Spotlight:
-The end of the ‘sharp pointy things’ bender. Yes, I think I’m done making knives for a while. It seems that although they can be inspiring projects, they can also become quite old hat, quite quickly. If your into knives and you need some unique cutlery then check out my latest products in the links on the right of the page.

-‘And now for something completely different.’ Yes, it seems that I have finally broken the trend, as my latest stock 3D project doesn’t function as tool used to create or destroy. Though I supposed if the snowman was large enough, you could drop it on a person or a house and do some serious damage.

Greetings and welcome to my newest blog format: Monday Madness. At the start of each week I hope to post a general overview of what’s going on in my corner of the 3D world. So here’s the low down on the new format.

Monday Madness:
-News, it’s my take on what’s going on in the computer graphics industry, the open source community and the stock 3D industry at large. (Please note: this news section largely deals with topics which I am currently following closely. If you seek a comprehensive source for 3D news, I suggest you seek out the CG society.)
-Spotlight, our latest stock 3D products here at T3DS.
-Views, forthcoming items of importance, general editorials and my personal observations.

News:
-Updated blog format. I’m now working towards a bi-weekly blog installment where I discuss topics relevant to the realm of computer graphics and stock 3D business.

-The Blender development team released meeting notes on 11/8/09 and the results are promising, hopefully we’ll see a functional test beta0 in the next two weeks or so. Head over to blender nation to read the full article.

Spotlight:
-Dynamite Charge and bonus stick with fuse. This project originally began life when I stumbled across several images of 19th century ‘blasting machines.’ Who knew that the ‘dynamite plunger’ or ‘detonator box’ had such a name? What began as a search for industrial revolution age images, turned into an explosives modeling bender. This particular package of dynamite is based upon charges regularly used by US ARMY engineers to clear obstacles during the Normandy invasion of 1944. Though all is correct for period charges, I purposefully left off the date of manufacture, to increase the possible uses for this particular asset. Surprisingly, dynamite hasn’t changed much, so this prop would be at home in a time period spanning from WW2 to today.

-M112 C4 charge and M81 fuse. While looking for the correct markings for the dynamite project, I happened upon several images of the M112, 1-1/4 pound C4 charge. So, while in the demolition spirit, I decided to model and texture a five pound block of four M112 charges. I decided to model the M81 fuse, for this particular version, as far too many people have already done the digital timer version. Realistically most engineers would be using a M81 fuse, as it’s far cheaper than an individual timer unit.

-Sleeve Dagger. This little nasty has been around in one form or another for centuries. Covert cutlery doesn’t get much simpler than a sharpened billet of steel. This is definitely a covert operative’s bread and butter weapon. It’s extremely tiny, deadly and cheap. You could skewer an enemy, make your escape and discard the weapon without worrying about the replacement cost. A hollow version of this weapon, which allowed agents to drain self sealing fuel tanks, was also manufactured.

V2.4x functionality integration:

As a proponent and consumer of open source software, I tend to keep an eye out for the emerging developments with several computer graphics software platforms. One such software platform which I closely follow is Blender. On the 12th of October an article was posted on Blender Nation, which details the implementation of v2.4x features into the new v2.5 platform.

This is exciting news, as in the following weeks, the ‘old’ functionality of Blender will be folded neatly into the new UI and software framework of Blender v2.5

Improved v2.5 UI:

I first evaluated a test build of Blender v2.5 several weeks ago and although I was impressed with the UI style changes, I was not at all happy with the default viewport / UI layout. The initial 2.5 menu layout felt like a poor imitation of Zbrush. It also felt as though the 3D viewport was far too constricted and the cluttered, cascading tool docks were clashing with the supposed ‘simplified’ theme.

Thankfully, with the recent Blender v2.5 build which I have just tested, it seems that further improvements to the UI and viewport layout have made it easier to access and use. Although this evolution has yielded some marked improvements, I feel as though the development team still has a ways to go before the new UI meets the utility and minimal intrusion of the old UI.

Summary:

Though there are several new features present in Blender v2.5, this update appears to be most concerned with efficiency, presentation and standardization of existing features. Most importantly: At the end of this development cycle, I believe that most professionals and hobbyists will enjoy Blender’s new UI and menu layout. The simplified graphics present a unified theme and the new menu / tool docks are much more organized and logical.

Many artists offer complimentary sample models at some point during their stock 3D career. Although there is a growing debate around the effectiveness of marketing via of ‘free’ content and a number of artists wish for a prohibition of complimentary sample models, I believe that complimentary sample models still have a valid place in the marketplace.

