Carrara Challenge #32 They Only Come Out At Night - VOTING IS NOW CLOSED, WINNERS ANNOUNCED

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Comments

  • wgdjohnwgdjohn Posts: 2,634

    UB, Thanks for the compliment.  All yours were great but I never, purposely, vote for the incoming host who just won... bonus is that it makes elimination a bit easier when voting.

  • UnifiedBrainUnifiedBrain Posts: 3,588

    So, now that we have 4 winners instead of 1, I guess that you will not be voting for any of them next time either.

    Your voting just got easier!smiley

     

     

  • wgdjohnwgdjohn Posts: 2,634
    edited May 2017

    Just not voting for the winner who is next host. 

    [edit]  That makes no sense now that there is no 1rst prize big winner and incrementaly lower prizes any longer. If anything it will make voting even harder.... oh geez... will have to skip my rule unless things change back for a future challenge.

    Post edited by wgdjohn on
  • UnifiedBrainUnifiedBrain Posts: 3,588

    YAY!

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,570
    wgdjohn said:

    Perhaps a requirement could even be "More than one entry requires that at least one be NPR"... that would certainly expose it even more.  Even though I have so far only had one entry... thanks to UB for haveing me a new door... I'll certainly have an NPR now and then.  Hmmm perhaps I'll start designing for a PR scene and then also convert it to NPR... will have to give it a go.

    I absolutely Loved your NPR entry! Fantastic, my friend!

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,570
    wgdjohn said:

    Perhaps a requirement could even be "More than one entry requires that at least one be NPR"... that would certainly expose it even more.

    John that WAS the requirement.smiley  I think the question now is, should this be a permanent requirement?  It's in the hands of each host at this point.

    Hope you keep experimenting.  I really liked your render, as I mentioned.

    I think you might have a very Unified Brain. Not all artists are like that. My Son, for example, has quite a case of attention deficit disorder. While it doesn't hamper his creation of art (as far as one can tell), seeing a list of Rules and Regulations can easily make one decide to Not enter (being that the long list of text of required reading to enter is too daunting).

    I think I have this to some small degree - because the list of rules is usually what deters me from entering anything. Even in a case like this - where I'd only have to apply that rule if I was going to submit more than one, makes it feel like I have even more of a disadvantage than usual (having no time).

    To me, it's not about winning... it's fun. I loved the early one that I entered. I think Head Wax hosted? Rules were more like: Must be done in Carrara - here's a cool theme to get you inspired. 

    ...and rules are great, too... it's what makes it a contest. For some reason, these things banish inspiration from my already hurried mind. 

    One thing that didn't make sense to me on this one is that "Best Demonstration of Theme" was at the bottom of the list, and "Best Participation"(? whatever that means?) is the Grand Prize winner. Just that in itself threw my mind for a loop. In the past, when I was stuck between voting for this one or that one, it was the theme that would help me pick the winner of my vote, not the one I put at the bottom.

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,169
    edited May 2017

    Presentation means a lot.  Some info is more in the FAQ category than in the Quantity of rules category.  For example, can people enter more than one image?  We just need an answer.  It is not fewer rules to answer no than to answer yes.  Whatever the answer is, we add another line to the accumulated list of rules.  Same thing for post work.  So the question is, how do we answer those questions without being intimidating?

     

    information can be presented in a very welcoming and empowering way, or it can be presented in a very stern and restrictive way.  Because of my long association with statutory information, I tend to present it in the stern and restrictive way.  Aye caramba!  Go back and look at the rules in the WIP thread for the first challenge that I hosted - Great Race.  People thought I was hiding stuff in the fine print!  

     

    https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/38186/carrara-challenge-viii-the-great-race-or-don-t-fence-me-in-wip-thread-is-open/p1

    Post edited by Diomede on
  • wgdjohnwgdjohn Posts: 2,634
    wgdjohn said:

    Perhaps a requirement could even be "More than one entry requires that at least one be NPR"... that would certainly expose it even more.  Even though I have so far only had one entry... thanks to UB for haveing me a new door... I'll certainly have an NPR now and then.  Hmmm perhaps I'll start designing for a PR scene and then also convert it to NPR... will have to give it a go.

    I absolutely Loved your NPR entry! Fantastic, my friend!

    Thanks very much!  Rock On.

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,570
    Diomede said:

    Presentation means a lot.  Some info is more in the FAQ category than in the Quantity of rules category.  For example, can people enter more than one image?  We just need an answer.  It is not fewer rules to answer no than to answer yes.  Whatever the answer is, we add another line to the accumulated list of rules.  Same thing for post work.  So the question is, how do we answer those questions without being intimidating?

     

    information can be presented in a very welcoming and empowering way, or it can be presented in a very stern and restrictive way.  Because of my long association with statutory information, I tend to present it in the stern and restrictive way.  Aye caramba!  Go back and look at the rules in the WIP thread for the first challenge that I hosted - Great Race.  People thought I was hiding stuff in the fine print!  

     

    https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/38186/carrara-challenge-viii-the-great-race-or-don-t-fence-me-in-wip-thread-is-open/p1

    I think I won some stuff in that one! ;) (or was it a different one? I can't remember)

    I think you're right... and I don't mean to criticize... just trying to help to answer that everlong question: How can we get more participants?

    I had originally kept my mouth shut about certain strict rules, like having to model something in Carrara, for example, being a bit of a (if not a BIG) turn-off, until someone else mentioned it and was feeling alone about it, so I added my voice. 

    When I read the rules to this challenge, they are quite simple. But then I scroll down a bit more and there are also General Rules... amother whole list. But those are simple enough too. 

    Rules of this challenge certainly weren't the reason I didn't enter. I just didn't get enough time to build/render anything. I'm just speaking of challenges in general... not this one.

