3D Model Master Training - Is it worth it?

245

Comments

  • Jim_1831252Jim_1831252 Posts: 728
    edited December 1969

    I have thus far completed most of Waldemar "model master". It has been somewhat useful, but damn it was frustrating sitting through some of the more long-winded sections - get to the point already! I've lapsed on all my personal studies of late. A lot of what I learnt has stayed with me, but the way it was taught has faded into the mist. – seriously forgettable presentation.

    I don't so much mind all the extra marketing that comes along with signing up to Waldemar's tutorials, but I seriously couldn't care less about this damn Empower Network rot (network marketing BS). It isn't spam, just occasionally annoying marketing material and techniques. His site, outside the main DL Lounge area, is hopeless if you are looking for anything in particular - it is all made for selling one particular product or another (lots of one way squeeze pages), so don't lose the login URL you get emailed.

    I totally agree that PhilW's training is superior, but that is based entirely on seeing only half a dozen trial videos (should be enough to gauge the quality). I like how Phil uses "set assignments" and lots of good practical instruction.

  • GarstorGarstor Posts: 1,411
    edited December 1969

    jimzombie said:
    I have thus far completed most of Waldemar "model master". It has been somewhat useful, but damn it was frustrating sitting through some of the more long-winded sections - get to the point already!

    I am glad to see that I am not the only one with that opinion. When he does make a point, it is usually a good. Then he makes the point again...and again...and again... :-)

    jimzombie said:
    A lot of what I learnt has stayed with me, but the way it was taught has faded into the mist. – seriously forgettable presentation.

    Again, totally agree here. The long-winded lectures are very taxing. I tend to perk up and pay more attention once he is demo-ing in Lightwave or Carrara. Tell me something, then show it to me...it has a better chance of sticking with me.

    I totally agree that PhilW's training is superior, but that is based entirely on seeing only half a dozen trial videos (should be enough to gauge the quality). I like how Phil uses "set assignments" and lots of good practical instruction.

    Yep, the big gain with what Phil did was to do complete projects from start to finish...the furniture set, the Sopwith Camel, etc. Seeing Carrara in action for "real work" definitely went a long way in my education.

  • anikadanikad Posts: 1,919
    edited December 1969

    megacal said:
    Well, after mulling it over & weighing the pros & cons, decided to push the button and
    get it (putting my money where my mouth is), but too late, looks like it's back up to full price. =(

    Too bad.


    Later.....emailed Waldemar and asked for a special dispensation for anyone who
    wants to purchase for $96..........hope to hear back soon and will let you know.

    Cross your fingers. :)

    He has it for sale at $57 on his website if you use this link: http://www.dream-lounge.com/dreamlightclub/modelmaster/get_modelmaster.htm only for the next 48 hours though. I wouldn't buy his stuff via daz, the prices tend to be higher than his website and you don't get automatic access like you do if you buy via him. You do get the 30 money-back guarantee from Daz though.

  • GarstorGarstor Posts: 1,411
    edited December 1969

    anikad said:
    He has it for sale at $57 on his website if you use this link: http://www.dream-lounge.com/dreamlightclub/modelmaster/get_modelmaster.htm only for the next 48 hours though. I wouldn't buy his stuff via daz, the prices tend to be higher than his website and you don't get automatic access like you do if you buy via him. You do get the 30 money-back guarantee from Daz though.

    I saw that email too. I was amused by the line, "....and you're literally STEALING my years of experience and knowledge."

    Uhm...no...you're selling it for $57! :lol:

  • anikadanikad Posts: 1,919
    edited December 1969

    He really does seem to have a flair for the melodrama. I'm taking the 3d pin-up class and I too have noticed the long winded nature of the lectures. He is very good but he could do with an editor.

  • GarstorGarstor Posts: 1,411
    edited December 1969

    anikad said:
    He really does seem to have a flair for the melodrama. I'm taking the 3d pin-up class and I too have noticed the long winded nature of the lectures. He is very good but he could do with an editor.