The primary purpose of a sample model is to associate a certain quality and credibility with the individual artist. When consumers download a sample model, they evaluate it to some degree. This is a sort of ‘first impression’ which can stick with customers and competitors. Though it’s true that giving something away doesn’t always result in a sale, it almost always results in some sort of ‘association’ or ‘relationship’ between the artist and the consumer.

The secondary purpose of a sample model is to provide an example of your particular skill and workflow. This is almost a way of ‘giving’ back to the community which has allowed you to prosper, to whatever degree you are prospering. Other, less experienced artists can glean knowledge from the meshes you provide as complimentary samples. Although you may see this as helping the competition, what you are really doing, is raising the standard of our art. You are transmitting your ideas, your fundamental style and technique to others.

This influence helps to push others to a higher level of understanding. Once again, it seems as though you’re feeding the competition, but what you are really doing is setting consumer expectation. If your complimentary sample models are clean and well constructed, people will come to expect that from every model they buy. When they are unable to receive such quality from others, they will have no recourse but to return to you.

                So, do complimentary sample models interfere with market operation? Well, yes and no, depending on which way you look at it. Offering a complimentary sample model is a risk. Once you put it out, you have very little control over what other people will do with it and who will download it. Someone may try to use it commercially; another may try to pass it off as their own. Ultimately, they cannot succeed because they are dealing with an honest majority and they are the liars.

                However, if someone is consistently releasing high quality work, with the intention of destroying another’s market position, then that does distort the market in an unfair way. The purpose of stock 3D marketplaces is to make models commercially available. There is a definite exchange of value, the artist and the broker are monetarily compensated for their service and the customer receives the result of their services. When someone enters such a market place and offers their entire portfolio for no cost, no value can be fairly exchanged.

                I do believe that artist have the right to offer complimentary sample models. I also believe that they are effective and ethical marketing tools. However, I also believe that if you feel the need to share all of your work, without charge, then perhaps you had best seek out a more suitable venue for your wares. Once again, this is an area where we must exercise moderation in practical application.

Sincerely,
-Frank
(Founder / Lead artist – Specter Arts)

 

This model was developed as a fully interactive, first person ‘Hero’ prop. Sometime in the near future I will further push the count downward and create a second (current / past gen) mesh with lesser hardware requirements. I hope to achieve a system, whereby the developer may subtract unnecessary detail geometry subsets and replace them with less robust ‘distance’ meshes.

Throughout the development process I gave consideration to current ‘A’ generation graphics recommendations, while projecting out possible future specs, in contrast with past generation models and optimization standards. (The model contains a little over 7,000 verts and a little over 8,000 faces. (A half mix of tris and quads.)

 

Throughout development I have been further pushing the envelope on my geometry optimization and detail representation skills. Although this model has a higher time investment than usual, I believe that the work speaks for itself. Further in the future, I am giving consideration to sharing some of my modeling techniques, via video tutorials. The basic tutorial would focus on the following:

-General hard surface technique.
-Form development and optimization.
-Poly budgeting.

I am open to requests for specific technique or technical questions, which could either be answered here in my blog or on the future video tutorial. Comments are welcome.

Sincerely,

-Frank
(Founder / Lead artist – Specter Arts)

Given the current market climate: globally and in the 3D industry, a number of people are largely dissatisfied with the compensation and service they receive. Moreover, having just finished replying to a forum post at a major 3D marketplace, I feel compelled to further explain my position and beliefs in a more ‘permanent’ and prominent location.

When you have established yourself in business or a trade, you become a part of the ‘industry’ or consortium of individuals and institutions which make up the practicing body of your ‘art or trade.’ These individuals and institutions are your industry peers and when viewed by the general population, you are largely indistinguishable for your peers. This is largely due to the general population’s lack of knowledge regarding industry. As such, when you encounter the customers, other trades and the general population, you are representing both yourself and the industry in which you work.

That is why it is crucial, that you always put your best face forward. You owe it not only to yourself, but to the industry in which you work.

As an artist, you have the general duties of creativity and artistry, as they relate to the manipulation and creation of artwork, ideas and products. Moreover, you have the responsibility of representing your trade and further educating the public in regard to the services and benefits of you and your fellow tradesmen.

As a businessman, it’s your responsibility to produce quality products and to responsibly market these products to your customers. It’s also your responsibility to build a relationship with your customers by providing them with what they want and what they need. This business – customer relationship, if it is to last and generate repeat customers, must be based upon responsibility, service and trust.

If you fail to successfully present yourself as competent and trustworthy, consumers will think twice before doing business with you. Respect is a big part of building trust and if you fail to respect your customers and your business partners, you will be left very much alone.

