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Discover the Latest 3D Innovations and Techniques: Weekly Update!

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Welcome back to 3D News, the newsletter for digital artists. Every week, I handpick the best links to ensure you stay ahead in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.

New AI Lectures Added

Five new lectures have been added to the Ultimate 3ds Max + V-Ray Photorealistic 3D Rendering Course on Udemy. They explore AI tools for 3D artists, focusing on Image Enhancement, Style Transfer, and AI-driven animations.

Why it matters: These additions are designed to enhance your skills, helping you deliver even better results to clients and give you a competitive edge in the industry.

Explore the course on Udemy

Udemy Course

EASY Tips for Photorealism in 3D Rendering

Mastering photorealism in 3D rendering involves subtle adjustments that make your work look convincingly real. In this video, we explore tips like adding slight imperfections to objects, varying textures, softening hard edges, and using noise modifiers to create natural variations.

Why it matters: These techniques help overcome common issues in 3D rendering, such as overly perfect geometry and repetitive textures, which can break the illusion of realism. By incorporating these subtle changes, your 3D scenes will feel more authentic.

Watch the full video on YouTube

Photorealism Tips

Use AI to Enhance Your 3D Renders Fast!

Skillshare has featured my latest class on its AI & Innovation page. It delves into techniques such as upscaling, relighting, and style transfer. It's free if you're a Skillshare member, and if you're not here's one month free!

Why it matters: As AI continues to revolutionize digital art, my hope is this class will keep you up to date with all the latest techniques and tools that actually work in production.

⌚ Watch it now!

Skillshare Class

How to Import Cameras from Chaos Vantage into 3ds Max

Cameras or camera animations created in Chaos Vantage can now be imported back into 3ds Max using the Import Changes from Chaos Vantage feature. This video tutorial walks you through the process, ensuring that your camera work in Vantage integrates into your 3ds Max projects.

Why it matters: This feature improves the link between Chaos Vantage and 3ds Max, allowing artists to maintain consistency in their camera setups and animations, ultimately saving time and enhancing project quality.

Watch the video guide on importing cameras from Chaos Vantage into 3ds Max

Chaos Vantage Tutorial

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AI Editing Tools to Get Ahead of 99% of 3D Artists

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Learn 3D

Welcome back to 3D News, the newsletter for digital artists. Every week, I handpick the best links to ensure you stay ahead in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.

How I Use AI to Enhance Renders

In my latest video, I explore how AI is changing my approach to Post Production. From enhancing images to speeding up workflows, I break down the tools and techniques that are helping me stay ahead in a rapidly changing industry.

Why it matters: AI isn't just a tool—it's a new way to work for 3D artists. By integrating AI, I can produce higher-quality results faster, adapt to client needs more efficiently, and maintain a competitive edge in the industry. Understanding and leveraging AI will be key for any artist looking to stay relevant.

Watch the full video on YouTube

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Mystic from Freepik Delivers Stunning AI-Generated Images

Freepik has launched early access to its AI tool, Mystic, which leverages the Flux model. The results, showcased on X (formerly Twitter), have been incredibly impressive, with users combining Mystic's outputs with Magnific and Runway to create highly realistic images and videos. The word is that Mystic will soon be integrated into Magnific.

Why it matters: The rapid evolution of AI tools is transforming the creative process, allowing artists and designers to generate and refine ideas faster than ever. Tools like Mystic and Magnific are pushing the boundaries of what's possible, offering new ways to achieve professional-quality results with minimal effort.

Here are some examples from Tom Blake using Mystic: View on X

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Use AI to Enhance Your 3D Renders Fast!

Skillshare has featured my latest class on its AI & Innovation page. It delves into techniques such as upscaling, relighting, and style transfer. It's free if you're a Skillshare member, and if you're not here's one month free!

Why it matters: As AI continues to revolutionize digital art, my hope is this class will keep you up to date with all the latest techniques and tools that actually work in production.

⌚ Watch it now!

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Goodbye Kansas MoCap Dogs for The Hunter: Call of the Wild

In this behind-the-scenes look, Goodbye Kansas takes us through how they captured the lifelike movements of a Bloodhound for The Hunter: Call of the Wild. The critically acclaimed game is known for its immersive hunting experience, and now adds a faithful canine companion. To achieve realism, Goodbye Kansas invited real dogs into their mocap studio, ensuring the digital Bloodhound moves naturally within the game's beautifully rendered environments.

Why it matters: This meticulous approach underscores the commitment to authenticity in modern game development, where advanced technology and real-world elements combine to enhance player immersion.

