United3dArtists Archive

Past few months I see a lot of people talking about software choices and learning (a good thing) but I do not see many comments on real projects and achievements. I feel like I live in a world of students with no real purpose and I have no age for that . It would be nice to have an idea of your 3d future projects without having to talk about software. it seems to me that the software used to implement the wishes or I do not see what it can serve.

It's akin to the "Ferrari" dream.

That is, everyone wants to be a race car driver, but can't afford even the entry level. If they are not mechanically inclined, they slap on chrome muffler pipes and put a new paint job on the old pickup truck.

Wut? Doesn't everyone do that?

Problem is, not everyone has the skill or the courage it takes to be a race car drive. People forget that being a mechanic, the tire changer or the "gopher" that brings the 'water bottle' to the driver to get oneself in the experience.

For me, I bought 3D software, because I wanted to build a graphical story of my family's history. I got sidetracked with the methodologies instead of just doing it. I kept forgetting that graphics can have version number. You know, start with the basic sketch - stickmen - boxes for houses and work my way up. I wanted to go straight for the eye-popping masterpiece. This lead to my neverending search for the "easy button" which never happened.

Thanks for the reminder Marcel, I can refocus my efforts and "begin to begin."

Sometimes it takes longer to search how to do rather than doing. Today I prefer to go forward without knowing how. When a project begins motivation comes naturally and the solutions. Not a rational methods, but works fine for me.

marcel wrote:Past few months I see a lot of people talking about software choices and learning (a good thing) but I do not see many comments on real projects and achievements. I feel like I live in a world of students with no real purpose and I have no age for that . It would be nice to have an idea of your 3d future projects without having to talk about software. it seems to me that the software used to implement the wishes or I do not see what it can serve.

I am doing a project for a railway line in Trainz 2010 (a railway simulator). What I am doing is trying to make a old railway line that was shutdown 1970 and torn up the year after.
This mean that I will have to make several houses that is important for the lines appearance, I have to make several stations and other buildings also. I also need to make a couple of wagons and preferable some engines. I try to model as much as possible in Truespace but I have to export them to Blender to be able to export them to Trainz using the exporter from Blender....
That is why I have a problem trying to get a model over from TS to Blender right now....

Sometimes I feel like this site has become text driven site instead of an Artwork driven place.
It amazes me about the number of people that visit here but never shows ANYTHING they are doing.
No scripts,no animation, no 3D, no future projects, nothing.
It is disheartening.

I would like to animate one of my characters and show it here. That is my plan.

Currently, myself and the rest of the team at Firebird Studios are well into the second year of our first CGI short - Toy Wars. The story centres around a young boy who gets the ultimate birthday present. All the props and sets have been made in tS and are about 95% complete, the dialogue has all been recorded and the characters, about 13 in all, are currently undergoing final tweaks in the costume department via Poser. We should begin the animation and rendering phase within the next month or so before entering a quite prolonged post-production schedule. Visit our website for more info.

Thank you for sharing your project. I hope this year will be creative for you. I'd like to make pictures this year by more attention to the message. Less effect and more idea.

Currently trying to figure out a way to shoehorn a 15,000 pixel wide panorama into a QTVR scene.

Sometimes I feel like this site has become text driven site instead of an Artwork driven place.

If you want to create the impression that the focus of the site is artwork, my advice would be to make sure that that is obvious from the moment someone gets here. There are currently 20-odd topics in the main forum, it's easy to miss the wip and finished art sections. There also isn't any art bar at the top of the forum a'la zbrush etc.

At least, I would recommend putting the gallery section of the forum at the top, maybe make it bigger font or something, big red exclamation marks, whatever to draw attention to it. Although I'm not a fan of sub-forums per se, you could also consider rationalize the main forum entrance down to two topics, "artwork" and "everything else". At least then you may get more people looking at the art bits. Coming to this forum for the first time is a bit intimidating, although I realize that all of the forums are there for a reason.

I see this complaint made on many forums, but I think sometimes you have to make things obvious to people, and provide as much encouragement as you can (myself included).

