#ThrowbackThursday Illustrates Just How Far 3D Has Come
New Featured Model
And more!
Inspector Picks
Our 3D Model Inspectors see a lot of models every day, so it takes strong artistry and high quality for something to really stand out for them. When they see something that really excites them, the Inspectors are eager to share it, so we’re highlighting their favorites on our social channels with the Inspector Pick of the Week!
Find out from the experts what it takes to give your model that “something special,” and get a peek at some of the best work being submitted to the TurboSquid catalog. Here’s a look at some our past picks, and you can keep up by following our Tumblr, or connecting with us on Facebook.
New CheckMate Price Levels
Many of the artists on TurboSquid that create simple, yet beautiful, models have been deterred from submitting their work to be CheckMate certified due to the pricing that just doesn’t seem to work for their work. To remedy this, we are announcing a new pricing structure created specifically for models that meet this criteria.
Just in time for Spring, we’ve updated our list of suggested Checkmate Pro Models to Make.
13 Years, 13,000+ Models!
On April 1st, TurboSquid celebrated its 13th birthday, and we wouldn’t be where we are without you, our talented artists. The TurboSquid catalog now has over 13,000 certified models, which push the boundaries of 3D modeling in quality and usability.
We can’t wait to see what the next 13 years brings us, and we know you’ve been working hard. So have a slice of cake, on us!
Our latest featured model springs into action, thanks to TurboSquid artist thePROmax. We talked to thePROmax about his obsession with big cats, and why he believes the CheckMate standard is good for both customers and artists alike.We’re looking for the next CheckMate Pro model worthy of home page placement. Think one of your creations has what it takes to be the next Featured Model? Click here for details.
TurboSquid artist Popa_3D has developed a tool to help you prep your 3ds Max file for Checkmate. This amazing three-fold tool was built with artists who model for CheckMate in mind: a rendering tool that allows for easy turntable creation; a tool that preps wireframes and renders that pass inspection; and a fixing tool to remove Ngons, as well as numerous other “fixes,” to make sure your model is inspector-ready.
Thursday just became our favorite day of the week! If you’re subscribed to one of our socialchannels, be sure to tune in for #ThrowbackThursday, a side-by-side look at just how far 3D modeling has come in the last decade.
It’s an eye-opening experience for all of us to see some of our catalog’s earliest models (even the ones that were great at the time), and how they stack up against today’s model. Both artistically and technologically, the 3D industry has jumped light-years ahead in just a little over a decade.
Our product pages now display the date that your model was CheckMate Certified, keeping all your model’s information as fresh and up-to-date as possible. What does that mean for you? Better search position, and peace of mind for your customers that they’re getting the best and most recent cutting-edge models.
New Pro Price Option
We’re adding another tier of pricing for Pro models. Now you have the option to price your Certified Pro model at $49, $79 or $99. Simply enter the price as $49, $79, or $99 within the Publisher and Submit.
Webinar On-Demand
Did you miss our recent webinar on ”Preparing Your Model for CheckMate Pro”?
Don’t worry, we recorded it so you can watch (or rewatch) it anytime. Brush up on the requirements and see what the CheckMate Advisory Board had to say on the future of the 3D industry standard.
A New How-To Video
Our latest video tutorial offers
artists tips to make a wireframe thumbnail in Maya.
This tutorial is not only helpful for artists who are prepping their models for CheckMate; it’s also a great guide for all artists who want to have the best previews possible. Thorough and accurate previews are extremely important for potential customers to make informed decisions. The more previews you have, the more you maximize your sales.
Making Models
This just in, an updated list
of suggested Checkmate Pro Models to Make.
What We’re Working On
You may or may not have noticed a few of the changes made recently to TurboSquid. We’ve been busy fixing issues as well as moving the needle on some big projects. Here’s a breakdown of what we’ve been working on.
Translations: In December, we announced the movement toward translating all of TurboSquid into 10 languages. What started with a few select site pages has expanded to include Full Preview and the Navigation Bar. This feature is still only available for artists and, as always, we welcome your feedback.
Seeing Double: For those artists that have experienced products being published multiple times, we’ve taken care of that. Within the publisher, we have disabled the “publish” button from displaying after an item has been submitted. This should eliminate the ability to create multiple products by clicking the publish button more than once for an already submitted asset.
Time Saving Tools: We are working on time-saving tools that will help to speed up your support requests. This isn’t out just yet, but we hope to make it available soon. As always, we are committed to working on ways to improve your TurboSquid experience.
Our Squids are always working on something exciting, so be sure to check our forums for updates on other projects and site issues.
This month’s featured model of a Sci-Fi Fighter is out of this world, thanks to TS artist GrafxBox. Hailing from the picturesque Spanish coast, Grafxbox talks to us about what inspires him, from earthly nature to science fiction.
Think your CheckMate Pro model has what it takes to be the next Featured Model on our home page? Click here for details.
Do You Like OpenCollada?
Pro Tip From Our 3D Experts
TurboSquid Support Supervisor, Chris Johns, shares a tip to maximize your model’s compatibility with multiple applications and ultimately attract more buyers.
According to Chris, “The OpenCollada (*.dae) file type is one of the most reliable exchange formats available. When providing conversions for our customers, we typically will go with the OpenCollada (*.dae) file. Most applications can use OpenCollada (*.dae) files without any additional plugins.”
“A tip for a good export is to look for any errors when exporting and resolve them. This will help ensure that everything is transferred with the exchange format. Visit this site for the 3ds Max and Maya installers.”
