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GaryR50

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    GaryR50

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  1. You've been looking at http://www.entouragearts.com and there are 2 nice NPR palms in a watercolor style if they are interested in that look. Gary
  2. I'm with you, Strat. Keep it simple and mostly (if not entirely) HTML. I subscribe to the concept of web usability, myself. I've done a number of sites and I'm reworking my Modern Home Design site, currently (I'll let you know when it's ready). This time, I'm including Flash movies, but it's NOT going to be one of those all Flash sites. Instead, it's a single HTML page with one JPEG, used as an image map. The "buttons" are all part of the image map and will be linked to the Flash movies, which will all play in the same "window," which is just a rectangular area on the JPEG image map. So, the whole site will consist of only one JPEG, which is only 137kb, plus four .swf files (one will load when the page loads and will run continuously until the user triggers one of the other movies by clicking on the corresponding "button") and a PDF, which is a downloadable brochure. Altogether, it will comprise one lean, efficient site. The advantage to using an image map instead of an all-Flash site is that, aisde from keeping the size down, it allows for search engine indexing and user bookmarking, both of which are lost if you make your site one big Flash file. Gary
  3. Yes, Mike, it is NPR (non-photorealistic rendering). Gary
  4. There are several freeware CAD programs out there, each capable of both reading and writing DXFs. I've tried a couple of these. One is called JustCad and it was the better of the two. The other was called CADstd. Gary
  5. Well, I guess what one considers "photorealistic" is a bit more subjective, these days, with everyone claiming their software produces "photorealistic" output. Admittedly, Swift 3D is not comparable with global illumination (because it doesn't have it), which is the new standard of photorealism, but it certainly stacks up favorably with most raytracers, save, perhaps, for those that do radiosity renders. Anyway, how realistic it has to be all depends upon what one needs the images for, in the first place. For most architects, still, something as banal as Artlantis seems to suffice. I think those who value GI most are in other fields, such as motion picture and TV production. Anyway, it's close enough to meet my needs. I don't have Max, but, thanks for the tip, anyway. By the way, Swift 3D has a polygon modeling interface which is capable of duplicating most, if not all the modeling functions of Max. Gary
  6. While it's true version 4 still lacks any complex motion paths and is, thus, probably not suited to a full walkthrough, I think it might still useful for doing 360 rotating pans of individual rooms, as well as a rotating flyaround of the exterior. I'm only interested in using this for output for a website, not as a stand-alone movie or anything like that, so it should be suitable. As for 3D, version 4 is better than previous versions, in that raster textures are supported and there is a full blown 3D modeling interface within Swift 3D that allows you to do, basically, anything you can do in Max. Speaking of Max, yes, there is a Max plugin, as well as a Lightwave plugin available. You can import 3DS and DXF objects, also. Though the file size will probably tend to be larger, in version 4 you can definitely do photorealistic output. Check out the examples on the site. One thing I did notice is that any samples that were photorealistic are all still renders, rather than animations, so I suspect it falls short at putting anything with that level of lighting and texturing into motion. but then, most flythroughs in AVI, etc I've seen lately don't exactly approach Yafray rendering, either. Gary
  7. I am thinking about getting Electric Rain's Swift 3D 4 for possible walk-throughs and fly-arounds. Swift uses Flash as its final output, which interests me because it is a format that almost everyone can view online without the need for special codecs, etc, just the Flash player. Also, Flash is optimized for smaller file sizes and quick downloading (though a friend of mine seems to disagree). Has anyone tried Swift 3D for raster animation? I understand that any version before 4 was probably not suitable for our use, but that 4 might be. Opinions? http://www.swift3d.com/ Gary
  8. Ah, now I see it. Must have been blind yesterday. Thanks. Gary
  9. Sounds like you guys are a little ahead of me in this realm. Quizzy, which site had the "Realtime/VR section?" I didn't see any such forum here. Gary
  10. How about a forum aimed at those who model 3D gaming environments, or who want to? I'm interested in getting into this, myself, and I could use some tips and tricks from knowledgable pros instead of 13 year olds. Gary
  11. Brownie, I couldn't disagree more about SketchUp's place as a presentation tool. True, it doesn't do photorealistic rendering, but that's hardly the extent of presentation graphics. It's also the case that, especially early in a project, a less photorealistic or nonphotorealistic presentation often works better. I've seen some fantastic presentations done entirely in SketchUp. Gary
  12. My point was really two-fold. First, that no real "opinion" was stated. Merely saying "I don't like this" is not truly an opinion. It's just a statement of a personal dislike. Now, if Alicia had said, "I don't like Calatrava's work BECAUSE..." or "I don't like it and here is why...." and then offered supporting statements, THAT would be an opinion. Secondly, by saying you "respect" her opinion, I am sure you're not saying you agree with her disliking of Calatrava's work, so, I believe what you're actually saying is that you respect her right to an opinion and to the expression of that opinion. Right? I, also, respect those rights. However, as a matter of curiosity, I'd like to know more about why she feels the way she does, hence, my question to her. I don't think either of us has shown any disrespect, though. But, enough of that. Let's let Alicia answer....if we haven't scared her off, that is. Gary
  13. Well, William, my response to Alicia's comment was certainly not intended to be disrespectful in any way, as I'm sure you're not really implying it was, either. The most valuable thing I learned in my art appreciation classes, years ago, was that, with education, one may get beyond the phase the general public is at, i.e.: "I know what I like and I don't like that." Knowing why we like what we like and why we dislike what we dislike is the first step toward understanding art and the new and unfamiliar. When someone merely says they don't like a building, that doesn't tell us much, does it? Perhaps, if Alicia cares to answer my question, we'll then know to what extent she understands Calatrava's intent and the language he was using. Afterall, an opinion that is well informed is more valuable than one that is simply a gut reaction. Gary
  14. What don't you like about it, Alicia? I'm sort of a fan of Calatrava's expressionistic modernism, myself. His architecture strikes a chord with me, I suppose, because it so much resmebles the sort of futuristic architecture I remember looking forward to as a boy growing up in the fifties and sixties. It's otherwise been very disappointing, for me, to see how little progress has been made in all that time, especially in residential design. I've always lamented being surrounded by housing that poorly imitates the styles of centuries past (and, sometimes, two or three of them in the same design) and, these days, it seems the trend has worsened, when you look at the crap builders are churning out everywhere. For me, Calatrava's futuristic forms are a breath of fresh air. Gary
  15. CAD, CMU is an abbreviation for Concrete Masonry Unit; i.e., concrete blocks. A split-face block is one in which the outer face of the block has been split away to leave a deliberately rough surface. Many projects use both smooth face and split-face in juxtaposition, for decorative effects. There is a smooth face CMU material that comes with SketchUp and you can download a splitface one from Objective Networks, or from the SketchUp site. Gary
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