Antony Ward - Latest Comments

Re: Fitbit Blaze Review

Ergotron Mexico — Thu, 12 Jan 2017 19:28:19 -0000

Great ! Excelent Post.

Re: ZBrush on the Surface Book?

Adrian Wise — Thu, 24 Nov 2016 08:34:39 -0000

I use a 3D Connexion Space pilot Pro which allows full 3d Navigation and has many configurable buttons including esc, ctrl shift and alt as defaults, the only thing is it isn't very portable but makes working in 3D space with a pen a dream...

Re: Jaybird Reign Review

Nimic — Fri, 26 Aug 2016 03:32:18 -0000

Don't know if you are still using the band, anyways this is by far the best review about the Reign in the net.

I bought the "1st generation" product as my first activity tracker ever, it was full of bugs (a common problem if you read the reviews on Amazon) and it lasted only one week, then it stopped syncing with the app.
So I got myself a Polar Loop 2, but I missed the Reign, because in spite of all the problems I loved it, and I really wanted to have a working one.
I'm not american and it's not easy to buy it here in Europe, they don't ship outside the US on Amazon, you can still find it on Ebay but I think most of the offers are about the bugged version.
Then I found it on an online shop in Switzerland and I gave it a try, I could eventually return it and get the money back.
Luckily so far it's working, and I'm very satisfied; as you said it's all about finding which device suits yourself better, and the Reign suits me absolutely fine: since I don't train anymore a lot because of family and work, I don't need advanced stats but rather something to keep an eye on my daily activities and to push me a bit. There are more complete (HRM, GPS...) products in the market at the moment, but I'd say that even being a 2 years old product, it can still cope with them (at least with the ones at around 100 €), it's waterproof (not just splash-proof), it has a good automatic detection of the activities and the go-zone is still a very unique feature.

Greetings

Re: Cintiq Companion Review

Jermain Steed — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 11:35:13 -0000

I have the companion hybrid. Here is my two cents.
CONS

1. I personally never use the 3 and 1 cable. I honestly wish I would have purchased the regular companion 2.
2. The stand is ridiculous. It always comes off and does seem like an after thought. I use it mainly without the stand in my lap for a lighter sleeker feel.
3. It takes quite a while to charge.
PROS
1. fantastic sketching ability.
2. Sketchbook upgrade for Android works excellent. Pretty much all I use. (Occasional photoshop when i plug in 3and1 cable).
3. Nice large screen for a portable tablet.
4. Build quality is very nice.

Re: Cintiq 27QHD Touch Review

Antony Ward — Thu, 24 Sep 2015 12:59:26 -0000

Hi Bob,

Thanks!

I think the Cintiq's tend to have a heavy duty screen anyway, but I know you can buy screen protectors if your concerned.

Re: Cintiq 27QHD Touch Review

Bob Marshall — Thu, 24 Sep 2015 10:01:28 -0000

Great review, Antony. I would love to try one of these out. I am wondering what protects the screen from wear and tear if you're an artist used to painting and sculpting with programs like Photoshop and ZBrush? I ask this as my intuos pad bears the hallmark dings and scratches of years of abuse - perhaps I need to be less aggressive! I worry that this would happen to the Cintiq screen.

Re: Cintiq Companion 2 i7 Review

Antony Ward — Thu, 20 Aug 2015 17:21:04 -0000

Sure you can do all those things too. It does work as a tablet of sorts, it's just a little bulky and heavy compared to a more bog standard tablet like an iPad.

Re: Cintiq Companion 2 i7 Review

Dude — Thu, 20 Aug 2015 17:14:51 -0000

So you cannot watch movies/shows or play games on it???

Re: Free Model #14 – Reaper Rig

Antony Ward — Wed, 22 Apr 2015 09:13:15 -0000

Hi, that`s strange...

Have you tried enabling Interactive Playback and dragging the ReaperControl icon around?

Re: Free Model #14 – Reaper Rig

Yurika — Wed, 22 Apr 2015 04:15:37 -0000

This is great stuff thank you.
Except when I opened it, the reaper didn't seem to have any joints and not rigged at all. Did I miss something?

Re: Cintiq Companion 2 i7 Review

Lawrence — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 07:28:37 -0000

Thanks for the feedback Ant! I'll have to get my hands on the Cintiq Companion 2 i7 and test run one for digital painting. It does look like an awesome piece of kit. I'd be very interested in seeing how it handles Corel Painter 2015 – Especially with some of their new brushes. Your new work looks amazing by the way. I'm loving your latest DigitalTutors tutorial!

Re: Cintiq Companion 2 i7 Review

Antony Ward — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 02:23:15 -0000

Hi and thanks!

I`m pretty sure you can flip and orientate it however you like. Its Windows based and Windows will do that for you on any device, so you should be fine :)

Re: Cintiq Companion 2 i7 Review

Lawrence — Tue, 14 Apr 2015 19:34:32 -0000

Great review Ant! Loved the pen comparison.

As a Corel 'Master Painter' I'd love to try this new Cintiq Companion 2 i7 myself BUT I'm left-handed and the hot-keys are all on the left-hand side. Obviously, I'd prefer them all on the right hand side of the Companion. How easy is it to 'flip' over? Some tablet/PCs can handle this and some can't. With the hot-keys spread equally over each side of the full-size Cintiqs, it's not an issue but here I wondered if it might cause a problem?

