RenderPimp 3D tutorials, models and other resources

I'm surprised...

2011-02-06T00:29:00.000-08:00

I'm surprised, well not really that I have had so many people downloading items some are well over 2000 downloads and yet they seem to have no comments and I still seem to have only a few followers. It would be nice to see some comments and new followers (basically activity going in both directions not just in the download direction, unless you are all leech-bots then ok you dont need to comment :))

Oh and it would extra special if you felt you needed to show your appreciation with a small donation using the button on the right :) ------>

8 sets of taps free to download

2011-02-06T00:11:00.000-08:00

8 sets of taps free to download, i created them in moi and imported them to c4d. Same rules as before DO NOT ABUSE these...

click to download

cinema4d v11.5 and obj

Free tinsel and bauble models

2010-12-08T06:54:00.000-08:00

free xmas tinsel and bauble model only in cinema4d format V11.5. no materials and i have not converted down the tinsel so as long as you have mograph you can reshape it. Oh and this is not the best way or prob not the fastest way of doing it, but one way of doing it :)

(do not remove images, models and use on other sites, you can link to this blog but do not copy and use on your own site. Also remember credit where credit is due and all that Jazz :))

click to download

Same rules apply dont abuse it.

HAPPY XMAS 2010

2010-11-28T20:53:00.000-08:00

that time of year again and i'm wishing you all a happy Xmas and great new year

3Dconnexion SpaceExplorer 3D mouse mini review

2010-09-10T03:22:00.001-07:00

I was first introduced to my number one piece of hardware when I started using SGI machines and Unigraphics about 13yrs ago ( maybe more). The company had IBM spaceballs on all the machines. Well after getting used to using them I have never looked back. When I could I bought a spacemouse 5000 usb which was almost the same as the IBM just a newer model and the company was now 3Dconnexion. They offered me a trial but I knew I would be buying it as I was used to how they worked, but it was a nice thing for the company to do as its nice to try before you buy. I used this 3Dmouse for years until early this year when I upgraded to the new spaceExplorer, it was a newer design and they replaced the ball with a knob design I wasnt sure if I could get used to the knob design as I felt the ball fitted my hand better. I was wrong the design was great and fitted just right. The 3D mouse was still as solid as before and has the right amount of weight for it not to move when being used. The placement of the buttons was also just right and the design was more slimmed down and modern than the previous model, which is always nice. So let me run through how I use mine and why.

The software I use mine on:

Cinema 4d

3ds max

moi

photoshop

The 3Dmouse is easy to set up in all the applications listed above. It has a very handy control panel that lets you set up the 3Dmouse to the apps you are using. Here you can map the buttons to the short cut / commands you use the most. It will also automatically switch to the settings you have made for each app on start up of said app. There is also a handy button the 3Dmouse that will take you instantly to the 3Dconnexion control panel incase you need to make a quick change. There are a lot more settings in the control panel that allow you to tweak the axis speeds for zooming, panning, spinning etc.

When using in cinema4d you can decide if you want it to navigate, fly or move the object. Mine is always set to navigate. This is true for all the 3D apps I use it for. When I am in a modelling session I can place my left hand on the 3Dmouse and right hand on my regular mouse and off I go. Using the 3Dmouse gives me a more natural way of moving in and out and around the model, with very little wrist movement. Sometimes when working on large scenes it is easier to use than my mouse as it gives me more control and while zooming in to points in moi with the mouse can sometimes be hit and miss with the 3Dmouse it isnt I just slowly zoom in and get the job done. I have all the short cuts set up on it so when modelling I hardly touch the keyboard. Which is good as moving your hand from here to there while working slows you down and because my hand is resting on the 3Dmouse I do not get the wrist strain I would get from leaning over the KB all the time. I am so used to using my 3Dmouse now that when I am on another computer my left hand automatically reaches for the 3Dmouse which isn't there. I do this over and over until I get it into my thick head I have to do it the old way. I should really buy another one so I can take it with me. Or better yet buy the space pilot and carry this one with me. Then I would have the best of both worlds. Now I know I added photoshop to the list and I know its not a "3D" application, but the 3Dmouse saved me a lot of stress on a number of jobs. For example on one job I had to manually paint out cricketers from every friggin frame ( manual rotoing is fun ) and I set the 3Dmouse buttons to open, save,brush, etc and then used the 3D mouse to zoom into the painting area, out and pan around so it was wacom in one hand and 3Dmouse in the other and it worked out brilliantly.

So the bottom line is I couldn't work without mine sat next to me (well I could but it would get annoying and distract me from working). I know a few peeps that feel the same and I know a tiny few peeps that can't get on with them, but if you are like me and work in a 3D viewport every day of the week then you owe it to yourself to give one a try. I haven't had any issues with any of the 3Dmice I have owned and each one has made the money back pretty swiftly, so I haven't lost anything only gained. My only wish is that I could use it in zbrush which would make working in zbrush soo much nicer I keep trying it every time i am in zbrush then going D'oh when I remember it doesn't work ( there might be support for it soon though as I know there are loads wanting the same so there is hope).

I hope this helps if you are interesting in trying one of these out.

Basic XPresso car tutorial

2010-09-09T21:22:00.001-07:00

In this mini tutorial I shall show you how to make the wheels of the car rotate as the car is moved, while also rotating the light (siren). Now this is a very basic tutorial just to give you a taste for what Xpresso can do ( I am not an expert in Xpresso nor do I claim to be, this tutorial is meant an introduction for someone that hasn't used it before).

The result shown in the below link
basic_Xpresso_car1

Step 1, create your main car body, wheels and siren and drop the wheels/siren onto the car object in the Object manager ( making them children of the car object, easy way to make them move with the car). Then place all these into a null object. Make sure the car object is set at 0,0,0 in the scene.

Step 2, right click on the null object in the Object manager and goto Cinema4d tags, then go down to Xpresso. This will place an Xpresso tag onto the Null object ( it doesn't really matter where you place this tag as it doesnt effect the results).

