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V-Ray for 3ds Max New Service Pack
Dear V-Ray users,
A new V-Ray for 3ds Max service pack is now available for immediate download at the Chaos Group Downloads page. This is a free update for all V-Ray 2.0 customers.
Important highlights include:
• Support for 3ds Max 2014;
• Support for MultiScatter instancing in V-Ray RT: The new service pack further improves the integration between V-Ray and MultiScatter allowing the user to effectively render millions of polygons of instanced geometry with V-Ray RT;
• Changed default settings of VFB's sRGB button, "Don't affect colors" option and "Gamma" value: V-Ray’s default settings have been modified to allow the use of Linear Workflow from the very beginning.
See the full list of optimizations and fixes in V-Ray 2.40.04 for 3ds Max.
Thanks for being part of the V-Ray experience!
The Chaos Group Team
3M’s Projected Capacitive Multitouch Technology
The Platform 46 combines Ideum’s design and build-quality with a 3M high-performance multitouch display to present a rugged turnkey multitouch table. Along with its innovative design, the Platform 46 comes with an integrated and powerful desktop Intel i7 and is the only touch table to feature the ultra-fast and precise 3M™ Multitouch Display (C4667PW) with support for 60 touch points. - See more at: http://ideum.com/redefined/#sthash.9PuVXNdb.dpuf
3D Virtuality Sketching
Sketches and working models are without a doubt one of the most widely used tools in the architect’s repertoire. In the early phases of the design process in particular, they represent an essential part of the exploration process. For the most part, however, sketching and model building are separate and sequential steps. This project examines how both media can be linked to each other more effectively so that the design process is more continuous and the transition between the two media more fluid. Using a multi-touch table with additional 3D real-time object recognition, a prototypical system was developed and realised as part of a research project in which an interactive 3D sketching tool was linked with a real 3D working model.
The CDP-Environment extended to support interactive Sketching on real models. An additional Touchscreen is connected to the Multitouch Table. This allows two views of the same scene: One is the top-down view on the Table, the other one is a perspective view of the same scene on the additional touchscreen. This constellation allows the user to draw directly in the scene based on GIS-Data and real models. In addition, the drawings are mapped perspectively correct to the real object.
CDP // 3D Virtuality Sketching from Schubert on Vimeo.
The Secret of Animation
Short character animation tutorial for every level that explains clearly the secret for a great acting performance
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New Color Theory Series and New Community Site!
Can you feel that sunshine? Summer is coming into bloom everywhere, so why not let your creativity blossom and check out the latest awesome tutorials on PencilKings.com ? In this new series, we welcome professional artist, Kirbi Fagan, to our team as she takes the gray area out of color theory!
Have you been put off learning this essential art skill in the past? Perhaps you've had enough of dull text books and boring online tutorials? Let Kirbi bring some color into your creative career with a series of fun videos that are ideal for beginners and more experienced artists.
And that's not all - we're about to unveil some awesome news about our brand new community site! We can hardly contain our excitement about all this new stuff, so we'll keep this email short and sweet and let you check it out for yourselves!
In Color Theory, Kirbi Fagan gives you the lowdown on the color wheel and shows you how to mix exactly the right shades on your palette. In this fun and entertaining series, she demonstrates how you can use these pro techniques in your own artwork to paint anything you want. Through watching this series, you'll learn:
- How colors work and complement each other
- What 'cold' and 'warm' color are and how you can use them
- How to create a great composition for your artwork
- How to create a portrait using these pro coloring techniques
(Kirbi is a great teacher and her lessons are perfect for artists of all abilities!)
Coming Soon! A Very Special Invitation
Imagine a place where you could join in a discussion about art with creative people from all over the world? A place where you could get advice from and swap ideas with professional artists?
The new Pencil Kings Community promises to be the go-to resource for anyone serious about taking their talent to the max and pretty soon, we'll be unveiling a very special limited offer for new members!
We can't say too much right now (after all, everyone loves surprises, right?), so all we can say is...watch this space!
New Artists Wanted for Pencil Kings Tutorials!
We heard your feedback, and you know what? We've been missing out on our greatest resource - artists
like you, Bobby !
Are you an Artist? Let's Talk!
We're on the hunt to get as many new lessons up as we can, so if you feel that you can produce lessons as good or better than the existing lessons on Pencil Kings - please drop us a line at jobs@pencilkings.com because we would love to hear from you.
