Free ZTL Model from Nick Zuccarello (new VIDEO page 9 added 8/7/08)

[Pride]

Having my last post deleted, I will try attempt something less ambiguous.
Nick:The model is great and would have been well received even without the sermon.
Note to moderator: the deleted post contained a christian prayer (not paraphrased)…

[Morph_Division]

“Note to moderator: the deleted post contained a christian prayer (not paraphrased)…”

LOL!:lol:
I guess some people can’t take a hint!

“Nick:The model is great and would have been well received even without the sermon.”

Absolutely!

Please lets everyone keep their beliefs out of a forum dedicated to a software package!

Jebus!

[monster_machine]

Thanks for the very cool and generous contribution Nick! I don’t think I’d ever use the model, because you’ve done all of the fun stuff already, but it’s a great piece to learn from.

[Siah]

Thank you very much for the model and the good intentions. Your hearts in the right place.

Cheers

Siah

[Juravenator]

“Note to moderator: the deleted post contained a christian prayer (not paraphrased)…:)”

Yes, I wonder if my post would be deleted if I started berating christian Genesis in favour of darwin evolution.

This forum is about ART. Period.

[dread_companion]

After much thought and consideration, I have decided to share my opinion on the ongoing controversy that has resulted from somebody sharing something with a personal religious belief attached to it…

For starters, I’d like to say that I’m a person with no particular belief system, but the time when I wanted to convince everyone around me about how ‘wrong’ religion is is long gone and at the present time I find it a pointless endeavor. It seems to me that some atheists (and this included myself at some point) tend to walk around thinking that they have life and the world figured out just because they read a quantum physics book and ‘The Origin of the Species’. As I learned about science, the world’s political situation, the beauty of nature, the wonders of the physical universe and mostly about how endless the mysteries of the mind are I decided to part ways with my own EGO-TRIPPING selfish belief that everybody should think the way I do. I opened my ears, I listened to Buddhists, Christians, Mormons, Hippies, Anarchists, Punks, Satanists, whatever. And I realized that deep down there is always something that guides you to your own personal truth - and to be honest; I’ve found that no one usually cares about what it is. It is for you, and for you alone. It’s obvious to me that when people try to share their ‘truths’, the result are controversies, and endless petty bickering. And it is so unfortunate to see what happened here as a microcosm of what the attachment to such ‘truths’ can lead to - aggression, cynicism and ‘attacks’.

I find NickZ’s contribution a good one that can help many artists - and I can see that regardless of what a lot of people think, he only had good intentions in writing what he did. That’s all that matters to me: His intentions were good. Period.

Although, I have to say, as in most work places, offices and schools, there are usually rules that tend to prohibit any sort of ‘support’ for any type of race, religion, belief system or particular sex. There is a consensus that some institutions should be neutral. Although I don’t see Zbrush Central as being a Christian forum that would purposefully allow his post as something they could use as propaganda for their own agenda, it was a touchy thing that probably could’ve been avoided and none of this would’ve happened.

To end this, I’d like to quote something that has always seemed very wise…

“…For my ally is the Force. And a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. It’s energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we…not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you. Here, between you…me…the tree…the rock…everywhere! Yes, even between this land and that ship!”

-Master Yoda

[Mahpiya]

I agree … being Native American, I have always believed in an Energy that is within us all. All connected, for where else does energy go? Death does not mean the end of Energy, but a continuation of another existence.
Anyway, I also believe Nick was being very selfless in sharing his creation. Honestly, not many are willing to do so without some sort of compensation or due to vanity. I am just as guilty.
I apologize if I offend anyone out there, it is just my opinion … critique, if you will. To include a verse from a sacred book, OMG … how horrible!!! It may cause myself to be brainwashed and become a drone … to lose myself.
I applaud Nick for his generousity and words of strength, no matter what belief it is. A word of Hope is the true meaning. As artists, we are closer to the Spirit than most. We feel, we see, we create … we are representatives of the Creator. Yeah, maybe another belief, but that is what is great … our freedom of choice to embrace whatever we feel is right, within ourselves.
Again, thank you Nick, people should not feel threatened, but enlightened by your generousity.

[Sav]

Nick
A huge thank you for the gift, I think it is amazing that you have given the community 3 years of toil.
I don’t happen to share the desire to preach any kind of religion, but I will say that too many ‘christians’ preach the ideas of mutual respect for humankind without actually living them. Regardless of anyone’s beliefs your generosity shows you are prepared to act on the most positive aspects of your religion and that to me is how it should be.
BWT have you be reading the 3DCoat about box? It seems contagious

[Morph_Division]

small_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamond
I’m a dolphin half gorilla whale and I believe the purple goat rules the alpha-verse inside the mind of a baby lak-lak.
Ooops, wrong forum, thought this was bedroom philosophers anonymous:o

[sathe]

Thanks!

/.G

[SalmonGod]

Sigh. I refrained from offering my perspective on the religious debate yesterday because I hoped that it would subside. I really respect this community and hoped that the general tone of the thread would rebound to something more graceful after the first few grumbles. While I have no less respect for the ZBrush community (still by far the coolest place I’ve ever frequented online) it looks like I was wrong about this one issue.

