3D Model Master Training - Is it worth it?

124

Comments

  • 3dcal3dcal Posts: 178
    edited December 1969

    Just an update.....

    I've downloaded >2gb of videos from Model Master & Animation Master......lots more to go.

    Whatever misgivings I may have had earlier are evaporating as I get into the training.

    E.g. in the Animation Master series, in just the first module about Inspiration and Common Mistakes,
    he points out many things that seem obvious, some not so obvious, but I have to admit, "Yeah, I've
    done that!" or "Hmmmmm, that's good to remember."

    Lots of detailed observations.......maybe a little "rambling".......maybe it's just his relaxed manner of speaking that
    gives that impression(?), but I'm overlooking it and getting much good information, which seems to be the result of his 20yr experience in editing.

    He delivers what he claims so far, and I don't have any reason to doubt it will only get better.

    Well worth it, imho. ;)

  • GarstorGarstor Posts: 1,411
    edited December 1969

    megacal said:
    Well worth it, imho. ;)

    Duly noted.

    I am on vacation now (heading back up to Canada for a week). I should have the time to finish watching Model Master and get into Light Master.

  • booksbydavidbooksbydavid Posts: 429
    edited December 1969

    megacal said:

    Well worth it, imho. ;)

    Good to know. I will definitely put these on the must have list. Thanks.

  • anikadanikad Posts: 1,919
    edited December 1969

    Well if anyone is interested in 3d model master he's selling it for $30 as part of his black friday promo
    http://www.dream-lounge.com/dreamlightclub/modelmaster/get_modelmaster_extra.htm

  • KharmaKharma Posts: 3,214
    edited December 1969

    I purchased both PhilW 's carrara tutorial paks , they are awesome for someone who just opened Carrara last week. I have already learned so much just listening to the tutorials and going throught the program. I am only on Disk 3 and still have a ways to go but so far its great.

    Kharma

  • GarstorGarstor Posts: 1,411
    edited December 1969

    Kharma said:
    I purchased both PhilW 's carrara tutorial paks , they are awesome for someone who just opened Carrara last week. I have already learned so much just listening to the tutorials and going throught the program. I am only on Disk 3 and still have a ways to go but so far its great.

    Kharma

    No disagreement here. I bought Phil's training when I bought Carrara and he helped me hit the ground running (well...jogging anyway, but that's my fault not his).

    If you read this thread in its entirety (sorry!) you'll find some ... interesting ... opinions about the Dreamlight "Master" training series. But I'll confess...I have bought this training too (much less Carrara-specific stuff here...so focus on what Phil has to teach you first).

  • KharmaKharma Posts: 3,214
    edited December 1969

    I will go through phils training first for sure, I like the way he explains where everything is and what it does. I have tried to do tutorials where it will tell you to use the "whatever" tool then I spend so much time looking for the tool , then figuring out how it functions that I get so frustrated I give up. Once I learn the basics I will consider moving on to other tutorials....the ones you have been discussing sound pretty interesting from the info posted here so far.

    Kharma

  • 3DAGE3DAGE Posts: 3,311
    edited December 1969

    HI Kharma :)

    You should also have a look at Mark Bremmer's site (Carrara dark arts) http://www.markbremmer.com/3Bpages/darkarts.html

    Also,. check out the tutorials and info at Carrara Cafe.

    Don't forget that you can ask any questions about using Carrara here, and get help from the more experienced users.

    :)

  • KharmaKharma Posts: 3,214
    edited December 1969

    Thanks 3DAGE, I will check those out also and you will probably get tired of my relentless questions after awhile lol :)

    Kharma

  • 3DAGE3DAGE Posts: 3,311
    edited December 1969

    LOL :)

    No problem. ..

    We've all had to learn how Carrara works, and ask those "simple" questions, so don't hesitate to ask .
    most people here are very helpful and informative.

    If we can learn, ..and help each other to learn, ..... then we all benefit from that.

    :)

  • PhilWPhilW Posts: 5,139
    edited December 1969

    3DAGE said:
    LOL :)

    No problem. ..

    We've all had to learn how Carrara works, and ask those "simple" questions, so don't hesitate to ask .
    most people here are very helpful and informative.

    If we can learn, ..and help each other to learn, ..... then we all benefit from that.

    :)

    Hear, hear! We are all still learning! ;)

  • MiloMilo Posts: 511
    edited December 1969

    Now I have all the training Dreamlight, Phils (both) Marks as well. I just need to get disciplined enough to go through them!