    I am mildly curious about that class and if it is worth it. I have the "Light Master" classes since they were offered as a bonus to the Model Master stuff (haven't looked at them yet).

  • booksbydavidbooksbydavid Posts: 429
    edited December 1969

    Garstor said:
    anikad said:
    He really does seem to have a flair for the melodrama. I'm taking the 3d pin-up class and I too have noticed the long winded nature of the lectures. He is very good but he could do with an editor.

    I am mildly curious about that class and if it is worth it. I have the "Light Master" classes since they were offered as a bonus to the Model Master stuff (haven't looked at them yet).

    I took the Light Master course. Found it very helpful.

  • anikadanikad Posts: 1,919
    edited December 1969

    Garstor said:

    I am mildly curious about that class and if it is worth it. I have the "Light Master" classes since they were offered as a bonus to the Model Master stuff (haven't looked at them yet).

    I consider it to be worth it with light master but I don't know that if I already had light master I would buy it.

    I'm a complete newbie, so I know nothing. In the first module I took away that different poses look more masculine than feminine, so if you are creating a 3d pin up you want her to look soft and feminine. He also talked about how curves were feminine, so you would want to highlight the curves rather than harsh angles. I've not gone through the next module on lighting yet.

  • 3dcal3dcal Posts: 178
    edited December 1969

    anikad,

    thanks for the link to the $57 offer........verrry tempting.

    It says the bonuses are good for 90 days.

    The Light Master is a "bonus".....does it time out in 90 days or is it a set of videos to keep?

    Mulling again. %-P

  • JoeMamma2000JoeMamma2000 Posts: 2,615
    edited December 1969

    Guys, there's a reason he's being long winded...he doesn't have much to say, but he wants to be able to advertise "20 hours of training" or whatever.

    Like I said before, anyone can proclaim to be an expert and offer training. Many are clueless, and when they are teaching newbies who don't know any better they can say whatever they want and people think it's awesome and helpful.

    You don't purchase training based solely on advertising, or on some other guy saying "I thought it was helpful". For many, many reasons. But as long as you do that, you'll get results that might be less than useful, and you're more likely to be disappointed. Look at the "instructor's" background, his expertise and experience as an instructor, his experience working as a professional in the industry where real skill matters, and do some basic research before parting with your money on a whim.

    So you mean different poses look more masculine than feminine? Wow. He must be a totally awesome expert.

  • GarstorGarstor Posts: 1,411
    edited December 1969

    megacal said:
    The Light Master is a "bonus".....does it time out in 90 days or is it a set of videos to keep?

    The first thing that I did after purchasing was download every video that I had access to. :-)

    I think that the "90 day bonus" concerns access to their forums. I haven't used that yet...and may not ever...I am primarily interested in the videos.

  • evilproducerevilproducer Posts: 9,040
    edited December 1969

    anikad said:
    Garstor said:

    I am mildly curious about that class and if it is worth it. I have the "Light Master" classes since they were offered as a bonus to the Model Master stuff (haven't looked at them yet).

    I consider it to be worth it with light master but I don't know that if I already had light master I would buy it.

    I'm a complete newbie, so I know nothing. In the first module I took away that different poses look more masculine than feminine, so if you are creating a 3d pin up you want her to look soft and feminine. He also talked about how curves were feminine, so you would want to highlight the curves rather than harsh angles. I've not gone through the next module on lighting yet.


    And here I thought it was about the boobs! :red:

  • anikadanikad Posts: 1,919
    edited December 1969

    Guys, there's a reason he's being long winded...he doesn't have much to say, but he wants to be able to advertise "20 hours of training" or whatever.
    Possibly but then it could have more do to with English not being his first language.

