New Gallery Posting Rules - please comment

#1

Hi guys,

As some have noted there are new gallery posting guidelines as it was turning into a bit of a playground out there. We have disabled attachments across all forums except for gallery/challenges due to the mass abuse of attachments - not due to hosting limitations. People were mass posting non-related images as “jokes”. Image linking is still active, so if you feel strongly about posting an image, you’ll need to upload it to your own space and link it. Sorry guys, a few people abused the system and everyone got affected.

One image/artwork per thread

If you are posting your artwork on the gallery, you are only allowed to attach one image/artwork per thread. On critique, you may post attached updates.

If you wish to post more artwork than the limitation above, please host the images on your own web hosting space and link the images.

This is to prevent newbies from mass posting their entire portfolios as soon as they join the forums for no apparant reason. It also helps in surfing and getting critique as members can critique on ONE item at a time rather than multiple images. Again, if you feel strongly about posting multiple shots (e.g. multiple angles of the same scene), feel free to host it.

Promotion of personal websites

We are also removing threads in the gallery to visit personal websites and online galleries. Please put the image(s) that are meant for critique in your initial post. The only exception to this rule is for those who are posting links to animations. Many of us are finding it increasingly irritating to click through to artist’s websites (some of which has absurdly long flash intros) and have to hunt around for what image thes artist is actually seeking critique on. As this is a 3D/VFX forum, we do not critique web designs.

Meaningful titles and descriptions for threads

Please use meaningful titles for your threads. Titles such as “New Character”, “Please critique PLEASE!”, “Photorealism” are not meaningful.

Include the type of your image, e.g.
“Still life: my desk”, “Character: Major Kusanagi Ghost in the Shell”, “Animation: Alien Song”, etc. This helps people filter through and only view what they want to.

When posting your initial thread and image, please include a detailed description of your image, e.g. what you’re doing it for, in abstract cases - what is it?, software, hardware and most importantly, any particular critique are you seeking? Any image that goes into the Gallery is up for critique.

Images that are clearly Work-In-Progress will be moved to the WIP forum. For the most part, people have been using their common sense on this, so it will not be affected so much.

Image flooding – NEW
Do NOT post large amounts of artwork at the same time. These forums are setup for you to obtain critique, not to showcase your portfolio.

Please feel free to lend your comments. We’re not asking people to post less, we’re simply trying to get everyone to do things in a manner that is beneficial to all other members.

Thanks

Leo

#2

Sounds very reasonable, especially on the thread titles.
I have no problems with the attachment thing bacause I always image link to my webspace.

Well, I hope everyone will get to read your post, Leonard.

#3

looks all good to me! :thumbsup: maybe this should be part of a new member confirmation email?

#4

You know, I liked the attachments idea.

When I post a response to something, if I can’t explain with words (we are visual people afterall), I usually post a diagram. I try to keep them small.

It would be ashame to see all these great responses that say:

“oh … that problem is not that hard to fix at all - just have a look on my diagram, move point A over to point B and join those …”

… but nobody can see how the problem was solved because there’s a broken link, when a 15k attachment would have stayed as a part of the site content.

Infact a lot of the messages here, are a part of what makes www.cgtalk.com the great site that it is. Yes - its the people here, but the people who post here, leave their mark by their posts.

If their server space disappeared, then this would become a site full of craters, which nobody would want to visit.

I think you would agree that the Moderators, do not want to spend all their time copying images from external sites onto the cgtalk server to make them permanent parts of the content.

Just my comments :shrug: you know, maybe just have to see how it goes…

#5

I understand. The problem was that it was becoming a playground.

A good example - look at the thread “Post your best works”

One guy attaches a chamfered box.
Another attaches a joke “Tada”
Then everyone gets into the mood and starts posting ridiculous images.

The mods also clamp down on a lot of porn and S&M that suddenly pops out of nowhere. You don’t see it because we delete it extremely quickly and ban the user.

Basically, attachments were being abused. I completely understand that everyone likes to be able to use diagrams, but the mods are not going to spend all their evenings cleaning up these forums.

Leo

#6

Get strict. If people post crap let them pay for it themselves or delete it. But also try to find a way to keep the images that people find valuable. Like maybe if a thread (or a post) got a certain amount of stars from people who themselves have a certain amount of stars you keep the related images in a “permanent” archive. Kind of a Google approach to rating.

