I’m full working here, so I’m searching for 3d freelancers for international cooperations.

I accept collaborations from any part of the world.
I can speak english, spanish and french.

If you want to know more about… read here!

From Kansas City comes one of the best short films I have ever seen, both in terms of technology put into the field and the perfect partnership with the history, based strictly on 3d … more on 3d modeling!

The Branit Vfx - companies often outsource work for my serial Favorite: LOST - is the company that has realized World Builder, a short movie directed by Bruce Branit.

The short is very exciting especially exciting for 3d fan! The protagonist is an expert modeler, but in his case it represents neither a job nor a speed contest … this is love: a unique and special gift for the woman he loves.

Please, stops your thoughts and enjoy this little masterpiece, filmed in one day but followed by nearly two years of post-production.

• World Builder

PS The only thing that surprises me is why at the end he don’t  ”Save As”  …ehm…  I’m just kidding!

Have you ever placed objects in quite casual in a scene? Coins on a table, marbles in a container, even the rocks along the beach… it’s a quite boring and hard work.

In such cases, you first - reaching best results - using the physical simulation. The Physical simulations are weapon every day under the eyes of all: smoke, water, electricity and even actual physical contact between objects.

Concerning the simulation of physical objects in 3ds Max we have a plugin (for years now incorporated) which is Reactor. Powerful and complex tool that I can not describe a single post!

The best thing is to see him in action now! So to give you an idea of how quickly you set a scene with objects physical collision, I did a quick video. I created some inclined planes and 4 / 5 balls. So I gave it mass=0 to the plans (if no weight is not moving!) and mass=1.0 to the balls and … it’s done:

• RB Collection (Reactor) setting  -  Video / 3mins

In conclusion I link you a tutorial from Evermotion.org that explains how to simulate coins falling on a floor, with the same principle as the previous video:

• Coins - Tutorial Evermotiong.org

The concept is very simple: Just put an RB Collection object in the scene, involve the various items, get the “weights” and just run the simulation. Truly instant! 

Have fun!

(Warning: the following post’s related to 3ds Max, but is applicable to any software provides polygonal modeling)

Among the 3ds Max modifiers, there is one - EDIT POLY - that rather than a lot of parameters, in fact there’s a “world” behind: the world of the polygonal modeling!

Polygonal modeling (nurms)  is an approach for modeling objects by representing or approximating their surfaces using polygons and 3ds Max especially  works in this way.

One of the most important things is to assimilate the “combination” of 3d low poly models with modifiers like MeshSmooth or TurboSmooth in order to get smoothed objects.

The typical application is: Primitive Geometry + Edit Poly + Meshsmooth (or TurboSmooth)

But the most important thing is to understand << What polygonal mesh I need to get the 3d model I want?>>. (Is supposed: “using meshsmooth modifier”).

My last sentence is crucial, so you I recommend you to read it again carefully: it is the focus of polygonal modeling. (I feel sorry for my poor english)

In this article will not explain how to handle technically the Edit Poly because there are tons of tutorials and videotutorial too.

I have prepared an image that I call TABLE’S SMOOTH because it contains 12 examples of basic items: they are what you get adding a Smooth modifier to a Low Poly model.

Observe my “table”: I hope it will help you to develop the awareness you need in order to get the smoothed object you want.

• Original Post: Tabellina dello Smooth (ITA)

[ 3ds max tutorial ] - If the Material Editor appears limited and you do not know how to create other materials, read this post … it takes just 5 minutes, but everything be more clear! (-:

If you open the material editor (shortcut = M) you’ll see just 6 slots to create materials. Of course you can creare more than 6!

At first, if we you on a slot and and click the right button, you can select options like “5×3” and “6X4“: try to select them. The available slots will be 15 or 24, depending on your choose.

But.. Is 24 the maximum number of materials you can have? Certainly not.

I admit that the system is not very intuitive! In fact the material editor is a limited space to create, refine and assign materials, and there’s no limit to do that! Let’s take a simple test.

Building a box / create a “stupid” material / Assign material.

Now, click the “X” (reset map to default setting): A window will appear with 2 choices!

1) if we choose the 1st option:

• you reset all the material parameters
• the object in the scene continues to be connected to this material
  (Just note that the box in the viewport suddenly turn gray)

2) If we choose the 2nd option:

• object and material will be “disconnected”
• the material in the slot will resetted and associated with nothing
• the object in the scene will preserve the material that was before the cancellation 

NOW THE QUESTION IS 

How could I edit a material removed from the material editor, but it is still associated with an object in the scene? 

Just go to the material editor and bring it back in the Material Editor as follows: 
Get Material -> Scene -> Double-click the material you want back

CONCLUSION 

The material editor is a sort of  ”palette” where temporary support materials to create and associate them easily.