Step 3, now double click on the tag to open the Xpresso manager and drag the car into it. Do the same with the wheels and siren. Then arrange them like shown below.

Step 4, click on the red square on the right of the car (node) and go down to coordinates, position, then position Z ( this is the axis direction in which the car will travel ).

Step 5, now click on the wheel blue square top left and go down to coordinates, Rotation, Rotation P ( as this is the axis you will want the wheel to rotate around). Do this for all the wheels.

step 6, now drag the car's red dot to each of the wheels blue dots this will connect them all. Now when you move the car in the view port the wheels will rotate.

step 7, now for the light. This is slightly different to the wheels as we want it to rotate as the car moves but we dont want it to rotate as fast, so I have used a range mapper to control it. So follow the image below to make a Range mapper ( by right clicking on an empty part in the Xpresso Editor)

First set the blue top right square of the light/siren to coordinates, Rotation, Rotation H ( this is the axis we need to rotate the light on when the car moves forward). Now connect that to the Output on the Range mapper ( red dot) and then connect the input of the Range mapper to the cars Position Z ( red dot). Now when you move the car the light should rotate.

step 8, select the Range mapper box/node in the editor and then goto the Attribute manager and in the input/ output range select "percent". Then change the output upper to 1%. This will make it rotate at a slower rate when the car is being moved.

Well thats about it. Like I said this is a very basic set up just to give you a first look at Xpresso. Xpresso is a very powerful system and one that can speed up and improve your workflow. I will post some more tutorials on Xpresso soon and hope that this one is useful to someone.

scene file:

click to download

(v12 file)

modbook mini review

2010-09-08T13:17:00.000-07:00

At the end of last year I found out about a company ( click here for their site) that makes modbooks. Basically they take a macbook (check their site for full specs) and rip the screen and keyboard off. They then add their own screen with wacom technology. So basically you have now got a cintiq with a computer built in. I was like "I want I want " like anyone who likes to draw using wacoms etc would. So basically I went a head and bought one from some one on ebay at the start of this year. It cost me around £1400 and it came upgraded to the hilt and it came with the wireless keyboard, wireless mouse and studio pen. So although not cheap it was cheaper than buying one from the company that makes them ( although you can send them your mac book and they will mod it for you for a cost). I have always wanted a 21" Cintiq and one day I shall still have one, but at the time this was the ideal dream and costing less. So lets get on with how I liked/ disliked the modbook.

When I opened it up I was like a little kid at xmas. It was exactly like I expected it. It felt beefy and solid, it had some weight to it and was a nice size.

As I am PC based and this runs OSX I first went the route of installing win7 under bootcamp and then using parallels, this would allow me to run my windows apps from inside OSX without rebooting. This sounded like the ideal way to go as I didn't want to shell out for mac versions of the apps I already own for the PC. It didn't work well although the apps ran well on the machine there was no support for windows which meant I didn't get the pressure sensitivity. So I am pretty limited to a few apps that I own that can be run on both mac and PC. So the apps I run on the modbook are cinema 4d, painterX, artrage, photoshop, etc. So how does it work? Good question if I bought it at first with only the default pen ( which does fit inside the case nice) I would have been annoyed as it is cheap and feels... well not very good in the hand. But I have the studio pen and although it is better and much more closer to the wacom pen I am so used to using daily it isn't as nice a feel, it is lighter and to me that makes it not as comfy as the wacom one (imho) but it is 100% better than the default one that ships with the basic modbook. Setting up the modbook was easy click the corners in the setting up mode and off you go. It was that easy. So it was a dream to start painting and controlling the screen with my pen. Drawing and painting feels just right now. I havent noticed any lag, but I have noticed that sometimes the mark does go off to one side so you have to set it up again.

This hasn't happened a lot but worth mentioning. I have also noticed that going to the corners of the modbook isn't really good as sometimes it doesn't see the pen. There has been reports of corner cursor jumping due to the internal magnetic blahblah and poor design. So I am guessing this is the case here, but it doesnt stop me working in any app so I can live with it. The thing that does stop me working is sometimes It doesn't start up by pressing the power button which is recessed on the top left corner, sometimes I really have to press, press and PRESS it and almost come to the begging stage before the lights appear and we are off. Then we have the times when I have begged it to start and when it does start it doesn't see the pen, that is ok that is what the 2nd button on the left is for right. Slide it down and it will reboot their OS pen software, but it doesn't always work and I find myself once again sliding it down over and over till it finally lets it see the pen. BUT I STILL LOVE MY MODBOOK EVEN THOUGH IT TRIES TO F*&K WITH ME. I can also say thank god I got a keyboard with the modbook or I would have pulled my last three grey hairs out. It really cant be operated daily for any length of time without a keyboard even using the companies annoying, pops up every 2 secs friggin writting app (which I had to un-install instantly, well in the first 2 weeks as it was driving me friggin mad). So now I can draw on the move and have full use of a computer so I can check my emails watch a film and paint till I drop. Great. Well not so the design is a little heavy after a while and it does get hot, prob due to the fact that there is a laptop under it :). there are some areas of the case where it feels cheap and poorly put together ( which relates to the issue mentioned above). So yes its great and has its issues not that big to be a show stopper but enough to be noticeable. Do I regret buying it HELL NO. I would recommend buying a keyboard, mouse, studio pen and nice stable stand for your desk. I bought a Mstand by rain design. It is a well designed rock solid stand and lifts and tilts the modbook just enough for it to become a little drawing board on my desk.