Watch the behind-the-scenes video

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📚 Book: What I am reading The Creative Act, Rick Rubin

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3D Industry Updates: New video, D5's AI, and interactive TV shows

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Welcome back to 3D News, the newsletter for digital artists. Every week, I handpick the best links to ensure you stay ahead in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.

AI in 3ds Max, MrBeast Hiring, IKEA's 3D Journey & More!

Here is the latest video of the 3D News for the month. This video covers the latest in the 3D industry, including AI features in 3ds Max, job openings with MrBeast, and IKEA's advancements in 3D visualization. It also highlights new AI-powered tools and releases from leading companies like Adobe and Autodesk.

Why it matters: This is the easiest way to stay up to date with the industry's key innovations and opportunities, keeping you informed and competitive in the evolving 3D landscape.

Watch the full video

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AI Revolution in Architectural Visualization: D5 Render's New Features

D5 Render is full steam ahead on AI integration in architectural visualization, offering tools like AI-generated references, atmosphere matching, and texture enhancements. Allowing users to generate 3D models, apply realistic textures, and enhance image quality with AI-driven efficiency.

Why it matters: D5 Render's AI tools save time and elevate the quality of architectural visualizations, making advanced rendering accessible to more users. Atmosphere matching looks super exciting!

Watch Silver Colored Lens's video here

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Use AI to Enhance Your 3D Renders Fast!

Skillshare has featured my latest class on its AI & Innovation page. It delves into techniques such as upscaling, relighting, and style transfer. It's free if you're a Skillshare member, and if you're not here's one month free!

Why it matters: As AI continues to revolutionize digital art, my hope is this class will keep you up to date with all the latest techniques and tools that actually work in production.

⌚ Watch it now!

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DreamFlare: AI-Generated Interactive TV Shows and Graphic Novels

DreamFlare is an interesting idea that offers AI-generated, interactive TV shows and graphic novels. Users can shape the storyline by making choices, creating a personalized entertainment experience. The platform spans various genres, including anime and comedy, and also invites users to create their own AI-driven content.

Why it matters: DreamFlare is an interesting take on how we consume and create digital content, blending AI technology with storytelling to offer dynamic and engaging experiences.

Explore DreamFlare

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📚 Book: What I am reading The Creative Act, Rick Rubin

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Discover the Latest 3D Innovations and Techniques: Weekly Update!

AI Tools to Get Ahead of 99% of 3D Artists

AI tools are revolutionizing….. everything! Making complex and time-consuming tasks incredibly easy. In this blog post, I’ll showcase several AI tools that any 3D artist can integrate into their workflow. We’ll look at some examples and see how these tools are set to transform our approach to 3D.

The AI Revolution: Threat or Opportunity?

Many fear that AI might devalue art or replace artists. But history shows that technological revolutions, like the internet, often lead to greater prosperity and innovation. AI in art is no different. These tools won’t replace artists; instead, they will amplify and assist in our creative process. Skilled hands are still needed to harness this technology effectively.

Image Upscaler: Magic in Action

The first tool I want to highlight is an image upscaler and enhancer. It’s like magic. For example, an image of Lara Croft from the PS1 era was upscaled to look stunningly detailed.

Here’s how it works:

  1. Upload a standard 3D image.

  2. Use default settings and hit upscale.

The result is an image with crisper details and more realistic textures. It simplifies processes like creating dirt maps and complex materials, making them look more natural and detailed.

Example: Kitchen Appliance Image

I used the upscaler on an image for a kitchen appliance manufacturer. The details improved significantly, though some elements like a heavily aged person were off. Adjusting sliders like resemblance and creativity can help refine the output. The tool, Magnific AI, has become a solid part of my post-production workflow.

Animation Rendering: A Time Saver

Rendering animations can be time-consuming. Traditionally, each frame of a 3D animation can take minutes, leading to hours or even days of rendering. AI changes this:

  1. Render every 10th frame using 3D and AI combined.

  2. Upload the frames and let the AI fill in the gaps.

This method cuts rendering time drastically, from 15 hours to just 90 minutes. Using runway’s frame interpretation tool and Topaz AI for upscaling, you can achieve high-resolution animations in a fraction of the time.


Enhancing 3D Humans

Improving 3D human models is another area where AI excels. Using Topaz Photo AI, you can import textures and enhance details like face recovery, making the models look more realistic. The before and after comparisons show significant improvements, making this tool invaluable for any project involving human models.


Sky Replacement and Photo Enhancements

Client requests often include making the sky bluer or adding atmosphere effects. Luminar Neo offers powerful AI capabilities for photo editing:

  • Sky Replacement: Seamlessly integrates a new sky into your scene.

  • Enhancements: Accent the image, add fog, or introduce sun rays for dramatic effects.

