Approaching the workflow and equipment requirements of Pixel Artist APO+. What is the power of PC "DAIV" for creators?

In recent years, pixel art has been gaining attention in various genres. The unique atmosphere of pixel art is very attractive, but what kind of PC is necessary to create such works? APO+, who is also active as a member of the pixel art production team "ULTIMATE PIXEL CREW" and produces pixel art in a wide range of fields. Recently, the team has been working on expanding the base of pixel art, such as writing a book "ULTIMATE PIXEL CREW REPORT How to draw backgrounds starting with pixel art" that includes the secrets of creating backgrounds using pixel art. So, this time, we asked Mr. APO+ to verify the performance of the desktop PCDAIV Z7 for creators of mouse computers, and also talked about what he liked other than performance.

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TEXT_Toshinari Kondo (spool)

Blender, Photoshop, After Effects, Aseprit etc... What is the workflow for creating lyrical pixel animations?

APO＋'s work

If you don't know anything about pixel art, which has a lower resolution than general CG, you tend to think, "Isn't it possible to create it without much effort?" In fact, the basic resolution of Mr. APO+'s work is "480 x 270 pixels", which is only 1/4 of full HD, so it will be easy for beginners to work on in the sense of "easy to complete". However, since many of APO+'s works are animations with movement, when asked about the production workflow, it becomes clear that more effort and time is spent than expected.

In the case of APO+, he first sketches the base image of his work on a computer. And then use Blender. Mr. APO+'s work has many backgrounds with many structures crowded together, so he uses Blender to ensure consistency. I also used Blender for lighting trial and error. After confirming how to add highlights and adding a light source other than sunlight, we check the general atmosphere and the direction of shadows, and then "decide the lighting balance and image" (Mr. APO+).

When the work in Blender is finished, export the data and then work in Photoshop. However, Mr. APO+ does not use the exported data as it is, but based on it, ``re-drawing everything by hand from scratch'', so the work in Photoshop is ``from 20 hours, and at the longest, 30-40 hours'' ( APO+) also seems to take.

Once the still image is completed in Photoshop, the next step is to create an animation using Aseprite, an animation software dedicated to pixel art. After the animation is completed, if corrections or additions are necessary, it is returned to Photoshop, modified, and finally transferred to After Effects.

In After Effects, I used Trapcode Particular to add various effects and use the color wheel to adjust the colors. In addition, hand movements, flickering, mechanical movements, etc. can be expressed more quickly and easily using After Effects keyframes and effects (APO+), so they are also used for auxiliary animation. And when the work in After Effects is finished, export as a PNG file with consecutive numbers, and finally output as a GIF file in Photoshop, and all the work is completed.

In this way, based on the work that crosses various software, Mr. APO + checked the usability with multiple software this time. We asked them to assess the performance and appeal of desktop PCs for mouse computer creators.

About the verification hardware

This time, Mr. APO+ used the DAIV Z7 mouse computer, and while comparing it with the PC that Mr. APO+ usually uses, the performance and usability of the DAIV Z7 were examined. etc. have been verified.

DAIV Z7 is equipped with a high-class desktop CPU Intel Core i7-11700 processor. The latest 11th generation, which appeared in March 2021, has excellent performance with 8 cores and 16 threads, a basic clock of 2.5 GHz, and a maximum clock of 4.9 GHz when using turbo boost. In addition, the 11th generation adopts a new architecture, and is characterized by greatly improved performance over the previous generation due to improvements in IPC (Instructions Per Clock). In addition, the GPU is equipped with a middle-class GeForce RTX 3060, the memory is 32GB, the storage is a balanced content of a 512GB SSD (NVMe connection) and a dual configuration of 2TB HDD, and the price is 241,780 yen (tax included). becomes.

(*Actual price is as of September 21st)

DAIV Z7

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On the other hand, APO +'s current machine is equipped with an Intel Corei9-10900KF processor for the CPU and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER (8GB) for the GPU. Compared to DAIV Z7, both are parts one generation ago, but in terms of specs, they have the same level or higher performance. In addition, the memory is 32GB, and the storage is a dual configuration of SSD + HDD. In addition, the use of a 4K resolution 24-inch liquid crystal pen tablet "Wacom Cintiq Pro 24" is a creator-like point.

APO+'s current machine

●CASE 01: Performance evaluation for each software

APO＋'s work

In the verification, Mr. APO+ actually used "Blender", "After Effects", and "Photoshop" for production, and compared their usability and processing speed.

First of all, in Blender, when GPU rendering was performed using the renderer "Cycles", Mr. APO + said that DAIV Z7 was "smoothly processed" than the current machine. The GeForce RTX 3060 installed in the DAIV Z7 and the current GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER are almost the same class of GPUs, so although "there was no dramatic difference", the difference in generations appeared as a performance difference. It's about 20% faster," he said.

In After Effects, where the performance of the CPU is easily affected, the DAIV Z7 also showed comfortable processing performance comparable to the current machine, and "I didn't feel a big difference" (Mr. APO+). DAIV Z7's Core i7-11700 is inferior to the current Core i9-10900KF in terms of the number of cores and the number of clocks, but it is thought that the difference in generation (= difference in architecture) filled the difference in CPU specifications.

In Photoshop, pixel art is originally "low resolution", so "the work itself is almost never heavy" (Mr. APO+), so there was no special difference here either. However, APO+ added, "If the number of layers increases considerably, there may be differences in performance due to differences in specifications."

●CASE 02: Evaluation of housing design and interface

Aside from performance, what APO+ liked about the DAIV Z7 was its ease of use. For example, Mr. APO+ often ``changes the mood by redecorating the room'', so he pays great attention to the housing design that is conscious of portability, such as having a handle on the top and casters on the bottom. Coupled with the cyber-like design that I liked, it was very well received.

Also, it is a small part, but he also mentioned that there are "two" USB 3.0 (Type-A) on the front as an interface, "Since creators often exchange data and import data from cameras, This is convenient,” he added. Mr. APO+'s current machine has only "one" on the front, so he seems to have felt the convenience that is not small.

In addition, Mr. APO+ himself builds a desktop PC by himself, but he does not miss the ease of using a manufacturer's PC, which is "just turn on the power and start up and use immediately." The DAIV Z7 is not inferior in overall cost performance compared to APO+'s current machine, which he built himself, and it comes with a "one-year send-back repair warranty" and "24-hour x 365-day telephone support." Considering that, "Honestly, it's attractive" (Mr. APO+). Furthermore, considering that Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are installed as standard, Mr. APO+ evaluated that it is "a great advantage" that even creators and beginners who are not good at PCs can use it with peace of mind.

Click here for details on the DAIV series

Contact

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