Introducing the new TurboSquid Tumblr! Connect with us for Inspector Picks, more 3D news, and a heavy dose of trivia. Check us out at turbosquidinc.tumblr.com. If there’s a model you’d like to show us from your own Tumblr, tag it with “TS Artists”!
Are you sick and tired of waiting for feedback on
your Checkmate Pro submissions? Well, wait no
longer. We’re now giving artists a script that provides immediate feedback related on how your model might fair when run through our CheckMate certification process.
Click here for more about the
Pro Automated Filter for 3ds
Max files.
Register now for the webinar scheduled to take place on
Thursday, January 31st.
Choose between two times – 10:00am CST or 6:00om CST. Space is limited.
Making Models
New year, new list! Check out
the latest list of suggested
Checkmate Pro Models to Make.
Looking back at 2012, we can’t help but be optimistic about the future of the 3D industry. Artists continue to raise the bar when it comes to the quality and diversity of their models. Our staff has not only grown in size, but also smashed customer service industry standards while releasing some killer new site features.
We’ve set our sites high for 2013. Our plans to continue to improve the overall experience for ALL TurboSquid members is at the top of our list.
In case you’ve missed it, the search result pages on TurboSquid recently got a lot more interactive. The recent release of the ”Quick Preview” function which allows visitors the quickly view multiple images of a single product without leaving the search results page.
This month’s featured model proves that beauty rides above controversy. Just when we thought competitive cycling couldn’t get more ugly, we were excited to find a model that was as beautifully rendered as this one.
DMK76′s interview touches on his evolution from school ground sketcher to 3D artist, as well as his kind words for what TurboSquid’s marketplace has done for his career.
Think your CheckMate Pro model has what it takes to be the next Featured Model on our home page? Click here for details.
Recently our Inspectors selected a model of the week to share on our Facebookpage. Instead of simply sharing the image, we decided to put it side by side
with a photo of the real world
subject.
The even split of guesses in
both the right and wrong
direction is evidence of the
model quality on the site.
Keep up the great work!
How-To Videos
Having trouble prepping your
model for CheckMate
submission?
Visit our YouTube channel
to view step-by-step instructional videos showing
how to handle the most common issues.
If you’re a fan of our Facebook page or you’ve been keeping up with our blog posts, our recent fascination with memes is obvious. It all started with the addition of (what we considered to be) humorous quips related to customers and artists of 3D models added to the extremely popular “Y U No Guy” meme.
But that was only the beginning of the big dream when it comes to memes. Visual content is the rising star of the Internet. While text and written content is still important, images are easy to share online.
Now all we need is you! Help us find images of models worthy of Internet stardom. Here’s what to do:
Search the TurboSquid catalog for images that beg to have captions. Tip: Look beyond the first image for inspiration.
Characters or models of people are a great place to start. Look for interesting facial expressions or pre-posed action shots.
Animals are another popular source for image macro memes. Cats have, and continue to be king of this space (thanks to sites like LOLCatz.com). Check out the thousands of animal models on TurboSquid.com to find a model to rival these feline memes.
“Oh my God, it’s full of stars!” This month’s featured model, an Astronaut Suit by 3D artist Radoxist, is sure to excite sci-fi and space fans alike, as the artist proves that he really does have the right stuff when it comes to modeling.
Many thanks to those who have been playing 3D Expert. As a result of your game play, the following are a sample of this month’s top rated models.
3D
Expert Rating:
8.90
3D
Expert Rating:
8.17
3D
Expert Rating:
7.80
Remember, this is more than
just a game. The goal is to
assess the quality ratings
of every model offered on
TurboSquid.com, but we cannot do it unless you
play.
Not so long ago, if an artist wanted to publish and offer a CheckMate Pro model a price other than $149, there was a somewhat tedious process to request this change.
Well, no more! Because of your feedback, we’ve added options as part of the the publishing process allowing the model to carry the price as soon as the model has been CheckMate Certified.
Games may be to blame for RaaYaar’s start as a 3D modeler. It all started when the maker of this month’s breathtaking desert mountain model was bored by simply playing videos games, so he turned to dissecting them for fun. In search of a more creative outlet, he was drawn to 3D modeling. We’re glad that this path ultimately led him to TurboSquid, where his inspired 3D creations are on display for all to see.
We know that the road to CheckMate Certification can sometimes be tricky, so we’re here to help. We’re creating video tutorials to help artists tackle the hang-ups that arise when working through the CheckMate spec.
Whether it’s making a wireframe thumbnail using Scanline or mental ray in 3ds Max or finding a fix for overlapping faces in 3ds Max, these short how-to’s are designed to get you closer to passing CheckMate.
For those planning to make
the trek to SIGGRAPH, be
sure to add the TurboSquid
hosted “Birds of a Feather” session entitled “3D Modeling
Standards Development“ to your SIGGRAPH schedule.
The hour long ”BOF” will take
place at 10:00 am on Wednesday, August 8th in
Room 410 of the Los Angeles
Convention Center. Our own Michele Bousquet, TurboSquid’s CheckMate Ambassador, will be leading the discussion.We hope to see you there.
June was a great month for CheckMate models, which accounted for just over 16% of 3D models sold at TurboSquid. When you consider that less than 3% of our 3D model catalog is CheckMate Certified, it’s clear that CheckMate models have an advantage when it comes to sales. Click here for the detailed breakdown.
As the world braces for the start of the Olympic games in London, we thought it the perfect time to showcase a few medal-worthy models. We’ve even sprinkled in a few of the sites sure to be seen by both athletes and attendees while exploring London.