We want to make Pencil Kings the go-to site for artists of all abilities, but we need your help to be the best! So, don't be shy - get in touch if you feel you could share your talent with others!
That's it for this update - we hope you enjoy all this new stuff and we'll be in touch shortly with more new lessons!
Best wishes,
Mitch
PS - We're going to have an announcement about a brand new area to the site in a few days so stay tuned for that!
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GAIN A SOLID UNDERSTANDING of core features in 3ds Max
Software used
3ds Max 2014, Photoshop CS6
What you will learn
This in-depth 3ds Max 2014 tutorial is designed to help you get a solid understanding of the core features found in 3ds Max, and help you to ease your transition into this very powerful program.
During the course of these lessons, you'll have a chance to learn about different aspects of 3ds Max from several of our tutors here at Digital-Tutors.
Digital-Tutors is the world's largest resource for Autodesk training, and over the years, we've had the honor and the privilege of teaching some of the top artists and studios all around the world. And for the next several hours, we'll be giving you the most structured, well-rounded, and easiest to follow 3ds Max training that you'll be able to find anywhere.
In the first portion of this tutorial, we'll be getting you familiar with some of the vocabulary and foundational skills that you'll need in order to begin moving around and working in 3ds Max. From there, we'll move into exploring some of the modeling features found in 3ds Max, and we'll begin building the aircraft that will be our central project for the remainder of this training.
From there, we'll take you through the entire process of adding textures and materials to the vehicle, adding animated movement and animation controls, adding dynamics, and finally we'll learn how to add lights, shadows, and output our final animated sequence.
Now this tutorial is designed for new 3ds Max users, so our goal is not to weigh you down with a lot of technical information. Instead, we want you to form some really good habits and workflows – getting to see the entire start-to-finish pipeline for this project – and by the end of this tutorial, we want you to be at a point where you can feel very comfortable using 3ds Max.
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How To Be Creative At Any Age
I am a student of creativity, even did postgraduate work in the field; however, no creativity theory, class or book taught me more about creativity than a little old lady I met half-way around the world while working in Southeast Asia.
It all began the moment I stepped off the plane in a remote island in Indonesia. As I made my way across the tarmac, I noticed an older woman wearing a batik moo-moo and a pair of running shoes. She was holding two coconuts in one hand and a machete in the other.
“Welcome to Manado”, the woman called out to me. “I’m Gayle. I’ll take you to your new home; but first, try the best drink in the country,” she said as she sliced off the tops of each coconut. “Drink up.”
I took one of the coconuts but, I must admit, hesitated to “drink up.” Gayle saw my hesitation and inserted a straw into the top of my coconut, “There you go, that will make it easier. First lesson in this country,” she said. “Coconut water is clean and readily available, a good thing in a country lacking proper water sanitation facilities. If you don’t like the taste, learn to like it. It’s called surviving in a new environment.” She motioned me to follow her.
I managed a smile and sipped at the coconut water. Minutes later, she was weaving a jeep through traffic while pointing to the mountain that loomed before us, “See up there, that’s where you’ll live. Probably the most spectacular home you’ll ever have,” She said cutting off a jeep.“It’s not everyone who gets to live on the side of a volcano.”
“A volcano?” I questioned. “Sounds risky!”
“It could be, but ol’ Kalabt hasn’t erupted in 500 years; so I say, ‘only worry when it’s necessary’. Anyway, worrying is overrated!” She laughed right out loud.
Then, without notice she cranked the steering wheel to the right and swung the jeep onto a dirt road scattered with chickens, goats and three boys playing ball. “Let’s get lunch.” She stopped the car in front of a small house. As we entered, a young girl greeted us with a warm bundle of something wrapped in shiny green leaves. She pointed to a small wicker table across the room. The floor was hard packed dirt and I was surprised how clean it looked. Ironic, I thought.
Gayle plopped down at the table, “Meet the all mighty banana leaf,” she said, holding the leaf packet up to me. “Use it as a plate, wrapping paper, umbrella or toilet paper, whatever you need it to be. In this country it’s man’s best friend.”
I stared at Gayle as she continued raving about the banana leaf, but I silently wondered how I could eat whatever was inside. Gayle, satisfied she had sold me on the leaf, unwrapped her leaf package exposing a mixture of cooked vegetables covered in a brownish sauce. One look and I was sure I couldn’t eat it.
