Jump to content

How has CGarchitect.com affected your career?


Jeff Mottle
 Share

Recommended Posts

Every now and then I hear stories from people who got a job, changed their career path or made a significant change in what they do. Sometimes this was because of exposure they received on our site or a contact they made in the forums, or because of information they learned from CGarchitect.com and its content. I could not help but think that there must be many more stories out there. We want to collect all of these stories to see just how the start of our site has affected people in our industry. If you have a story to tell, please post it here and share your experience! I'm really looking forward to reading everyone's contributions.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...

CGArchitect has been wonderful for me to research architectural visualization. I began 2D drafting in AutoCAD for an MEP engineering consulting firm six months ago. Now I'm ready for something more creative, more fun, and more lucrative.

 

I did a title-only search for "career" and have read some wonderful threads. So far I have learned about arch viz:

1. I don't have to be an architect.

2. I can learn the software on my own.

3. VIZ may be a better option to learn first than 3D Studio Max, because of less cost and fewer advanced features.

4. Knowledge of architecture and construction is a must to become excellent.

5. My arch viz portfolio is everything.

 

So thank you for your website. And everyone else, thank you for your great posts.

 

Nathon

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Its been my immediate go to source to dig out of any and all unimaginable jams i have gotten m ass into. The combined knowledge base and experience accompanied by the willingness to contribute, foster and teach by most members has created a resource that i don't think i could continue to practice CGARCH without. thanks jeff for setting it up and thanks to all the members who don't make me feel foolish when i ask "newbie" type questions.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I also have found this website a great help in getting me out of the jams i get into. The community here is one of the nicest and helpful I have come across. It has also made me want to learn a lot more than I do now and expand my knowledge. It also nice to see what other people are creating and doing.

 

This website also let me find out about the great conferances they setup (DMVC) and I attended my first one in San Diego this year and it was great fun but also very informative. I now have good few contacts in the US which I hope will enable me to find a job out there.

 

Jeff this website is truely awesome, thanks :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How has CGarchitect.com affected your career?

 

 

Well, I'm less productive because I'm always checking this place out.:p

 

ditto!

 

 

 

on a serious note, CGA given me so much, but how has it actually affected my career? it's given me a better larger and creditable exposure, enabling my freelance sideline to prosper nicely.

 

thank you Jeff.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

CGA was the first forum I ever joined. And still one of a few I belong to. This forum was the only tool I had starting out back then there was nothing and this forum was tiny. I think Strat and IC and Nisus and a few others were the main people and Jeff was actually working in the field of illustration not one of the fields main supporters. Jeff saw a great opportunity and he filled it. I am constantly pleased with this sites professional demeanor which I can only imagine takes a bit of work to keep. Many of us have seen huge growth in this filed and I think one of the reasons for this is this site. I should say that the talent that fills this site is the reason the field has prospered what I think this site has done is to help facilitate the growth.

Has this site help me professionally? Yes because I am me. Thats it. The only support I have is online and the only professional site is CGA.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest nazcaLine

I first came here when i did a google search about max/viz tutorials. I found the ted boardman and smoke tutorials and really changed me, because i learned very fast to be efficient and productive in my 3d work. i soon got a job in 3d and i remember practicing the tutorials in my free time at work. And when i needed to know something, i asked here in the forum, since i had nobody to ask to (my friends know nothing of 3d). Everybody was so helpful and kind, i really appreciate it.

So in my case, CGArchitect really changed my career.

Thanks everybody!

 

Eduardo

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For me, reading the forum regularly definitely brought my rendering up a notch or three. That improved my portfolio, which was a strong factor in getting potential employers interested, so I'd say it's affected my career by several percentage points.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i was actually approached via PM to have an interview with my current employeers (I have since left and returned). I was approached due to my presence on CGA and my location in relation to the company, at the time i was approached i had only been in the industry 6 months, was working on my own in an architects practice struggling to develop my skills without anyone to help me in terms of mentoring me. The interview went well and i joined a larger studio where i could learn quicker and from my peers.

 

Thanks CGA, who knows what i've done without the site - i may well have ended up in the same place, i may not but CGA certainly helped my along the path.... not to mention all the advice, tips and info i've picked up from reading threads etc. etc. - an excellent resource all round

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I found the ted boardman and smoke tutorials and really changed me, because i learned very fast to be efficient and productive in my 3d work. Eduardo

 

Eduardo,

 

I'm encouraged that you were able to move up in your career after only 6 months. What was your experience before learning arch. viz.?

 

Also, which tutorials are you specifically speaking of? Looking at the tutorials page on this site I see "Architectural Visualization tutorial series by Montree T. of Smoke3D Studio". Is this the "smoke tutorials" you are referring to?

And is Ted Boardman's page where his tutorials are? I see those listed as articles.

 

Thanks,

Nathon

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Where to begin, really?

 

CGArchitect.com has been my first resort for problem solving - a quick forum search usually reveals that I am not the first to encounter this issue...

 

It's been a community space for me (it was through the forums that I met fellow member who works across town)...

 

I've made informed purchasing decisions based on others recommendations...

 

Probably most of all, reading the critiques in the WIP and Finished forums has dramatically improved the quality of my renderings, and the works continue to serve as inspiration whenever i have a new project.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest nazcaLine
Eduardo,

 

I'm encouraged that you were able to move up in your career after only 6 months. What was your experience before learning arch. viz.?

 

Also, which tutorials are you specifically speaking of? Looking at the tutorials page on this site I see "Architectural Visualization tutorial series by Montree T. of Smoke3D Studio". Is this the "smoke tutorials" you are referring to?

And is Ted Boardman's page where his tutorials are? I see those listed as articles.

 

Thanks,

Nathon

 

Yep, those are the ones.

You know, i taught myself viz and then moved to max. I first learned with the tuts that package with the prigram, and the user reference-by the way, the help and tutorials are very good and user-friendly-.

after that i serached for tuts all over the web and found ted boardman and smoke tuts here in cgarchitect. They're awesome. Believe me, before reading these i modeled in autocad and imported to viz, and then iluninated with radiosity. But i learned to model very fast in poly technique, crweate complex materials with gradient ramp, assign multiple uvw maps to the same material, and the most important, good lighting with standard lights. This was determinating for me, since in my job i need the renders almost real-time. so my boss sits with me, and says, "ok, change this material. Move that wall. put a glass door over here.put a light over there.perfect.now print it, beacuse the client is coming in right now." I had to learn to work to the speed of light!!! do you think radioisty, vray or mental ray can do the job? no way! i needed something to earn a living, makng very decent renders in no time. after this i learned vray and use it only for my free-lancing jobs, never in my office-work time. So you now understand how important those tuts were for me, and i know the'll be for you. good luck!

p.s. look for ted boardman's blog, he has some awesome free videotuts for archviz in max.

 

Eduardo

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...