Key information

Publisher 3DTotal  Price £29.99/$49.99

This luxuriously presented tome is aimed at those who wish to improve their digital painting skills, in particular for creating concept art for the film and videogame industries.

Offering more than 200 pages, this softback is presented within a plastic slipcase in an unusual landscape orientation, so it will look as good on the shelf as it will provide educational and inspirational advice.

This isn’t your standard tutorial-led book. Instead, each section is written by a well-known digital artist, sharing their advice and tips on different topics, making it an interesting insight into the visual arts industry as well as explaining different tools and techniques. Names include Nykolai Alexsander, Richard Tilbury and Tomasz Jedruszek.

The chapters of the book are logically ordered, so that it goes through a standard Photoshop workspace, looking at the interface itself and how to set up your preferences for a digital-painting project. It then runs through specific Photoshop tools and functions in detail, such as masking, selections, filters and more. The first-person prose that continues throughout stops this from becoming formulaic, though it doesn’t shy away from the technical know-how either.

The second section looks at art fundamentals, such as lighting, composition, conveying emotion and storytelling. These topics are illustrated with examples of the artists’ own work, showcasing a high standard of work to aspire to.

A complete project case study puts together all the information learned so far and shows how it is applied to in a real-world project. It’s an interesting read and uses many Photoshop tools that might not be associated with digital painting, so even those familiar with the Adobe program will find plenty of new tricks for well-known functions.

Up until this point, the techniques learned can be applied to any painting project, so the fourth section applies the knowledge to specific genres, such as landscapes, characters and vehicles, to help you hone your skills.

The book concludes with more case studies of industry projects, quick tips from the pros and an inspirational gallery of concept pieces, breaking down their individual creation.

Overall, there is a lot of reading to do, but the informal way it’s written helps to break down complex techniques and also hold your interest throughout. This is the first in the series, and we are looking forward to seeing what comes next.

Our verdict

It’s not cheap, but it’s full of essential information written in an interesting and engaging manner.

Features: 9/10
Ease of use: 8/10
Quality of results: 9/10
Value for money: 8/10

Final score: 9/10

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Reviewer Julie Easton, Editor of Advanced Photoshop

This book review was originally published in issue 38 of 3D Artist magazine. Available to buy now, with worldwide delivery, from the official Imagine Publishing online store.

In a massive announcement today, DAZ3D is offering DAZ Studio 4 Pro (retail price $429.95 US), Bryce 7 Pro (retail price $249.95 US), Hexagon 2.5 (retail price $149.95 US), and 3D Photoshop Bridge to everyone, for free.

“We’re excited to make this offer early in the year,” James Thornton, CEO for DAZ said. “We wanted to give any digital artist the opportunity to experience DAZ free 3D software for the first time and a full suite of 3D models and 3D animation software products is available on DAZ3D.com.”

This generous offer from DAZ3D is for a limited time only, so to download the full retail versions of these popular 3D software packages, head to the DAZ3D website before February 29, 2012. The downloads will be eligible for free updates and upgrade pricing on future versions of each product – a potential savings of hundreds of dollars!

Learn how to perfect your car paintwork using VRay’s CarPaintMtl

This quick Q&A workshop will explain some of the options contained within the CarPaintMtl material and, hopefully, how to yield good results. While the CarPaintMtl may typecast itself in its name, don’t forget that its use can extend far beyond that of simply vehicles – it could prove equally useful in product design situations, for example.

Step 1: Getting started

Create a simple test scene that includes some curved geometry in which to apply the material. We’d recommend using a basic studio light setup as opposed to an HDRI at this stage as it creates less reflection interference. Open the Material/Map Browser and navigate to the V-Ray Materials section; select VRayCarPaintMtl and it will open in your Materials palette with default settings in place. Once this is applied to the geometry, you should have something like the above image.

Step 2: Modify the material

As you can see from the results of step 1, the material isn’t particularly attractive at first and the flakes look more like large chips. First start by changing the base colour; similar-coloured flakes tend to work best and are most like realistic metal paint. On this basis we’ve opted to use a two-tone blue combination. Apply a UVW map modifier to your object so as to aid flake mapping and begin to tweak the flake settings. The results are illustrated above, but try out a few colour schemes.