“Today’s lunch, Gado-Gado, vegetables topped in peanut sauce,” she said pointing to the mixture. “This is goooood stuff”, she took a big bite with a large spoon. “This is a national dish and super healthy. You’ll get used to it for a host of reasons. Suspend judgment and try it”. I followed Gayle’s instruction. I tried it and she was right, it was good.
Over that meal, I learned that Gayle was a retired AT&T worker, had 5 grown children, and an ex-husband who had ‘hightailed’ it off with a younger woman. And to top it all off, he took their savings and sold the house out from under her.
“Wow,” I said between bites of Gado Gado, “I think I would have sued the old guy.” “Yes, that’s what everyone said; but, I figured I didn’t have that many years left. I knew this was a wrong that couldn’t be righted. So, I took on the mantra, ‘This too shall pass.’ Then I applied for this job of teaching foreign university professors’ children here in this island paradise,” she said.
“I think that is a total cop-out,” I said right out loud. Gayle seemed more and more clueless.
“That’s what it might look like,” she answered. “I’ve never regretted the decision to come here.” She paused and looked out the window, “And what’s really exciting, three of my grandchildren have spent the summer with me. Life can’t get any better than that! I even taught them to scuba dive in Indonesia’s world class coral reefs.”
As we finished our banana leaf lunch, we headed for my new home. “I’m not much into advice giving,” Gayle said. “But before you disregard the mantra ‘this too shall pass,’ try it. It will open doors, peoples’ hearts, and transforms the way you live.”
“It just sounds so passive,” I said. “Time will tell,” is all she said.
Before long I was settled into the routine of teaching. Gayle lived across the lawn in a thatched roof bungalow. On weekends, Gayle’s house was abuzz with activity and laughter as Indonesian and expat children came to play with her vast collection of Legos. Several times a year Gayle arranged exhibits of the children’s creations. Then, when the holidays rolled around, her house was once again open to children and adults alike, as she hosted parties, soirees, and what she called ‘cultural exchanges’.
Political unrest in Indonesia cut short my time, so within two years I was back in California and Gayle was living in the mid-west, near her children. But, those two years working alongside Gayle changed the way I looked at everything. Gayle had taught me life is what you make it. There is unending love, happiness, and creativity in the world. I learned that everyone has creative and leadership capacity. It’s our job to discover and develop it!
“That’s our God-given task, to discover our potential and share it with the world,” that’s what Gayle said. If she said it once, she said it a thousand times. It wasn’t until later, as a wife and mother, that I realized just how much of a creative genius Gayle was. When I began my postdoctoral work in creativity, I noticed that every creativity expert or theory I studied reminded me of Gayle.
Psychologists of the mid-twentieth century tried to tell us that our creative spirits fade as we grow older, but findings from new research show us that our creativity doesn’t fade. Those living longer today prove this to be true. For example, Lucille Ball didn’t begin her acting career until she was 41. Colonel Sanders launched KFC after he was 65.
Think back to when you were 5 years old, your innate creative spirit was alive and thriving; however, along the way many of us lose touch with our creative self through education, work, and life in general. It’s understandable, not inevitable. It’s by our trying to be what society expects from us that we drift away from our creative selves. Research shows us we can reconnect with our creative self. We can all BE A GAYLE.
Just in case you haven’t had a Gayle in your life, here are some simple ways you can reconnect with your creative self, whatever your age:
- See with fresh eyes (even if your eyesight is fading)
- Suspend Judgment (for at least 5 minutes)
- Have a YES-AND attitude (Say YES AND instead of NO BUT)
- Laugh each day (the crisis of today is the joke of tomorrow)
- Don’t be afraid to fail (we learn more from our failures than our successes)
- Try something new each day or week (big or small – just something new)
- Embrace with an open mind, heart, and will (Be present with what is happening)
- Make friends with someone from another generation (You just might learn something)
- Forgive (forgiveness makes us become learners instead of judgers)
It’s neither complicated nor rocket science –- if a little old lady half-way across the world can do it, we all can.
So, when faced with problems, stress, and unhappiness, embrace Gayle’s mantra “This too shall pass” and try one of the above suggestions. Live the life God intended you to live.
Be a Gayle and let your creative spirit soar – the world is waiting.
Image by pdbreen
Karen is an Educational Psychologist with a doctoral degree in Creativity, Innovation, and Leadership. When she's not busy being creative at home, you can find her teaching others to be creative at work. Karen is co-founder and director of Florida Hospital's Innovation Lab, in Orlando Florida.
