Psmith

You have forced me to date myself and make myself look very weak and infirm: I cannot visit this forum on a regular basis if you force me to be blinded by a stark white background (oh, it's so trendy!) - many times per day. It literally is forcing me to go physically blind. Just prior to this spectacular forum update - there was a nice little option at the bottom of the page that allowed me to view the forum in its old, darker format. No more ! Let the world go to the young! They all know so much, anyway. Bury the old and withered - and that, post haste. Greg Smith

Yes, even if you are someone who makes tutorials about any Autodesk product - you can obtain an educational license for anything they make - using the category "Mentor" for your educational status. That's nice of them. Greg Smith

For those among us who would like to augment their 3D modeling and animation skills with a Paperless 2D Drawing and Animation repertoire - I've made a series of videos, starting from scratch - featuring the Harlequin Layout of OpenToonz (for a friendly and fast workflow). The series is short and to the point - in a step-by-step progression. Here is the latest in the series - but you can also start from the very beginning with the "Initial Setup" video: or, begin here with the following video: Thanks for watching, Greg Smith

Whoops! I think the link is right, now. Thanks for letting me know. A little bit, and too late. Greg Smith

Michaelgdrs: Watch this please: https://www.dropbox.com/s/5f2wspnrb6ug1xq/A3DCTube.mov?dl=0 Greg Smith

Blondie: Thanks, so much, for sharing this most valuable information. Greg Smith

Oh dear, oh my. I'm already half blind from 30 + years of staring at high intensity (bright) computer monitors. It's getting to the point where I almost cannot read black text on stark white backgrounds. I won't even use software that features this theme. For all you young whipper snappers who think you will never have this problem - and that your eyes are indestructible (I never gave this issue a thought when I was young, either) - YOU'LL SEE . . . or rather . . . you won't ! White backgrounds with black text is the new theme trend (which is really just a recycling of an old theme trend). Why be trendy? - be practical - long term - instead. My vote is to allow the user to change to a dark background with light colored text (not yellow, please). Greg Smith

Lots of iterations, too. Greg Smith

Greg Smith

It is quite a modern idea to "play a video game" which simulates the real world to some degree. Games, before this time, were allegories in and of themselves - no actual conflict or violence was graphically illustrated - mostly, these games embodied the idea of conquest. Chess and many card games come to mind. The Christian simply does not feel the need for conquest or defeating an enemy - since all this has been done freely for him. The battle and "violence" for the Christian exists within himself - it is an internal battle for the occupation of his mind and heart and imagination. His actual experience is a transformative one - happening in a way that is all but invisible to the outside world. This process and experience is not "game-like" in any way - so, it becomes almost counter-intuitive to try and translate the Christian's experience into the terms and environments that people who are not on this journey, themselves, know and understand. "Worlds apart" might be an adequate description. However, there are aspects of the natural world that we find ourselves living in which could be reflected upon, possibly interpreted and made wonderful to the eyes of those who have not seen it. Simulating the experience of "enlightened sight and vision" - a presentation of "The Paradise" that once was - and parts of which still exist for us to see, to smell, to taste and experience and enjoy. I've always wanted to attempt to present something interactive like this. However, it is a much more difficult task than I ever imagined. Even with the natural simulation tools available to us today. Just look at the actual detail contained in a single tree of any type, photographically - and then look at the best attempts at simulating the complexity and beauty of such a tree - made by graphical experts with the aid of a computer and software - and the difference between the two is overwhelming - and the presentation of a single tree, entirely disappointing. Quite possibly, it is an impossible task for any one person or group of people to achieve. I can't tell you how many days, nights, weeks, months and years I have dedicated to attempting to produce and present such a "picture". Bob Ross probably came a lot closer with physical media than I ever did with digital media - physical media having the advantage of virtually instant application of the vision in ones mind and imagination. The limitations of physical media actually encourage production - by eliminating the seemingly infinite number of possibilities that digital media introduces to the process of realistic or impressionistic representation of anything natural - not to mention those things present in "The Paradise". Greg Smith

