Each month we showcase a Renderosity Free Stuff Artist,
in appreciation for their thoughtfulness, and countless hours spent
creating free items for the Renderosity community. This month we
are proud to showcase the works of Richard Taylor, better know to
his Renderosity fellow artists as Richard T.
Can you give us some insight as to who Richard T is by
telling us a little bit about yourself? I have been retired for
two-and-a half-years now. I was a Tech/Manager of a
telecommunications company for 37 Years and then worked part time
in Customer Service (Call Center) for another 5 years. My main
interests are family (we have two children one still going to
school, the other going to university), computer graphics, model
trains and travel. What drew you to the Poser Community? How
long have you been a member? What do you like best about it?
Discovering Renderosity and newsgroups when I first got on the net
in 2000. What I like best is the way everybody helps each other.
What version of Poser do you use, and why do you like it
best? I use Poser 4 (Pro Pack) and Poser 6. Poser 4 for larger
scenes and product development It is not so resource hungry.
Poser 6 for smaller scenes, the great material room, and the
improved Renderer. Which came first modeling or Poser? Do you
like one more than the other? I started with Visto Pro and
Imagine 3D on an Amiga, then progressed to Bryce, and then Poser in
1997. Although I played around with programs like Ray Dream Studio,
I didn't really start modeling until recently with the purchase of
C4D. At the moment I like modeling better. I find it more creative
because you start with absolutely nothing and end up with a model
that is 100% your own, which may come in handy for other members of
the community. You have quite an array of free stuff items that
range from mats to furniture to sci-fi. Where do you get your ideas
from?
All
Items created by Richard T, and can be found in Renderositys Free Stuff
With the Mats it was first an experiment to see how some of DM
Productions buildings, available here at Renderosity, would look
with some textures created from digital photographs of Bushland
where I lived. I was amazed! It just went on from there. The ideas
for the models come from everywhere: real life as in the bus stop,
woodworking magazines, model railroad magazines, pictures I see in
architecture magazines, and my son's wargame books etc. I also
accept some requests for a particular model. Sometimes I will get
an idea from a Sci-Fi novel I am reading. The only problem is I
have all these ideas running around my head, however I do not have
the modeling skills, yet, to implement them. Is there a genre
you prefer to work in such as futuristic, fantasy modern etc.?
While landscapes can be nice I like to create artwork that tells a
story and most of the stories I like are Sci-Fi or are from history
(fantasy). As far as the models go it tends to be modern/industrial
because my skills are not good enough to create clothing and
organic models yet. What is the first model you ever made? Did
it come out the way you envisioned? It was a model of a Spanish
historical Parador (a castle/monastry/convent which is now a
hotel), which was done for a Bryce project. I got a lot of positive
feedback for the picture in which it was used, which was very
pleasing. Can you give us an idea of the steps you take when
you're planning a model?
- The idea.
- Research it if it is a real world object Measure and make notes
and photographs (best) or Find or purchase plans and photographs
Woodworking Magazines are great also Industrial equipment
manufacturers websites some times have PDF plans and specs, which
can be a real help in deriving a model. or Just work from
photographs
- If it is not a real model make some rough sketches with
dimension on them.
- Break the project up into a series of small tasks and begin
modeling. Can I do it with (modified) Primatives (eg
cubes/spheres/cylinders etc.) or do I need to do some "sculpting"
where you build the model by pushing and moving surfaces of the
model (I am still learning how to do that). Think about what
textures I need, and do I have them already, or do I need to create
them. Begin modeling and texturing it a piece at a time. I use
Cinema 4D for modeling once a piece is created I will then apply
the texture in C4D to see how it looks. I can adjust how the
texture is applied within C4D. Do a fair bit of jumping back and
forth between 2D bitmap programs and the modeling program here.
Once I have all the parts I need, then I assemble them, in C4D
before exporting them in .obj format. What do you do when
something you're working on just isn't going the way you
planned? I do additional research on how to use my modeling
program (tutorials) and practice on modeling techniques to
improve my skills so I can make what I have in mind. Do you have
a favorite model that you've made? The first model I published:
The Air Raft. It was really fun to see it come alive on the screen
and it was also my first fair Dinkum project in C4D.
The Air Raft by Richard T
Which do you like doing better, mats, single props or full scene
type props? Full scene props or a series of props to make a
complete scene like the industrial ones I am doing at the moment.
It means more research into the prototype, more mats to be created
for the props, and most of all it is probably more useful to the
community. Do you have a favorite image that you or someone else
has created using your free stuff? My own favorite would be
from For Don one of older Mat uploads.
For Don by Richard T Created using
Richard's Mats for DAZ's Temple Ruins
As a freebie provider you see very little of what people do with
your offerings, however as a result of this interview I did a
search through the gallery and was pleasantly surprised. . Can
you give us a hint on what your next item will be, and how do you
anticipate before it will be released? I still have at least
five items in the Industrial/Sci-Fi series to do. I would expect to
see the next one in a day or so (the model is 90% completed), it
just depends on domestic duties. After that I have in mind some
vehicles for the "steampunk" series, and would hope to have at
least one by the end of the month, however a vacation may interfere
with that! Time is always a problem I don't seem to get enough to
create pictures any more. [smile]
From the Industrial/Sci-Fi series by
Richard T
Do you have a favorite free stuff provider? That's a hard
one. Mapps mainly for the quantity/quality and variety of
downloads. Also, because the comments in his interview inspired me
to have a go at publishing models. Do you have any advice for
someone who is just starting to model and wants to share their
items? Do the best to your abilities. Start small (that is from
Mapps). Don't rush. Listen to, and look after, your "customers,"
and if you do have a successful "product" make sure you have plenty
of bandwidth on your hosting service!
Lynn Gottlieb [Angel1] is a Renderosity Front Page News
Staff Columnist We invite you to visit
If you know of a Renderosity Free Stuff Artist that you would like
to have us showcase, please drop Dee-Marie a note with the artist's Renderosity
username, and keep checking the Front Page News, you never know who
we will be showcasing next! December 12,
2005 |
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