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Bobby Parker 12/17/14 Bobby Parker 12/17/14

Forest Pack 4.3 Pro & Lite Released

iToo Software announced today the release of Forest Pack 4.3 Lite and Pro versions. This update adds powerful new features suggested by users, including tools to create level-of-detail models, a new boundary-checking mode to simplify the creation of clearly defined edges for large scatter areas, and the ability to limit distribution using material ID’s.

Forest Pack 4.3 Demo Reel from iToo Software on Vimeo.

Forest Pack 4.3 brings Corona Renderer materials to the existing libraries, adds 16 new ready-to-use gravel presets – each in two versions for small or large-scale areas – plus many more features and fixes.

Key Features :

A new Forest LOD object that allows you to switch billboard, models or materials based on distance from the camera, a custom target, or as a percentage of the screen size.
Edge boundary checking mode to automate the creation of clean edges, especially when creating grass. Works by removing element sub-objects that fall outside the scatter area’s perimeter. (V-Ray only)
The ability to limit a scatter to specific polygons using Material IDs when using surfaces.
Introduced separate controls for Density and Scale Falloff Affect parameters.
A new XML Data exporter to aid interoperability and integration of Forest Pack into large pipelines.
16 new Gravel presets, including detail and large-scale models.
Materials for Corona Renderer added to existing free libraries.

To help you get up and running with these new features, iToosoft is also releasing two short tutorials :

2. Boundary Checking Using Edge Mode to show a simplified technique for creating clean edges around large scatters.

The Lite version of this release, freely available to download and use commercially, and full release notes are available now on the iToo Software website.

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Bobby Parker 12/11/14 Bobby Parker 12/11/14

V-Ray 3.0 for 3ds Max SP1

V-Ray 3.10.01 is now available for download from our website. Before you get too excited, let me say that we will have a patch next week with some minor fixes, so it may be best to wait until then. Nevertheless, if you find any issues, please let us know.

We had a build yesterday that didn't work correctly; if you downloaded that, please get an updated installation from our website. We apologize for this inconvenience.

There is a short video demonstrating some of the new features here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hy-tRHExWgU

The full changelog from the previous release is as follows:

Build 3.10.01 (official) (November 2014)
==============

New features:
(*) V-Ray: Further optimizations for render speed;
(*) Updated to OpenEXR 2.2.0 and added new DWA compression options to VRayOptionsRe;
(*) Support for point cloud rendering in 3ds Max 2015;
(*) Built-in DMC samples calculator for VRayLight, VRayMtl and brute force GI;
(*) .vrmesh viewer: Added a .vrmesh viewer tool for previewing .vrmesh and Alembic files in a standalone OpenGL application;
(*) Embree: Update to Embree 2.3;
(*) Embree: Proxies and instances can now be accelerated by Embree;
(*) Embree: Can now accelerate hair rendering for Ornatrix and HairFarm;
(*) V-Ray: Added "GI filter multiplier" option to the Global switches rollout to control texture filtering for GI rays for VRayHDRI;
(*) V-Ray: Secondary matte environment background slot to control the appearance of matte objects in reflections/refractions;
(*) V-Ray: When created, V-Ray will automatically load a preset named "default" if there is one (allows for customized default values);
(*) V-Ray RT: Support for Carbon Scatter;
(*) V-Ray RT: Support for the V-Ray VFB for ActiveShade session;
(*) V-Ray RT CPU: Support for the VRayClipper object;
(*) V-Ray RT CPU: Support for Ornatrix and HairFarm rendering;
(*) V-Ray RT GPU: Support for using the light cache for GPU rendering;
(*) V-Ray RT GPU: Support for coherent tracing (may improve rendering performance);
(*) V-Ray RT GPU CUDA: Support for the nVidia Maxwell GPU architecture;
(*) V-Ray RT GPU CUDA: Support for the VRayFastSSS2 material;
(*) V-Ray RT GPU CUDA: Initial support for hair rendering for Ornatrix and HairFarm;
(*) V-Ray RT GPU CUDA: On-the-fly recompilation of the GPU kernel to include only features used by the particular scene;
(*) VFB: Ability to dock/undock History window and Color Corrections window to the main VFB window;
(*) VFB: Added highlight burn color correction to the VFB;
(*) VFB: Added "background image" color correction to the VFB;
(*) VFB: Added white balance color correction;
(*) VFB: Added the ability to save multi-channel .vrimg and OpenEXR files from the VFB UI;
(*) VFB: Added the ability to load arbitrary file formats in the V-Ray VFB for post-processing;
(*) VRayInstancer: Implement a new geometric plugin for instancing objects on a ParticleFlow and other particle systems;
(*) VRayHDRI: Added image preview in the file open dialog;
(*) VRayHDRI: Added controls to specify UDIM/UVTILE tiles for the preview in material editor;
(*) VRayScatterVolumeMtl: Greatly improved calculations; ability to use the light cache;
(*) VRayScannedMtl: Support rendering of scanned real-world BRDF materials;
(*) VRayProxy: Support for hair and particle instances;
(*) VRayProxy: Support for subdivision objects in Alembic files using OpenSubdiv;
(*) VRayLight: Disc light shape;
(*) VRayLight, VRayIES, VRaySun: Added parameters to control the diffuse and specular contributions separately;
(*) VRayLightSelect render element: Added "mode" parameter to allow extracting the full/raw/diffuse/specular contribution of specific lights;
(*) VRayMtl: Added GGX BRDF model;
(*) VRayMtl: Added clip opacity mode option for faster rendering of trees etc;
(*) VRayMultiSubTex: Extended with new randomized modes for choosing colors;
(*) VRayVelocity render element: Added include/exclude list;
(*) ply2vrmesh: Added export options to export specified frames to separate files;
(*) ply2vrmesh: Added Alembic frame offset output to the files;
(*) ply2vrmesh: Added option to merge two or more .vrmesh files into one;
(*) vrimg2exr: Added -multiPart option to vrimg2exr that produces an OpenEXR 2 file with each render element in its own "part";

