Hi Folks.
As you know I am a bit of a creator.. and currently I am working on a large bed laser cutter/engraver.

It's final cutting area will be 1000mm x 1500mm, and will be a "flow through' unit so that things like cloth fabric can be continually fed through.
The beam will be 60w.

I have most of the essentials like the laser tube, power supplies.. but I need some help getting the rest of the parts.
So here is the link is you would like to contribute

https://www.gofundme.com/f/updating.....f+share-flow-1

Hi Folks.
As some of you know I am pretty creative and one of my main goal is to make fursuits come alive so that they look and resemble a real anthro.

This means I often have to experiment with cutting edge electronics and parts - which require monies.

I can see many artists using Patreon, or Kickstarter, , or GoFundMe to raise capital for things.

Now here is my dilemma - what I am currently working on needs about $1500USD to purchase and develop from. This will enable me to prototype an idea and see if it will work. If successful it will be a game changer. If not then nothing.

As such I cannot offer any rewards other than feedback on the experiment and how-to's if people want to follow my footsteps.

With the reduction in size and cost of ElectroMyoGram equipment it is now possible to put a full system on a chip. This means that I can pick up the electrical impulses that makes your muscles move. It uses dry surface electrodes so there are no gels, and this can fit in to a comfortable thin mask that can be worn under the suit. The chip will let me watch up to 16 muscles and they don;t all have to be on the face.

From here the intensity of the muscle movement can be picked up and then converted in to a servo movement.

Imagine lifting your upper lip and having your character snarl, or smile. Wink, close and open eyes, even make the ears move - all just by naturally moving the muscles on your face.. or elsewhere.

So - what would be the best locations to put up a funding request.

Many thanks

Marc

Hi Folks.
I don;t do this often but a old furry friend of mine needs some help. For those who remember FurryMuck - his name is FoxPaws, JohnLoup, or CanisMajor.

Pat is getting on in years (as we all do) and he has lost his partner several years back, and his canine companions so he is all alone.

Now his has lost his home and is living out of a car, and was recently hit by traffic and in hospital..

He desperately needs help - so if any of you older fur's remember FurryMuck - one of our old friends who gave so many hugs and love.. Needs some back.

His paypal account is Tabor_bunny[at]msn.com

Please help is you can..

Marcwolf

Firstly I have to thank  helvetica for his invaluable help in designing the algorithms that drive the eyes. Without his help I would not have gotten this far. And for his infinite patience with me



So.. For your enjoyment, Freeky Eyes.. Yes the pupils can dilate as well

Click For The Eyes

On my endless task re making realisim for realsism in fursuits I have been concerntrating on the eyes at the moment.

One of the issues with eyes is that in real life they are the windows to our souls. The pupil expand and dialate in response to moods. The Colors can change too.
But with a fursuit eye it is fixed - and after a few moments the 'magic' of talking with a anthro0critter dissolvwsa to talkng to someing in a suit.

Here is an experiment that I have made that can maybe overdcome that.

This is the link to the main page and there is a video there too showing them in operation. I am using hemispheres as I want the to rotate in the sockets (look left,right,up,down) but they can be flattened if that is not the case.

http://www.marcwolf.org/gallery/def.....t.aspx?aid=107 --> Main Page
Or the video http://www.marcwolf.org/gallery/def.....aspx?moid=2013

Basically I am using 128x128 pixel OLED although a LCD can be used. LCD do not the the total blacks that a OLED can achieve.

Using a Teensy 3.1 (higher speed Arduino however an Arduino can work depending on what you are doing) and an SD Card Reader to hold the base eye image.

From there it's just a case of programming the examples in the library to get the images.

For the more comic/toony characters you can do sprites with hearts and other emblems to give the emotions.

Enjoy
Marc

Hi Folks.
Just a question. I was helping a friend with a Duct Tape Dummy. We were using the PVC tape specified by the maker's tutorial however when I cut my friend out I could see the duct tape start to contract and distort the form.

I was wondering if Masking Tape - which I have used before - would be preferable as it does not distort or contract because it cannot 'stretch'

Any opinions..

Here is a link to what I have been doing. It's for foam dummies however the principle of getting an accurate form is still the same.

http://www.marcwolf.org/gallery/?aid=108

I have finally saved enough monies from Fursuit Dryer sales to afford this.

www.openbci.com 8-bit EMG board.

With this I hope to sense the muscles on the face and so then translate them into servo movements on a fursuit face. Thus allowing a wearer to give life and emotions to their costume.

Busy Busy..

Last day at work before packing up and driving down to Confurgence.
20hr Drive 1700km's (100 miles to you non metric people)

I hope to do it in 2 parts.. 13 hours the first, and then the rest the next day.

