Introduction to Maya - Modeling Fundamentals Vol 1
This course will look at the fundamentals of modeling in Maya with an emphasis on creating good topology. We'll look at what makes a good model in Maya and why objects are modeled in the way they are.
# 31 01-04-2010 , 02:04 PM
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Yeah, I think thats a healthy attitude. I would agree with you aswell, if I were making my own site, if there were a few small snags in some random minor places, I wouldnt let it worry me. Problem was aswell with my brothers site, was that it was for his business. He's a landscape gardener, and has had a tough time of it like most people with the recession and stuff...I didn't want to be the one responsible for losing him potential customers by having some dodgy cross browser issues. I felt it was alot of responsibility to make him a website, I was pleased that he thought well enough of my ability to do so, but I didn't know as much as I should have done to have taken on the project...which I did say to him at the start, that it would be practice and experience for me, but the result of it was very demoralising for me. I was teaching myself php and mysql and stuff, but by the end of building my brothers site, I came to conclude that I really took little enjoyment/satisfaction from web design.


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# 32 01-04-2010 , 05:22 PM
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You could compare it with 3D. Many people fall in love with the idea of "3D" when they see these beautiful renders all over the place....artists that make things look easy but when you sit down to do it yourself, you realize just how difficult it can be every step of the process. I do web design/dev for a living and have since the late 90s. It's like anything else, things come together the more you do it but it's also a continual learning process as technology and code changes. I remember when folks started migrating from tables to CSS for layouts....major headache.


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# 33 01-04-2010 , 05:29 PM
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I agree Nitro. For me personally, I come from an arty background, always drawing as a kid, studying art at a-level, high school, so its more a continuation of my hobbies, web design was a complete change of tack for me, and having spent the time doing it that I did, and the few days work experience I did, I have tons of respect for people who do web design, and actually know what they're talking about. They're lots of people, like you say, who do one or the other for a hobby, and then make claims that they can 'do' it. But I spent over a year looking at web design, and i wouldnt dream of applying for a position at a web agency

# 34 01-04-2010 , 05:50 PM
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In my experience you have 2 types in web:

-1- the webdesigner
-2-the web programmer

The first one likes to make a beautiful site in form and shape and knows little about technique
The second one is the guy trying to get PHp/MSQL and stuff like that working and enjoys the fact that his code even holds up in IE6.....I am definite not the last one, if you can't view it using netscape1, then update your browser .

And your brother is a landscape gardener he will get new jobs mostly from mouth to mouth bussines so don't fuss over it user added image

# 35 01-04-2010 , 06:04 PM
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ha ha. Yeah, he does. Do you know what I mean though, if there was just that chance...

I think Id lean more towards the design side too I guess. Though I was surprised how hard it actually was, to make a good looking site. Youd think, a header, a couple of pictures, some text...etc...but once you get going....just not enough confidence with the code i guess

# 36 01-04-2010 , 06:17 PM
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Just download a template from te internet and start building from there.
Don't start from scratch or anything.
I download the template strip it for usefull parts and build something of it.

And yes I know what you mean

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# 37 01-04-2010 , 08:26 PM
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Originally posted by ben hobden
ha ha. Yeah, he does. Do you know what I mean though, if there was just that chance...

I think Id lean more towards the design side too I guess. Though I was surprised how hard it actually was, to make a good looking site. Youd think, a header, a couple of pictures, some text...etc...but once you get going....just not enough confidence with the code i guess

Try designing it in photoshop or a GUI editor first, then code it. I find it much easier

# 38 01-04-2010 , 09:52 PM
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I think my web design days are pretty much behind me now user added image

# 39 01-04-2010 , 10:40 PM
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Originally posted by mastone
Just download a template from the internet and start building from there. Don't start from scratch or anything.
I download the template strip it for useful parts and build something of it.