As far as what I'm doing 3d wise, well I'm spending every spare moment I have trying to get my head around Messiah. It's all grand stating that the software doesn't matter and to go out and make art, but I have spent years trying to find software that can handle the projects I'm interested in doing, without frustrating me too much.

I have high standards, and learning a new app is hard. I've had to do a lot of wrangling to get apps that are up to the job, but don't break the bank. Now that I thankfully seem to be coming to the end of this process somewhat, I think I should be able to do the kind of stuff I want to.

Anyway, I'll try post more WIP work at least, as I have been lazy in this area.

Not wanting to get off-topic, but just to add a bit more fuel to Benji's comments: I was speaking to someone just a week or two ago about the SMC. The person is an infrequent U3DA visitor but has posted a fair few questions and comments in the past. When they they logged in again to check-out the compo, they just couldn't find it and soon after their interest waned.

Well, that' my fear. I also want to make it clear that I'm not trying to demean anybody, the fact that this forum exists at all is a blessing, especially considering why it was set up in the first place.......

A lot of my time is taking up beta testing which I love, sometimes scenes I like end up here
My pet project is a Myst style adventure game, its took a back seat as I have some sad family stuff to deal with but I have made a lot of progress and once I get a new PC (I've killed this one) I'll start posting some final scenes, I can't even render a simple Daz character at the moment without my computer throwing a wobbley

Good thread Marcel. I have no problem with the tech talk and talk about programs but this is a good thread to talk about the creative parts of projects.

Projects I plan or hope to do:

• Current project: Elegant Bridge in TS. (thread)
• Driving animation for the bridge.
• Make the Elf movie, as a Christmas card, that I tried to do before.
• Finish my dueling pistols and their case and equipment. (thread)
• Animate or illustrate some stories I'm working on.
• Work on Phosphor Tower (thread)
• Prepare some of my old models like the chariot to sell them.
• Finish any other unfinished projects I have.

Breech Block wrote:... When they they logged in again to check-out the compo, they just couldn't find it ...

What is compo?

To answer the original post I'm learning 3dsmax style modeling techniques via gmax.

Alright I'll excuse myself as well

We're still working on broken skies
...Slowly, scope's expanded to two-three years since I'm literally swamped, not with work 'per se', with life, money, lisences, flying, training, and generally getting ready to call it a day with 3D, Truespace has only been opened a number of times I can count on my two hands since November and there's no way in hell I'm going to be spending thousands of pounds I don't have on a program instead of putting it to use to earn me some flying hours or to go towards my bills or fees so Truespace will be my only and last program.

Sad thing is I'm losing my '3D' head, it may be because all I mainly modelled were aircraft and I get enough of them during the day, most models I come to create end up being quite sloppy or not as good as I want or could make them, it got me through school to college, and through college to University and it's feeling tired out and needs a rest. so I'm afraid guys, aside from the odd model which will come hailing from Deviantart I think I'll be sitting out from now on

I'm finding using Cubase and fiddling about with music is a nicer way to kill a few hours before bed, which this forum isn't about and will go quite unnoticed, I've found a great niché in rescoring and covering songs well within an 'internet' fandom, anime seems to have the best soundtracks to cover, games, and some songs made by actual bands (Pendulum for example) and I'm getting great feedback from people who don't usually see other mediums of 'fan art' aside from drawings.

So a bit of everything, with the one exception being 3D art
Sorry 'bout that

I am modelling props and structures on a project with dragneye, danx and rayman on a short for a story developed by dragneye.

I am also working on an animal character and some props for a game being developed by danx.

Right now I am focusing on training myself to create plants in Vue. One of the elements I am designing for the short is a vertical farm so I need crops to put in it.

I am designing some web sites in order to pay for my extravagant hobby.

Other than that I spend a lot of time watching BOT for inspiration.

Steve wrote: there's no way in hell I'm going to be spending thousands of pounds I don't have on a program

I have the same feeling - that is why I stick with Truespace as well as tries Blender.
I simply don't want to buy a new software - the ones I would considerer are to expensive for a happy hobbyiest.