On that note, I'd also love to see if the Companion works in portrait mode. But that's just because I paint a lot of Portraits ;D

Re: Surface Pro 3 i7 Review

Antony Ward — Fri, 27 Feb 2015 17:16:10 -0000

Hi! I can confirm that the Surface Pro 3 (i7) is an excellent device for use with 2D apps like Photoshop. I`ve just been using it actually and the brush strokes are smooth and the pressure comes through well, just like Mischief.

Hope this helps!

Re: Surface Pro 3 i7 Review

Vladimir Rikowski — Fri, 27 Feb 2015 12:14:07 -0000

Nice review , I was thinking to buy a SP3 to myself .. as a freelance artist,.. my main art app are Photoshop and corel painter .. is there a chance that you can tell bit more about Sp3-Ntrig and photoshop performance ? Im very intrigued how the pen react .. and if theres any or some "lag" when you start the brush stroke and the ink running behind your pen and cursor . or is it like Mischief ?
thanks :)

Re: Surface Pro 3 i7 Review

Adrian Wise — Fri, 13 Feb 2015 12:10:08 -0000

I run 3dsmax on my pro 3 (as I did on my pro 2) although now don't have to plug it in to an external monitor, the addition of a 3 button mouse is a must for any lengthy work but the addition of a third button on the pen means it's not essential. I can happily model rig and texture characters all day (and have when my workstation is called into rendering for the farm). Mudbox is another matter the lack of touch navigation in mudbox 2015 means you still need an external wacom tablet which is a shame, but manageable as they aren't exactly big and cumbersome things, but it would be nice to see this resolved. Be warned though the i7 processor has a tendency to over clock, I'm currently on my second pro 3, believing my first was faulty after seeing the clock speeds exceed 100% but alas it is not a fault, the pro 3 just runs and runs but it will get quite hot in the top right hand corner. Microsoft labelled the pro 3 the tablet that can replace your laptop, well I used to carry a big Sony laptop around, until I got my pro2 in December 2013 at which point I mothballed it and it became another node on the render farm, the pro 3 solves all the little niggle I had with the pro 2 the dual kickstand positions are superseded by the fully adjustable feature in the pro 3 the power cable now slots into a magnet with a little vein so you don't knock it off inadvertently, the touch pad on the type cover actually works now and the click is a welcome addition. the form factor and reduced weight and thickness are immediately noticeable and make the pro 3 truly mobile. The only feature from the pro 2 that I miss is the eraser function on the end of the pen, the one note button isn't customisable so you can't get it back.
The pro 3 is a serious bit of kit, I'd be lost without mine and I've only had it a couple of months

Re: Free Model #1 – Female Base Mesh 01

Antony Ward — Thu, 28 Aug 2014 07:03:19 -0000

Sorry about that, you can get it directly here - http://antcgi.com/FTP/FreeM... - Iam having nothing but trouble from that TransactSocially plugin :(

*Antony Ward*
Director & Digital Artist
---------------------------------------

www.antcgi.com
www.facebook.com/antCGi

Re: Free Model #1 – Female Base Mesh 01

Hammad Khan — Thu, 28 Aug 2014 06:51:17 -0000

Fatal error: Call to undefined method TransactSocially::error() in /home/transact/public_html/lib/class.lib.php on line 93

Re: Wacom Cintiq 24HD Review

Antony Ward — Thu, 29 May 2014 11:54:53 -0000

Thanks for commenting guys!

Re: Wacom Cintiq 24HD Review

Jonny Shaw — Tue, 27 May 2014 09:22:09 -0000

Great review Antony. Interesting to hear about the screen grain. I recently sold a small Windows tablet for a similar reason (Acer W3), wondering now if I would have got used to it! :) Still a way from needing a Cintiq here, but will definitely take a re-read of this should that daunting day arrive!

Re: Free Model #6 – Kila – Fully Rigged Character + LODs

zacklun — Wed, 02 Apr 2014 21:38:26 -0000

Okay, i will go and try it. I m using 2013.

Re: Free Model #6 – Kila – Fully Rigged Character + LODs

Antony Ward — Wed, 02 Apr 2014 04:50:46 -0000

That should work...When I try it, as you can see in the image, I do the following -

Select the control and go to Animate > IK/FK Keys.
Click Enable IK Solver.

The IK Blend attribute should then switch to 1...

What version of Maya are you using? This was on Maya 2014.

Re: Free Model #6 – Kila – Fully Rigged Character + LODs

zacklun — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 21:22:03 -0000

yeah.Is that wrong?

Re: Free Model #6 – Kila – Fully Rigged Character + LODs

Antony Ward — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 10:23:34 -0000

Are you editing the L_Arm_IK controller? The circle?

Re: Free Model #6 – Kila – Fully Rigged Character + LODs

zacklun — Sat, 29 Mar 2014 02:03:26 -0000

But when i try 2 enable d IK solver, it said the ''Kila_CS:LArm_IK.ikBlend' is locked or connected and cannot be modified. // The default is IK blend = 0 and it is in yellow box with d translation, simple said i cant move her arm. I hope u can help .