Would I recommend a Modbook to someone else, yes and no. There are those that will use and abuse the modbook till it has died of old age. These peeps would kill a wacom from over use. If you draw, paint and use a wacom pen for work more than 6 days a week then why wouldn't you want a modbook, plus they would make it work for its money and it would soon be paid back. It is a lot of money for sure and they are talking about bringing out a pro version with a macbook pro inside. Now this is more money and the case is Aluminium and looks like it has solved some design issues, ( basically it looks like they have took more than 15 mins to design and mod it unlike the 5 mins it took them to do the modbook ( ok ok it aint that bad and ive seen it on Eureka a few times, but still :)) So it might be a better idea to wait and pay more or keep searching on ebay for a cheap one :). Well thats about it, if I think of anything else I may have missed off or the modbook shows any issue not mentioned here I shall update this post. Basically the modbook is like the Ipads big brother where the ipad is a sexy sister and the modbook is the Ugly fat geeky brother that knows a lot and can do more than his sister (if you get me :) no looks but gets the job done ) Hope this proves interesting to someone. I am not a professional reviewer and only want to share my experiences with these items in order to help someone. Oh final note now I have an ipad and a modbook I keep finding myself trying to use my finger on the modbook which never stops being funny as I to push over an icon with my finger and then going D'oh lol.

edit: I have just installed modo 501 on it and im really surprised how fast the render preview is on it. Another thumbs up and here is a small vid I made to show it

My Ipad review and list of things to go with it and why I use them

2010-09-08T13:15:00.000-07:00

Ok so it's about time I gave a mini review on the Ipad I bought a few months ago, as I have had a few peeps ask me how I am getting on with it and what I use it for and what are the best apps for it. So here is the review.

I bought the 32gb wifi only Ipad as I have no need for the 3G as I use it mainly around the house so the money saved means I get to buy more stuff for it. From the moment I took it out of the box I knew it would become a thing I use daily. Its size is just about right, I mean if it was to be the perfect size I would have made it A4 as this is pretty standard for books, etc. But the size it is is just about right.I heard someone say that it weighed too much and would hurt the hand if held for too long, I have never felt this way as to me it is not heavy or too light at all. The battery life is friggin great I only charge mine up once a week and I never turn it off, it is left on standby always. I can watch a couple of films on it a day and it hardly drains the battery. The way you can navigate through the Ipad is the same as the iphone which I have always loved. Downloading apps via itunes on the computer or on its own itunes has never given me any issues and I love the fact that all the apps I have bought for my iphone and the kids ipod touch's are shared without the need to re-buy them. Unless you need the HD Ipad version ofcourse, but many I can live with the X2 option.

The things I first bought for my Ipad was a screen protector, now I opted for an expensive brand that looked like it would be perfect for protecting my little baby. Now there is a little warning here as the one I bought was a tiny bit too big as the designers forgot about the little groove between the screen glass and the ipad body so this causes an air void on the screen protector when fitted, thus giving you air pockets that you cant get rid of. After a few months these pockets also pick up dust which makes them bigger. Other than that it has prevented the screen from being scratched etc so it has done its job. I purchased a sleave case called tuf luv veggie case click to visit site . It has a great slim design and fits the Ipad great. It has a pull out tag which works as it says it does, you put the Ipad into the case and it pushes down the tag and to get your Ipad out of the snug case you just pull the top of the tag and it pushes the Ipad back out BRILLIANT imho.

I use this case for when I am out and about, but for inside the house I use a particle case which comes with a pogo sketch click to visit site . This is the perfect partnership.

The case is more like a rubber bumper as it doesn't cover the back of the Ipad, but to protect the rear they have included 4 feet which lift the Ipad off the surface of the desk, etc and it does this well. The pogo sketch sits in the holder which is moulded as part of the case ( sometimes my wife gets annoyed with it as it gets in her way). I also bought a rear Ipad skin just incase plus I wanted to see how one of my designs/ renders looks on the Ipad, you can use companies like this one > click to visit site you can buy a skin already listed or upload any image and have your own made and at $19 who can complain.

As for a stand I have only just ordered one, which is the moviepeg click to visit site it looked ok for what I need it to do without going OTT about it. I just need it angled up when its on my desk so I can see the films etc . The stand (which comes in two parts) arrived and they do exactly what they said on the site. It is a little tricky at first to put them on it but once you find the right spot to put them on its easy. They feel really solid when holding the ipad so thumbs up.

I also bought a Ipad to tv cable and although it ain't HDMI which I would have loved it does the job and watching films from my computer via the ipad to the tv is good. They don't come cheap either so aslong as you are aware you ain't going to get any where close to HD quality its worth a punt imho. I picked up one from ebay for around £15.

Right so that is how I have set up the Ipad to use and like I said I haven't had any issues at all with it and up to now I have not been missing any features, but this could well change as I use it more. So now let me run through the applications I have bought for it and why I like/ or dislike them.

Penultimate : cool little note book for making quick notes while on the phone or small doodles etc. you can have a number of different books to your collection which is handy ( one for doodles and one for phone call notes) ofcourse I am lazy and just have the one book which has notes and doodles :).

airvideo : This is the most abused application on my Ipad and I love it a lot, because of my budget I bought the 32gb version so I always knew I might run out of space. Well airvideo solves that as it allows you to store your videos on your computer's Hard drive. It will even convert on the fly any videos that the Ipad can't play. I have only had the odd video that wouldn't convert, but I can live with that. The converting on the fly is seamless with no lag at all, but this is dependant on the computer it is stored on as it uses your computer's cpu to do the converting.

flipboard : Is a nice different way to view your twitter home feed, facebook, Behance and other interesting feeds like Fliptech, etc. It basically lays out the feeds like a magazine. Now sometimes I do get annoyed when it doesnt update fast enough, but I am sure this will be addressed in the future.

Bump : This is a handy free application that allows you to share contact details, photos, etc with iphones, itouches and ipads. I use it when I have taken an photo on the iphone and cant be arsed to upload the photo to my computer. I have also had a lot of fun with my kids as you can use it as a text chat ( using wifi) with them via their ipod touches, this is getting them used to typing and spelling on the fly.

sketchbook pro : I did shudder at the fact I was buying an Autodesk product when I bought this application, but needs must. It is a little bit more money than some of the other applications I have bought, but you do get what you have paid for. Working with the Pogo sketch the application is very nice. I do miss some pressure sensitive pen action, but the Ipad wasnt made that way ( yet) so I cant complain. For sketching out ideas on the move its great and the kids love using it to.

