Not sure if this reminds me more of the Spaceship from The Arrival, or the Monolith from 2001. Let's just split the difference and say, WELL DONE, RYAN.



Also, this version is much better than the original. That one looked like the world's biggest Himalayan salt crystal. You had the right idea changing it to this; makes me think of a Pink Floyd album cover (which is always a compliment!).

I agree with @Zorz. I would love to at least see a nighttime version of this, maybe where the shard emits an eerie glow?

Can we get an autumn, nighttime, and a winter variation of this one? I think it would look great with fall colors as well as in the snow!

I think this is wonderful! And I like how you made the opaque one a pickle jar instead, good choice!

I really Love both versions, the greenery, lighting, colours, and background, super cool render Ryan.

I really Love both versions, the greenery, lighting, colours, and background, super cool render Ryan.

Love the new version. I think the colouring suits the whole picture much better. Nothing naughty this time!

I really like the idea for the render. Was there something different used for the ground cover render? The trees look good but where there is just green ground cover it doesn't look quite like plants. It almost seems like green colored lava flows

Greenery greenery.... How about some of your wonderful desertscapes?

Truly, what I thought the first time I saw the Crystal was "This reminds me of the giant monolith in Nagrand called Oshu'gun, from World of Warcraft". From the wiki, "It is a great, white monolith that dominates the landscape, and instead of being jagged and irregular like other mountains, it is smooth and triangular." A giant Himalayan salt crystal is the other, considering the coloring it has. I always love to see the additional look of the atmosphere around the main design with the multiple screen versions. Thanks a million!

I really like the updated version! I did not see the first one resembling anything naughty- I just thought it looked like a giant Himalayan salt crystal. But this new one looks more magical to me. Also, I'm hearing the Dark Crystal music in my mind and think the Skeksis may be harnessing the power of this crystal on this planet. Ha ha. I could see a variation with a beam of light radiating from it as well. Great job!

I enjoy the change. I didn’t see anything phallic in the original but the color and the detail of the shard didn’t fit with the overall piece. The coloring didn’t seem natural and it seemed blurry or under-detailed.

I'm with those who saw the first one and thought, "Hmmm..."

Ryan, when I first downloaded the original SHARD, It never occurred to me that there was anything "phallic" about it. I guess being 75-YO has has narrowed my perception more than I ever realized. BTW-love them both!

I love both of them with the perfect contrast in the first and the reflective qualities of the second- but for the night version I think the new one would look stunning under (perhaps multi-color?) spotlights.

It looks much better now that it's had a chance to ripen, don't you think? :)

I love both versions. The Shard reminds me of that alien spacecraft from "Arrival" and the meteor remnant from "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within".

Love the new version, the surrounding area reminds me of the scene in 'Contact', where they secretly built the second alien transport.

This is so much better than the original. Love the crystal now. Great job!!!

I see what people are saying about the original, but there was something better about it. The way the pinkish color completely contrasted with the rest made the shard seem other-worldly or something. Also, I liked it better with the shard all one color -- a solid mass. This one looks like it might be an artificial construction. Could you find a color that doesn't scandalize everyone, but still retains the solid-ness of the object?

Decided to withhold comment when the first version appeared. Wanted to see if others also noticed the potential SFW issue (hoping it wasn't just my own warped mind...). I see I'm not alone. I'm HUGELY pleased with the update. The original isn't bad, but the phallic implication is, well, unduly distracting from the overall quality of the work. The revision is VAAAAAASTLY better!!! Thanks again Ryan -- yet another beautiful image.

Ryan, I like the "reflective" update to shard better than the original.

I like the multi-colored shard much better. the flesh colored one, diiiiiiidn't quite look SFW... This also reminds me of the crystal structure in the Star Trek Discovery Season 1 episode, "Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum."

I agree with Tricia Grey most of the render looks great until the Large flesh colored "thing" in the middle of the render. It just doesn't fit with the rest of the render and I also think my husband would tease me relentlessly if I put that on my desktop maybe if it was blue it would look far better.

Really nice, somehow that reminds me of the Amber Monolith from the Numenera pen & paper RPG, although that has a completely different form an surrounding landscape. Now I want a wallpaper or 2 inspired by the Ninth World done by Ryan ;)

That thing is big! Yikes.

Wow, Ryan! This has been a fabulous year for DB fans. Already 31 great works of art and it's barely June! Remakes, yes, but also brand new creations I absolutely love. Thank you for all the hard work!



It's not my resolution, but there's something funky about the 4800x1200. Will there be a 2560x1440? That res is one of mine.

Sorry, but I really couldn't cope with my husband teasing me about the phallic symbol on my desktop! Maybe if the 'thing' was a different colour?

Really love this, and really looking forward to the night version I know you're almost definitely already rendering =)



For some reason, this puts me in mind of "Another Life", even though the shapes aren't really similar... Hopefully this one is much less ominous =)

I think it's absolutely gorgeous. Such a cool idea.

That's where my salt lamp went!

Will there be a version at 1920 by 1200?

Love it yes we will want a night version and why not illuminate the shard! It would be fun un less some thing more creative is I. The works?

...with the Shard in London - it's more like the London Gherkin - but a lovely piece. I suspect a night version might see this Shard illuminate a bit like the Source, in various colours.

I agree that there should be a night version, but the shard should not be illuminated itself, since it's clearly not giving light in this image.



I'd rather see the shard illuminated by spotlights built into the structure surrounding it. The shard could be translucent, so the lights illuminate an inner structure perhaps.



The idea is that the shard is an object of study/interest by the inhabitants of the valley -- they keep it lit so they can continue their research into the night.

HI, A question:



I note the absence of a 1920x1200 version of The Shard. Is this something new going forward? I ask because the resolution that matches my workspaces is 1920x1200.

I know you've said before, "there's always a night version", but I thought I'd suggest it anyway just to be sure. Perhaps with the shard illuminating the (crater?) valley in a blue-ish glow (as opposed to the current yellowish-orange color of the shard)?

This looks really cool! Like one of those salt stone lamps only gigantic! If you have the time or desire, a night time version with it illuminating the valley would really look awesome! Very cool work, Ryan.