Also you may want to create an explicit “newbe” section, maybe separate sections for major programs, where all images and maybe messages are temporary - last for 2-3 weeks or something, unless it’s kind of an FAQ sticky thing. And all junk gets flushed there.

#7

good call Leo,
you know i’m behind you 100%

#8

I agree about the threadtitle-, one-image- and website-rules, but I don’t see whats so bad about people making jokes? I agree that humor is a matter of taste and a lot of stuff posted aren’t that funny, but that’s no excuse to remove the attachment feature altogether.
The advantages of attachments by far outweighs the disadvantages, since a lot of people don’t have their own webspace, and those that do often use angelfire and such. The way I see it, a few bad jokes is a lot better than posts full of angelfire/tripod logos and red X’s.

“Images that are clearly Work-In-Progress (untextured models) will be moved to the WIP forum.”

I’m a modeler by heart and when I model I model for the fun of it, not for it to be used in a feature film. Who/what says that a model isn’t finished just because it lacks a texture? This sounds strange to me.

Other than that, I agree with you. Nobody wants another Sijun…

#9

Please note that the attachment feature was not removed completely. It still exists in the forums that require it – Critiques, WIP, Challenge, etc.

It was disabled for all the other forums as the feature was being abused. In future we will revisit the issue to make it available again when the mods have a good break from deleting all the porn and rubbish appearing on CG Talk.

Jokes are fine, but having images is unecessary. We’re not against jokes, don’t get us wrong. We’re simply sick of spending our entire evenings cleaning up the forums and having to police it. This isn’t a newsgroup.

L.

#10

I agree on most points, it really was coming to a head around here with the joke threads and fake registrations, etc. I think you have to exercise some kind of control. And I think encouraging the more reasonable use of attachments is good too, I often wondered how you deal with all that, 50k here, 50k there, but in hundreds of thousands of posts on thousands of threads, that must be ludicrous.

I agree the ‘untextured models’ is a bit arbitrary though…what if the final product IS the model…there are lots of people who only model, and some of the best work has been plain but ludicrously detailed or well formed models. Just because you can’t texture doesn’t mean you should be relegated to the kiddie table. In a production pipeline it’s entirely reasonable and I would even say the norm. Everyone should be encouraged to expand their skillset, but I think that’s a bit harsh.

The website thing seems a little odd…I could see it if it’s just a big plugfest, but that sounds a bit hauty to say it’s only about 3D and VFX. Isn’t that kind of backhanding the 2D forums? Should they only be concept designs for 3D models? Would that be a reasonable place to ask for advice on the look of it, if not the interface and usability? What if the interface is a 3D image? I understand there are dedicated design or 2D forums out there as well, but it sounds like something of a piss-off to anyone who’s interested in or does things across disciplines. I think “CG Art” is often a mix of everything, and moreso every day. Most of the time if someone posts about their site, it’s seeking opinions of other like-minded people. If it’s your site with your work (often 3D/VFX related). Not sure I’m quite expressing it right, but does that make any sense?

Anyway, don’t want to be too bitchy, just some thoughts. Kudos for taking steps to try and keep things intact, and all the other efforts in making the site the great place it is, I’m sure it often seems a thankless job.

#11

I agree… That would speed-up the forum a lot and make the browsing much faster.
Maybe it would even save the forum from a possible overload in the future (threedy.com isn’t working properly now cause of that…)… Believe me - that’s not pretty! :scream:

I’d also recommend asking people not to post (nor attach, nor link) extremely high-res images (like 1280x1024), cause that makes surfing the forums with a 56k modem (even with DSL) very hard…

#12

These are all good points.

I agree, 2D plays a big part in visual effects. For example, Noel Rubin’s interface design work (http://www.teknoel.com). Although we do cater for 2D to a certain extent, that’s not our emphasis. For example, you won’t find forums on Flash or Web Design here. CG Talk’s original focus was on 3D animation and visual effects.

As for untextured models - if it’s really that big a deal to people, should we start a “Modeling critique” forum specifically? Does that solve the problem or does it only dilute the forums even more? Comments most appreciated.

The main Gallery though needs to be highly moderated and filtered simply to make the experience more enjoyable and convenient for everyone.

L.