     

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,570

    Heh... yeah that Great Race challenge happened almost directly after Magaremoto told me (in an entirely different thread) that I need to start adding particles or other elements to my scenes! LOL  I certainly had fun with that! 

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,169

    That car crash is such a fun render.  Love it.  I was very happy the way the Great Race / Don't fence me in challenge worked out.  Your entry was one of my favorites. 

    Heh... yeah that Great Race challenge happened almost directly after Magaremoto told me (in an entirely different thread) that I need to start adding particles or other elements to my scenes! LOL  I certainly had fun with that! 

     

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,570

    Why thank you, Sir! It was very much a departure from anything I'm used to rendering! I still have a folder (with subfolders) of that project, and what it started to later evolve into :)

  • HeadwaxHeadwax Posts: 9,987

    it's hard with us old timers who find some stuff easy and forget how hard itr was initially ... eg like never turning off limits on your favourite character...

    Rule1 should be - 'Have Fun'

    Rule 2 'Learn Stuff.

    Rule 3 "Have fun while learning stuff'

    Is also great to see how other people do things  and have the ability to ask how people did those things.

    It's also good to see how the challenges help develop a sense of community.

    And when you look at it, most of us are rendering at least one image a month, may as well make it one that fits in with the 'challenge'. ;)

    I'll be doing one this month too coz StezzaRuler knows where I live.

     

     

  • StezzaStezza Posts: 8,064

    The launch codes have been sent....... 

    waiting is always the longest part  

    That was a great render of the crash.... doesn't time fly.. doesn't seem that long ago.

  • UnifiedBrainUnifiedBrain Posts: 3,588
    edited May 2017

    I think you might have a very Unified Brain.

    I wish. smiley  I picked that avatar because I have studied the subject a lot, and because it also serves as a reminder to me that a lot of personal work remains to be done.

     

    Not all artists are like that. My Son, for example, has quite a case of attention deficit disorder. While it doesn't hamper his creation of art (as far as one can tell), seeing a list of Rules and Regulations can easily make one decide to Not enter (being that the long list of text of required reading to enter is too daunting).

    I've worked with several kids "diagnosed" with ADD.  Most of them were fine until the parents were convinced by the medical profession to start pumping them full of drugs.  ADD is no barrier to creativity, in my experience.

    As for the idea that long lines of text can discourage someone from reading, we have had this conversation before.  If you remember, I told you that I prefer video instructions, because a lot of instructions in text form tends to make my eyes glaze over.  And yet, other than Diomede, you have probably written more text instructions on this forum than anyone else!  So, it does drive me a little crazy that you would possibly not enter a Challenge because of a few lines of text!  smiley

    However, I think that these Challenges are important in helping keep Carrara vital, so I am all for dropping barriers to participation whenever possible.

     

    One thing that didn't make sense to me on this one is that "Best Demonstration of Theme" was at the bottom of the list, and "Best Participation"(? whatever that means?) is the Grand Prize winner. Just that in itself threw my mind for a loop. In the past, when I was stuck between voting for this one or that one, it was the theme that would help me pick the winner of my vote, not the one I put at the bottom.

    In a sense, there was no "bottom of the list."  All the categories were more or less equal, with equal prizes awarded.  The categories were arranged in a hierarchy strictly to break voting ties and to assign the role of host for the next Challenge.

    So, why is 'Best Participation the first category?'  In the last several Challenges, the top prize has always gone to the artist with the most votes on all renders (Best Participation).  So, I left it at the top of the list, even though there really is no "top prize" any more (unless a future host changes it back).

    Regarding the "Best Demonstration of Theme," I went with that instead of the previous (and to me, wimpy sounding) "Honorable Mention."

    Before making any of these changes, I did ask for feedback in this thread, and received generally positive comments.

     

     

    Post edited by UnifiedBrain on
  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,570

    So, it does drive me a little crazy that you would possibly not enter a Challenge because of a few lines of text!

    Sorry. I was trying to offer an idea for why "other people" might not enter. I go through and read them.

    I often don't enter because I don't have time. If I have 'some' time, sometimes the restrictions due to rules takes that time away from my wanting to enter (instead of working on stuff without having to spend the extra time the rules incur) 

    I love these challenges. I don't always love the rules, but I still like the challenge anyway - even if the rules keep me from wanting to enter myself.

  • StezzaStezza Posts: 8,064

    Take your laptop to the wedding and knock out a WiP during all the speeches.... easy ;-)

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,570

    I also agree with the ADD thing. ADD never took my Son's creativity away at all. I worked closely with the staff on his issues and we found that, if we took away the time constraint on tests, and let him take tests by himself, alone in a room, he'd get the tests finished, get a good grade, and even get them done in the time allotted to everyone else - but without that time-sensitive pressure, he was more relaxed, and could focus.

    After working long and hard with him, I realized that I demonstrate a lot of the same traits (even though we're not blood-related) but such a thing wasn't a thing when I was in school. 

  • UnifiedBrainUnifiedBrain Posts: 3,588
    edited May 2017

    You were a good parent!

    I had better not get started on the ADHD fad topic...smiley

    Post edited by UnifiedBrain on
  • UnifiedBrainUnifiedBrain Posts: 3,588

    One final comment on the "Best Demonstration of Theme" category.  Dart, I agree with you that a demonstration of theme is important in the final decision-making process.  If fact, in the voting system I use, the best demonstration category actually determines who gets the PA prizes.  So, it remains very important.

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,570

    Right, but it gets the (only) lowest prize from Daz3d, which is what confused me, and why I felt it (not just literally) the bottom of the list.

    Please, UB, I do like that you've put such an enormous effort into the challenge stuff. As I only have a few minutes to check in from time to time, I haven't had the time to read through that thread about your changing stuff. 

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