    For those discussing modeling. This done by Kixum modeled in Carrara. http://www.renderosity.com/mod/gallery/index.php?image_id=2398725

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,099
    edited January 2013

    PhilW said:
    I would add my voice to say that lighting is the key to good 3D rendering (in my view). Understand how lighting works - direct and indirect lighting - and you will have a powerful toolkit to add realism and drama to any scene.

    Garstor - thank you for your support. I am interested to know, if there were to be a 3rd part to the training (and I have to say here that there are no current plans), what would you like to see in it? Perhaps that should be the subject of a separate thread...

    I still watch the Advanced Training all the time, just because I want to watch something cool and entertaining. I really enjoy your presentation, imagination and I've learned a lot - and, initially, I wasn't expecting nearly as much. Very satisfied.

    I would certainly buy whatever your next Carrara set is no matter the subject.

    Edit:
    I tried a free trial "5 steps to lighting" from DL and got through to large font many page intro and the first couple of steps before finally deciding that he really is never going to put any lights into the scene - which I'm guessing will be the last step. He explains over and over how he's going to help me out, mainly because I lack confidence and self-esteem...
    Not a great way to drag me into his paid members only site. Like others have said, his web page "Advertising this and only this" design never gave me a chance to explore. I can sign up for a free 90 day trial membership, but to what end? My inbox is literally overflowing with junk from this guy. Does he not realize that such behavior is really annoying to people? Oh... right. I forgot that he's assuming that my self-esteem has me so confused about 3d that I may end it any day now - which clouds my judgement and destroys my confidence. So the bazillion e-mails will make me feel loved. I like to have access to training material, but damn!

    Phil? Third installment yet?
    If not, you wanna jam? I'm a rock drummer with a cool pop band (mostly for fun) that plays throughout the rock genre from Johnny B to modern. We don't charge much so we get gigs all over, all the time - and it's damn fun! Oh... and my singer is a pro sound designer with several P.A. setups for gigs and a full-blown recording studio. What we don't have is a keyboard player. I bet you'd fit in nicely!

    Post edited by Dartanbeck on
  • PhilWPhilW Posts: 5,139
    edited December 1969

    Hi Dartanbeck,

    Thanks so much for the positive comments - much appreciated!

    Unless you are in the North of England, the jamming could be difficult, but who knows with the way technology is going, maybe one day...

    I've been really busy with a couple of commercial projects I've been involved in so haven't had much free time for anything else, I've only posted one personal image on my Renderosity gallery in probably two months. Maybe there will be more training stuff at some stage, but as yet no definite plans. But they have sold well, so I am sure that my friends at Infinite Skills would still be interested. And of course we are all waiting on the latest full release of Carrara...

  • GarstorGarstor Posts: 1,411
    edited December 1969

    PhilW said:
    Unless you are in the North of England, the jamming could be difficult, but who knows with the way technology is going, maybe one day...

    I'd pay to watch that show. :)

    ...I am sure that my friends at Infinite Skills would still be interested. And of course we are all waiting on the latest full release of Carrara...

    { allowing myself a few minutes of dreaming about an awesome new Carrara and equally awesome training... }

    As for Model Master and the rest of the Dreamlight stuff...I have since bought Model Master 2 and Pinup Master. I haven't looked much at Pinup Master yet but I suspect it has an extremely heavy D|S lean to it; maybe even 100%. But the lessons should translate to Carrara easily.

    Model Master 2 is still running and is not delivered by Waldemar (or whatever name he is using today). That's a plus for me as I have some issues with his style of teaching. But MM2 is essentially 100% LightWave based (so far). Again, some generic translatable skills here; but there is a great deal to be said for the Carrara-specific focus PhilW has.

    Slightly off-topic; I bought LightWave training from Liberty 3D (http://www.liberty3d.com) and have been very happy with that so far. It could be better organized...there isn't a linear approach used...its sort-of a dive in wherever you are interested. So there is quite a bit of redundancy between the various lessons.

  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634
    edited December 1969

    PhilW said:

    Unless you are in the North of England, the jamming could be difficult, but who knows with the way technology is going, maybe one day...

    How far north if you don't mind me asking Phil...Yorkshire for me...yeah a big county but north nevertheless. :)
  • MiloMilo Posts: 511
    edited January 2013

    Garstor said:
    PhilW said:
    Unless you are in the North of England, the jamming could be difficult, but who knows with the way technology is going, maybe one day...

