Why I made it: I’m still trying to figure out the best way to share the GPS tracks from our hikes. Google Earth would be ideal – I can make it do what I want using the desktop client, but the web-based version doesn’t quite do what I want it to. This week I managed to find a relatively simple way to get the tracks to show up on a map that is easy to share.
How I made it: Tracks were recorded using my Garmin eTrex 30x. Tracks were edited using Garmin BaseCamp and Google Earth Pro, and displayed using Google Maps.
Why I made this: We went hiking in Bryce Canyon on March 13, 2020, about the time when the coronavirus pandemic really became a serious issue in the US. It was good to get outside and be in nature, away from the news and uncertainty (and other people).
I’ve been recording GPS tracks of my hikes for the past couple of years, and have been trying to find ways to use them to record where and what I’ve done, and to share them with others. This project started out with me trying to create a clickable map with pictures and video, but in the end, what I made was a virtual walkthrough of our hike. It’s kind of neat — having done the hike, I can definitely remember some of the places as I watch the video.
It’s still not perfect. In particular, I didn’t include any of the pictures or video we took. Our hike was in a small snowstorm, so the landscape and sky looked much different than what you seen in Google Earth. That will be another WeekThing, I guess.
Kristen has been doing a great job capturing what it’s like to be on our hikes in her own videos (WeekThing 001 and WeekThing 006). This is just another attempt at trying to recreate what it’s like. Really, though, you should get out and experience nature for yourself.
How I made this: I captured our track using my Garmin eTrex 30x. I simplified the track using Garmin Basecamp, then used Google Earth Pro to render the video.
Our hike in Bryce Canyon National Park on March 13, 2020. We started at Sunset Point, followed Queen’s Garden trail to Peekaboo Loop Trail, then returned back via Queen’s Garden. Peekaboo Loop starts at 3:59.
This week I wanted to try my hand out in 3D modeling. Blender is a free modeling software that is very popular among CGI artists, animators, and video game artists. Here is the process of this week’s submission!
This is the original shape I started out my design with.
Next I used modifiers to smooth out the shape and I duplicated the top to make icing.
Third, I added some variation to the shape of the icing.
Then, I used a sculpting tool to draw more texture onto the donut.
After that, I set up a scene, added color, and set up the rendering engine.
Why I made this: We have been hiking a lot during the COVID-19 quarantine. Here’s a montage of our last few hikes: Rose River (Shenandoah National Park), Kennedy Peak (George Washington National Forest), High Top Fire Tower (George Washington National Forest), and Cranny Crow Overlook via the White Oak Trail (Lost River State Park, West VA).
How I made this: I shot all the video on my little iPhone 6S and used KdenLive to edit.
Why we made it: Hello everyone! This is Jaymie, here to present a passion project of mine, along with one of my best friends Maddie Hall who lives in New York City and is quarantining with us. My dad recently purchased a ring light and some backdrops so that I can film self tapes and one of them happens to be a green screen. We simply couldn’t let that green screen go to waste. The combination of Covid fear and boredom inspired this short film. We hope you enjoy! Tell us if we should submit to Sundance next year.
How we made it: Green screen, Adobe Premiere Pro. Filmed on a Sony alpha 5100.
Our first guest post! This comes to us from our cousins Coco and Jake.
Why we made it: to convince our stubborn dad to get us a dog.
How we made it: On google slides. It took about 3 hours x 2 people=six work hours. The hardest part was getting the picture of Adam to match the dog photo.
Click the button in the lower right for full screen. Enjoy!