Modified features:
(*) V-Ray: Added an option to open the V-Ray messages window on error or warning only;
(*) V-Ray: Added by Object IDs selection method for Render mask;
(*) V-Ray: Added MaxScript access to the Trace sets include/exclude flag;
(*) V-Ray: Added %numPasses and %numSubdivs stamp keywords;
(*) V-Ray: "Camera Motion Blur" is controlled independently on "Motion Blur" setting;
(*) V-Ray: Embree enabled by default;
(*) V-Ray: Improved render speed when not using any render elements;
(*) V-Ray: Light cache "Use for glossy rays" option is enabled by default;
(*) V-Ray: Optimized hair rendering in general;
(*) V-Ray: Reduced memory usage for hair and particles;
(*) V-Ray: Renamed the "Time independent" option to "Lock noise pattern" in the DMC sampler rollout;
(*) V-Ray: The default GI methods are set to Brute force/Light cache;
(*) V-Ray: The default image sampler set to Progressive;
(*) V-Ray: The image sampler parameters rollout is unfolded by default;
(*) V-Ray: VFB is cleared always when doing network rendering with render mask;
(*) V-Ray RT: Improved refresh speed;
(*) V-Ray RT: Removed the Show Mask option from the user interface, the mask is written in VRaySampleRate render element for the progressive sampler;
(*) VFB: Improved anaglyph stereoscopic preview to reduce retinal rivalry;
(*) VFB: Improved initialization speed of the History window when there are a lot of images in the history;
(*) VFB: The vfbControl MaxScript function returns values for the commands that have states;
(*) VFB: Made the History window compliant with the 3ds Max color theme;
(*) .vrscene exporter: Added combo box to select between Scene Animation/Frame range, the latter remembers the start/end values;
(*) VRay2SidedMtl: Added ability to filter the translucency effect through the diffuse color of the front-facing side;
(*) VRayClipper: More robust and faster algorithm is used;
(*) VRayDirt: Added "double sided" option;
(*) VRayDirt: The distribution parameter can now take negative values for more defined edges;
(*) VRayFastSSS2: Added opacity texture slot;
(*) VRayHairFarmMod and VRayOrnatrixMod: Faster rendering of hair;
(*) VRayHDRI: Added MaxScript access to "coords" parameters;
(*) VRayLight: Added the ability to display the light name in the viewport;
(*) VRayLight: Somewhat faster sampling of rectangle lights;
(*) VRayMtl: Multiple layers of glass rendered with noise;
(*) VRayOSLMtl/VRayOSLTex: Improved shader cache logic, now the compiled shaders reside entirely in a memory buffer;
(*) VRayOSLMtl/VRayOSLTex: Removed dependency of shader name on the shader file name;
(*) VRayProxy: Export texture coordinates for .vrmesh preview, if preview mesh is specified;
(*) VRayProxy: Same proxies are automatically instantiated;
(*) VRayProxy: Show proxy color set names in Vertex Color texture "Channel Name" list;
(*) VRayProxy: Show the extra color channels from Alembic files in the "Channel Name" drop-down of Vertex Color maps applied to the proxy object;
(*) VRayProxy: Support for Material ID channel when rendering with point clouds;
(*) VRayShadow: Made the U, V, W Area shadow sizes animatable in the VRayShadows params rollout;