And the cheaper alternatives? Well, they are most often produced by small companies off the same size like Caligari. I am not going to buy a 3D software ever again from a small company or a software from a big company that it is possible that it will be discontinued. I simply don't want to put all that effort into learning something again that might become obsolete because the company goes belly up or decides that focusing on another product will earn more them more money. It isn't the price of the product that scares me in this case, it's the effort to learn something that might prove to be a dead end. Sadly there is no hobby version of the industry leaders like 3DSMax or Maya - these giants are not going away so if there was a $400 licens for hobbyiest for any of them I would buy it.... but now I need to add a zero to that price tag...

Blender will continue to be developed. There is no company that can be sold to Microsoft...

Well, that's certainly something blender has in it's favor.

I had a computer that was 100 % full and was slow like a snail and that even had impact on my professional work.
i couldnt even see any png files in the explorer anymore....
Not to speak of rendering any of my projects....
I got my hardware fixed and updated to something newer and i´starting to finish all my projects that I have started and all my wips
that i started.....
i am also working on a project with Drew Dan and V3rd3....but that also needs my hardware fixed to get me going again...
Peter

Hardware and software does not replace the motivation and inspiration. They just save time. Finally, many ongoing projects. Hopefully we'll see soon the progress of these projects.

I am a software junky when it comes to 3d work. i love learnig new apps
thats why i have not posted much work lately .the apps what i have
i understand and can work well with about 80% and still learnig
sorry for my posts about the different software
Ralph

marcel wrote:Hardware and software does not replace the motivation and inspiration. They just save time. Finally, many ongoing projects. Hopefully we'll see soon the progress of these projects.

What the benefit of motivation and inspiration if you work on a computer and that opens the windows internet explorer in half a minute......
thats frustrating...

I had a computer that was 100 % full and was slow like a snail and that even had impact on my professional work.

I have about 35% free space out of 250GB, the fans go crazy even browsing the internet, its starting to do what my old PC did after the Daimler bike I did for the last Cali MMC, stuff not closing properly and hanging in memory, old scenes wont load with big textures.. a better PC is long over due.
Its done 3 years of hard work so I can't complain, it was never an ideal modeling/render pc.

Its a shame more people don't post images or enter the contests, looking back somethings I've entered were awful but I learnt a lot from it and feedback good and bad is very helpful, I like it when someone says "its ok/crap, but if you do this......"
I owe a lot to the Cali forum and here

I been reworking my monster:



And working on a 2d bear animation.

marcel wrote: ... I do not see many comments on real projects and achievements. I feel like I live in a world of students with no real purpose and I have no age for that ...

Steinie wrote: Sometimes I feel like this site has become text driven ... never shows ANYTHING they are doing ... It is disheartening ...

You're right - both of you - I appreciate any examples of arts too. Also should consider my age too (got a bit more on my senior back) and start through right ahead only with arts for myself only and should stop bothering about that technical garbage. Everything else is consuming too much time, which is not left. In real, I shouldn't have any technical problems myself ... so,

I'm finding now quite some fellows here are trying to excuse their successful failing in creating arts up to now, more or less - but I say no, YOU ARE OK! Don't let you be disheartened by anything - there will come time of success & there's really someone else to be excused.

-BM.

I'm finding now quite some fellows here are trying to excuse their successful failing in creating arts up to now, more or less - but I say no, YOU ARE OK! Don't let you be disheartened by anything - there will come time of success & there's really someone else to be excused.

Its very easy to get judgemental about your own work to the point you don't share, 90% of the Thea renders I do never end up on the Thea forum. In the last three years I've only done three pictures I'm proud about, even then I pick fault with them
I think a lot of people get into the trap of looking for software that will do the work for them, waste weeks and months trying to do something they can already do in TS or whatever then end up back where they started, something I'm very guilty of

let's see.
I want to finish the Magic 8 Ball scene I started working on, in trueSpace.
I want to create a 'lightning' plugin for tS.
I have a folder containing script/animation ideas I want to pursue.
The latest involves a stressed-out 'bard' auditioning current day actors/celebrities
for his latest script, 'Hammer'. But, something is not quite right about the title...
he can't quite pinpoint it though. We see what happens as the story unfolds.
Another animation is dedicated to one of our kitties who passed away a few years
ago. He had a strong affection for something on the Christmas tree and always
looked so upset when we put the tree away.
So. Once we move, I'll learn the new rigging/animation package I purchased and proceed.

