Just wanted to extend a safe and happy Thanksgiving to everyone I know (and those I have not met yet) who read this blog.
We are having Thanksgiving here at Casa De' Turner with my wife's parents (no weblink for them yet), sister Katie and her husband Mike, Royal and Brad plus anyone else who stops by for today's festivities.
There are many things I am thankful for this year; my wife and the upcoming birth of our son, my employers (without them I could not pay the bills), friends (both new and old), family and the people that I have been given the opportunity to help educate in one form or another. Each one of these things and many more have helped to make this a year to be thankful for.
With another great year behind us, let's focus on the upcoming year ahead and help to make a difference in someone's life. To me that is the true meaning of Thanksgiving, not just being thankful for what you have achieved or blessed with but for the difference you make in other peoples lives.
Enjoy the holiday...
Thursday, November 27, 2003
Tuesday, November 25, 2003
Green Eggs and Ham?
We went to see the local Christmas parade on Sat. and afterwards went to see The Cat in the Hat. IMHO the best animation in it was the fish. I like the way it always looked wet. I wonder what shader were used to achieve this effect?
Happy Rendering...
Happy Rendering...
Proposals, Scope of Work, Delivery
Writing up a proposal for work is somewhat straight forward. You write a proposal about the project that you expect to perform after learning more details about it. The rough scope and pricing is included and gets delivered to the client for consideration. Once said client approves the proposal and options (I love to put options to show what is possible and the cost associated with the decision) you proceed with a formal contract spelling out each detail and project milestones (if applicable), collect a retainer fee and complete the project in a timely fashion. Get paid and everyone walks away happy.
I mention this because many people who start out in this business do so as freelance artists. You want to learn more and what better way to learn than to get paid for it by freelancing. How do you get the jobs you ask? Beating the bushes to find out about work and writing good proposals. It is often said that beauty is in the details, this is true in your proposals as well. If you do not have good writing skills but you are a great renderer you may wish to find a standard job form document that outlines the type of work you perform. This can be modified to suit your client/job needs, but should cover the general outline of the work you expect to perform.
You will also notice that I put in the project delivery a small step called "retainer fee". I am sure you know what this is, but may be afraid to ask for this when performing rendering work. A wise man once told me "make sure to get a fee upfront", what did he know? Answer human dynamics. If you do not put a fee associated for your time and work on a project upfront your value becomes less. Sure not all companies want to pay a portion of the project fee upfront, but consider why they do not want to do this. Could it be they have little to no money to offer for it. If you wait until the project delivery to bill, are you sure you will get paid?
Let's give a hypothetical story. Our friend M. had quite a bit of work on another project and was not able to finish up a job for a client. Delivery date 1 week late and no project to show. M. suggested that we take over the project and it would pay $xxxx for the whole job and to talk to the president of the company. We leave messages and no return calls from the president. Few days later the project manager calls us to talk about the job and the deliverables. We have a quick meeting to discuss their needs and that it was a rush priority. We mentioned payment and the PM said the boss would take care of that.
Start the project, no contract, no retainer fee and a rush priority so the client can get paid for this work we are doing. See a problem here? Work proceeds for a week and a half, leave a few more messages for the president and get the project ready for review. At this point we submit a fee proposal and payment for one half to total cost to continue. We all like helping others, but there a bills to pay and we need to eat too. Final comments come back and a check for half the fee we asked for (25% of the total). The PM said this was because the boss was out of town and he was not authorized to write a check for more than this and he would have the boss take care of the rest when he returns.
We completed the work and hand deliver it to the PM with a final bill and we notice the boss is in. We are always friendly so we take a moment to peek our head in to introduce ourselves and he apologizes for not calling sooner. A few more pleasantries exchanged and he asks where we are on this. Project complete and bill submitted to the PM. He said he had not seen the bill yet. We being prepared for this just happened to have a copy of all items we submitted. President opens the letter and his jaw hits the floor. He said M. would never have charged this amount and he will only pay half at the most. Now what would have helped in this situation besides not getting involved in a rush job with an unknown client?
If you said contract you were correct. A well written contact spelling out the scope and project milestones is a needed option as it covers the client, and you, should their be any issue. In my experience reputable clients will not be upset with a retainer fee as they should understand that your time is worth something. Just so you know the story above was not really hypothetical, this happened a few years back and M. told me later they like the work I submitted and wanted to give me more. I am not going to tell you the whole ending as I hope you learned from this that it can avoided with a simple contract.