If you want to to create a new material and the slots are all occupated, click “X” and choose the option 2… don’t be afraid!! You don’t loose anything! Your material will be safe among the material scene (-: 

* NEWS *

• Tutorial to create different glasses with photoshop (best of)
• Get the related Videotutorial (PayPal - just 2.50$)

Richard Rosenman will never end to shock me! 

After Sphere, the gallery with all the creations that complies with the simple rule can be brought to a sphere (with absurd results!) here Greeblelicious: a gallery of images made using Greeble plugin!

For those who do not know what Greeble is… I say quickly that it is a free plugin for 3ds max, very easy to use, which allows you to quickly add new geometries (”science fiction” style) to any object in the scene (see review Greeble). 

Many people like to create imaginary worlds and scenarios with Greeble, so Richard thought to create a gallery for this kind of images: made using greeble plugin. In this gallery you can also vote and comment every single futuristic creation! 

Many images enchanted me. Here my favourites:

Want to know how to install Greeble? Read my Greeble Tutorial! 

And now what are you thinking to do?

You browse the whole Greeblelicious site or you’ll run to download the plug Greeble (recently updated to 3ds max 2009) and create the next new world?

Compositing is the most powerful technique for manipulating images in computer graphics.

However, in architectural rendering not many people use this technique. Infact, there are not many articles on the web and - anyway - you can render and render again still images 100 times, this will not a incredible problem (With the animation that would be impossible!!)

Anyway, compositing technique allow us to save our time so we can  add the compositing to our list How to reduce the rendering time!

A few days ago I read an article explaining a very basic compositing, just to see how it works: the article is comping of Basic Vray Renders, Then I start from there to present the topic: a small compositing tutorial!

I don’t want to bore you with words-words-words and I hope the following image and a psd file will clarify the matter in a few seconds:

With Vray, Mental Ray and several other rendering engines we can render specific channels.

I can choose to render only “certain parts of the scene” for example, direct light, the reflections or shadows. Overlap then - with different fusion methods (multiply, screen etc. ..) - all these images using compositing  softwares such as Shake, Combustion, Fusion .. or simply Photoshop.

The result will be the same image! The difference? Control.

Yes, because having all the separate channels we can choose whether to have more or less global light, manipulate the reflections, reduce or fix some color, simply adjusting on its channels. So you can manipulate the image with a great facility.

Download the PSD file that you attached and see for yourself that you can have control over.

• Basic compositing - (Photoshop File)
• Compositing | V-Ray Lighting Techniques - Dvd for sale

Test your knowledges through the new and funny Cg Blog Quiz!

[ Free Vray scene ] - If you have a boat, a yacht or anything else and want to render it on the water, perhaps Charles Hollemeersch’s plugin is for you.

Already a few years ago Charles realized this fantastic plugin that - simply - adds a geometry “sea”.

INSTALLATION

Unzip the contents of this zip file into the [maxfolder]/plugins directory, so for example: c:\3dsmax6\plugins

Then just go to Create> Geometry> Hollemeersch.NET and select the object OceansWaves. Then click anywhere in the scene to create it.

You see a surface that immediately gives the idea of “sea”. Fantastic?  Try now to operate the button of animation… isn’t it super fantastic? yeees!!!

There are various parameters that can be set as the height of waves, wind speed, the speed of movement, the type of crimp and the number of subdivisions (which adjusts the level of detail of the object).

This parameter - the number of subdivisions - is the sore point. OceanWaves uses a large number of polygons (70,000> subd = 7 / 2,000,000> Subd = 10) and is easy ultizzando a subdivision even higher standard should be a PC crash for lack of memory. (Mine is gone crash to 11).

Here the plugin link and my scene, just tu test it! 3ds max + vray 1.5 -Enjoy them!

• OceanWaves - Plugin
• Free Scene: Teapots in the ocean

3ds max 2009 training - The user Mak21, present mainly on the3dstudio.com, continues to supply its virtual library of interesting and low cost videotrainings.

After Mental Ray training it’s time to take a look at 3ds max and exactly 3ds max 2009 design, the last born at home Autodesk, which is nothing but 3ds max oriented modeling and rendering architectural and design.

As the same author says:

In this video course you will have the opportunity to study the new features of 3dsmax 2009 and mental ray at a competitive price, from the comfort of home or office or wherever you prefer.

All files of the course are included and free use for your projects interior and exterior design.

Mak21 is an operator 3ds max Discreet advanced level certificate and this is a guarantee of quality, finally it should be noted that the cost of entire pack course (Metal ray training included) is $129!

The first volume contains 20 lessons, the second in 36 of and Mental Ray training homage - only for the summer - consists of 31 additional lessons. 3 volumes in total for this 3ds max 2009 training!

