November Status
Been busy around here the last few weeks. Updates on 3D model work and Video work follows below.
3D Models
I've known for several months that before turning my attention to manuscript recovery I needed to recheck all the 3D models. The 3D system informs many of the letter based riddles, so I need to be certain that this system is complete in all of its various issues.
In order to be able to call this problem completely done I've also been building a "Bill Of Materials" website that will hold all of the 3D models so anyone can download and print various parts of the system. It is organized around high level projects and then contains specific part series that make up those projects. Every part has a part number, picture, suggested filament, description and any assembly notes.
The designs are all parameterized and generated through a build process. They can be printed at 3 different scales. 2"/50mm, 3"/75mm and 4"/100mm are the basic letter sizes. Everything else is matched to these sizes.
Besides the simple 3D shapes, there are cases and bases that tell important parts of the story. There are also a few important assembly jigs. Some parts have variations that trade off ease of print vs. fitting on 3D printer beds.
I don't have a full parts list yet, but it looks like around 500 parts at each scale, which I'm test printing at the hardest, 2", scale. (With printers running around the clock.)
If anyone is interested in early access to some of these parts, please let me know. The site itself should be online in January.
Commandment Map
In the rechecking work so far I've found 2 areas previously unexplored.
I was staring at the problem of a 3 by 4 grid of cells on a base for the sower and reaper models. I did not know what the letter layout should be. I walked into Ryan's office and he was staring at a 3 by 4 grid of the Commandments. (12, not 10, by the way.) His grid was in a certain reading order, which I could easily follow on the 3D system. His reading order made logical sense sitting under farm tractors.
I could quickly sketch out the map to the Commandments. We tested it, by reading stories he'd previously mapped. We found several of the 3D models being mentioned in those stories. Our first strong support for those models being mentioned in the running text.
It was a good day, and a great find, the Commandments now mapped to 24 of the 25 letters.
Ryan has already started using this to recheck the headings and stories in the Testimony. Turns 24 out of every 25 stories in the Testimony have a governing Commandment, either being followed or broken depending on the situation. In the end there should be 32 illustrative stories for each commandment, explaining exactly what they mean.
One commandment in particular deserves a note. Don't make Graven Images. It looks like an editor expanded the details in order to deflect the true meaning. Don't make monuments and change your telling of history. Aaron's calf idol is one of the stories for this commandment, and not only do they build a monument, like Lincoln in Washington DC, then they change the history of how they came from Egypt. Other stories under this commandment drop the monument, but still change the telling of history. This is exactly what the editors did when they wrote the Bible.
Video
We've had a series of recent, strong, prophetic words to start making videos in order to tell this story.
We learned from travel the past couple months that there is no way to tell this story in any meaningful way in brief personal encounters, so this is important.
Even though we're not done, we can start recording a lot of meaningful material.
We took the week of US Thanksgiving and started working on our setup for making videos.
We had to figure out how to connect the camera to the computer, our existing gear no longer supported by OBS... Replacing the capture device fixed that problem. We figured out low profile lights for our 8' ceilings. In a building with not even 1 clear backdrop wall we setup curtains for a backdrop. We've reworked our slide software to add camera source and recording controls. We even finished the week with some test videos, a huge milestone.
We're currently working the problem of a teleprompter. My favorite 3D Youtuber is Tom Sanladerer. He did a video on the problems that forced him to use a teleprompter. Though I'm not ESL, and probably won't script videos, I feel the same pain. If you want to see his discussion...
In any case, parts are ordered for attaching a teleprompter to our camera/tripod. I am still looking for the right glass. When that all comes in, there is a little 3D printing to put all the parts together. When that is done we will continue working towards videos.
More Later,
Phil