Happy Rendering...
I mention this because many people who start out in this business do so as freelance artists. You want to learn more and what better way to learn than to get paid for it by freelancing. How do you get the jobs you ask? Beating the bushes to find out about work and writing good proposals. It is often said that beauty is in the details, this is true in your proposals as well. If you do not have good writing skills but you are a great renderer you may wish to find a standard job form document that outlines the type of work you perform. This can be modified to suit your client/job needs, but should cover the general outline of the work you expect to perform.
You will also notice that I put in the project delivery a small step called "retainer fee". I am sure you know what this is, but may be afraid to ask for this when performing rendering work. A wise man once told me "make sure to get a fee upfront", what did he know? Answer human dynamics. If you do not put a fee associated for your time and work on a project upfront your value becomes less. Sure not all companies want to pay a portion of the project fee upfront, but consider why they do not want to do this. Could it be they have little to no money to offer for it. If you wait until the project delivery to bill, are you sure you will get paid?
Let's give a hypothetical story. Our friend M. had quite a bit of work on another project and was not able to finish up a job for a client. Delivery date 1 week late and no project to show. M. suggested that we take over the project and it would pay $xxxx for the whole job and to talk to the president of the company. We leave messages and no return calls from the president. Few days later the project manager calls us to talk about the job and the deliverables. We have a quick meeting to discuss their needs and that it was a rush priority. We mentioned payment and the PM said the boss would take care of that.
Start the project, no contract, no retainer fee and a rush priority so the client can get paid for this work we are doing. See a problem here? Work proceeds for a week and a half, leave a few more messages for the president and get the project ready for review. At this point we submit a fee proposal and payment for one half to total cost to continue. We all like helping others, but there a bills to pay and we need to eat too. Final comments come back and a check for half the fee we asked for (25% of the total). The PM said this was because the boss was out of town and he was not authorized to write a check for more than this and he would have the boss take care of the rest when he returns.
We completed the work and hand deliver it to the PM with a final bill and we notice the boss is in. We are always friendly so we take a moment to peek our head in to introduce ourselves and he apologizes for not calling sooner. A few more pleasantries exchanged and he asks where we are on this. Project complete and bill submitted to the PM. He said he had not seen the bill yet. We being prepared for this just happened to have a copy of all items we submitted. President opens the letter and his jaw hits the floor. He said M. would never have charged this amount and he will only pay half at the most. Now what would have helped in this situation besides not getting involved in a rush job with an unknown client?
If you said contract you were correct. A well written contact spelling out the scope and project milestones is a needed option as it covers the client, and you, should their be any issue. In my experience reputable clients will not be upset with a retainer fee as they should understand that your time is worth something. Just so you know the story above was not really hypothetical, this happened a few years back and M. told me later they like the work I submitted and wanted to give me more. I am not going to tell you the whole ending as I hope you learned from this that it can avoided with a simple contract.
Happy Rendering...
Friday, November 21, 2003
Viva Rock Vegas
Getting stuff ready for the AU trip next week and I am looking forward to the Thanksgiving break and the extra days off we are taking to head to California for some R&R. I am trying to setup a time to meet with Chris to chat over a meal.
As we have no specific destination for our trip only to have a good time. That's the fun part, no deadlines, nowhere to be at a particular time and just some fun in the city.
It is funny how locked into work you can get. Tip of the day:
Take some time to do something not related to your work. This could be something as simple as a bike ride, walk, roller blading or other activity just to help your mind stay fresh. I know I need to use this more in my daily life. :)
Happy Rendering...
As we have no specific destination for our trip only to have a good time. That's the fun part, no deadlines, nowhere to be at a particular time and just some fun in the city.
It is funny how locked into work you can get. Tip of the day:
Take some time to do something not related to your work. This could be something as simple as a bike ride, walk, roller blading or other activity just to help your mind stay fresh. I know I need to use this more in my daily life. :)
Happy Rendering...
Great meeting
The EVAUG meeting last night was a lot of fun and a great learning experience for all. If you missed out the group meets on the third thursday of each month.
Happy Rendering...
Happy Rendering...