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Bobby Parker 12/9/14 Bobby Parker 12/9/14

Managing Multiple 3DS MAX projects

If you are like me, you have several projects going on at any given time. Each project in a different stage and most awaiting on client comments. And, if you are like me, you hate loosing work and backups are very important. As you might know, 3DS MAX has an Autoback, which keeps 3 backup copies.

“How often should I back up? It depends, how much data are you willing to lose?”

— Bobby Parker

Without spending a fortune, I sought out for a solution, and found a solution that works great.

Project Switcher

ProjectSwitcher is a Macroscript utility for quickly switching between multiple project folders. It keeps track of the previously opened projects, saves them to an .ini file and presents them in a dropdown list.

Installation: For automatic startup, just copy this script into your scripts\startup folder and restart 3ds Max.

Use the 'X' key to remove an entry from the list (this will not do anything to your actual project folder!); the 'Set' key works just like the 'File > Set Project Folder function: it allows you to select another existing project folder or create a new one. Both will be added to the list. Note: projectSwitcher does not currently track any project folder actions that were performed directly in 3ds Max.

New in v0.31:

Due to a bug in 3ds Max 2014, I have made an alternative version for 3ds Max 2014
The alternative version 0.31 no longer works as a dockable toolbar but inside a floating dialog instead
Dialog now remembers position and size

New in v0.3:

Automatic Project Switching when opening .max files: When opening the file c:\projects\myproject\scenes\file.max, this function will automatically set c:\projects\myproject\ as the new project folder. Thanks to Tollef Roe Steen for the suggestion.
No longer a macroscript; can be automatically run when 3ds Max starts

Bug in 3ds Max 2008: A bug in the latest release of 3ds Max causes projectSwitcher to always show a Browse-Folder-Dialog. This can be fixed by manually editing the file Macro_SetProjectFolder.mcr in the <3dsmax_root>\ui\macroscripts directory and changing

local _SetProjectFolder_macro_option_promptUser
local _SetProjectFolder_macro_option_newFolder

in line 25 and 26 to

global _SetProjectFolder_macro_option_promptUser
global _SetProjectFolder_macro_option_newFolder

Save the .mcr file and restart 3ds Max. This should return normal functionality for projectSwitcher

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Bobby Parker 12/6/14 Bobby Parker 12/6/14

Architectural Rendering with Rhino and V-Ray with Dave Schultze

Watch the Online Video Course Architectural Rendering with Rhino and V-Ray

A detailed rendering job can make your building models look more realistic and professional—and help sell clients on your ideas. This course teaches everything you need to know about rendering interior and exterior architectural scenes with Rhino and V-Ray. Using a pavilion of his own design, author Dave Schultze shows how to set up Sun, Sky, and V-Ray lighting systems; apply glass, metal, stone, and wood materials; and insert trees, grass, and people for additional scale and interest. Plus, learn how to use cameras and compositing techniques to add a sense of depth and realism to your designs.

Topics include:

Setting up your system
Understanding the settings, software, and process
Lighting the scene
Tweaking exposure
Rendering with architectural glass, masonry, and concrete
Making realistic grass and trees
Creating depth of field
Compositing from 3D to 2D

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Bobby Parker 12/4/14 Bobby Parker 12/4/14

Excellent Service

Z Feng Architect recommends Whitebirch Studio.

Interested in working with Whitebirch Studios?

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Bobby Parker 12/2/14 Bobby Parker 12/2/14

TRICKS OF THE TRADE

The ability to create realistic depth in a photograph (rendering), a 2-dimensional plane, is the sign of a good photographer (rendering) When shooting stills or video, it’s an important detail to make sure your shots have depth. Sometimes, however, that is sometimes easier said than done. In the quick, 3-minute video clip below, cinematographer Matthew Rosen, covers his top 5 favorite ways to ensure his image aren’t falling flat. The video is geared towards cinematography and moving pictures, but many of the techniques can be transferred into still photography as well. Well worth a watch even if you never shoot video.