These features allow for quick and effective adjustments, elevating the overall quality of your 3D renders.

Conclusion

AI tools are transforming the 3D landscape. They simplify complex tasks, save time, and enhance the quality of our work. By integrating tools like Magnific AI, runway’s frame interpretation, Topaz Photo AI, and Luminar Neo into your workflow, you can stay ahead of the curve and elevate your 3D art projects to new heights. Explore these tools and see how they can revolutionize your creative process.

Here’s a video I made about just this!


New Innovations: Luma Dream Machine, Stable Fast 3D, and Substance 3D Designer 14

3D News

Read Time: 2.5 minutes! (to save you hours)

Welcome back to 3D News, the newsletter for digital artists. Every week, I handpick the best links to ensure you stay ahead in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.



Create Videos from Images Using Luma Dream Machine

Transform your static images into videos with my new Skillshare class. Learn everything from the basics of Luma Dream Machine to techniques like setting start and end frames, extending videos, and downloading your creations.

Why it matters: In today's digital age, video content is crucial for engaging audiences. Dream Machine will give you a competitive edge by enabling you to create professional-quality videos quickly and efficiently.

Watch for free on Skillshare

Dream Machine Thumbnail



Introducing Stable Fast 3D by Stability AI

Stability AI has unveiled Stable Fast 3D, an AI model capable of generating 3D assets from a single image in 0.5 seconds. It creates complete 3D assets, including a UV unwrapped mesh and material. This version slashes generation time from 10 minutes to 0.5 seconds!

Why it matters: The speed at which this model can create assets is groundbreaking, and the quality is among the best on the market.

Read more on Stability AI's official site

Stable Fast 3D



Use AI to Enhance Your 3D Renders Fast!

Skillshare has featured my latest class on its AI & Innovation page. It delves into techniques such as upscaling, relighting, and style transfer. It's free if you're a Skillshare member, and if you're not here's one month free!

Why it matters: As AI continues to revolutionize digital art, my hope is this class will keep you up to date with all the latest techniques and tools that actually work in production.

Watch it now!

AI to Enhance 3D Renders



Substance 3D Designer 14 Released

Adobe has announced the release of Substance 3D Designer 14.0, featuring several quality of life improvements and new nodes for enhanced color manipulation and artistic effects.

Why it matters: Key improvements include faster node removal, reduced graph cooking times, and smoother node movement, making the tool more powerful and user-friendly.

Watch the video here

Substance 3D Designer 14


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Transforming Your 3D Renders into Videos with Dream Machine

Forget everything you know about rendering animations. Dream Machine is about to change the game by transforming your renders into stunning videos effortlessly. In this blog post, I'll introduce you to Dream Machine, dive into its text and image to video feature specifically for 3D renders, and guide you step-by-step on how you can transform your images into video using this remarkable tool.

Key Features of Dream Machine

But first, let me show you some of the key features that make Dream Machine so powerful and help you make the most out of this tool. Once you see what it can do, transforming your 3D renders into video will feel like a breeze.

High-Quality Realistic Videos

Dream Machine is an AI model that creates high-quality, realistic videos quickly from text and images, and it's available to everyone now. It converts text descriptions into high-quality videos, so you can describe your vision in words and watch it come to life as a video. This tool acts as a bridge between static images and video, making the process super easy.

Ease of Use and High-Quality Output

As with most of my favorite tools, the magic lies in the ease of use and the high-quality output, which we'll explore next. This is the first time I've used Dream Machine as it's only just been made public. The first thing I did was provide it with some simple basic texts, and within a few hours, I received some pretty decent videos.


How Dream Machine Works for 3D Renders

If you're interested in turning images into video, the image/text-to-video feature of Dream Machine uses your text inputs and interprets the description to create animated sequences that match your images. This feature is particularly useful for 3D renders as it has something to work off instead of creating something out of thin air. Think of it as similar to MidJourney, Firefly, or Dall-E.

For instance, when I upload an image and type something like "a Land Rover driving through the desert," I hit upload, and Dream Machine produces a video that understands the scene and brings it to life. This is pretty basic, so now I'm going to guide you through the steps I took to transform my 3D renders into video.

Step-by-Step Guide: Transforming 3D Renders into Video

Step 1: Upload Your Image

First, upload your image.

Step 2: Write Your Text Description

Then, write a text description of the scene you want to create. After a bit of research, I found that the more detailed, the better, but I didn't have time to write such detailed prompts. This is where Claude came in handy—I asked it to generate detailed prompts for me.

Step 3: Use Detailed Prompts

You can see the prompts it gave back. I used these prompts for the free images in my set. By the way, these images are from the V-Ray course.

