Speed Modelling Contest

Speed Modeling Contests (SMC for short) are competitions using 3D computer graphics software. Artists gather together, decide on a topic and a time limit and create 3d models in the allotted time limit. Although the spirit of the contest is to have fun, and improve your skill with 3d graphics, the outcome of the contest is often voted on to determine a winner.

General SMC Format

In many SMC communities an artist or organizer will notify other artists that a speed modeling contest is about to take place. This notification usually includes a modeling topic, the time artists may begin modeling, and the time allowed for users to finish and upload their entry (this can vary from hours to days). After the SMC begins, an artist generally has only until the specified deadline to complete, render and upload their entry to a server (usually in the form of a static image). Often, to keep things fair, a moderator is asked to moderate and disqualify entries that are uploaded after the deadline.

Because an SMC is a competition there are often guidelines and recommendations set up by the community. In most cases these include:
* All models made in an SMC must be "original", i.e. not created beforehand.
* Rendering and uploading an entry must be done "before" the deadline for it to be valid, or someone (such as a moderator) must be able to vouch that a particular competitor finished their SMC before the deadline but could not upload for a particular reason (e.g. technical difficulties)
* Because the focus is modeling, materials and lighting are not vitally important, though some lighting is obviously recommended.

In most 3D communities, any artist may take part in an SMC regardless of age, gender, or country of origin, provided they have the necessary software and the ability to speak sufficiently in the language generally used by the competition community (often English). In many communities, there is a strong focus on getting new users to take part in SMCs, as it often encourages users to think about how they need to accomplish their goal in the set time, and usually encourages new users to improve their skills in 3D Design.

Fairness and Moderation

Because of the way SMCs are run, most SMC communities will have some form of moderation to ensure that the contests are kept fair and that the rules are followed. In most cases, this means that a designated moderator monitors entries uploaded for SMCs, which usually means the moderator cannot take part in the SMC. It is the moderator's job to ensure the rules are followed and to decide if users who upload after an SMC deadline have a valid reason (e.g. Technical restrictions)

Some communities, however, will make use of a software bot which, due to its unbiased nature, will often be able to quite effectively monitor and control which entries are valid. However, because the bots are software based, they can be more prone to failing, and are also unable to decide for themselves if SMC users have a valid reason for being unable to upload an entry in the set time - thus a supervisor is often used to ensure the smooth running of the bot and to make decisions the bot cannot make itself.

Additional Contests

While the main focus of SMC communities is Speed Modeling Contests, other types of challenges are usually allowed to be initiated by artists, such as

* "Sculpty" challenges, where you use sculpting tools for modeling
* Speed Material challenges (S|/|C to avoid confusion), where you create materials in a given time limit
* Speed Drawing Contest (SDC), where you can use any tool or program, other than a 3D one, to draw an image
* Speed Animation Contest (SAC), where you can use any model, then animate it to the set topic
* 3 part Challenge, where you create parts of a scene then put them together as the third part

Other Links

Places to SMC

* [irc://irc.freenode.net/smc #smc] - An smc channel run by the users of the open source software Blender
* [http://www.game-artist.net/forums/speed-modeling/ Game-Artist.Net] - Speed Modeling Competitions Forum
* [http://forums.cgsociety.org/forumdisplay.php?f=122 CGTalk] - Speed Modeling Session Forum
* [http://www.threedy.com/site/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=42 Threedy] SMC Forum