Hello, my name is Gary David Bouton, and I'd like to be one of the first to welcome you to TalkGraphics.com's newest forum: 3D.

Now, before we get 12,000 questions on the coolest way to make a sphere in Bryce, I'd like very much to set a broader tone and scope for discussions. Naturally, we'll be doing some back and forths with specific products, but "3D", or more correctly, the process of modeling and rendering is more involved than a push and a click. I'd like to explain ways of acheiving photoreality, or even hyper-reality using what you've bought, and not what you need to buy. IOW, SoftImage is not the entry fee for this forum! <g>

There are lots of topics we can address here. Just off the top of my head:
•How to you create realistic refection maps for chrome?
•How do you soften ray traced shadows?
•How do you animate something and make a QT or Video for Windows movie?
•Do you need tricks for texture mapping, reflection, or height mapping? What are the best programs?
•Clouds: what's the best way of making realistic ones?
•Are there any rendering programs that do not reduce spline meshes into polygons?

I could go on, but as you can see, I want to get our forum into the nuts and bolts...a true understanding of the mechanicsa and the "Basic 6 Elements" of creating scenes:
•The camera (types of lenses)
•The object(s)-how to build complex objects from primitives and Boolean functions)
•Textures (and mapping)
•Surfaces (and mapping)
•Lighting (atmosphere is optional
•Motion (if animating)

Naturally, we'll get into metaball technology, volumetric lighting, radiosity, and other "perks" that have grown into most modeling program systems, however, I want this forum to have the same sort of richness that the XARA and Photoshop forums have. To tell you the truth, I'm a Photoshop author by career, and there isn't a day that goes by when I need to retouch a model in Photoshop. So you see, one program can kind of grow into another, and I want these routes explored here.

You need to draw a shadow for an Adobe Dimensions model? Right here's the place to look or ask? Are you having problems with polygon creases in your rendering? I'll take you through the solution using Photoshop.

I'm excited. I think we can have a lot of fun here and exchange a lot of techniques and tricks.

After all, what ofther forum can say that they are concentrating on reality<g>?

Yours,
Gary David Bouton
Gary@Boutons.com

Gary David Bouton
www.boutons.com
Gary@GaryWorld.com
Visit a really large gallery at www.GaryWorld.com!