Step 4: Generate Videos

Once the process is complete, it generates videos. You can also extend videos here, but I was pretty happy with the initial results. To enhance the quality, I ran the results through Topaz to upscale them and then slowed them down a little. Finally, I stitched them together into what you can see here.

Stay Updated

It's pretty incredible that by simply describing what I wanted, I got a video, and I could show off my room in all its beauty. Everything's moving so fast at the moment. So how do you keep up?

Sign up for the weekly newsletter to stay up to date with all the 3D and AI developments that digital artists can start applying to their work.

Watch the Dream Machine class free on Skillshare

Coca-Cola's AI Marketing, VR and Yacht Visualizations in 3ds Max

Read Time: 2.5 minutes! (to save you hours)

Welcome back to 3D News, the newsletter for digital artists. Every week, I handpick the best links to ensure you stay ahead in the rapidly evolving digital landscape. 

How To Create Yacht Visualisations with 3ds Max

Ever wondered how to make yachts look like they belong in the water? Here's exactly how I used to do it working for Yacht Designers in Monaco. It's a fast way to get your model to sit realistically on your back plate. It covers camera matching and post-production. So basically from start to finish.

Why it matters: Being able to add 3d models into photography is a great skill to add, it will work with anything from products to cars, so take a watch.

📖 Watch now!

WPP and NVIDIA Omniverse Help Coca-Cola Scale Generative AI Content

How Coca-Cola is Revolutionizing Digital Marketing. Coca-Cola, in collaboration with WPP and NVIDIA Omniverse, is leveraging generative AI to enhance its global marketing campaigns. This partnership allows Coca-Cola to produce hyperlocal, culturally relevant content at scale, utilizing NVIDIA’s NIM microservices for efficient and authentic 3D asset creation.

Why it matters: This initiative demonstrates the power of AI in creating tailored marketing content that resonates with diverse audiences, streamlining production processes, and maintaining brand authenticity.

📖 Read the full article on NVIDIA Blog

Use AI to Enhance Your 3D Renders Fast!

Skillshare has featured my latest class on its AI & Innovation page.

It delves into techniques such as upscaling, relighting, and style transfer. It's free if you're a Skillshare member, and if you're not here's one month free!

Why it matters: As AI continues to revolutionize digital art, my hope is this class will keep you up to date with all the latest techniques and tools that actually work in production.

⌚ Watch it now!

P.S If you love it, feel free to leave a review on Skillshare

What’s New in Chaos Vantage 2, Update 5

Chaos Vantage 2's update 5 brings VR support via OpenXR, animated vegetation with procedural wind, support for rounded edges, and partial visibility for animated objects. These additions enhance performance, UX, and UI, making Vantage a more robust tool for real-time rendering and visualization.

Why it matters: These updates provide users with improved tools for creating realistic animations and interactive experiences, making it easier to produce high-quality visual content quickly.

📖 Watch the full overview on YouTube



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📚 Book: What I am reading The Future Normal: How We Will Live, Work and Thrive in the Next Decade *I write my notes up from all the books I read. Let me know if this would interest you in either writing or video form* 😀

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Need to Speed Up Your 3D Workflow? Check Out These Tools!

Read Time: 2.5 minutes! (to save you hours)

Welcome back to 3D News, the newsletter for digital artists. Every week, I handpick the best links to ensure you stay ahead in the rapidly evolving digital landscape. 

3ds Max Script: Bulk Editor

JokerMartini has launched a powerful new tool, Bulk Editor. It enables users to edit multiple objects, materials, controllers, and modifiers simultaneously, making it easier to manage large projects and maintain consistency across assets.

Why it matters: Managing a vast amount of objects and settings individually in 3ds Max can be incredibly time-consuming and prone to errors. Bulk Editor simplifies this process, allowing for efficient batch editing, which is especially useful for artists working on complex projects, saving time and money!

📖 Explore Bulk Editor

Gen Shape Fill: Vector Fill in Illustrator

Adobe Illustrator just unveiled a new feature: Gen Shape Fill (beta). This tool allows you to create a basic shape and Illustrator fills in all the details. Much like Gen Fill in Photoshop, but the difference here is that it creates vectors. The tool includes "Shape Strength" and "Detail" parameters for even more control over the result.

Why it matters: Traditionally, filling vector shapes required manual effort and a good eye for detail, which can be time-consuming. With Gen Shape Fill, artists can quickly experiment with different fills and find the perfect match for their designs, boosting creativity and productivity.

📖 See Gen Shape Fill in action

Use AI to Enhance Your 3D Renders Fast!

Skillshare has featured my latest class on its AI & Innovation page.

