Thoughtful Preparations: Media Spin Blog

[Originally written in 2015, this post has been updated Feb. 28, 2022. Obviously, the logo artwork is no longer “new” and I have no knowledge whether or not it is presently in use. – HG]

In the beginning, there was the 32 x 32 Cyclone 7 icon, the only logo artwork available.  This image had been used for a number of generations of Leica Geosystems’ 3D point cloud processing software, Cyclone.  With the launch of Cyclone version 8, it was high time for a new look, and new logo to accompany the powerful new 3D software update.  So began the search for a new look, a refreshed identity embodied in a graphical symbol, a new logo.

My first inclination was to explore completely new concepts and looks, showing that Cyclone’s connection to the 3D world and playing off of the cyclone, tornado, whirlwind concept.

Using Autodesk Maya and Adobe Illustrator, I tinkered with a conical theme, keeping in mind that Cyclone’s letter “C” might be worked into it.

Not being completely sold on the cones, it was time to revisit the original icon, and break down what it was about.  Outlining the artwork in Illustrator, it became clear that the logo was a pair of letter “C”s with a red dot, viewed in 3D perspective.  I decided to try and recreate this using a 3D camera view in Maya.

Here we see two C’s extruded, with a cylindrical dot placed in the center.  Getting on the right track for 3D software now!  More refinement to be done.

Here a slight rounded bevel has been added to the extrusion, and textures to the 3D geometry.  Time to explore more surface treatments, lighting and rendering.

The rendering on the left has a few more directional lights added to the Maya screen preceding it.  The rendering on the right is the result of adding a brushed metal, stainless steel style texture and bump map to the rendering.  The camera was changed to a wider angle lens setting, to force a more oblique, dynamic perspective, closely matching the original Cyclone 7 logo.  The next test would be to composite the new logo into the Cyclone 8.0 splash screen.

With this, the small product management group  felt we had a winner, and were anxious to release the new software.  Upon further review, we had not yet scored a goal, and so gave it another shot along with helpful suggestions.  The final logo is brighter and easier to read and interpret, and still holds true to the 3D software roots of Cyclone.  The new logo was launched proudly with Cyclone 8.

The logo design lives on in the current Cyclone version 9.1.  The style has been adopted for branding Leica’s CloudWorx for AutoCAD software, and the JetStream high point cloud rendering system.

In October of 1977 I was on a road trip across the American southwest and made a stop in Taos, New Mexico to look around the pueblos and the area made famous by an art colony early in the 20th century.  I did not like the way many tourists were casually snapping photos without respect for the inhabitants, the Taos Pueblo Indians.  When I felt the right time had come to take a few photos, I asked these two friends if I could take their picture.  They said, OK, if I would give them a ride into town, which I agreed to.  I think the photo is the best achievement, and my oil painting from it I do enjoy looking at in my own collection of paintings.  I spent a little more time with these two fellows, since their trip to town involved visiting a liquor store.  Then they wanted to go out to a big field to drink and look at a herd of buffalo belonging to the Taos Indians.  After that, we returned to the Taos village and entered the area for residents only.  One of them invited me to sleep over at his home, but I was afraid and decided to leave.  Anyway, the Yankees were in the World Series at that time and I wanted to go listen to that on my car radio.  I kind of doubt that I missed out on a spiritual experience with a drunk Indian, but you never know.

There is a longer, more detailed account of this in my diary of that time, but this is an online blog, so that’s all you get.

Here is a link to many of my illustrations represented by SuperStock.com – https://superstock.com/stock-photography/1428R-

My collection has grown to over 400 images there, and quite a wide variety.  I try and strike a balance between scientific medical illustrations and imaginative human conditions that tell a story.

I use Autodesk Maya, SmithMicro Poser and Adobe Photoshop in my common illustration workflow.

SuperStock markets my images all over the world, for books, magazines, and other media.

 

I sprained my wrist trying an advanced yoga pose.  Imagine being in a shoulder stand and lowering your legs down while propping up your arching waist with your hands.  If done slowly, carefully and with enough flexibility, your feet touch the ground as your hands support your lower back in a sort of shoulder stand back bend.  I was able to do it, when I last tried it ten years ago, but I lost some flexibility, and the bending put a strain on my wrist.  So I decided to explore the anatomy of the hand in a series of recent illustrations.

I rendered these Zygote models in Maya in a variety of lighting and camera positions.  The detail is an anatomically correct female hand and wrist.  The fianl renders were 8K in the longest dimension.

I had another concept, “Breaking out of the Box”, an inspirational illustration of a struggle for freedom.  The figure was done in Poser, imported into Maya, where I added the lighting, surface texture, and added dynamic cloth to the cube faces that are being stretched.  The skeletal Facebook “like” sign, is just having some fun with Poser, which for me is always fast and simple for working out ideas with.

By the way, the wrist is fine now, but I’m not trying to do that advanced yoga pose again, for awhile now.

 

Nice Tweeting You

Due to the positive response and the editorial buzz around social networking themes, I’ve been motivated to design additional illustrations along these lines for my stock image agency, Superstock. Here are a few of my favorites. I’ve also continued making medical illustrations as well, the most recent series involve new treatments of brain and heart images.