Let's Draw!

Taking a little break from my usual 3D routine I found this program that has been on my computer for a while.

The program is called "Let's Draw" and as you can see its kind of a cartoon-like drawing program.

Since I have the demo version the options are limited but with a little imagination you can create a lot of good-looking cartoon / caricature-like pictures.

This 2D program was available as a free download and I'm sure that if you just do a google search for this program (Let's Draw) then you should be able to still download the program for free!

One Of My Terragen Renders

Here is one of the renders that I created last year using the Terragen program. I entered it in one of the Terragen-related contests.

The Terragen program is available as a free download (please see my other Terragen-related posts) and it is a terrain generating program.

It lets you create, edit and modify terrains. The program also has an option of you adding water to your terrain for sea-like renders. You can also edit the atmosphere and the clouds - as you can see from the picture above.

Rose 05 Render

Here is a render I made using my Rose06 object!

Of course this was made with Bryce. Most of the other objects that you see here with the exception of the buildings on the sides were objects I created in Bryce. The two side buildings were free downloads that I got off of the internet.

As far as the roses go it looks as though I am getting much better at uv-mapping them.

You can find out more about my rose objects by clicking here.

Rose-Pink-Sample-Vue

I took the sample pink rose that I did and made a render of using Vue6. You can see the render I made below:



One of the things that I found out about creating plant models / objects is that they take a LOT of polygons to render them (this same thing also applies to tree objects as well!) As a result the more polygons in your render the longer it takes to render your picture.

One of the great features of Vue is that you can take a single model and replicate it many times over (again you have to be careful about this because the more models you have the more polygons you are using).

I took my rose-sample and replicated it several times!

the rocks that you see were already included with Vue!

The simple house (and the bench in the front) I made from the Vue tutorial and the house on your left was a free download that I got off of the Internet.

The trees are trees that I created in Vue and saved for further uses.

Vue6 PLE - Along With The Good Comes The Bad!

Well my free downloaded version of Vue6 crashed a few days ago!

For some reason when I tried to open the program I got the message that it was unable to read the defaultatmosphere.atm file. I thought that if I re-started my computer that that would fix the problem - it didn't!

Then I looked online to find a solution but couldn't find anything specific. I did look through a few messages on a VUE-related forum and I saw where others were having problems with the program crashing and it was suggested that you un-install and re-install the program again. This is what I did. But after un-installing the program I found that I couldn't re-install it again. I tried checking my files to see if I still had the original copy of the downloaded file but I couldn't find it.

I looked online to see if I could find out where I could re-download this program but all I could find was the latest versions of Vue - meaning Vue7 and Vue8. I wanted to have the Vue6 version though because with it I was able to import 3D objects with this program.

I do have version 7 of VUE but I haven't gotten a chance to really look into the program yet. Since this is a personal limited edition of the 3d program, I still don't know yet what the limitations are. Hopefully I'll be able to import some 3d objects into this program as well.

The reason that I am blogging about this is because I want to send myself a message to remind me to not delete the original file because if I still had had it I could have simply re-installed the program. So let this be a lesson to you too to not delete the original files because you never know when you are going to need it!

I am sorely going to miss this program - unless I can find another free download of this particular version of the program.

Daz Studio - V3-Short Dress

Here is something that I am currently working on. The 3D program that I am using here is DazStudio which I got as a free download.

Basically what you see here is the Victoria 3 model - which came with Daz Studio. The earrings I tried very hard to get them to show through the hair so that one could see them - the earrings were from another free download. The hair was also a free download.

The scenery you see in the background came with DazStudio so they were already there.

What I want to emphasize here is the dress that this model is wearing. It's called a short-dress and it was available as a different free download (as soon as I find out the creator of this I will post about it here!). With this dress I can conform it to the female character model meaning that the dress will move with the figure - for instance if I change the pose of the model then the dress should conform to the new pose - which it does (for the most part).

Right now I just wanted to show you basically what the dress looks like. I made it a simple solid color to start off with - at least for a start.

