Thanks for the bike. I found it some time ago and pretty much threw it away. It is incredably crappy and the proportions are hugely wrong- wheels way to small, frame way to large, cranks to short or to long or something, handlebars way to narrow. Basically it just sucks overall. It is impossible to work with it as you can't get a reallistic position. You've given it a good shot though. Suggestion- try to take the bend out of your riders back and instead of having her hands on the top of the bars, put them in the drops. Or, do what I did and give up with this bike. I'm trying to learn how to create one that is actually scaled correctly and based on a real bike. Any questions or comments give me an e-mail. you have my addy. Later... Thanks, STAN

Thank you very much. That's basically the conclusion I came to. Unfortunately, the make invisible option doesn't work all the time as it leaves big patches of empty space. Just as bad as patches of skin. Again, thanks and if someone comes up with any other alternatives- shout out. Stan

We're off to a fine start here. Chicken has offered two submissions which have potential. I do have a few suggestions. The first few are regarding the swimmer- Firstly, she appears as a plastic bath toy just floating in the water. She needs a sense of motion to include limb movement, a wake, ripples, and water turbulence. Additionally, she doesn't appear wet. She needs to have wet hair and some sort of body wetness. The runner also has a few issues. He appears to be in a very bad way- almost stumbling. Also, I would like to see a bit more figure detail- facial expression. Another suggestion I have/something I would like to see would be a sense of competition. Granted, triathlon is an indivual rather than team sport, but one is competing against other individuals. So, maybe 2-3 competitors up to 5? Also, spectators/supporters would offer to the realsm. I would like to emphasize facial expressions to try and get across the concentration/sense of competition/pain the athletes are feeling. I was just checking out those flag swimsuit textures. Those would be great. Something to take into account is triathletes don't change clothing between swim/bike/run events. They do swim in wetsuits over biking/running attire which they strip off before heading out on the bike. This is something that you might want to try out for an event transition scene. I also don't see as much emphasis necessary on the background terrain/detail as on the immediate surroundings of the athlete. A fade into black would be perfectly acceptable. I would also like to see the field of view tightened up on the runner individual, but I suppose, this is something that could be cropped as necessary. Again, good work and let's see what some of you others have to offer. If any of you have need photos to use as ideas for image composition (models let's say), please do not hesitate to ask. Thanks again, Stan Oh yes, I saw a road-bike prop out there once, but I have no idea where it was. I was just scanning sites and links.