Sunday, November 16, 2003
Mobile Dilemma
I solved the issue of constant connectivity to my inbox a few months back after much searching and testing by getting a blackberry. Now I am at it again for testing.
What am I looking for? I find the need to have a mobile system with a decent amount of power not for production work, but for everything else. I am looking at some of the new tablet PC's but need to get a few different models for testing. I am concerned because I need to do a small bit of web development and demos for AutoCad/ADT and maybe VIZ/Max. Not to mention wi-fi connectivity.
Any good products you have used for under $1,900 that you care to share?
Happy Rendering...
What am I looking for? I find the need to have a mobile system with a decent amount of power not for production work, but for everything else. I am looking at some of the new tablet PC's but need to get a few different models for testing. I am concerned because I need to do a small bit of web development and demos for AutoCad/ADT and maybe VIZ/Max. Not to mention wi-fi connectivity.
Any good products you have used for under $1,900 that you care to share?
Happy Rendering...
AU Wi-Fi
I ran across a posting from Doc Searls regarding wi-fi connectivity in Vegas. I am not sure what the connection will be like in the MGM, but around town Doc offers a few spots to notice during a recent war-drive.
Happy Rendering...
Happy Rendering...
False promises
Ok, I lied the Triple D site received little work this weekend that is worth posting. Most of the intented changes will be navigation structure and full integration of CSS. Why no progress? Painting, water leak, furniture assembly and a small bit of remodeling. :)
With the upcoming birth of our son, my wife and I have taken to changing the layout of our house around. The nice thing is that we had one room that was used very little and now my old study has turned into an extra bedroom and I have a new base of operations for my tech and music gear.
It hardly seems like it but AU is coming up soon and we will be spending some extra time in the L.A./Long Beach area afterwards. If you plan to go and want to get together for a pint, send me an e-mail or look for us around the AUGI beer bust and/or other events.
Happy Rendering...
With the upcoming birth of our son, my wife and I have taken to changing the layout of our house around. The nice thing is that we had one room that was used very little and now my old study has turned into an extra bedroom and I have a new base of operations for my tech and music gear.
It hardly seems like it but AU is coming up soon and we will be spending some extra time in the L.A./Long Beach area afterwards. If you plan to go and want to get together for a pint, send me an e-mail or look for us around the AUGI beer bust and/or other events.
Happy Rendering...
Friday, November 14, 2003
Binary with a hint of green
I just got back from watching the Matrix Revolutions and was blown away. My buddy Miker the Biker summed the trilogy up pretty well by saying the first and last were the weights on a barbell, and the middle one was the barbell itself.
After the film I kept thinking how life is a cause/effect relationship. While pondering this on the way home I had some great events happen that I am grateful for.
This weekend I will be working on the Triple D site (much needed face lift).
Happy Rendering...
After the film I kept thinking how life is a cause/effect relationship. While pondering this on the way home I had some great events happen that I am grateful for.
This weekend I will be working on the Triple D site (much needed face lift).
Happy Rendering...
Thursday, November 13, 2003
Pattern Fills
I finally posted an example of how to use pattern fills in photoshop to "fake" a rendering. Be sure to check out the tutorials section. It is funny that the more website and graphics work you do, the worse your own personal site is. I need to rework the site for some CSS and new scripts that I have been working on. All in good time. :)
As for the tutorial, Photoshop is a tool that I use for a lot of post-processing work and if you plan to do any type of graphics work you should learn to use this tool effectively. The pattern fills are a simple tool and can be used in more ways that I share with you here.
Happy Rendering...
As for the tutorial, Photoshop is a tool that I use for a lot of post-processing work and if you plan to do any type of graphics work you should learn to use this tool effectively. The pattern fills are a simple tool and can be used in more ways that I share with you here.
Happy Rendering...
Upgrade
Besides being blessed with lack of sleep, I got the chance to upgrade my home set-up to the "new" Microsoft Office 2003. This included the developers package for Visual Studio as well. I have not spent a great deal of time using all the features available yet, but so far I really like the new features in Outlook 2003.
Happy Rendering...
Happy Rendering...
