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Cruise Canals in 3D: Exploring Oxford Locks and British Narrowboats
March 9, 2025 @ 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm GMT
Please Note!
Daylight savings have started in the USA, so start times are 16:00 EDT (New York) and 13:00 PDT (Los Angeles). Start time remains the same for UK/Europe at 20:00 GMT (London)
Join us on Sunday, March 9th for a 1.5-hour live webinar with DAZ Published Artist TangoAlpha (Tim Arnot), as we dive into the fascinating world of canal scenes in DAZ Studio. Tim has poured his real-world observations and photographic research into developing a line of canal-themed 3D products—most notably the Isis Oxford Lock Set and various narrowboat models—each meticulously crafted for authenticity, flexibility, and visual impact.
Pull up a virtual seat and join us for a friendly, conversation-style session where I’ll be interviewing Tim Arnot about his creative journey—everything from on-location photography to final, polished renders. We’ll share slides that walk you through reference images, some of the modeling process, and the final looks of these meticulously built canal scenes. Expect down-to-earth discussions, where I’ll prompt Tim with all those burning questions you might have about rigging lock gates, texturing narrowboats, or capturing the perfect shot in DAZ Studio. It’s a welcoming environment designed to spark your creativity and give you practical insight into bringing authentic, story-rich worlds to life.
What You’ll Learn
- Transforming Real Locations into 3D Scenes
- See how Tim used on-site photos, Google Earth, and measurement techniques to faithfully recreate the Oxford Canal lock and iconic iron bridges—then discover how you can apply the same approach to your own projects.
- Working with Rigged Props & Morphing Water
- Gain insights into setting up fully functional lock gates, water-level morphs, crank mechanisms, and realistic signage—so you can build truly dynamic scenes that tell a story.
- Populating Your Scene with Low-Poly & High-Detail Models
- Learn the difference between the 12 Narrowboats Set—built for background variety and minimal resource use—and the Single Narrowboat, which includes a full interior for close-up character interactions.
- Efficient Texturing & Livery Strategies
- Discover how Tim balances performance and detail by using single-texture maps, plus how add-on liveries can help you quickly customize multiple boats with unique color schemes.
- Future-Proofing Your Art with Modular Environments
- Explore Tim’s upcoming Marina project and other potential expansions, and see how a modular approach to environmental design helps you create more diverse 3D settings.
Webinar Details
Date: Sunday March 9th
Please Note!
Daylight savings have started in the USA, so start times are 16:00 EDT (New York) and 13:00 PDT (Los Angeles). Start time remains the same for UK/Europe at 20:00 GMT (London)
Duration: 1.5+ hours
Ticket Options
Free Ticket
Entry to the first 30 minutes of the presentation. Excludes recording and any bonus content
Premium Ticket
- Entry to introductory and main sessions
- HD recordings of the event
- Bonus content : 3D Modular Set Design (worth $45)
- Two Complete Projects: Follow Tim’s step-by-step design process for both “Gate 43” (sci-fi) and “The Railway Cutting” (realistic outdoor).
- Modular Environment Insights: Learn how to create versatile, reusable 3D spaces—covering everything from airlocks to multi-level walkways.
- Blender & DAZ Studio Workflows: Discover Tim’s methods for modeling in Blender, then texturing, lighting, and rendering inside DAZ Studio.
- Realistic & Sci-Fi Design Tips: See how real-world references inform natural foliage, and how futuristic architecture comes to life with practical physics.
- 2 Hours 42 Minutes of Guidance: Packed with behind-the-scenes techniques to master modular set design for your own DAZ Studio projects.
About the presenter TangoAlpha
Tim is a DAZ PA living in the UK. He studied electronics way back in the late 70s/early 80s, but the discovery of a lab full of Commodore PETs in college meant that ultimately, he pursued a career in software engineering and programming. He was part of the dev team for several large and small apps for Windows and Mac (and earlier systems), eventually moving into programming specialist ticketing systems.
Tim has been a long-term aviation enthusiast, gaining a Private Pilot Licence in 2005, and has owned almost every release of Microsoft (and formerly SubLogic) Flight Sim. That interest in flight simming led him into scenery creation and an introduction to 3D modelling, with GMax.
Eventually Tim got hold of a copy of Carrara, and making airports for Flight Sim transitioned into making environments for Daz Studio. Currently Tim’s main tools are Blender and Substance Painter. The flying influence is still present, since TangoAlpha is simply Tim’s initials in the aviation phonetic alphabet.
You can see Tim’s store at DAZ 3D here
Tim also maintains his interest in old computers and electronics, and in his spare time runs a retro themed YouTube channel – Tim’s Retro Corner.