As I was searching for artists to learn from I came upon the most amazing couple, Aery Soul. I've never seen anything like it they surely must be the standard others are measured against? But what became of them? Can you still buy from them? Anyone who knows where the are?

?

     Their current username is AlfaSeed.  I've seen new stuff by them at RDNA.

Awful Soul then Aery Soul then Alfaseed. Come back in a year and it'll be something else.

Laurie

seachnasaigh, thank you, I see that they have not lost their touch. But RDNA? isn't that a little off? It is certainly disheartening for a presumptive content creator to see that the best of the best call it quit just when they are at the top of the food chain. Vendor of the year! What the *.

It is especially hard on one who is cursed by an insatiable curiosity.

About a year ago RDNA did quite some effort to get top vendors into their fold. There has been a lot going in other stores which made it seem attractive to move to RDNA. A few stores changed policy (including Rendo) making it harder to continiously sell items. Although I don't think a vendor like Alfaseed would be effected too much by this, they decided to switch. I'm sure RDNA made them a good offer.

The huge difference between RDNA and the rest is that RDNA is very personal, you're not one of the masses. They do give a lot of attention to their vendors and treat them well.  Some vendors like the personal treatment and if you can live with their oddities and odd policies, it is a very pleasant store to be at. Also, as a top vendor you're not in the constant battle for attention as you are here at Rendo. RDNA will promote your items and gives attention to their top vendors. At Rendo there are quite some top vendors and they do have to fight for the attention.

There is only one problem with the vendors that moved to RDNA, a number of them have vanished by now, they stopped selling. I'm one of them, while RDNA has it's advantages, they almost killed my creativity with their oddities and policies. I know I'm not the only one that happened to. It took me almost a year to recover from it all and start modeling and selling again, but others I know just quit. The constant policy changes at Rendo, CP and RDNA sure made it harder for vendors to survive and I don't think the customers benefited from that at all, but I'm not sure if the store onwers do realize that.

aeilkema,

Well thank you for the inside information it is much appreciated! people will hunt down Aery Soul/Alfaseed no matter where they are they can even change their name. Any model by Aery Soul is instantly recognizable. Hmm..so maybe RDNA could be the right place for a beginner. Oddities and odd policies doesn't bother me much, my feathers are not easily ruffled. And if something go wrong you haven't burned all your bridges..

Of sheer curiosity, can you give me some example of their policies that is unusual?

I have done some fast google 'researching' about some top vendors who is not longer with us. It seems that they have not so much quit as moved on to greener pastures. AS Shanim is working on 4 different game projects and Sanctum Art is also in the game business and even film. Xurge has his own successful site.

What I could gather by reading between the lines is that the top artists is bothered not so much by oddities and policies of the vendor as tiring of a few vocal and unreasonable users.

Quote - I have done some fast google 'researching' about some top vendors who is not longer with us. It seems that they have not so much quit as moved on to greener pastures. AS Shanim is working on 4 different game projects and Sanctum Art is also in the game business and even film. Xurge has his own successful site.

What I could gather by reading between the lines is that the top artists is bothered not so much by oddities and policies of the vendor as tiring of a few vocal and unreasonable users.

 

 

Wow!  How you made that leap is just astounding.

Yep, you got it. It's the user.  Without whom you wouldn't need a vendor, but it's the user all the same.

Quite a leap of faith.

ROFL, from the telling of "trade secrets" to blaming the user in just a few leaps.

Wow.

Laurie

AlfaseeD also has some content over @ DAZ3D.  The main thrust does appear to be RDNA, however.

I have got some more info with the site mail. It is the small publishers that gets pestered by the vendors, it makes sense - it's the way of the world. It ALL makes sense to me now,  ie "We have not come into this world for our own high pleasure". To be a content creator means being between a rock and a hard place..ah well. Think of that. When I first joined Renderosity I was a innocent person, look at me now!

Actually, folks, there's some truth to what Vintorix says, like it or not.  I can't say for the specifics of AS but I heard from a reliable source that SanctumArt for one, gave up with Poser/D|S because he had aggravation from several customers, to the extent they started physically stalking him.  This, added to the time and effort it took to convert his stuff from the Max models put him right off.

OTOH, I never had an ounce of trouble when I've been a vendor.  Then again, I've never been as high profile or prolific as the above mentioned guys. 

