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3D-Modeling Techniques and Software

Proposed Q&A site for any 3D media creator, amateur or professional, who wants to improve their technique, including mesh-modeling, lighting, rigging, and animation. Also package-specific questions about Maya, 3ds Max, Blender, Sketchup, and other 3D-modeling software.
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Great idea! I could sure use this. – George Edison Jun 11 at 3:10
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If this proposal was modified to include all 3D-modelling software there might be a higher uptake. Blender could be covered by a tag, allowing people to discuss other 3D packages (ie. maya, 3ds max, blender, mudbox, etc.) used in the industry also. Stackoverflow manages to cover many programming languages, frameworks and programs using the tagging system, and this would also allow general 3d-modelling questions to be asked. – deizel Jun 23 at 22:45
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New Followers: Please VOTE on the questions below, both on-topic and off-topic, or this proposal will not get anywhere. – Peter Boughton Jul 26 at 10:26
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New Followers: With regard to voting, note that you get exactly 5 up-votes and 5 down-votes, no more. Also, for Questions to qualify as on-topic or off-topic, it (currently) must get 20 votes. So please consider using your votes on Questions that have a chance of reaching 20 votes, rather than spreading them out on Questions with only 1 or 2 votes. For this proposed site to be confirmed, we need 5 of each on/off-topic, so let's try to concentrate the votes. Thanks. – Cyclops Aug 6 at 21:10
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Another hint for everyone: click the all votes tab to see the most popular questions - and thus the ones most likely to get this site created - don't forget, even if you've already voted you can click again to undo, and move your votes to other questions. – Peter Boughton Aug 18 at 17:54
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42 Example Questions

newest all votes on-topic off-topic
0 great on-topic example
20 great off-topic example
4 not a good example
Where can I download the (illegal, warez) version of (Software X)?
added by Cyclops Jun 9 at 15:50
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How about warez version of Blender? :p – KennyTM Jun 9 at 15:56
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@user1901, I don't know if you voted "not a good example" or someone else. But just to make clear - this is an example of an off-topic Question. The kind of question you do not want on the site, and would vote down. If you agree with that, you should vote the box that says "great off-topic example". This is not the actual site, but only a demo, where we try to clarify good and bad questions. This is a good example of a bad question, if that makes sense. :) – Cyclops Jun 13 at 17:54
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Sigh... yet another user who hasn't read the FAQ. @bobobobo, before you vote on questions, maybe you should read the FAQ, at top-right. Search for off-topic questions. – Cyclops Aug 16 at 23:31
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20 great on-topic example
0 great off-topic example
0 not a good example
How to reduce the number of polygons in a mesh?
added by George Edison Jun 11 at 3:13
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0 great on-topic example
18 great off-topic example
2 not a good example
Since the UI is terrible in Blender, I think we should make something better. How should we improve the UI in this new product?
added by Beska Jun 18 at 14:46
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I sure hope this sort of flame doesn't find its way into the site when it's online. – muhuk Jun 26 at 15:35
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@muhuk, that's why this question is voted off-topic - it's an example of what we don't want on the site. Having said that, there will always be flames - just a fact of human nature... – Cyclops Jun 26 at 16:00
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@muhuk: Cyclops has it exactly right. I'm trying to come up with questions that could possibly be asked, but are good examples of what is "off-topic" for the site. You need examples of both on-topic and off-topic questions for the proposal to advance. – Beska Jun 26 at 16:52
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0 great on-topic example
15 great off-topic example
0 not a good example
Which program is best - Maya, 3ds Max, or Blender?
added by Cyclops Jul 7 at 14:01
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1  
This is meant to be another off-topic Question. To clarify the difference in off-topic and NaGE (not-a-good-example) - off-topic are questions that you don't want on the site, but might be asked (so we need them to help define what not to ask). NaGE are everything else, for example "*can vegans eat honey*" - although this obviously doesn't belong on the site, it's also not likely to be asked, and doesn't help define the specific unwanted Questions. My particular Question is obviously argumentative and subjective, which we want to discourage on the site (well, I do), so it's off-topic – Cyclops Jul 7 at 14:08
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@Midhat, yes, that's why it is off-topic (and not NaGE). – Cyclops Aug 2 at 13:54
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14 great on-topic example
0 great off-topic example
2 not a good example
How do I model a realistic-looking [smoke/grass/pimples/whatever]?
added by Tadeusz A. Kadłubowski Jun 9 at 18:31
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this is too generic. Questions asking for entire tutorials shouldnt be allowed – Midhat Aug 2 at 7:48
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WELL, this site doesn't have to have the same flavor as SO. Perhaps someone would LIKE to answer this kind of question, complete with images/step by step proc – bobobobo Aug 16 at 17:13
14 great on-topic example
0 great off-topic example
0 not a good example
What is rigging?
