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I am very happy to be reviewing a series of CINEMA 4D™ training DVD's created by Mash (Matthew O'Neill) and Janine Pauke of 3DFluff. I hope that you will follow along as I move through a series of top notch training sessions on DVD along with projects, "goodies" and a series of files that will guide you as you move through the lessons. I am always happy to delve into a 3DFluff tutorial DVD because I know that whatever the subject, I will learn new things that will enable my modeling and rendering to be much better and my workflow more succinct and uncluttered.
In the series of training DVD's created by 3DFluff, this volume stands out as one of the most informative when it comes to basic modeling instruction. Coupled with the video tutorial done by Mash at the end concerning some of the tools in CINEMA 4D that are sometimes misunderstood, this DVD is a solid learning experience. Janine and Mash have a true knack for explaining methods and reasons behind functions and settings that enable you to retain the knowledge as well as immediately see how it will help you in other ways in your own work. They provide that much needed base upon which we can build our modeling skills and move to another level. This DVD runs over 3 hours and contains two modeling tutorials as well as the project files. The format is beautiful and the lossless codec needed for playing the DVD is included on the disk or is available from their site.
With over 4 hours of footage, this represents one of the longest and most detailed training DVD produced by 3D Fluff to date. These lessons take you to a more advanced level than previous DVDs, yet they still retain a sensible learning curve for those who are new to CINEMA 4D. This DVD strictly requires CINEMA 4D Release 9 or above due to the modeling tools used.
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Main topics covered:
- Creating clean and efficient polygon meshes
- HyperNURBS weighting
- Polygon and Spline based modeling
- Which tool to use in any given situation
- Making your life easier with the correct selection tools
- Common shortcuts
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The DVD includes:
Two full modeling projects in video format.
A third video by Mash full of tips and explanations as well as examples of different tools and functions that will explain how and why each works best in different situations.
The project files step by step for each modeling project.
The Windows and Mac OSX and OS9 codec needed for viewing the DVD.
Extra Goodies including the Camtasia Player, HDRI files and models.
Janine opens the instruction with a really in-depth project involving modeling a television remote control. I always find her lessons easy to understand and follow along with while she moves through the modeling phases. Beginning with an empty scene, you will build the remote using methods that are streamlined and as always Janine shows more than one way to do the steps and how each may be better depending on different circumstances. She will take you from a simple cube to a fully featured remote control. Janine shows you how to handle bevels, edge loops and HyperNURBS to create a high quality, clean flowing mesh suitable for almost any purpose.
As you can see in the preceding images, the workflow is smooth and easy following Janine's instructions and moving through the project while learning new functions is not only informative but fun. Texture files are provided for your final model and it truly is a great project.
The second modeling tutorial involves following Mash as he leads us through modeling a small MAXON "torch" or flashlight. Just as in Janine's tutorial, Mash easily leads us through the steps while not only explaining how to accomplish the steps but why it is best to do it in a certain way and what can happen if you use another tool or function. I find this method of teaching invaluable.
I had no problems following along and moving through the tutorial and I'm proud of both of my results on the projects. I believe that you will find this DVD an indispensable tool in learning non-organic modeling in CINEMA 4D. I found no down-side whatsoever to this training DVD and look forward to the next.
Requirements:
CINEMA 4D R9.
PC or Mac with a DVD-ROM drive (the DVD will NOT play in a standalone DVD player.)
Quicktime™ 5 or higher (Mac) or Windows Media Player™ (Windows) for playback.
500 MHz CPU or higher and a minimum screen resolution of 1024x768 recommended.
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By clicking on the image on the left, you can go to the 3DFluff information page concerning this DVD with a link to purchase it in 3DFluff's online store.
As always, it was a joy to follow along and learn by doing the projects on the DVD and I look forward to the next learning experience. As usual my only disappointment was when it was over. I am always ready for more. I hope you will join me next time as I review the next in the series.
Review by Kathie Berry
Websites: http://www.berry-designs.com & http://www.planit3d.com
Email: kathie@berry-designs.com
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Copyright 2007, PlanIt 3D
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