However I am reading the tutorial that came with DazStudio and am finding out a lot of very interesting things about being able to change how the dress looks. So far I have experimented with changing the surface / material of the dress with different materials that I already have in my files. Plus I'm experimenting with making NEW materials as well! As you can probably guess my 3d-related files are getting huge!

Like I said I'm still learning this and one of the things that is perplexing me is the format that the material can be saved to. It looks like if I find an interesting material / surface I can save it as a .dsb file but then later I have trouble pulling up that same material file in case I want to use it again. So I'm still trying to learn about .dsb / material / surface files.

Vue6 - I Am Still Learning!

As I said before I'm still learning how to use this program. I have also mentioned that I have the Personal Limited Edition and that puts watermarks and the Vue6 logo on all the renders.

I'm getting a lot more interested in this 3d program so I decided to find out how much the real version costs. First I found out that I have the Personal Limited Edition of Vue6 Infinite! To buy the full program costs $695. It is definitely on my "wish list!

To find out more about this program (and also where to download the Personal Limited Edition) just click here.

I'm currently on page 125 of the tutorial and here is how my work looks so far:




I'm currently working with the eco-systems aspect of Vue6 which involves being able to (and create) objects as part of an ecosystem. For instance in the picture above you can see some grass and rocks - all put in using the ecosystem option.

Instead of placing an object one at a time, the ecosystem lets you place as many of an object that you want and it even slightly changes the look of the object so that they all won't look the same!

Vue6 - I Am Still Learning!

I have been playing around with my PLE version of Vue6. I have also been going through the tutorial and am coming to realize just how this program has so many options and features on it!

Like I said I'm still learning but I managed to create a short video - using Vue6 -

The quality isn't 100% but I was in such a rush to get it done that I let it use the poorer quality to make the video.



Here is a render that I made using the Vue6 program. Now I have the Personal Limited edition which puts watermarks and the Vue6 logo on your renders - yeah its a bummer I know - but still the program is still quite usable!

I had actually started this render because I wanted to enter on of the 3d contests but I didn't finish making the render in time.

The cottage I made using Wings3d and then imported it as an .obj file into Vue6. Once I imported the cottage, I then went through the steps of giving materials to the different parts of the cottage. The trees were done in Vue6 - they have a great option for that!

Turning it into a video required some effort but once I get used to the program it should be much easier to do!

3D Program - MakeHuman

Here is a render I made using the program "MakeHuman". Of course this 3D program makes human models - both male and female.

The background I made using Bryce.

The copyright information and my signature rose was added as an additional layer using the 2D program Gimp!

The dress and the hair was edited using the Wings3d program.

Want To Download Some of My Art?

I am a member of a site called ShareCG. It lets you upload your artwork so that others can download it. It also means that you can download and use other people's arts as long as you adhere to the conditions that they place.

You can download all sorts of artwork like backgrounds, 3d models, textures and even 3d specific software files like those for Terragen and Bryce! (If you do download any of the artwork be sure to leave a comment for the creater of the artwork because I am sure that they will appreciate that!

Like I said above, I am a member of this site but it took me a long while before I had created anything to upload!

Well I finally managed to create my fist upload - which was a candy-cane-like texture/material! I have since also uploaded some of my other artwork which includes the above pictured doghouse model that I created in Wings3d and that I am modeling from the Wings3d tutorial.

• While I have successfully managed to upload the doghouse model (in .obj format) I'm still learning about the texture / material aspect of it. I mean I did make a material to go with the doghouse but it never occured to me (until much later) that I could also upload the material for the doghouse too!)

I also have a fractal picture in the shape of a flower bouquet and anohter fractal in the shape of a spider web!

There is also a Terragen-related render that can be used as a background.

I'm having a lot of fun creating these 3d (and 2d) artwork!

Rose's Artwork

Vue6 - I Am Still Learning!

As I said before, I'm still learning this newest 3d graphics program that was available as a free download!

