FormFonts(SM) Newsletter V.1.1 August, 2005

"To create architecture is to put in order... Put what in order?

Function and objects!"

- Le Corbusier

NEWSLETTER ENVY!

Welcome to our first FormFonts newsletter. To be honest I had serious doubts about sending out a newsletter. "Everyone is too busy to read!" I assured myself. But waiting in the airport on the way to the AIA Design Expo in Vegas in May, I heard people buzzing about the SketchUpDates newsletter in great detail and how that guy...whatsiz'name? Brad!! Yeah, he's really cool, and all the neat things he talks about!" This went on for almost 10 minutes, and right then and there I decided we had to have a newsletter too. So with imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, and full apologies to Brad and the incredible @Last Crewe, here goes....

WHATS NEW!

We've been serving up 3D models in a subscription format for about six months now and we're amazed at the number of subscribers. Sure, you'd expect us to say something just like this wouldn't you, but we've exceeded even our own expectations. We're getting something over 1.7 million hits a day, and in July, Alan Fraser started working on FormFonts exclusively fulltime. Alan's also been doing a lot of work in background as well, including some new contract modeling we've been lured into. If all goes well, we will offer this as a regular contract service - in addition to our 3D model database. But fear not, all of our contract models will eventually become available on FormFonts as well, so everyone wins.

Alan is our first full-timer, and we have several others in the pipeline. We're all dedicated to FormFonts becoming the premier subscription 3D content site on the web, and we truly have the best 3D artists and ruby programmers in the world! If you're interested, check out their bios here. Lately, we've been adding several hundred models to the on-line database each month. Not bad for $11 a month.

BTW, my first impulse was to name the site Cheeseburger.com. I wanted to stress that we were giving you access to thousands of models a month for about the price of one deluxe cheeseburger a month...you know, the thick double-patties with smoky bacon, real Swiss cheese, heirloom tomatoes, leaf lettuce and chipoltle mayo - the kind of cheeseburger therapy that comes with your own tableside defibrillator. BTW, have you seen Coen's food models? They look good enough to eat. Check out the aforementioned cheeseburger at http://www.formfonts.com/viewObject.php?id=2382

PROFILE OF THE MONTH

Alan Fraser is world famous for his incredible 3D human figures and he is one seriously talented illustrator. You can see some of his original paintings on FormFonts and I think it's his training as a fine artist and illustrator that give his figures such a wonderful narrative quality. When I look at even a single one of Alan's models, it seems to tell a story - communicating something more than just the object it is. I love that about his work, and judging from the downloads, obviously you do too.

Alan trained in graphic design and started work in education, doing illustrations on the side until 1990, when he went into freelance illustration full-time. His work is mostly book covers and children's books. Alan started doing more work on the computer, first in vector drawing programs like CorelDraw, and then moved into 3D. He finds SketchUp perfect for such work, with its simple, illustrative style of rendering.

Alan is married with two kids (one of each) and lives in Formby, a small coastal town on the Lancashire coast - just north of Liverpool, England.

Landscape Park by Alan Fraser (using SketchUp). All models and images are available on FormFonts

A FOND FAREWELL

After serving out 4 million free SketchUp models for the past two years, we say a fond goodbye to ObjectiveNetworks, and many thanks to all the contributors who made it possible. But don't despair, we are culling the best of these models, reducing the polygons and otherwise cleaning them up a bit, and making them freely available on FormFonts. Maybe you've noticed that some of our models have an orange border in your search results? This conversion and cleanup process will take awhile, but we're hoping to add about 100 free models to the site each month - so keep checking in to see what's new and free!

Hint: Just type in 'free' to the FormFonts search engine and see what happens!

MASHUP(TM) CONTEST

Speaking of free models, how about a free annual subscription? Our next issue will feature models that have been mung'ed together in fun and interesting combinations. I call it a MashUp! (TM). Do a Model MashUp (TM) of two or more FormFonts models (yes, free models count) and submit it for a chance to win a free year's subscription to FormFonts. We reserve the right to award more than one prize if they're really good.

Here's a MashUp(TM) Paul Miller did of Mike Lucey's Hummer with some machine guns or plasma-based lasers from one of Coen's game models. The result is one serious urban assault vehicle Paul calls the RoadRager.

