OK, I'll try this again..... Yes, I know, we just finished the Febrduary Challenge, but we're going to call this one the April challenge. it would seem weird to call it the March challenge, since 3/4 of it will happen in April. You can read what Alla posted Here I'm not sure what to call it, so we'll just call the THEME Muddy, Gooey, Sticky, Gritty So, that will be the idea for the Theme for the April challenge. Make a scene of any sort, but it's gotta be DIRTY, and it's gotta look REAL. Maybe a street after a flood, or a beach suffering from an oil spill, or a cesspool, or...well, I think you get the idea. :) So, that will be the THEME, and it is the THEME that gets voted on. at the end of the challenge. The alternative challenge, which is NOT voted on, but just meant as an exercise, will be to make a realistic looking thing which looks muddy, gooey, sticky, gritty, or dirty in some way or other. So, that's it. It's starting today, Sunday March 24, and will end Wednesday, April 24. I'm planning on updating the various associated Annex challenge pages, and will hopefully have it all done by the end of the day. I'm also planning on creating an official challeng Rules page, so I don't have to keep typing this every month. ;) If there are any qusetions about this month's theme, by all means, please ask. Cheers, and have fun. :) Mike

Sounds really interesting. I was recently trying to do a picture with a messenger rider on a muddy road in the rain, but the best I came up with was a sort of churned dirt appearance. I guess this is a challenge to try harder. -- Mark

Hmmm... not sure I'm up to this one, being so new to Vue. Hopefully some nice folks will be posting tips along the way. :) Need to start churning the gray goo inside my head. jon

Right, okay, mmmmmm yes......

original idea !

Sounds cool! Hurry up vue and get here, I wanna play. :) I should get it in 2-3 days then the fun will begin. :)

Thanks MikeJ for keeping the challenge going. It's a lot of work and you do it well. ~s~ The challenge sounds interesting. Will have to give this a try. ~looks outside at all the mud~ now if I could just get that into my puter... umm perhaps not. Dust is bad enough ~L~

Procedural Filth. Sounds like a punk rock band. ;)

This one certainly will be a challenge, and a good excercise(sp?) in the material editor as well.

Rich

now? as in, right this second? as in, right here in THIS message? not one message down? not two messges down? just right here, right now? (okay, end of teasing mike) :) this sounds like fun. :) gotta try that old ray dream rusty metal material recipe.... that was cool.

Ooops, thanks bloodsong, you just reminded me of something I need to always make clear.....

As always, challenge entries are made in either THIS thread, or NEW threads. if it is a NEW thread, it MUST have something in the subject line to the effect of: "My Entry For The April Challenge", so it doesn't get overlooked accidentally. Also, you can post your entry in either the thread, OR the gallery. But, if you post in the gallery, you must also post in the forum, and provide a link to the gallery picture. Again, so it doesn't somehow get overlooked. Thanks! :) Mike

This challenge is tailor-made for Bloodsong with his "slap some mud around" technique! :D

hey! that muddy rhino was one of my best pictures! :) keep it up, and i'll use the 'slap varian around some' technique! :)

Actually, I was thinking how ideal it would be if we could all rise to the greatness of Bloodsong, that inveterate Master of Mud to whom we all honor and aspire to the likes of which! How's that for kissing up? ;D

okay, i see what's going on, here. i start teasing mike ruthlessly, and then you come in broadsides and distract me from him so he can get away, right!? HAH! um... of course, i was done teasing mike, anyhow. :) maybe you were just jealous. erm... anyway.... enough off-topicness!!! ain't this the thread dedicated to where people should post their mud? not fling it around!?

Alright, y'all, be nice. Bloodsong, you still owe us a picture from LAST month. And don't try to blame it on bugs in Vue, and not being able to complete a render because of.... err... never mind. ;) Give us your models, mired in gore, Your oozing messes yearning to slither free, The wretched refuse of your steamy Vue shore. Send those, the hopless(ly) gnarly muddiest crud, or cruddiest mud, tossed with glee. Lift your point lights beside the shimmering gore.... Ok, well, you know... ;)

well... the LAST time i rendered that scene, i ended up with a 2000x black image with a grey smear down the side. :( i'll try to think dirty thoughts. just for you, mike. :)

Cool! WHY are you having so much trouble rendering though? I don't get it. I don't ever have these problems you're having. Maybe you should consider you might have something wrong with your CD? Also, you're still using that Godforsaken 4.01 patch, right? 4.05-02 is very good. I've had only a few very minor problems with it, not enough to camplain about, and those have gone away since I reinstalled Windows and Vue last week.

noooooooooooooooooo! i'm using your smeggin 4.05 patch you told me was so good. :P :) i can't use 4.01; i tried. but i built the scene in 4.03, and earlier versions won't even read it. the render came up 'out of memory.' but it said it was 100% done. i was rendering to disk :/ i dunno how long it sat there saying 'out of memory,' i was taking a nap.

OH!!!!!!! OH I FOUND IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! mike, you're NOT a goof, you just reminded me! the next time i opened vue, it asked me if i wanted to rescue an abnormally terminated render. i forgot to open it and look at what came out. its THERE!!! there's no glow, but at this point, i aint complaining! cool. better not be any ideas about more haze and fog and snow this time. this thing is DONE or ELSE!

LOL and Alright! :)

Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/viewed.ez?galleryid=162875&Start=1&Sectionid=3&WhatsNew=Yes

Hi, this is my picture for the April Theme... Cheers Patrick

Nice job, Patrick! It's like a scene from Jurassic Park. :)

Attached Link: http://members.lycos.co.uk/acheron

i came upon this web site & as i have just begun this type of art work decided to add an entry. however i only use vued esp2 so as u can see my detail is not that far off specce graphics compared to most of the artists here. so this is my first entry but i am learning more each day about the program & hope to have better pics for the future.

the title for my pic is (Lost Specimen)
many thanks - acheron

i have many pics on my site & would like anyone's comments
& tips that they have

Nicely done image! So sad that the little plant was lost, but it seems hopeful that it is still alive inside the bottle. :)

Acheron> Maybe your pic is not enough weird ! For me, the rock materials is not enough realistic (compared to flower and glass recipient). But it's a very good start from my point of view ! Yves

This is my very first Vue pic.I did'nt turn it in until the last day.It's like your watching me lose my virginity online!Please be gentle. I did this piece for a Metal band called "Empty Skies" from Seattle.That's why it's got all the empty space.I needed to have a lot of space for the logo. It's a "cloud demon" for lack of a better word.Flying over black murky water.It's suposed to be surreal but some people don't see the demon until I piont it out.I maintain that evil clouds are mystereous creatures that are rarely seen until it's to late.