Wednesday, November 12, 2003
Blog Check
I mentioned before that Shaan Hurley from Autodesk has a blog that you may find interesting, now with permission here is the link to his blog (no subscription contract is needed to view). As many of you know I am a fan of RSS feeds and since this site is using TypePad there is of course as you expect a feed available. Set your news aggregator to: http://autodesk.blogs.com/between_the_lines/index.rdf
For those that do not know, Shaan is more addicted to AutoCAD than I am. In fact Shaan is the technical marketing manager for Autodesk and also manages many of the beta programs. Keep up the great work Shaan!
Happy Rendering...
For those that do not know, Shaan is more addicted to AutoCAD than I am. In fact Shaan is the technical marketing manager for Autodesk and also manages many of the beta programs. Keep up the great work Shaan!
Happy Rendering...
Changes
Things are wrapping up for a web development project I am working on. This will be a great weight from my shoulders when this version is released later this week. For navigation menu work I ran across a great tool that may help you as well. Combine this with CSS and you have a great match in a WYSIWYG environment.
Why the break in posting last week? Great question. My wife and I are expecting our first child (son) at the end of February and with that goes the rearranging and working on our house. Ahh, the feel of manual labor. ;) Things are shaping up here at Casa Da' Turner and there are other great changes on the horizon that look promising as well.
Happy Rendering...
Why the break in posting last week? Great question. My wife and I are expecting our first child (son) at the end of February and with that goes the rearranging and working on our house. Ahh, the feel of manual labor. ;) Things are shaping up here at Casa Da' Turner and there are other great changes on the horizon that look promising as well.
Happy Rendering...
Thursday, October 30, 2003
Dwarf, no dwf
Technology has brought me around to make an honest effort of using the Autodesk .dwf format. After storyboarding a few positives that this will bring to the table, the first hurdle is to get my local repro company on board. Once successful the next step is to roll this out to other users. There seems to be quite a few people who are onboard already and I am late to the .dwf party, I will keep you posted on the progress. Giving some thought in regards to the use of .dwf as a way to archive submittals for the design process as the use of a multi-page .dwf can be created and give a smaller footprint than the actual drawings themselves.
I have been using .msi scripting for deployments of updates/extensions and just learned that in some cases when clicking on a .exe file you can browse to the install folder that is created to find a .msi file (when available). Thanks for the tip Shaan. In some cases you can also open up the .exe file with winzip to extract the needed contents.
Happy Rendering...
I have been using .msi scripting for deployments of updates/extensions and just learned that in some cases when clicking on a .exe file you can browse to the install folder that is created to find a .msi file (when available). Thanks for the tip Shaan. In some cases you can also open up the .exe file with winzip to extract the needed contents.
Happy Rendering...
Wednesday, October 29, 2003
The Shadow knows....
I guess the title is keeping with the theme of Halloween this week. :)
Shadows play a large role in renderings as they help to set the mood of a scene. Whether something is scary, daytime, nighttime and more is controlled not just by how much lighting is in your scene but also where your shadows fall. I have been reading a really good book by Jeremy Birn that explains the techniques of lighting and rendering in a way that is not specific to any piece of software.
One person (whose site I recently ran across) that makes good use of shadows and lighting is Rudy. The environment scenes he produces look quite good (especially Gallery 04).
In your next rendering project spend a bit of time examing different lighting options. If you use one key light add a second fill light to help add a small bit of environment light to you scene. These little details make all the difference.
For those of you looking for the Architectural Illustrative Rendering tutorial with photoshop, this will be posted over weekend as I put the final touches on it.
Happy Rendering...
Shadows play a large role in renderings as they help to set the mood of a scene. Whether something is scary, daytime, nighttime and more is controlled not just by how much lighting is in your scene but also where your shadows fall. I have been reading a really good book by Jeremy Birn that explains the techniques of lighting and rendering in a way that is not specific to any piece of software.
One person (whose site I recently ran across) that makes good use of shadows and lighting is Rudy. The environment scenes he produces look quite good (especially Gallery 04).
In your next rendering project spend a bit of time examing different lighting options. If you use one key light add a second fill light to help add a small bit of environment light to you scene. These little details make all the difference.
For those of you looking for the Architectural Illustrative Rendering tutorial with photoshop, this will be posted over weekend as I put the final touches on it.
Happy Rendering...
Saturday, October 25, 2003
Radiosity
Check out the site of Fran Davey. She is a regular poster in the Autodesk vizions and viz newsgroup. Fran has some of the nicest interior images I have seen posted using radiosity. Keep up the great work!
