Contract Graphic Search Results

How To: Mine Bitcoin and Make Money

Bitcoin is a new currency built off "Satoshi Nakamoto's" (alias) 2008 Bitcoin white-paper. Bitcoin provides its users with a way to make peer-to-peer (P2P) transactions without having to use a bank as a mediator. There is no middle man, no corporation backing it, and no one has access to your money, except you. It's decentralized from government, run by the people, for the people.

News: Grand Theft Auto 4 Looks Like Gran Turismo 5 with iCEnchancer

Grand Theft Auto 4 was a landmark game. It gave yet another reboot to the already rebooted Grand Theft Auto series, arguably the most prestigious video game in the West. It has a 98 on Metacritic, making it by that measure the best game of modern times. Whatever your stance on the gameplay may be—which has received its fair share of flak in the three years since its release—the graphical steps that the team at Rockstar North took to create their fantasy replica of New York were a major step f...

News: XBox 360 Remake-O-Rama!

The aging and maturity of video games as a medium has lead to some unfortunate consequences. One of these, perhaps drawn from the film industry, is the spate of remakes that has overtaken the game market over the last few years. It hasn't been as bad as the remakeorama trend in cinema, but developers have recognized the value in releasing the same thing they already made and making more money off it. Below, a roundup of some remakes of classic games released for XBLA recently, some fantastic,...

How To: Simplify a messy animation curve in Blender 2.53

This video offers a few quick tips on how to simplify animation curves with a new feature in Blender 2.53. Whether you're new to the Blender Foundation's popular 3D modeling program or a seasoned graphic artist just interested in better acquainting yourself with the application, you're sure to be well served by this free video tutorial. For more information, including detailed instructions, take a look. Simplify a messy animation curve in Blender 2.53.

How To: Bake ambient occlusion and tangent normals in Blender

In this clip, you'll learn how to bake ambient occlusion (AO) and tangent normals in Blender 2.5 and up. Whether you're new to the Blender Foundation's popular 3D modeling program or a seasoned graphic artist just interested in better acquainting yourself with the application, you're sure to be well served by this free video tutorial. For more information, including detailed instructions, take a look! Bake ambient occlusion and tangent normals in Blender.

How To: Create a 3D model of a coffee cup in Blender 2.5

In this Blender 2.5 video tutorial, you'll learn how to create a branded coffee cup. This tutorial encompasses the modeling, rendering and texturing of the coffee cup. Whether you're new to the Blender Foundation's popular 3D modeling program or a seasoned graphic artist just interested in better acquainting yourself with the application, you're sure to be well served by this free video tutorial. For more information, including detailed instructions, take a look! Create a 3D model of a coffee...

How To: Append and link external elements in Blender 2.5

In this quick Blender 2.5 video tip, you'll learn how appending/linking can be used to bring in elements from another .blend file. These elements can be mesh objects, lamps, materials, or even sculpting brushes. Whether you're new to the Blender Foundation's popular 3D modeling program or a seasoned graphic artist just interested in better acquainting yourself with the application, you're sure to be well served by this free video tutorial. For more information, including detailed instructions...

How To: Add seams to a model when working inside Blender 2.5

This clip demonstrates the basics of adding seams to a model, covering setting up Ambient Occlusion and Environment lights, baking them to a texture map, and applying it to the model. Whether you're new to the Blender Foundation's popular 3D modeling program or a seasoned graphic artist just interested in better acquainting yourself with the application, you're sure to be well served by this free video tutorial. For more information, including detailed instructions, take a look. Add seams to ...

How To: Use the Preserve Transparency button in After Effects

This video clip presents a quick lesson in using the Preserve Transparency switch in Adobe After Effects and why it may be more useful than using a Track Matte in certain situations. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular motion graphics and compositing software or a seasoned video professional just looking to better acquaint yourself with the program and its various features and filters, you're sure to be well served by this video tutorial. For more information, including detailed, step-by-st...

How To: Animate hair for 3D models within Apple Motion 3 or 4

This clip covers how to add motion to hair within Apple Motion. Whether you're new to the Apple's popular motion graphics editor/compositing application or are a seasoned digital video professional simply wishing to get better acquainted with Motion 4, you're sure to find value in this tutorial. For more information, and to get started using this trick yourself, take a look. Animate hair for 3D models within Apple Motion 3 or 4.

How To: Create wet maps in Houdini 10

This tutorial looks at how to create a map of the wetness left by a particle fluid, so that you can correctly render surfaces with a wet look. It looks at rendering out a point cloud with wetness information, and creating a bespoke shader to correctly render surface using the point cloud. Whether you're new to Side Effects Software's popular 3D production program or a seasoned graphic artist just interested in better acquainting yourself with the application, you're sure to be well served by ...

How To: Refine 3D trails in Houdini 10

This one-two tutorial offers advice on how to work with bespoke shaders and compositing networks in Houdini 10. Whether you're new to Side Effects Software's popular 3D production program or a seasoned graphic artist just interested in better acquainting yourself with the application, you're sure to be well served by this free video tutorial. For more information, including detailed instructions, take a look. Refine 3D trails in Houdini 10 - Part 1 of 2.