That's only useful if you know what to strip away. Templates are hit and miss as far as quality. If I didn't really know what I was doing and I wanted something nice right off the bat, I would probably go the wordpress route (if your host supports php/mysql). There are developers and themers up the ying-yang and would be easy as pie to find something pre-canned to set up a portfolio (lightbox plugin, etc). You're more apt to find something coded validly. The downside is that all content is in a db so that can be a bit of a drag. You'd also have to make sure you've covered any kind of security issues.

There are other things that can make web design easier like CSS frameworks ala the 960 grid, baseline, etc. but most folks will tell people starting out to get your head around the basics before trying to use one as you'll find it easier to troubleshoot should something go wrong.


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# 40 01-04-2010 , 11:51 PM
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It's funny how website development started out fairly simple and has know turned into something akin to panhyperdimmensional quantum newtonian physics.

With .net, php, mysql, asp, perl, and all the other API's and plugins, and net development apps like dreamweaver and other tools you need to master like photoshop and the like it's hard to know where to even start.


"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Sir Isaac Newton, 1675
# 41 02-04-2010 , 12:03 AM
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CSS and HTML is all you really need ....or just html if you don't need formatting or don't care about semantically correct code. These can be done in any text editor. The rest is only if you need any kind of app incorporated into your site or to pull data from a database (blogs, forums, chats, stores, etc.). Programming and specialized IDEs are when it gets convoluted...Visual Studio for .net development comes to mind.


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# 42 02-04-2010 , 01:22 AM
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What I said was mostly intended to be tongue in cheek. I thought the pandimensional quasi hyperdimensional physics thing would have given it away. user added image

I agree for basic pages css and html would suffice.

I have done some basic some basic stuff up to and including stored procedures. The only gui development app I have tried to use is dreamweaver.

One day I need to actually work on my webpage.


"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Sir Isaac Newton, 1675
# 43 02-04-2010 , 03:05 AM
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Yeah, I just started re-designing mine. The hardest part for me isn't the coding or the graphics, really...it's figuring out the content/organizing/purpose. Content is king and it really dictates the site's architecture. For example, you could be making a portfolio to simply direct people to that you've already been in contact with. You could create a site to generate freelance work on its own (Hire Me! type of sites). Maybe you just want to include everything to do with you...a vanity site...that includes portfolio, hobbies, tutorials, etc. Maybe that's too general. You have to choose the tone of voice as you write...1st person...3rd person....casual...formal. All valid but different approaches.

I can appreciate the folks that build sole purpose sites- "I'm a modeler, these are my models, these are my modeling tutorials and contact." Easy peasy! It gets a little more convoluted when your career path has veered all across the creative map and you have to figure out the best way to represent everything without losing the site's focus. It doesn't help being indecisive either. Hehehe.


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# 44 10-04-2010 , 07:25 PM
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Hi guys

i have worked a bit on anaglyph 3D I could have posted it in a WIP thread but it is more of a gimmick and I actually had some fun results.

On my website is a short anaglyph 3d test which I have comped in fusion ( for some reason I couldn't get a total image straight from Maya through batch instead I got left and right camera's)

I rendered out with motionblur and twiddled with the camera paralax settings to get to know how it works.
It's by no means a finished product, it's really a test .


Below is a still which actually had a nice effect to it

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# 45 21-12-2010 , 02:46 AM
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Well since I have some spare time ( holiday user added image ) I decided to update the website again, since the html coded website (bliep)-ed, I have decided to go with Wordpress, I don't understand half of it ( oh god I do hate sifting through php files looking for some context to change stuff user added image ) but I am getting there.
I basically use it as a CMS, since Joomla and Drupal gave me a headache user added image.

There is one thing I hope you guys can help me with :
If you go to this link :
https://www.eyellem.nl/portfolio/indiana-jones

You"ll see the w.i.p. of Indy I am working on, thing is I want to be able to post on this page ( basically adding some forum functionality) but I don' t know how to do this, I know I can assign posts to 1 specific page, but I want to be able to select the page I want to post at and not on only one, since I will be adding more wip in de future, hope it's clear ......did I mentioned I hate webcoding?user added image

C&C is of course welcome

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