Taking down a box of interesting bit and pieces like animatronic tails, tongue, video systems etc.

Anyway - will try and post more whilst on the trip.
Marc

I sometimes wonder why some of my projects and experiments take so long. It the waiting for components to be delivered.

Order one part, takes 1 week to arrive. Find that that it will not work as expected. Go back to start.

Of course I could pay for special delivery but that starts to get up about the $60 per parcel for a $2 component..

And so my work and research drags on.

Marc

Yes - this wolf has survived another year on this earth. Still an playful and flirty as ever.

Now officially 54, and moving onto 55 he's still active.. and creating mischieft.. So be Warned..

I'm going to try and update this more on various projects that I am working on. And there are a few.
They all center around the new suit I am working on and the various technologies that I am involved in to make it happen.
I will use technical terms here so feel free to Google them.

Goal:
1. To make a suit that can 'read' the users emotions and facial movements and duplicate them on the suit.
2. A way for the wearer to control various aspects of the suit without being seen to control the suit..

I'll cover point 2 first. With the intra-oral interface
http://www.marcwolf.org/gallery/?moid=1743
The main issue here is with the magnet. However I have discarded the magnet system for a touch membrane system.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Sti.....ytape-Sensors/
These are incredibly sensitive and perfect for using with tongue pressure. I will combine them with an Arduino and A/D to read touch and pressure levels. Currently awaiting shipment of copper foil with conductive adhesive, plus 8 channel I2C A/D SMD Chips.

1. Main suit.
a) Facial Waldo. This is a mask that goes over my own face. It will contain various sensors to either map the muscles movements or the reflectivity of the eyes. The eyes being to trigger the suit eyelids for blinks or squints.
The rest will be to pick up the facial movements. This is an example (Not Mine) of a waldo
http://www.character-shop.com/images/vgfcwldo.jpg
However mine will be a lot smaller.
Currently worked out.. Using mini potentiometers stripped from small servos (because they are both tiny and require minimal pressure to move) I have the eyebrows worked out. Edge of the mouth will be handled with stretch sensors
http://www.imagesco.com/sensors/str.....ch-sensor.html
Which work well with more motile connect points.

I have moved away from the camera and voice system for lip movements.
The Camera system did work however I needed a distance between the camera and lips to get a good image. Also processing power for using the SimpleCV libraries at more then one FPS was beyond RPi or BeagleBoneBlack. I did have more success with the ODRIOD XU but the camera positioning was the main issue.
Using speech to capture Phonemes was beyond internal processing power and would require a link back to a computer somewhere.

Main head - slow progress and concentrating on the emotional pickups which will drive what can be displayed. However have dropped Silicone skin due to weight and have gone back to using Latex Foam which is lighter.

Eyes have now been completed as units and back color can be changes using AdaFruit Neopixel rings http://www.adafruit.com/products/1463 where all colors and intensities can be displayed as well as patterns and revolving rainbows.

Yes - progress is still going on.. :)

Hi Folks

As some of you know I make things, and recently I have been making a range of fursuit drying and cooling systems.

I'd like to raise some capital for expaning them from just prototypes to a marketable product range.

Problem is - most of the funding sites revolve around ONE idea.. Not several or a range of idea's,

The only one that fits the bill is Patreon however that is more art oriented.

Any suggestions. These are my products so far.

Personal suit sryer
Personal head dryer
Fur-st Aid - a hand held blower for handlers to help suiters with
HexaDry - a 6 suit dryer for conventions

All of them have been prototypes and tested but I'd like to make them into marketable products as well as being able to buy the parts in bulk at a better discount and thus end price.

Many thanks
Marc

How do you want to be addressed?
Marcwolf, Marc, or 'Hey You!!!'

Where are you staying?
Great Southern Melbourne, just up Spenser St

What day are you getting there?
Thursday

Who will you be rooming with?
General Roadwolf (Roadie)

Who will you hang out with during the convention?
Anyone and Everyone. - Just look where mischief is being made :)

Are there any panels you might be attending?
I'll check when I get there.

Will you be suiting?
You mean that my skin is NOT the fursuit?? (YES!!!)

Do you do free art?
Random scribbles but it's too hot to Pee-Write in the Snow

Do you do trades?
Depends on what is being traded

Do you do badges?
No.. Cannot draw *Sighs*

Do you do commissions?
Sure - lets talk and we'll see.

What is your gender?
Male

How old are you?
Have Wisdom and Experience. Choice to use them optional

How tall are you?
175cm

Are you taken? Are you looking for a 'mate’?
Yes, and No.. But open relationship so ask.

Can I talk to you?
If you can get a word in edgeways.. But sure - love to meet new folks and renew old friendships.