    Like I said before, anyone can proclaim to be an expert and offer training. Many are clueless, and when they are teaching newbies who don't know any better they can say whatever they want and people think it's awesome and helpful.
    I don't really care whether he's proclaiming to be an expert or not, I'm not one to fall for advertising. He's teaching me something that I don't know and that is what I'm looking for. His classes don't work for you great, but there is no need to look down your nose at the people who buy is classes.


    You don't purchase training based solely on advertising, or on some other guy saying "I thought it was helpful". For many, many reasons. But as long as you do that, you'll get results that might be less than useful, and you're more likely to be disappointed. Look at the "instructor's" background, his expertise and experience as an instructor, his experience working as a professional in the industry where real skill matters, and do some basic research before parting with your money on a whim.


    Wait are you complaining people are impulse buying? On Daz 3d's forums? Really? Wow. Anyway to be serious why are you asuming that everyone who buys his stuff, does so without doing any research? If it was based solely on his advertising I wouldn't have bought the course. I did my research and then I waited until he was selling his class at a price I was prepared to pay.


    So you mean different poses look more masculine than feminine? Wow. He must be a totally awesome expert.
    Well it may not be news to you but it was something I hadn't considered. We can't all be such great experts as you right off the bat, and we don't all have time to trawl the internet look for instructions seeing as Daz doesn't believe in user manuals.

  • GarstorGarstor Posts: 1,411
    edited December 1969

    And here I thought it was about the boobs! :red:

    Understandable; because that is definitely how he is marketing that training. Apparently, in addition to being an awesome expert (emphasis added for JoeMamma :) ) modeler and instructor, he was also a cameraman in the Swedish porn industry.

    Some of the emails I have received from him promoting the pin-up class had me LMAO.

  • JoeMamma2000JoeMamma2000 Posts: 2,615
    edited August 2012

    anikad, I'm merely suggesting that people be a little skeptical and do a little bit of research before parting with their money. That is good advice no matter what you are buying. How you can get upset and offended at that kind of advice is beyond me.

    There are alternatives. You could choose to spend $100 on training class A, or spend the same $100 on training class B. If B is far better than A, but your attitude is you'd gladly spend your money on A because "hey, at least I learned something from training class A", then that's up to you. I'm merely suggesting you try to find training class B in the first place. If you don't agree, that's up to you.

    Post edited by JoeMamma2000 on
  • JoeMamma2000JoeMamma2000 Posts: 2,615
    edited December 1969

    By the way, on a hunch, I did a few minutes (well, maybe two minutes) of searching on the internet, and found out that the "instructor" is also an "expert" in online marketing. So not only can he teach you how to be a 3D expert, he can help you become a millionaire in 3 easy steps....

    http://www.waldemarbelwon.com/about/

    Swedish porn, online marketing, 3D graphics....

    I'm sold.

  • 3dcal3dcal Posts: 178
    edited August 2012

    Time & money are both important to me, and don't want to waste either one.

    If booksbydavid, Garstor, and anikad think it's worth time and money "bottom line", then I have
    to seriously consider purchasing. Especially now that the price is only $57.

    (edit to add) Garstor, would you say that you got something worthwhile out of it? I got that impression,
    Maybe you need to do the Light Master program to fully assess the worth? Would you do it over again?
    Just didn't want to misrepresent what you were saying. Even if he "runs on", is the info worth your time and money?

    If it will improve my 3D skills and make me more efficient at modeling, lighting, etc.
    then I can justify the purchase.

    One thing that impressed me was all the stuff he sells at DAZ. Looks pretty professional.

    (mull, mull, mull)

    Ok, decided to get it. ;-)

    Post edited by 3dcal on
  • JoeMamma2000JoeMamma2000 Posts: 2,615
    edited December 1969

    megacal said:
    Ok, decided to get it. ;-)

    Hey, I think that's Step 1 in his Three Steps to Becoming a Millionaire !!! Get a bunch of 3D guys to believe you're an awesome 3D instructor.

    Y'know, he may have something...where to I sign up?

  • booksbydavidbooksbydavid Posts: 429
    edited December 1969

    megacal said:
    Time & money are both important to me, and don't want to waste either one.

