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Earlier you said it was organic modeling that was giving you problems. Now even the free Blender has some sculpting tools. From the YouTube video I learned that you give your primitive more polys by going to multi resolution and subdividing the poly's 2, 3, maybe 4 times, 5 is way too much. Then you can use the sculpting tools on it and they let you push and pull the shape into what you like sculpting. Also there is a setting that will allow more polys to be created as you stretch the mesh. Zbrush has a free little program that lets you play with this called Sculptris. And yes Sculptris makes Zbush look really cool. Blender isn't as awesome but its free to play with, and so is Sculptris. But there really is absolutely nothing wrong with using a Daz3d model. It is true that the 3d community may frown upon Daz3d because some of them may be pushing dorky products on turbosquid for high high prices. They might think without those affordable models over at daz3d their little unrigged gorilla would just be selling like hotcakes for $200 a pop. I really wanted to get into 3d to make some alien worlds and not of this earth characters. I picked Daz3d because of the flexibility of the models to be morphed into many shapes with me actually having to model humanoids. I saw a guy use a modeling program to reduce the poly count of a mesh by covering a high poly mesh with a new low poly mesh he created a low poly mesh of the same object. Yes, it was time consuming but interesting. So you could learn to sculpt Vicki then turn that into a lower poly mesh that would be an "original" model. And if you don't think those little trolls use tricks like this to say they are all that, you'd be wrong. They are probably just running around trying to catch each other at it.
Blender seriously limited to only modeling, rigging, sculpting, texture painting, physical modeling-physical simulation, animation,motion capture, compositing ,post production composing, real-time rendering, video editing and 3D printing. It's tool set is often sadly up-to-date and bugs can take up to 24 hrs to be repaired in nightly builds. It hardly has several thousand hours of instructional videos available for it and while it's capable of near flawless CGI animation it can only do it for free. Avoid this software it's very unprofessional.
All those programs are good but they wont be the right program for everyone. We all have different needs and different ways of thinking and different workflows.
I second that. ignore the haters.
...odd that Modo wasn't on that chart.
...exactly. I need one where the UI doesn't get in the way of learning the processes. Unfortunately I don't have 1,500$ for Modo.
...odd that Modo wasn't on that chart.
Blender wasn't either originally. I did what the kids call a Frodoshoppe
I used to animate in Blender to make modded weapons for TESIV: Oblivion! It was really fun and surprisingly easy for this program. I wish there was a way to export Blender animation to DS figures, but I imagine the rigging types are just too different.
Now it's my go-to for modeling, UV mapping, and some of my hirez displacements. The lack of automatic brush rescaling when zooming in and out makes texture painting frustrating, and occasionally sculpting as well, but it's very doable when you get used to rescaling the brush every time you change camera angle. Sometimes it's easier to have a static camera and rotate the model instead, which is perfectly fine when it's for export anyway. This is something that's been bothering me more lately as I try to create more sophisticated textures and displacements, but I'm not sure it's the sort of thing that will be "fixed" because I'm not sure the makers see it as a problem.
I just wanted to say to the OP -
If a person making all-custom models and textures and rendering them in 3ds Max or Maya is unable to compete successfully with a person working from preexisting resources and rendering in 3Delight or Firefly, that's on them, not on you. I don't know what the market for 3d illustrators is; but I suspect there are people who would be fine with the latter when it's priced cheaper, and those who will want only the former and are willing to pay more for it. Both niches can exist, and everyone consequently prospers.
The market is not right or wrong. It just is. Some people want 3d art not to operate according to market rules, but it does.
Some people think if they pout and whine about more affordable solutions they can bully consumers and artists into only seeking/offering those expensive options. Not going to happen.
Sorry I lost track of this thread, since I decided the remarks from Linkedin didn't matter and went back to training. I got sucked into trying Mimic for Carrara for lip sync with the free V6 DAZ gave away over the weekend. Thanks DAZ :)
Many great points from everyone.
bigh -Cool link. I have only been using Carrara 8.5 Pro since 8.5 came out, after using it I can't stand using DAZ studio anymore.
cecilia.robinson - I decided not to focus on the negative comments from Linkedin and return to training. I didn't know Zbrush had a free little program called Sculptris. Will try this for modeling.
StratDragon - Blender looks like it is worth playing with. Can't beat free stuff.
sgreco1970 - Thanks for the encouragement. Haters are going to hate, so we can only do our best and ignore them.
SickleYield - Great points. I think the cheaper price makes what software I use not matter to clients. The market is supports all levels. I just didn't want to insult the fantastic work you are doing by labeling myself in the same category. Your work has allowed me to do things I never could on my own. Thanks for providing such quality products us to use. It makes us all look better because of hard work.
Thanks for all your support.
But I call myself neither an animator nor an illustrator. ^.^ I don't sell images or animations, but 3d models, textures and rigs. If asked by someone who would understand the answer (rare), I say I model, texture and rig; if asked by someone who would not, I say I'm a 3d graphic artist.
That may have been my marketing problem. Most people are fine with what I call myself because they don't see the distinction between the terms. When I got around people who did, they called me out for not being more specific.
BTW: Great gallery. It proves you are a fantastic artist too. :)
Thank you!