Quote - Actually, folks, there's some truth to what Vintorix says, like it or not.  I can't say for the specifics of AS but I heard from a reliable source that SanctumArt for one, gave up with Poser/D|S because he had aggravation from several customers, to the extent they started physically stalking him.  This, added to the time and effort it took to convert his stuff from the Max models put him right off.

OTOH, I never had an ounce of trouble when I've been a vendor.  Then again, I've never been as high profile or prolific as the above mentioned guys. 

I don't doubt that there are some jerks everywhere.  But, THIS is not the place to discuss it.

Heck, I have a family member that was stalked by a reseller house.  Mercilessly.  Left the industry over it.

This is a cutthroat industry.  It's just moved from the vendors to the software publishing houses for the moment.  Give it a minute.  The vendors will cut each others' throats again.

"The vendors will cut each others' throats again."

Why do you say that? I have been three years at this site and never have I seen vendors been anything than polite to each others. Also I got more help from vendors than I get from ordinary users.

"I don't doubt that there are some jerks everywhere.  But, THIS is not the place to discuss it."

That is interesting, why not?

Quote - "The vendors will cut each others' throats again."

Why do you say that? I have been three years at this site and never have I seen vendors been anything than polite to each others. Also I got more help from vendors than I get from ordinary users.

"I don't doubt that there are some jerks everywhere.  But, THIS is not the place to discuss it."

That is interesting, why not?

 

 

Because discussing it here won't change anything.

That discussion here will only lead to nasty, ugly, locked threads.

And, that is all I have to say about the topic.

"that is all I have to say about the topic"

Ok I accept that. But in any group of let's say 100 people there is always 2-3 unreasonable ones. Its the same all over the word -no big secret and nothing to be upset about. Just a fact of life. But in other kinds of publishing you have a cushion between you and the customers you are not expected to handle personally every complaint from people who have made a $10 buy.

I have now a very good picture about how it is to be vendor at Renderosity and RDNA I would be very much obliged if someone who has personal experience of Daz would write me an e-mail and tell me some inside information about how it is to publish at Daz.

To be published at Daz your stuff has to pass muster. And they are VERY picky. Your stuff can still be top notch and they won't take it if they don't think it fits with their vision. Can be very tough to get anything into Daz. I'm not saying that to discourage you. I'm saying that cause that's the way it is ;). I happen to think it's a good thing to be picky myself ;).

Laurie

Well thank you Laurie, that is good to know. Actually I had this impression myself good to get it confirmed. After all Daz has their own in house prof artists, like Ravenhair. Why should they accept lower quality? What is "muster"?

Muster

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/muster

*google. 2 seconds. done.

Quote - Well thank you Laurie, that is good to know. Actually I had this impression myself good to get it confirmed. After all Daz has their own in house prof artists, like Ravenhair. Why should they accept lower quality? What is "muster"?

 

 

Hehe sorry...muster means "a level of quality or expectations or acceptable".

Laurie

Thank you Khai-J-Bach, without the kind assistance from people like you I would never manage.

I believe it's from a military term, similar to an inspection parade, where the officers would inspect the men to make sure they were all correctly turned out and their equipment cleaned and properly working.  Sometimes it's hard to remember you're not a native English speaker/reader, since your command of the language is very good.

Well thank you Sam. English is only my third language but it didn't occur to me that it was a word I didn't know. In that case I would have looked it up. I just assumed it was some Daz thingy. ;)

I have read all the information around publishing at Daz now, and everything is different from the other sites, which invites you to come. At Daz it is more about being worthy ;) "We have not always time to answer", "Call back if you have not heard from us in a week or two". You can say being polite, that there is nothing wrong with their self-esteem.

Haha, that's one way to put it.  I've heard they also expect vendors to keep a high-ish profile in the forums, too.  Dunno if that'd suit everyone; some vendors seem to have little or nothing to do with the forums.  Not saying that's a bad thing, btw, just the way it is.

Quote - Haha, that's one way to put it.  I've heard they also expect vendors to keep a high-ish profile in the forums, too.  Dunno if that'd suit everyone; some vendors seem to have little or nothing to do with the forums.  Not saying that's a bad thing, btw, just the way it is.

That's one thing RDNA does expect of their vendors as well, participation in their forums. Help out customers, solve problems, give advice and so on, not only when it comes to the products, but just in general. They want you to be very active on the forum. I cannot be very active at a forum and model at the same time, it is a demand I still don't get. OK, when someone needs help with a product I've created, by all means. Interact in a forum when I've got time, fine..... but to demand regular presence in the forum, replying to all kinds of posts I don't get that. I can spent hours a day on a forum or I can model hours a day and I prefer the last one..... a little interaction on a forum once in a while is fine for me, the rest pf the time I'd like to model and have alife beside it as well.

Last time I checked I was still a human, so it's good to interact with humans in the physical realm as well as in the digital realm. I do prefer spending more time away from my computer then on it.... there is more to life, as much as I like creating content, there are other things to do, away from my laptop. I know..... I'm a bad vendor

Quote - Awful Soul then Aery Soul then Alfaseed. Come back in a year and it'll be something else.

Laurie

And As Shanim before that. At least they keep the initials the same so you have some idea what you're looking for....

Quote - > Quote - Awful Soul then Aery Soul then Alfaseed. Come back in a year and it'll be something else.

Laurie

 

And As Shanim before that. At least they keep the initials the same so you have some idea what you're looking for....

Yep :)

Laurie

Quote - ... Aery Soul... Anyone who knows where the are?

After visiting their Deviant Art page I would guess Aery Soul now resides in VideoGameLand.

Quote - ... Aery Soul... Anyone who knows where the are?

After visiting their Deviant Art page I would guess Aery Soul now resides in VideoGameLand.

Yes and they're never going to finish a game at all. Before coming here, I used to work in the game industry.... there is one golden rule, start only one project and work on only project at the time, otherwise you will never finish anything. That counts for pros and indies a like. He/she is working on 4 games at once and modeling and heavily playing a ton of games as well, how will he/she ever get anything done at all? I can only wish him/her good luck..... By reading all of that I would almost draw this conclusion, someone is fed up with creating content for Poser/DS..... has RDNA claimed it's next victim?

Quote - > Quote - ... Aery Soul... Anyone who knows where the are?

After visiting their Deviant Art page I would guess Aery Soul now resides in VideoGameLand.

Quote - Yes and they're never going to finish a game at all. Before coming here, I used to work in the game industry.... there is one golden rule, start only one project and work on only project at the time, otherwise you will never finish anything. That counts for pros and indies a like. He/she is working on 4 games at once and modeling and heavily playing a ton of games as well, how will he/she ever get anything done at all? I can only wish him/her good luck..... By reading all of that I would almost draw this conclusion, someone is fed up with creating content for Poser/DS..... has RDNA claimed it's next victim?

Wow!

Just.  Wow.

:-)

I dunno...maybe it's just me, but I find nearly bashing a site's business practices on an unrelated site's forum kinda distasteful.

If you want to talk unfavorably about them, why don't you go over THERE and do it? At least then it's to their face(s).

Laurie

I do not want to bash anyones business practices, but it seems to me more and more as Renderosity is the only viable place to publish. They treat everyone with the same unpersonal effectiveness. To quote professor Higgins in My Fair Lady, "It doesn't matter how you treat people, the important is to treat everyone alike". So Colonel Pickering is polite to all people and professor Higgins is rude to all people, but to everyone alike. Not so Daz.

I didn't mean you vintorix. I meant aeilkema. When he says things like that here, especially after having been a vendor there, it makes him sound bitter and disgruntled. And it's just rude. Renderosity shouldn't be the place for it.

Laurie

Quote - :-)

Are you proud of that?  It's a perfect example of that vendor cut throat activity I was discussing earlier.

Welll...

I have to disagree with aeilkema regarding the criteria for finishing anything, after over 20 years experience in the games industry.  Admittedly, I've been out of the loop for  a few years; maybe things have changed and now everyone has a cushioned existence but somehow I doubt it.

Back then, we were often working on 6 projects at once - I am not joking here - and expected to put the same level of professional commitment and attention to detail in each and every one.  Days off were unheard of, weekends didn't exist and our publisher's idea of a real treat was a crate of beer and a dozen boxes of pizza on Fridays.  It worked, too.  Oh, and we also got paid a whole hell of a lot of money but we didn't really have lives outside our work.  Family and friends were people we said "hello" to in passing, before falling into bed.  My memories of home life at that time were, shower, bed, shower, dress, coffee, half a dozen cigarettes, back to work.

After 3 months of non stop 16 hour days, I decided to take a long weekend and take my then wife to London for a Valentine's break.  The sales director rolled up, flapping his lips about commitment and similar shit.  I told him to step aside or I'd break his jaw.  He moved.

I have worked for better companies but not often.  The old saying, "If you want something done, give it to a busy man" still holds true.

Quote - After 3 months of non stop 16 hour days,

lol 3 months? Thats it? You wuss. :lol:

Try that for 3 years, and no pay because you're doing it in school, and have to borrow your money to live on from the guv'ment. A school that grades on a 96% A curve no less. 

At least, that was my school. 

And look at me now... :cursing:

~Shane

Can we please let go on the criticisms of our competing sites? It lends a less than professional air, and is beginning to irritate several of our members.

I'm asking nicely.

Well, I just think that stuff should be taken care of privately is all, not bandied about in a competing forum.

Laurie

I'm with you, LaurieA. It reflects poorly on us as a community, and unprofessionally on the site. We need to do better in public.

I'm not sure where al that came from...  they play video games (yes they are a team no a single entity) so rdna is bad?!?!  

They are still regularly releasing work for poser that is every bit as good as their previous efforts.  I dont really know what other endeavors they are pursuing but much of what is o the DA page has been there for a long time so reading a whole lot into that is probably going to give you an ill-informed impression.

On another note, I agree with those who have stated that diverting this thread from is origional intent to 'bash' RDNA is a little distasteful.  That should be done over there 'face to face' as it were..

Quote - > Quote - ... Aery Soul... Anyone who knows where the are?

After visiting their Deviant Art page I would guess Aery Soul now resides in VideoGameLand.

Yes and they're never going to finish a game at all. Before coming here, I used to work in the game industry.... there is one golden rule, start only one project and work on only project at the time, otherwise you will never finish anything. That counts for pros and indies a like. He/she is working on 4 games at once and modeling and heavily playing a ton of games as well, how will he/she ever get anything done at all? I can only wish him/her good luck..... By reading all of that I would almost draw this conclusion, someone is fed up with creating content for Poser/DS..... has RDNA claimed it's next victim?

Pardon my ignorance. I hadn't really kept up with their new Poser releases over there. I always preferred their Kielo character for V3 over their flagship figure Alice.

I should apologize for my previous comment in regards to Sam's comment. It was meant in jest, but I didn't state that, and re-reading makes it sound rather arogant and probably offensive. Was definitely not my intention to cause offense, so I apologize if it did. I suck at making jokes. I'll go back to my corner now. :(

~Shane

Quote - I should apologize for my previous comment in regards to Sam's comment. It was meant in jest, but I didn't state that, and re-reading makes it sound rather arogant and probably offensive. Was definitely not my intention to cause offense, so I apologize if it did. I suck at making jokes. I'll go back to my corner now. :(

 

~Shane

I doubt you offended anyone, Shane, or the comeback would likely have been immediate. :)

I didn't read your post as offensive, but of course it wasn't intended for me.  Still.  I don't think you need to skulk around in corners. 

However, if you do come out, and Sam hits you on the head, please don't blame me.

ED...

My moderation comment was not directed at you.

Quote - I should apologize for my previous comment in regards to Sam's comment. It was meant in jest, but I didn't state that, and re-reading makes it sound rather arogant and probably offensive. Was definitely not my intention to cause offense, so I apologize if it did. I suck at making jokes. I'll go back to my corner now. :(

 

~Shane

No apology necessary as far as I'm concerned.  I took it in jest.  :) 

Aren't As Shanim and Aery Soul the same person?

Quote - I should apologize for my previous comment in regards to Sam's comment. It was meant in jest, but I didn't state that, and re-reading makes it sound rather arogant and probably offensive. Was definitely not my intention to cause offense, so I apologize if it did. I suck at making jokes. I'll go back to my corner now. :(

 

~Shane

Actually, your jokes were funny.  Made me laugh.  And I thought your humor was obvious and not the least bit misunderstandable.

@ Darkworld: Yes

Quote - > Quote -      Their current username is AlfaSeed.  I've seen new stuff by them at RDNA.

Pardon my ignorance. I hadn't really kept up with their new Poser releases over there. I always preferred their Kielo character for V3 over their flagship figure Alice.

Yaara for V3 is still my favourite of their characters.