WITH SCOTT ROBERTSON
Overall Rating: 8.5/10
Overview:
Forget about reading text-books on how to render by
hand; watch it happen on this DVD with noted designer and teacher, Scott
Robertson. This is the first of 3 DVD’s that teach you the skills needed for
rendering 3D forms, this particular DVD focusing on simple flat surface objects
like cubes. Some of the key lessons include:
- Which materials you need, and how to use them
(eg. markers, chalk, types of paper, etc.)
- How to cast shadows in perspective, either from
an artificial light source, or from the sun
- Explanations and many examples of ‘1,2,3
Shading’ and ‘Halfway to Black’ – these principles will allow you to
realistically apply specific darkness’ of shading to flat surfaces
- How to use the basic principles for shading on
more complex forms
Bonus Features:
- jpg images of the rendered examples used in the
DVD are available if you open the DVD on your computer (many including
notes)
- Lecture notes explaining key principles used in
the DVD
- List of companies that provide additional
training, books, news etc.
- Slideshow of some of Scott Robertson’s
professional renders – AMAZING!!!
About Scott Robertson:
Scott Robertson opened his own product design
consulting firm after graduating from the Art Center College of Design, working
for clients such as Nissan, Yamaha, Nike, BMW and Universal Studios. For most
of this time, he has also taught drawing and industrial design around the world,
and more recently, has launched Design Studio Press, a publishing company
dedicated to educational art books and DVD’s.
Relevance to product
designers: 10/10
The knowledge in
this DVD is priceless for all designers. The technical knowledge of how to
create realistic 3D forms and shadows is always going to be necessary, even if
you intend to rely on CAD (as lets face it, the computer doesn’t always get it
looking right). Product design is inherently 3-dimensional, and this DVD will
arm you with the skills to communicate in 3-dimensions.
Is the DVD informative?:
9/10
This DVD is
extremely valuable for the beginner drawer, as Scott begins by showing you the
equipment he uses, and how to use it properly. However it quickly introduces
the main concepts, ‘1,2,3 Shading’ and ‘Halfway to Black,’ so that more
advanced designers/artists can quickly hop on board and find value throughout
the whole DVD as well.
Is the DVD enjoyable to watch?: 6/10
As Scott draws, the sequences are sped up so you can
see what is being done, but without having to wait around for an hour while he
renders a cube. This way a lot of examples can be put on the DVD, and you
actually see entire drawings being constructed and rendered. The only problem
is that it can be difficult to watch 2 hours of drawing all at once without
Scott’s monotone voice making your eyes very heavy! It is best to watch a few
chapters, and either take a break, or go and practice what he has shown before
watching any more.
Value for Money: 9/10
You can easily
pay a lot more for a text on how to render… but then you’d actually have to sit
down and read the whole thing. This DVD shows you a professional (Scott Robertson) actually drawing and
rendering, so you don’t just learn the technical aspect of how you should
render, but you actually SEE the principles being put into action.
Is it a favourite design
related DVD?: YES
There aren’t that many DVD’s
related to product design, but this is one that will arm you with some really
important skills you will use throughout your studies and career. I have found
that after watching the DVD, printing out the jpg’s was really useful to use as
references when completing renders for uni. Even if you intend to rely on CAD,
knowing how shadows work will allow you to setup your lighting scheme for the
best results, or allow you to take your final CAD renders and edit them in
Photoshop to tweak the shading for a more realistic result.
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Posted by: Rerto Jordans | July 08, 2010 at 07:04 PM