Article 2: Working and Rendering Efficiently

There are many ways to increase productivity in production, not the least of which is being extremely familiar with your production tools. Here are a few tips that I have learned through experience and advice from others while working on large projects. I have many more than these, but I only inflict those opinions on the people I work with...

1. Name objects as you create them. This is the most overlooked part of the modeling process. I can't tell you how many times I've caught myself making multiple copies of an object then realized I was on Square 201 without a clue what name goes with what object.

2. Learn the keyboard shortcuts. This will be the absolute biggest time-saver in the modeling process. All that time spent moving the mouse around can be cut by about 75 percent.

3. Break complex extrude models into smaller elements wherever possible. This will save time in the workshop and in the final rendering. Infini-D handles more less complex models more efficiently than a single, very complex object.

4. Wherever possible use spotlights with soft shadows instead of hard shadows. Not only will you get a more realistic effect, soft shadows render faster than hard shadows.

5. Okay, this may be stating the obvious, but make sure that you create (or the client creates) comprehensive storyboards. I'm not talking about exactly following those storyboards, especially if something isn't working out, but the greatest sanity saver I know is knowing what views are needed, what action is needed, and what information is essential for the scene/ animation/ multimedia screen. Every day spent waiting for information is a wasted day (experience speaking). Just let the client know that the more information you have upfront, the less they'll have to pay and the faster they'll have their product.

6. Make sure that the images you import for texture maps are no larger than needed. For a large shot of a world, you may need a 640 x 480, 300 dpi image for a texture map. But if that same object fills only about a quarter of the screen, you can get by with th a smaller image. Just remember, the larger the image file, the longer it'll take to manipulate, the more RAM the program needs, and the longer the scene will take to render.

7. The final, most important, major important, aspect of speedy working and rendering is your equipment. Invest! I'm not saying you need a new computer every time a faster model comes out, but get a good, solid machine, with an upgradable processor, cache and a high maximum level of RAM. An upgradable machine can last well into the future. Keep your options open. (If you're in a business, you may want to lease machines from Apple. At the end of the lease period, you can buy the machine for a buck).

Use what works!
Jennifer Nieland

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