Fourth one down the right hand column. Odd, I was just testing different lacrimals just last night... I don't have any good ones, would be cool to find out which ones these are. They always tend to be too bright/reflective, or too dark. They have to be just right for a good render.

Congrats to the crew of the shuttle! I'm so happy they are back on Earth safely!

Lets see, I was born in 1571, so I'm 434 years old. (I know you think I died in 1610, but that was just an elaborate identity change. I simply moved to Spain and changed my name to Velasquez.) Or 37, in "reality" years. :P

Holy bizarre coolness! I wonder how in the world they do that gravity/weighting thing! That would be so great in poser. It does look like a poser figure to me, by the way. Not sure tho.

Thanks face_off! I'll give it a run throught Poser5 to catch the concepts.

Where is face_off's tutorial? I'm using C4D and I would like to read thru. I didn't know there was a tut, that would be good, since the script won't help me, unless I backslide to Poser, LOL!

"Alright Rabbit! You've convinced me!" I'll go forth and start reading these books... which one do I start with? I remember one from back in the day called "Splinter of the Minds Eye" or something like that. Is that the first one? Or are these all over the place, different series and such? Which ones are most like the movies?

Yes, I think you are right there, I hadn't thought of it that way. Also, Palpatine on several occasions I think reassures the people he's talking to that he'll be able to "persuade" someone to do something he needs them to do.
For instance, this happens in AOTC, when he persuades Padme to take the Jedi as her bodyguards, and she gets a strange look on her face, and Yoda seems to notice something strange going on at that moment as well.

Logansfury- I liked the effects too, in fact that is what Star Wars has always been about, using the computer to control cameras and create new effects and wow the audience. GL has never claimed that he was a literary giant. I tend to agree with you on your crit about the lack of a credible reason for Annikin to switch so quickly.
That being said, the movie can only be so long. Also, remember that Yoda and Obi-wan are incredibly afraid throughout episodes 5-6 that if Luke even so much as comes near the Emperor, his turn to the Dark side is pretty much a foregone concusion. Remember how Annikin says that he knows he shouldn't kill Dooku, but says that he doesn't know why he feels compelled to do so anyway? Well, he's standing right next to the Emperor at that point. Clearly Lucas's intention is for us to begin to understand that the Emperor's power goes beyond simple persuasion. This is why the final triumph of Vader and Luke over the Emperor carries even more weight. Vader cannot disobey his master, and it is only through the power of Luke's selfless act to die before he would kill his own father that Vader realizes he has to finally sacrifice himself to beat the Emperor and save his son.
I don't know why they didn't use a bacta tank for the surgery tho. I totally agree with you there!
I think too that Lucas will get more money out of this movie if he says its the last one, he's flip flopped so many times I suspect he's only half-hearted about it. Besides, GL has kids, who would be a child of Lucas without eventually inheriting the franchise?
Word is tho, he's moving on to other projects, but doesn't say what they are. Maybe there's something totally new and mindblowing coming?

I am thinking that although George Lucas stated that there would be no third trilogy, he will definitely change his mind. He may not be quite as involved, but like ExistentialDisorder says, he's not gonna let the empire die now.
There are some signs in the movies, for example, if the prophesy was that Annikin would bring balance to the force, and it seems he has, at the end of ROTJ, then who is on the Dark Side? The only two people left with the force are Luke and Leia. Is it Leia, Luke, or did the Emperor not die? Keeping in mind that lots of characters have fallen down shafts and lived to tell the tale (even with big explosions at the bottom). I have heard that some books have Luke or Leia turn to the Dark Side, but I don't read those non-canon books. How can there be balance if there is no evil Jedi? Even if the Emperor is dead, then why couldn't the Force just parthogenetically create a new Sith?
And (spoiler) if Yoda is having visions of Qui-Gon, why does he not appear to Luke with Annikin and Obi Wan? (other than the character didn't exist at the time of ROTJ). Is it that the ability to appear to living Jedi can only work with someone who has a connection to the dead Jedi's? This sounded to me like a way to work Liam Neeson into something, rather than a brief explanation of Luke's visions. Could be wrong tho.
I'm thinking that after the rerelease (starting 2007), Episode VII will be announced and be on the screen three years later.

That movie was great. Anyone that isn't going to go see it, go see it. You will be completely missing out on the sheer fun involved. George Lucas takes it critically in the rear for a couple of his shortcomings all the time. The whole idea of SW is to be like the Saturday afternoon sci fi serial (read cheesy). The fact remains, what he does do well, he does better than anyone else. Go to see Star Wars for what is good about it. Please don't be too busy having opinions (whether unfounded or not) to take in an artist's work while they are alive and the work is fresh.
You could skip Ep I and Ep II, if you want. This movie is more strongly tied in with ANH than EpII. And the flavor of the older films is much more present here than in Ep I and II.
And, by the way, Leah Organa says that her mother died very young. She is talking about Bail's wife, not Padme. She doesn't know she is Padme's daughter. So, it is actually Bail's wife that dies very young.
This shouldn't be about GL not deserving the $3.50 it costs for one person to see this film. The effort of all the artists involved should be important. And they did one hell of a job. One hell of a job. GL had a tough act to follow with Return of the King. And follow it he did. This film will is the visual crown jewel of SW.

Holy cringles! I was lookin at that cup two weeks ago going, hmmm... that sure looks like... but the guy next to her was a photo. It really was a Poser figure!

Nashville would be good.

I did notice some of what Fishnose is talking about with the Girl. There were some setup improvments over V3 on that figure. I think a whole new way has to be done for an actually physically correct appearance. It is not enuf for the knee to not stretch and bulge so much, but the thigh needs to squash and the calf need to squash, and even if you get the front/knee working, the back will look silly and be a postwork candidate. If you guys saw a recent issue of 3d world I think, there was a cover with a work showing a squatting girl and a serpent. Her leg was brilliant. I think it was modeled that way, but this is what it should look like when we do it. It needs to be some sort of new hybrid, with weight mapping, and soft body for the back of the legs. I wonder if we could have a bunch of leg squash morphs for something like this (prolly JCM which is what they did with the knee). If we want to keep being able to animate fully, then this solution has to be awesome and go all the way to a correct appearance, and hold up under simply posing out an animation.

It could be render only gallery, that means absolutely no post, but the problem is it's gonna be a lonely place with about 5 pics in it! LOL!