TRICKS OF THE TRADE

In the beginning of the clip, Rosen explains why it’s important to have depth in an image, “It’s always my goal when I shoot to give this 2D image as much depth as I possibly can. The more tricks you have up your sleeve to conjure up depth, the more you will immerse your audience.” In order to achieve it, he suggests using these old tricks of the trade:

Lighting And Shadow – Use a higher contrast between light and shadow to create a deeper feel.
Focus – Use a shallow depth of field to create a visual of distance between subjects.
Perspective – Use a perspective that creates a convergence of parallel lines (think leading lines) to simulate a deep depth of field.
Parallax – Objects closest to the camera will appear to move quicker than those in the background.
Occlusion – A type of transition in which a foreground subject completely covers a subject in the background as the camera pans behind the foreground subject.

Let’s listen to Rosen break it down in the video clip:

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Bobby Parker 11/29/14 Bobby Parker 11/29/14

aXYZ HUB THE 3D ASSET BROWSER

As 3D Human Characters & 3D Assets become ever more important in visualizations, animations and illustrations,
we decided to develop a simple tool to improve your workflow!

ORGANIZE AND MANAGE!

With aXYZHUB® you now have a unique and simple way to navigate, choose, catalog and keep clean and organized your 3D Assets in order to optimize your workflow.

WATCH VIDEO!

ADD 3D ASSETS TO YOUR SCENES!

Forget about opening individual files and merge one by one! With aXYZHUB® you can populate your 3D scene within a click. You don't need to remember where your model files are located in your drive. All your 3D Assets are organized and accessible from aXYZHUB®.

RESIZE!

Ohh no! My 3D Assets are in centimeters and my project is in inches! With aXYZHUB® you can forget about scaling issues. All your 3D Rigged Characters and 3D Assets are scaled and ready-to-be-used in your project.

CREATE PRESETS!

Save hours of your precious time! You can create ready-to-use
presets of 3D Characters and Assets to simply merge in your scene each time you need them.

RENDERING READY!

If you work with V-Ray, Mental Ray or Thea, you are able to set up your converted model's versions to be directly accessible from aXYZHUB® and ready to be rendered!

KEEP YOUR CATALOG UPDATED!

Each time AXYZ publishes a new character, aXYZHUB® will inform you. This way, each time you start a new Arch Viz project you will have the ability to evaluate if the new product additions are suitable for your project!

FEATURES HIGHLIGHTS

ORGANIZE AND MANAGE

With aXYZHUB® you can have a unique and simple way to navigate, choose, catalog and keep clean and organized your 3D Assets in order to optimize your workflow.

ADD 3D ASSETS TO YOUR SCENES

Forget about opening individual files and merge one by one! With aXYZHUB® you will be able to populate your 3D scene within a click. You will not need to remember where your model files are located in your drive. All your assets will be organized and accessible from aXYZHUB®.

RESIZE

Ohh no! My 3D Assets are in centimeters and my project is in inches! With aXYZHUB® you can forget about scaling issues. All your 3D Rigged Characters and 3D Assets will be scaled and ready-to-be-used in your project.

CREATE PRESETS

Save hours of your precious time! You can create ready-to-use presets of 3D Characters and Assets to simply merge in your scene each time you need them.

RENDERING READY

If you work with V-Ray, Mental Ray or Thea, you will be able to set up your converted models versions to be directly accessible from aXYZHUB® and ready to be rendered!

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Bobby Parker 11/26/14 Bobby Parker 11/26/14

Forest Pack Pro v4.3.0 beta

New level of detail and visibility triggers. See the feature list.

New features and changes:

Forest LOD (Level of Detail).
- A new type of object, "ForestLOD", is used to define levels of detail. Once created, assign it as Custom Object in Forest.
- Visibility triggers by Distance to camera or Screen size.
- Support for billboards and geometry.
- Custom materials.
- LOD properties can be adjusted in Camera rollout.

Forest Pack 4.3 Beta - Level of Detail from iToo Software on Vimeo.