Below is my latest creation:

The Witch's House

I have quite an interest in witchcraft and all things witchy. I have started a blog about myself being a witch and you can read more about it by visiting my page here.

One of the great things about this 3d program is that it creates very good atmospheres - meaning sunny days and not so sunny days! It also has a very good variety of terrain options. The little house that you see (its called a cazel) - that model came with the program. The trees also came as part of the program and Vue6 is also great for creating all types of different-looking trees!

The bench I made using Wings3d and the broom I made using Spatch. The broom took me about 3 hours to create! - and I still haven't perfected that yet! Not to mention I'm still trying to create the right-looking texture for the broom bristles. (I'm also working on adding a human, female model to this as well!)

But so far, this is how far I have gotten!



To read my other Vue6-related blog posts, just click here

I'm Still Learning................

Here is the latest thing that I have been working on. The background was created in Vue6 - the personal, limited edition (which includes a watermark) - and then imported into Daz Studio as the background.

In Daz Studio I'm working with the basic Victoria 3 model and was able to make her look like myself (as much as possible - LOL!). The hair was a free download that I got at Renderosity.com and then in post render, I added length to the hair in my 2D program - Gimp.

The same thing applies to the dress. The original dress model was the "fairy" dress model that came with the Daz Studio download. Then I post-rendered the dress by making it longer and slimmer. The actual mateial of the dress I made in Gimp - sort of like a sparkly dress texture that I kind of made from scratch!

The shoes - slippers I should say - also came with Daz Studio.

The flowers also came with Daz Studio.

There are a lot of other things that I want to be able to do mainly dealing with the hair and clothes. This time I just added to the hair and clothes when I rendered the picture in Gimp - but ultimately I would like to alter the hair and clothing using my 3d editing program - Wings3d - so that I can do all types of different things!

Vue6

Vue6 is another 3d creating program that I was also able to download for free! However the version that was available for downloading is it's "Personal Limited Edition" version. When I saw how powerful the program was I wasn't too dissappointed that they were limited options! One of those limits include a watermarked version of your render.

Vue6 is sort of comparable to Bryce in that it does create scenery and landscape pictures. You can also create 3d objects with this program as well!

I will post one of my Vue6 pictures after I have had a chance to learn this program more.

Daz Studio - I Think I Have Reached A Milestone!

I was very grateful to be able to get Daz Studio as a free download. It is the next best thing to having Poser (which is on my wishlist!).

It took me a while to get the hang of using Daz Studio and I'm glad that the free download including some 3d models.

I also started to download other models so that I could use them with my Daz program. However I was having quite a hard time with putting the models in the right folder so that it would show up in the contents of Daz Studio.

I had downloaded quite a few models and each time I would download them they would be put in a new folder so I had a LOT of different folders!

So I was unzipping a new model that I downloaded and it came with instructions on how to add the model to the Daz Studio contents - which I decided to try. It worked! Now before I get too excited, I only did this once and I'm 'rarin to try it again! If I'm successful then I'll have the way to add the models to the Daz contents without having a whole lot of different folders.

PS - I also discovered that the .obj's that I download, I can edit them using one of my 3d programs! This just means that I will have a whole lot of "fun" hours tweaking and working with the objects and creating and modifying them so that I can create objects of my own!

Contests

Lately I have been entering some of the contests on Renderosity.com.

To be able to enter their contests you do have to join as a member but joining as a member is free.

So far I have entered two of their Teragen-related contents. Teragen is a terrain generating program that you can download for free. (Please see my previous posts on this program)

Even entering their contests is a big move forward for me. I always thought about how I would like to enter their contests but I never did in the past because I was always doing my grant research work on the computer and never really did any "fun" things on my computer.

Now that has changed.

All work and no play makes Rose a dull kind of gal!

By the way, I haven't won any of the contests yet but there have been people that voted for me!

"Do Not Enter!"

I have always been fascinated by things "gothic" and Bryce is a great program to work on some gothic-looking renders. I have a website called "Everything's Related" which has information and links about things relating to witchcraft and the like. Since I do have an interest in witchcraft, wicca and witches I thought that making some 3d renders would be great!

