ZBrushCentral

Trouble in paradise

Community
#1

I am feeling sad about EZ, and I am beginning to question the banner under which ‘we’ painted him out. His heart, as much as anyone elses must be broken. This is a sad affair. How insignificant I feel and how incapable I am of making amends.

And this small admission is as little of me as I can afford to give. ‘CommUnity’ such as these encourage you to care in one breath as much as they forbid it with the next.

Step in religion, That is the medicine I lack. Without it the whole world tastes like apple all the freaking time. And ZBrush becomes the only thing that really matters. Ironic then that our old friend most likely can’t bare to think about it. Who’s there to debug life… that’s what i wanna know.

Ack well, life eh? fiddlededee

#2

For myself, I really don’t know the circumstances of his banning, or about other events connected with him in any detail.

I do know that I enjoyed his posts and his ZScripting. :slight_smile:

#3

I have always found EZ to be extremely acerbic and confrontational. He had a strange tendancy to get offended over very minor issues. I don’t feel at all sorry for him.

#4

I have to agree with hookflash even though I enjoyed the majority of his posts and ZScripts. what he did in particular to Lonnie, but others as well is more than reasonable grounds to ban him in my opinion. After all, because of his actions, Lonnie is gone, which hurt all of us. He hurt the community, and doesn’t deserve to be part of it any more.

David

#5

I don’t recall Mentat saying it was EZ’s doing, but as I say, I really don’t know anything about these or other events. :slight_smile:

#6

I had made my mind up that I would not be involved in this discussion, but feel I can’t leave Antimorph floundering alone. I will make it clear, I do not support the type of action that EZ took, in his attack on Mentat, if he felt strongly in disagreement there are better ways to try to deal with it. However EZ did do a lot to help others also, he was fun with his posts, and what I most liked about him, he was not a sycophant or toady, nobody got treated by him as a more worthy member of the forum than anybody else. Maybe he did get easily offended at times, but all people are different, his main fault was how he dealt with it, but maybe it was the only way he could.
Back last year I went of at a tangent, after Chris Senn or Kurisu, was badly treated, I won’t go into all the details again, I did what I could to try to correct that injustice, and now there is nothing more I can do. Chris in my opinion is the reason that you have any reasonable community, he built up Zacademy, which eventually became ZBC, I knew him from early 2001 about a month after I got ZBrush. Only a handful of people stood up to defend Chris, because it meant butting horns with Pixologic, I had emails from people telling me it was wrong, but they never raised a murmur in public. Chris helped loads of people new to Z, but a lot of those old friends, like Judas, ditched him when doing the opposite might make life uncomfortable for them. EZ was an easy target so I saw some of those names coming up publicly in support of Mentat, to condemn his unacceptable treatment, but also to rip into EZ and tell him where to go, forgetting the contributions he made. Yes I sympathise with Pixologic staff who have to try to deal with the problems, but unfortunately when dealing with so many people with different characters, its part of running a business.
Chris Senn had a forum that was balanced as far as I’m concerned, everybody equal, no special Gods of the program. In my rampage last year I mentioned Pixologic staff automatically coming onto the forum to praise the work of the ZGods, that, I am pleased to say and due credit to Pixologic, seems to have ceased. Since Matthew has taken over support there have been massive improvements, and forum wise has moved closer to the original Chris type forum, but it still has a way to go to eliminate all the sycophancy. I obviously can’t speak for EZ, but I have strong reasons to believe that sycophancy is one of the problems for him, I certainly know it is a problem for others that won’t speak out.
Even though I greatly admire the achievement that Pixolator has made with ZBrush, I don’t wish to have to tug my forelock every time he appears, or never complain if anything’s wrong, because in fact, feeling I needed to carry on like that would only make me lose respect for him. The same goes for the ZGods, if I comment on their works, which in fact I don‘t, they don‘t need me, but I don’t want to feel obliged to say awesome, when sometimes I don’t think it is.
If you all work for a sensible balance, I think you will find problem’s such as the one with EZ, will not occur.
Dave

#7

Thanks DM, I wish to respond more fully but I’m going to think very carefully about what you wrote first.

#8

I received a message from a member who feels, I am giving the wrong message. I will reiterate, I in no way support the methods that EZ has been using, having in the past been a victim of physical harassment over a period of 9 years after I caught some criminals stealing from a neighbours property, and they decided to get their own back, I know what harassment can mean. For me it was major heart attack, and bleeding stomach ulcers, and unless people have been through having criminals hovering almost every day, outside your house, then they sometimes find it difficult to understand.
What I am saying in EZ’s case, that the problem has built up over a period of time, and if the community were better at seeing that all members were treated with the same value, maybe it wouldn’t have got to this point.
EZ did lots of useful little tutorials, did any ever enter the sticky thumbs, they may have done of course, I could have missed it. Sticky thumbs are almost the latest little badge of office, I can’t complain I have entered them twice, but some people automatically go in, just because of who they are. The gallery is the same, I remember being annoyed after working incredibly hard on Hercules last year, to make sure it was all Z, even down to the postwork, which I could have done easier in PSP. It probably wasn’t the best Z pic ever, but as good as many that go in the gallery, did it go in, did it hell, yet others could get practically everything they did in, even if it was just a funny head. It certainly made me decide I would not in future do everything in Z, if a Poser figure was suitable, use that, if it’s easier to do scenery in Vue use that. I am not saying this is definitely EZ’s reasons, and again not agreeing with his methods of dealing with it, but a better show that all members have equal worth, would eradicate a lot of bad feeling.
Dave