Added Areas->Limit by Surface Material ID.
Areas->Falloff Affect is splitted in Density and Scale values.
Forest Tools->Data exporter to XML files.
Added General->Disable Pop-ups: turns off all suggestions and warning messages, except critical errors (this option is global and persistent).
Geometry->Get Size from Library is removed and enabled by default.
Geometry->Global Size parameters are removed, although they are accessible by Maxscript ("globs¡ze", "width", "height")
Geometry->Use Object Dimensions is replaced by local Scale parameter.
New Display->Proxy model: Arrow (non-symmetrical)
Added Display->Disable Object.
Forest Tools->Instantiate copies User Properties, Object ID and wireframe color from the source object.

Library:

16 new presets: Gravel, including detail and large scale models.
Added materials for Corona Renderer.

Fixes:

Fixed problem of Exclude areas with Inverted Falloff Curves.
Fixed issues with Distribution->Diversity Map and UV Surfaces.
Fixed rare problem related to missing Surfaces on load.
Fixed minor issues in Maxscript functions.
Fixed potential crashing bug on Forest cloning.
Forest Color ignores status of Override checkbox when using Tint by Element.
Added Undo support to Geometry->Copy/Paste operations.

Registered customers of Forest Pack Pro can download the upgrade from User Panel->Beta versions

Image by State of Art Academy

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Bobby Parker 11/20/14 Bobby Parker 11/20/14

Autodesk's Featured 3D Artist

There are a million stories. Tell us yours.

Share your best work with the AREA community and tell us the story behind your creations.

I am proud to share with you an Autodesk Artist blog that I was featured in. Several months ago I received a call from Autodesk, requesting an interview for a featured story on a new "Tell Us Your Story" blog, over on the Autodesk Area website. Of course, I was excited to speak with them, and the featured post has now gone live.

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Bobby Parker 11/18/14 Bobby Parker 11/18/14

My Freelance Tools

There are a lot of resources for freelancers and believe me, I have tried them all. After many years in the business, these are the tools that have floated to the top of my freelance tools.

Save Time Billing

FreshBooks customers spend less time on paperwork, freeing up 2 days per month to focus on the work they love. What would you do with that extra time?

Grow Your Business

FreshBooks is built to support the needs of growing businesses. On average, FreshBooks customers double their revenue in the first 24 months. Woot!

Get Paid Faster

With FreshBooks, you can easily invoice clients from your desk or on the go. In fact, FreshBooks customers are paid an average of 5 days faster.

EVERNOTE BUSINESS

Where great ideas converge

Secure, flexible sharing
Room for projects to grow
Access to everyone's knowledge

Powerful CRM
Manage contacts, organizations, partners, vendors and suppliers. See everything from background, email history, events, projects or opportunities. More
Project Management
Make sure you’re on top of your project at every stage – track project activity and performance against milestones. More
Powerful Integration
Integration with email, Box, Dropbox, Evernote, Google Apps, MailChimp, QuickBooks Online, QuoteRoller, Torpio, Zapier, and more. More
Macro or Micro View
Look at your business any way you want with task dashboard, activity sets, reports and more. More
Go Mobile
Supporting iPhone and Android phones and popular tablets, the Insightly mobile app has you covered. More
Social CRM
We’ll detect virtually every social media profile related to a contact’s email address. More

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Bobby Parker 11/11/14 Bobby Parker 11/11/14

Photoshop on a Chromebook

In partnership with Google, Adobe is proud to introduce Project Photoshop Streaming, a new technology beta. Initially, this beta will be available exclusively to select North America based Adobe education customers with a paid Creative Cloud membership.

Project Photoshop Streaming enables selected participants to access Photoshop on Chromebooks. Applications delivered via streaming are easy to access and easy to manage. Even better, streaming apps work directly with files in Google Drive, so no need to download and re-upload files - just edit directly in the cloud.

Project Photoshop Streaming includes:

Creative tools: Streaming access to Photoshop with other products coming soon
Access from any Windows device with a Chrome browser or from a Chromebook
Learning tools: Access to Adobe Education Exchange learning content and an in-app Learning panel called 'Learn Now'
Project Photoshop Streaming Feedback and Forum support

Project Photoshop Streaming is an exclusive program. If you are interested in applying, please review the eligibility requirements and application process and submit your application here.

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Bobby Parker 11/11/14 Bobby Parker 11/11/14

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF REQUIRING A DEPOSIT

Two important things happen when you say to your client: “I’ll need 50%, up front, to start the work and the balance is due when the work is completed.”