Foliobook : one reason I bought the Ipad was to use it as a interactive portfolio. Take it to the clients let them have fun flicking through my work. watch a few vids I have made etc etc. So I bought this application as it looked like it does the job and it does when its not crashing, which seems to happen a lot even when its just showing the slide show. When it isnt crashing it works ok. It allows you to make a portfolio with little effort and it does look really presentable when you have set it up, but the crashing soon takes that away. So for now it looks good on paper but doesnt look so good when its on the ipad :/.

Keynote : I bought this application after the 7th crash of Foliobook. Now it doesnt crash and it looks great when set up so I should have bought this one instead of the other one. I have set up a couple of different portfolios and what I like is the fact I can email or share them other than just using them on the Ipad Click .So this application gets my thumbs up and will not make a fool out of me when I show my portfolio to a client.

ibooks : Now I dont expect to be reading a lot of books on my Ipad but ibooks is friggin great for allowing me to read through manuals and now that more and more software companies are doing away with hard copy manuals and sending out PDFs the Ipad fits in great. I can read the manual on the ipad at my desk while not cluttering up the computer screens or just take it to the living room and have a flick there, Brilliant :) And although i don't intend to read loads of books on the ipad my kids will, Megan who has just turned 7 loves to read books on it. It helps her to stay focussed on reading as she is having fun while reading. Which all helps learning doesn't it. There isn't a lot she can break on it and its not like she can format the hard drive and touch stuff she can delete so its safe for me to leave it with her.

Airdisplay : Now this is one of the apps I instantly loved when I saw it on a site review, but at the moment there is only the mac version and I only have a modbook which is touch control, so I only use it a little. Basically it turns you Ipad into a computer screen with touch control. Doesnt that sound friggin brilliant, indeed it does ( little buggy but will be fixed for sure) I used it with c4d and photoshop, dragging the tools over to the Ipad thus giving me more space on the modbook. When the PC version comes out I will be using it daily for sure. Ok new version is out and its a whole lot better.

mobile mouse : I used this application on my iphone and loved it, but on the Ipad its like a whole new game. It bascialy turns your Ipad into a large touch screen controller for your computer covering mouse, KB. It also has the task bar dock ( osx style) on the bottom so you can flick through applications that are running or not. For certain applications that are running it will automatically change its UI to suite ie web surfing will add home, back, next buttons and while using media player it will change so it has all the usual media control buttons, etc. Great gadget app for sure and if I had a computer in the front room hooked up to the TV it would make one cool tv remote :)

wired, 3D Artist and 3D Creative: Now I have always subscribed to magazines and due to limited office space this has proven an issue. So I actually stopped a few. Now the Ipad is making it all better. I can subscribe to the mags, save space, save money instead of £6 per issue I pay like £2.90. Also they look really great on the Ipad and I can take them all with me in one little device. Great and I like having the mags back in my life.

Flixster : nice free application that will tell you what is on the cinemas around you, let you view previews and also what is on DVD and coming to DVD. nice laid out easy to use application.

reeder : an interesting way to view/read your rss subscriptions. I have never really bothered to subscribe to RSS feeds before, but now I see what I've been missing.

Tvcatchup : great application (web) UK only I think. It allows you to view tv stations ( and there are a fair few now and more added monthly). It has a slight delay to the shows being showed on the telly but that is to be expected and to be honest it isnt a big one so well worth it if you have to move about and you are missing your tv show :).

box.net : I have always had a box.net account and this application allows me control of the stuff I have stored on it via the Ipad. I never tried it with the iphone as the screen is a little too small, but on the ipad its well laid out and easy to use.

Tweetdeck : Another application I used daily on the Ipad. Out of all the twitter apps this is the one I love the most. The interface fits well on the ipad and it inst too far off the pc version, so there is no getting used to another interface which is always good.

Epicurious : I got this application to try out some new dishes. It is well laid out and although it is American can be used over here ( ie sizes/ amounts etc). It has lots of different areas included like school luches to weeknight dinners. It is well worth the install just so you can spend an hour drooling over.

ebay : Me and the wife use this application a lot and it does everything we need, while sitting on a night time watching telly we can both surf ebay.

Google Earth : same as the pc version just on the ipad and its really handy to show the kids, find locations when I am not sat at my desk.

Now there are a lot more applications that have a use and I havent listed all I have bought, nor have I listed the iphone apps that I use on the Ipad or I would be here all friggin day :), but I will list the games that me and the family enjoy on the Ipad. Please be aware that many of these are time soakerupers so dont come crying to me when your boss sacks your addictive arse :)

Angry birds HD : everyone has heard of this game for good reason ITS FERKING BRILLIANT and even more so on the ipads big screen.It is a must OK :)

Canabalt : simple yet addictive game that I have spent way too much time on.

Taptap radiation : very nice looking game. it is like guitar hero but in a different arty way. not as addictive as the others but worth an install.

Invaders HD : classic space invaders for the Ipad. Need I say any more :)

Osmos HD : Relaxing, beautiful game that has us all hooked and frustrated :)

Well that is about it. Now I know I ain't a professional reviewer and I dont expect to be treated as so. This wasn't my intention with this post, it was more about letting peeps I know and those I dont, get a insight to my experiences,views on the ipad and the way I use it. So if this helps anyone its a bonus if not then there is nothing lost. Now I must also clear up the fact I am not an apple fan boy and use PCs for work. I bought the Ipad because I thought it would do what I wanted it to. Aslong as you buy it knowing what it isn't then you will be fine as I am. Its a great device that me and my family love, infact I could do with another one :). The only three small issues I have with the Ipad are as follows:

At one point during the summer while having it play music on the patio it locked up with the "too hot must cool down" ( lol we live in the UK it doesnt get hot) error message.