Happy Rendering...
Happy Rendering...
Thursday, October 23, 2003
Systems
In attending the Microsoft Office System launch event yesterday, I was surprised just how integrated xml is in to the whole package. I look forward to working with the new tools available in office, but more in particular Outlook and exchange 2003. I did walk away with a copy of Office 2003 and an update copy of vb.net and the full developers pack. This was a cool bonus that could not have come at a better time. I also ran into a few good friends that I had not planned on seeing and met some new ones. Good to see you guys/gals there.
As for rendering the new version of Max 6 rocks!!!! As I continue running through this you can expect to hear a few more comments.
Happy Rendering...
As for rendering the new version of Max 6 rocks!!!! As I continue running through this you can expect to hear a few more comments.
Happy Rendering...
Wednesday, October 22, 2003
Tools of the Trade - VIZ Render
While working in the digital visualization field there are many programs available for you to use for production work. With my main focus on architecture, the use of Architectural Desktop for all phases of work from conceptual design to construction documents has become a large part of my design tools for the past few years. With this in mind it makes sense to use the tools available within this program, one such tool that was added with the release of ADT2004 is VIZ Render.
For those with some experience with VIZ/Max this is not a replacement for the advanced tools/features that these products have to offer, but this software is a good start for the user who would like a decent rendering to explore design options, lighting and materials with ease.
The more I teach/speak/write about rendering the more feedback I receive from users who want to learn about visualization but are unsure where to begin. This past week I have been focused on testing/training with VIZ Render for use as a tool for the general user/designer. While no software is ever the "Total Package" ADT and VIZ Render can help to bridge the learning curve for the beginning to intermediate user.
Of course I would not leave you without a few links for a better understanding of VIZ Render:
1. First and foremost the help files in ADT/VIZR and on the CD are great. Take advantage of them.
2. Steven Papke has put together a good article.
3. Nancy Fulton offers a good tutorial available here.
Happy Rendering...
For those with some experience with VIZ/Max this is not a replacement for the advanced tools/features that these products have to offer, but this software is a good start for the user who would like a decent rendering to explore design options, lighting and materials with ease.
The more I teach/speak/write about rendering the more feedback I receive from users who want to learn about visualization but are unsure where to begin. This past week I have been focused on testing/training with VIZ Render for use as a tool for the general user/designer. While no software is ever the "Total Package" ADT and VIZ Render can help to bridge the learning curve for the beginning to intermediate user.
Of course I would not leave you without a few links for a better understanding of VIZ Render:
1. First and foremost the help files in ADT/VIZR and on the CD are great. Take advantage of them.
2. Steven Papke has put together a good article.
3. Nancy Fulton offers a good tutorial available here.
Happy Rendering...
News
As you may have noticed in recent news Max 6 is out and shipping. In addition to product information the discreet website has several tutorials available as well on some of the new features offered.
There is also a large amount of new releases for third party products to go along with this as well.
Happy Rendering...
There is also a large amount of new releases for third party products to go along with this as well.
Happy Rendering...
Monday, October 20, 2003
CAD Programming - Links
With AutoCAD there are currently two languages you can use for programing/customization for the power user, these include AutoLisp (Visual Lisp) and VBA (Visual Basic). Below are three resources that you may find useful along your programming path.
1. One good stop for VB is the Expresso Code Cafe. Here you will find quite a bit of good information related to the AutoCAD object model and tons of sample code to help get you started. Be sure to check out the "Brain Shots" forum. Related to this site is CAD En Coding - Information for the CAD Programer.
2. AfraLISP - this site belongs to Kenny Ramage and has a wealth of information for lisp and VBA.
3. AcadX/ - this site has quite a bit of code and articles. Be sure to check out each link in the applet on the left.
Happy Coding...
1. One good stop for VB is the Expresso Code Cafe. Here you will find quite a bit of good information related to the AutoCAD object model and tons of sample code to help get you started. Be sure to check out the "Brain Shots" forum. Related to this site is CAD En Coding - Information for the CAD Programer.
2. AfraLISP - this site belongs to Kenny Ramage and has a wealth of information for lisp and VBA.
3. AcadX/ - this site has quite a bit of code and articles. Be sure to check out each link in the applet on the left.
Happy Coding...
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