FREE 3d Models: High-End Modern Furniture from B&B Italia

B&B Italia offers one of the best collections of free furniture models on the internet. All of the models come from the B&B product line. Here's how to get the free 3D models:

• Go to the B&B Italia website
• Choose your language and navigation mode. (Use the Flash version to access the 3D models.)
• Click on the 'Architect Lounge' link at the bottom menu
• Log in to the site. Authentication via email will be required. They are very good about not spamming.  I have been a registered member for many years, and I have not been bothered by them at all.
• Navigate to the desired product
• Click the '3D' link box to the left of the product image.

The models are generally very well made, and generic standard materials are already applied, which makes them easier to customize. If using Max, you may want to make use of the "Multires" or "ProOptimize" modifier in order to simplify some of the models. Some of the models can be a little hard on your poly counts. The models are available to download as: max, 3ds, obj, and dwg formats.

I have had good success using the Max models with 3dsMax 2010.
The max models also use Vray materials! :)

On a side note, the Multires and ProOptimize modifiers in 3dsMax are commonly overlooked tools which can be extremely useful in many different situations. Take some time to check them out if you've never used them before. I will typically reduce a dense, high poly object down to about only 10-25% of it's starting poly count. After that I convert it to an editable poly, and I use the vertex target weld to fix any shading issues that may have appeared in the mesh due to the new poly arrangment that Max has created.

Enjoy these free models from www.bebitalia.it by clicking here!

FREE Textures: High-Resolution Skies and Textures: Stone, Wood, Metal, and hundreds more!

Cgtextures.com is one of the best resources on the Internet for high-quality skies and texture images. Many of the images are seamless and tileable, and the ones that are not are still very useful. They have hundreds of images to download, you can choose between either low or high resolutions. Almost all of the images are about 3000x2000 pixels, and the hig-res full skies are 8000x2000! I wish I would have found this site years ago, go check it out. Click here to go to cgtextures.com.

FREE 3d Models: Flowers, Fish, and Insects

The Toucan Virtual Museum contains over 100 free models of fish, flowers, and insects. These models can be imported in to Max as a 3ds file. All of the models are mapped really well, and the texture maps are included with the models. Click here to check out these models.

FREE Photoshop Tutorial: Greyscale Ghosting

When I originally posted this article a few years ago I thought the Ghost plug-in from Flaming Pear was pretty cool.  This plug-in could take any image and convert it in to a greyscale, semi-transparent layer that would magically blend with the layers below.  Then someone showed me how you can get the exact same effect in Photoshop without using a 3rd party filter.  Here's how to create a greyscale, ghosted layer using Photoshop CS4:

• Open an image
• Hit Ctrl+Shift+U to desaturate the image
• Place the newly desaturated layer over any other layer
• Change the desaturated layer's blending mode to 'Multiply'
• You can adjust the desaturated layer's levels (Ctrl+L) or opacity to adjust the blending effect.

So, really, the 'Ghost' filter is not a necessary tool; I never use it anymore.  I do, however, use layers with the Multiply blending mode in various ways, every day.  As a general rule, don't bother downloading unnecessary plug-ins and filters for Photoshop.  Most of these pre-made filters will turn out to be less than useful in the long run.  Instead, take your design/photo concepts as a challenge, and learn how to do it the right way in Photoshop.  Learning how to create effects from scratch will also give you more creative control over the final result of your projects.  This will only improve your design capabilities and make you better prepared to tackle future projects. Good luck, and let me know if you have any questions.

-Andrew

Here's my original post, don't bother reading it:
The Ghost filter is a free plug-in offered by Flaming Pear Software. I have found this to be very useful when creating textures for 3dsMax in Photoshop. The Ghost filter can take any raster image and convert it into a black-and-transparent image. The transparency of the Ghosted layers make it super easy to use when adding texture and detail to other images or colors. The fabric example seen above is a very simple example of how the Ghost filter can be used. I have also used it to help make dozens of textures, like: wood paneling, shingles, concrete, brick, fabrics, stone, and even leaf textures for plants.

The Ghost plug-in is part of Flaming Pear's 'Free Plugins' download. Click here to go to the download site. Scroll down, the 'Free Plugins' pack is located towards the bottom of the page. There is also a link on the top of the Flaming Pear download page if you have questions about how to install the filter in Photoshop, it's very easy. Take a few minutes to play with the filter after you install it. I'm sure you'll find many other ways to make it useful.

FREE 3ds Max Models: Louis Poulsen Lighting

Louis Poulsen Lighting is a design company which has posted over 100 free 3d models of it's lighting products on their website. These are high-quality, detailed models, and most of them even come with an IES file already attached. DWG and MAX formats are available for most products. Here's how to get the free models:

• Click here to go to the louispoulsen.com
• Navigate to the product page of your choice.
• Click the 'Download' link in the COLORED menu. Clicking the white 'Download' link at the top of the page won't take you to the 3d models. (Bad website design.)
• Find the 'ThreeDFiles' section, usually towards the bottom of the screen. They do not have 3d models for all of their products.
• Click on the file you wish to download.

Here's a link to the free 3dsMax version of the popular PH Artichoke pendant light.

Louis Poulsen has a lot of products which are very popular with architects and interior designers, and it's also a great way to build up your digital model library. Hopefully this will be a great resource for you.

Click here to go to Louis Poulsen Lighting website.

Just Boolean It ?

Have you ever resorted to using a Boolean to model something in Max? That's good. Maybe Booleans are your favorite tool in Max, even better. But maybe there are better ways to do things...if you just knew what they were. My purpose in creating this blog is to share the stuff I have been able to learn with others. Sure, my way of doing some things might be useless, but that's why there are comment boxes. Please let me know if you have a better idea about something.

So here's what 'Just Boolean It' will have to offer.

• 3ds Max stuff
• Photoshop stuff
• Vray stuff
• 3d Illustration / CG arts stuff
• Other stuff (as it becomes necessary)

So check back often, or subscribe to the feed. I've got tons of stuff that I'm going to be posting.