In this episode, Andrew, DJ, and Marco talk about how optimizing your 3d scene can save your sanity, what aspects of your project could be adding unnecessary render time what you can do to render your scenes faster on a render farm even without much technical rendering knowledge!

Resources:

Optimizing 3ds Max scenes through Textures – Part I -  https://www.garagefarm.net/blog/guide-to-rendering-optimizing-scenes-in-3ds-max-through-textures

Optimizing 3ds Max scenes through Textures – Part II  https://www.garagefarm.net/blog/guide-to-rendering-optimizing-scenes-in-3ds-max-through-textures-2

Optimizing scenes in 3ds max geometry -  https://www.garagefarm.net/blog/guide-to-rendering-optimizing-scenes-in-3ds-max-through-geometry

How to optimize displacement maps in V-ray – part I  https://www.garagefarm.net/blog/how-displacement-maps-work-and-how-to-optimize-them-in-v-ray-part-1

How to optimize displacement maps in V-ray – part II  https://www.garagefarm.net/blog/how-displacement-maps-work-and-how-to-optimize-them-in-v-ray-part-2

How to optimize buckets in V-Ray part I - Option analysis  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnBI97xBD_g

How to optimize buckets in V-Ray part II - Troubleshooting hanging buckets  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_xp5mK2UB0

optimize viewport settings

LOD -  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Level_of_detail

Mipmap -  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mipmap

Optimizing settings in V-Ray -  http://www.peterguthrie.net/blog/2014/7/hdr-sky-lighting-for-interiors

Optimizing viewport -  http://www.peterguthrie.net/blog/2017/4/pg-tips-clipping-planes-focal-point-trick

Blender simplify -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1joLsRZ7VEA

How to link character (or any) assets using collections in Blender -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyDK7U8jl_I

C4D Viewport optimization -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tzHQD3cRJE

In this Episode, Dj Marco and Andrew round up some interesting developments from the CG world as well as our render farm and server rental service for the month of September!

Resources:

Renderman 24 for Blender - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKh2taqONg8

Renderman 23 feature reel - https://vimeo.com/376885270

Renderman non-photorealistic shaders – painter shaders - http://www.lollipopshaders.com/case-studies/9to3animation/?fbclid=IwAR2ByS7ibRUFRZg3OsgZyQg2BX62juXKoUw6QqunkzaE7_1NVHljkdJVwJY

Epic apple hearing - https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/09/apple-vs-epic-hearing-previews-a-long-hard-fought-trial-to-come/

Autodesk joined open design alliance - https://adsknews.autodesk.com/news/open-design-alliance-membership

Epic Megagrant for Maxon - https://www.maxon.net/en-us/news/press-releases/article/maxon-receives-200000-epic-megagrant/

Epic Megagrant for Instant Terra - https://www.wysilab.com/

C4D R23 release - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URZXyR4VJzo

Cycles for Houdini by Tangents Studios - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XE7e0zycYU

CgArchitect render engines survey - https://www.cgarchitect.com/features/articles/a9976335-2020-architectural-visualization-rendering-engine-survey-results

Blender newest version release – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtYCjoTqeEA

Blender cloth brushes – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dJYKmyNxLY

Blender multiresolution modifier - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86lVXEneVfc

Blender Extrude manifold - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roahtQgoXg4

Blender new sky texture Nichita - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXZueIyiEfc

Zbrush – cloth simulator brush - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyaMwGSsrb8

Vector tracing in Blender grease pen - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-vd-9G6BgQ

Clip studio paint - https://www.clipstudio.net/en/

Links to news mentioned in our podcast:

Xesktop – 8 x V100 16GB GPU rendering server - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GTa2iQjdrI

GarageFarmNET - Rendering C4D using camera animation mode - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mHUqqEHfmw

GarageFarm.NET – Rendering C4D + Redshift on cloud farm - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfAW7szL124

GarageFarm.NET – Auto submit feature - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCEuNnUdUZA

GaragefarmNET – Web manager – frames preview - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C15XKtdeIQA

In this episode, Andrew, DJ, and Marco touch on the different aspects of modeling, what to look out for, when some rules can be broken and what lies on the horizon for 3d modeling in general.

Resources:

PiFuHD - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxk-ijYY4n4

Mixamo – https://www.mixamo.com/#/

Anastasia Opara – https://www.anastasiaopara.com

Zbrush Shadow box - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WosEyotDb4

Gleb alexandov 50 modeling issues from hell - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-O8kXTAr1wA

Plant factory - https://info.e-onsoftware.com/more-info-plantfactory

Midge ‘Mantissa’ Sinnaeve - https://mantissa.xyz/pages/work.html

3ds bee - https://3dbee.it

In this episode, Andrew, Marco, and DJ go over the timeless practices in art, the outlook on these practices today, and how our digital world has affected our perspectives on what Art is in the first place!

