Reminds me of the post processing in the movie "Reflections in a Golden Eye". I was 15 into the move when someone whispered "hey this movie is in color."

Very nice effect. Mateo is the master of implied atmosphere.

Built from one large board.

Well actually the schools don't give away much. They just let you take the course, but if you want credit for it then you need to pay the fee.

So instead of fighting the problem headon I was trying to suggest that maybe there might be a way to redirect the forces at work. LEts say Sue had a website called
"Magna Cum Laude graduates of the Sue School of Architectural Illustration". So if you are a registered graduate of the course your best work and your CV can be posted in a gallery receiving international attention.

So suddenly a lot of people are sneaking into her class. However, low and behold they find they learned something and they are becoming pretty good. Now they have no doubt about their skills, they would like them seen and certified to. Since they did not pay they can not been seen on Sue's architectural rendering site. So they pay for the course retroactively and now they are part of a respected gallery/showplace.

I am just suggesting there might be more to gain from channeling human nature than fighting it head on. Not sure of the validity, but am just trying to float a concept.

When I hit a brick wall I always like to back off and think about more productive approaches and study elegant solutions to similar problems.

It is 2:44 Am so I will make this short. Someone correct me if i am wrong, but I believe MIT is giving away all its classes for free in a web version.

Of course, you can not claim a degree from there without paying. What this does is get people into the educational stream at MIT where they can then prove the the school and the themselves that they are a good fit for an MIT degree.

Sure some folks will get some free value, but in the long run everyone will win as it is just a shell game as to were the profit/revenue is taken. What is does for MIT is show their knack for innovation, leadership, and ability to attract the best of the best.

How many web models are there where people are making millions either reducing cost ofr giving things away. I have a Gillette razor that they sent me for free. Of course, if I buy just five blades I could have a years worth of BIC disposables.

Don't know if lateral thinking applies to this situation, but it may be better than slapping each other around.

Looks just like the ship that abducted me last year.

Watkins, I was actually thinking of going the other direction with similar materials. I was thinking of a thin plywood core with medium density foam blocks glued to it. In the art project, this might be suspended in an arched tower above pedestrians.

Of course, a City engineer will be involved in safety issues, but the safest thing would be something that would not kill and be less likely to injure in a worst case situation.

I even considered aerogel until I found out it is the most expensive building material possible.

I would like to produce a miniature in brass for my desktop.

Carbon fiber would be interesting but again expensive.
A ferrous metal core and super magnets embedded in the end blocks would be fun a long as you did not get your fingers caught between modules.

A lot of possibilities.

Have you considered partnering with ASAI or the AIA in some way and giving the classes under their auspices? You might need to kickback some of your fee as a donation. But these organizations might be less likely to allow cheating than individual companies. And you also benefit from their endorsement.

Not sure if it is a practical or desirable idea but I thought I would run it up the flagpole and see who salutes.

Fred, this work is for Scottsdale, Arizona and the waste stream consists of castoff Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and BMWs. Could be interesting if I take your suggestion and the sculpture would do close to 180mph.

The one I actually build was about 36 inch high. I did build it with plywood webs, but the blocks were the cheapest pine. Done in hardwoods it would be an absolute jewel, but the cost is incredible. As small as this thing looks, there are 256 blocks. You are probably talking $500 for your less expensive hardwoods. Now if you would like ebony you could buy a new car for less.

I am working on a public art project. Thirty or fourty years ago this was a freshman architecture project which I also built in wood. I remember drafting this whole thing in inked perspective.

SketchUp is a zillion times faster and you don't need to start the ink flow on a finger wrapped in a paper towel. Ah the wonder of technology. This is just one alternative for the art project and there are many alternatives for the final material.

Since it will hang in a arched tower over a public walkway, I may try to do it in a foam of some sort. I am also considering kite like structures and inflatables.

I have to watch my time as public art does not pay well especially if the project becomes a quagmire. Still it is a good promotional item for the portfolio.

Hang in there with Kerkythea. The learning curve is steep. I am getting there at a snail's pace and still cheat a lot with PhotoShop but it is a rewarding program to work with.

--Roger

Is the human a 2D faceme component, an SU model or some other model inserted in SU?

Ande, I have to agree/disagree with Scott about the background. Yes it does look faded, but yes it should look faded. According to the world acclaimed photographer Ansel Adams windows should be 1/2 to 1 stop over exposed. If the out door exposure matches the indoor exposure, windows look like wall paper pasted on a flat wall instead of looking like a window.

I think your interior looks right on.

The floor looks like tile but I have never seen such massive tiles. I think it is because the grout lines are sunken and the edges of the tile are beveled it looks like ceramic tile rather than say a marble slab. So I am not sure what your flooring intention was.

Also agree that a few people could liven things up a bit.

Nice clean render overall.

These were done for the city planning commission. I am used to doing art for marketing reasons rather than planning commissions. I guess it is marketing but just to a much smaller target.

I would like to do more work where I am the designer as well as the renderer.

All I can say in my defense is that it is a "branch office."

Here is the layout of the entire complex.

The King of Fast Food.

Really proud of the branch, It was just a silhouette and as such looked too harsh. I found a little piece of oak bark and faded it into the branch as if a little drop of sunlight was peeking through the rest of the tree. Also a little dust in the parking lot grounds the image.

I forced myself to go out and shoot some clouds. As summer comes to Arizona the clouds disappear under the merciless sun. Every year I promise myself to shoot some clouds and every year I wait to long. They will now disappear until the advent of the monsoons when we get some magnificent cloud displays.

Scaling should have no effect.

The main thing is to have the light source very large and close to the subject so highlights wrap around the subject rather than reflecting has hard little points of light.

Also it helps create shadows with soft gentle edges.

If I can help with anything let me know.

I have lost the textures in one of my KT renders.

As a check on what was happening I then made another render of just a rectangle with one of the textures applied. It worked fine. Then I opened the xml on both files and looked for glaring errors such as different paths or differences in the texture name. Nothing jumped out at me as being incorrect. I hate to go back and try to rebuild the whole project.

Has anyone experienced the problem or does anyone have ideas on why this would happen?

This would have driven me crazy (or crazier) except for the fact that I am working on a new project and whoever did the autoCAD files was probably the same person who did the puzzle. Not only could you hide a little square, you could hide a battleship and perhaps a fleet in the drawing distortions. Since I am new to architectural work, is it common to see plans that look like they were drawn by a drunken sailor?

The uninformed who claim that sketchUp is not a precise tool should see what you can do with AutoCAD in the wrong hands. I hope my client has a clever carpenter.

If you appreciate the complements I will repeat again. A very nice piece of work. I prefer the straighter lines and the strong linen though.