    If booksbydavid, Garstor, and anikad think it's worth time and money "bottom line", then I have
    to seriously consider purchasing. Especially now that the price is only $57.

    (edit to add) Garstor, would you say that you got something worthwhile out of it? I got that impression,
    Maybe you need to do the Light Master program to fully assess the worth? Would you do it over again?
    Just didn't want to misrepresent what you were saying. Even if he "runs on", is the info worth your time and money?

    If it will improve my 3D skills and make me more efficient at modeling, lighting, etc.
    then I can justify the purchase.

    One thing that impressed me was all the stuff he sells at DAZ. Looks pretty professional.

    (mull, mull, mull)

    Ok, decided to get it. ;-)

    If you get access to any of the other materials on the Dreamlight site get them! There are a large number of videos concerning everything from lighting to postwork done for the Dreamlight club by other people. There's some very useful information there. I found the video tutorials on postwork to be especially helpful.

  • 3dcal3dcal Posts: 178
    edited August 2012

    Starting to download the files, and will get back with my first impressions asap.
    First, need a big cup of Starbucks! :)

    BTW, Joe,
    have you ever considered putting together a set of tutorials? E.g. workarounds,
    like using a gel instead of caustics to speed up a render......."Carrara 8 Tips N Tricks".

    I bet they would sell like ice cream on a hot day......."I'm just sayin'" :)


    There are a large number of videos concerning everything from lighting to postwork done for the Dreamlight club by other people. There’s some very useful information there. I found the video tutorials on postwork to be especially helpful.
    -booksbydavid

    Thanks! Will get all I can out of it. ;)

    Post edited by 3dcal on
  • JoeMamma2000JoeMamma2000 Posts: 2,615
    edited December 1969

    megacal said:
    I bet they would sell like ice cream on a hot day......."I'm just sayin'"

    Thanks, but folks here don't take my advice when it's free, why would they pay for it? Plus I don't really need the money, and if I did charge you guys couldn't afford me... :)

  • 3dcal3dcal Posts: 178
    edited December 1969

    folks here don’t take my advice when it’s free, ....more than you know.


    why would they pay for it?
    ....to learn something new.


    Plus I don’t really need the money, and if I did charge you guys couldn’t afford me
    ....that's the kicker.

    But that goes for several others here that could probably sell tutorials if they wanted to take the time
    to do them. But since DAZ takes 50%, I know it's difficult to make it worth your while.

    I'd like to see a whole set on animation, or modeling, or rendering, or lighting......to really go into depth
    on each area. I think it's a niche that needs filling.

    BTW, listened to the first few videos for Model Master.......he definitely takes his time getting there, but
    as long as he gets there. He speaks English very well and clearly........Scandinavian accent?

    Need more coffee. :)

  • evilproducerevilproducer Posts: 9,040
    edited December 1969

    megacal said:
    I bet they would sell like ice cream on a hot day......."I'm just sayin'"

    Thanks, but folks here don't take my advice when it's free, why would they pay for it? Plus I don't really need the money, and if I did charge you guys couldn't afford me... :)


    It would be like stealing his 3D skills! I think the course would have the same tone as the history teacher scene from Back To School, starring Rodney Dangerfield. :lol:

  • Jim_1831252Jim_1831252 Posts: 728
    edited December 1969

    "You don’t purchase training based solely on advertising,"

    I like how Joe thinks we're all idiots :) I bought the material because the dude has actually produced results in his own work. Yes, he is into network marketing, so you do have to question motivation and how genuine he is (we all no network marketers have a reputation), but the fact he has fingers in various pies is in and of itself not enough to throw the course away.

    The course has certainly taught me a lot of things that would have taken a lot longer to learn on my own with a manual. It also trumps other YouTube (and the like) tutorials in that it is a progression from beginning to end in terms of basic content creation processes. That is what I like about course material, it is all there in one location. Unfortunately it isn't always detailed enough, so that's where all those other tutorials come in.

