Hey there,
I’ve been deep in the world of procedural music, experimenting with different ways to generate melodies and rhythms dynamically. Procedural music is created using code, maths, and random numbers to try to create rhythms and melodies. It’s something I’ve been working on for a while, aiming to make it easier for users of my upcoming JavaScript game library to add music with minimal effort. While it won’t replace custom compositions, my goal is to lower the barrier to entry, letting people build games faster.
PicoCAD
PicoCAD is a charmingly minimalist 3D modeling tool designed for tiny, low-poly creations. It’s perfect for making 3D models that look like they’ve jumped straight out of an early 2000s game, reminiscent of the Sony PlayStation or Nintendo GameCube.
Whether you’re into pixel art, game dev, or just tinkering with low-res 3D, PicoCAD is a fun way to explore the world of simple modeling.
PicoCAD has recently launched on Steam, making it even more accessible. If you’ve ever been curious about low-poly modeling, now is a great time to check it out! It's also available on Itch.io if you prefer to buy there.
There are a variety of tools and tutorials on the official PicoCAD website.
Lego Puzzle Box
Anyone who knows me knows that I have a thing for Lego (I once wrote about how it's it's the greatest toy ever), and whilst I've tried to curb my spending I do still regularly buy small Lego sets and minifigures. I also love Japanese puzzle boxes, and logic puzzles, so seeing this video was awesome. The design reminds me of Cluedo, and looks like the floorplan of a real Lego set.
You can watch the Lego Puzzle Box video on Youtube.
If you're interested in this then the Etsy page for the seller, PlasticBlockbuster, is here. The price is very high but there's some uniquely printed Lego bricks, some hard to find pieces, and a lot of effort to hand build the puzzle before delivery. So it's actually probably fair, assuming the designers want to earn a living from it.
I also like this separate video on a "escape room greetings card" which shows how some clever papercraft skills can make for a unique gift. Again, this is pricey, but designing, cutting and preparing things like this takes a lot of time and effort. If you can spare the money I think it's worth it for a unique gift.
Of course, I don't have either of these things because they are expensive, but I do think they're really nice.
Sparked Discoveries
Here’s a handful of links I found intriguing this week:
My Life as a Dreamworks TV Artist
A lovely look at the life of someone who works full time in animation. It's a hard industry that is facing a lot of struggles at the moment, but I can see that there's definitely a lot of passion in the people who work in it. If you can find a good company to work for, it seems like it would be a fantastic creative thing to do. This makes me want to get back to planning my own animated series (I've written the outline for a 3 season animated show... and done a bunch of concept work, but it's another one of those "someday, probably never" projects).
How to Make the Internet Usable Again
This is a Reddit discussion and not a solution, but there's a lot of good ideas in here. It covers the things I think about a lot when it comes to the internet. I'm not sure I agree with all of it, but it's a good starting point for a conversation. In particular it covers a lot of the my philosophy when building for the internet. Unfortunately advertising is a necessary evil for many of us, it's my primary source of income on Brush Ninja but I know I could make it more intrusive to earn more, but I want to keep the experience nice so that people keep using the website.
A flooded quarry, a mysterious millionaire and the dream of a new Atlantis
I've mentioned about my love of small spaces before, which is possibly strange since I'm also claustrophobic, but this is really interesting to me. I love the look of these underwater pods that are being developed and tested for use at 200m under the sea. I'm not sure how I would feel living in one underwater, but having a similar space above water would work well for me. I've been watching a series of videos on Instagram on a group of people who are building a house out of a container unit, and it's great seeing the process, and the designs for small space living.
Have you found anything interesting lately? I’d love to hear about it!
Until next time,
Ben