...well you can get 3DS Max on subscription, but it's about 1,400$ for a full year plan (or 189$ per month on the month to month plan which comes to over 2,200$ per year). For 100$ more than the yearly subscription, I could get the latest version of Modo fully installed on my system. Furthermore, I would need to spend about another 100$ to upgrade my OS from Win7 Premium to Win7 Pro and most likely double the RAM on my system to 24 GB as well as upgrade my GPU to one that has at least 2GB of VRAM just to avoid any issues.
As I am not a student attending an educational institution, I do not qualify for the free 3 year student licence.
So any which way you cut it, it still takes big bucks to learn the industry standard software even on your own. Sad.
I work for hours trying to put an illustration together, just as many hours as someone working with pen or pencil. I started out working with pen and pencil, but found that I could get the characters and the look I wanted through the 3D venue.
My work starts with DAZ Studio but ends with Photoshop and Illustrator, with a great many hours clocked in-between.
One of us working with this venue will make a splash one day and it will change the way people look at graphic novels and everything else when it comes to image creation.
We are the wave of the future, so get better at what you're doing and get ready for 3D love.
He attempted to disqualify your work and it is always those who want to destroy and not support the good someone is doing to shout “DISQUALIFY!” over and over. The old guard writers say self-published eBooks don’t count as real writing. They are scared and see what’s coming. The same applies here.
Keep up the good work!
I agree with several of the previous posts - I admittedly didn't read every page to this thread, but enough that I saw the overall trend.
MOST painters don't make their own canvas, blend their own paints or hand-craft brushes from raw materials, or do anything involved with the "creation" of their art except apply paint to canvas and come up with something (hopefully) beautiful.
MOST sculptors don't dig and refine their own clay. MOST photographers don't create their own equipment from scratch, and certainly don't own or claim creative rights on the buildings or nature they photograph.
I've taken many hours of my time to learn modeling in Hexagon... modeling, sculpting, and texturing in Blender... morphing a Daz model in Blender... and I think all 3d artists should take the time to understand how those things are done - just as a devoted painter would be interested in seeing how his brushes were made, or see the care and ingredients that went into making the paints they use. I've gotten comfortable enough in those programs, as well as in Studio and Carrara now, that I know how to do the basics. If something doesn't fit my needs, I'll repurpose a model with a new texture before making a new one. But of COURSE I'm going to use Genesis1/2, Victoria, or Michael before I go and try to sculpt that perfect of a mesh on my own. Of COURSE I'm going to drop $2 to buy a PC+ model rather than make it myself. At the end of the day, it's about making art - not who spent time making what parts of it.
Any art supply store has an endless selection of tools designed to make an artist's job easier, to "cheat," or just to save time. This is like a sketch artist calling another person NOT a sketch artist because they used a ruler to make sure their lines were straight, instead of just drawing it freehand like a "real artist"...
The time it would take me to create, texture, and apply metadata to make ANY PC+ model would be worth far more than $2. The time it would take me to make something as good as Victoria 6? Whatever price Daz charges for her, it's still a bargain compared to the amount of hours it would take in personal labor.
Ignore the hater. The only way he has any right to say anything about another 3d artist is if he does EVERY bit of coding, modeling, texturing, posing, compositing, lighting, camera work, and post himself. I really doubt that is the case, and if it is? He's not working smart.
I take a lot of pride in rendering an image that I modeled and textured all the items in.. I've only done it a couple of times, usually there is a daz figure wearing the items so that throws it off. I take significantly more pride in seeing my work used though, I have a whole folder full of lovely artwork in which people used my models.. I look through it when I'm having a hard day. One of my favorites was by Mavrosh, she used my free chess set. I can't find a link to it though. /sadface
True, I modeled a freebie outfit for Genesis and saw the other day that someone had used it in their digital comic. Made my day.
I have a whole favorites folder in my deviantart called Our Products Others Renders for exactly that! I always get a charge out of it.
I know that there are people in my surroundings that don't consider anything 3D as art, including animations.
I think it also has to do because it's quite a new medium and you know what they say about people and new things...
In your case I think you can call yourself whatever you feel is fitting.
There will always be people who feel upset by what you do, even if it causes no harm to them.
What kind of a resume can you give a potential customer? Do you have a portfolio you can show them? When they ask, can you provide them with a list of clients and examples of the work you have done for them?
Those are the three most important elements in this. Skip the labels. Concentrate on the business. A label won't get you the job or the final check.
Why do some 3D people always make such a big thing about whether you create your own models or used purchased assets?
There's a specific name for someone who creates 3D models, a "3D modeller". In a big shop, they don't even get to make any art. In a really big shot, they don't even create the things they model, a high-priced sculptor makes physical models first. Everyone has a job. The animators animate, the illustrators illustrate. What you're doing is closer to what a famous, big-name animator or illustrator does, so you're the "artist", while the person who ridiculed you is just a "technician". ;)
Ever been on a big photographic fashion shoot? The model models; the makeup artist does makeup; the hair stylist does hair; the clothing designer designs the clothes, but the wardrobe person dresses the model; the gaffer (or gaffers) does the lights; the set dresser moves stuff around (teasing); the art director directs; the photographer photographs.