An other issue is that the Ipad is almost impossible to use outside in sunshine or bright conditions as its hard to see the screen.

The ipad doesnt charge from my computer ( PC ) but I have heard there is a work around for this.

If at a later date I have more issues with the Ipad or find something out I shall do a part two but until then have a good one peeps.

new showreel 2010

2010-08-11T04:20:00.001-07:00

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Living room - Entire interior sale - £100

2010-07-06T03:28:00.000-07:00

I have decided to sell my living room scene on here for a new low price of £100

Entire living room containing all fixtures and fittings. including textures. this isn't a low poly scene and all objects contain all the details needed. The set contains the following:

coffee table

bookshelf

tv unit

sky box

dvd player

sofa

cushions

rug

tissue box

radiator and pipes

vase

statue

fireplace wooden

window blinds

window frames

doors and handles

magazine

bowl

dado rail

various picture frames and pictures

sky remote

coasters

ceiling fan light

etc etc

Once the paypal email arrives I will send an email ( please ensure you give me the correct email to where the downlink will be posted )with the download link and password.
All sold items must NOT be resold at any time.

me modelling a phone in moi

2010-06-26T08:15:00.001-07:00

me modelling a phone in moi www.moi3d.com

me modelling my hover speeder in moi

2010-06-25T06:56:00.000-07:00

me modelling my hoverspeeder in moi www.moi3d.com

i may do more

TURN THE SOUND DOWN AS I LEFT AUDIO ON BUT HAD NO MIC so it gets a bit strange!!!

and for some strange reason the timer is 67mins but the vid is only 9mins so dont sit there watching after 9min44 seconds as nothing happens :)

http://www.screencast.com/users/davedavidson/folders/Jing/media/645770b5-43f1-4a43-8110-27f497d4a17d

http://www.screencast.com/users/davedavidson/folders/Jing/media/6979a9f0-8268-4d3c-880b-c1adb9a41e69

Free Akira bike model, c4d and obj

2010-06-21T03:48:00.000-07:00

akira bike modelling from dave davidson on Vimeo.

As the title says :)

This is an old model I made years ago but thought now I found it again I would give it away. So here it is. Not the best model in the world but its a free one :)

click to download

Free concrete wall texture

2010-06-15T22:18:00.000-07:00

as the title says :) 3000x2143 inc: diffuse, normal, spec and displace

click to download

Building a realistic LED (for unbiased render engines)

2010-05-26T04:16:00.000-07:00

Click image
Building a realistic LED (for unbiased render engines, for example Fryrender, maxwell , etc). I used moi (www.moi3d.com) to model mine but it doesnt really matter which app you use.

Free building model - cinema 4d and obj

2010-05-20T10:28:00.001-07:00

Free building model - cinema 4d and obj. I started this for a client but the project fell before it got of the ground so the model is "as is". No textures etc, but someone might get some use out of it.

(do not remove images, models and use on other sites, you can link to this blog but do not copy and use on your own site. Also remember credit where credit is due and all that Jazz :))

click to download

Free scene - Modern bedroom for ciema 4d and also saved as obj

2010-05-20T09:57:00.000-07:00

Free modern bedroom scene ( NO TEXTURES INCLUDED!!!. The only reason I included the fully rendered image of the room was just to show you how I set it up). It comes in c4d format and obj.
(do not remove images, models and use on other sites, you can link to this blog but do not copy and use on your own site. Also remember credit where credit is due and all that Jazz :))

Click here to Download.

RenderPimp blog mentioned in 3DArtist (mag) current issue

2010-05-20T05:36:00.000-07:00

Cool news I was told about this last week when a friend spotted it in 3Dartist ( mag) but it wasnt until I bought the mag for my ipad that I actually saw it. I didnt even know they were going to mention it so its a really nice surprise. I suppose I should throw in some more new stuff now. So stay tuned :)

free Audi model (not finished )

2010-04-29T03:16:00.000-07:00

i started this a while ago but never got around to finishing it, so i thought i would upload it so someone else can have a play with it. i lost the blueprints i had for it in the great drobo crash of 2010 so you will have to go a hunting or just mod it while having fun :)

click to download obj and c4d

quick leg rig

2010-04-16T02:03:00.000-07:00

some peeps asked me to show them how i rigged the spidiebots leg. I am not an expert but I will show you how I did it. This is the leg I will rig ( I shall write a small tutorial to go with this video.( speacial thanks to Mike AKA slouchcorp for showing me this a while ago).
quick_leg_rig
and
2009-08-14_1504
Right here is the write up on the above.
1st thing to do is set up the actual leg

Now working in the side view of the leg I shall add the joints (bones). To do this open up the character menu from the top bar.

Now select the joint tool from the list. Now in the side view of the leg (while holding Ctrl down) start making the joints/bones each click will create a joint and should start from the end of the leg that is closest to the body of the character (spidiebot).

You can see on the image below you now have a new parent in the Object manager called "Root" this you can see contains all the joints you have just made.

Now select the Root parent from the OM and in the top view move it so that the bones are actually in the leg.

Now to set up the IK and to do this we need to select the joints we need to be in the IK. I have selected joint, joint2, joint3 and joint4 from the OM list.

Now goto the character menu again and select IK chain from the drop down while holding Ctrl down. This will create 3 goals in the OM

Now group these into one into one object ( null object) and rename it to "controllers". Now you can rename the controllers as you wish ie. foot, ankle, etc.

Right now we need to add the leg to the joints and to do this simple drag the foot (mesh) to just under joint4 in the OM like shown below.

Now hit the "-" icon next to joint3 to close up that set (hiding joint4 and the foot mesh)

Now drag the next part of the leg ( which I have called low leg) to just under joint3. Then hit the "-" on joint2 to hide joint 3 and the mesh. Do the same for the remaining parts of the legs so you have something like below in your OM.

