@honoluludesktop said: Richard, "low transparency to soften", nice tip for a beginner like me to explore. Is that why some of the bunches of leaves in the center of a cluster look diffuse? Maybe that's the way it looks when the edge between the leaves and sky is well integrated. This got me to thinking that for the sake of the perspective, perhaps the reverse is better. Diffuse at the more distant edges, and sharper on the surfaces closest to the observer. Have you tried it that way? I could cutup the tree into sections that can be blurred, or made a little transparent to achieve the desired effect. Best perhaps for mid-range 2d veggies? BTW, do I misunderstand this post? What is a 3d billboard tree, as vs a 2d tree? Sorry mate, I thought I had replied earlier! I didn't play any further than this test given the results of billboards (yes same as 2d, just a commonly used term for same!) in rendering just has trouble compeating with 3d so I dropped the tests, though I did some later tests just using the map on a sandbox tooled single mesh and bought forward and back the obvious parts of the plant, I do this with a few plants I use to get better sun shadow response and it worked ok on the tree too. Cant find the tests now!

so whats it for?

@pibuz said: I know, and that was clearly exaggerated. I would have stopped that after the first three days. Thanks for the info on the render time, like I mentioned, the images looks awesome but the render time of 1 to 3 days is a big drawback.

Hi, soap ski bubble does still work on the Mac. I use all the latest versions. But instal soap into "tools" instead of "plugins" as the manual describes. This is a scale model of a building, the model is a work in progress, I will show the rest later. This building is about 60m high. The whole project is much bigger. I make a mass study first and then transform that model into a more photorealistic result. This is actually my first tryout modelling a fluent organic shape. I will update this thread later on, need to have some finished work to show for in about 2 weeks. Francois

the graphic art on the wall is nice and design is nice too.

Hi and welcome, thanks for the fire... , The red color is too RED... , I am sure that if you change it for a nice and soft wood, I t will be awesome... Ps: Message for all the French in the forum "Please stop to say that we are not strong to learn other language" or "sorry for my English"

michalis, these are great, and unbelievable for me to reach, you are definitely a model/texture master (let me say you are a digiRaphael )

Very nice indigo render, congrats...

Amazing image Jonathan!! My only crit is a little pet peeve of mine.......floor / ceiling structure is way too thin. As a point of reference - the top bolt location on the railing posts essentially would be below the finish level of the upper floor. Most people won't even notice, but unfortunately once I do I have a hard time moving my eye away from it - thinking that maybe there is something else going on there that I am missing. Dean

Thanks Andrew

Wow, that must be a lot of works.

Thanks for the comments guys. I have played with TIG's extrude tools but I am not that good with them. I also dont see how it would work with so many curving surfaces coming together. Mike I will try and make them the same hight but the body slopes from front to back and the roof is curved so I dont see how that will help. Escapeartist I have modeled the van life size but I will try and enlarge it 10X and then use round corners plugin.

thanks for the comments guys, here's another project, guess what it is... [image: WUcU_3.png]

check this tool for ideas: http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=11212

Thank you D-space for comment. I will look at this. Regarding specular and reflection i need make some experiments because specular definition is new for me and effects are a little different from I thought it should be. I will do some tests and I will try with new settings. Best Regards

Dear Bob, @unknownuser said: an oasis of calm; a place to sit and be still. We share a feeling Next few days without sketching but I shall come back with some green Oasis,, ++ simon.

@jo-ke said: i like the foggy athmosphere. Which renderprogram did you use? I can see the fog, but it should be some volume light simulation with post pro I guess? Why not let in more lights from the glass door?

Some changes. I changed the first tile on the ridge and made it bull nose. [image: pSXN_TileBullNose.jpg]

Hi, thanks to the help of Solo I could also do it in few minutes! Rest to model the inside and I cannot figure out how to model it as fast as the helmet. I see it is not perfect but I think jst a little of scaling tool here and there and should be identical. [image: W8dP_casquevuedecote.jpg] [image: DMVR_casque.jpg]

Thanks James, Coremaster, & Gene! @gene davis said: Very nice. I am an admirer of your work. You are fortunate to be in a market where fine homes get built, in a variety of styles. What software is used to produce the working drawings for these projects? Are you using Sketchup for the interior design? Gene, Yes I am fortunate to be in this market. These days, any market that is building is a good market. I have to remind myself of that when I start whining about work. I am using Archicad for construction drawings, although not in the manner that it was intended to be used. We do not use it as a BIM program. We have made the move to using sketchup for all our modeling and actually use those models to export 2d dwg elevations into Archicad for construction drawings. If we were not already invested in archicad, we would more than likely be using some other cad program for construction drawing, but the combination of archicad, sketchup, Podium, & a little photoshop is working out pretty well and will get smoother as time goes by. We have done a few small interior jobs with su and podium, but because we elevate nearly every room in our new homes and our interior people are not...ahhhh...computer comfy, we go with hand sketches and then 2d cad drawings. I have been asked to document our process in a cohesive manner and I do plan on doing it...when time permits, and when I do I will share it. Thanks again everybody for you comments. p