Interface!

I just bought a 27 inch iMac with upgraded memory, hard drive and graphics card.

Basically a civilian computer turned into a work station.

It's nice net surfing while not being slowed down by a computer that can't keep up because my Modbook has seen better days.

I had considered The Boxx which has several high powered work station features but I'm a Mac guy over PC.

I would have waited for the new Modbook which is a modified Mac spliced with a Wacom tablet so that you can write and draw on the computer screen but the company was not shipping the newer model until later this fall.

I highly recommend the Modbook for traveling digital artists as mine served me well until the hard drive blew up and had to be replaced and now the screen is blanking on and off which will need some repair too.

Although the Mac Pro was on my list an artist friend of mine (John K. of Ren and Stimpy fame) encouraged me to get the iMac over the big bulky tower.

The Mac Pro has features that allow you to open up the backdoor and switch out parts to upgrade it but unlike the iMac it does not come with a built in screen nor Thunderbolt.

Playing with my new toy it is clear why Apple is the largest company in the world.

The iMac screen is great for movies and although there is a glare it is fantastic for high end software like Zbrush.

The 3.4ghz quad core Intel Core i7, 16GB memory and 2TB hard drive makes switching in and out of software and internet move smoothly while the 6970m 2GB graphics card doesn't skim on the graphics whatsoever.

And speaking of Zbrush some of you may want to download the free version called Sculptris to practice with before you drop $700 of your hard earned dollars.

Sculptris is easier to learn and a model can be transferred to Zbrush by using the GoZ button.

But you are warned right here and now that Zbrush is the future of sculpting and animation especially with the GoZ plug-in compatibility with Lightwave another software that should be on your radar.

If you want to make toys, movies with special effects or video games Zbrush and Lightwave as a tandem are that deal.

I suggest downloading the trial versions to play around with for 30 days to determine your learning curve first.

The purpose of this thread is to talk computers, computer softwares and pipeline production values.

In order to compete in today's sci-fi market you need the tools that many of the professionals use to complete their award winning masterpieces.

My iMac cost me $3100 which included the Apple Care Protection Plan in case Ronald T. Jones visits and messes things up like Jar Jar Binks.

I can't speak for everybody's financial situation but at some point money needs to be set aside for our visions and dreams to become reality so push back them $200 gym shoes or that Bentley with the spinning rims that sucks the depreciating life out of her financial gains and invest in something that has a greater chance of revenue returning back to you.

Once your work starts paying the bills above and beyond the norm then go shopping for the extra perks.

There of course is also the free software like Blender ($0.00) which nullifies the excuses but you still need a high powered computer to handle any challenges you may throw at it.

Don't rule out having a custom made PC from scratch where you can add all the whistles and bells you want if you are not a Mac guy like myself.

Google is your friend so with that here are a list of words to familiarize yourselves with as you take over this century and The Black Sci-fi genre!

OpenGL

Polygon

Workflow

Python Scripting

System Specs

Hyperthreading

Ram

Pixel

Firewall

Terabyte