The leg is now rigged, if you goto the controller folder and select one of the goals and then move it about in the viewport you will see the leg is done.

Now we have the hydraulics to work on and for this I will use a c4d character contraint tag on each part of the hydraulic. First make sure the parts for the hydraulics are in the right parts of the leg mesh. They need to be a child of the leg part mesh. Like shown below ( this can be done before you rig the leg)

Now select "h1"and right click in the OM then goto "character tags" then select "contrstraint" from the list, this will add a new icon to the right of the "h1"

Select the new tag then goto the Attributes manager and check the "Aim" box this will add a new tab to the contraint Attributes panel click on "add" and drag "h2" into the target field.

Now you will notice that the part(mesh) has changed position in the viewport that is because the "axis" of the constraint is set to "x+" we need to change that to "Y-". Now repeat the above steps for the "h2" object but the target is "h1" and the axis "Y-" (now these might be different depending on how you have set up and modelled your hydraulic parts, but for mine it is as stated) Also remember to always rotate objects around the "Z" axis so you dont get the gimbal lock during animating.

Thats it the hydraulic parts will always face each other while the leg joints are being moved around. you can see this if you move one of the controller goals. I hope that this helps someone and if there are any questions please ask. Remember I am a n00b on this subject myself so there might be better ways to do this.

SpidieBot studio setup

2010-04-14T01:57:00.000-07:00

spidieBot set up. This shows how I set the scene up, modelled a camera rig so it can be seen in the reflections. Even if you dont see them, you see them. I have always placed items into scenes that will give a more natural ( realistic ) feel to the shot, items like cameras, tripods, lights, and even camera men.

A nice person donated the £8 so you can all watch the vids

2010-03-29T12:53:00.000-07:00

A nice person donated the £8 so you can all watch the vids. so say thank you kindly i will not name the person, unless he replies to this post. If more peeps dontate you get more bandwidth monthly :)

JING vids are down due to using over the monthly bandwidth

2010-03-29T11:50:00.001-07:00

All the JING vids are down due to using over the monthly bandwidth. The only way around this is for me to pay £8 per month to them to increase the bandwidth amount. so Donations are welcome and would help fix this issue

teddy bear ref photos (poo bear)

2010-03-20T01:24:00.000-07:00

poo bear teddy bear ref photos ( side and front)

poo bear download link:
click here

teddy bear download link:
click here

Jeep/ buggy ref photos

2010-03-20T01:14:00.000-07:00

photos i took a while ago for a buggy/ jeep. thought it would be good to share them incase someone else wanted to model it.

download link:
click here

free large light box model c4d and obj

2010-03-19T10:13:00.000-07:00

free large light box model c4d and obj

download link:
click here

Free small light box c4d and obj

2010-03-19T10:06:00.000-07:00

small light box model in c4d and obj

download link:
click here

free low poly apache helicopter c4d and obj

2010-03-19T06:56:00.000-07:00

free low poly apache helicopter c4d and obj

download link:
click here

free childs cot/ crib c4d and obj

2010-03-19T06:44:00.000-07:00

free childs cot/ crib c4d and obj

download link
click here

free kids room props c4d and obj

2010-03-19T06:35:00.000-07:00

various kids room props c4d and obj format

download link:
click here

Free F1 car c4d and obj

2010-03-19T05:55:00.001-07:00

Free F1 car c4d and obj
(do not remove images, models and use on other sites, you can link to this blog but do not copy and use on your own site. Also remember credit where credit is due and all that Jazz :))

download link:
click here

Free Hemnes bedroom collection c4d and obj

2010-03-19T05:52:00.000-07:00

Free Hemnes bedroom collection c4d and obj

download link:
click here

Free office desk and chair etc c4d and obj

2010-03-19T05:48:00.000-07:00

Free office desk, computer and chair etc c4d and obj

download link:
click here

Free Various table legs etc c4d and obj

2010-03-19T05:44:00.000-07:00

Free Various table legs etc c4d and obj

download link:
click here

Free various light fixtures part 2 c4d and obj

2010-03-19T05:40:00.000-07:00

Free various light fixtures part 2 c4d and obj

download link:
click here

Free various light fixtures part 1 c4d and obj

2010-03-19T05:36:00.000-07:00

Free light fixtures part1

download link:
click here

free studio lighting props c4d and obj

2010-03-19T03:49:00.001-07:00

i made these in 2006 for when i was using maxwell ( the original thread ,) i did do a few more which i shall dig out and upload. they aint no fancy scripting etc but they do add lighting and reflection to your scenes and i have used them a few times. Any hoo someone might have some use for them.

down load link:
click here

Free office chair model . c4d and obj

2010-03-19T02:24:00.000-07:00

Here is another free model to download. My office chair

Download link:
click here

Free Bathroom collection c4d and obj formats

2010-03-19T02:09:00.000-07:00

Here is a bathroom I made a while ago. I thought I would share it with the 3d community. Same rules apply dont abuse it.

download link :
click here

Free Barcelona Chair model c4d, obj, 3ds

2010-03-18T10:57:00.000-07:00

Ok here is a quick Barcelona chair i have just finished and thought I would share it. Not the best on the market but its FREE (do not remove images, models and use on other sites, you can link to this blog but do not copy and use on your own site. Also remember credit where credit is due and all that Jazz :))

download link:
click here

here is the download link to the 3ds file as the other one is messed up :)
click here to download the 3ds file

area light and GI tutorial vid

2010-03-13T23:49:00.000-08:00

here is a little vid on how to set up an area light up with GI also using the sun and sky. using AR3 (advance render 3 c4d's gi renderer)

prt1:
area_light_prt1

prt2:
area light prt2

how to add a quick decal to an object in cinema 4d

2010-03-13T23:38:00.000-08:00

how to add a quick decal to an object in cinema 4d ( short video N/sound. I will be using selection tags and alpha mapping to add a quick decal to a product.

vid:
how to add a quick decal to an object in cinema4d

product lighting in cinema 4d using GI

2010-03-13T23:23:00.000-08:00

here is a little set of videos ( no sound) showing how i would set up a product shot in cinema4d.