It delves into techniques such as upscaling, relighting, and style transfer. It's free if you're a Skillshare member, and if you're not here's one month free!

Why it matters: As AI continues to revolutionize digital art, my hope is this class will keep you up to date with all the latest techniques and tools that actually work in production.

⌚ Watch it now!

P.S If you love it, feel free to leave a review on Skillshare

Modifiers Gizmo Align: Alignment for 3ds Max

Miauu's Modifiers Gizmo Align script for 3ds Max brings a new level of precision to your 3D modeling workflow. This tool allows users to align the gizmos of modifiers with the geometry or pivot of selected objects, ensuring accurate transformations and adjustments.

Why it matters: Achieving precise alignment in 3D modeling can be challenging and time-consuming, often requiring manual adjustments that disrupt workflow. With Modifiers Gizmo Align, users can quickly and accurately align gizmos, saving time and improving the precision of their models = efficiency and accuracy in 3ds Max.

📖 Discover Modifiers Gizmo Align



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📚 Book: What I am reading The Future Normal: How We Will Live, Work and Thrive in the Next Decade *I write my notes up from all the books I read. Let me know if this would interest you in either writing or video form* 😀

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New Class, Chaos AI Enhancer and Ikea's 3D Journey

Welcome back to 3D News, the newsletter for digital artists. Every week, I handpick the best links to ensure you stay ahead in the rapidly evolving digital landscape. 

AI-Powered Image Transformation: Elevate Your Portfolio with Magnific AI and More

I have launched a brand new class on AI image enhancement! It delves into techniques such as upscaling, relighting, and style transfer. It's free if your a Skillshare member, and if you're not here's one month free!

Why it matters: As AI continues to revolutionize digital art, my hope is this class will keep you up to date with all the latest techniques and tools that actually work in production.

⌚ Watch it now!

IKEA's Journey Through 3D Visualization

IKEA are leaders in 3D. In a captivating 30-minute presentation, Martin Enthed takes us through IKEA's remarkable journey in leveraging 3D visualisation and spatial computing. This talk, presented at AWE explores IKEA's early adoption of 3D modeling, highlighting the challenges and vision that drove their digital transformation.

Why it matters: IKEA's innovative use of 3D technologies has revolutionized the retail experience, offering customers immersive and interactive ways to engage with products virtually. This presentation delves into the intricate processes behind creating highly detailed 3D product models, showcasing IKEA's achievements and future ambitions in tech-driven retail.

📖 Watch the full presentation on YouTube

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So if you need help on any of your projects head here and let's chat!

Chaos AI Enhancer for Enscape

Chaos has unveiled its latest innovation, the Chaos AI Enhancer. Chaos AI Enhancer allows you to enhance the quality of your visualisations, specifically people and vegetation assets, within Enscape.

Why it matters: With tools like Magnific you have to export > import > export images. Having an AI enhancer built into your 3D tool is going to be a massive plus for Enscape users.

📖 Read more about the Chaos AI Enhancer on Enscape's blog



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📚 Book: What I am reading The Future Normal: How We Will Live, Work and Thrive in the Next Decade *I write my notes up from all the books I read. Let me know if this would interest you in either writing or video form* 😀

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Gen-AI in 3ds Max, all the news and Mr Beast needs you!

Welcome back to 3D News, the newsletter for digital artists. Every week, I handpick the best links to ensure you stay ahead in the rapidly evolving digital landscape. 

Generative AI in 3DS Max

TyFlow introduces Stable Diffusion directly into 3ds Max through the new tyDiffusion module, available for tyFlow Pro and Free users. This means you use stable diffusion within the viewport with a one-click installation of ComfyUI.

Why it matters: Generative AI within 3ds Max is huge news and will open up new creative workflows. The easy setup will make the process more efficient and accessible for artists using 3ds Max.

🤖 For more details, check out the release video

What's New in 3D + AI this Month

In this month’s roundup video, we cover the latest industry news, including Luma Labs' Dream Machine for animating renders, Chaos Cosmos' asset update, and the new Magnific PNG download feature. James Cameron shares his thoughts on building resilient teams, while Marvelous Designer introduces AI-driven tools. Learn about procedural city creation in Blender, the Curvature Map for realistic 3D textures, and Krea’s AI's video enhancements and updates from Polygon Flow.

Why it matters: Keeping up with the latest developments in AI and 3D will enhance your productivity and creativity. But it can be overwhelming to keep up with everything across the interwebs, so leave it to me! 🙂

📖 Watch the full video here: Latest AI + 3D Updates

Get your product in front of over 3,500+ 3D Artists

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Mr Beast Needs a 3D Designer

MrBeast is hiring a 3D Designer to create realistic assets and enhance thumbnails. The role involves collaborating with a creative team and requires proficiency in modeling, texturing, shading, lighting, and rendering.

