https://blog.biard.info Thoughts, stories and ideas. en-us Sat, 14 Nov 2026 12:58:40 -0600 https://blog.biard.info/posts/rest-api-sdk-cloud-internet-buzzword-bingo/ If you are new here, welcome! If you are returning for another dose (of whatever this post is), welcome back! I now work on the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) Database Tools (DBTools) team, where we build cool software for the cloud. For the past few months, by the time I wrote this post, I have been working hard to get up to speed on OCI. (Still in geek heaven, by the way.) Justin Biard Sat, 30 Jul 2022 10:55:00 -0500 https://blog.biard.info/posts/rest-api-sdk-cloud-internet-buzzword-bingo/ https://blog.biard.info/posts/two-of-my-favorite-things/ For the past decade+, I have worked in consulting, architecting, and building solutions for customers all over the United States. It has been a unique and rewarding experience. Justin Biard Mon, 22 Jan 2018 08:46:00 -0600 https://blog.biard.info/posts/two-of-my-favorite-things/ https://blog.biard.info/posts/my-friend/ Why does bad stuff happen to good people? The "logical me" knows terrible things happen to everybody, but it is most painful when it seems undeserved or happens to someone you care about deeply. Indeed they didn't deserve it. Justin Biard Mon, 08 Jan 2018 12:00:00 -0600 https://blog.biard.info/posts/my-friend/ https://blog.biard.info/posts/summer17-digital-painting/ A sample of digital art from Summer-2017 that I worked on. Justin Biard Wed, 06 Sep 2017 00:00:00 -0500 https://blog.biard.info/posts/summer17-digital-painting/ https://blog.biard.info/posts/creating-on-the-go-with-procreate/ I have tried many digital painting/drawing applications. After seeing a few digital paintings and reading reviews, I decided to try Procreate (for iPad). The user interface is very intuitive. It has all of the controls I would expect to see in a mobile digital painting application and many desktop-class features. My best test for how easy an application is is to see how my kids react to it. Within minutes (or seconds even), they figured out how to pick different colors and brushes and change the size and opacity, though they were not yet old enough to understand opacity. It was a very intuitive experience for them. They also have had a lot of fun painting with Procreate. Justin Biard Sun, 04 Jan 2015 12:00:00 -0600 https://blog.biard.info/posts/creating-on-the-go-with-procreate/ https://blog.biard.info/posts/normals-smoothing-inconsistently-in-cheetah3d/ You may run into an unexpected behavior in Cheetah3D where your polygon object looks distorted because the normals are smoothing inconsistently.  Instead of consistent face rendering, you may notice normals that stand out as if they are distinct from other co-planar normals within the same face.  Here is an example that shows the effect I am describing. Justin Biard Mon, 29 Dec 2014 12:00:00 -0600 https://blog.biard.info/posts/normals-smoothing-inconsistently-in-cheetah3d/ https://blog.biard.info/posts/holes-or-missing-polygons-in-cheetah3d-render/ Sometimes you may find a render from Cheetah3D (C3D) version 6 that appears to have holes or missing polygons, but the object mesh looks fine in the 3D preview.  Here is an example where the object appears correctly in the 3D preview. (no holes or missing polygons) Justin Biard Sun, 07 Dec 2014 12:00:00 -0600 https://blog.biard.info/posts/holes-or-missing-polygons-in-cheetah3d-render/ https://blog.biard.info/posts/modeling-and-subdivision-in-cheetah3d-a-screwdriver/ Cheetah3D (C3D) is a well-appointed 3D modeling and rendering software package for Mac.  If you don't have Mac or C3D, you may still refer to the general "box" modeling approach shown below, but the features available in your software may not translate precisely.  Out of the various approaches to 3D modeling (Spline, Box, or Polygon), C3D's primary strength for me personally is box modeling.  Splines and polygon modeling are supported. However, box modeling in C3D just feels good.  Also, it is a lot of fun! Justin Biard Tue, 02 Dec 2014 12:00:00 -0600 https://blog.biard.info/posts/modeling-and-subdivision-in-cheetah3d-a-screwdriver/ https://blog.biard.info/posts/3d-object-renders/ I enjoy 3D modeling (as a hobby) and maybe in years to come as a late-life career or just something more. Creating images using a computer that looks like something believable is rewarding. At some point, I will move on to more abstract renderings with the technology, but I am just enjoying learning and creating now. Justin Biard Sat, 30 Aug 2014 12:00:00 -0500 https://blog.biard.info/posts/3d-object-renders/ https://blog.biard.info/posts/simplify-your-3d-modeling-using-textures/ I recently delivered a 3-minute presentation for a group of colleagues, and the purpose was to learn to present some technical information effectively while using some kind of analogy.  The topic I picked was related to one of my favorite hobbies. (3D modeling)  Much of this content is simply my opinion.  Relatively speaking, I am a complete newbie to this form of art and the technical aspects associated with it.  So here is a quick recap of my talk. Justin Biard Sat, 19 Jul 2014 17:57:00 -0500 https://blog.biard.info/posts/simplify-your-3d-modeling-using-textures/ https://blog.biard.info/posts/nespresso-caffeine-contents/ For perceived best flavor (and my own enjoyment), I usually boil water in a kettle and brew my coffee with a French press. For convenience, or when I am in a hurry, I use 1 of 2 different pod/capsule-based systems depending on the type of drink I want. (Nespresso vs. Keurig) Justin Biard Wed, 19 Dec 2012 10:48:00 -0600 https://blog.biard.info/posts/nespresso-caffeine-contents/