Ideal for the users who already have some knowledge of 3ds and intends to approach the new version, but also for those who want to learn Mental Ray, taking advantage of the offer, will take home the course of deepening on 3ds max 2009 design!

• 3ds max 2009 design - Training

This article is related to Fake or Photo?

I loved very much to read your comments on the previous post! It’s quite difficult to tell fake or real… I see.

If I had found similar pictures , without knowing the origin, I have no doubt that: <<but that kind of debate is this? Think of images… what the argument therefore? I don’t understand something? >>.

The software is at the stage of evolution that the complete photorealism is possible, at least for still images. Let me add that this is not enough, we need also that the “artists” decide to work with!!

Finally this is the result of the combination of great representation artits and advanced rendering and modeling software.

Do you recognize these images? They are the 3d models of Old man and Sexy Model before the texturization. The incredible artists are Lee Perry-Smith and Stanislav Klabik, whose gallery are among the most interesting of Cg Society.

3ds max, BodyPaint, Lightwave 3D, Photoshop, ZBrush dor the Sexy Model and… “just” 3ds max, mental ray, Photoshop (this is the discussion related) for the Old Man.

I fear when I see similar things… but don’t, if someone is asking “but how do you that?” I have the solution:

• Workflow: how to model a 3d actress

PS Who is the dog? Simple, he’s Billy…

What do you think about? These images are Fakes or Photos?

Images made with Photoshop, 3ds max, Maya, Z-brush … or Canon reflex, hp photosmart… or what?

Please, leave your comment and tell us what do you think about!

(The solution is here!)

The topic of the day is a simple game… but really funny!

Egg Attack is a funny game inspired by what happened recently to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, attacked with eggs from a student during a speech at the University of Budapest.

Balmer showed good reflexes hiding under the table…On youtube you can watch the real video

• Steve Ballmer Gets the Egg-Treatment in Budapest

But it seems that Steve Ballmer is not less! Do you know how he’s crazy? Look here..

• Steve Ballmer going crazy
• Ballmer sells windows 1.0
• Microsoft CEO Ballmer laughs at Apple iPhone

I know about this personage just today? Did you already know him??

• Play with Egg Attack!

I remember that some years ago, have produced a rendering in 10/15 hours was cause for pride. Now it simply means that you are a newbie!

Reducing the time in the rendering production is a goal to keep in mind. We need improve our skill reducing our rendering time too. Then go ahead! But how do? I wrote down some points that I hope can be a starting point for an analysis of your personal “rendering behavior“:

1) Use Low resolution for rendering tests.
I know, everyone likes to render a big image, but we risk to waste too many time if we always use 800×600 minimum.

2) Use Rendering Region: render only what interests you. Time to time check your shaders, verify the little differences.. and quickly find the result you’re looking for.

3) Do not add Glossy effects. Add it just when you think that the scene works fine. (I know that everyone loves Glossy effects, but we risk wasting much time.)

For V-ray users:

4) when we start the scene use fast parameters for GI:Primary buonces:
Irradiance map / -4 -4
Secondary bounces: Light Cache / 100

5) In the Vray Global Switches rollout use Override Mtl. We can use a very simple material like gray to test the light in the scene. When we are convinced of the light scene add the various shaders.

6) In DMC Sampler rollout, increse Adaptive amount from 0,85 to 1,0
The image quality will be lower, but also the time to render it!

7) About Vray Light, check the option “Store with irradiance map“. Even here, lose a little of shadows but the time is decidedly lower.

All this attentions will allow us to lower a lot the time setting. The final time rendering will be only a small part of a comparison!!

Have I forgotten something?
I hope it is a useful reminder and I hope to improve this post with your suggestions.
I await your comments and advice!

Do you like this image above? Do you like the realistic lighting?

I made this rendering using 3ds Max 9 and Vray render… and I want to give you that scene as a present for you readers!

3d model to add nice ditails in bathroom scenes type. Toothpaste, toothbrush, liquid soap, box and something else with V-ray 1.5 high photorealistic setted scene. Just Clic render button and get a photorealistic shot!

I hope you’ll like my 3d files! It’s a good opportunity to investigate my V-ray settings, to compare my setting with yours… to help each other about settings and lighting concept.

Tell in your 3d forum, tell your friends…. Download and enjoy it.

• 3d models for bathroom | 3ds max9 + Vray 1.5
• Don’t forget my Vray Template scene!

(The file is for 3ds max9 and V-ray 1.5 - Please don’t ask me about other format)

I feel sorry if someone of you got something strange from my blog.

I noticed unsubscribed users during these day and right now - Thanks to Peppons - I found my blog hacked.

I care my blog just because I’m 3d fanatic… I love sharing and to be a part of a community. I can’t understand why people are happy making this bad things.

