2010/08/31

SketchUp

SKETCHUP sketchup
相信有不少設計師也聽聞Google 有個3D Freeware 叫做SketchUp, 甚至巳經用過. 反應好壞都有. 有的說易用, 很快便學懂, 不消一會便可以建成立體模型. 也有人說太簡陋, 十分小朋友, 做出來的效果粗糟, 一點也不專業, 難登大雅之堂, 還是用3dS 好!

其實各用家的意見也有其原因, 以我自己為例, 我會說這是一個簡單易用的軟件, 對做室內設計的人來說, 可以在短時間內對現塲實際環境作較深入的研究, 從而幫助進一步發展及改良設計. 這個軟件在外國尤其普及, 不少建築師, 工程師, 產品設計師甚至畫家也用於他們的作品上. 但為什麽會有粗劣感呢? 原因很簡單, 沒有做適當的預設及render.

跟其他軟件一樣必需做預設的改動, 如線條,背景, 光源列印模式等等. 尤於Sketchup 看似十分簡單, 大家便忽略了一些需要較深入的設定, 以配合及達至所預期的完成效果. 另外是沒有附加Rendering 的後期加工軟件, 以致圖像老是不真實, 沒有燈光效果或質感. 其實這一切也需要配合其他應用軟件如Vray, Podium, Maxwell render...等才能成事.

首先我會叫大家先看完SketchUp由Google 自家製作的tutorial, 學會所有技巧, 再到Smustard 學用一些幫助SketchUp操作得更暢順及精確的Ruby Script; 再返回sketchup 尋找適用的Plugin和Render軟件, 經過一番苦工及較深入的應用, 相信大家會對這個3D 程式有新的看法.

2010/08/30

A corner for me

Miniature bedroom with kitten
Mow, I am a kitten living in the toy house of protowork annie, it is a small place, no luxurious decoration, but cosy. Actually what I need is only a small corner right next to her bed, you may find I always like to take a nap here, I feel relax because I trust this is a safety place. 

Trust-is something seems simple but not easy to be developed. Although it should be the natural character of human beings, what they call a mutual trust; they can easily be ruined by anything which we, as a pet don't quite understand.


We trust our master, a simple and pure relationship, no extra demand, just "love" and "comfort" that we can shared between each other, is it too simple in our world but not in humans' ? I am not sure but I wish everybody on earth can enjoy this as easy as we have.

2010/08/24

No Answer

Today is supposed to be a happy day to me because there is something worth to be celebrated. But I am sad...very sad.

24 H.K. tourists were hi-jack by a local police in Manila yesterday, it ended after 9 hours, 7 died and 8 injured, the people and the "body" are still in Philippine. Whole process was broadcast on T.V. last night, the reason behind is only because that police wish to resume his duty after being fired, he lost his life...couldn't make his dream come true...and destroyed the innocent's rigth to survive.

Everyone is talking about this, news and FB...,etc. I just can't relief, those tourists are our citizen, they were planning to return H.K. last night after visiting the last tourist spot, and we've lost them within a day, why? 


Life is so fragile, we can't ask for one more second if it comes to an end. It can be or be not predictable, when we are fell asleep, in the hospital, in our "journey"...I am not expecting any answer from anyone, I know there is no excuse for the killer or even the helpless police force, but I also know they are all victims, living in a country of unfair without justice.



2010/08/18

可可設計榜-Sony Cyber Shot P8

Sony Cyber Shot P8有印象見過這部數碼相機嗎? 未必, 因為它在巿埸上出現的時間頗短暫. 也許沒有太花巧的外貌, 甚至有人會覺得它太厚. 但為什麽會入選我們的設計榜呢?                                                                
" 因為是好設計囉!"                                                                          
首先相機外型與鏡頭己連成一體, 有足夠的空間擺放鏡頭之餘,握手位, 觀景器等沒有過份凸出的部份, 比例恰當, 所以整體造型流暢服.
                                                                                     