RoadRager - by Paul Miller (Hummer by Mike Lucey, and machine guns by Coen Nannink)

MIRIMAX wants to use the RoadRager in their first animated picture "Count Goobu' (nator)". It's a sci-fi flick set on Planet California (c. 2025). Arnold Shwarzenegger has been successfully transmogrified (a' la Count Doogu) into a titanium exoskeleton, and he is now the unsung leader of the Santa Barbarians - an unspeakably deformed band of cave dwelling worker-beasts driven underworld by Queen Oprah of Montecito after the planetary real-estate crash of 2015. Oprah bought all seven continents and four oceans, renaming the Earth "Planet California". The primary tension in the film comes when Queen Oprah's pampered existence on the surface, along with that of her elite band of pleasure-seeking C'itos, is suddenly threatened when they realize the Barbarians' are systematically eating their kind. This is discovered when the Barbarians murder Yanni and John Tesh after an outdoor concert, and are then caught eating them raw. It's delightfully gruesome. The picture culminates in a spectacular chase and crash scene where Dah Goobu-nator crashes through Queen Oprah's high tea the Biltmore Four Seasons in the RoadRager. John Cleese's hologram has some terrifically funny lines, but we're really not allowed to tell you any more than this.

To submit your model MashUp(TM) to our contest, send it to modelmashup@formfonts.com. We'll share the winners in our next newsletter.

HOLA! 3D BASECAMP IS COMING !!

Get out your ropes and crampons, we're going vertical.... Straight Up the Z-axis at @Last's 3D Basecamp in October. We're all looking forward to the first ever SketchUp user conference/Basecamp coming up in Boulder Colorado October 5^th -7^th, 2005. We're incredibly excited about this event and almost our entire FormFonts team will be there.

Alan, Allister, Mike and Coen are all flying in from 'Yerp, and Marc, Tony, and I will also be there. Vincent Van' Coen (he's from Holland) is going to give a workshop on gaming, where you'll learn how to make awesome gaming models like Stalin's Fist...check it below

Stalin's Fist by Coen Nanninck - http://www.formfonts.com/viewObject.php?id=2384

Alan Fraser will also be on stage dealing lightning with other power users in a session on SketchUp hints and tips. Many of you know Mike Lucey as the 'Mayor of the SketchUp Forums' and he and Allister will be wandering around signing autographs and talking polygons. We're really looking forward to meeting you, making some new friends and helping spread the word about SketchUp Version 5.0. Be sure to check out the new component outliner functionality available in V.5.0. My absolute personal favorite new feature is depth cuing - way to go John!!

DEAR CORBU! sm

We get a lot of pretty unusual questions from our subscribers, and I figure there's only one thing to do, create an advice column. Check out our new advice column called Dear Corbu (SM). The master of space and time (okay his ghost really) returns from the early 20^th century to advise us all on important issues of space, time, 3D modeling, architecture, wine, love, and even the nature of being. Nothing is off limits for The Master. To pose your question to the Master and receive his divine wisdom, Cliquez ici!

"PLEASE, JUST ASK MOM FIRST!!"

Recently we've received a few phone calls wanting to know more about this mysterious billing.. "Form-Fonts...Firm-Fonts,??" on this month's Visa statement? The conversation usually goes something like this ... "What exactly is FormFonts and why is it on my Visa bill this month?!!" To which our bookkeeper (okay. it's really just me) calmly explains that we're a database providing 3D world-making artifacts for architects, designers, etc. This is usually when the light bulb goes on, and Mom does that clipped crescendo thing, "Ohhh, just-like-an Arch-i-tec-ture Stu-dent WOULD USE !!??". Then the call concludes quickly and pleasantly. We're really proud of the fact that our service is affordable for students, but please, let the 'rents know they're supporting your modeling addiction (err, I mean education) with a subscription for FormFonts before you subscribe... or better yet, just tell them you need a year's subscription before you return to school this Fall.

Well OK, that's enough for our first newsletter. Thanks very much for being a valued FormFonts subscriber, and if you aren't yet, please take us for a test drive. We're sure you're going to love having 3D models on demand, and a global team of the world's best artists adding to your model library every day...even while you sleep!

Fred

fred@formfonts.com