Formfonts Redux

[Alan Fraser]

Hi all, Rich marked the query about FF disappearance as solved, so I've had to start a new topic. Yes, sadly, FF is no more. Personally, I was never entirely happy with the the subscription model as being the sole means of distribution...even less so with SU itself going down the same path, but that's another story and water under the bridge.

However Gabriel and I have got thousands of models between us that it would be a pity to let go to waste. I was in contact with him a while ago and confided in my plans to start selling my stuff retail. He may well do the same. The price point is about the same as it was way back around 2000 when I brought out the first SU People CD...$1 per model...slightly cheaper, in fact
It was that venture that led to me being contacted by Fred Abler, who had already started Objective Networks (of which the 3D Warezhouse is a direct rip-off, except for the major factors of ON having a quality control and approval system, which filtered-out all the junk and pirated content)
That in turn led us all to attending the very first SU basecamp in Boulder...when even Coen was a member of the team. History lesson over.

It's quite a job, given the sheer scale of the resource, but I'm busy going through my entire inventory; and now I've started updating and repackaging the figures and vegetation ready for resale. The equipment will take a little longer. I assume Gabriel is doing the same with his stuff.

I've got the barest bones website up and running at [http://3d-figures.co.uk] which I'll be using to simply link to the model collections hosted on established digital content sites. I've already got a collection of Pool People (and equipment) hosted on Turbosquid (only did it yesterday) but the uploading procedure there is very lengthy and precise and they take a massive commission for anyone starting out, so I may try various other options. I loaded the same collection onto CG Trader this morning, but they say it can take 5 working days for approval, so no sign of it so far. It's only $49.99 there.
Here's a few of the supporting graphics. I'll be in touch as things progress.

[Rich O Brien]

Hey Alan,

Sorry if marking it solved was an oversight on my side. Personally I was saddened to see Formfonts go.

If there's anything we can do to help out just let us know. Always happy to help independent content creators and developers if we can.

Best of luck to you both with it.

[Alan Fraser]

Thanks Rich, the offer of help is much appreciated. No problem with the closed thread.
TBH I'm quite happy to use the forum to give updates on the progress, if that's okay? I'm thinking of releasing content in compilations of about 50-70 models each, so perhaps a few suggestions on groupings that people might like. There's the obvious ones like business people and casual people, or vegetation by region and type; but if anyone has other suggestions I'll be happy to consider them.

The main problem is sheer numbers. In a way it would be simpler to upload just single figures for $1 each and let people take their pick of exactly what they want, but that would be an open invitation for the entire collection to appear in the Warezhouse in no time flat; and SketchUp's response to copyright violations appears to be non-existent.

Like I said earlier, I am updating some stuff as I go along. Compare the FF biker with the 3D Figures one...spot the Sons of Anarchy influence.

[Rich O Brien]

@Alan-Fraser said in Formfonts Redux:

TBH I'm quite happy to use the forum to give updates on the progress, if that's okay?

Not a problem. I hear you on that 3D Warehouse issue too. It's the wild west of copyright infringement and the sheriff hides his badge.

[Alan Fraser]

Next up, Medical, probably followed by the start of the generic figures and some vegetation. It'll be a week or so (I think) before this stuff actually starts appearing online. There will be things that don't fit easily into collections; in which case I'll likely post them here.

BTW for those unfamiliar with this content, most of the models are vertex painted directly in SU, allowing easy editing of clothing, skin tone and hair colour. They are also somewhat modular, allowing swapping of heads, upper and lower body, or modest repositioning of limbs..

I have produced some fully UV mapped models, but I tend to work with SU rather than against it. So on this model of a Vancouver Canuck, for instance, the stripes are actually geometry (yes it adds a bit, but the entire model is still only 2.5K faces) but the logo is a simple texture. projected onto the chest. I then sampled the blue background to the logo, got the RGB value and made a custom colour that is painted onto everything else that isn't already striped.

[pixelcruncher]

I was unfamiliar with these assets, but I love the attention to detail and the craftsmanship! Thanks for sharing some details.

[Alan Fraser]

@pixelcruncher Thanks for the compliment, Thomas. I really like the look of Rayscaper, but unfortunately it won't run in my SU version as I've stuck with the last one that has a lifetime license, which is V18. Doing what I do, I simply don't need any other features beyond that...and I'm not fond of yearly subscriptions for what is essentially the same product.
In fact FormFonts used to output all models in V7 (which is positively antique...2008) , because that supported Dynamic components and there haven't really been any significant upgrades in the file format since then. Obviously, if you are distributing one-off meshes in a variety of exported formats then something like Live components isn't really necessary.

[ntxdave]

@Alan-Fraser Your models look really great.

BTW: I still have version 2020 installed which is also a perpetual license. I also do not like the subscription but I did finally purchase 2024.

[Alan Fraser]

Apparently it doesn't take 5 days; the first collections are now online. I'm currently processing a large collection of about 180 men and women. Yep! they're all getting loaded into the same skp file for rendering the preview images...that'll be fun..

[valerostudio]

I had been a member at FormFonts since 2006. I was sad to see it go but I understand the move. I prefer CG Trader over Turbosquid these days. The pricing seems so much more reasonable. Do you model the people from scratch or are you using something like DAZ to start the basic model? Best of luck on this next chapter Alan!