Ted...

Congrat's to your new video tutorial series. As you know, I'm a huge fan and I visit your site frequently. And I own most of your books.

One unfortunate note though. The cost for the training through the web page is a bit steep for me. Do you know if the DVD series will cost the same or be at a discount? I understand that everyone has to make money and I truly believe you deserve it, but for the individuals who have to pay out of their own pockets to learn, it does cut a bit deep.

I do hope I haven't offended you in any way. You are a great instructor.

Warmest regards,
Leonard from Canada

>>Do you know if the DVD series will cost the same or be at a discount?<<

Hi Leonard,

Good seeing you up here. I ran into one of your co-workers at AU this year.

I'm not sure (not my department) but I would think the DVD might be a bit more expensive due to copying and shipping.

I certainly understand the cost is a factor, but the cost to benefit ratio is very low if the training increases production...and, of course, it will!! :)

Stay tuned to these blogs though and I'll be posting more helpful tutorials here.

Thanks Leonard and good luck.

Ted

Ted...

Yes, my co-worker was very lucky and fortunate to have attended AU. I was very envious. I had said that he should have taken me but instead he took his wife.  I had instructed him to seek you out and pass along my greetings to you. I’m glad you remember him (and me).

In regards to the training DVD’s, I will most likely be purchasing a copy regardless of the cost. Your books and this BLOG with the all of the helpful tips are a great resource for me.

I always tune in!

Warmest regards,
Leonard from Canada

Hi Ted,
I will love to model in Max, but I have one problem, I make all my models in Autocad and I am very accurate and fast with this program. Do you think I can achieve this level with Max?
How I can start to model in Max?

>>I make all my models in Autocad and I am very accurate and fast with this program. Do you think I can achieve this level with Max?
How I can start to model in Max?<<

Hi Gonzalo,

The answers are: yes and slowly! :)

I've known many users who have switched to Max/VIZ modeling when they learn how it works. As you see, it's very different from CAD and requires a different approach, but the advantages are much higher efficiency and flexibility.

Where does visualization fit into your workflow; conceptual, design e or marketing? The earlier it is used, the more productive it can be usually.

Both programs are for entirely different purposes and while there can be some productive overlap, it requires that you know both programs very well to avoid wasting time and resources.

I tell people that CAD is a mechanical pencil and Max/VIZ are crayons to illustrate the intent of the programs. Any uses in between require compromise.

There is no "right" answer, but I'd recommend you learn as much as you can about Max and then make a decision on the mix that works best for your office.

Don't be afraid to separate the presentation from the construction documents. The "one big happy software family" was cooked up by Autodesk marketing and the theory only works to a certain point if your goal is to make money with Max/VIZ.

To learn Max/VIZ try to pay more attention to understanding the underlying concepts of the software so you can take advantage of the Modifier Stack, Cloning, or model optimization, for example.

Sorry to make you read so much, Gonzalo, but this is a topic I'm very interested in and take every chance to vent! :)

By the way, "you know when your max model is finished when there's nothing left to remove".

Thanks
Ted