I made the above picture using Bryce. Even though I didn't think that there were that many objects in the picture it did still take a long time to render. Most of the objects that you see in the picture were made from Bryce except for the tree stumps which were made with a program called "Shapemaker" (I'll post about that program later).

The trees, however, were made in the Bryce program and I think that it makes for a more "spooky" effect if the tree branches are bare. I also like the look of night in these types of renders.

With the Bryce program you can make almost everything that you see in the rendered picture above - except for the tree stumps. You can change how the sky looks, and what colors the sky will be in. You can even add the moon, sun and stars to your render as well. The mausoleum was a 3d object that I was able to download for free from Renderosity.com. The light shining on the mausoleum was also added with the Bryce3d program.

About the hardest thing to do was the "Do Not Enter" sign because I never made a sign before previously. But I did manage to get it accomplished and the text shows through quite clearly.

What is so great about the Bryce program is that even though I have rendered the picture above, I still have the original Bryce file of the picture so that I can work on it some more for things like adding new objects or just general tweaking. Plus I can save the objects in the Bryce library file so that I can use them for other renders.

I can see why so many people enjoy making 3d art!

Plant Studio!

PlantStudio is another 3D program that is available as a free download. This program lets you make flowers of all types! You can "breed" your plants giving you a whole lot of different varieties of your plant or flowers.

If you go to the website you will see lots of other things that you can download besides the program itself. You can download plant and flower models that others have made. There is also a mailing list that you can join as well.

The flowers were all made using the Plant Studio program and they were exported in the .dxf format into Bryce where the scenery including the rocks, trees, skies and landscape were added from the Bryce program.

Enhancing Hair Using A 2D Graphics Program

Here is my original picture:



I wanted to give myself longer hair (plus I just wanted to pactice on being able to create realistic-looking hair. I did some work on the original render above and this is what I came out with (so far):



I'm using the Gimp program (which is a free 2D graphics editing program) to enhance the hair on the 3d model. It still doesn't look quite right yet.

Editing A Hair Model

I have a 3d hair model that I'm currently "tweaking".

I'm using the hair model on my basic Victoria 3 model that I have adapted to my own look.

Unfortunately the hair that I'm working with is in the model's face and that is what I have been working on.

I'm using the Wings3d program to edit this hair model and so far I have managed to get the areas that were in the model's face removed. There are still some small areas that have to be fixed but for right now I have come to the conclusion that I can paint over these problems when I post-render the picture.

I also had to import the basic Victoria3 model into the same program so that I could see how the hair would look on the model.

I'm still doing some "tweaking" with the hair - like I'm trying to figure out how to add bangs - which I can also do when I post-render the image.

I have even worked on this hair model and then imported the 3d object into Bryce. I was doing that to try and find a good hair texture so that the hair would look more realistic. In Wings3d you can save your 3d object and give it a simple material color - nothing too complicated, just a basic color - and when you import it to Bryce it should import with that material color.

So for right now I'm tweaking the hair model and trying to find a good hair texture to add to the hair object so that the hair looks more realistic.

Wings3d!

I just had a fun 4 HOURS "playing" around with Wings3d which is a 3d modeling program.

I have had it for a while so I don't even remember where I got it from but I do know that it is available as a free download on the Internet.

What was I doing for 4 hours? Actually I was following along with the tutorial for Wings3d. The first tutorial showed how to make a "crude" tooth model. The second tutorial is for a doghouse and that is the one that I am working on now.

The above picture may look like an easy object to you but it took me a long time to even get this far - and I'm not even finished with the tutorial yet!

About the hardest thing to do was to make the doors and windows see through - K had a hard time with that one!

As I'm learning the program things are becoming easier to do even though I have a long ways to go - I'm having fun though!



The final render of the doghouse picture was created in Bryce where I simply imported the doghouse model (as it is so far) into Bryce (which I also saved the object in Bryce so that I don't have to keep importing the same 3d object model over and over again).