Attached Link: Where Dreams are Spun

Ok... I'm finally done with my Cave of Verdie Challenge. For the record, it took 8 days, 15 hours, 58 minutes, and 9 seconds of processor time on my G4 Power Mac to finish. 3.06 trillion rays. I only wish that so much of that wasn't lost in my size reduction. The 4000 x 3000 pixel version looks absolutely awesome. As per Verdie's instructions, I was trying to expand upon her original Cave pictures. I wanted to maintain my style (overly-stylized semi-realism) while at the same time incorporating Dreamspinners (vivid color and geometrically influenced abstracts). This is what I came up with. Most of the stalagmites is using a very flat simplified stone texture. They are also smoothed over a lot more than would occur in real life. The stalagtites are much more angular and use a highly reflective, highly refractive dark and yet still transparent glass (very similar to what I used for the hand of god in the Judgement of Angel). I really want to point these out, because unless you look closelyt, they are kinda lost in the picture. I suspect this is one of the two things that made it take so long. The other thing that I think took a while are the crystals. And much like the stalagtites, I think they're very sublte. If you look in the center of the lagoon, you'll see a bunch of green glass textures that I tried to model after the things in the fortress of solitude from the Superman movies. The lattice I think kinda makes the picture. I think its kinda definative of merging me and Verdie's styles. I was trying to go for very geometric like she does but highly stylized like my stuff. I hope it came across well. For those who care, it isn't made from a transmap, its a network of very thin interlocking tori (toruses). Well that's my overdrawn analysis of my own work. I really want to know what everyone else thinks.

Nice work there. I'd love to know what the large size version looks like, but I fear it would choke most ISPs... :-)

Pretty cool picture ... 8 days? 8 days? I couldnt live without my puter for that long ... Nice work though

Hey Ghostofmacbeth, you hiccupped! LOL Mav after I saw you pic I forgot to come back here and comment a bit more. You did a fantastic job on your Cave piece. Wish you had posted it even larger than you did. It's a lot of incredable work and 8 days is like OUT OR SIGHT!! I think the longest render I ever had was 4 days, whew!! Do me a favor and e-mail me and I'll send you something interesting for the next time you do a cave pic. drmspinner@earthlink.net Okay? Anyways I'm very impressed with your pic! Verdie : )

nothings wrong with my computer... Power Mac G4 is one of the fastest produiction rendering machines available. You try doing a 4000x3000 pixel image of 203,195 separate polygons with volumetric lighting and procedural textures with bump and transparency maps through 3.06 trillion rays and then anti-alias it and tell me when it comes back. :-)

LOL@Mav :o) I guess most of the PCs wont come back for half a year or something like that ..hehehe... You did a great job on the cave-pic..especialliy the green glowing, in my opinion.... maybe you'll find a provider who wants to host the original picture :o) have fun Karsten

Great work. The Lighting is gorgeous! PowerMac G series you gotta love 'em.