Posted on April 13, 2011

Shortly after I posted “Tropic of Thetis” a number of Members suggested that I should try a night version. It has sort of become a tradition around here that I complement a bright wallpaper with a dark version. It’s fun for me to explore how a scene can totally change given the time of day so I am happy to oblige.

For “Tropic of Thetis (Nightfall)” it was suggested that “bioluminescence” would look interesting so I tried my hand at adding some to the water and the flora. I still have some improvements I would like to make to this render but I think it looks nice enough to share as is. I hope you enjoy it!

Posted on April 12, 2011

I’ve swapped a few items out of my future workstation build. I’m thinking now that I will go with a SSD boot/application drive and a RAID 10 setup for data. I’ve also chucked the Quadro 4000 in favor of a GTX 590 (if I can get my hands on one). I like that it has 3 DVI onboard and it looks faster than the Quadro.

I would love to hear suggestions for a quality SSD (over 250 GB). The one I picked looks nice but I am no expert. Basically I want a machine that will last me another 5 years.

Anyway, I’m getting close to pulling the trigger and I wanted to thank the Members who have helped with donations. I really appreciate the support! Be on the lookout for a night version of “Tropic of Thetis” that is a little bit different…

Posted on April 8, 2011

I’ve posted a new render of “We Don’t Like Zombies” with the “Repeater” translucency toned down. They should look more 3D now and less blown out. You can still get the first version in the Pickle Jar. The free version is here.

I was able to re-render this fairly quickly thanks to E-onsoftware sending me the new release of Vue d’Esprit yesterday out of the blue. The new DOF mode cut the rendering time down to just a few hours! I can’t wait to play with those new cloud controls!

Posted on April 7, 2011

I’ve added the dual and triple-screen versions of “Tropic of Thetis” to the Members Gallery this morning. If I ever do manage a triple-screen 7680 x 1600 setup I do believe this one will the first wallpaper I use (though I might change my mind after the night version renders). Rendered in 89 hrs at 9600 x 2000

Posted on April 4, 2011

I teased recently that I would be doing a wallpaper based on my family’s favorite video game and there was interested speculation. No, my kids are little too young for WoW (and I avoid MMORPGs for fear of being sucked in). In my house the go-to game is PopCap‘s “Plants vs Zombies“.

Now I do quite a bit of “plant modeling” in my work and I had the idea to introduce my kids to how I work by creating a scene they would be familiar with. They had quite a bit of editorial input on how the plants should look and I think they came away thinking I was pretty cool (better enjoy it while it lasts). I plan for them to help me model some of the other plants in the game as exercises so don’t be surprised if you see another PvZ theme in the future.

I’ve never done a wallpaper based on another “property” so I felt a little strange about posting it for Members only. In the end I decided to post it concurrently in my Members and Free galleries.

The boys and I hope you enjoy it! Stay tuned for the “Tropic of Thetis” multiscreen shortly…