RAYMAN wrote:What the benefit of motivation and inspiration if you work on a computer and that opens the windows internet explorer in half a minute......
thats frustrating...

We must not exaggerate it anyway, are not asked to work with a flint stone. There are limits.
Against what is by having a super computer without motivation and inspiration?

marcel wrote:

RAYMAN wrote:What the benefit of motivation and inspiration if you work on a computer and that opens the windows internet explorer in half a minute......
thats frustrating...

We must not exaggerate it anyway, are not asked to work with a flint stone. There are limits.
Against what is by having a super computer without motivation and inspiration?

I´m not lacking motivation and inspiration.I´m working evryday and earning money.....
My greatest concern at the moment is hardware.
The factory where I get my tools from has almost been swept away by the
tsunami and was closed down for unlimited time(Nikon factory in Sendai).. i´m running a business
and need to take care of the backups that I will need for some time to come.
There wont be any spare parts coming from there for a long time.
The mmc and the smc here and the work in progress thread here are of
less priority at the moment.......
I am also updating to something I can use for some time in the computer world
i also have some family related health trouble and need to take care of a relative 24h of the day.....
apart from that we are working on a project and need to devote a lot of time for that.....
no ideas and motivation are not a problem at the moment.....
Peter

High Five, fellow 24 hour caregiver!

Just passed my 14 year 'anniversary' of doing it.

Best job I ever had.

@3dfrog: good monster!

nigec wrote: Its very easy to get judgemental about your own work to the point you don't share, 90% of the Thea renders I do never end up on the Thea forum. In the last three years I've only done three pictures I'm proud about, even then I pick fault with them

It really depends on what you do this for, to me it is an outlet to doodle anymore. In a way just random napkin drawings, for the last 5 years this really has been the case, I have countless partial things all over my HD's, photos, panos, HD movies of random things, random models of things, humanoid characters in various states of completion. To me I do not do this to create a finished product, I never had, it was always about learning to do these things, completing the steps to do something, than moving onto something else. I wish I had kept better records of where I have been and what I did (2 of the forums I used to post all of my early work have folded up, I thought they would have been my reel of work...).

So, to some, this hobby may only be an exercise, a chance to play with 3D and pretend we are something, or maybe as in my case, just to learn what is involved in the process. Since programs like ZBrush and 3DCoat, the artist is the one that owns this medium now, the techie is no longer driving the bus...

Random thoughts only, YMMV

Rich

We do not become a sculptor, painter, architect or designer by changing only software. Software used by professionals have the talent of its users to demonstrate their capabilities. It gives the impression that we can do everything. But we must not forget that the talent that makes the work.

marcel wrote:We do not become a sculptor, painter, architect or designer by changing only software. Software used by professionals have the talent of its users to demonstrate their capabilities. It gives the impression that we can do everything. But we must not forget that the talent that makes the work.

Formost it needs a lot of time to make these things.....
you need to have that ......and be able to spend it on your projects.....

Ok, new project. I have built an octopus thingie, partly in Groboto, partly in modo. I will animate in messiah, full custom rig, flexmotion, I toyed around with it most of the day, I think I can get it to work, the docs say I should have no problems I will be out of state for a couple of days, if I can keep the ADD from creeping in for another week, I'll post something. Else, it becomes another napkin doodle on my hd

marcel wrote:Past few months I see a lot of people talking about software choices and learning (a good thing) but I do not see many comments on real projects and achievements. I feel like I live in a world of students with no real purpose and I have no age for that . It would be nice to have an idea of your 3d future projects without having to talk about software. it seems to me that the software used to implement the wishes or I do not see what it can serve.

I've busy mastering Truespace 6 and 7.6 as much as I have time for. I've also got a Truespace modeling forum that has been under development for several months now mostly posting modeling tutorials using the X exporter for a video game called Battlezone II Combat Commander. My Truespace Modeling Forum.