So here's my support for Nickz. For the record, I'm agnostic. No reason, evidence, argument, or attempt at validation whatsoever has stood out to me in favor of any specific spiritual belief system or creation theory - scientific or religious. I have my own ideas that I've mish-mashed together from various sources that have inspired me, but that's all they are... ideas. As human beings we have virtually no perception of greater metaphysical truth. If anybody does, it has yet to be demonstrated in a conclusive fashion. One of the most important things any person can do is accept the fact that we just don't know. All we have are ideas. But those ideas are important. We need them. No matter how uncertain they may be, we need points of reference from which to build our ethics, our sense of connection with the world, and develop meaning and direction in our lives. Without them, we would simply be catatonic. Motivation doesn't exist without faith in something. At the very least, to go on living requires some amount of faith that life is less unpleasant than death. The next most important thing any person can do, is to accept that we won't all have the same ideas. I think everybody understands this, but it's a sorrowful thing how few truly internalize it. There are so many ideas in the world, that I could never possibly come to understand all of them. The human intellectual spectrum is so incomprehensibly rich. For those who don't accept it (who appear to be the majority), this is a source of never-ending struggle and conflict. For those who do, it's a source of never-ending joy and enrichment of life. The former generally try to do two things. It's a simplification, but I'm trying not to write a novel here. Either they rage against the world, fighting to cleanse unwanted ideas from the face of the planet. Or they try to silence the world, so they can go about their lives free from the taint of other ideas. In modern day, the latter has become the standard public mode for the western world at large. As a person who loves to encounter new ideas on a regular basis, it terrifies me. I find myself day by day living in an increasingly sterilized world where no-one has the freedom to truly share the stuff of life with one another. Deep and sincere thoughts are increasingly taboo (unprofessional) in all but the most stifled, private environments. It's terrifying to me, and here I find myself facing this very attitude in my favorite community. So here's my message to everyone. Lighten up! We're all different, and it's sharing those differences which enriches our lives. Nickz should be celebrated for sharing both his ZBrush model and his beliefs. I don't know Nick personally, but I feel that if anybody here chose to share anything in the same spirit that he would appreciate it in just the same manner. I personally challenge everybody to do so!

[richithekiller]

.

[SalmonGod]

I was waiting for it. Good job, too. It looks like all of the basic arguments are decently layed out on a convenient slab. I saved it. I’m sure I’ll use it someday.

But there’s a difference. When I do so, it will be presented to someone deserving. It will be presented to those who use their ideas as an excuse to wage war on other ideas. When some fundamentalist engages in a rant about the evil of non-christian beliefs and practices, that image will be a tool of self-defense. However, not all christians are like this, and nickz’s words were not deserving of such a reaction.

I mentioned the vast spectrum of human intellectuality. There are countless ideas and countless interpretations of every one of those ideas. Christianity is no exception.

I agree with you. By the book, christianity has as many negative teachings as positive ones, if not more. But that doesn’t mean that every person who believes in Jesus or the Christian idea of God chooses to live by all of those teachings. Every person has their own interpretation. Many are perfectly capable of recognizing the negative influences and living mostly by the positive. Many Christians are perfectly capable of a respectful and intelligent discussion with other people across the spectrum of belief, and I sincerely appreciate those people.

Nickz’s words did nothing to silence anyone. Seriously, his words can be summed up as “I believe our lives are a gift from god, Jesus died for our sins, and we can all benefit from appreciating that.” I personally don’t believe it or deeply relate to it, but I very much appreciate the open, giving, and respectful nature of his words.

And you respond with a sincere effort to silence him through demonization - attempting to associate his words with other ideas to which he made no allusion and may not even believe. Not only is it unfair to him, but it’s unfair to the entire forum. Incidents like this discourage communities from accepting open sharing of ideas. It’s really a shame you feel the need to stifle open community and communication, and it makes you every bit as intolerant as the warpath religious fundamentalist.

[TeckZ]

Thanks a lot, man!!! Proppz

[chemkid]

this truly IS a great gift!

thank you VERY much!!

chem!

[richithekiller]

a sincere effort to silence him through demonization

It’s really a shame you feel the need to stifle open community and communication

I’m not trying to stifle communication at all. I’m presenting a different point of view in the spirit of reasoned debate. NickZ is are entitled to believe whatever he likes, but if he starts pedalling his deluded beliefs to me on a forum like this one then he should expect to have them questioned.

[saltapiedras]

Thank you for this model worked so well.

[SalmonGod]

Next time you want to spark a debate, ensure that your thoughts on the subject are actually on subject. Nick spoke of Jesus dying for our sins, so of the topics on that image, only inheritance of sin perhaps applies. The rest of it is putting words in his mouth and associating him with negative ideas you don’t even know he prescribes to.

You’re not even questioning his ideas - you’re questioning a selective profile of christian dogma which you yourself have constructed for the sake of putting on a show.

[jojo75]

I would like to subscribe this words
“You’re not even questioning his ideas - you’re questioning a selective profile of christian dogma which you yourself have constructed for the sake of putting on a show”
I think exactly the same.

[phillawson]

Many thanks Nick for a great model - an awesome reference.