I've been at Microsoft, working on video games, for 10 and a half years. For 10 of those years I've worked on one Flight Simulator title after another, lastly holding the Art Director position for ACES studio-- makers of Microsoft Train Simulator, Combat Simulator, Flight Simulator and now ESP. I've met and worked with great people, and I'm proud of the work that we've done.

All things change though, and so it's my happy opportunity to tell y'all that I'm leaving Microsoft (my last day as a full time employee will be Friday December 21, 2007) to pursue my first love:

Fine art.

I realize that may induce a few 'hunhs?!!?' in the audience, but before I started pushing pixels around, I was a traditional artist.

So, yep. I'm going home to paint pretty pictures, and hopefully to sell enough of them to buy food and pay the mortgage.

I of course have a website:

http://www.jasonwaskey.com/

And while I haven't been blogging regularly here, I have been doing a bunch of blogging here:

http://jasonwaskey.blogspot.com/

Please stop by, and take a look. Sign up to have paintings delivered to your e-mail inbox as I post 'em!

Heck, while you're at it, buy a couple! :)

Happy Trails,

Jason Waskey

PS

I'll still pop up at ACES now and again to do some side work for the studio, so y'all haven't seen the last of me yet...

*Lyrics

I'm not back yet.

But I did clear out some of the comment spam. ugh.

A blogpost, that I might add, which has nothing to do whatsoever with free money in any way shape or form.

In the bunco squad we call this "bait and switch."

Sim-Outhouse got a few screenshots of FSX the other day, and one of the fellows who frequents over there (MCDesigns; aka "Michael") noted...

"Still concerned with the prop blur on the bell..."

...which is in reference to the fact that the Bell 206B we model has two blades, while in the screens it looks as if it has four. You can see a different version of the "more than two blades effect" at the FSInsider site. In the example just linked, it would appear that there are five blades...

So what's up with that? In an image from the previous version of FS you can see that we modeled  the two blade effect. (hat tip to Avsim for the image).

Here then is the repy I gave to Michael:

"Hi Michael,

We've done several versions of the Bell over the years, and one of the things that's felt particularly anemic to my eyes has been the prop effect.

We've always used a two prop blur effect, and the thing is, it just doesn't look like what you see in real life. Sure, when you see a photo of a 206 prop, you see two blades.

We've tried a few different effects, and have settled on the effect you see reflected in the shots floating around. I know that it looks a little off in a static screenshot, but I hope you'll like the result when it's in motion, in the sim."

So what do you think? Should we model to what people might expect-- the reality as seen from a photo? Or should we err on the side of what we think looks more real in action? I think that there are valid reasons to do both, but at the end of the day customer expectation has to play a part.

In the next couple of months I'll get some video out that shows the effect in motion, and that should help folk make up their minds. But in the meantime, don't be afraid to chime in. What do you think?

PS:

Here's Michael's answer:

"Very true Jason, a real pic looks pretty much like 2 blades with even less of a blur than in the current texture and when spinning, looks like the new blur. I am a heli fanatic and have repainted nearly every model that has been in FS since FS2002 and the rotor blur has always been something I am very critical off. If the new one is still based on a texture, then we can alter it for personal preference once it's released, so no worries."

And you can read the whole thread here.

Niniane's had a blog around for a while now, I just keep forgetting to add it to the roll.

I was reminded of Niniane's blog by former ACES team member Steve Lacey (wow! now there's a blast from the past!) who sent along this link:

http://www.valleywag.com/tech/google/niniane-the-google-blogger-156128.php

I'm hoping we get more than one post out of this fellow...   :)

http://blogs.technet.com/p-12c_pilot/archive/2006/02/21/420153.aspx

Also added to the blogroll (and Lacey has been moved to the alumni roll)