Tectix

I have recently made an investment in the V-Ray render engine for 3ds Max. I was persuaded with promises of easier set-up, more material options, and faster, prettier renders.

Though "switch" may not be the right word (as I am much more familiar with Mental Ray and iRay and I can still do faster/more efficient work in them), I do expect to be utilizing V-Ray more in my 3D projects. It just seems to have more potential. Especially with its much friendlier atmospheric settings and interactions with FumeFX, it has been easier to get a desired result than with Mental Ray.

I have been pleasantly surprised by its performance so far. Neglecting the numerous errors and mishaps that have happened (chalking it up to my unfamiliarity with it), it has done a very good job at making really great scenes with much less time spent on materials and lighting at least. When it comes to render time, though, I have to say it isn't much faster that Mental Ray for the same size & quality. This may be because it isn't fully utilizing my processor during render time. For some inexplicable reason, it only uses, on average, 35% of the CPU... Obviously this seriously impacts render time.

Anyway, I have a ton of huge projects planned, so be expecting more posts, more frequently with higher-quality content!

1. How long have you been on DeviantArt?
• Well, my page says 3 years, but I've known about and visited deviantart for more than that.
2. What does your username mean?
   
• It's just a random name I came up with to use as my general online persona
3. Describe yourself in three words.
   
• Uh... I dunno
4. Are you left or right handed?
   
• ->
5. What was your first deviation?
   
• My first deviation was a horrible 3D wallpaper with random, red and black triangles everywhere. I had no idea how to really work 3ds max back then so I turned the smoothing level to maximum and it made everything blurry. It. Was. Awful. Hopefully I've gotten better
6. What is your favourite type of art to create?
   
• I like to make 3D wallpapers in 3ds Max. I would absolutely LOVE to make CG films using 3ds Max or similar application, but I lack the resources unfortunately.
7. If you could instantly master a different art style, what would it be?
   
• Digital illustration in Photoshop. Making landscapes, planets, ships, and people using digital painting techniques would be awesome, but I'm just bad at it or I just need more time to practice than I have.
8. What was your first favourite?
   
• Turns out it was this -> Chevrolet Corvette 1961 - R1
9. What type of art do you tend to favourite the most?
   
• I don't really have a preference in terms of genre... I guess I am more likely to prefer abstract art to original designs to fan art if given the choice between pieces of equal technical skill.
10. Who is your all-time favourite deviant artist?
    
• I cannot even possibly choose... But I guess if I were to pull a random 3 from my favorite-favorites it would be: Kinetic-Arts, LuxXeon and Nihilusdesigns (cuz he's so similar to myself ).
11. If you could meet anyone on DeviantArt in person, who would it be?
    
• Uuuuuuhhhhh... I dunno...
12. How has a fellow deviant impacted your life?
    
• Well, I can't say any particular Deviant has effected me more than another because I draw inspiration from all who I coma across and whose deviations I like. Unfortunately, I have had little contact with other deviants, but I think I have still gotten a lot from them.
13. What are your preferred tools to create art?
    
• I would be utterly useless if not for the amazing tool of 3ds Max made by Autodesk. It is astounding especially since it's free for educational use. Then there's Photoshop, extremely useful and without it I would be stuck in a pitiless void of dullness.
14. What is the most inspirational place for you to create art?
    
• I don't think the place really matters. I, of course, have to be at a computer to make most of my art, but for inspiration it really depends on my mood and state of mind; Bored, slightly depressed or extremely happy, and highly-HIGHLY caffeinated.
15. What is your favourite DeviantArt memory?
    
• Waking up one morning to see my feed blowing up because I got a DD from TehAngelsCry. I am still grateful for getting that and letting my work get a little more audience than normal