Hehehe! Thanks for not vandalizing my keyboard ICMgraphics. I'm not sure were that rant came from. It just burst out before I could sit on my rebelious fingers. 8D

Of course this is an effort to get more people to use Vue! It is definitely taking advantage of the fact the Bryce seems to have a bleak future at the momment. That's smart business and I applaud them for that. If you would like to do things that Vue can do and Bryce can't, then this is a good deal. The applications are so similar in their abilities, though, that I strongly suggest that anyone interested try Vue for themself and carefully weigh whether or not it will be of benefit to them. (Yes, there are things that Vue can do that Bryce can't, and the reverse is very true as well.) Heck, I'm seriously considering the offer because it would make "some" projects quicker and easier and give me a few more options. I wouldn't give up on Bryce's future yet, however! Even if Bryce wasn't picked up by somebody and development discontinued, I would still use it for the things it does best. (Here's hoping that doesn't happen, though, and that Bryce has a bright future.) As for the interfaces these two programs use... I've got roll my eyes and sigh everytime someone says one is better then the other. I think Bryce has the Vue interface only marginally beat, but not by all that much. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, and I say that having used a "wide" variety of CG applications ranging from the low to high end (so called hobby to professional applications). This will probably get me stoned with rotting vegitable material, but... I'd love to see the best features of both interfaces combined. End of rant. 8)

It's too bad there isn't more left of the narrow guage railroad that ran between Felton and Boulder Creek. Makes me glad that "Roaring Camp and Big Trees Railroad", in Felton, is there to keep the memory of those narrow gauge passenger and logging trains alive. It's knind of neat hearing the whistles on the steam locomotives they run echoing now and then through the mountains.

Fantastic water and metal rig thingy! But... I find that they are "both" so busy that they are fighting with each other. My attention wants to focus on both at the same time and the rig thingy's wonderful detail is getting lost in the ocean's wonderful detail. The overcast/cloudy looking lighting may be contributing to this. I don't know. Does anyone else have this problem? Do you already have a solution in mind for this A.S.?

Here's my 2 cents worth... I agree with the previous statements that... - There needs to be some stretching, streaking, or motion effects applied to the fire and smoke, but not alot and problably not so much applied to the fire. With that much fire it looks like you are trying to capture the exact momment of the explosion. In which case there hasn't been time for the fire and smoke to streak back that much yet. There is going to be more streaking of flying of debriese from the explosion then from the foward motion of the plane unless we are looking at the plane after it has been hit. If we are looking at the plane after it has been hit then there should be less fire and more smoke and the smoke should be billowing backwards in a trail. - Booleaning a rock(s) out of the wing is a good idea, but use small rocks to make small damge detials close to body of the plane. - Most defiitely add the smaller debrise that would accompany such an explosion. Also... The wings tend to blow off a plane in one piece unless they take a direct hit. There shouldn't be a top and bottom half that have separated for one wing. The smoke and fire materials are very nice but you need to apply more of them to give them more of a chaotic look and shape. Make the fire objects much smaller as well. An explosion like that is going to take quite a number of overlaping objects to make it look convincing. Oh, and move the fire foward and center it anound the engine, otherwise you really need to blow the entire plane it bits to justify an explosion of that magnitude. Very good start!

I really like those little flying ships. They turned out wonderflly. Everything looks great! Well... the area between and beyond the foreground clouds looks a little strange to me. And there is something lacking about the big structure. I'm not sure what though. It kind of seems to me as if the flying ships should be traveling to some event at the big structure, rather then flying through and past it. Did I say I really like those little Flying ships? I do. 8)

Great! Love that rusty little locomotive. :-) Nice material work on everything to. I'm still trying to wrap my brain around Bryce materials. lol.

Glad to see that... The Fifth Element Close Encounters of the Third kind Dark City Jacobs Ladder and Gladiator ...where included in this post by others. There favorites of mine to. Hey Rocher,yes, I must admit that I to also find myself looking at textures, lighting, models and such, but not just in movies. I find myself looking at every-day things and wondering... now how the heck would I model, texture and light that. I'm totally infected with CG, as I'm sure many of this community's members are. 8)

Do I dare repeat the comments... Why not, I agree... "great latticework" and "love the textures". I love the thingy, the gear portal, and the chamber walls. The gear portal is just begging to be repeated on the opposite wall. The pipes on the opposite wall are completely outweighed by the great thingy and gear portal. Keep it up!

Hehehe... 8D Great work and good use of the thingy. ...Enjoying your imagination and humor.

Neat image! 8)

I really like the strange, 3D formations used in the islands and the weird, painterly texture on them. By any chance are you familiar with the works of Roger Dean? There is a certain accidental but vague similarity between the way your image turned out and the look of the floating rock islands that Roger Dean sometimes paints. Part of the similarity is the unique formations used and lonely separateness of the islands. Another similarity is the use of natural looking stone bridges between the islands. But the most striking similarity is the rock texture you used looks like it was painted just like Roger Dean's images are painted. It doesn't necessarily look CG. Plus, it is just a really nice texture to look at. I'd like to see a simpler and different sky used, though. I think that the contrast between a simpler sky and the complex rock formation and rippled water would improve the image. ;-)

Wow! 8)

Thank you!!! Very helpful.

Sorry... this is going to be the quick and short answer. I'm short on time. ;-) Yes, there are texture sites that only give you the bigger image that you have to right click on and save. Not all of them provide you with and actual download. To use the texture in Bryce the short answer is to go into the Materials Lab and place a marble in column A, next to Diffuse or Ambient to use the textures color, or nest to Bump to use the texture as a bump, etc. You want to import the downloaded texture as an "Image Texture" for the marble(s) you placed in column A (or even columns B,C, or D).