Where difficulty arises is when a business partner or customer fails to respect you. Such a situation is unpleasant, but it need not devolve into a shouting match. Think before you reply, look for the underlying motivation which has caused this situation to arise. Tactfully voice your concern and position. If the other party remains unreasonable and unwilling to negotiate, then leave them to their own devices.

I encourage all 3D artists to express their concern and discontentment; however, I also encourage them to do so in a way which reflects a balanced and reasonable approach. It is possible to respectfully and tastefully disagree, however, it is often much more difficult than the normal course of action.

I say these things not to make friends, but because I wish to counter a number of artists and businessmen who contribute to a negative image of our industry. It is difficult to work with individuals who are not serious about their chosen trade, be it by action, attitude, word or lack of knowledge.

Having continually practiced the art of 3D modeling for the past seven years, I can still recall a time when today’s ‘fundamental’ modeling techniques were still hotly debated.  One such key debate was that of box modeling versus edge extrusion modeling. Although today both methods are widely accepted for varying applications, there was a time when artists were quite polarized over this issue.

The box modeling ‘school’ advocated their method, claiming that the underlying technique produced a purer form and was more efficient. Furthermore, such a technique was already widely accepted by the ‘traditionalists’ who used such cubistic techniques for physically developing drawn, painted and sculpted form.

The edge extrusion modeling ‘school’ defended their technique by claiming to achieve sharper definition, cleaner geometry and for the experienced, an equally efficient system of expression. This particular technique was focused on clarity, ease of animation and realistic mesh deformation.

Today, many artists recognize the merits of each system for particular applications. Box modeling provides artists, particularly beginners, with a quick and logical method for form development. Edge extrusion modeling provides advanced artists with an efficient system by which they can develop both form and utility.

Just as such technical debates occurred when subdivision modeling took off, a similar debate is occurring in the realm of polygonal sculpting. Once again there are two primary camps, with two primary techniques.

The first ‘school’ believes that polygonal sculpting has replaced the traditional modeling workflow, with a focus on form, rather than application and mesh clarity. Such a technique greatly enhances the artists’ freedom by allowing him to focus on form rather than technique. The drawback of such an approach is the amount of time which must be spent to optimize the underlying geometry for practical application.

The second ‘school’ believes that polygonal sculpting is nothing more than an extension of subdivision modeling. Thus a great deal of time and care is spent developing the base mesh’s form and clarity. For this technique, the sculpting does little to define form but rather is used to add detail and definition. The drawback of such a technique is the prevalence of unnatural rigidity and clinical symmetry.

Once again, it is my belief that neither ‘school’ is absolutely correct, as each style has its strong and weak application points. What concerns me about such practice is the current focus on hyper realism and the lack of emphasis on non-linear thinking. As such, I strongly encourage any and all artists who practice polygonal sculpting to adopt techniques which they feel are most conducive to creative expression.

As our tools continue to evolve, further variations in these two primary techniques are expected to emerge. In the future I expect to see polygonal sculpting techniques shift towards a ‘freer’ style. This style will primarily focus on a semi-liquid form, overlaid with rigid detail. In such an environment, artist will be able to focus on sculpting both form and detail, while continually refining (rather than replacing) the underlying geometry.

   Just because a situation is uncomfortable, ambiguous or foreign doesn’t necessarily mean that the situation and its outcome are negative. Sometimes uncertainty and urgency can be good, especially in business. When you’re uncertain of what to do and where to go, urgency becomes the word of the day; especially when market conditions are turbulent and market participants are behaving in an ‘illogical’ manner.

   It would be wonderful if, after uploading our work, we could just sit back and watch the money roll in. Yet it just doesn’t happen. Someone isn’t happy, something needs adjusting, and someone won’t pay you and someone else, is threatening to reduce the amount they pay.

   All negatives right? Well, not exactly. Many situations which arise in the operation of a business can result in either positive or negative outcomes. How you handle your business directly affects the outcome of situations which are under your control. Take my business for example:

   I first entered the 3D stock marketplace via a large corporate clearing house. In the beginning all was well, my products weren’t removed, they didn’t mess with my prices and whenever I had a problem, it was never more than 48 hours before it was resolved. Best of all, I received a relatively fair cut and I had access to every feature of the marketplace. I remained undiversified, exclusive with this company, as I felt that they offered security and exposure relative to my current needs. That is where I began and I am happy with the service I received during that time period.