DOWNLOAD LINK TO ALL 5 PARTS:
CLICK HERE

fire truck 3d world tutorial

2010-01-13T04:46:00.000-08:00

Link to the 3d world tutorial I wrote for maxwell

link to tutorial

Free Hi-fi model with speakers

2009-11-28T12:08:00.000-08:00

Hi-Fi model in cinema 4d and obj formats

http://ow.ly/wqcf

Copyright Dave Davidson - Renderpimp.com 2009 (do not remove images, models and use on other sites, you can link to this blog but do not copy and use on your own site)

Free bathroom scene for download

2009-11-28T12:04:00.000-08:00

Bathroom model, cinema 4d and obj format. Includes basic textures.

http://ow.ly/wqib

Copyright Dave Davidson - Renderpimp.com 2009 (do not remove images, models and use on other sites, you can link to this blog but do not copy and use on your own site)

Free collection of various models to download

2009-11-28T12:02:00.000-08:00

http://ow.ly/i/4Kw various props #3d #free #model giveaway #cinema4d #obj download and use but b nice http://ow.ly/wqz4

Copyright Dave Davidson - Renderpimp.com 2009 (do not remove images, models and use on other sites, you can link to this blog but do not copy and use on your own site)

Free office units models to download

2009-11-28T12:00:00.000-08:00

http://ow.ly/i/4KE two office units #3d #free #model giveaway #cinema4d #obj download and use but b nice http://ow.ly/wqEP

Copyright Dave Davidson - Renderpimp.com 2009 (do not remove images, models and use on other sites, you can link to this blog but do not copy and use on your own site)

Free Teddy Bear model

2009-11-28T11:58:00.000-08:00

teddy bear model http://www.box.net/shared/static/hbp5fgh1y3.rar

Copyright Dave Davidson - Renderpimp.com 2009 (do not remove images, models and use on other sites, you can link to this blog but do not copy and use on your own site)

MOI modelling tutorials (mini)

2009-11-28T08:46:00.000-08:00

Some more Moi modelling tutorials made for a friend.
A kitchen sink

Modeling of a sink in MOI (tutorial) from dave davidson on Vimeo.

A phone docking base.

moi modeling tutorial - bt mango from dave davidson on Vimeo.

A Castor (wheel)

modeling in moi ( tutorial) from dave davidson on Vimeo.

Copyright Dave Davidson - Renderpimp.com 2009 (do not remove images and use on other sites, you can link to this blog but do not copy and use on your own site)

Modelling a spray bottle in MOI (moment of inspiration) mini tutorial

2009-11-28T08:40:00.000-08:00

This is a small mini tutorial I made to help a friend learn moi.
The top section (the spray)

plastic spray bottle video tutorial MOI- NURBS Prt2 from dave davidson on Vimeo.

The bottle section

modeling a plastic spray bottle in MOI - NURBS tutorial of sorts from dave davidson on Vimeo.

Copyright Dave Davidson - Renderpimp.com 2009 (do not remove images and use on other sites, you can link to this blog but do not copy and use on your own site)

Fryrender material and render tutorial

2009-11-28T01:09:00.000-08:00

In this tutorial I will show you how to texture some materials using layers and also how to set up a render almost the same as the last AR3 tutorial, but this time using a HDR image instead of the soft box light cards.

Part 1: setting up the scene

Using the same method as the previous tutorial I have created a floor, back drop and a target camera.

As stated above we will not be using any other lights in the scene other than a HDR map, which will be set up as follows. First we need to make sure fryrender is set up as the renderer.

Now as this is a still and only a basic render we will not be going into the "open fryrender render settings" panel. open up the "environment settings" panel. by default the "use "sky is checked so we need to uncheck that. Now check the "Use" for Environment mapping check box. On the color slot hit it and it will open up another window this is where we will be adding the HDR map (included at the end of this tutorial).

For this tutorial there is nothing more to change in this panel. So click accept and go back to the environment properties.

As the hdr is the main light source for the scene we need to make sure IBL is set to Importance Sampling. This will tell fry to set the importance to the HDR (D'oh as the name says) this is also a nice fast way to render. Now click accept.

The size of the render will be taken from cinema's out put setting.

Now we need to set up the camera. Make sure it is a target camera as it will be used for the focal point which will help the DOF for the scene. Right click on the camera in the object list and goto the fryrender tags, then select the camera from the next drop down. Now we have a camera tag on the camera. If you click on this tag you will see a open fry camera editor button in the attributes. In there you will find all the camera settings from fsop to ISO. For this tutorial we will not be needing them.

Now the scene is set up to render. [tip: make sure everything is modelled to real scale, if the object is 10mm in the real world model it 10mm in the scene or this will throw the camera settings and lights settings off]

Part 2: the materials

As you can see there are clearly two materials added to the object "render" and here is how we will make them. We will be using layers for each of the materials and these layers will be controlled by a black and white image. The white parts of the image will hold the material for that layer. If we invert the image in the fry material editor we can use it on another layer and thus have two different materials in one. Another example of this would be a glass bottle/ jar with some black text on the front. This would be made using this method. So lets have a look at the maps I have used.

the "render" object map (below)

the "floor" map (below)

and here is how we set them up in the fry material editor. In the material panel for c4d click file then fry then new material, then double click to open it.

now as you can see there is a material tree at the mid bottom. This is the area we will be sorting out first. There is one ball set to 100 at the moment if you hit the + it will add another one, for this scene we will add two new ones. (like below)

Now the first two on the tree will be the main body of the "render" object and the last one will be the metal showing under it (ie the worn parts). To set these up we need to click on the top 100 and then set the weight to 80% and then select the bitmap and then find your b/w image. Once in there make sure that the white parts of the image are what will be the yellow plastic you can hit invert. Now press accept. Now drag the little material thumb to the media pool as this will save you having to open it up as much as you need it. Now select the second 100 down and make the weight 20% and then drag the mat thumb from the media pool to the bitmap empty thumb now we have one material set up and weighted, these two layers are now one matieral. You must never go over 100% ie both layers must add up to 100% or this might mess up your materials in the scene and cause errors. Now select the last 100 and leave the weight as 100% as it will be the only layer for this material and then drag the thumb from the media pool to the empty slot. Once there click to open the map editor and hit the invert check box under RGB modifiers.