Why it matters: MrBeast's search for a 3D designer shows the professionalisation of YouTube content creation, highlighting the increasing demand for specialized skills to enhance production quality on major channels.

💪 For more information, visit the MrBeast job posting.



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🤖 Learn: AI Tools I am using every day AI for Digital Creatives (Free)

📚 Book: What I am reading The Future Normal: How We Will Live, Work and Thrive in the Next Decade *I write my notes up from all the books I read. Let me know if this would interest you in either writing or video form* 😀

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3D News: The Worlds First Animation, AI and Textures

"Simplifying the techniques used in the 3D industry."

Here are 3 things I thought were worth sharing this week:

📺 WATCH

Generative Fill in Photoshop Beta

Dive into the future of image editing with Adobe Photoshop's new AI-powered feature, Generative Fill. Part of Adobe's Firefly suite of generative AI tools, Generative Fill allows users to extend images, add and remove objects, and even transform scenes with simple text prompts.

https://youtu.be/7Ew-Bf7PBtY

📺 WATCH

The First Ever 3D Animation

This historical video was recently re-discovered after being lost for many years. It was produced in 1972 and is believed to be the world's first computer-generated 3D animation.

https://youtu.be/T5seU-5U0ms

📖 READ

7 Great Places to Find Free 3D Textures

Finding good textures for your projects can be hard. Over on the Enscape blog they have gathered 7 great places you can find textures.

https://blog.enscape3d.com/free-rendering-textures

⭐ REVIEW

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Unlocking the Hidden Toolbox in 3DS Max: A Game-Changer for 3D Artists

In the world of 3D design and modeling, efficiency is key. The ability to streamline your workflow can save you hours of time and significantly improve your productivity. One tool that can help you achieve this is the transform toolbox in 3DS Max. This toolbox is packed with smart tools that can save you time and make your 3D modeling process smoother and more efficient.

The Transform Toolbox: A Swiss Army Knife for 3D Artists

The transform toolbox in 3DS Max is like a Swiss army knife for 3D artists. It allows you to rotate objects by a specific degree of your choice, based on the viewing angle. This is much faster than selecting an object, turning on angle snaps, and rotating by five degrees.

The transform toolbox also lets you scale objects to a certain size. Even better, you can select an object from your scene and find out its size. This is incredibly useful because it means you can scale your object to fit the reference object you want to replace.



Align Pivot: Centering and Grounding Made Easy

The align pivot tool in the toolbox allows you to center or ground pivots and much more. This is much quicker than going to hierarchy effect pivot center to object or turning on snaps and trying to snap it to the bottom of your object.

The toolbox also allows you to center an object to the scene, which is much more efficient than selecting the move tool and right-clicking in each axis to center it.

Cloning and Shortcuts: Speeding Up Your Workflow

The toolbox allows you to clone next to your object, again based on the viewing angle. Holding shift and clicking will make it an instance, holding 'alt' and clicking will make two copies, and holding shift and ALT will make two instances.

To access the toolbox quickly, you can set up a shortcut, such as Ctrl+Shift+T. When you press this combination, the toolbox appears. This is much quicker than going to find it each time from edit transform toolbox.

Conclusion

The transform toolbox in 3DS Max is a game-changer for 3D artists. It's packed with smart tools that can save you time and make your 3D modeling process smoother and more efficient. By unlocking this toolbox and learning how to use its features, you can significantly improve your workflow and productivity.

So, go ahead and unlock the secret 3DS Max toolbox, and save yourself hours of time. Let me know in the comments what takes up most of your time and we can take a look at speeding it up.

This blog post is based on the video "UNLOCK The Hidden 3DS Max Toolbox You Should Be Using" by Jake, a CGI artist from the UK. He freelances, teaches, and travels the world because of Luxury Visuals. He has been lucky enough to work with some of the world's most exciting designers and brands.

3D News: Animated Traffic, Custom MetaHumans, and Studio Secrets!

"Simplifying the techniques used in the 3D industry."

