Render

A big list of Poser freebies

2007-08-17T11:37:00.000+01:00

BlackRaven3d has a big list of sites hosting free stuff for Poser and a few other 3d programs. As with any such large list, some of the links are dead, but most aren't and provide a lot of useful stuff.

New Affiliates- photo reference for artists.

2007-08-10T09:53:00.000+01:00

Project Top Secret

2007-07-30T08:32:00.000+01:00

DAZ3D and Acclaim have teamed up to start the first community created computer game. DAZ3D members are invited to contribute 2d and 3d art for a mount based racing game- character designs, concept art, locations etc.

Autumn Lakes background images for renders and art

2007-05-29T10:27:00.001+01:00

Available through Renderosity.

The English Lake District is one of the most beautiful places in the world. The reds, browns and golds of autumn bring out a different character.

24 1200 by 1600 pixel background photos of lakes, hills, valleys and streams for use in renders and artwork.

Ruby Canoe

2007-05-20T19:41:00.000+01:00

Ruby canoe
Originally uploaded by spinneyhead.Perhaps because the story meant so much to me when I wrote it, perhaps because I felt like challenging myself, the chapters in Ruby Red are each getting an illustration. This is chapter 1 "Ruby".

After several abortive attempts at drawing a canoe from reference material I went on the web and found one to download. I changed the textures to reflect the matt plastic finish I remember on Coleman canoes and added the name to the prow. Then I rendered it in Bryce. The reflected shoreline is something I couldn't work out how to do in Bryce, so it's taken from a picture I took of Bassenthwaite last October, stuck on the layer below the render (which had been set to Multiply), blurred and made 50% opaque.

Not a great piece of digital art, but I'm happy with it.

2D Comic Art in Poser: Line Renders tutorial

2007-01-04T23:05:00.000Z

Does exactly what it says in the title. Get basic line art, the author likes to think of it as finished pencils rather than full inks, with Poser and Photoshop.

Spinneyhead Alley Backgrounds

2006-12-30T17:49:00.000Z

Another product from Spinneyhead for use in the background of 3D backgrounds. The Alley Backgrounds set consists of 25 images, at 1600 by 1200 pixels, of back streets and alleyways around Manchester. Ideal for shortcuts, chases and secret meetings.

This, of course, has come out too early to be included in my vowed one product per month minimum target for 2007. However, I have a couple more of these sets planned for teh New Year.

Amazon affiliate links-

The photos were taken with a Canon Powershot A620, a top quality camera. The backgrounds are intended primarily for use in Poser from Creative Labs. Poser 6 for Windows. Poser 6 for Mac.

Technorati tag: Poser, Render, Background

Pop Art in Photoshop

2006-10-25T18:15:00.000+01:00

A simple tutorial on creating pop art style images from photos.

via BoingBoing

PSBrushes

2006-10-15T15:03:00.000+01:00

The largest selection of Photoshop brushes on the Internet, or so it claims.

I haven't got into the habit of using custom brushes yet, but the more I find the more I mean to.

Post Industrial backgrounds 2

2006-08-30T10:41:00.000+01:00

Spinneyhead's tail grows a little more. The original Post Industrial backgrounds set was popular, so I went out and took some more pictures of decaying Manchester for you to use in the backgrounds of renders. (May require Animotions membership to view.)

Technorati tag: Background, Render, 3d, Long Tail

2D from 3D

2006-08-02T08:40:00.000+01:00

Technology that can transform digital images into 3D models will be unveiled at a conference on Thursday. Microsoft's Photosynth will make it possible to move through a scene and see photos from any angle.

DAZ competition render

2006-07-17T11:56:00.000+01:00

As a member of the DAZ3D Platinum Club I can get their weekly Platinum releases at a reduced price, and a chance to enter a weekly competition. The rules are fairly simple- use one or more of that week's Platinum Club items in your render.

This is my entry from a couple of weeks ago.

Post Industrial backgrounds

2006-07-17T11:45:00.000+01:00

Post Industrial backgrounds for renders and art. Another product from Spinneyhead at Renderosity (where I go under the name of IanP).

Woodland Backgrounds for renders

2006-06-09T16:40:00.000+01:00

I've got my first product listed on Renderosity. It's a selection of woodland and park background photos for Poser renders and other images. There are fourteen images at 1600 by 1200 pixels, each in three versions- the image and two levels of blur to simulate depth of field.

Poser 6 allows you to set depth of field in renders and will blur the foreground and background for you but, after waiting nearly fourteen hours for a scene to render, I figured that it's sometimes simpler to cheat. So the depth of field images can be set as the background for portraits and headshots, and could be useful for keeping attention focussed on the action in a comic strip.