Now to set up each material on how they will look in the scene. Click on the first ball to the right of the top "W" . In the top ref 0o set the colour of your choice or you can select a bitmap in the same way as we did the b/w images. In this case we are making it yellow. Now select the 2nd ball down in the material tree. This one will be the gloss layer of the first ball the 80% one. First set the fresnel to 4.0 as its a solid now set the roughness to 18 as we dont want it to be too reflective (0 = mirror 100= matt [tip: nothing is really matt so never set this to 100 use 89 instead]) you can use roughness maps to control which parts of the material get the reflections/ gloss I will discuss this in a later tutorial. Now drag the b/w map into the bump slot and set it to 8 make sure the check box is checked ( try not to use high bump values as this could cause issues in the render). Now click on the last ball in the mat tree and set the colour to a midish grey ( the ref 0o ) set the fresnel to 20.00 as we want this to be a metal finish, roughness 10 and bump to 2 and drag the map from the medial pool. Now the material is set up click on the play button to the right of the material preview window and it should render a preview of the material. You can set up the quality of the preview if the check box isnt checked it will be a fast and dirty preview, this is idea when you know the material is almost there. Check the box and set the slider to 72 to 100 if you want a cleaner preview, this will take longer to clear but will show you the material in better detail. Ideal for complex materials.

The floor is made in the same way as the above.

Now we are done all we need to do is hit render. Once you hit render you will see the fryrender main window open. It should start rendering as soon as it warms up. I will go into details about the fryrender main window features in a later tutorial, but for this tutorial I think we have enough.

Once again I hope this tutorial is of some use to you.

Source file ( only to be used for learning with this tutorial)

click here to download

Copyright Dave Davidson - Renderpimp.com 2009 (do not remove images and use on other sites, you can link to this blog but do not copy and use on your own site)

Product shot rendering tutorial c4d

2009-11-27T05:43:00.000-08:00

A simple product shot rendering tutorial covering scene set up, materials and lighting for Cinema 4d and AR3.

This is the final image straight from cinema 4d.

Tip: make everything to real scale so if your product is 100mm in the real world make it 100mm in cinema 4d.

Part 1: scene setup

First we need a back ground and floor, for this I will use the same type used when taking photos of products. A simple curved cloth or card.

Create a cube (big enough to cover the shot )

Then make it editable and delete all the faces apart from the bottom and back...

Now select the lower rear edge and right click and add a bevel (curved)...

Now select the faces and right click and reverse the normals.

Now open your product/s into the scene.

Now add a target camera ( I prefer to use a target camera as it gives me more control on the DOF etc)

Now set up the DOF. In the camera settings select the rear blur check box.

Then in the render settings panel right click and scroll down to Depth of field. I have set the strength to 15% and also checked the "use gradient" so I can control the feel of the DOF

Now in the top view port grab the middle orange handle and drag it to just clipping the rear of the products, this is where the DOF will start from.

Now the scene is set up.

Part 2: Setting up the lights...

For the lighting I will be using object lighting in the form of light cards ( soft box sides). In photoshop I made a simple spherical gradient map like below...

Now make a new material and add this jpg to the luminance slot and set it to multiply (image below)

Now place the same texture into the color slot

Now because I am using this as the main light source I always set up the Illumination to sampling mode QMC sampling to avoid artifacts in the final render.

Right now we need to assign it to an object and for this object I use a single face of a converted cube (make sure the normals are facing in the direction of the product being rendered). Place it to the side of the products and then copy paste it to make another soft box side for the other side of the products. I use flat projection for the mapping.

What I like to do is use a HDR map for the whole scene to remove the black void beyond the camera. I use a plain weak powered one ( set the material for this in the same way I did the light cards and then tweak the settings in the c4d material luminance slot to around 2% and set the color brightness to around 41%. ). This is then assigned to a sky object

Part 3: the materials

The first material is the groung (bg) for this I have used a standard material which is just a little off white, no refelction.

Now the white plastic for the main body of the product. I have made the white slightly off white ( as below)

Now the reflection setting up. I have added a Fresnel to this as I want the reflections to react to the camera angle.

Now the mirrored chrome material. Set the color brightness slider to 50%.

Then set the reflection slider to 86%.

Now the clear colored plastic. All we need to do here is set up the transparency section.By leaving the brightness slider at 100% we are telling c4d the color is set by the absorption color. I have set the absorption distance to 2mm because i want the colour to be dense in appearance. If you wanted a hint of color to the acrylic / glass then a higher figure would have to be used. I have set the refraction to 1.51 which is near enough to glass.

Part4: setting up the renderer

I always use IR+QMC. Diffuse Depth of 2 so there are more bounces (brighter image) and i upped the gamma to 1.8

Hit render...

I hope this is of some use to someone.

Source file ( only to be used for learning with this tutorial)

click to download

Copyright Dave Davidson - Renderpimp.com 2009 (do not remove images and use on other sites, you can link to this blog but do not copy and use on your own site)

New tutorial blog

2009-11-27T03:29:00.000-08:00

I have decided to do some tutorials covering 3D and rendering. I will be using cinema 4d, AR and fryrender. I may also do some modelling tutorials in Moi too further down the line. The first tutorial I will be doing (later today ) is a product rendering, in this tutorial I shall cover scene setup, materials and lighting. I shall be using Maxon's AR3 ( advanced render)