    I'd pay to watch that show. :)

    ...I am sure that my friends at Infinite Skills would still be interested. And of course we are all waiting on the latest full release of Carrara...

    { allowing myself a few minutes of dreaming about an awesome new Carrara and equally awesome training... }

    As for Model Master and the rest of the Dreamlight stuff...I have since bought Model Master 2 and Pinup Master. I haven't looked much at Pinup Master yet but I suspect it has an extremely heavy D|S lean to it; maybe even 100%. But the lessons should translate to Carrara easily.

    Model Master 2 is still running and is not delivered by Waldemar (or whatever name he is using today). That's a plus for me as I have some issues with his style of teaching. But MM2 is essentially 100% LightWave based (so far). Again, some generic translatable skills here; but there is a great deal to be said for the Carrara-specific focus PhilW has.

    Slightly off-topic; I bought LightWave training from Liberty 3D (http://www.liberty3d.com) and have been very happy with that so far. It could be better organized...there isn't a linear approach used...its sort-of a dive in wherever you are interested. So there is quite a bit of redundancy between the various lessons.

    I will check out the Libety3d stuff.

    **EDIT** just started checking them out. Thanks for the link as they have 3d-coat which is something else on my learning path.

    Post edited by Milo on
  • PhilWPhilW Posts: 5,139
    edited December 1969

    Szark said:
    PhilW said:

    Unless you are in the North of England, the jamming could be difficult, but who knows with the way technology is going, maybe one day...

    How far north if you don't mind me asking Phil...Yorkshire for me...yeah a big county but north nevertheless. :)

    Yes I am in Yorkshire, not too far from Leeds.

  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634
    edited December 1969

    Not far at all as the crow flys. Home of the St Ledger and in short walking distance of the racetrack itself.

  • PhilWPhilW Posts: 5,139
    edited December 1969

    Szark said:
    Not far at all as the crow flys. Home of the St Ledger and in short walking distance of the racetrack itself.

    Ah, sunny Donnie! If you like your music, you should look up the Classic Rock Society and the gigs they put on near Rotherham - well worth a trip!

  • tsaristtsarist Posts: 1,606
    edited December 1969

    I tried a free trial "5 steps to lighting" from DL and got through to large font many page intro and the first couple of steps before finally deciding that he really is never going to put any lights into the scene - which I'm guessing will be the last step. He explains over and over how he's going to help me out, mainly because I lack confidence and self-esteem...
    Not a great way to drag me into his paid members only site. Like others have said, his web page "Advertising this and only this" design never gave me a chance to explore. I can sign up for a free 90 day trial membership, but to what end? My inbox is literally overflowing with junk from this guy. Does he not realize that such behavior is really annoying to people? Oh... right. I forgot that he's assuming that my self-esteem has me so confused about 3d that I may end it any day now - which clouds my judgement and destroys my confidence. So the bazillion e-mails will make me feel loved. I like to have access to training material, but damn!!

    I hear you and I agree with your comments.
    I'm on Waldemar's mailing list and my box fills up with junk everyday. I think I have pretty much stopped reading them.
    .
    The only thing I guess I can say in his defence is that a lot of people doing this online sales/marketing fill up your mailbox with junk.
    My friend who lost her job last year has been doing this kind of stuff.
    For better or worse, it seems to be working.
    She's out there emailing, facebooking, twittering, pinstriping, etc, day and night.
    .
    I made her take me off her list, but she's making more money now than she was at her job.

  • GarstorGarstor Posts: 1,411
    edited December 1969

    I tried a free trial "5 steps to lighting" from DL and got through to large font many page intro and the first couple of steps before finally deciding that he really is never going to put any lights into the scene - which I'm guessing will be the last step. He explains over and over how he's going to help me out, mainly because I lack confidence and self-esteem...
    Not a great way to drag me into his paid members only site. Like others have said, his web page "Advertising this and only this" design never gave me a chance to explore. I can sign up for a free 90 day trial membership, but to what end? My inbox is literally overflowing with junk from this guy. Does he not realize that such behavior is really annoying to people? Oh... right. I forgot that he's assuming that my self-esteem has me so confused about 3d that I may end it any day now - which clouds my judgement and destroys my confidence. So the bazillion e-mails will make me feel loved. I like to have access to training material, but damn!

    Oh yeah! I'm with you there Dart!