You are viewed as professional: Your client now sees you as a person who has payment policies in place. They respect you, and they are clear on what you expect and how it’s going to go.
A commitment is formed: Your client is fully committed when they pay a deposit. When some one pays a deposit towards something, they are making a commitment to the project. It’s a psychological thing. Without a deposit, there is no real commitment from your client. It’s like buying plane tickets. My trip to Chicago last year was just talk until I plunked down the $500 for plane tickets. Once that money was paid, it was a reality. We were fully committed.

Don’t begin the work without a commitment from your client in the form of a deposit

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Bobby Parker 11/7/14 Bobby Parker 11/7/14

The best one-minute animation you'll see all year

This brilliant short shows just how little time you need to entertain and make a point.

It takes real skill to entertain an audience for over an hour with a CG animation. But in a way, doing so in little over a minute is even more challenging. And here's an example of an animated short that does just that – combining brilliant 3D craft, a clever script and an unexpected ending with fabulous results.

It's the creation of House Special, a spin-off company fromLaika, the Portland animation studio behind such quirky feature films as The Boxtrolls. And it's already won a ton of awards, including Best Minute Movie at Animation Block Party in Brooklyn, Short Film Silver at The Australian Effects and Animation Festival, and Audience Favorite (3D Animation) at the California International Animation Festival.

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Bobby Parker 11/6/14 Bobby Parker 11/6/14

Procedural UVW layout and texture baking tool for 3dsMax.

The Lazy UVW editor is a way to procedurally create seamless textures without having to unwrap uvs. It accomplishes this by using multiple uvw channels to cover pinching, stretching, or seams of the basic uvw mapping options, and the resulting map may be baked down to one channel if desired.

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Bobby Parker 11/4/14 Bobby Parker 11/4/14

Chicago Office Space Renderings

Ah, Chi-Town! I am from Chicago, born and raised, so when I was asked to illustrate an open space in a downtown Chicago High-Rise, I jumped at the chance.

The deliverable was a series of 360 panoramic files, which seems to be making a comeback. I remembered about 15 years ago when I was doing a lot of 360 panoramas, but they seem to have fallen out of favor. The experience on the PC is underwhelming, but on an iPad, using iPano, it's awesome!

Like all of my work, comments and suggestions to improve are welcomed and encouraged. OH YAH, go Bears!

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Bobby Parker 11/4/14 Bobby Parker 11/4/14

Rebus Render Farm

Are you under a tight deadline? I would highly recommend the Rebus Render Farm. Over the last several years I have tested almost all my options, from Amazon to Google, and all the major render farm as a service.

This weekend I was wrapping up the "Chicago Office Space" architectural rendering, the clock was ticking and I was feeling the pressure, so I reached out to the Rebus Render folks. I downloaded the Rebus Render Farm Farminizer software, which checks and starts your render job from inside your 3D software. I clicked render and literally, in a matter of an hour, I had 4 - 6000X3000 crystal clean renders downloaded to my project folder.

I know, but at what cost, you ask? This was one reason I never pulled the trigger on utilizing a render farm service. My fear was my image would be held hostage for some ungodly dollar amount. Most render farm services have calculators, but they are notoriously not accurate. Each 6000 X 3000 still rendering cost around $10.

There are many good render farm solutions, some are less expensive, but none are as easy as Rebus Render Farm. So, if you are racing against the clock, I would recommend Rebus.

What are the advantages of the Rebus Render Farm?

The RebusFarm increases the speed of your renderings with massive rendering power provided by the Render Farm with its render-node clusters. Our render servers calculate still images and 3D animations in breathtaking speed and excellent quality.

Submitting your render jobs to the Rebus Render Farm saves you high acquisition costs compared to the purchase of expensive local hardware. The render nodes in the Rebus Render Farm guarantee optimal results, and deliver your images a thousand times faster than a single High-End-Workstation could ever do.

With the Rebus Render Farm you can solve your render tasks online in the cloud. Using the Farminizer software, which can be downloaded from our homepage, you can upload your 3D graphics and 3D animations to the cloud where our service takes over the rendering. This online functionality saves you expensive hardware and software licencing costs - the user-friendly Farminizer software and our Render Farm makes it possible!

Render Farm Specs

RebusFarm is the most advanced Render Farm Service in the world wide web. Leading in terms of hardware, price, number of supported software packages, development and service.