How To: Use UV mapping in Houdini

This four-part series presents an introduction to some of the techniques for uv mapping in Houdini. This first part introduces the concept of UVs, and looks at UVProject as a way of adding UVs, and UVQuickShade as a way of visualising them. Whether you're new to Side Effects Software's popular 3D production program or a seasoned graphic artist just interested in better acquainting yourself with the application, you're sure to be well served by this free video tutorial. For more information, i...

How To: Render millions of particles in Houdini 10

This two-part tutorial looks at the techniques for rendering millions of particles in Houdini 10. The first part looks at using the popsolver to manipulate particles using both the standard pop nodes and dynamics forces. We use the interact pop, and random grouping of particles to build an ink like effect. We set up a smoke simulation and use the velocity field of that to advect (move) the particles. Whether you're new to Side Effects Software's popular 3D production program or a seasoned gra...

How To: Composite in Houdini 10

This video provides an introduction to basic compositing in Houdini. The first part looks at color and alpha planes, the use of matte shading. It also covers generator and filter compositing nodes, and the beginnings of masking. Whether you're new to Side Effects Software's popular 3D production program or a seasoned graphic artist just interested in better acquainting yourself with the application, you're sure to be well served by this free video tutorial. For more information, including det...

How To: Upres smoke simulations in Houdini 10

This clip uses a smoke example to examine source variations and upres (techniques which are useful preparation for the pyrofx tools). Whether you're new to Side Effects Software's popular 3D production program or a seasoned graphic artist just interested in better acquainting yourself with the application, you're sure to be well served by this free video tutorial. For more information, including detailed instructions, take a look. Upres smoke simulations in Houdini 10 - Part 1 of 2.

How To: Create a realistic smoke effect in Houdini 10

This two-part tutorial series offers a look at the basics of smoke simulations. This first part looks at setting up a simulation, the fields involved, how to visualise them. It also looks at temperature and bouyancy as well as vortex confinement. Whether you're new to Side Effects Software's popular 3D production program or a seasoned graphic artist just interested in better acquainting yourself with the application, you're sure to be well served by this free video tutorial. For more informat...

How To: Instance a light to a particle in Houdini 10

This clip presents a quick look at how to instance lights to particles in Houdini. Whether you're new to Side Effects Software's popular 3D production program or a seasoned graphic artist just interested in better acquainting yourself with the application, you're sure to be well served by this free video tutorial. For more information, including detailed instructions, take a look. Instance a light to a particle in Houdini 10.

How To: Create a particle-based explosion in Houdini 10

This clip presents a walkthrough of how to go about creating a particle based explosion in Houdini 10. Whether you're new to Side Effects Software's popular 3D production program or a seasoned graphic artist just interested in better acquainting yourself with the application, you're sure to be well served by this free video tutorial. For more information, including detailed instructions, take a look.

How To: Make lighting models in Houdini with illuminance loops

This clip offers instructions on how to create your own lighting models using an illuminance loop in a VOP network. Whether you're new to Side Effects Software's popular 3D production program or a seasoned graphic artist just interested in better acquainting yourself with the application, you're sure to be well served by this free video tutorial. For more information, including detailed instructions, take a look. Make lighting models in Houdini with illuminance loops.

How To: Replicate an object's animation with CHOPs in Houdini

This Houdini 10 user's guide offers a look at how CHOPs can be used to replicate animation from one object to many, or more precisely to vary that animation. Whether you're new to Side Effects Software's popular 3D production program or a seasoned graphic artist just interested in better acquainting yourself with the application, you're sure to be well served by this free video tutorial. For more information, including detailed instructions, take a look. Replicate an object's animation with C...

How To: Create a caustic lighting effect in Houdini 10

This clip demonstrates how to create a caustic lighting effect using Houdini's Mantra PBR rendering engine. The first part starts with a refresher on refraction. More generally, guide looks at setting up normals correctly, then at the glass shader in Houdini, faux caustics and shadows, and using an environment light in PBR to generate 'background' reflections. Whether you're new to Side Effects Software's popular 3D production program or a seasoned graphic artist just interested in better acq...

How To: Create and use volumes in Houdini 10

This tripartite tutorial series presents an in-depth look at how to use volumes in Houdini 10 — creating them using the volume and IsoOffset SOPs, and adjusting their values. Whether you're new to Side Effects Software's popular 3D production program or a seasoned graphic artist just interested in better acquainting yourself with the application, you're sure to be well served by this free video tutorial. For more information, including detailed instructions, take a look. Create and use volume...

How To: Set attributes and local variables in Houdini 10

This clip offers an introduction to using attributes and local variables in Houdini. It covers vertices (vertexes), points, primitives and details. Whether you're new to Side Effects Software's popular 3D production program or a seasoned graphic artist just interested in better acquainting yourself with the application, you're sure to be well served by this free video tutorial. For more information, including detailed instructions, take a look. Set attributes and local variables in Houdini 10...

