01/18/21
Fabrica
Multi-Screen Render
For a while now folks have been asking that I rework one of my earliest abstracts. That one is particularly tough to recreate though because it's actually not a 3D render at all. It was one of my first attempts at visual artwork on the computer and I used a set of 2D filters in an early version of Photoshop. This was before I had a copy of Bryce and knew anything about 3D rendering.
The first step creating a new 3D version was for me to learn how to create a convincing "woven" mesh. Fortunately I found a method using Blender that produces pretty excellent results. This particular render is my practice with that method.
Obviously I need a lot more practice but I'm sure this method can be used to create lots of other interesting effects :-)
01/14/21
Siblings
Multi-Screen Render
This is a bit of a warm-up exercise after a week or so away from rendering. I noticed recently that my son Ian has been using other wallpapers on his machine. He told me my work was "too high-res", which I took to mean he's looking for something more minimal. I certainly can caught up sometimes in adding too much detail so consider this render to be a study in restraint :-)
In a normal year Jessie would have dragged me away from the computer for a trip or two. That didn't happen last year and if I was home chances were I was rendering. I told myself after posting my last render that it was time for a break. This will be my 24th year running this gallery so I've learned how to monitor and maintain my creative batteries.
I may linger with this scene for a bit so stay tuned :-)
01/04/21
Shinrin Yoku (Night)
Multi-Screen Render
When I added lanterns to the pathside in my bamboo forest I'm sure you all knew that I was going to attempt a night version. I didn't actually know if it would work or not but I like how it turned out. I hope you agree!
12/29/20
Shinrin Yoku
Multi-Screen Render
My mother sent me an article earlier this year about how being in nature can boost your immune system and mood. The Japanese even have a term for seeking this benefit..."Shinrin Yoku" or "Forest Bathing". It isn't news that being in nature can be good for your health, but I like that there's a word for it.
Everything is very brown and dormant in my part of the world right now so I wanted to create something inexorably green and (hopefully) peaceful to close out the crazy year that was 2020. If you can't get to a forest I will bring one to you :-)
12/21/20
Snowglobe (Fluorescence)
Multi-Screen Render
Hard to believe that it's been 20 years since I posted what will probably always be my most famous render. I thought it would be fun to mark the occasion with a special Christmas version. The idea came to me as I was exploring Blender and discovered its very useful "Real Snow" addon which I then used to add snow atop my mushrooms.
I hope you enjoy it and have a wonderful holiday!
12/16/20
Ornament (Comb)
Multi-Screen Render
An idea struck me as I was arranging the lights outside my "Comb" scene. What exactly ARE the lights? Well...now you know. Hopefully it will make one look at the abstract in a new light (lol).
The plan was to render this in just a few days but unfortunately VUE's depth of field is a little tricky with this sort of scene. Arranging colored lights is also more complicated than plain white. Finally, I decided to use the "expensive" settings so it looked best but took a bit longer.
I may have one more Christmas scene in me before the big day. Stay tuned...
Video #TBT
DB was mentioned on TechTV’s excellent “The Screensavers” a few times. Here’s one that I saved on tape and recently unearthed...12/08/20
The Comb (2020)
Multi-Screen Render
For the last week or so I've been learning how to use the modeler in Blender (starting with an excellent tutorial) and then how to import, texture and render those objects in VUE. It's been a while since I've attempted an abstract so I decided to go with that theme.
My goal with Blender is to use it as I used Lightwave; to model geometry for my VUE scenes and use it to render abstracts, interiors and planetscapes.
Some folks may remember that I rendered some of my early Lightwave modeling practice using Bryce back in day before I dug into the native renderer. This particular scene was created using techniques similar to what I used for "The Comb" so I chose to re-visit that title as well :-)
Next up...something for Christmas.