Supported Software

Autodesk 3ds Max

V-Ray
mental ray
Maxwell Render
Scanline Render
Corona Render

Autodesk Maya

mental ray
V-Ray
Maxwell Render
Software Render
Arnold Render

Maxon Cinema 4D

V-Ray
Advanced Render
Maxwell Render
Standard Render
Physical Render

Autodesk Softimage

mental ray
Arnold Render

Maxwell Render

Standard Render

Luxology modo

Standard Render

Newtek Lightwave 3D

Standard Render
Kray

Blender

Standard Render
Cycles
V-Ray

Distributed Still Render

3ds Max
Maya (mr)
Cinema 4D
Softimage
Maxwell Render
modo

Standalone Software

Maxwell Render
Indigo Render

Render Cloud

Equipped with the Farminizer Software and the Mobile App you are always a click away from your renderjob, controlling the Render Farm and your renderjob. The facility is connected to the world wide web with 20 Gbit/s.

Hardware

We always use the newest hardware, because we know exactly what you need: Pure computing power. Your renderjob will get the full 49,440 GHz computing power from brand-new Dual Xeons, equipped with 32-64 GB RAM.

1700 XEON x 6 x 2.40 GHz = 24,480.00 GHz
1300 XEON x 8 x 2.40 GHz = 24,960.00 GHz

All CPUs include Hyperthreading which will double the total clock frequency to 98,880.00 GHz. The benefits of Hyperthreading are NOT charged. You will get them for FREE.

Provided Hardware

Total Computing Power

49,440 GHz
Cinebench: 2,23 Mio.

Server Type A:
(650 Pieces)

Dual XEON E5 2630v3 (16core)
16 x 2,40 GHz
64 GB RAM

Server Type B:
(850 Pieces)

Dual XEON E5645 (12core)
12 x 2,40 GHz
32-64 GB RAM

Operating System

Win 7 (64 Bit)

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Bobby Parker 10/29/14 Bobby Parker 10/29/14

5 Ways To Increase Your Value To Your Client

Most of us, designers, assume our client cares only about the quality of our design work. While it’s true that he cares how awesome our design is, the client also cares about other things.

Here are 5 things your client cares about, and how to increase your value to him. Nail these, and you’ll be able to charge more for your work.

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Bobby Parker 10/28/14 Bobby Parker 10/28/14

Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator

A simple calculator to help you find out how much to charge as a freelancer.

How This Calculator Works

The Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator will help you determine what you need in order to support the lifestyle that you desire.

By entering information into each field, you can calculate an hourly rate based on your costs, number of billable hours, and desired annual profit.

Section One asks about your desired lifestyle. This includes how much profit you would like to make annually, how many hours a day you will be working, and how many days a week will be on your schedule.

Section Two asks about your daily and monthly personal expenses. This includes rent/mortgage, and occasional expenses.

Section Three asks about your monthly business and logistical expenses. This includes office rental fees, software subscriptions and communication costs.

Based on this information, you will be given your minimum necessary hourly rate, and total annual salary. Try it out, and see what it will take to live the lifestyle of your dreams!

Charging for Freelance Work

Here at Motiv, we believe that your preferred lifestyle should be the number one factor in selecting your rate, and settling on your annual salary as a freelancer. This tool will assist you in finding this information. All it takes is a little planning on your part.

Take a mental snapshot of the way you want your life to look in a year, five years and ten years.

Once you have a clear idea of your coming goals, you can begin to fill in the blanks.

The calculator is going to factor all of this information in your final result. Knowing what goals you hope to reach will give you the blueprint you need to work the way you want to.

Your dream lifestyle is within reach!

Rate Calculator

Bobby Parker 10/27/14 Bobby Parker 10/27/14

How Much Should I Charge?

A potential client wants a proposal for a design project? Awesome. Answer 5 questions, and know how much to charge to make this project profitable.

Freelance designers are victims of a haphazard pricing structure—without set industry guidelines, designers must rely on past project pricing, colleague recommendation, or generic pricing lists to conjure a “fair” price for the work. Prices are difficult to match to inflation or utility costs, and little consideration is given to the relationship between designer and client.

Aiming to simplify this ambiguous pricing model, learning platformnuSchool developed “How Much Should I Charge?,” a web tool that suggests a freelance base rate and negotiation window, dependent on a designer’s salary goals, costs, and enjoyment of the project.

Bobby Parker 10/22/14 Bobby Parker 10/22/14

Self Promo Video for Autodesk Write-Up

Here is a little promo video Autodesk requested of me. I'll be featured on an Autodesk website, soon.

Autodesk is a world leader in 3D design software for entertainment, natural resources, manufacturing, engineering, construction, and civil infrastructure.