Here's a quick Pro-Tip for users who want to use wire parameters to connect layer attributes in 3D Max. If you found this page, it is probably because your frustrated that this isn't easy by default. Let me at least show you a clever work around. I'll keep this short.
Read more
Finally, those Mental Ray legacy assets are outta Max. The only issue is that Max and MR may have written some nodes and custom attributes into your older scenes. So when they are opened, you get some confusing prompts and may not be sure how to proceed. This may help you.
The COVID19 situation had me thinking, isn't there something I can do to help that doesn't involve human to human contact? Turns out there is... and it's really interesting and informative. It's called protein folding. It's a computational biology project currently being used on many issues like Ebola, Zika, and Parkinson's. Now it's also being used on the COVID-19 virus, and you can help them do it faster with distributed computing. It's called Folding At Home.
Photoshop actions are pretty awesome. They have limitations though, and I ran into this when trying to do a fairly simple task... automatically renaming a Photoshop group layer to the source files name, sans extension. Here's an overview of that scenario and how I did it.
Making Maya automatically execute a script when an attribute changes is not as straightforward as it would seem. Getting a scriptJob to work when referenced was even more difficult and confusing as someone new to Python. It took me quite a bit of digging to get things to work, so I figured I'd share my finding to make it easier on the next person.
If you found this page, it is likely because you are frustrated that Adobe took away the direct ability to export a 3D model from inside a 3D PDF. Here are some alternate paths you can take.
Most understand Computer Graphics (CG) as a Hollywood tool, but not for corporations. I thought it may be helpful to explain some simple real-world scenarios of CG usage in marketing without the technicalities.
Projects often begin with the delivery of a clients working engineering files. This brief guide will help you know what works best for us and what will help with expediency.
While producing a realistically growing soy plant for a client, I ran into an interesting and unexpected snag with the 3D Studio max Morpher. Here's what it is and how I overcame it.
In-camera motion blur is a time intensive and therefore costly effect that usually isn't worth it unless you're working on an expensive production. Re:VisionFX Reel Smart Motion Blur or RSMB is a great way to cut out the time of rendering in-camera motion blur so you can just do it in post. There are a few important things to know to get it working properly.
If you have a heavy, or long AE project, rendering is likely a gigantic bottleneck for you... there is a better way.
The Visine bottle. It is a simple product example, but the plastic material it is made out of, known as HDPE, has proven to be one of the trickiest materials to reproduce realistically in CG. High-Density Polyethylene is used in a huge variety of products, so it should be no surprise that this has come up over and over in CG production... especially for those of us that do product visualizations regularly. I will explain what makes it difficult and cover the many solutions I have tried before finally landing one that looks spot on. Read more
In 2017, I left the agency nest to fly solo. Since then, the year has covered the spectrum of emotion, tasks, challenges and wins. While thinking of it all, I started to write some thoughts down to potentially help those considering doing the same for themselves. Many folks offered advice to me while I was in this stage and I'd like to pay it forward if possible. Finding someone to talk to about this stuff isn't easy. After all, there is no Startups Anonymous ....though that is a great idea!
Recently Autodesk pushed the Max 2018.2 Update which includes a bunch of bug fixes and new spline tools. I decided to see how practical these may be and figure out how they work. I'll investigate each of these tools, skipping what should be obvious to keep it brief and informative. Read more
Why use TwentyTwenty inside Semplice?
I was looking to add a Before & After slider to easily show the Photoshop and CG work I did to some source photos as part of a job for a light installation pitch for Oh Wow. I found Twenty20, which seemed like the perfect solution but I didn't know how to use it within a Semplice page because I am not a web programmer. After poking around on the Semplice help site for a while I found many others were trying to figure this out as well. So I took the time to figure it out. Hopefully other non-web developers will find this info useful. Read more
Fixing The Invisible Data Problem In 3D Max
I write this as I run a script on about 60,000 objects in my max scene scene. I wanted to discuss why I had to write the script to begin with, as it may help you in the future. It's an automated solution to fix a common problem I run into working with engineering data and models from other applications in within 3D Studio Max. It is a little bit of a hidden problem to begin with, but is quite prevalent once you are aware of it. Read more
I am officially an Autodesk Certified 3D Studio Max Professional!
I have always called myself a professional, but now Autodesk will back me up! This is an important credential for me because in the CG field there are very few ways to qualify people besides their work. In short, having this certification assists me when connecting with new clients.
Read more
What is Thumbtack?
I actually really love the idea of Thumbtack. It is in business with a very simple idea: Connect people with the service providers they're looking for.
The hunt is almost harder than the work sometimes... so this sounds like a dream for freelancers. I suppose it could be if you were just starting out, but it was not for me. I monitored the system for about 6 months before bailing. Spent $120 on credits and didn't get any work out of it. I feel it is not the right tool for my industry. Perhaps finding a plumber or a painter is a little more appropriate from within Thumbtack. Read more
Dribbble is satisfying, like popping bubble wrap.
I am new to the Dribbble game... but I love what I see. There is something refreshing about where the design community is going there. Read more
Exciting News!
I am officially having my first go as a full-time freelancer. So I've updated my site and added this here blog. Here I will share useful information, things I learn along the way, tricks, tips and other cool CG and motion graphics production content.
This is a little bit of a scary time for me, but it is equally exciting to go into the unknown like this. I'm ready to focus this energy into work. So spread the word, I'm anxious to get started!