厚度適中,不會過厚令造型呆頓,但也不會為求美觀設計得太薄, 以至不附合人體工學,難於掌握操作. 其實即使影數碼相, 握機穩定性也不應忽略, 否則相片質數仍是會受到影響的. 很多人還老是說相機效能不好, 其實問題大多在於基本操作及運用的知識上罷了!                                                                                                                                                                                  
機身表面的珍珠白塗層, 半光啞, 頗細緻, 卻又有另一透明塗層用以保護防汚及磨損, 所以看起來有點像搪瓷面. 而事實上除了手感舒適之外, 也不須太擔心易括花或汚漬等問題. 雖然, 近年市埸上有不少其他牌子的相機或手提電腦也用這種表面處理, 但以效果來說, 我們認為到目前為止仍是這件產品造得表較優勝.                                                                              
Sony 的操作介面不多提了, 用過它們產品的也應該沒有什麽投訴. 當然此機的性能不能與現今的數碼相機相比, 但尤於我們不是產品推銷, 只希望從它的設計上向大家介紹其過人之處. 始終simple is the best 這個理論是有一定道理的. 而產品設計也應以form follow function 為大前題, 否則即使外表如何"美艷", 也只停留於一件裝飾品罷了!

2010/08/17

Something out there !

Highrise in the fog of Tokyo

When we are walking in fog, fear, uncertain, danger...lots of thoughts rushing in, leading us to an imagination of something bad is waiting for us. Well, if you say, No! I am not, in a contrary, I will feel exciting, curious, expecting something special that is waiting for me; may be another heaven like garden in front, a man whom I loved, or a sunshine just right behind...Great, this is what I was & what I am now.


I was afraid of fog, especially right in the center of it, because I had an experience of total lost in mind when I was standing alone on the hill side and surrounded by a thick layer of fog which appeared suddenly, I couldn't see my friend and all the nearby environment within 1 foot. The feeling was horrible, seems I was in another planet and something bad was going to be happened - say "vanishing of myself". 


But if we can take a break , take a deep breathe and wait, the fog will gradually "run" away, everything becomes clear, or even a surprise for us - last time, a beautiful garden appeared right in front of me and sunshine. So, it may not be a dead end, it only depending of what we drive our expectation towards the good or the bad side.

Today, I may still feel helpless when I am in the fog again, but I am sure what I've expecting to see afterward is something good, so I can move on.
 

 

2010/08/09

Rococo - 洛可可

設計也有風格之分, 例如後現代(Post modernism), 巴洛克(Baroque), Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Hi-tech, Neo-classicism...等等, 但總離不開古典(Classic)與現代(Modern)兩個大範圍. 而在十八世紀文藝復興時代(註1), 不同的設計風格在歐洲甚延至美國更是百花齊放.也許你會說這與我們有什麽關係呢? 

事實上我們生活在現今所接觸到的, 不論是建築丶時裝丶手飾、音樂、繪畫丶雕塑丶室內裝飾品丶家具、各種生活產品等...都受到這些設計風格所影響. 只是設計師巧妙地把當時的風格元素放入現代的設計罷了.                                                                              
我們是Cocoa Design Life, 當然是先介紹十七世紀"洛可可風格- Rococo" 一個具有古典裝飾性, 卻又不失實用及舒適的設計風格.

What's next?

火車上前往日本長野
It's not a problem for us to relax inside a train because we know what is the next station and what is our destination. But in our life, we always have the same question : What's next?

It is normal, say, for a student to start working in a company after graduate; an adult to get marry after dating and find his loved; to start a new job after quit the existing one; to be promoted after dedicating to a company for a certain years...but sometimes the next page of our life can be unexpected and out of our plan.

Relationship between friends/ lovers can be broken when both gets to know each other more,  instead of becoming steady and closer. No more job is waiting for us due to our age issue after quit the existing one; our dream that make us to work so hard day by day, hour after hour, cannot be achieved & suspended due to the sudden health attack, but the goal is nearly there, so close...all should not happen in our next step, there must be something wrong ?! And what's next, what shall we do?

Take a break -  I will say, then ready to face for another day. Life is the meaning of "happening", full of surprise no matter you enjoy it or not, if everything are well planned and happen as it is scheduled, what we've experience will only be a story of another person, not the life of our own - the unique creature in this planet.



2010/08/06

Internet without boundary ?!

I am starting a Chinese blog in this few weeks talking about Design Life, you may know it is always been a difficult decision for me to blog in Chinese or English, I prefer using latter as it is more international, meaning more people can have a chance to read what I wrote. But during the research, I've finally discovered that, Internet world are not always connected in some countries, like China, Hong Kong, Taiwan & Japan.

