Posted on June 29, 2014

Second Annual DB Minecraft Contest!

Get our your pickaxes because the second annual DB Minecraft Contest is on!

Last year’s contest on Facebook was a huge success. It’s gotten a lot harder recently to communicate with my fans through Facebook so I am bringing the contest back home to DB.

Another change: In addition to a Lifetime Membership, I would like to try to import the Grand Prize winning into either Vue or Lightwave to create a special render.

Rules, prizes and entry instructions can be found here.

Vote for your favorites here (the first entry has already been posted!). One Grand Prize winner (chosen by an expert jury) will receive a prizes listed above. The next 4 highest rated images will each recieve 1-year Membership gift certificates. One Honorable Mention will receive a 1-month membership.

Enter as many times as you like, but each submission is final (no submitting improved versions please). Members please let me know if you have any questions, comments or suggestions!

 

Posted on June 24, 2014

I stepped away from the computer for a few days with family and friends out in beautiful Washington state. I have quite a few ideas in mind for future landscapes!

I was pleased to see that Bucephalus finished a multiscreen render of “Cronus” while I was away.

I moved my “camera” in a lot closer for this one to get a better look at the volumetric layers. This is an experimental process for me so please let me know what you think!

I would like to tackle a new version of “Cronus Rising” before I move on if no one minds…

Posted on June 17, 2014

“Cronus” continues my exploration of Vue d’Esprit’s “Planetary” mode. It basically allows you to move the camera high enough that you are looking down at the entire planet that you were working on. The planet in “Skyward” was made in this manner, but I wanted to see if I could use it to create a gas giant type world.

This render combines my gas giant with a smaller terrestrial type satellite. Both were rendered using Vue d’Esprit 11.5. It’s still very much a work in progress so expect a few alternate versions. As I said before, it’s a lot of fun making planets in Vue!

UPDATE:I’ve added a new version of “Cronus” this morning. I’ve flattened the clouds a bit and, as suggested, added some haze to the atmosphere. Still, this is meant to be a fanciful gas giant (and it’s my first) so I don’t mind sacrificing realism in that pursuit.

The main benefit of this new version is that the gas giant is all one, raw, render. The first version was actually a Photoshop composite of 2 different renders. My main goal is always something that I can re-render without Photoshop and this version satisfies that nicely.

The name was taken from one of my first Bryce planetscapes. I think an updated “Cronus Rising” may appear sometime in the not-too-distant future.

Another benefit of this 3D approach to planet-making is that I can move my “camera” down into the cloud layers themselves for some very interesting views. Stay tuned!

In other news, the first batch of Thank You cards went out today!

In other news, the first batch of Thank You cards went out today! The boys are working on their signatures and are getting a real kick out of seeing how my fans are in so many different countries.

Posted on June 13, 2014

Third time’s the charm? I’ve made some adjustments to the planet for the third version of “Skyward”. The clouds have been scaled back a bit so you can see more details on the planet’s surface. I’ve also added a few dark side lights.

I’ve added back a bit of underlighting in the trees but it’s no longer red. I hope you like the update!

I think I’m pretty close to being happy with this one, and it has been a lot of fun learning how to make planets in Vue d’Esprit. The tools are quite powerful and I can see some really cool applications down the road!!

Posted on June 12, 2014

Help me teach my boys a lesson about what I do for a living!

I brought back this stack of postcards from Rustycon. From now until they are gone all new and renewing Members (yearly and above) will receive a “Thank You” signed by me (on the front) and the family (on the back). I would like to teach my children a bit more about what I do for a living and I think this will be a good hands-on lesson!

So how do you get one if you are a Lifetime Member? Great question! I will be happy to send you one for a small donation!

More info here…

 

I’ve added an updated version of “Skyward” this morning. This chief difference you will notice is that the tree branches are no longer lit from beneath. I’ve also added a bit of glow to the highlights. Hopefully the tree branches are still visible on your screen!

The first version is still available in the Pickle Jar. I may yet have one more revision before the multiscreen…