Did some basic renders of a work in progress Handheld. I will upload this piece soon. 

Currently I am learning some Plasticity, a CAD designed from the ground up to be more friendly for artists. I have only done a few exercises following https://www.youtube.com/@nikita.kapustin

He seems he has been using Plasticity for a few months already and has a lot to teach. I am not entirely sure on his teaching techniques as he rambles a lot and lacks structure, however it is currently the only You Tuber that has content to show, if anyone has anything to share on Plasticity in terms of tutorials, let me know! He also has a  a tutorial site at https://www.skool.com with Ultimate 3D. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CvzeFVkLqoL/

I hope with time that I can focus on hard surface modelling with a combination of Blender, Plasticity, 3D Coat with a focus at doing props for some time.  

Because none of this it portfolio focused I shall update it in the Blog or Instagram for now. 

I completed the tutorial: https://academy.cgboost.com/p/blender-2-8-launch-pad 

I must say that it was one of the most in-depth courses that I have followed. Very detailed. Very beginner-friendly. I have learned a lot about Blender 2.8 thanks to it. 

So to follow up on the previous post: What to learn next? (or upskill) I haven't considered something slightly more important that I might need more to show in my work.

Presentation. 

That is right, showing my work in the best possible form at the highest quality and fidelity. 

So I believe that it is important that I learn V-Ray above all the other segments.

The tutorial Blender was incredible, and I got a couple more ideas and tutorials that I like to follow.

Here are gif and a video link to show the outcome. There is no Audio and it is a bit "WIP" But I do not want to put more work on it as it is not a portfolio piece, but a learning piece.

  

But back to "presentation", I discovered a new Upskill path that I would like to nail and get comfortable with. 

While I was doing the blender tutorial. I discovered how much I enjoyed the whole process from beginning to end. I was doing some animations, and then some rendering. And then I realized what I was lacking in Urban Circus. Confidence in rendering and setting Lighting/Materials for V-ray. 

I have also been finding a lot of jobs (in Arch-Viz of course) that V-Ray is a must.

So after a little bit of digging, I found this tutorial:

http://mographplus.com/product/the-ultimate-introduction-to-v-ray-for-3ds-max/ 

 And damn, it looks fascinating. I'll have a good look to see if it is the match for me. It is a deep 18 hour tutorial on going deep with V-ray.

If this goes well I might then after the tutorial I'll prepare some Arch Viz examples to then practice what I have learned here. This of course will make WIP's look a lot more refined and final work that I do.

I still have the other upskilling paths in mind, but this one might be able to help me, even more, to find good work out there. And then I can choose between 3ds Max or Blender to create projects. I think that for any game-related environment projects it might make more sense to start in Blender. However, for anything architectural pieces I might remain in 3ds max due to v-ray.

After this, we'll see! I still have Speedtree, Gaea and Substance Designer in mind. I think that there has never been a more exciting time to be a digital artist. But also there has never been such a crazy amount of talent out there. Holy shit you guys. Competition is getting really, really real. But it is all a lovely marathon that we are all running together in this: I will not give up until I am satisfied. Even if it means ever.

So now that everyone is experiencing the COVID-19 epidemic, and everyone has to stay indoors all day long: Everyone has an amazing opportunity to upskill. And I took a good opportunity to learn Blender so It can become gradually the main modeling tool to be used.

Now I have fully taken comfort at knowing what is most of the Modelling Tools in Blender, how to set up Materials. Learned a fuck-load of shortcuts. I think I now know more shortcuts in Blender than Max due to its nature to so shortcut responsive. Next in the tutorial that I am following I'll learn how to set up Particles and Lighting. https://academy.cgboost.com/p/blender-2-8-launch-pad 

After I get really comfortable in Blender, Ideally to a level that I can be Mid going towards being an expert. I need to consider where I take my self as an artist to focus.

Looking for work has been incredibly hard due to the massive amount of competition out there (you guys are so freaking amazing!). And now it is becoming a trend that unless you are amazing at doing one thing (Prop/Environment artist), you need a second set of skills that comes along with what you can do as a role as an artist with many hats.

Some models I have been doing in Blender following a tutorial

I have been applying to so many jobs out there that either ask that you can do: animations, characters, or provide examples of making full fleshed out Environments. And I can't do either of that. I have done some basic characters and I have done some simple animations. But it is not enough. So when I finish learning Blender as I become a Mid from a beginner. I have thought of the following options. But I would love of course in time to be able to do all of them just well enough to be able to do it if it comes to it. 

So the options are:

1. Be fucking good at making environments and this composes of: 
   • Learn Speed Tree. Making procedural trees is just a must.
   • Learn Gaea. It is a recent terrain editor that just looks insane.
   • Master Substance Designer. By Master is, be able to create procedural textures of any type of form by following any real-life example and re-create it within Designer. Maybe follow 5 different examples and recreate it.
      