Here are 5 things I thought were worth sharing this week:

📺 WATCH

Animated Car Traffic in 3ds Max FREE

In this quick video tutorial, you will learn how to quickly add animated cars and vehicles to your 3D roads in 3ds Max. You'll discover how to set up and animate vehicles, adjust their speed and direction, and create traffic flow that mimics real-world scenarios.

https://youtu.be/7IPjEZ3vocE


📺 WATCH

How to Create a Metahuman with CUSTOM 3D Scan Store Textures

In this tutorial, former Luxury Visuals student Francis Eaton shows us how to create a MetaHuman asset, customize it with your own model and textures, and animate the character using mocap data and marketplace store assets for a seamless and engaging character experience.

https://youtu.be/mIFPvom1bas


📖 READ

IKEA's Secret to Stunning Product Images

The ikea catalog is the most printed book in the world and over 75% of the catalog is 3D. Ever wondered how they make their products look so amazing in their catalogs?

www.luxuryvisuals.com/jaked3d/ikeas-3d-studio

📺 WATCH

A.I. Edits Your Images in SECONDS!

In this video, "A.I. Edits Your Images in SECONDS!", you'll see how AI can select specific parts of an image, tweak contrast, and suggest the best settings for enhancing your images.

https://youtu.be/dEF8UksxJdU

🔨 TOOLS

Adobe Unveils the Future of Creative Cloud

Adobe has unveiled Generative Fill, a feature powered by the Firefly AI model, which allows users to modify images in Photoshop quickly and non-destructively using simple text prompts.

https://news.adobe.com/news/news-details/2023/Adobe-Unveils-Future-of-Creative-Cloud-with-Generative-AI-as-a-Creative-Co-Pilot-in-Photoshop-default.aspx/default.aspx

Thanks for reading! If you like this newsletter and want to support it, join a course or refer a friend.


Render On!

Virtual Cash or Real Cash?

Years ago, I remember a friend once telling me about how proud he was to be the mayor in SimCity, building cities and making virtual cash.

That got me thinking,

"Wouldn't it be cool if I could design stuff in the virtual world that would actually get built in the real world, and I'd get paid REAL money for it?"

So, instead of playing SimCity, I decided to learn programs and create things in the virtual world that would come to life in reality.

Since then, I've helped design planes, yachts, hotels, homes, and shopping malls that have been created in the real world!

And you know what? It takes the same amount of time to learn programs as it does to master a game!

So, instead of playing video games, why don’t you learn programs and create things in the virtual world that would come to life in reality?

Learn a Program

AI Laminar Neo: Revolutionizing Image Editing in Seconds

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the world of image editing, making it faster, easier, and more efficient. In this blog post, we'll explore how AI in Lumiar Neo can optimize your editing process and help you achieve stunning results in a fraction of the time.

AI Masking and Smart Contrast

The first step in the AI editing process is to use AI masking. This feature analyzes the image and identifies different elements, such as the ground and flora. You can then make a selection and edit these using the brush, painting in areas that the AI might have missed. Once you've made your selection, you can use the smart contrast feature to enhance the image further.

Landscape Filter and Foliage Enhancer

The landscape filter allows you to play with the golden hour effect, but the real game-changer is the foliage enhancer. This feature pumps up the foliage in your image, giving it a vibrant, lush look. You can even change the tone to create a more autumnal feel.

Re-light AI and Sun Rays

Re-light AI adds depth to your image by allowing you to adjust the brightness in different areas. You can brighten up the background and darken the foreground, creating a sense of depth and distance. The sun rays feature adds a touch of magic, creating stunning sun rays that you can adjust in terms of number, amount, length, and penetration.

Download Neo

Atmosphere AI and Fog

Atmosphere AI allows you to add fog to your image, creating a mysterious and atmospheric effect. The best part? It saves you tons of time. Rendering fog in 3D can take a long time, but with Atmosphere AI, you can achieve the same effect in seconds.

Mood and Magic Light AI

The mood feature allows you to add lookup tables to your image, changing the overall feel and atmosphere. Magic Light AI adds a glow to your image, perfect for enhancing interior lighting.

Super Sharp and Enhanced AI

Super Sharp analyzes your image and sharpens it for you, while Enhanced AI can add a vignette to your image and create a slight lens effect.

Sky Replacement

One of the most impressive features of AI editing is sky replacement. You can choose from a range of skies, from starry nights to dramatic sunsets, and the AI will seamlessly integrate them into your image, even adjusting the reflections to match.

Conclusion

So, is AI a Photoshop killer? It certainly offers a range of powerful features that can save you time and help you create stunning images. But don't just take our word for it - try it out for yourself and see the difference AI can make to your image editing process.

Luminar Neo: https://skylum.evyy.net/jake10 use 'jake10' for a discount after the trial.

3D News: 🚀 Insider Tips, AI Insights, and Next-Gen Tools!

"Simplifying the techniques used in the 3D industry."