  • JoeMamma2000JoeMamma2000 Posts: 2,615
    edited December 1969

    Like I said, jimzombie, it's up to you. There are alternatives out there, and if you think this is the best one, then go right ahead. I never said the course has zero value. That's not the point. The point is whether you'd get a much greater bang for your buck with another program.

    I can pretty much guarantee there are courses out there taught by guys who are much better instructors with far more appropriate and practical experience, at comparable prices. Would you rather be taught lighting by this guy, or a guy who worked for 15 years at Disney, and also taught the artists who worked on some of their major films? It's up to you. All I can do is offer my advice, based on my experience. If you don't want to take it, it really doesn't matter to me. I ain't the one payin', and I ain't the one complainin' .... :)

    Funny, in some parts of the world people actually appreciate when others give advice that might help them out, or keep them from making a wrong turn. Not here. Here people argue with advice. Go figure.

  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634
    edited August 2012

    megacal said:
    He speaks English very well and clearly........Scandinavian accent?

    Poilish living in Sweden. :) But yes Val (Dreamlight) is easy enough to understand for this english only speaker. ;)
    Post edited by Szark on
  • edited December 1969

    No offense but I would not waste any time learning other than basic modeling INSIDE CARRARA. DAZ has a lot better app for that called HEXAGON and last time i checked its FREE! ANd worth every cent.. LOL!

    If your set on Modeling in the vertex room in C, Mark Bremmers got a set of some excellent basic tutorials.

    ALSO there are tons of modeling tutorials all over the web. YOUTUBE, Whats the name of that site with the name GEEKS at PLAY or something like that.

    Also almost ALL modeling programs do the same basic stuff so if you watch a thing about MAYA head modeling it translates over very well indeed to HEX

  • GarstorGarstor Posts: 1,411
    edited December 1969

    megacal said:
    I'd like to see a whole set on animation, or modeling, or rendering, or lighting......to really go into depth on each area. I think it's a niche that needs filling.

    Here! Here! I'll stuff the ballot box voting for that. More training options is a good thing. That also validates Joe's statement about researching between different options before making a purchase.

    Yes; the purchase is worth it at this price. Some stuff is really basic and we've thoroughly addressed the verbosity issues -- but I have learned a few things and thus consider having received appropriate value for my $$$.

    Joe: good find on Waldemar's background...it explains a lot about his teaching style. You've been dismissive of this training from the get go; I understand your points though and agree with them for the most part. Given the online marketing and Swedish porn part of this guy's life, it is easy to blow him off. Honestly; at first I thought I had wasted my money -- given how long he took to explain concepts like points, edges and polygons. But the UV mapping module really did make up for that IMO.

  • GarstorGarstor Posts: 1,411
    edited December 1969

    Like I said, jimzombie, it's up to you. There are alternatives out there, and if you think this is the best one, then go right ahead. I never said the course has zero value.

    Many tutorials out there are unstructured. The nice thing about the IS and DL training packages is that the authors have built them in a way that they feel is approachable to a novice audience.

    I can pretty much guarantee there are courses out there taught by guys who are much better instructors with far more appropriate and practical experience, at comparable prices.

    At the risk of being Wikipedian...citation please.

    Funny, in some parts of the world people actually appreciate when others give advice that might help them out, or keep them from making a wrong turn. Not here. Here people argue with advice. Go figure.

    Not always. The presentation of the advice goes a long way towards people accepting it...

  • GarstorGarstor Posts: 1,411
    edited December 1969

    No offense but I would not waste any time learning other than basic modeling INSIDE CARRARA. DAZ has a lot better app for that called HEXAGON and last time i checked its FREE! ANd worth every cent.. LOL!

    Good point. The DL training does occasionally look at Hexagon. It has piqued my curiousity about learning more since it is definitely more powerful than the Carrara basic modeler.

    I remain in awe at the work you have produced with Hex.

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