Besides of the political reason, it will be the language and cultural difference. Most of the bloggers in H.K. & Taiwan blogging in Yahoo (Chinese) instead of Blogger, we have only 1-2 active forums here, even worst than Taiwan. China condition is self explanatory, whereas Japan has their own specific language...that's why, as those experience bloggers said " we need to do a lot of work behind for the exposure of our blogs", or even MORE in Asian world.

I had an experience while scrolling blogs randomly, the first visit was my last because the author was so frustrated to continue blogging due to no or less followers/ readers. I feel sad and hope they can continue after recovery. 

Internet world makes our life so difference and it is affecting our emotion, too. We feel the joy and sad of others, no matter they are true or not; when you find others is working hard for their living or life, you gain energy,too; but if someone quit, you feel the "pain".

There are so much time and effort we need to dedicate into our blog world, is it worth at the end? I can hear from you...definitely, yes! At least I am sure it will be a learning experience in our life to share and to hear.

O.K. finally, if you do have interest to view our Cocoa Design Life, be my guest. But I didn't put a translator there because it is not working in Cantonese (hopefully I can find a better one in future), just let me know if you what to understand any of it, I will translate it manually and re-post here for you. No matter how, your click will be my treasure, thank you all.


2010/08/03

新產品 - Milliken Fretwork Collections

Milliken Fretwork Collections
Image from Contract Magazine
最近從雜誌看到Milliken有新系列的方塊地毡名為Fretwork Collections. 

從廣告上看似顏色不怎樣吸引, 但從圖案的設計及製作上, 肯定是精準、較含蓄和耐看, 比起已往用於辦公室系列的設計來得細緻及高雅. 用在會客室或接待處也是一個不錯的選擇.


由於產品仍然是頗新, 如果要多一點資料, 便要向Milliken查詢了.

http://www.millikencontract.com 



創意無限- 日本Tokyu Hands (下)

上回題到的日本 Tokyu Hands, 其實己經於2003年在本土以外登陸......
我一直希望是香港, 但可能是我們的 DIY 土壤不夠肥沃, 所以她們還是選擇了在台灣開設第一間海外分店,
名為:台隆手創館.
Tokyu Hands website

2010/08/02

做個設計師(下)

上回談了一些關於做設計師要考慮的狀况, 你可能會發覺我所說的是圍繞着一個室內設計師而言, 其實除了工作範圍會因應個別設計類型而有所分別之外, 大家所面對的壓力和困難也是大同小異的, 所以我還是以比較熟識的一行作為範本.

準備好了嗎?

City on the rock

Building on the slope in Chongqing

Chongqing is one of the most special city in Sichuan Province of China that I've ever visited.

In Summer, it is so hot up to 40 degree C, as what people said it is one of the "Three Furnaces" in China; but in Winter & early Spring, it is cold and humid, so damp that everywhere are covered up by a sheer of fog, so it is also know as the "Fog Capital".
 
I had a chance to visit it in both seasons, although it was only a one day business trip, I loved this city, what I've saw were so unforgettable.

There was only 20 minutes distance from airport to downtown (by taxi), very convenience; the first picture I've saw after leaving the airport was a highway on Jialing River, the highway was running in a South to North direction, where the river was from East to West. I had an amazing experience during the dry season, when the water level was so low that I barely saw the river bed and then while looking outside from the window, I discovered that the river was in a valley shape, so deep and I ...together with the taxi was so tiny...Wow! this was the "craftsmanship of nature".

Not a second, we were in the entrance of the Fog Capital, the buildings of downtown were almost right in front of us, but suddenly they all vanished...and appeared again...and vanished. I knew, we were in Sichuan now, where lots of mysterious stories created here, then a music tune of "X-file" appeared in my head.

My taxi driver brought me to reality...I reached Hilton Hotel, it was located in a commercial area along the mountain slope.  Yes! there were mountains everywhere, what I've saw the residential building around us, they were constructed on the hill slope, so interesting and special; if compared with those modern high rise, these were more harmonize to this city.

To keep this post short, I have to stop by telling you the "morning walk in the mist" in the morning after breakfast, must do and don't rush. They are definitely the best "distilled water" for our mind after a busy day. Hope you can feel all these one day, trust me, an unforgettable experience that can't be expressed in my text.