mnisbett

Try these Depth of Field links http://www.outbackphoto.com/workflow/wf_51/essay.html http://www.dofpro.com/info.htm http://www.bentimagelab.com/sg/pages/Smallgantics.htm (cool miniature stuff) http://www.tutorial9.net/photoshop/enhancing-images-with-depth/ Mark

Philip, Try the link below, he has some great tutorials here, mostly technical illustration, but you can apply to most anything. http://www.khulsey.com/student.html

I've been using a Dell M6300 for about 7 months now with great results. I did the research on all the most powerful systems on the market at the time. I was stuck between the Dell and The Alienware laptop. In the end I chose the Dell based on the fact that they have a guarantee that the laptop will work with most of the intense applications I would be using. I have 4 gig of ram, a 200 GB hard drive, an Nvidia Quadro 512 MB Video Card and a T7700 Core 2 Duo processor at 2.4 Ghz. I have and use AutoCAD 2008, Revit, Sketchup, 3D Studio VIZ, 3D Studio MAX, Chief Architect, Photoshop, Illustrator, Lightroom, Impression, Office Suite, and Many more. Rendering times are as good if not better than comparable desktops. Good Luck, Mark

I'm in the process of upgrading my gateway 675xl. It was a great machine but I need better technology now. Gateway has a duo core 17" but it doesn't compare to the workstations out there. I looked at all the machines using the Nvidia Quadro cards, Dell, HP, Alienware, Voodoo, and a couple others. Nvidia has links to all machines. I'm going with the HP NW9440; duo core, 2GB ram, 80 GB 7200rpm HD, 17" screen, full size keyboard w/ keypad, and fingerprint recognition . The review s, price, keyboard & keypad, video, and RAM expansion sold me. I'll let you know how it goes..

Clarence, I did read your posts but I quess I must have interpreted your sentiments about AutoDesk as more of a slam than anything else. I am sorry if I offended you, but I feel strongly that AutoDesk does the right things for its base. Yes they buy up software and repackage it but the other companies do not have to sell do they? Anyway, I see their steps as good things not bad. As far as AutoCAD is concerned I believe that most upgrades have been worth it, not all but most. I'll continue to use Revit, VIZ, and AutoCAD as long as they are available, when they are not I'll switch to whatever is best. Regards, Mark

Hey Clarence, I think you really need to try out Revit before you bash it to much. I've used AutoCAD and its other products since 1986. I've seen the softwares come and go as well but there has always been some path to follow. Do you remember Autoflix or AutoDesk Animatior? What happened to them? I believe most of that technology got absorbed into other packages.. roll with the punches. I used lightscape for a while as well but, VIZ is sooo much better and that good radiosity stuff is in there as well. Yes I agree AutoDesk is a large competitive company but that's what makes them so great...You can't fault them for furthering CAD technology can you? Competition is our driving force right? As far as ADT and Revit are concerned you have to look at Mechanical Desktop and Inventor first. MDT runs ontop of ACAD and so does ADT, this base is used more by technicians that have been drafting for years. Revit and Inventor have been written from the ground up with design in mind and changes in technology. Why not re-write the software instead of making it fit in. I personally don't know if these four packages will stay around for the long haul, and really I don't care. I just want to be using the best software and I'll roll with the punches. I have used ADT and Revit extensively and can say without doubt that Revit has much better technology for designing and drafting. If my students can pick up Revit after 2 weeks and it takes 15 weeks to acomplish the same with ADT, why not use Revit. Once I start getting the word out locally I'm sure more firms will follow suit. It will save them time and money. You should check out AUGI's forums if you want to gain a better understaning of Revit and or Autodesk products. Regards, Mark Nisbett

Your still life looks great! The only things I'd work on are the shadow on the bottom of the bottle (It just seems odd), and I'd try some caustic effects, maybe even some dirt, grime, or stains, for that added realism. Otherwise I think you have a fine looking image.

I like the concepts, they look very clean and get your attention.

Thanks for the comments guys. I Know the images Could be better but I only spend a brief time on the models because they only serve as an example for the Students. I teach at a Community College where the Ave. age is 27. This is also the first 3D class they take, next Semester they take AutoDesk VIZ. I'm hoping to take the Revit models into VIZ for better results.

I've experienced this myself and have found that you need to start the command in the viewport that you are going to work in. For example if you want to draw a line in the top viewport but start the line command in the front viewport then move to the top viewport you'll experience what you stated. However, if you are in the top viewport and then start the line command it should be fine. There are situations where this still doesn't work. When this happens just reset the viewports, go to Views, new viewport, four equal (or whatever you have set). This has worked for me. I think by doing this it resets the default UCS's.

I forgot to mention you can get a 60 day free trial from AutoDesk. Most of my students downloaded the trial to use at home as well.

I teach in CAD in Maine using primarily Autodesk software. We are fortunate enough to have most of their primary software's. Which include Revit and ADT. We teach ADT classes as part of our curriculum mainly because we listen to our local firms and businesses. This is currently the software of choice in our area. I also have introduced students to Revit, taking about 2 weeks or 8 hours of instruction/labs. The results are remarkable. Although ADT is very robust it is complicated to learn. The students had the ADT class for 15 weeks and produced good drawings but they also experienced a lot of frustration along the way. In the 2 weeks that they used Revit, they produced similar drawings with better results, less frustration and much more interest. They keep asking me when we will do more with Revit! The problem is, there are no companies using Revit in our area, and our program is driven by industry. If it were up to me I'd use Revit fulltime, it’s a great software!

I was torn between the gateway, alienware, and dell. I had read reviews similar to Shaun's which steered away from the aliens. I have a classroom full of dells and a classroom full of gateways so my decision to go gateway was based on the 17" screen and a lot of good reviews. The only negative I have read about is the weight but, all desktop replacements are heavy. Plus it will make me get up off the couch every hour or so.

Good use of lighting. I like the caustics of the lights in the ceiling. There is red near the top of the columns...is that supposed to be that way?

It's interesting but could you give some background about the project. It looks to me like a model that has been modeled in 3D. Is that the look you are going for? The monocromatic image suits this type of modeling.