity. But still if I can’t 100% rely on my production software, that’s a major pain in the butt and can screw up my plans big time. Final Cut and Motion for example have seen almost no crashes for years now (at least none with data loss, so no consequences), and have been not only super stable, but also the performance is insanely fast compared to any similar app from other vendors.

Selling Out

Well not really, but I finally changed my Pixelblast Shop from using places like Redbubble and Threadless (who take a fairly high margin) to my own site with WooCommerce, integrating it with Printful and Gelato. The current selection might be a bit thin, but I’ll be adding stuff over time. You didn’t know? Yes, you can get Phungus & Mowld merch, off you go – and don’t come back until you buy something!

Buy From The Producer

If you don’t like streaming and DRM you can now purchase Phungus & Mowld Episode 1 from me directly, or if you don’t trust me, get it from Gumroad. I will also offer episode 2 on these platforms. Either will give you a mp4 downloadable video, with audio in English and embedded subtitles in English, German and Japanese.

Character Rigs

I’m still updating my main character rigs a lot, trying to make them more usable (adding smart bones, so I don’t have to dive into the layers of the character all the time), and versatile (to be used for any situation, posture etc.). I’m probably now at a point where the rigs for my main characters are quite solid and can be used for whatever scene I want to put them in. I’ve also learned a few tricks regarding rigging, so this means I should probably share my experience and collected knowledge, which leads us to…

Vlog…………?

I haven’t given up on my vlog series, but I’m still making completing episode 2 a priority, so that’s why I haven’t produced new episodes. Having said that, I was thinking that actually now in the middle of producing an episode might be a better time to do some vlogs, so I can show directly how and what I’m working on using a live project, instead of something that’s finished already. So hang in there vlogs are coming. Planned vlogs are as following (order could change)