Step 3: Get experimental

Now we have removed the flake altogether and upped the glossiness of the base coat by setting the Flake color to Black and reducing its Density to 0. In the image, we show a few more effects that can be created. The left sphere is a heavy blend between a red base coat and small yellow flakes; the central one uses a gradient base colour with yellow flakes; and the right sphere exhibits a purple coat layer, much like that found in pearlescent paint.

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Tutorial written by Ross Board for 3D Artist magazine. Printed in issue 31, available to buy now as a back issue from the official Imagine Publishing store.

All images © Imagine Publishing

Digital Photographer issue 116 is on sale now from ImagineShop and offers readers 100 free photo prints from Bonusprint!*

To claim this exclusive offer, simply purchase issue 116 of Digital Photographer and follow the instructions to upload your images to the Bonusprint website. You must place your order by 29^th December 2011.

As well as this amazing giveaway, Issue 116 is also packed with heaps of fantastic features and tutorials including:

Try your hand at infrared photography

- Three different ways to achieve fantastic infrared images

Master indoor event photography

- Improve your indoor shooting skills and get creative with light effects

Blend your exposures

- Learn how to combine three exposures into one stunning image

Skill up with our 2012 workshop guide

- Plan how you’re going to improve your skills in the new year

- Also inside… Nikon V1 on test

- Top winter shooting destinations

- How photo associations can boost your career

- Create your own photo cards

- Jeremy Hunter shares his amazing portfolio

- Become a sports photographer

- New York photo guide

- Sony NEX-5N reviewed

- Win Vertus Fluid Mask 3.2 worth £99

Free with this issue…

100 free photo prints, PLUS free CD loaded with Photoshop video tutorials, test shots, workshops and more

* Please note – free prints offer only available to readers in the UK. Postage applies.

Maxwell for Google SketchUp is a self-contained (standalone) package containing its own render engine specifically designed for and fully integrated into Google SketchUp. This means that no other application is launched when you render your scene, and no exporting will be needed.

Easy to install and use, the features of the Maxwell for Google SketchUp plugin are quick to pick up, and since its integrated into Google SketchUp you’ll never have to leave the SketchUp interface. Maxwell for Google SketchUp gives maximum render power, right there.

Top 10 reasons to try Maxwell for Google SketchUp:

• It’s easy to set up: install the Maxwell for Google SketchUp standalone plugin, and you’re away!
• Maxwell’s high quality ‘real-time’ rendering gives immediate feedback in the renderer for scene changes
• Fully integrated into Google SketchUp means no external render applications or interfaces to learn
• Maxwell for Google SketchUp is a self-contained, standalone package with its own custom-designed render engine
• Free materials! You’ll get access to thousands of free Maxwell Materials (MXM files)
• The plugin is compatible with both Windows and OSX
• Developed by Next Limit Technologies specifically for Google SketchUp means targeted power Maxwell right to the heart of SketchUp
• It’s FREE! Which is always nice…
• And if you love it, a licensed version is also available for just $95 US, which includes high-definition (HD) resolution

To discover and see how you can radically transform your SketchUp models with the power of Maxwell, visit the Maxwell for Google SketchUp webpage.

If you’re looking to learn more about Blender, Focal Press’s latest literary releases might be able to help. First up is Blender Foundation by Roland Hess – it provides an essential guide to this revolutionary free piece software. Priced at $44.95, this 416-page book offers chapters on its interface, modelling basics, rigging, lighting and more. It even comes with tutorial files and video clips to help you on your way. Check out www.focalpress.com for more information.

For those who’d like to get their models moving, Tradigital Blender offers an in-depth guide to character animation in Blender. The book contains over 300 pages of tuition, covering everything from planning your piece, workflow tips and advice, plus more. It’s $44.95, plus you also get access to project files and a companion website with 40 videos to help you tackle the tasks at hand. Visit www.focalpress.com for a closer look.