Dynamics!
I loved this lecture, SO much more than the lighting. I think it's because I could understand the cause and effect, because I could see the what was happening on screen. I found it fascinating, and documented my progress through the lesson. I'll definitely want to use dynamics in future projects.
Learning how to make geometry Follow a Path
Found a neat tutorial on how to get geometry to follow, or duplicate along a curve. This will save time when it comes to making thinsg like the banisters and railing...or even bricks and tiles!
Render Passes
I found it a little tricky to follow along, but I certainly understand how important separating the render passes are for taking it into comp, and colour grading. I was playing around with it in Photoshop instead of Nuke, and it definitely isn't as good as Nuke at dealing with the information. It just didn't really work. I guess I'll need to learn Nuke now!
Blocking out the sculpt in Z-brush.
I love sculpting in zbrush. It feels so much more organic. I found that the best tools to use for sculpting rocks are the 'Trim adaptive' and 'Trim Dynamic' tools. The even off a surface based on its shape, so you can achieve those nice polished edges.