So sad.

My first tutorial to start learning 3d modeling was Joan d’Arc!! almost 10 years ago!

Actually Joan d’Arc is the most famous tutorial for poligonal modeling in the world. But during these years many users added to the web their own contents about 3d modeling.

One of the last tutorials I liked is Head Modeling by Hatice Bayramoglu. Very detailed tutorial that start from a sketch and conclude with a finished 3d head model. Here the link:

• Cg Arena - Head Modeling

Reading on the Hatice Bayramoglu site you can understand that this tutorial start with “head tutorial” but the idea is a complete tutorial about an human body!! Eye, hand, foot, lip and 3d nose.

Enjoy this fantastic tutorial and tell me… How many tutorials about human 3d modeling do you know?

Mental Ray training: A new videoguide to learn the excellent render engine that rendered the cult movie Matrix.

Even if there are many render engines on the market, Mental Ray is still used from many users. Mental Ray is very power to create special effects and it is excellent working with layered rendering!

As I wrote in my italian post Tutorial per Maya there are many resources about it especially for Maya users. A very interesting community is Mymentalray.com.

Recently I found this video guide that I think very interesting. Here a brief description of the author:

The only video course in english for mental ray. his video course is compound from 168 lessons for a duration of 22 hours. The treatment includes all the versions more important of this powerful motor of rendering. Examining the courses of the version 3.4 3.5 and 3.6 you will be able to manage all the versions
included in 3dsmax8.0 3dsmax 9.0 and 3dsmax 2008.

Besides the vision of the evolution of the sundry ones versions it will give you a mastery superior respect to a single video course or similar text in once of reduced learning thanks to the video.

Inside the course they are present the files 3dsmax for the tutorials.

The entire Metal Ray Training is based on 5 volumes but purchasing all together you will have a saving of 136 $ in comparison to the purchase of the single-hit 5 video course valued 295$

•   Mental Ray - The great guide

Have a good Lessons!

Today is the first day of spring! So to celebrate it I want to purpose you same nice collection about 3d spring!

• XfrogPlants Billboards: Fruit - This product features 60 billboard props of fruit trees and plants, coming from the much popular and praised XfrogPlants Fruit library.
• big trees autumn - The plants show a surprising depth of detail. Single leaves and twigs are perfectly cut out.
• tropical trees - Trees for exteriors - Texture Trees

But the first day of spring you cannot forget about the Ivy! I’m sure that a lof of you know Ivy Generator!! but If you never heared thi name I suggest you to follow this link!

Ivy Generator is a standalone program that will import .OBJ files and “grow” convincing ivy on the objects in the scene. Its actually quite nifty, once you get it to work. It took me the better part of a day to actually get it to work. That is, to import files exported by 3Ds Max.

• Ivy generator
• Ivy generator Basic tutorial - Video

Last but not least… Vray Sun! Tha first day, spring is coming and the sun shines in the sky. Here some tutorial to set vray sun and vray sky:

• Vray sun and Vray sky - Evermotion.org
• Vray sun - Free scene
• Tutorial for 3dsymax - (Español)

Have a nice first day of spring!!!

Recently I rendered a lot of 6m x 3m Posters for Buildings under construction… and I want to share with you my idea to choose how many pixels I need setting my rendering panel.

Everyone knows that a book is printed in 300dpi: that’s the best standard resolution.

But if I see this book to 5 meters I don’t need to increse the resolution, I’m not Superman!!! I just need to increase the format. That means I’m reducing the resolution!

Ok.. look at this file: it will explain my idea in a look!

• The Visual field - 3d sketch - Formats: File for 3d studio 9 / *.3DS
• If you don’t use 3ds > Images 1 - 2

Considering the Visual Field: looking a book (21cm x 29,9cm) to 30 centimeters is the same thing than looking an imaginery Big Book (574cm x 395cm) to 5 meters!

So, this imaginery book is 19 times bigger than an ordinary book: that means I can print a big poster with a resolution 19 times smaller: 300 dpi / 19 = 16 dpi!!!It will be a good resolution.

Checking resolution

If you want to check your rendering resolution, print a little part (20dpi!).

The quality image is not so good, but just see the printed paper to 2 meters: Perfect!

This is the method I use to verify the quality image.

Concluding

To print a 6m x 3m rendering:

• Set rendering out to 4724 x 2362 pixel
• Create a new document with Photoshop (6m x 3m / 16dpi)
• Put your rendering into new photoshop document

Last suggestions

• I prefer 20dpi that 16dpi… it’s my safety margin
• You can render 80% and increase up to 100% with Photoshop: Render time will be cutted and nobody will notice that
• If you have problem with memory errors, render your image in 2 parts

Et-voilà, Les jeux sont faits!