   Everything was well, until I discovered that they no longer felt like offering me a ‘fair’ share. Their shift in business practice made me uncomfortable and I wasn’t quite sure what I had to do. I was undiversified; all of my sales were through them. I could take their offer, I’d get an extra 2% but my sales were down slightly for this time of year and I had never tried any of the competing marketplaces.

   It took some thought, as I knew I would be unable to re-publish without a major product overhaul. I could take their new payment options, without updating my products or I could bite the bullet, scrub all the old files, inspect and overhaul the models and upload them to a competing marketplace. Not a big deal right? Well for me, 50 products means: 50 inspections and modifications, 100 individual model exports, 100 copyright notice packages, over 500 overview images and 50 product description database updates. After all that’s done, I re-check everything before publishing and after publishing.

   Despite the work involved, I decided to go ahead and diversify. I certainly couldn’t justify purposefully ignoring such a large customer base. It’s been working out well and I’m glad I made the decision to update and relocate my inventory. I’m much better off now than if I had just stayed and prayed for the best.

   Moral of the story: Every situation has multiple outcomes and multiple courses of action. Be sure to weigh each one carefully, but don’t get hung up on immaterial rumors or items outside of your relevant range of operations. It’s your job to understand your business, your clients and your products. The better you understand these items, the more informed your business decisions will be.

   Keep informed! The more direct information you have, the better you can make out current market conditions. As well, if you cannot justify action, then no action is better than false action. Keep your head down and look for better opportunities. Missed opportunities can be just as devastating as sales losses, so keep your eyes open.

   Above all, don’t assign negative or positive connotations to particular actions / courses of business, without first thoroughly researching them and contemplating the outcomes. As a business owner, it’s your job to innovate and deliver, while doing your best to discount future market conditions. Just as it’s a little too late to install fire alarms when your house is burning, it’s too late to minimize a loss once it has occurred.

   The internet can be a wonderful place for small business and independent studios. It’s easy to grab some web space and setup your business. With the advent of specialized marketplaces, like T3DS it’s become even easier to begin publishing your assets.

   If you’re a fairly specialized artist and you work like the devil, you can project quite a large ‘false front.’ You have hundreds of 3D assets, thousands of textures, a decent portfolio and maybe your own fancy website. But here’s a dirty little secret: you are the whole studio.

   Obviously I don’t have ‘hundreds’ of published assets or  separate textures and I don’t have my ‘own’ web space yet, so it’s only logical to assume that I’m one of these nano sized independent studios. And I am…

   But just because you’re small doesn’t mean you can’t work on large projects. One of the contributing factors to my small and focused 3D stock inventory is the vast amount of time I spend training other people, supervising projects and contributing to other’s production projects. So if you’re just starting out in the computer graphics industry, keep after it.

   If your goal is to build a giant 3D stock inventory, then keep your head down and keep charging. The big number barriers are 50 and 100. Once you’ve published 50-100 competitive assets of uniform quality, you’ll begin to notice a shift. Specialize and diversify but don’t become over specialized and under diversified or under specialized and over diversified. Evaluate your assets before publishing, compare them to the competition and price them accordingly. As your quality begins to improve, consider dropping lower quality assets from your inventory.

   If you’re looking to move towards a studio position or a more ‘job’ like employment then skill set, portfolio and previous work experience are more important. If you’re still in university training, work with faculty members on projects. Even if your school doesn’t have a computer graphics department, approach art department faculty members with your work:  You’d be surprised how many art professors are interested in computer graphics. Look for ways to tie your traditional arts training into digital mediums. Mod teams and communal movie projects can provide you with experience and exposure, but they won’t always lead to ending credits, as many of them disband well before the release stage.

   Regardless of which path you wish to choose, it’s important to continually challenge yourself by honestly evaluating your own work and improving upon it. Continue to model, while looking for new tutorials and techniques which will expand your skill set.

Greetings everyone,

                It’s been rather hectic for the past several days, as I have been updating my stock 3D portfolio. Most importantly, I’ve added all of these updated assets to The3DStudio. With most of my time spent pre-publishing (Inspecting, testing, updating and packaging all 48 existing models.) it was quite refreshing to have such efficient publishing tools at my disposal.

Much of my stock 3D portfolio is simple, optimized geometry. I believe that it is impossible to cover each stock client’s texture needs; particularly in regard to art style and asset uniformity. So rather than plague developers with an overly sophisticated or extremely simple rendering solution, I provide them with a solid and well optimized base mesh, on which they can lay out UVs and textures which best match their projects overall art style.

Although many of my current assets are primarily mil-sim / industrial props, I will be adding more organic and architectural items in the near future. Needless to say, Specter Arts’ target market participants are largely game developers (professional and independent.)