#13

If you really don’t want wireframes in the Gallery you could create a “Wireframe Gallery” and make sure there’s no WIPs in there either. “Modeling critique” sounds too WIP. You could name it anything as long as it implies “final”. It would be OK as long as it’s enforced. Try figuring out how much you can enforce for an extended period of time.

For me “wireframe” is real digital sculpting.

Move threads around forums if you can (if the thread belong somewhere else), like they do on other sites. People will be more careful.

#14

I completely agree about filtering the forum, it’s a good thing that the rules have become a bit more strict. I especially like the thread naming rule. (Though I think you have to enforce that rule very strictly in the first couple of weeks to get it going)

I’m against adding another forum for modelling critique only, for the same reasons that I wouldn’t like seperate texture, lighting, rendering, animation critique forums. Like you said, it would dilute the forums too much.

The posting of untextured models in the gallery should only be allowed if the model is clearly finished and properly lit. (So no viewport grabs of models halfway done).

Shouldn’t there be an execption or the ‘one image only’ rule for posting a wireframe of the render? To me wireframes are very valuable.

Also, maybe you should add to the rules a guidline about posting comments. Personally I get pretty tired of scrolling though pages and pages filled with comments like ‘wow great work :)’.
I’m not saying that we shouldn’t praise artist for their work, but it would be nice if the comments would actually add something.
The Spiraliod rule of adding a usefull link or image with every post
was perfect in my opinion. (Not that it would ever be possible to enforce such a rule here).

Thumbs up for CG_Talk!

#15

why not just label the thread:

Modelling: My grandma’s teeth

etc, many times the goal was to achieve a shape and I for one is still interested in good modelling, wireframes etc even though the work isn’t ready to be printed on a poster… if it aint a WIP it shouldn’t be there either you know :slight_smile:

#16

btw, (heh) well take my avatar for example, all I wanted to do was to model the head of the ol’ ABC robot of Judge Dredd, so I did it, its not a wip, niether a work of art, just some fun modelling, I like to see these things, I think other wants to as well.

#17

I’m actually against creating yet more forums because it’ll just dilute the content and start boxing work into uneccesary categories.

I think common sense will tell you if your work belongs in the WIP section or the gallery. If it’s only a model and that IS your finished work then state this in the post. Pose it, light in nicely, do something that makes it look finished.

A great example is what Visen Brnicevic did with this http://www.raph.com/3dartists/artgallery/visen_brnicevic1.jpg
Although less polished works should be fine too.

Just a thought

Wiro

#18

Originally posted by Marcel
Shouldn’t there be an execption or the ‘one image only’ rule for posting a wireframe of the render? To me wireframes are very valuable.

Absolutely. This is fine, but done in moderation. What was bothering us was people posting many individual posts with attached images.

Extremely good point regarding the posting of comments, but this brings in the issue of how far are we going to police. If someone posts “Great work!”, should we delete that post? I somehow doubt it.

A possible solution would be for the actual thread starter to make a specific request for critique in explicitly writing “I would like constructive criticism rather than praises, please.”

What thinks you?

Thanks for all the comments. I’ve removed the “untextured models” clause to ease it up. I hope that common sense will prevail.

Leo

#19

Originally posted by Leonard
As for untextured models - if it’s really that big a deal to people, should we start a “Modeling critique” forum specifically? Does that solve the problem or does it only dilute the forums even more? Comments most appreciated.

No. No more forums please.

You just need to make a discernable line.

I always thought finished forum was for finished work. As in a finished animation or a finished image. The WIP section should be the pub where you have pre drinks before going to an up-market Restaurant at the Finished Forum.

Perfect example would be Wiro’s snowtrapper. He had a finished model but didn’t stick it in the Finished Forum until it was a complete image. Prior to that it was housed in the WIP section.

/edit
lots of ppl jumped in b4 finishing writing this… so i’m repeating some people :wink:

#20

I agree that adding more forums for finished work would make it too diluted. I think that Opacity’s suggestiong of naming the thread “Modelling: Whatever” is a good one :slight_smile:
Hmmm… as far as comments go - well, I guess most of the stuff is posted in the Gallery for praise :shrug: The idea is that it is finished, and should therefore not need crits…surely? Isn’t that what the WIP section is for?
You will also never be able to stop people from posting comments like “great work!”, because that will always happen. For me personally, I like to give credit where it is due - and that often means posting comments that just say “wow that’s really great work! I have no crits” :slight_smile: