Look'n sweet!

Peter - your photoshop'd versions of the clock look great!

@michaliszissiou said:

If you don't want to pay for PS then use Gimp.

What does that have to do with anything? Just for fun how about you download the clock model (linked above) and try to duplicate the effect achieved using fotosketcher using Photoshop and/or Gimp? I suspect the challenge will be relatively tough compared with just doing it in fotosketcher.

Regards, Ross

Thanks Luca for noting the error. I've corrected it now in my posting.

Boofredlay inspired me to play with FotoSketcher. It is addictive!! Amazing that it is FREE!

I attach a FotoSketcher produced image that features a model of a wooden clock by angusog that is available on Google's 3dWarehouse here. The image uses FotoSketcher's watercolour preset with some adjustments. I'm really pleased with the monochromatic effect and think the style has potential for architectural subjects.

Regards, Ross

Another wow! The detailing on the model and the brilliant texturing are very inspiring.

Thanks for sharing.
Regards, Ross

Perfect! Thanks Bryan.

At 3dBaseCamp Brigitta and Stephane noted that Abvent haven't set a price yet. They noted that how popular this public beta is will likely help determine the price. I took that to mean the more popular it looks to be the lower the price.

It does seem to be the kind of plugin that the vast majority of SketchUp users could use so I hope they'll be smart and give it a aggressively low price and make their profit from volume.

At the recent 3dBaseCamp SketchUp User Gathering there was a demo of the new radiosity rendering plugin developed by Abvent. For those who don't know, Abvent are the makers of Artlantis. What they've done is develop a new plugin for SketchUp that uses the Artlantis radiosity engine. The plugin is called Render[In] and until the end of the year it is offered for free (no resolution limits or watermarks) through its website: www.renderin.com

The plugin is very easy to use. It is similar to Podium except it offers a real-time image preview you can keep open as you model. It provides almost instant feedback on many of the settings which greatly aids in making it an easy to use rendering solution. The preview pans, zooms, and scales automatically along with your model in the main SketchUp window. You texture your model just as you always would in SketchUp but the plugin allows you to give materials reflectivity, shininess, and a bump effect just by adjusting sliders. It has lights very similar to Podium and a number of pre-designed lighting fixture components can be downloaded. Custom lights are easy. The plugin also has a sky system that is easy to use and impressive in its flexibility. You can chose what kinds of clouds you want and at what density they appear. The sky is tied to SketchUp's time & compass orientation so you can easily adjust for sunrises and sunsets. The sun will also appear.

I attach my first attempt at rendering a building. It followed a short amount of playing to see how it worked. The attached image was very easy to produce and it has no post processing. I don't know why the grass is so washed out. I have asked for advice on fixing that on the Render[In] forum. I suspect I can avoid the problem in future renderings. Anyways I've been very impressed with the plugin and how easy it is to use. It probably won't appeal to the experts in more full-featured renderers but seems a very practical tool for the rest of us. It is my understanding that it works with both the free and pro versions of SketchUp.

Regards, Ross

@unknownuser said:

I know Ron Popeil ... Just my 2cents.

Phil - I agree with your words. Hope you'll make the next BaseCamp. You were missed at the recent one.

Regards, Ross

I remember once seeing an impressive example of what hdr is capable of. The example hdr image was a lit light bulb. (The image in that example was created from a set of photos each taken with a different exposure. My understanding is that the technology has developed with some cameras now capable of creating the hdr image in one shot). Because of the wide dynamic range in the light bulb image it was possible to adjust the image in software until the logo printed on the end of the bulb could be seen!

Wikipedia is a good place to learn about the technology: "The wider dynamic range allows HDR images to more accurately represent the wide range of intensity levels found in real scenes, ranging from direct sunlight to faint starlight".

Regards, Ross

You can make various styles that would have the back edges displayed. They can't have any of the raster-based edges. As long as you are okay with the basic edge settings, back edges can be used in styles that have watermarks.

I have found that if you have back edges checked on, the setting will be lost if you switch the display styles to transparent. Toggling off the transparency will not reinstate the back edges. To get them again you need to turn them back on in the style's edge settings (or apply a style that has the setting on). I'm guessing this could be a bug. I'll report it to Google.

Back when I toured with ZZ Top...

I too had a little fun playing with it. I did take longer than 3 minutes -- I hope that's okay.

Regards, Ross

Thanks Bep. I should have read it more carefully. I was too shocked by the size of the fine.

Stumbled on this news story...

Swedish driver faces $1 million fine for speeding

The Swedish Wire is an independent news web site about Sweden’s business, politics and current affairs – in English.

(www.swedishwire.com)

That last pic gives me an idea... Caffeine-Infused Hot Dogs. I'll call them "Energy-Dogs" and they can be sold at truck stops and convenience stores offering the same kind of boost as an energy drink without creating a need for a pee break.

How late is the patent office open?

I'm glad you are coming to Basecamp Dale. See you there!

@broomstick said:

I arrive at Denver on the 30th at 20.30 (8.30 pm) so if anyone is there maybe we could share a cab or the ride to Boulder.

There are shuttle buses from the airport to the Boulder hotels. You might (or might not) have to wait for the next shuttle but the ride should be more economical than the taking a taxi.

I look forward to meeting you at Basecamp!

Regards, Ross

Is there a link to visit this album or is only for those who confirm their email addresses?