Can I touch you?
Sure, and I'll hug you back :)

Can I dance with you?
If you want to :), Waltz or Foxtrot. I'm told I do a pretty good Horizontal Tango

How can I find you?
Look for the badge, or just look for the Brown wolf with the blinking green eyes.

Can I visit your room?
Only upon invitation :), not staying at the Hilton.

Can I buy you drinks?
Sure. I like Cider :)

Can I give you stuff?
If you want to - but don't be offended if I politely refuse.

Are you nice?
That's not for me to judge but other have said that I am

How long are you going?
Thursday to Tuesday.

Do you have an artist table?
No.

If I see you, how should I get your attention?
Scream "Marcwolf" and pounce

Where will you be most of the time during the day/s?
Here, there, and everywhere. Look for the trouble spots and then for the source :)

Can I come with you for food/fun/etc?
Sure - I enjoy company and chatting with people. I'm interested in a lot of different things so I am sure we can find a common subject. I do animatronics and special effects as a hobby with an emphasis on Fursuiting

What's your goal(s) for the con this year?
Pounce all that's is Pouncable, Yiff all that is Yi.. *blushes*
Ok - Just to have fun with all the great folks there and meet new ones too.

As an IT guy myself I know how problematic databases and systems can be when things just don't work out. And often it is no particular fault of anyone.

So I congratulate the admins here on their mammoth task of bring the system back to life.

Many many thanks
Narc

For those who know me and are not on Facebook, my mother passed away yesterday on the 17th.

Just letting friends know.
Many thanks
Marc

An question on the forums was asked "Should a departed's fursuit be worn". It's a difficult question but for me.. when I die I hope to arrange for Marc to go to a good home so that he can continue to make people smile. After all - often our suits represent the best in us.
Other's feel more uncomfortable about here. Here is a poem from the Fursuit's point of view

The Fursuit's Lament

I hang here in a darken closet
Dusty, cobwebs
All but forgotten
Why did the other part of me go
Leaving behind tears of woe.
And sorrowful lament of our times gone past.

I miss the lights, and the sun
The smiles, the laughs, the fun
The silly games, the hugs and more
That is what I was created for!!!

So please someone take me down
Hold me close and then lay me out
Brush and comb me, stitch the holes
Let me be what I was before

So my spirit can leap and soar
Touching those that I adore
Prancing, prowling, making fun
Always hugging on the run

My dear friends let me be there
Sharing, caring, not ignored
No sad tears or worried frowns
Nor regrets, let smiles abound
For I am meme and not forgotten
(Even if I was a teasing rotter)

So dust me off and make me proud
And let the mischief abound
Give my spirit flesh to run
And make happy everyone.


Marc

Hi folks.
Been working on this for a while so enjoy.. A animatronic werewolf tongue


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nk4v.....ature=youtu.be

I recently put up 3 photo's of my work for other's enjoyment.
I believe they are within the Acceptable Upload Policy for several reason but I am checking with the admins.

1. This is a non functional prostheses solely for vidual appeal.
2. There is no human genitailia showing (unlike many other things like furry shorts)
3. I do special Effects as a hobby and thus my involvement covers ALL aspects of costume making. If I was to make an elastic jaw system to simulate vore - would that come under an animal eating another animal.. or a normal but very realistic vore pictures

Marc

In my continuing quest for a invisible interface for my fursuit I have come up with another possibility that can be used by others.

I was reading up on tongue mice and that lead to this idea.

In my earlier work with the tooth interface and magnets I made a version that actually went up and into my palate. No probs there as many false teeth plates do the same. However I trimmed that out in the final version.

However if I make a mould of my palate it would be easy to make a plate that could slide in there and be held by suction.

Now - if you try with your own tongue you can be VERY accurate in touching different area's of your mouth and the same with the palate plate.

The next questions was switches - I tried several different micro types but all of them required a fairly decent pressure that was not easy with the tongue muscles. Then I remember a WII Remote I took apart.
That relied on two conductive area of copper and a conductive pad that presses against them. The design is very good as there is little force required to push the pad down AND its is easy to make waterproof.

The conductive pads can be made with conductive paint.. Just out a circular blob and carefully cut a valley between them to get the two halves.

The circuit is also very simple - relying on Analog to Digital (A/D) a two wire circuit can be made so that each button changes a set voltage level going through the circuit. With luck one can get up to 5 buttons in the mouth.

As a feed back one can also add one to the little vibrator motors from the WII Remote (I used the conductive membranes from them. So with 3 wires and no electronics one has a perfectly function non intrusive mouth interface.

Make sure that you give everything a GOOD coat with nail polish or some other non-conductive sealer and you have it.

Piccies soon :)
Marc

It's been a very busy few months learning new techniques.
Firstly I tried my hand at sculpting a new head in WED clay, and really enjoyed it.
Next came mold creation and fibreglassing, and I have just done my first silicone pour to make the skin on my new suit.
After looking and experimenting with the skin I think I will move to Foam Latex.