Here are 3 things I thought were worth sharing this week:

📺 WATCH

Tips for beginner 3D artists - Jake Denham | From Zero to Hero

Here’s a presentation I did for Chaos where I shared how I entered the world of arch viz, and how to find work when you are just starting out.

https://youtu.be/SslwzYHJdiI



🤖 A.I

Ease AI Anxiety

If you are feeling AI anxiety and worrying about AI taking over. Then this is a must-read. I first read it in 2018, but reading it again in 2023 hit differently. 

https://amzn.to/41MQBiY



🔨 TOOLS

MetaHuman Animator

MetaHuman Animator offers a new approach to animating facial expressions by utilizing iPhone or stereo helmet-mounted cameras. 

https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/blog/new-metahuman-animator-feature-set-to-bring-easy-high-fidelity-performance-capture-to-metahumans

Thanks for reading! If you like this newsletter and want to support it, join a course or refer a friend.

Render On!

3D News: Auto Lighting, Merging Drone Footage, and AI-Powered Tools!

"Simplifying the techniques used in the 3D industry."

Here are 4 things I thought were worth sharing this week:

📺 WATCH

3D Rendering for Interior Designers on Skillshare

The new Corona for 3ds Max class is now on Skillshare for all of you that use Skillshare, if not here is a month for free. Plenty of time to watch the class 😀

https://skl.sh/3VCv3Dm


🔨 TOOLS

Auto Light by D95 Design

D95 Design unveils Auto Light, an innovative script for 3ds Max that streamlines the process of placing lights in a scene, making it easier than ever to achieve optimal lighting.

https://youtu.be/tukCCqve4iE


📺 WATCH

Adding 3d Elements to Drone Footage

Ken Hitsman from Hitsman Design followed along with the Camera Matching 3D course and came up with this.

https://youtu.be/h4mijPCUjjg


🔨 TOOLS

An AI-powered visualization add-in for SketchUp

Veras for SketchUp is a groundbreaking tool that integrates AI directly into your SketchUp models, I think we are going to see more tools like this in the future.

https://www.evolvelab.io/veras

Thanks for reading! If you like this newsletter and want to support it, join a course or refer a friend.

Render On!

3D News: Corona Features, 3ds Max 2024, and Photorealism Tips You Need!

"Simplifying the techniques used in the 3D industry."

Here are 3 things I thought were worth sharing this week:

📺 WATCH

Corona Features: Scatter, Pattern & Displacement

Dive into this quick guide covering Chaos Scatter, Corona Pattern, and Displacement, and learn when to utilize each feature to elevate your 3D projects.

https://youtu.be/46djld89efU


🔨 TOOLS

Autodesk releases 3ds Max 2024

Check out the recent enhancements in 3ds Max: the new Boolean modifier for clean geometry, Array updates for procedural nature scenes, and improved Color Management with Arnold for consistent visuals.

https://youtu.be/FJ6ytd7vjZM


📖 READ

6 QUICK TIPS To Increase Photo Realism

COMPUTER POWER > MORE POLYGONS > MORE REALISTIC

Want to know how to create photorealistic images? In this article, I’ll show you 6 quick tips for increasing photorealism in your 3D scene. I will be demoing with V-Ray for 3ds Max but most of these tips will be useful for any 3D artist in any 3D software.

https://www.luxuryvisuals.com/jaked3d/photorealism

Thanks for reading! If you like this newsletter and want to support it, join a course or refer a friend.

Render On!

IKEA's Secret to Stunning Product Images

The ikea catalog is the most printed book in the world and over 75% of the catalog is 3D. Ever wondered how they make their products look so amazing in their catalogs?

Today, we will focus on using the Chaos Corona Renderer and 3Ds Max to create eye-catching product visuals, just like you see in the Ikea catalog.

This image shows what you can achieve by following the steps outlined in this tutorial.


The first step in creating a product render is to have a product to render. Fortunately, with Chaos Cosmos now included with Corona, we have access to thousands of 3D models.

1. Open Cosmos from the Corona toolbar to browse the 3D models and choose the one that you would like to use.

Chaos Cosmos in 3Ds Max.

2. Once you have your product, it is time to set up your studio. You can use an HDRI to light the scene, and Cosmos includes several studios that you can use.

A HDRI from Chaos Cosmos

3. You can also modify the scene by adding a pure white background in the Render Settings > Direct visibility override.

The 3d product with direct visibility override on.

4. To add shadows create a plane and apply a Corona Physical Material to it. Hit render and turn of the ACES OT under the tone mapping tab to make sure the background is pure white.

Product render with a pure white background and shadows.

By following the steps outlined in this tutorial, you will be able to create your own studio and product shot. Once complete, you'll be able to use your studio over and over again to render products for your portfolio or for your clients.

Every few years I make a course about what I’ve learned about 3D. If you want to join the 25,000 students who are already learning with me click here.

Master Chaos Corona in 3ds Max