I want to be more
Monday, May 14, 2012 at 11:59AM So I hired two people to help me.
Their names are Victoria and Michael.
As you can see, if you followed the links, they aren't real people but highly detailed 3D models.
One of my long time hobbies, well, let's call it an intererest, is in 3D modeling.
Victoria and Michael are figures to be used with an application called Poser. Long story short, you buy Poser (I got a super deal on Amazon at Christmas for the new version) then you buy assets to use with it. Those assets can be people, as noted, or they can be lighting rigs, poses, materials, enviornments or whatever else you need in order to create scenes that you render. You don't have to buy anything though as you can do some nifty stuff right out of the box or by incorporating free stuff you find.
Think of it like photography but without so many limitations. You can have all the people you need without having to work with people. You can shoot anywhere you want without going anywhere and you can set up your lights in any way you want without having to invest in equipment.
So, why would I mess with it? It's a creative outlet.
I know what you'r thinking. How real could it possibly look?
Well, take a look at what's possible using DazStudio (a free competitor to Poser) and a rendering program called Reality.
There's been a lot of back and forth about the benefits of DazStudio versus Poser but ultimately it comes down to what you like and what is going to give you the tools you need.
DazStudio does some amazing stuff, but so does Poser so the quality question is moot.
Poser has more models that will work with it but that's because DazStudio is new.
Both solutions are somewhat unstable for different reasons and in different places.
If you have any interest in art, photography and/or 3D modeling but you've really never known where to start then I recommend Poser or DazStudio as your jumping off point.
They are easy enough to learn with some decent results right off the bat but they have enough power and features that they can serve you for a good long while.
But why would I tell you all of this?
Well, it's fun and interesting and different so I think you should check it out, but also it highlights an important thing we all need in our lives.
A creative outlet.
Everyone needs a creative outlet.
There are writers and musicians and dancers, sculptors and painters and clothing designers.
There are people that enjoy crafting (I call it gluing shit to other shit but hey, it's their hobby).
Some are sports fanatics who use fantasy leagues (football, baseball, Jai alai) to slake their thirst for creative problem solving.
And some folks simply day dream.
Anything you do where you are making decisions based on more than a simplified rule set can be defined as creative.
Gardening? Where are the flower beds going and what is going in them?
Fitness? What is the best plan for you and how can you change it for better results?
Sex? I'm not even going to go there...but you're a creative sort, you can figure it out.
I belive that when people are denied being creative that they lose an important part of what makes them who they are. I belive without our creative outlets we become less distinct as people.
Does that mean that really creative people are more distinct than those who are less creative? Not at all. Quantity doesn't equal quality.
In the end, without a creative outlet, we are nothing more than actors in someone else's play. We are pices of someone else's game.
Without creativity we are not as we truly are and we can never become more than what we are now.