Enoy my pictorial adventures

http://www.marcwolf.org/gallery/def.....lt.aspx?aid=74

Marc

Just a note that Ray died today. He was a man who's work inspired generations of special effects artists like Lucas, Spielberg, Cameron.

His attention to details created the classic Jason and the Argonauts Skeleton fights plus so many others.

Sadly missed in the industry as one of our pioneers

This is like a little digest on things in progress and issues found.

Fake Teeth/ Guards
Fake teeth can easily be made by getting you dentist to make a Yellow Stone impression, and you can then use Polymorph to mould the teeth from these.
As Polymorph becomes plastic at 60c you can fine tune the fit in your mouth easily. Even skip the above step of getting the teeth made..
If you trim with scissors - a quick pass with a cigarette lighter rounds any rough edges.

Making Underskulls
LCD projectors are great for expanding and sizing a picture from the net for tracing onto foam
Polystyrene - although messy - is very easy to work with and cut. Also very cheap - a 50cm x 30cm x 30cm block is ony $12.50
Never use Fibreglass resin on Polystyrene foam. Several tries with Gladwrap to seal the poly foam did not work. Possibility of using several layers of latex paint OR finfoil might work.
Epoxy Resin is what you need to work on Poly foam. You will need POWDER impregnated glass matting. Notmal glass matting is not suitable. Epoxy resin is sadly more expensive that Fibreglass resin
Glass Matting is better for building up the shape than glass cloth. Also use short set resin (2 hours set) so that things unser slight tension WILL set.

Thats about it for the moment folks
Marc

I am open that I am gay, and currently there is a lot of arguments on wether Gay's can marry or not. Something that people forget is that marriage is not just a religious act.. but it is also a legal act that binds the affairs of two people together.

For years the legal tenants of Marriage have been set and recognised, but will it be the same as a 'Civil Union'.
I don't know and in times of disaster or need there WILL be some organisations that will use this minor different to protect themselves. We have seen how Insurance companies dither between Storm and Flood damage so why not Marriage and Civil Union - especially where something like life insurance or other large sums are involved.

Even during the US disaster of 9/11 where the Government instructed insurance and other financial companies to fast track claims there were gay couples who were ignored or denied the same services just because they were not legally recognised as a couple. Consider - if a married couple were buying a house together and one died then automatically the other would be recognised as co-owner. But for a gay couple they are just two people.. and the deceased partner's family can claim inheritance of half the property forcing the survivor to either remorgaae or sell.


Please watch this and consider.. If this happened to you and your partner can you imagine the anguish you would feel.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTwGdWskaFk

Where are you staying?
In the Arrow. I booked about a day after the last Midfur. Still have a couple of sleeping spaces if people are interested.

Where will you be most of the time during the days?
Running around.. creating mischief.. Hugging folks

Where will you be most of the time during the nights?
If not asleep then doing the same as during the day.

Who will you be hanging out with?
Whoever can put up with me for more than 5 minutes. But really I'll be around the con most of the time.

Who are you hoping to meet?
Old friends, some new friends. I am really looking forward to meeting Kyell Gold as I have a lot of his books.

What time do you get up/go to bed?
I am a male. Biology dictates that I get up.. then I get out of bed.
With going to bed the get-up is optional depending on fellow snuggler(s).

What's the best way to get a hold of you?
Fast tackle when I am passing. Otherwise just keep an ear open for the mayhem.

Do you do free art?
I can draw a straight line.. however that IS the only straight thing I can do.

Are you selling anything at MiDFur?
That depends on wether I can get the time to finish some animatronics stuff.

What do you look like?
Fursona - 7' tall anthrowolf. Ginger fur. I am an Abysinnian wolf so you can look up for the coloring. Green eyes, digigrade, more lightly built than my US or European cousins.

Human - 5'6" stocky fellow. Brown hair, blues eyes, sounds like he's part of the BBC

Do you have a fursuit?
Yep.. Marcwolf.

Hugs?
Sure.. Always welcome.. and expect a hug back too.

Can I talk to you?
If I am racing to an event we might have to chat on the move.. But otherwise sure.

Can I look in your sketchbook?
Errr... You wanna look at my Filthy Pictures?

Can I draw in your sketchbook?
You wanna give me Filthy pictures?

Can I buy you a drink?
Sure.. I love Cider by the way.. And if your luckly enough you will hear my collection of naughty ditty's


Can I take your picture?
Sure if I am suit. Out of suit might be a bit sore on the eyes..

Well - On that night I put on Marc and went to the local shopping center. Not that many people but it was fun wandering around with the glowing green eyes.