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Applying the Techniques of Film & TV to Visualisation
This one hour session will focus on providing an overview of leading film techniques, and how you can stand out from the crowd by applying these to your visualisation work. Attend this webinar to learn the latest techniques for becoming a visualisation professional and see how the powerful toolset of the 3ds Max Entertainment Creation Suite can help you achieve your creative vision. The session will also include time for Q&A.
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Meet the Experts: Inside the Right Brain of The Artery VFX
Join special guest, Vico Sharabani, ECD/CEO (aka Right-Brain) at The Artery VFX, as he explores how the new workflow in Flame Premium 20th Anniversary Edition workflow has affected his daily life as a visual effects artist and supervisor.
Renowned for his expertise in 3D, and with a portfolio that includes commercials for Nike, Mercedes, and AT&T, music videos for Coldplay, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, and Kanye West, Vico will share how he is taking advantage of the new open workflow between the Desktop, Timeline, and Batch in Flame Premium to create stunning visual effects.
Vico will also show how he uses the new library structure and applies new organizational principals to his projects in Flame Premium to work more efficiently.
Join us for this informative webinar and see how Vico is adapting to the Flame Premium 20th Anniversary Edition.
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Achieve A Distinctive Look And Mood In Your Renderings
Achieve a distinctive look and mood in your Architectural renderings by focusing on the massing of shapes and gradation in tone. The key to doing this is to try to see the subject simply as an abstract collection of lights and dark, rather than as the usual objects. This technique can be used to effect a particular look, atmosphere or mood in a finished Architectural renderings. Blur your eyes, squint and try to see things out of focus; this will help you think of the objects in terms of spots, like a blurry photograph, instead of the objects themselves.
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Art Evolution: The history of art in ten steps
Art is a form of expression and it is intimately connected with the human evolution and the history of humanity. Therefore it is subjected to a constant change and motion. That’s the reason why art in the past and nowadays is indispensable for human entity. The following infographic explains the development of art history in 10 steps.
The infographic introduces the different artistic movements, starting with cave paintings, the earliest traces of art, over the ancient Greece, famous for their architecture and sculpture, presenting the epochs Gothic, with the representatives Giotto and Pisano, the Renaissance, with Rafael and Botticelli and the Baroque, with Rubens and Rembrandt.
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How To Find And Do Work You Love
Scott Dinsmore's mission is to change the world by helping people find what excites them and build a career around the work only they are capable of doing. He is a career change strategist whose demoralizing experience at a Fortune 500 job launched his quest to understand why 80% of adults hate the work they do, and more importantly, to identify what the other 20% were doing differently. His research led to experiences with thousands of employees and entrepreneurs from 158 countries. Scott distilled the results down to his Passionate Work Framework - three surprisingly simple practices for finding and doing work you love, that all happen to be completely within our control. He makes his career tools available free to the public through his community athttp://LiveYourLegend.net
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)
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TURN YOUR DOODLES INTO LASTING MEMORIES!
Any self-respecting artist owns a sketchbook; some even use them occasionally. Not very many artists use one regularly for much beyond doing small sketches or value studies for larger studio paintings. I was in the same boat until I discovered how valuable a sketchbook could be.
I was taking a trip to Italy. I knew I wanted to do some small paintings while in a culture so rich with art—a trip of a lifetime! I had been doing plein air painting, but I knew I could not carry much while traveling abroad. So, I bought my first watercolor sketchbook and a pocket-size watercolor set. I was so enchanted with my little watercolor sketches and had such a rich experience creating them that I knew I had found a new expression for my creativity.
That first little sketchbook sparked a curiosity and excitement to explore where a sketchbook could take me. Not wanting to wait until my next vacation, I bought another watercolor journal and began to use my sketchbook when I went out to do plein air painting. The smaller setup and format worked well, and instead of a bunch of small, loose sketches scattered about the studio, they were bound and easily accessible for reference.
As my love for the sketchbook experience grew, and since I knew I had not invented the wheel, I began looking for books on the subject. I was pleasantly surprised to find a wealth of information and materials for the "art" of keeping a sketchbook "journal." The more I used my journals in different ways, the more personal and important they became to me as an artist.
Over the next several months I'd like to share with you my journey and the different ways you can incorporate this experience into YOUR life. I call it an experience because the very act of using them is intentional. These journals are personal, they are motivational, and they are therapeutic. They are, in effect, anything you want them to be. They are an experience you can pull off the shelf and relive. They are an art form in themselves, and I think you will find that these small but powerful tools will affirm and strengthen your voice as an artist.