#9

I have thought carefully and I do have to disagree with some of the points you raise. I wish to thank you nevertheless. The start of my reply came with the realisation that I really need my heros. I do not believe that raising folk onto some pedestal is correctly labled as sycophancy, except perhaps by those who rightly or wrongly feel maligned…

If I worked at Pixologic I would hope, I think, for a small baseline level of respect for this creation which I had dedicated my life to. I would also hope that it would not casually or indeed for any reason be rubbed in the dirt. To do so is as direct an insult as you could make however you might decide to package it.

A piece of software such as this is the coalescence of a demonstrably brilliant mind. I can barely conceive about how it might have been realised by one person. I will continue to tip my hat, anything else appears to me to be the height of egoism.

The community as it is recognises all sorts of artistic merit, and it values participation too but not quite above all things. For myself I will keep the hero’s employed at pixologic and as feelings overcome me disparage whoever else that disputes them.

EZ’s story makes me sad because I extrapolate from the events that took place and by so doing perceive his pain. Also as his anger grew, no one I know of attempted to disperse it. Perhaps there was a risk of being labeled a sycophant by the clever core crew, or even by EZ himself. Despite what you say I just cannot perceive that label at all in this place.

For all my bluster i feel that my honest truth is still more severe. I am sad about EZ because I fear that it is bound not to be long until I am blunted from caring for anyone at all. If you don’t know what I mean just watch the news.

I would not have posted at all had I waited for the cold light of the day.

#10

Until the illness brought down my business, which for the most part was sculpting detailed collectors model soldiers, my wife and self ran it on exactly the lines I am talking about. When starting up business advice people told me we had no chance because of insufficient funds, but in two years we were selling even to Japan. Unlike the forum where preferential treatment is noticeable, our customers might only meet at shows, as the figures went out unpainted the collectors would paint them and show them, but everybody was respected with equal value, the poor painters and the best. They paid my wages, and it was common sense and right to respect them, all of them, if I wanted to keep selling.
I’m afraid my heroes have to achieve a little more, than just apparently be the best, in this corner of the digital art universe.
Dave

#11

EZ had a problem. What it is, I am not sure but I could definately see it. He accused me of using others’ models for my work. Me being an artist for oh about two decades…this really pissed me off. He touched a button…and that was his plan. After a while, I forgot about it. He seemed very helpful in his scripts so I though, “Well, maybe it was just that one time.” Then other things happen…with other members. I notice a very immature character in EZ. He just blows up…all those ridiculous posts at Rosity…trying to taint people…aurick, mizzthang…to name a few. We all knew it was him. His Z’ing has a style that is instantly recognizable…just like lonnie, ron, myself, and everyone else really…its like your fingerprint. He even had the nerve to go onto MizzThangg’s personal site and post racial remarks about here…UNDER HER OWN IMAGES. This is no lie…I read them myself.
Even still, I gave him the benefit of the doubt. Until about three weeks ago.
He had the nerve to come into the IRC chat room and publicly stated that he has seen my wife in naked pics on the net. Thats right. I couldnt believe it either. He was saying things like knowing her clothing and her handle. Stuff he could easily assess from my site. Its funny…he really though I was that stupid to not make such a connection. He would go on and on about it…“Yep, thats her alright!”
He was really trying to insult me and to get me to buckle. Under normal circumstances, I would have been furious. But aside from knowing that he was all out lying (I know my wife better than she does sometimes) I know something else that he didnt. My wife is a life model for the university. This doesnt bother me one bit for I too am an artist and have draw many a nude figure. So even if we were all living in a land called EZ’s fantasy, him seeing my wife naked would make the number around 1001+. :smiley: Its funny really.
But for the sake of trying, I hold neither admiratioin nor consideration for him. It isnt worth my time.

Whats my point, EZ has pushes his last button with lonnie. I am really upset that it drove lonnie away…this in my eyes is unforgivable. He has hurt lonnie, myself, and now, countless idividuals at ZBC because Lonnie isnt here.

Karma is it?
It graces us all bad or no.

#12

The entire matter is a very unfortunate situation, and I understand that many members feel very strongly about it. What has been witnessed at this and other forums is also not the entire story – a considerable amount has happened behind the scenes. Out of courtesy to the individuals involved, the thread is now closed.