The Egyptians also didn't know what perspective was. Everything was on one two dimensional plane, lending it its feel.

I dunno. 3D is a lot more work than it's worth, I'm finding out.

3D Glasses
I dunno. 3D is a lot more work than it's worth, I'm finding out.

Well, the thing is that 3D, sticks, sprites, manga, hyperrealism, anthro, etc. are nothing but tools and aesthetics, and every artist should use the one that suits him/her best.

If you decide to swich to any style other than 3D, do it because you feel that you can tell the story better that way.

But keep in mind that every style have their own issues and problems as well as their own advantages.

There is no style that results in the "magical key" to succes in webcomic. And the good thing is, that the Interent is big enough to satisfy any possible taste (a lot of porn sites are proof of that).

If you REALLY feel that a style is not worth of all the work, then change it, but keep in mind that it will require a whole new set of skills to master in order to succeed...

3D have a lot of problems and issues, but also is a great tool and gets awesome results once it's mastered, AS WELL AS ANY OTHER STYLE...

I reacently discovered Sketchup also free and I am trying to learn Blender. I use sketch up to create the starships I use in the comic. I pose them export paste them into the picture and I/m done. The toons themselves are still the children of my hand an eye. Would I use a 3d program to do my strip. Maybe If it was time efficent and as Hawk says they were my characters not something that came with a 3d program. If I could model the characters with the squash and stretch that give life that would make an interesting feel. I just learned a few things in this discussion using the models in my b&w work. Thank you for this topic I thought it was going to be a style bash. Instead it was a thoughtful exchange of ideas,and for me very educational.

harkovast
Look at a lot of historical images, like tapestries and things.
The characters on them are really stylised and the poses seem unnatural to us (like Egyptian hyroglyphs, they are a good example.)
So the idea that trying to be too realistic could look worse is as old as the hills.

The reason people in Egyptian hieroglyphs looked the way they did was because they were part of a language system and had to be made simplified in order for reasonably unskilled people to reproduce them. They were just stylised, simplified representations for communication purposes, in a similar way to the way our modern Roman alphabet was originally made up of simplified representations of other things. (the "T" being an arrow head originally).
Egyptian 2D visual artists who produced other imagery did not approach their work the way later European artists did- rather they were trained to reproduce the symbolism of their culture in a ritualised, codified way.
-That the Egyptians knew how to make realistic representations of the human form and didn't mind it can be seen in their sculpture. :)

In things like the Bayeux tapestry, you can put that down to unskilled artists who's main purpose is to communicate, not create a nice image, since other work from the time looks a LOT better. ^__^
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But in those ways they're very much like a lot of 3D comics, you're right in that! :)
-Often the artists are unskilled and their main purpose is to communicate their ideas. So they use simplified, stylised representations of the human form out of expediency.

The difference between that and something like the Incredibles is that with Incredibles you have skilled artists who not only want to communicate an idea, they want to entertain with the imagery as well and they have the skills to do it.

few years ago I have toyed with the idea of using 3d to pose stuff first, then trace it, so that my comics would look good. Well, that kinda fell under as I've NEVER finished an entire page in this fashion, heh. The posing was simply too time consuming to really bother with it, and nowhere near as much fun as drawing. Struggling with the Poser interface and the program's sluggishness (especially on my old pc) and lack of multilevel undo... urgh. THE PAIN!!!

So I drew my stuff instead :D

At this point I have a certain dislike towards 3d (especially when it is obvious 3d). Dreamland Chronicles look pretty, sure, but I never bothered reading a single page. I still have to see my first Pixar movie, haha. It just doesn't attract me.

On the other hand I do love some 3d illustrations, especially the really well rendered ones with amazing stuff going on in them. But that's not a bunch of models set up in Poser but things that require 4gb of memory just to load all the models and textures into the memory for the rendering.