Have I piqued your interest? Let's get you started! Your journals will grow with you, and in time you will find a brand or type of journal that works best for you, but for now, keep it simple and inexpensive.
1. Select your sketchbook
Go to your nearest art or craft supply store and find either a hardbound or spiral-bound Sketchbook. It will need to allow for some experimentation with water-based paints or ink, so it's best if the paper has some weight to it.
Lighter weight paper, usually 65# for drawing, will not give you the broadest use. Find a sketchbook with paper at least 90# in weight. Watercolor sketchbooks are even better at 140#.
As for size, I like them to be small enough for my purse. An 8x10 can be opened and used as large as 16x20 on two pages. The selection is endless, so don't get carried away or spend a lot. This first sketchbook will be a learning tool.
You will also need a pencil and eraser for your journaling.
2. Decide on a medium
If you already have a preferred medium, start there. Mine is watercolor.
For now, use what you have. I will discuss colored and watercolor pencils, ink, watercolor, water soluble pencils, and crayons in a later article.
Pastel pencils and even oil pastels or oils paints can be used, but I don't use these because they take too long to dry and smudge when the book closes.
3. Make it happen!
For the next few days, I'd like you to record simple things. Every few days, add a drawing (with or without color) done in less than 10 minutes. Just enjoy the process.
Next month, I will begin with the “hows and whys” of travel journaling. Since we are heading into the summer and many of you will be vacationing, let's get you journaling those travels right away!
The following month we will explore the more frequent uses of a sketchbook, such as daily journals used to record whatever you fancy and to enrich your artistic voice in an everyday setting.
We will also look at idea journals, where we’ll explore how far to take hobbies, projects, and ideas for larger finished works.
The fourth article in our series will cover more personal journaling. In this article, I will share how and why you should record memories, personal milestones, and dreams.
As you can see, there are as many applications for the sketchbook journal as there are people who use them. I want to show you how versatile a sketchbook can be and inspire you to fill volumes of journals with your personal vision and voice. Let the journey begin!
Michelle is an artist/writer living and creating in Columbus Ohio. To see more of her work visit her blog, Living a Creative Life, or visit her website.
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The First 20 Hours - How to Learn Anything: Josh Kaufman at TEDxCSU
Josh Kaufman is the author of the #1 international bestseller, 'The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business', as well as the upcoming book 'The First 20 Hours: Mastering the Toughest Part of Learning Anything.' Josh specializes in teaching people from all walks of life how to master practical knowledge and skills. In his talk, he shares how having his first child inspired him to approach learning in a whole new way.
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)
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Hard Surface Essentials
Grant Warwick's hard surface essentials.
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The SIGGRAPH Technical Papers
The SIGGRAPH Technical Papers program is the premier international forum for disseminating new scholarly work in computer graphics and interactive techniques. SIGGRAPH 2013 brings together thousands of computer graphics professionals, 21-25 July 2013, Anaheim, California, USA. Learn more at www.siggraph.org/s2013.
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RailClone 2 Demo Reel
RailClone is a 3DS Max plugin for parametric modeling based on custom geometry parts, definable by the user, and a set of construction rules. This new concept of modeling lets you to build complex and realistic structures for Architectural Visualization, Civil Engineering, Industrial and Interior Design.
RailClone 2 Demo Reel from iToo Software on Vimeo.
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Setting up a V-Ray Shading and Lighting Pipeline
This must-see Master Class will help you integrate V-Ray into your workflow.
Advanced topics include:
One-click linear workflow.
Managing large scenes using the improved V-Ray Proxy loader.
Transferring animated assets from Maya to 3ds Max using Alembic caches.
Texture shortcuts using V-Ray procedurals.
Optimizing Global Illumination for animations.
Using V-Ray's extensive Render Elements and creating customized render passes.
Multichannel OpenEXR output for compositing in Nuke.
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V-Ray Essentials Crash Course
A 20-minute crash course covering shading basics, simple lights setup, Global Illumination and Render Elements.
Presented by Vassil Pepelyankov, V-Ray Master Trainer
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Remove An Already Assigned Material In 3ds Max
To remove an already assigned material in 3ds max:
- Select the utilities panel
- Select more
- Select "UVW Remove"
From the sub panel, you can select your objects and remove in either the UVWs or Materials or both.
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