TurboSquid 3D Modeling Blog

3D Modeling

CheckMate Tools Contest – We Have a Winner!

Wednesday, May 9th, 2012 by

It was a tough call, but we managed to choose our three winners of the CheckMate Tools contest. Once again, our members succeeded in dazzling us with their brilliance and ingenuity.

The goal of the contest, which ran until March 31, was to create a script that would look for CheckMate issues when running pre-2010 releases of 3ds Max. Our existing CheckMate script relies on XView features, which are not available in 3ds Max 2009 or before. This made it hard for artists using older software (of which there are many at TurboSquid) to prepare or fix their models for CheckMate certification.

Of all the entries that we received, there were three scripts that stood out above the rest. It was a tough decision, as these three scripts each did a great job of creating a new tool that can be used by 3ds Max 7 or later. Here’s a snapshot view of the three winning entries, with more details below.

Grand Prize / First Place: Popa_3D
This full-featured MAXScript batch-fixes errors and renders thumbnails and turntables. In addition to running tests for both Checkmate Pro and Lite, this script can run individual tests one by one. Plus it’s lightning-fast!

2nd Place: Denys Almaral
This MAXScript features a handy display of sub-object level problems so you can easily zoom in and locate problematic faces and vertices. This submission runs faster than the original 3ds Max CheckMate Tool, especially on high-poly models.

3rd Place: Atanas Bakardzhiev 
Created by using the existing XView-heavy CheckMate Tool as a base, this MAXScript adds a non-XView option that performs most of the same commands without calling XView itself. When running this script, you can choose whether to run it in XView or non-XView mode.

Congratulations to all three winners! The winning MAXScripts are available for free download on our CheckMate Tools page, so you can pick one or try them all. We hope you use these tools to help you build, check and fix up your products for CheckMate certification.

Read on for more detail on each of the submissions. (more…)

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1000th CheckMate Pro 3D Model

Wednesday, April 11th, 2012 by

The count of CheckMate Pro models has just hit the 1000 mark! Congratulations to CheckMate artist Arturbob, whose beautiful Casio watch model became the 1000th 3D model to pass CheckMate Pro yesterday.

3D Model of Casio Watch by Arturbob

 

As the total number of CheckMate models approaches 5000, we couldn’t be happier with the success of our certification program. The only complaint we get from customers is that there aren’t enough CheckMate models yet! If you’re an artist interested in submitting for CheckMate, see our Knowledge Base for information on how you can join this group of elite 3D artists.

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Posted in CheckMate | No Comments »

TS Talks CheckMate During Visit to Boston AAUGA Meeting

Friday, March 23rd, 2012 by

 

TurboSquid’s CheckMate Ambassador, Michele Bousquet, was lucky enough to spend some time with some wicked smart folks during the  Boston AAUGA March member meeting. Those in attendance included 3D pros representing a vast cross section of industries from game development to medical visualization, even students from local art colleges.

While most in the crowd were already members of TurboSquid, few knew of the level of impact that CheckMate has had on the 3D industry as a whole. Things really got interesting as a chart (shown below) demonstrating how the relatively few models within the TurboSquid catalog that are CheckMate certified are responsible for a significant percentage of total sales.  (more…)

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Announcing SquidGuild Bridge

Thursday, March 8th, 2012 by

3D Bridge Model by radoxist

SquidGuild Bridge is a new TurboSquid program where artists who have binding commitments with other distribution channels can enjoy limited SquidGuild benefits. With SquidGuild Bridge,  any 3D models an artist has that aren’t bound by a currently existing outside agreement become exclusive to TurboSquid, and these models get SquidGuild royalty rates and CheckMate eligibility. All new models published by the artist will be exclusive to TurboSquid. Those 3D models bound by outside agreements remain non-exclusive to TurboSquid, and aren’t eligible for a higher royalty rate or CheckMate Certification.

(more…)

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CheckMate Tools Contest – Early Submission Critiques

Friday, March 2nd, 2012 by
CheckMate Tools Contest Organizers offer Scripters Another Set of Eyes

CheckMate Tools Contest Organizers offer Scripters Another Set of Eyes

A few weeks ago we launched the CheckMate Tools Contest, where we call for programs that will check models for CheckMate readiness in 3ds Max versions prior to v2010. The official contest deadline is March 31, 2012, but we’d like to give a special opportunity to those who send in an early draft right now.

Submit a draft of your entry by Friday, March 9, and we’ll test it out and give you feedback on how well your entry performs. Getting this feedback will help you improve your entry and increase your chances to win. And if you make the changes before March 9, you can submit again for a second critique!

NOTE: An early entry submitted by March 9 will not count against your final entry.

Simply submit the final version of your script or program with the same name prior to the deadline, and the later entry will count as the true entry. The final entry will be evaluated on its own merits, and the critique on the earlier entry will not be considered. If another entry is not submitted, the first submission will be viewed as your entry.

For those with submissions in the works, this is a great opportunity to have another set of eyes review the work you’ve done thus far, to let you know if your are on the right track with no penalty at all.

What are you waiting for? Submit your CheckMate Contest entries!

 

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TurboSquid in Istanbul

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012 by

What happens when a bunch of Turkish 3D artists get together at a cozy little bistro in Istanbul? That’s what TurboSquid found out last week when we invited some of our top artists from Turkey, along with a few customers and even some TurboSquid newbies, to join us for food and drink at the TAG Bistro in Istanbul’s New District. There I talked about the CheckMate 3D modeling standard as well as the TurboSquid marketplace in general. The presentation, which was supposed to last less than an hour, ended up running closer to 3 hours when the 15 artists at the meeting asked dozens of questions about CheckMate. (more…)

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Posted in 3D Modeling, CheckMate, Featured | 1 Comment »

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