The Causes of Interruption

I’ve been using Luxology modo for a few weeks now and while I don’t have a whole lot of time to spend with it; I’m doing my best. There have been some problems with the new version in its capacity to allow you to sculpt 3 dimensionally onto your base model which appear to be linked to OpenGL and general polish but as in the past I’m confident they’ll get these sorted out.

Something that’s been happening that kind of concerns me however is taking place not in the software, rather, on the podcast created and hosted by the company’s founder and CEO, Brad Peebler.

In the last two editions of the ‘modcast’ he’s talked about a variety of issues related to 3d modeling, animation and rendering as well as some other discussions about other people’s podcasts and blogs and what not.

The part that’s been rubbing me the wrong way, and I’m really hoping I’m just reading too much into it is in regards to two separate comments he’s made regarding “quality” of “work” coming from the community. The first instance took place as he was lauding some ArchVis work done by a segment of the community in addition to some hard surface modeling. His statement was innocent enough, as a paraphrase:

“It’s great to see so many folks doing monster heads and whatnot, but the real talent is in ArchVis.”

The second instance was just this last week, in discussing a vendor of “real human” models. His statement was a rather cocky lilt at other vendors that create human models that take on the form of “female warriors with long swords and corsets…”

It doesn’t really bother me so much that he’s speaking his mind, he’s obviously free to do so. What scares me is that I’ve been working on a model of Vishnu in the last couple of days. And as I’m making decisions about proportion and other factors, while I’m in the middle of engaging in what for me is largely a hobby, I keep hearing Brad Peebler kind of making fun of the work I’m hoping to produce.

I’d be willing to bet that the majority of the users of modo are hobby, or slightly higher than hobbyist level (folks that use modo for maybe 5-10% of their work on average) as I do. I’d definitely consider myself a hobbyist, until I create a full short-film or larger multimedia work consisting mostly of 3d work.

My goal therefore in “working” with modo is to create something that passes for a “monster”, and I’d personally be rather thrilled to create one of the stereotypical “female bust warriors” but my skills just aren’t there yet.

My hope is that Mr. Peebler can redirect these kinds of comments, simply leaving off the alternative to qualify the relative quality of whatever other product or services he’s talking about. Let the fantastical be the aim of the hobbyists, protect it and guard the community morale that he speaks of so often in great admiration.