I've also gotten envolved in a new video game under development called Project Genesis a BZII like game that uses the open source Unreal UDK engine. Project Genesis Forum.

Mainly, I'm building my overall modeling skills using the TS software and really just loving on making more 3D artwork for my personal enrichment.

compPanda wrote:

marcel wrote:Past few months I see a lot of people talking about software choices and learning (a good thing) but I do not see many comments on real projects and achievements. I feel like I live in a world of students with no real purpose and I have no age for that . It would be nice to have an idea of your 3d future projects without having to talk about software. it seems to me that the software used to implement the wishes or I do not see what it can serve.

I am doing a project for a railway line in Trainz 2010 (a railway simulator). What I am doing is trying to make a old railway line that was shutdown 1970 and torn up the year after.
This mean that I will have to make several houses that is important for the lines appearance, I have to make several stations and other buildings also. I also need to make a couple of wagons and preferable some engines. I try to model as much as possible in Truespace but I have to export them to Blender to be able to export them to Trainz using the exporter from Blender....
That is why I have a problem trying to get a model over from TS to Blender right now....

I believe that GMAX also has a gamepak for Trainz; if you feel comfortable with it.

My pet project is a Myst style adventure game, if you interested there is a concept demo, I wanted to make sure the game engine could do what I wanted it to do, also develop the control system and inventory as the engine is ment for 3rd person Monkey Island type games.
The demo took about 6 weeks including the models, renders and programming.. now I'm doing it for real but family stuff is in the way at the moment
models done in Sketchup, rendered Thea, game engine Visionaire
The clues are very basic so:
the fuse box order 10,15,30,20
the puzzle in the attic you don't gain anything, but it works, the error messages are wrong though.
Piano keys are GAGE
You can find two lenses, but they do the same thing (only need one)
Dial lock 07301962
When you get to the "other world " there is only two areas.
http://nigecstudios.co.uk/Visgame/game_alpha1.zip"
"build.exe" starts it if I remember right
I don't mind showing it as the real version has changed a lot anyway, All the models and renders are new also the character view can turn 360, I've been waiting for a update for the engine because I was getting lag with animation, its now fixed but not in the demo

BNG wrote: I believe that GMAX also has a gamepak for Trainz; if you feel comfortable with it.

Yes, it does. But I am not really used to Gmax either and it lacks the ability to use normal maps which is recommended for newer models.

Got my new computer today.....
16 gig ram on 64bit windows 7
Some big scenes are coming soon !
Peter

Congrats Peter
What did you get? i7?

RAYMAN wrote:Got my new computer today.....
16 gig ram on 64bit windows 7
Some big scenes are coming soon !
Peter

Is the TS7x problem with Win7 solved and how does TS 6.6 work with Windows 7?

yup some pretty nice setup....
everything over 16gig would have made it proportionally more expensive but thats just what was doable...

compPanda wrote:

RAYMAN wrote:Got my new computer today.....
16 gig ram on 64bit windows 7
Some big scenes are coming soon !
Peter

Is the TS7x problem with Win7 solved and how does TS 6.6 work with Windows 7?

Not running Ts on it anymore !
I just put the most power hungry things on it.
not making the same mistake again ruining the performace with software junkieness and collecting what I almost never use...
Keeping my 32 bit software on my older vista engine including Ts...

compPanda wrote:
Is the TS7x problem with Win7 solved and how does TS 6.6 work with Windows 7?

Yes, it was solved (item #3) and 6.6 runs great on Win 7.

You are right Rayman. Keep a computer for old software is a good thing. My TS work well on my computer with XP and I do not want to install it elsewhere. In this pc hardware and software are compatible, same generation made to work together. A computer must be uniform with its contents to avoid problems. Especially when the PC has a professional use. That's what I always said.

I saw several projects begin on the forum. I hope this year will be a creative and fun for all with yours new computer and software. After a rest I start a new project with illustrations of several head a little special.
ps: i wonder what become Leon regis...