How To: Create a burning match effect in Houdini 10

Learn how to use the Houdini SOP solver to create a realistic burning match effect within Houdini 10. Whether you're new to Side Effects Software's popular 3D production program or a seasoned graphic artist just interested in better acquainting yourself with the application, you're sure to be well served by this free video tutorial. For more information, including detailed instructions, take a look. Create a burning match effect in Houdini 10 - Part 1 of 4.

How To: Create a motion blur effect in Houdini 10

This clip covers how to enable motion blur in Houdini, the difference between standard and deformation blur, motion blurring dynamics simulations, motion blur quality settings. Whether you're new to Side Effects Software's popular 3D production program or a seasoned graphic artist just interested in better acquainting yourself with the application, you're sure to be well served by this free video tutorial. For more information, including detailed instructions, take a look. Create a motion blu...

How To: Use physically-based rendering in Houdini 10

This four-part guide presents an introduction to physically-based rendering in Houdini 10, covering what PBR will and won't do for you, sampling settings, environment lighting, objects as lights, shaders, issues with specular highlights. Whether you're new to Side Effects Software's popular 3D production program or a seasoned graphic artist just interested in better acquainting yourself with the application, you're sure to be well served by this free video tutorial. For more information, incl...

How To: Create flyingletter title text in Houdini 10

This two-part tutorial presents a look at how to form a logo from flying pieces of letters in Houdini 10. The first clip demonstrates the effect, the second is a walkthrough of the setup used to create it. Whether you're new to Side Effects Software's popular 3D production program or a seasoned graphic artist just interested in better acquainting yourself with the application, you're sure to be well served by this free video tutorial. For more information, including detailed instructions, tak...

How To: Create and work with polygons in Houdini 10

This clip presents a look at one of the basics of Houdini: Polygons - point, vertex and primitive data, smoothing and faceting, subdivision, removing inline points, orienting polygons and making polygons planar. Whether you're new to Side Effects Software's popular 3D production program or a seasoned graphic artist just interested in better acquainting yourself with the application, you're sure to be well served by this free video tutorial. For more information, including detailed instruction...

How To: Export light passes in Houdini 10

This very short tutorial looks at using image planes, and the new 'per light' option in Houdini 10 to create extra image planes to separate out diffuse, specular, and gi lighting. Whether you're new to Side Effects Software's popular 3D production program or a seasoned graphic artist just interested in better acquainting yourself with the application, you're sure to be well served by this free video tutorial. For more information, including detailed instructions, take a look. Export light pas...

How To: Create object trails in Houdini 10

This quick tutorial demonstrates how to create object trails in Houdini, and then add a turbulence effect to them. Whether you're new to Side Effects Software's popular 3D production program or a seasoned graphic artist just interested in better acquainting yourself with the application, you're sure to be well served by this free video tutorial. For more information, including detailed instructions, take a look.

How To: Create and render a glowing neon sign in Houdini

Learn how to create a glowing neon sign using Houdini's renderer and compositor with this clip. Whether you're new to Side Effects Software's popular 3D production program or a seasoned graphic artist just interested in better acquainting yourself with the application, you're sure to be well served by this free video tutorial. For more information, including detailed instructions, take a look. Create and render a glowing neon sign in Houdini - Part 1 of 2.

How To: Render a scene with depth of field in Houdini 10

This clip presents a quick lesson on how to render a scene using depth of field (DoF) in Houdini 10. Whether you're new to Side Effects Software's popular 3D production program or a seasoned graphic artist just interested in better acquainting yourself with the application, you're sure to be well served by this free video tutorial. For more information, including detailed instructions, take a look. Render a scene with depth of field in Houdini 10.

How To: Use global illumination in the Houdini Mantra renderer

This clip presents a quick tutorial on using global illumination in Houdini's Mantra renderer. It covers ambient occlusion, full irradiance, path tracing and photon mapping. Whether you're new to Side Effects Software's popular 3D production program or a seasoned graphic artist just interested in better acquainting yourself with the application, you're sure to be well served by this free video tutorial. For more information, including detailed instructions, take a look. Use global illuminatio...

How To: Use and work with bundles in Houdini 10

This clip discusses the use of bundles in Houdini. Bundles serve similar purposes to groups of objects and layers in other applications. Whether you're new to Side Effects Software's popular 3D production program or a seasoned graphic artist just interested in better acquainting yourself with the application, you're sure to be well served by this free video tutorial. For more information, including detailed instructions, take a look. Use and work with bundles in Houdini 10.

How To: Create a realistic interior environment in modo

See how to create a simple, life-like indoors environment in modo. Whether you're new to Luxology's popular 3D computer graphics application or are a seasoned digital artist merely on the lookout for new tips and tricks, you're sure to be well served by this free video modo tutorial from the folks at CG Cookie. For more information, including step-by-step instructions, take a look! Create a realistic interior environment in modo.