A big thanks to Rob Nederhorst for putting up with my dumb questions and assumptions for the past few days. His work simply speaks for itself. Check out his stuff, you most likely have and did not know it.
http://throb.net/

Cheers

Ah Zbrush

Gotta love Z, hmm gotta change those horns

Amazing paintings

Some amazing acrylic paintings
http://jasondegraaf.blogspot.com/

Nice explanation

Came across this excellent explanation of linear/gamma 2.2
http://maxattivo.blogspot.com/2011/07/what-is-gamma-correction-in-image.html

New stuff!

Click for larger view

Well new old stuff. This is an old file I dug up and re-lit and re-textured.
This is more of  my method, bit of post for CC and curves. About 1 hour @1080p on my Quad 9550 8GB RAM respectable time for this aging box. IR/LC 1/1/2.2 DMC2/50 .005 (before anyone freaks out about that see http://www.interstation3d.com/tutorials/vray_dmc_sampler/demistyfing_dmc.html for an explanation). You may see the image change as I fiddle with it the old (too bright, not bright enough etc.) thing we all do.

In most photography or renders you tend to see the brightest spots heavily clamped, I personally like to give a more what you see with you eye feel coupled with good ole photographic treatments.
If thats not your bag, well ok, no worries.

Anyway hope you like it. Any questions feel free to ask.

Zbrush, it does a body good err in this guys case not so much.

Click for larger view

I want to go back and do some more work on this guy. Picked up on a few techniques and gotten my awareness up a bit more since I first worked on this.
-d

A bit about how I work

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A bit about how I work and what I work with....
I primarily use 3DSMAX, ZBrush, Photoshop, AfterEffects and a many other in between when needed. I work with/in linear workflow (LWF) in MAX (But on occassion I bend, break or change that rule.)
Too many people get into this with near religious beliefs in technique. Often something more like gamma workflow.

(Technically its more like gamma workflow using linear color mapping, otherwise its gamma 1.0 everywhere and saving 1.0 and correcting in post)

Getting into this is like trying to convince someone they are in the Matrix.

Why!!?!?

Many run into this question and its a bit long but simple in some ways.
Linear workflow is a two step process, you must bear this in mind. The concept is to create output (images) that have as much range as possible. The reason for that is post "correction" and I use that term loosely (aka tone mapping). Correction more or less means you being able to change colors, range, value etc to something else, and having enough info in the image to do it.

Shooting flat, 0 and 1

One factor you can take advantage of it that as values increase over 1.0 in float render times can explode. Things get harder for the image sampler to calculate (as I understand it) if you keep your values from going over white (1.0 float) and from reach as low as black (0) you will have plenty of "room" to work.
If you do not work linear you run the risk of ending up with too bright or too dark ranges effectively cutting off those pixels to any change (decent change). If its solid black or white that's it, there is no changing or finding out what is in that area. In camera terms (film) you may see the term "shooting flat" its sort of a similar idea. You want as much color and pixel information as possible giving you control after the shooting, or in our case after dedicating some amount of render time for a still or frames. Having an image with enough range to "correct" is essential to this process.

If you use something other than linear you run the risk of having brighter light sources that can increase render time, it of course depends on the scene, if you are exposing with a vray physical camera and so on.

Anyway you want it...

Now, this is not to say rendering any other way is wrong or incorrect. Use what works best for you and your needs either for yourself or your clients. In my particular case I usually have many time constraints either in computing, delivery dates, urgent changes or a client with a particularly difficult target to hit (that will be another discussion in a later blog)

Whatever it takes

For my particular situation linear workflow makes the most sense to meet time constraints (most of the time). The color accuracy and leverage of post control of colors, range and so on. Many of the jobs I work on require very close or dead accurate color reproduction (even though perception controls what you see in any given environment, yet something to discuss in another post later). So I try to get my render as accurate as possible from the word go so what I see in a color sample in photoshop is what I get back in MAX. Of course light and everything that goes with it will affect the appearance of color, we are talking in generalities. Dont get me started (yet) on what is "real" or not.

Also what is "real" is perceptual no matter your intent or best practices :)
so you can make it awesome then have to break it for some silly reason or other.


Links
So here are some links if you are interested in learning more about linear workflow. Since it really showed up on the rendering scene in mass use there have been drop dead arguments, fights, frustration and personal wars erupt. So try not to get to nutty with it. Its not the be all end all but its about time, leverage and control.

There will be more to come on the technical front, especially some discussion about render time.
In the meantime I recommend checking these out, note though not all point out the second step of correction but this can happen in the VRay frame buffer or in Photoshop, AE, Nuke whatever.

Some great tuts, including gamma 2.2 (Linear workflow)
http://www.aversis.be/tutorials/vray-free/index.htm

More terrific tuts, well written and making sense
http://www.workshop.mintviz.com/?doing_wp_cron=1339286581

Nice tut here
http://www.davidfleet.com/tutorials/linear-workflow

If some serious confusion kicks in have a read here
http://www.gijsdezwart.nl/tutorials.php

One way to rule them all, Rob Nederhorst
http://throb.net/articles/


Until next time cheers.
-d

Some old stuff

Hey everyone hope to get this blog up and running with some hopefully informative info. So drop by and see if I dropped the ball or did something :)

Old old old work, exponential btw before I switched to linear methods. Nothing wrong with that now or then, I just tend to like more range now a days.

Lot of spline modeling in these. Made just about everything from scratch, except the tree in the pot, Xfrog if memory serves and the mother-in-law tongue in the pot on the right.