I have been working to buff my portfolio and get rid of all the older images that just didn't quite reflect my current skill set. During this house cleaning, I decided to try and pick up a few more skills and programs to learn.


First off, 8Monkey Labs Marmoset Engine Toolbag. This tool is great for accurate real time rendering of game assets. It takes a little getting used to, but once I got a feel for it, I would say that the simplicity of use makes it one of the best ways to render your work without having to set up a scene for mental ray or other renderers. This here is a screencap taken in realtime:

I have also been busy trying to learn the basics of Unity. My whole purpose behind learning Unity was to be able to show art samples in a realtime environment - an environment that the viewer can manipulate. That way the viewer is not limited to just a few pre-chosen pictures and angles. Now the viewer can move around the art and view it from all sides.

I set up a basic Turntable scene built for drag and drop turntable building. Thus, whenever have something to show, all i have to do is drag it into Unity and drop it into the scene. I publish it, upload it, and it is ready for viewing. Here is an example: http://mattbeckman-3d.com/TurnTable.html