IanP's English Woodland backgrounds

Poser conforming clothing tutorial

2006-05-24T11:09:00.000+01:00

I've been having some problems with the cloth room in Poser 6, but hopefully this tutorial can make things a bit clearer for me.

Crystal Render

2006-05-10T10:06:00.000+01:00

Another interesting way to get your 3D models into the real world. Crystal Render will take a 3D file and, using a focussed laser, turn it into a bubble image within a piece of crystal. There is currently a special offer discount for Poser owners.

About the CrystalRender process:

1. First, your 3D model is converted into a "pointcloud" with special 3D conversion software. A "pointcloud" is simply a collection of points that represent the original geometry surface. Think of it as "dusting for fingerprints" all over your model. Then, by removing the original 3D object, what is left behind is the sparkling dust pointcloud in the shape of your original model.

2. Next, a very powerful laser beam is focused at a specific point within the crystal and a brief burst of high energy is released. This concentrated energy heats the crystal and creates a tiny "stress crack" at this exact location. The points are very small (about 1/10 of a millimeter).

The crystal must be optically perfect, completely transparent and the structure must also be rendered from back to front, so that previously created points don't interfere with the laser drawing the new ones.

To draw more points, the laser is pulsed on and off and the beam is redirected with a mirror. The mirror is moved by computer-controlled motors between points. It is this way that the many thousands of points in a typical pointcloud model can be drawn with such incredible speed and accuracy.

3D Bike models?

2006-05-05T17:11:00.000+01:00

Does anyone have any 3D models of bicycles, of a quality that could be used in design? James at Bicycle Design has passed on several requests he has received recently, because he can't find any on the 3d sites he checked on.

Sketch Up Google

2006-05-05T11:17:00.000+01:00

Google purchased @Last software, who make a product called SketchUp, a 3d modelling program. They have now released a free version of the software with the aim that it be used to create 3d artifacts for Google Earth. There's even a 3d Warehouse to store them.

via Guardian Unlimited

Sale time at DAZ3D!

2006-04-29T13:44:00.000+01:00

If you head over to DAZ3D this weekend you could pick up a few bargains. They've just purchased Hexagon 2.0 and, for a limited time, it's available to Platinum Club members for only $1.99.

Also on sale is Bryce. This is a tie in with various 3d community sites, allowing you to get the terrain modelling software at half price. The deal is running through sites such as 3DCommune and Renderotica.

Jean D'Arc

2006-04-24T19:18:00.000+01:00

Apparently the Joan of Arc tutorial is one of the most famous on the web. 80 pages of modelling and texturing advice for 3DS MAX, but BlenderNation reckon most of it's good for other packages.

BlenderNation also has a bumper selection of links to textures and reference pictures.

Modelling a Toyota Celica from reference pictures.

3D- No Plugins

2006-03-26T17:58:00.000+01:00

3DNP (3D-No Plugins) is a 3D viewer that doesn't need browser plugins, only JavaScript. 3DNP is licensed under GNU Public License (GPL) and is therefore completely free. It is easy to configure and can be integrated into your website by using an IFrame.

via Blender Nation

Holodeck for the Cyclorama

2006-03-23T09:53:00.000Z

I'm considering a virtual reality tale done in Poser. Obviously it would have to start on a holodeck or blank VR domain, so I knocked up a grey and green texture for the DAZ Cyclorama as a starting point. (This is one of the many items that's available at $1.99 if you sign up for Platinum Club membership. I'm an affiliate, so I'll get money if you do, but I wouldn't recommend it if it wasn't a very useful service.)

Download holodeck.zip, unpack it into the appropriate folder then set it as the texture for the Cyclorama.

Next up I may put together some floating, semi-transparent control panels.

Pixel2Life

2006-03-12T09:24:00.000Z

Pixel2Life has a number of tutorials featuring Blender, and looks a fair resource for other graphics and 3d programs as well.

via BlenderNation

Blender 3d

2006-03-09T14:44:00.000Z

Blender is open source software for 3D modeling, animation, rendering, post-production, interactive creation and playback. I just downloaded version 2.41 and subscribed to the blog. I may be using the program to design futuristic cities for the Mongrels webcomic.

"photo realistic" digital images

2006-03-09T14:42:00.000Z

Make your digital images more convincing and lifelike with just a handful of gradients and custom shadows. Once you’re done, your pictures will look like real photo prints, you’d swear they popped out of the screen.