Andrew: I'd love to read anything you have written (and translated). I thought that the document you linked to was extremely well written and clear. Just send anything you would like me to read and comment on to 3dcoattraining@gmail.com Greg

Andrew: Too bad we are so separated by an uncommon language. It is very time consuming for you to translate these thoughts and reflections into English - and, as of today, impossible for me to accurately translate my thoughts and beliefs into Russian or Ukrainian. Otherwise I would love to have a private conversation about some of these matters with you. In reading your article of why you left your "mother church" I can say I have had a similar experience, myself - though for other reasons, in addition to those you mentioned. I can tell you from my 45 years of experience in Christianity that there is an enormous difficulty in reconciling the territory of the mind and logic (especially so-called "science") with the territory of the spirit/Spirit and faith. Maybe it is, for the time being, an un-traversable gulf. One best avoided - lest you fall in. Here's my favorite part of what you wrote, "However, here’s what we are teaching... Most often it is to go and teach all the nations teaching all the nations to teach all the nations..." Big problems emerge with this practice and philosophy. Greg

I think the idea of an adventure game might be a good way to convey, in allegorical form, some of the Truths we know and experience. I prefer an experiential point of view - rather than a doctrinal one. But, no matter how well something like this is produced - it really can only stand as a "picture" - a "type" of what is real - not the Reality, Himself. In the case of the writings of C.S. Lewis, for example - the vivid allegory and fantasy being so well described - people tend to become engulfed in the picture and lose the experiential Reality of what the author may have intended to convey. A kind of idolatry, really. Greg Smith

Javis: Being totally new to the current versions of Modo, I really don't know how to use your rig - with all of the other adjustments that need to be made within Modo (801) to get the proper results. I'm also a visual guy - and have trouble with just textual instructions. Do you still plan to make a "how to" setup video for this process? Oh, I hope so. Greg

Aegean: It appears to me that all textures and materials in 3D-Coat are currently "Smart Materials". My guess is that the eyes of the insect are separate UV Islands that were filled (using the Paint Bucket) with a Smart Material composed of Diffuse, Metalness and Gloss 2D textures - with varying adjustments for where to be applied, (more on cavities, more on convex areas, etc.). When "Filling" an area of the model with a Smart Material, in this particular way - make sure to uncheck the option that appears in the Fill Dialog which says, "Use Color [Albedo] Tolerance". Greg Smith

I think you will need to provide more detail to your listing - like how much money you would like to receive for your license. Greg Smith

Thanks for the info. I wan't really sure, myself, about that. Greg Smith

3DNut: You can also just import your model as a voxel sculpt (from the start up menu) - by clicking the folder icon when you choose "Voxel Sculpting". While you are still in "Sculpt Mode" but before you have launched AUTOPO, just hit "S" and setup symmetry to work in the proper plane. Leave it on when you select the kind of AUTOPO (from the right click menu) that you want. Of course, this method insists that you voxelize your model right from the start. Greg Smith

There is a new manual which has no background and is much more up to date: http://3d-coat.com/manual/ It is true - online only - but maybe a PM to Javis can get you a .pdf version. The older, larger format manual can be printed without a background, I believe, from within Adobe Reader. I don't have a copy anymore, but there is a preference somewhere that enables this. Greg

Javis: Thanks again - will test today. Greg

Will: I'd love to look at your cartooning books. Do you have any online samples of them? Greg Smith

Javis: Pardon my ignorance - but is your "rig" a script, by chance? This point totally escaped me - for the "Steam" version of Modo 801 disallows scripts of all kinds. A point of contention among the Steam community. What an oversight! (on my part). Greg

My pleasure. Greg Smith

Javis: Thank you, thank you . . . and I thank you! There are some of us who are still fools enough to think we may eventually complete an entertaining piece of animation within our lifetimes. You, my friend, are helping to make this fantasy, this dream, this . . . . thing, a reality. your friend, Greg

Will: You are quite welcome. I'd love to see some of your "drawn" cartoons and how you translate them into the 3D versions of themselves, FROM SCRATCH! Can you post some links for our enjoyment? Greg Smith