Keeping the number of faces in your models to a minimum for the detail required is very important,but it's not the entire story.   more »

Multiple bump maps in a single material can be a powerful tool, especially when you know how to control them.   more »

Have you ever needed to create or edit a spline to be an exact length? This simple option has been in 3ds Max and VIZ as long as I can remember, but is not widely used. Try it, you'll like it.   more »

Training and consulting are two very different processes and can seldom be mixed into a cost effective solution.   more »

Clients like to change their minds so it's important for us to work with flexibility in mind and the Tiles map is a versatile tool.   more »

Are you using the Numerical Expression Evaluator when you need it?   more »

The quality of reflections in a scene can have a big influence on the viewers perception of the materials. Use these attenuation colors to make subtle or dramatic differences.   more »

Here on the coast of New Hampshire lobster is plentiful this time of year and if your timing is right, a free lunch is readily available.   more »

Here's another simple trick that can offer both efficiencyand result in more convincing reflections in your scenes.   more »

If you have scenes with a moderate amounts of reflected materials you'll probably wasting a lot of computer resources in calculating those reflections. This simple adjustment will increase your productivity.   more »

Verizon's new fiber-optic Internet option seems as if it's going to be well worth the money.   more »

I've seen many situations where a simple adjustment to Raytrace shadows can result in rendering times 1/10 of the original. You should check this setting for all scenes that use Raytrace shadows.   more »

In my training I can often walk into a typical architectural office and cut the rendering times for their exterior scenes down to 1/10 of what they were. This takes about 15 minutes to accomplish and has the same impact as adding several new computers to the render farm.   more »

If you find yourself typing a lot during the day and would like a break from the physical stresses that sometimes accompany it, you may want to look into speech recognition technology.   more »

The Linked XForm modifier doesn't seem to be widely used, but offers some extremely powerful editing capabilities. Use this video tutorial to pique your imagination and come up with some new uses for it.   more »

There are two concerns that you should constantly bear in mind while working; efficiency and flexibility. This might help make some sense of some otherwise confusing options.   more »

It seems that I must always manipulate photos I take for backgrounds or bitmaps and this new beta software is proving very interesting.   more »

Directly download a new SWF version of the parking stripes tutorial   more »

The last official day of Siggraph   more »

Siggraph is all about seen people!   more »

Siggraph exhibits floor   more »