A Special Thanks to Atrocities..

[David E. Gervais]

Geo, I tried placing a fishbowl type glass helmet on him, but it was virtually invisible due to the glare of the sun behind him. So I removed it, heck, if you couldn't see it anyways, then there was no point in having it. Besides, SE is a high tech universe, Barry could have some sort of oxigen generating implant that serves that same function as a helmet. hmmm, maybe I should make a bio-implant component just to back up this theory Nah, it's the thought that counts.

Anyway, I'm glad you all like this latest edition of the Phong's Cantina Rendering.

Cheers!

[Timstone]

AT:
Yup, I use 3ds max 7. Last month I bought a full Version. Not very cheap I might add.
I use it to render... when I'm capable enough to render something the right way. I can do planets, those are second nature to me, but components are other things. They require an other approach.
I use SolidWorks 2005 to make my models in. I use a *ahum* legal Version of Okino to export my models. I've discovered that Okino produces very good exported models.

David:
Thanks for the advise. The system in Bryce is more or less the same as in max 7. But like you said, the system in max 7 offers a thousand fold more options to mess up.
If your friend uses max 7 to model things with I declare him a lunatic. He should use Lightwave, much more user friendly. Althoug the two programs are almost the same when you're modeling faces (NURBS and splines).
I want to use Lightwave too, but I simply don't have the time for it.
That's also a reason I want to change my carreer. I would like to do more with my modeling skills. Any suggestions on where to search?

Edit:
David:
Great pic! I love what you've done with Barry. Now all we need is a neon sign outside and a rotating Phong head on the top of The Cantina. Hehehe....

[Raging Deadstar]

Renegade 13 said:
Just imagine the smell of stale alcohol, sweaty dirty drunk, puke, old puke, rotting puke, decaying puke, and puke-so-old-it's-powdered-into-a-dust-like-substance-that-clogs-your-nose-with-foulness!!

Leave Puke out of this

[Atrocities]

Timstone

I would love to ask you a few questions about the program, like how do you import X. format - what plug in you use and how much is costs.

How easy was it for you to learn to use?
How do you map textures onto surfaces?

Things like that. Generally I just need some incuragement that I can use it without killing myself.

Thanks.

[Timstone]

.X export/import:
To export to .X format I use this.
To import .X I use my le*ahum*al Version of Okino NuGraf.

Ease of learning:
It is a horrible program to learn. Like David said, it has a learning curve like the slope of mt. Everest and the Babylon Tower combined.
You have to spend quite some time with the program to learn it. Especially the modeling stuff is ver, very complex comapred to SolidWorks. ALso there are tons and tons of options to mess around with, this can be very confusing.

Mapping textures on surfaces:
Or you let the program do it, or you take the long route.
When you let the program do it, you end up with very uncool textures (when you apply them to a very complex model). The positive side is that you have full control over the other options, like bumpmapping, opacity, reflection, etc..
When you do UVW mapping, you can control the whole process yourself. It's a great way of doing things, you can place the texture right where you want it. I must admit I haven't played around with UVW mapping enough to point out weaknesses or particular strengths compared to the other method.


In one sentence:
It's expensive, it's hard to learn, but when you can handle it you can make magic.