Rigler Digital Blog

Last Bit of Inspiration 2009

// December 27th, 2009 // No Comments » // Cinema4D

As the year draws to an end, here’s a boost of Cinema4D inspiration.  Cinema4Duser.com is a great resource to Cinema 4D users. The site offers a gallery, tutorials, feature downloads and feature tips.  The site is amazing clean, laid out beautifully–but hold on it hasn’t been updated since 2007.  Unfortunately not enough submissions were received to keep the site going.  Please check out the site and contact the owners at UniversalHead . If we all rally around this site perhaps we can encourage them to keep it active and updated.  Hope everyone has a Happy New Year.

New Site Reviewed: FinalCutKing.com and Cinema4D Tutorial

// December 13th, 2009 // No Comments » // Cinema4D, Final Cut Pro

Great Site for Final Cut Pro Tutorials

FinalCutKing.com is run by Zach King. Zach has many video tutorials playing there on Vimeo. The quality is very high and the videos move at a good pace. The frame of the video is filled by the entire Final Cut Pro program and he zooms in when need so we can see the numbers and settings.  Also, if you like what he has he offers DVD’s for sale as well to help with learning the program.
The other site YouthDesigner.com has a tutorial on creating grass in Cinema4D.  Not a video but very clean screen shots, moving step by step.  I was always stumped by creating grass before so for me this was a terrific find.  I should really post some old screen shots of my attempts at this.  Now all I need to do is animate each blade of grass.  Hmm not today.

Two Great Programs Work Together: Cinema 4D and Photoshop

// July 25th, 2009 // No Comments » // Cinema4D, Photoshop

Sure it’s not chocolate and peanut butter, but Cinema 4D works amazing with Photoshop.  With Cinema 4D you can actually export your work with all layers within the image.  Then in Photoshop you can modify that image.   This can save you time.   Instead of reworking a still image and rendering several times in C4D, you can make changes in Photoshop in a matter of seconds.  Take some time and check out the video below.

Motivational Site for Everyone and Cinema 4D

// July 19th, 2009 // No Comments » // Cinema4D

I know I’ve blogged about sites for inspiration, but there are others that motivate me as an artist as well.  One site is Passion for Life.  This blog was created by Stephen Silver.  Stephen is a top character designer in animation.  Some of his credits include designs for Kim Possible, Danny Phantom, and Kevin Smith’s Clerks.  Stephen shares his passion for the arts and gives advice and motivation to other artists.  I look forward to his weekly posts of motivation.   Personally I feel his down to earth style helps others realize they can achieve their dreams even if that dream is skydiving.  Take some time to investigate his site and it’s well worth subscribing to.
     The Cinema 4D site for this week is Cactus Dan’s website.  Cactus Dan is synonymous with Cinema 4D plug-ins.  He can take your MOCCA rigging to a whole new level.  I first learned of Cactus Dan from a tutorial on a snow covered mountain on Creative Cow.   The tutorial’s great and it led me to Cactus Dan’s site.   (more…)

Inspiration Needed.

// May 25th, 2009 // No Comments » // Cinema4D, Photoshop

To continue to create you need to be inspired.  What gives me inspiration, I admit is some photoshop eye candy.  Two sites in particular are photoshopcafe and ImagineFX.  Photoshopcafe has not just tutorials but a cool gallery section with pieces done entirely 100% photoshop. (no scans or photographs, illustrator). Yet ImagineFX’s homepage is great because they feature members latest work and have a image of the day.  Just visiting their site, I know I can pick up some inspiration.  

Golden Hinde "Penny West" - Brandon Hall Artist.

      I also need good music to create and two internet stations that I listen to are last.fm and pandora.  Pandora is part of a music genome project –  well that’s what they state.  You can create your own radio station of music you like.  The program that pandora uses randomly picks more music within the same genre. You can give each song they pick a thumbs up or down.  Very cool. Last.fm is also very cool they also recommend songs on your music choices.  They just recently added personalized visual radio,  I have to spend some time on that.  Hmm and with iTunes adding the genius feature seems to be a theme here.  I wish I had some literature to list to inspire me hmm no.

My Own Digital Artwork – Past and the Future

// May 21st, 2009 // No Comments » // Cinema4D, Final Cut Pro

"Grape - Just Grape"

Until I set up a gallery page, I wanted to post a couple of pics of some past work.  Grape.  I wish I had some profound name for this guy but no.  Grape was done as a spec commercial for “California Grapes” The tools used: Cinema4D, Final Cut Pro, and the music I grabbed from Garageband.  I learned a lot from this project.  I learn best while on the job, books and tutorials are great but then you have to jump in and do it.  Here’s the completed video.

“Saucer Boy” is an idea created by Brad Goodchild.  Saw his idea and thought wouldn’t this be great in 3-D. Here he is in fighting mode. See video here. The ocean was created by a tutorial from 3-D World issue #74 pg. 66.  That magazine is worth every penny and why I love the U.K. and myfavouritemagazines.co.uk

Saucer Boy - The Experiment.

To recap this week’s podcast I disscussed Noupe.com Gotta love their post on the 25 spectacular C4D tutorials.  I’m on it.  Love the zebra tutorial. (more…)

Being a Digital Artist is a lot Like Being a Lawyer

// May 16th, 2009 // No Comments » // Cinema4D, Photoshop

No really. It’s a quote my wife uses all the time. She went to law school and is now a web designer, go figure. I asked her to explain herself and she stated “for the most part being a lawyer is all about the research you do of the law, and think of how many laws exist; nobody’s an expert on all of them.” That makes sense. If I think of all the programs I use on one website or a video project of mine, it makes my head spin. I realize that I have to know where to go online to problem solve. Here’s a big one: Lynda.com Lynda Weinman started a series of books, Hands on Training (H.O.T.) she did them herself on web design, and photoshop. She now recruits experts in each program to give hands on training. She understands if you can, find someone much better than you and learn. Listen to my previous podcast. (more…)

Welcome. New Look. New Attitude.

// May 14th, 2009 // 2 Comments » // Cinema4D, Photoshop

If you’ve visited this blog before, thank you. You are probably thinking what happened? As a digital artist you can’t underestimate 2.0 and social networking. I know I have for far too long just depended on my website Rigler Digital. No more. This blog will hopefully reflect the enthusiasm I have for all of the different software we use: Cinema4D, Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, Dreamweaver and last but not least After Effects. On the last version of the blog there had been 6 months between some posts, yea not good and not happening this time. So I hope you will subscribe now if you are new and find the posts here full of info and entertaining. To recap from our last podcast I had discussed PhotoshopDisasters and C4Dload. PhotoshopDisasters on blogspot is a great place to visit when you need to take a break from your current project and laugh. You can’t believe that this work gets approved and printed – on a very large, commercial scale. My own theory with these sites is that you can learn from others mistakes.
C4dload is from a Twitter success. The creators of c4dload found the RiglerDigital Twitter page and continue to post about their new site. It originates from Germany by Milan Herzog. Yes if you speak and write German the site is best. However, they are working very hard to make the English translation a success. I myself registered on the site and am looking forward to new tutorials and new discussions in the forum. It’s fun to participate in new sites –kind of like new blogs.