Here are links to the materials mentioned in this episode:

Mozart and Salieri - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IHptqZiDxc

Pirates code - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJVBvvS57j0

EAGER animation - https://youtu.be/YbKasfNak4U

Aleksandra Waliszewska - https://www.facebook.com/Aleksandra-Waliszewska-152642531244/?fref=ts

Elliot smith - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IplcACGoSxg&list=PLeGTygRJdeYN6nifAT58Ty8GbAU5cHoiw&index=64

Happy Trails - Winter - https://happytrailsanimation.com/about/our-films/winter/

Cool 3D world - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzNZlJzmjomyl00ewlxHqOA

In this podcast, Dj and Andrew discuss their thoughts and feelings on the current legal struggle between Epic Games and Apple, and how that impacts the CG industries, tools and creators!

Resources:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtvjbmoDx-I

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euiSHuaw6Q4

There's a lot of buzz about 4k frames or higher as a future standard for film. How might that affect the 3d animation industry, and in what other ways do hi res images play a part in the CG workflow? In this episode, DJ Andrew and Marco look into it.

Resources:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9K9oU_VTQ8

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqz-KE-bpKQ

• https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/4K

• https://www.c4dcafe.com/ipb/forums/topic/111515-4k-and-8k-resolution-new-challenges/

• https://corona-renderer.com/forum/index.php?board=25.0

• https://community.foundry.com/discuss/topic/153418/4k-and-8k-resolution-new-challenges

• https://blenderartists.org/t/4k-and-8k-resolution-new-challenges/1244031

In this second part of the discussion on Photorealism, DJ Marco and Andrew go over some of the more grounded aspects of achieving photorealism in 3d rendering.

In this episode, DJ, Andrew and Marco revisit the idea of Photorealism in CG - tracing the origin of the practice, distinguishing it from realism, discussing it's value in the industry and its place in the practice of art.

Some resources:

• The Hudsucker Proxy scene : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SwvSu3jxAA
• N-VIDIA's StyleGEN2 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QuDh3W3lOY
• Photorealism art movement : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photorealism

https://www.britannica.com/art/Photo-realism

• Tomin Works - "Outside" : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o1orHS3w5A

From being schooled in a game of GO to busting out 15th century portraiture, it seems the machines are besting us at every turn, or is it simply a matter of perspective? Join Marco, Andrew and DJ as they discuss the rise of computer intelligence and the stakes therein.

Resources:

• Andrew Price AI in CG presentation – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlgLxSLsYWQ

• AlphaGo documentary - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXuK6gekU1Y

• Golem short - Film by Patrick Mccue & Tobias Wiesner - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wl9be4bSZa4

• Golem XIV - https://english.lem.pl/works/apocryphs/golem-xiv

• Dreamworks Animation Studio Pipeline - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru0tQRJ4qKs

• Blender Everything nodes - https://developer.blender.org/T67088

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10F9vQ09eQ0

• Quixel Mixer – https://quixel.com/mixer

• Unreal Engine and Quixel Megascans\Mixer\Bridge- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhTPayu_YUs

• Anastasia Opara – https://www.anastasiaopara.com

• Proceduralism (Houdini) by Luiz Kruel- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LHj7-kROoo

• Photopea - https://www.photopea.com

• ArtBreeder - https://artbreeder.com

• Proceduralism in Houdini – basics - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vriY3LV55bk

• Character Creator - https://www.reallusion.com/character-creator/,

• SkinGen - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GsYuVdSijo

• MakeHuman - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCn6SfuEPRE

• MB Lab - https://mb-lab-community.github.io/MB-Lab.github.io/

• Face maker – http://facemaker.uvrg.org

• Online 2D character Creator - https://charactercreator.org

CPU or GPU? Traditional Rendering or realtime? Does one or the other act as the only choice stepping forward into the future? Find out as DJ, Andrew and Marco go over both processors, how they help us in our projects, and why the answer isn't as black or white as some may think.

Resources:

• https://corona-renderer.com/features/proudly-cpu-based
• general explaination: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cyVDoyI6NE
• https://corona-renderer.com/features/the-cpu-advantage
• What are CUDA cores? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFhG9UntZs4
• Xesktop – powerful GPU servers for rental - www.xesktop.com
• GarageFarm.NET GPU cloud farm - https://garagefarm.net/gpu
• CPU vs GPU rendering in Blender 2.79 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QiB_K9nNd8
• Silo 3D - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxMnHvJdNss