I know, I know - been away for awhile (...and damn - who flopped a steamer on the web design spec-sheet? Wait, scratch that question, 'cause it's not what I'm posting about. Anyway...)

Okay - so, I popped in a little while back to hoover up some freebies I may have missed. I come back a couple weeks later, and noticed... well, not much new.

Just curious as to why the slowdown? One of the things Renderosity has over DAZ is the uber-handy freebie page setup (Mr. Farr, pay attention, damn you!). It is (well, was) like a one-stop kick-ass collect-monster of goodies that never stopped filling. So, anyway, the slowdown. What's the story? Is it just me, or is there less and less coming out nowadays of the free persuation? 

Not that I have anything to bitch about these days when it comes to freebies - I'm always glad to see folks doing 'em. OTOH, I just wanted to confirm if it was just my crappy perception of it, or if the freebie flow has slackened back to a pace not seen since 2001...

PS: The experience of using OSX natively on a MacBook Pro is like seeing bare breasts for the first time. It's that combination of excitement, wonder, and just plain "ahhhhhhhhhhhh!" that's hard to describe.

I guess I've just looked at it as a miracle in the first place.  Those of us on limited budgets for our 3D addiction cherish the freebies, and those such as yourself who helped lead the way.

Will we be seeing any new goodies from you, sir or madam?  I look forward to them.

It is nice out, I go do stuff outside when I dont have to wade through snow :-)

Freebie modelling is done in winter when nothing is going on.

I also only have Poser 7 so I cant do stuff for the latest figures or Daz studio yet. I am trying tocome to terms with Daz studio 4.

Most of the stuff I make isn't, err, fit for family fare. ;)

Not a bad idea, though.

Understood, Peng, still a fan of your work.

Quote - I am trying tocome to terms with Daz studio 4.

Rob Wisenant was kind enough to make the Darkside UI mod, which was enough to finally push me into DS 4.x ; before that, you couldn't pay me enough to use version 4...

Some freebies are more hidden than others:

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/forumpro/showthread.php?thread_id=2864342

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/forumpro/showthread.php?message_id=4045684

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/forumpro/showthread.php?message_id=4055697

:-)

The freebies seem to come in spurts. It maybe seasonal like markschum said. In addition the site has been updated recently and many thought it wasn't for the better and it's possible some of the creators left and new ones haven't filled the void yet. Also with the latest version of poser coming out people may be busy playing with, I mean learning that to make stuff that uses the latest tech. Finally, and I hate to bring this up and risk a flamewar and I don't know how long you've been gone, but with Genesis not working well in poser come creators may have gone Daz only because that's the figure they want to make stuff for.

Correction RedPhantom on your very GOOD post BTW.

This site was not "upgraded".

It was "downgraded".

And yes, a lot less treads, less posts, and less free stuff.

     Well, I lost equipment in two storm events some months apart, which took several in-progress freebie projects with them.  For several months, I was reduced to my elder laptop in the kitchen diner booth, and it has only a smattering of 3D programs to work with.  I missed three version changes of Vue.

     Of late, I've been busy -and my equipment tied up- doing obligatory work.  But I have been getting in a little modeling/mapping work in between:

     A little candle, with three choices of animated flame methods, works in P5+, casts light in P9+...

     Ghostbuster set for Rex and Roxie, light-casting in P9+...

.  .  .

     Spaceship interior with detachable panels for camera access, and IDL emitters, light-casting in P9+.  General purpose jumpsuit.

.  .

I'll be back to making freestuff - and paid for stuff - when I get a decent enough machine.

Expect more Daleks. :)  

I'll just leave this hear.

http://www.sharecg.com/

We're all to spoiled, coming to expect freebies on a regular base. I haven't released any lately (all of mine are at CP, may upload them one day here as well, but no promises). I've been I'll for the last 7 months, lot's of other things and projects going on. then I've got Vue the beginning of this year and I'm trying to learn that.

With all that's going on in my life I just don't fancy making content at all, besides..... the weather is getting better as well, so more time spent outside, instead of staring at a laptop screen.

I'd say the weather may be the biggest factor, but it also could be loss of interest/inspiration for others and don't forget the bad economy. I know of quite a good number of vendors who stopped creating content. If I look at various store I mainly see items made to make some quick money, most vendors seems to have lost inspiration or are trying to survive, the same may be happening to freebie creators as well. If I've got to struggle to provide for my family, it means that doing work for free is a no go..... it takes too much time away from stuff that can provide an income.

Providing freebies is very generous of those who do it and for me it's hard to keep on doing it when those continiously downloading are unwilling to invest a little money in return to keep me going...... making freebies cost money, it's as simple as that. Yes, it's fun as well, but computers wear down and need upgrades, software needs upgrades, bills need to be paid and 1000's of freeby downloads with hardly a thank you in return is hard to keep up year after year, especially when times are though.

Instead of wondering or complaining, perhaps a thank you to all those generous providers is much more appropriate to encourage all those hard working people? I know some do it..... but fact is that the majority just grabs the freeby as if they're the most normal thing in life..... even come to expect it.

I used to put items in free stuff quite a lot but so few people bother to say 'thank you' that I now only put something in when I have made it for my own use and it would go to waste if not put in free stuff.

I have been criticised for this approach on the basis that that if one is required to say thank you for something given then it is not really free. 

A few nice ones here:        http://www.vanishingpoint.biz/freestuff.asp

I don't know what is causing the slowdown, except that maybe people are spending their time in other ways. Is ShareCG more active?

My only complaint about Renderosity's Free Stuff is that the site doesn't allow you to post example images with the upload.

Quote - I used to put items in free stuff quite a lot but so few people bother to say 'thank you' that I now only put something in when I have made it for my own use and it would go to waste if not put in free stuff.

I have been criticised for this approach on the basis that that if one is required to say thank you for something given then it is not really free. 

That's rather disingenuous.  You were criticized for griping about it when people didn't say thanks, didn't upvote your stuff and consequently didn't get into the Freestuff charts, whatever they are.

There's a world of difference between what you say here and what actually happened, and I'm positive a hunt through the respective forum archives will show that I'm right.  

When I do a freebie, it is exactly that, free.

I originally do the freebie for myself and if others find it of use then good for them.

But.....

I don't expect a thankyou, or voting in a so called frrebie chart etc.

I'm just happy if someone uses it and I spot it in a render.

If anyone makes a freebie with the idea that people are going to vote for them or thank them, then think again.

The number of downloads to thankyous are few and far between. When they do appear, appreciate them, if they don't, don't worry about it.

As for a freebie chart list..... The items are all free so what difference does it make.

All the best.

Great Uncle LROG

Quote - We're all to spoiled, coming to expect freebies on a regular base. I haven't released any lately (all of mine are at CP, may upload them one day here as well, but no promises). I've been I'll for the last 7 months, lot's of other things and projects going on. then I've got Vue the beginning of this year and I'm trying to learn that.

I want to make one thing perfectly clear - I'm not demanding that people make more stuff. I was mostly curious to see if others have noticed the slow-down as well, and to co-speculate on the reasons why this is.

(Incidentally, the reason I haven't done much recently is because Rhino don't work so hot on OSX. I'll break down and grab AC3D though, once I get my RAM bumped to 16 GB from its current 4.)

Quote - When I do a freebie, it is exactly that, free.

I originally do the freebie for myself and if others find it of use then good for them.

But.....

I don't expect a thankyou, or voting in a so called frrebie chart etc.

I'm just happy if someone uses it and I spot it in a render.

If anyone makes a freebie with the idea that people are going to vote for them or thank them, then think again.

As much as you and I disagree on a lot of things, I agree perfectly with you here. 

I come from a world where folks write code and give it away for free. The only thing we retain is copyright - but we allow others to modify and distribute the results freely, so long as those results are licensed similarly. 

My measure of "thanks" comes from the number of downloads, and the number of images posted online that use the items. If a lot of people use it, I feel good about it. If few folks use it, I figure it's either a niche item, or I didn't do something right, and I try to do better next time. Either way, I'm just glad that someone found a use for the thing. 

BTW, the key to success with this stuff is to not be emotionally invested in it. IF you can successfully do this, then please tell me how.

Long ago (!?) I had a fairly slack job in academia where I found myself with a metric ton of nothing to do. I used that time to make stuff and give it away, to muck about with CG hobbyist stuff, and/or generally entertain myself by being a pain in the ass in the forums. ;) 

Nowadays, time is a precious commodity. I work a well-paying position with a top network security firm - and my brain is definitely engaged on a daily basis as I do the IT equivalent of juggling not cats, but mountain lions. I am a part-time caretaker for my wife at home, as her condition slowly degenerates. I have social and religious obligations to my church and my community (as I type this, my missus is getting ready so that we can go do a bit of volunteer work today as kitchen staff.) 

Long story short, the time I get to spend farting around with polygons these days is real short... usually I steal an hour on the odd workday during lunch, or pop open the laptop when the missus takes a nap after dinner, or suchlike.

So, freebies are a bit of a shortcut for me in some aspects, but I still find myself making a few off and on as well. I show up in fits and starts here, very infrequently. I guess that gives me the perspective to see when things speed up, slow down, or other changes that the proverbial frog in a boiling pot just doesn't notice.

I pointed this out to get folks talking, and perhaps to get a movement of sorts sparked, so that maybe folks would at least think towards making the odd bit or bob. :)

Agree there, we have had our disagreements before, but with you all the way on this.

Why do people do freebies???

Because we like giving back - Hell I can remember when I first started off and all those freebies were welcomed with open arms. At this moment there are a lot of people not in a great situation and those freebies come in handy.

Because there is something we need - Again, been there done that. Why wait for something that I need to convert when I can at least have a go at making it.

Becuase we want to show we can do it - It's nice to see people progress with their freebies, sometimes going on to be big name vendors.

Because we want to extend the use of something - Yep, bring on the textures!!! LOL.

Why the drop in freebies, could be down to people doing RL things, it seems as if there is a drop at certain times of the year, but they usually come back in force later.

Freebies are just that, we keep the copyright as the makers yes, but we give them away, sometimes with very little restrictions for other to use.

With PP2014 appearing, I'm learning more things to help me make more, so at the moment, it's more of an experimental stage for me, but I do have a few ideas for future projects.

I'm all for freebies, got a nice set of skull earrings today from the free section, so bring on the freebies!!!!

All the best.

Great Uncle LROG

I don't expect a thank you. The fact that people are downloading my stuff is thanks enough. It means that they think what I have created is worthy of having in their runtime, and that to me is an honor. I have personally hit a snag in execution, not creativity or financially, so that's why my production has slowed down. That and the fact that I am not on the interwebs as much as I would like or am used to.

But I am creating the 3rd and final piece to my playground, a tandem swing set, so I should have that uploaded soon. This is the only piece of set that is a figure, which is rigged to swing back and forth.

I know what the freestuff charts are, and I was amazed that I have gotten as high as number 14 at one point. To me, it's an ego thing if where you are on that chart is important to you. The chart is based off the number of downloads your freebies get in a 24 hour period and not a popularity contest, so if you have a high number, you were lucky enough to create something everyone wanted.

I don't know why the freestuff section has slowed down. I only know my personal reasons. I expect it to pick up when people are ready to upload again.

@ Pagan - Yep, I like giving back.  This community has been so good to me in countless ways that it seems only fair I should spend some of my time giving something in return. 

So right, just think if everyone who could, made just one freebie for the freebie section!!!

Now that would be an interesting day when they all appeared!! Lol.

We all love a freebie, look at Halloween and Christmas!! Loads of them, so we just need a gentle reminder at times to have a go at something.

By that I don't just mean clothing or characters, I mean seamless fabric tiles, backgrounds etc.

Give back to the community that supported the user when they first started. It's fun to join in.

All the best.

Great Uncle LROG

Actually, it seems like I read some very similar concerns about slowdowns every summer. I think a lot of people are out doing other stuff like a few have suggested, and they will be back again this winter.

I know that freebies were the way I started out several years ago. I enjoy making them and checking out the download numbers just for fun to see what people liked.

Wish i had the head to learn how to do some freebies and contribute to the community, but alas... i have a very thick skull, heck im a school drop out ._.

For the record, at one point in time i tried to use some of those programs like Blender and Wings... but i was like huh? on top of that,  i suck at following tutorials >.<;

     Poser preview of Rex' Ghostbuster outfit.  The dynamics look OK;  I'm working up materials now.  The cargo pocket flaps are done with displacement, so they don't show here.

.

     And this is Phil Spectre, just getting roughed into shape.  'Cause you'll need a ghost to bust, right?   I'll probably make a 'toon style ghost for use with Cookie & Chip.

.

Very nice work, seachnasaigh . As soon as I get 2014, I will definitely download these.

BTW, your shaders for the lighting are really cool. I've saved the mat room screen caps you posted and I use them a lot when I am trying different things in the material room.

Something I've been working on.

No texture zones as yet.

Comes in at under 3 meg at the moment.

All the best.

Great Uncle LROG

Does that include the body suit in the size of the file? It looks pretty cool.

I've been reworking my Halo armor. I have been doing some research on how they are constructed, so when I start it up again, I'll have a better plan on how I am going to do it. I have been looking at Pepakura suits people have built to get an idea, and found a site devoted to builds where a woman made one out of foam. Her armor will be the inspiration for when I do Miki's armor.

I am working on a business suit for Koz at the moment, and it is just much more complicated than I thought it would be, so it is taking longer. Koz is not the easiest figure to make stuff for, but I want to support him. I am also learning Poser Pro 2014 at the same time and coming to grips with the fitting room, and experimenting with the new features. Genetica also came out with an upgrade with some radical new features that I am trying to learn.

I think freebie makers don't tend to go into "production line" mode as much as content creators who make things to sell. Everything I make is done either because I need the item and can't find it to buy, or because I am using it to learn something.

Quote - Everything I make is done either because I need the item and can't find it to buy, or because I am using it to learn something.

Ditto. The reason I got into modeling to begin with is because I couldn't afford/was not allowed to buy things I wanted or needed.

I put freebies up according to whims of mine, and what I want to try to create.

i slowed down, stuck rather, i wanted to be equal to poser and ds, but my ds shader skills are not equal.

my freebies are thank yous

thanks for making ds free. 
thanks for making emotiguy free.
thanks to Wayii for the luv of Nursoda challenge and everyone participating.
the rings were a 'pay it forward' product wish  

The polycount was for just the top.

How it worked, only 100k when I did the basic top in Silo.

Then took it into ZBrush, no subdiv, but adding the hoses, the nuts and the bullet belt upped the mesh to about 7 meg.

So, I ran it rhrough Decimater and got it down to a decent size.

The camo effect was just a material I put on Roxie's skin.

I'm only just really learning ZBrush, so these are more like tests.

All the best.

Great Uncle LROG

Ah, ok... I see it now. It looks good. I can't wait to see the final product!

I've just recently started to claw my way back into Poser. So I will most likely be making freebies along the way, once I get settled back in :D I tend to need some small thing or other when I make a pic, and if it's something that's within my abilities, I model it. If it turns out ok, I typically put it out as a freebie afterwards. Mostly because.. hey if I needed it enough to make it, chances are, someone else will, too :)

Also I like to model dynamic things.. but they sell like ... old stale bread... so dynamic things fare better as freebies. That way at least SOME people who arent' scared to death at the Cloth Room, will use them :)

Well, the good news is...

I have a functioning machine which runs Poser 6, so expect some new stuff from me soon.

The bad news is...

If you don't like Daleks, you're SOL.  :)  

Naked Daleks In A Temple With A Raygun.

Sounds good to me...

We also need:

Weightmapped Daleks;

Dalek genitals;

Dalek hair refits;

Dalek compatibility for Wardrobe Wizard;

A set of pinup poses, for Daleks;

A Dalek morph for V4;

and finally, a set of Dalek breast morphs, so we can finally have a DD Dalek. (Any cup size below DD just looks wrong in a temple...)

So get cracking Sam!

(Only joking, in my current pipeline I can't actually use weightmapped figures.)

I guess I could exchange all the skirt hemis for norks.  :D

Haha! Reminds me a bit of the bloke in Banks' last Culture novel (The Hydrogen Sonata) who, after some extreme body modifications, had around forty plonkers...

Hehe.  I haven't yet read that one.  I have it, and Surface Detail, sitting on a shelf awaiting some peace and quiet when I can give them the attention they deserve.

As to your remark, I've met many people who appear to have them growing out of the tops of their heads.  :)  

from my point of view and this is my first post for some time, personal life is taking up most of my free time at the moment, we are hosting foreign language students for the summer (4 in total) so what time isn't spent working or sleeping is pretty much taken up by looking after and cooking for the teenagers.

I'm still working on some projects, but from spending around 20 hours plus per week on modeling a couple of months ago, I'm actually down to around 30 minutes a day, and not everyday lol.........

Freestuff is actually what led me to rendo in the first instance way back in the last century ;) and I will continue to contribute to it, whatever I can, when I can, in whatever ID I happen to be wearing at the time.......LONG LIVE FREE STUFF or as they used to  say when I first joined ...........diu liberi effercio

Quote - > Quote - Everything I make is done either because I need the item and can't find it to buy, or because I am using it to learn something.

Ditto. The reason I got into modeling to begin with is because I couldn't afford/was not allowed to buy things I wanted or needed.

I put freebies up according to whims of mine, and what I want to try to create.

I got into modeling because some vendor over at DAZ got mad when I criticized something he had done. He told me that if I didn't like it I should learn how to do it myself. Challenge accepted.

As for "thank yous", I'm not going to say I don't expect them, but it certainly makes you feel appreciated when people do thank you.

I do clothes for the Poser people because they need it more. when I first started using Poser, it was before DAZ really got going,  and there weren't a lot of places to download stuff. Then I found Poserworld and Fairyworld (Remember them?) and their stuff was free at the time. Any way, I'm tired of hearing people say there ar no clothes for the Poser people. Well, I've done 43 outfits so far  for Miki 4, Anastasia, Tyler, P7 Kate  and the G2 females, and I plan to do more.

     For this elvish home, the tree is being rebuilt from a rough-formed state, but you can see the house now has an optional little terrain environment.

Attached Link: English Bob's Odds 'n' Ends Box

RedPhantom: The freebies seem to come in spurts.

Please excuse the juvenile sniggering from my corner. I'll get back to the question in a moment... :D

...

First, I was not the only freestuff poster who had issues with the changes there. That is documented elsewhere, so I won't rant further about it, other than to say that Renderosity freestuff is no longer the go-to one-stop shop for finding the stuff you want.

That said, my approach to freebie making has changed over the years anyway, and it's a personal thing, nothing to do with "the decline of the community" or other such rot. Time was, making my own stuff for use in Poser took time and effort, and I used to approach it as a separate project, the goal being to release it as a freebie. In fact, there were several occasions where, having made the thing, I changed my mind about the image I'd originally dreamed it up for and never actually used it myself.

Now, I can whip together a simple piece of dynamic clothing or a prop, UV map and texture it, simulate it, and polish any rough edges without significantly breaking stride. It's no longer a separate project, it's part of the process of making an image, and I might as well throw most of that stuff away after one use.

Additionally, all the old stuff I've been downloading since 2001 or so hasn't suddenly stopped working; the chances are increasing year on year that I'll already have any given item that I need; or I'll be able to adapt something from my library; or I can fix up an old prop well enough for a single use.

The bottom line is, I now get more of a kick out of using Poser for the purpose it was designed for - making pictures. I still have my cardboard box of unreleased freebies, but little real motivation to finish them off. Explaining how to use them would take more of my time than I used to make them in the first place. Rant over. I'm getting old, it's hot, and being crotchety is not merely excusable, in my opinion it is compulsory. :)

Attached Link: Sam Therapy's STM6 Dalek

Happy Exterminating, erm, I mean, Rendering.  

I have done a lot of freebie stuff over the years, and never expected a thank you from anyone.

What does annoy me, are the people that bitch because something about it is not the way they would have done it, and they feel the need to tell the whole world that.

Many people have stopped doing freebies for that very same reason.

If I do a freebie and someone doesn't like it, they can simply uninstall it and be done with it.

Complaining about something that someone else gave away, says more about the them than silence ever will.

     Having to go back into the modeler and fix mistakes, then back again to the UV unwrap.

     Here is a the state of reconstruction where I'm re-importing the UV'ed parts, assigning mat zones, arraying and mirroring pieces, etc.  The tree is noticeable by its absence.  It's still in the workshop.

seachnasaigh - know that feeling about reversed normals:( BTW - did you see the IM about the freebie?