/3/ - 3DCG

Previous thread:
>>533615

Outstanding questions from previous thread:

What is the w dimension?
Is it possible to use the inverted normals method of making cartoon outlines in maya?
Is there a mask selection tool in 3Dsmax?
Is there any reason to use topogun / 3dcoat vs. a down subdivided mesh from mudbox?
Are there any sites specifically for cycles shader examples?
How to get better at UV unwrapping for someone only familiar with Maya?
Is there a way to have a "straight curve"" in the soft selections in 3ds max? Like, instead of having a pinch or a bubble, making the deformation linear, like a cone.
What is VXGI? Is it kind of path tracing rendering or what? I do understand that it's voxel based, but I can't get WHY and what is this about, and reading about it doesn't really help.
What are some good sources for learning online (Maya in particular, but I'm also interested in Nuke and the whole vfx pipeline)?
I've never rendered anything before and every time I open the render viewer everything is ridiculously darker than it is while I'm in the workspace with the lights activated. Even when I change the gamma. Trying to render a PNG with Arnold.
I need to accurately move and duplicate zsphere chains in Zbrush. There's no immediately clear way to do this, and the only plugin I can find that says it helps with this issue is old as fuck, crashes often, and is really unclear.