added by Simon Brown Jun 21 at 12:17
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Good example of a general 3D-modelling question. – deizel Jun 23 at 22:52
0 great on-topic example
13 great off-topic example
0 not a good example
How can I create a video tutorial?
added by muhuk Jun 26 at 15:42
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12 great on-topic example
0 great off-topic example
0 not a good example
What books are helpful for Blender newbies?
added by Simon Brown Jun 21 at 12:16
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0 great on-topic example
12 great off-topic example
0 not a good example
What 3D software was used to create <film name>?
added by Peter Boughton, edited by Peter Mortensen Aug 7 at 14:53
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Suggesting this as an off-topic question, although a more focused "how could <feature> from <film> be implemented in <package>" might be an interesting on-topic question. Unfortunately it looks like I've hit the limit for questions so can't create that. Bah. – Peter Boughton Jul 5 at 18:13
9 great on-topic example
1 great off-topic example
0 not a good example
How can I create a Python script for Blender?
added by Cyclops Jun 14 at 19:09
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10 great on-topic example
0 great off-topic example
0 not a good example
How to optimize and improve low-poly models?
added by muhuk Jun 26 at 15:38
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2 great on-topic example
7 great off-topic example
0 not a good example
What are some good companies you can outsource rendering to?
added by Cornelius Jul 7 at 12:01
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6 great on-topic example
0 great off-topic example
0 not a good example
Can I sell my Blender-created models?
added by Cyclops Jun 9 at 15:49
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3  
@kernond, thanks, but this phase isn't about answering the questions. :) All we're trying to do here, is evaluate good or bad on-topic or off-topic question, in order to define the types of question that should be on the real site. So for example, if you think this is an on-topic question, vote for it to the left. – Cyclops Jun 11 at 17:39
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6 great on-topic example
0 great off-topic example
0 not a good example
What are some good sources of blueprints to use for modeling?
added by Cornelius Jul 7 at 11:56
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3 great on-topic example
2 great off-topic example
0 not a good example
Where can I get a job that will use my Blender skills?
added by Beska Jun 18 at 14:43
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1 great on-topic example
4 great off-topic example
0 not a good example
Do you know how can I make (or contribute to) an open grid-based render farm?
added by dag729 Jun 24 at 0:28
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I would consider this more a systems admin question rather than a computer graphics question. – user9120 Jul 9 at 7:28
5 great on-topic example
0 great off-topic example
0 not a good example
What file formats are best for storing textures?
added by mazin k. Jul 25 at 0:28
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5 great on-topic example
0 great off-topic example
0 not a good example
Where can I find some good resources to learn edge loop modelling?
added by George Profenza, edited by Peter Mortensen Aug 7 at 14:47
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4 great on-topic example
0 great off-topic example
0 not a good example
Where can I find a free, basic Humanoid Rig?
added by Cyclops Jun 9 at 15:48
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4 great on-topic example
0 great off-topic example
0 not a good example
How to spread out a bunch of copies of a mesh over a large area?
added by George Edison Jun 11 at 3:12
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4 great on-topic example
0 great off-topic example
0 not a good example
How do I create realistic [sunlight/fluorescent/incandescent] lighting?
added by Peter Boughton Jul 5 at 18:01
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1 great on-topic example
3 great off-topic example
0 not a good example
How to spot the difference between render and the photography?
added by Cornelius Jul 7 at 11:57
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4 great on-topic example
0 great off-topic example
1 not a good example
Is there a tutorial that eases the pain of using blender's UI as a newbie?
added by RCIX Aug 3 at 6:05
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4 great on-topic example
0 great off-topic example
0 not a good example
What techniques should I use (or avoid) to keep my solid models "water tight"?
added by dthorpe Aug 5 at 23:37
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2 great on-topic example
1 great off-topic example
0 not a good example
What are your machine specifications and how many polygons can you comfortably work with while sculpting in Blender 2.5.x?
added by user1901, edited by Peter Mortensen Aug 7 at 14:56
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This question might have worded a little better, but I don't see how it's off-topic? – muhuk Jun 26 at 15:33
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3 great on-topic example
0 great off-topic example
0 not a good example
My Yafaray renders of my scenes display artifacts: why, and how can I get rid of them?
added by dag729, edited by Peter Mortensen Aug 7 at 14:55
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3 great on-topic example
0 great off-topic example
0 not a good example
How do I create a good glass texture?
added by Peter Boughton Jul 5 at 18:06
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3 great on-topic example
0 great off-topic example
0 not a good example
How do I add a texture to the world in Blender 2.49 using Python?
added by George Profenza, edited by Peter Mortensen Aug 7 at 14:40
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3 great on-topic example
0 great off-topic example
0 not a good example
Where can i find a good tutorial on unwrapping a model into UVs?
added by RCIX Aug 3 at 6:06
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2 great on-topic example
0 great off-topic example
0 not a good example
How can I make a plugin for Wings 3D?
added by George Profenza, edited by Peter Mortensen Aug 7 at 14:46
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