Archive

In this second DVD in a series, Chris Stoski illustrates the creation of several 3D matte paintings. In the visual effects industry, directors_are_always asking for moving cameras in matte paintings and Chris shows how this is achieved. He creates two different environments and discusses how a matte painter creates camera movement in these key scenarios. In addition to Adobe Photoshop®, Chris&uses Autodesk 3ds Max, but the techniques can be implemented with other popular 3D software as well. From forward-moving dolly shots to lateral helicopter aerials, Chris covers the essentials of 3D and 2.5D matte &painting for matte artists of all skill levels.

Starting with thumbnail silhouettes chosen_from the previous lecture, two distinctive designs are drawn, refined and rendered for client presentation. See how two robots, that follow the same brief, can be given strong visual identities through&the use of different form languages. The purpose of this process is to end up with a clear&presentation of a solid design.

The author is going to publish a tutorial explaining the creation process. These are the software tools utilized to produce Lani: Lightwave 3D to light and render the scene, Zbrush 3 to sculpt. There are 3 lights in the scene, GI (global illumination) radiosity using FPrime (from Worley Labs) and G2 plugin (still from Worley Labs) to render. The hair guides were made in 3DS MAX 9 and the hair was rendered using Jon Tindalls’ Fiber Factory IV in LW 9. Amazing hair plugin.

In this collection of lessons we will learn about a variety of tools and techniques we can use to create better presentations for our ZBrush work.
ZBrush is a great tool for creating intricate models and it is important that you showcase the work that you do in the best possible light. In this series of lessons we will look at several of the things you need to think about when presenting your ZBrush work as rendered stills or animations. We will start by talking about some of the basic ways to get images and animations out of ZBrush, including things to think about when changing document settings and render settings. We will talk about some of the things you can do to add a little appeal to the presentation of your models like changing the materials and adding poses to your characters. We will explore some of the animation tools and look at a variety of display options that we can animate. We will look into grounding our models using turntable bases and use Xpose to animate subtool reveals. We will also explore the animation of layers to show off variations, like facial expressions, that we may have created. In the end you will have a better idea of some of the tools you can use to show off the work you have done in ZBrush and create the best impression possible.

In this collection of lessons we will learn the basics of working ZBrush.

Introducing the Beginner Guide to ZBrush, a fundamental learning series brought to you by Digital-Tutors, the largest online CG training library in the world and a Pixologic Authorized Training Provider. In this course you will get an introductory look into ZBrush so you can learn essential terms and definitions and build a solid foundation. We will start off by covering the basics of the ZBrush interface and how you can work with models in the application. We will then take a look at how models are subdivided and how you can then sculpt and paint the detail you want. You will also learn about adding materials, posing geometry, and creating models using ZSpheres. And to wrap up, we will look at how plug-ins can be used to extend the functionality of ZBrush. This series of step-by-step videos was developed with artists new to ZBrush in mind so we will be moving at a steady, easy-to-follow pace making sure you understand terms and basic techniques. To view more Beginner Guide courses; visit our library where you will find the largest collection of free, high-quality CG training videos.

In 3ds Max 2011: Getting Started with Reactor, Steve Nelle shows how to create realistic dynamic simulations that have objects recognize, collide and react to coming into contact with each other in 3ds Max animation projects. This course includes a detailed explanation of both rigid and soft body dynamics, reactor's various collection types, using constraints and soft body modifiers, and how to adjust and control a dynamic simulation's accuracy. Four start-to-finish projects are also included in^the course, which show practical techniques for breaking^objects apart, creating cloth simulations, adding rippling water effects to a scene, and more. Exercise files accompany the course.
Topics include:

This DVD breaks down the individual components necessary to stage a successful environment design. First covered are the basics of perspective, followed_by_demos explaining the use of scale and composition. Next, the fundamentals of lighting and values are illustrated. Finally, watch Feng sketch out various environments, incorporating all the topics covered above.

We begin by discussing the core concepts_of_skeleton creation: how to create joint chains and manage hierarchies, IK versus FK, and how to test behavior with a quick IK rig. We create Jester's skeleton in realtime, while explaining all of the required steps to ensure proper behavior down the road. With Jester's skeleton created, we now clean it up and prepare it for skinning and control rigs. At this point you will know everything you need to know in order to create skeletons for your own characters or creatures.