2. Be insanely fantastic at just making props of all kinds and levels
   • Learn Hard and Soft surface skills
   • Make tonnes of hard surface objects
   • Be a master at Substance Painter
   • Learn to be decent in Mari
     
     
3. Be decent at making Characters (Modelling):
   • Learn Anatomy. I can follow something like Proko and be a gun.
   • Master Zbrush. I am pretty comfortable with Zbrush and I love it. But if I am going to get super good at it. I might need to breathe in Zbrush to have an edge. And while at it after I learn Proko well do an anatomy studies in Zbrush.
   • Get comfortable with Marvellous. I mean, be able to know to do some common patterns and think as a fashion designer when I create clothes and costumes.
   • Do a bunch of Characters (I can definitely do that in a project where there's is a number of characters that has to be done)
   • Learn how topology should flow in characters, especially in the face, Ear, and then down the body with rigging in mind.
     
     
4. Be a comfortable Animator and Rigger. By comfortable, it means just good enough to do basic indy projects. But also be able to grow and do better if I get in bigger projects as a sole Animator or Rigger.
   • Follow a number of tutorials that fully focus on being able to animate
   • Learn to create Character controllers in Unity.
   • Be able to learn how to rig both humanoid and animals
   • Do a basic collection of types of animations to know (walk cycle, run cycle, shoot, dodge, etc)
     
     

So you can see why I had to do this list. A magic wishful list of things that I would fucking love to do. However, there is no way I can learn all of these things, right away, overnight. But I think it is very important to pick your battles and eventually be able to reach where you want to be. In the last few years, I have been trying to do all of these things here and there, but never good enough to be amazing at it or to show that I can do it. 

I am mostly terrified at being a good rigger/animator, followed by being great at anatomy. 

But after following this impossible list closely I think the smartest order to pick follows: Number 1, 2, 3 and then 4.

So to rephrase, be fucking good at Environments, Then make some amazing examples of Hard Surface Modelling with Mari. Followed closely with making some characters. And then do rigs and animations for them. 

But I think this whole list and following it, it is a fantasy. But it is not a fantasy by starting to focus on just one of it at a time. And sticking to it until it is finished. That is the point of this blog post. To break it down at one thing at a time. 

I do have intention in creating up Blog Posts on how I make a forest environment. I still haven't picked what Biome or Area to do. It has to be easy and simple so I do not find it overwhelming, but at the same time, It would be good to have a good list of Plants/Flowers/Bushes and Photographs so I can follow it as closely as I can. 

This assignment would be focused primarily that I can make a realistic environment. I will focus on making it pre-rendered first and then finding methods on optimizing it for a game environment. 

If you have read this, perhaps it is time for you to consider: What is your Career Skill Road? Do you want to refine some fundamentals? or do you want to stir in a different direction? add an accent? Focus on creating some Portfolios? Now it is such a fascinating time to Just do that. Make a plan and press the start button!

Been Experimenting with doing a very basic and common Lighting Exercise. This is however real-time and the lighting is baked on to the mesh. I have used a really neat and recommended plugin for Unity. (Bakery)

I would like to at least make another 2 or 3 lighting (and basic) Scenarios and play with lighting a little bit. Any suggestions are welcome as long as they are plain and focus on Lighting.

Most of the time was used to get the lighting look correct... Looking forward to keeping experimenting.

Although I must confess that I am really happy with my website and I have put a lot of time and dedication to it, it is becoming to a realization that perhaps the time it takes for maintenance and also the performance issues is perhaps, best, to realize that it is ok to move across.

It will take some time as I am still working as a freelancer. And I will move the job's that I have done across eventually one by one.

I always considered Artstation too cool to be part of it, as the works seen on here is always so spectacular. But It is ok to finally jump the wagon.

My Blog is more of a Work-In-Progress kind of Blog and I think that is ok! I'll show you a screen-shot of what AI mean.

I have been really busy doing freelancing in a lot of areas that I can't share work but I am getting really itchy to do some amazing things.

Currently, I am doing an Augmented Reality Map for tourism in Victoria (Australia) and I am pretty excited to get it finished to I can show you better Progress.

Wanted to show some client work that I have been doing in the past month on my Sketchbook, I have been working for Carlton Union Breweries, Foodworks, and Abbotsford Convent.

I am doing a 4D app with Phoria at the moment, before and after in the land of Abbotsford Convent.

Might do some tree and bushes cards but after we do some testing and implementing

Did some animations for AR for Plattar

I did not texture/model the machine however This is just to show how the infographics animate around the model in 3D