    I do ignore the DL spam rather effectively now and I absolutely despise the website and utter lack of navigation. If you do sign-up and login, at least your (ugly looking) launch page lists the programs you have paid for. I had a devil of a time trying to find the launch point for the Pin-Up Master until I actually signed-in...

    When this thread first started I mentioned that I had issues with DL's "teaching" style. All in all, I still stand by the statement that I did get enough out of it to consider it worth it. But it is harrowing at times.

    I login, download every video file for the training packages I have bought and then I logout. DL sends (rarely) useful emails ... most are plugging the training that I already have (or am not interested in). A decent sorting rule on your email client can settle this down to a dull roar...

  • GarstorGarstor Posts: 1,411
    edited December 1969

    FYI: The "Model Master 2" training is not delivered by DL / Waldemar / Whatever-Name-He-Is-Using-Today.

    It is delivered by Jason White (if memory serves) from 2Create. He and DL collaborated on building the La Piazza model that you can buy in the store. This training isn't as organized and specific but is certainly better in style than the first Model Master.

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,099
    edited December 1969

    Garstor said:
    FYI: The "Model Master 2" training is not delivered by DL / Waldemar / Whatever-Name-He-Is-Using-Today.

    It is delivered by Jason White (if memory serves) from 2Create.

    Very cool. Yeah I saw that there are many great artists at DL. Too bad though. They scared me away right off the bat. I just don't have the time to read through another one of those free training sessions - and I hate when they hit my e-mail with, like 8 e-mails the first day! I had to unsubscribe. They wanted to know why - and I was happy as a witch in a broom factory to tell him ;)

    One year's worth of membership would definitely pay for itself with everything that you can download from the site. But if the community is as awesome as advertised, I could see how a person would stay on. I don't really have an inclination to learn Bryce, since I don't even have enough time that I'd like to spend in Carrara. But that download version of the Bremmer and Horo Bryce training looks just too cool to pass up. I don't even think I'd need to want to learn Bryce in order to get a lot of enjoyment out of that - but I'd likely end up making use of my delicious Pro software that Daz so graciously gave me. Those guys (Bremmer and Horo) are real pros - like PhilW. I find myself putting on PhilW when I can't find anything on the toob. I can watch that stuff over and over. I bet it would be that way with their tuts too - and, most likely, with DreamLights as well. If I hear enough great stuff... maybe I'll go back... but I doubt it. I'd rather do like JM2K said and research on the web - get more done in the way I'm looking in much less (precious) time.

    If only he didn't keep going on about how little confidence I have. Damn that was a hard read - over and over! lol

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,099
    edited December 1969

    PhilW said:
    Szark said:
    PhilW said:

    Unless you are in the North of England, the jamming could be difficult, but who knows with the way technology is going, maybe one day...

    How far north if you don't mind me asking Phil...Yorkshire for me...yeah a big county but north nevertheless. :)

    Yes I am in Yorkshire, not too far from Leeds.So how far North is that compared to Door County Wisconsin? You could take a balloon - which would be fun as hell - if you bring your keys with! Just kiddin'!
    Seriously, though. This is the most fun band I've been in over the past 33 years (guess that dates me a bit - started at 14 yrs old for $100/gig, and it's $100/gig now! lol)... it's ll for the fun (and attention) anyways! Kinda cool being a local celebrity. Drummers are hard to come by, I guess.

  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634
    edited December 1969

    PhilW said:
    Szark said:
    Not far at all as the crow flys. Home of the St Ledger and in short walking distance of the racetrack itself.

    Ah, sunny Donnie! If you like your music, you should look up the Classic Rock Society and the gigs they put on near Rotherham - well worth a trip!Sorry Phil darn notifications. Thanks for that but I don't get out much these days though I wish I did. :)

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,099
    edited December 1969

    Szark said:
    PhilW said:
    Szark said:
    Not far at all as the crow flys. Home of the St Ledger and in short walking distance of the racetrack itself.

    Ah, sunny Donnie! If you like your music, you should look up the Classic Rock Society and the gigs they put on near Rotherham - well worth a trip!

    Sorry Phil darn notifications. Thanks for that but I don't get out much these days though I wish I did. :)Don't you think it would be a blast, hanging out with Phil Wilkes?!!!
  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634
    edited December 1969

    Possibily but being disabled and having no car does make it hard to travel anywhere.

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,099
    edited December 1969

    Oh man,
    I was speaking hypothetically, of course. At least we get to hang with him (and many others) in here though, right?

  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634
    edited December 1969

    Didn't get that sorry...having a bad day so just ignore me. :)

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