As for Sketch Up, a lot of artists use it these days to build the backgrounds in their comics. Need a specific building? car? something else? There are models online, no problem.
There's a storyarc near the end of Cerebus (and by that I mean it happens somewhere in the last 100 issues, haha) where it happens on a boat. The camera keeps rotating, so that by the end of the scene, you had a full 180 or 360 view of the surroundings around the characters. They used 3d software to set up the basic backgrounds for that one.
Red Star used 3d rendered spaceships, and while these stick out a little, the results aren't as jarring as with characters as it's basically big chunks of metal with engines on them flying through the space.
I'm not 100% sure, but I believe current Witchblade issues are built off 3d models that are later digitally repainted.
There's a million possibilities...

While I personally am not attracted to 3d comics, I don't go ragging on them or blaming for "all that is wrong in the world". You like to make 3d comics? Great. Found some readers who like them? Good for you, keep it up. :D

It takes time to learn all this 3D, I've been at it with the one software program for over 10 years now, still don't know how to use the full extent of it. The last 4 years plus have been spent on the current comic . . . so it becomes sort of a dedication to the art (as well as trying to tell a good story)

Have seen some really good things done with 3D and Poser; someone did mention something I'd recomend as well for those making an attempt at 3D, learn how people move and position themselves, learn some facial expressions as they'll convey & add more to the story & character's personality. Watch animated cartoons, a lot of cartoons, they're just such a wonderful source of exageration ;)

It takes talent to master the 3D art, I think Dark Pascual is well on his way there. *Apocalypse 2030*

One thing that I've recently discovered is that you can just BUY 3D models. Which to me seems insane, but I guess if you're willing to shell out the cash, why not.

And then the 3D comics thing becomes sprite comics all over again, there's no way for the good ones to distinguish themselves, and a whole art form goes down the tubes because of the stigma associated with it.

All I have to say is: LAME.

Or perhaps, anyone looking for some models to be made for cash? =P

Voltarrens
It takes time to learn all this 3D

True. I think the thrust of this thread was about the simpler 3D comics that use poser models or game models rather simply.

ozoneocean

Voltarrens
It takes time to learn all this 3D

True. I think the thrust of this thread was about the simpler 3D comics that use poser models or game models rather simply.

The thing is that avoid the Uncanny Valley in Poser DO requires time...

Ken Akamatsu, of Negima fame uses a combination of 3D backgrounds and hand drawn elements. If you ever read all the stuff he usually puts in the back of a volume of Negima he usually talks about the benefits (quickness and accuracy) of using 3d bg's but also the drawbacks (always looking way too clean). Personally, I build a lot of the background items and instruments in my comic with Sketchup, which I only started using in November. However, since then it has even helped all my hand drawn stuff like changing my camera angles in my drawings etc.

My personal thing against most 3D comics though is they remind me of Greg Land's porn traced comic book images. Granted I will still read some things he has drawn, but I shudder every few panels at the art.

Dark Pascual
The thing is that avoid the Uncanny Valley in Poser DO requires time...

And this thead is about those that don't ;)

The problem with 3d is not the medium. What you can do with it is all but limitless, as Hollywood keeps reminding us time and again. If you want to see some really outstanding CG artwork, try visiting the galleries at cgsociety.org is terrible. I don’t think my Certified Monster comic was terrible either. But usually when I hear the words “Poser comic,” I have to fight back a groan or two because I know I’m in for some punishment. The problem with Poser I think is that it’s just too easy for people with no talent whatsoever to start plugging away and make semi-decent-but-godawful-boring images right from the jump, without any understanding of composition or lighting or anatomy. So unfortunately a lot of the Poser stuff out there is a complete hack-job. A lot of it is “Poser good.” That is, if you’re a Poserite, you’ll be able to enjoy it because of that certain familiarity you have with the app, the same way Trekkies will flock to a Star Trek comic no matter how lame it is, while the rest of us just shrug and don‘t understand the appeal. There are not very many artists I know of who can put a story together with Poser in a manner which general audiences will regard with anything other than morbid curiosity.