Digital Blasphemy 3D Wallpaper

"The Floating Garden" Added

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:29:00 CST

I would just like to say thanks to everyone for the kind words posted here and on my Facebook account regarding the recent sudden loss of my father. I am still reeling from all of this but it helps that my four brothers and my sister are all together now sharing stories and laughing/crying through our memories.

The saddest part of all of this, for me, is thinking about what my two boys are going to miss out on. I feel like I am greiving for the three us. Seven years ago my wife and I made the decision to move our family from sunny San Diego back to my hometown in Illinois so my kids could grow up with two grandparents around. Rather than rue the past however, I will try to be thankful for the few years we did have together.

One thing that I always knew about my Dad was that he loved to make things, whether it be music, painting, or Christmas presents for his grandkids. He loved telling stories.

I would like to think that his creative spirit will live on in my work. I am looking forward to sharing some of his paintings with you in the weeks ahead.

I've added "The Floating Garden" to the Members Gallery today. I've been working on this project for the past week or so and the render finally finished yesterday. Now I haven't decided if I am truly finished with it or not, but I thought it looked nice enough to post as is. I am not sure when I will be able to pick up work on it again.

I had thought to dedicate this to my father, but decided against it. I will create something more fitting in the future. Thanks again to everyone for the condolenses and prayers. They have helped more than you can possibly know.

"The Unveiling" Added

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:45:00 CST

I've added "The Unveiling" to the Members Gallery this morning. This is a sequel of sorts to Enshrouded which I have put together to test out Vue d'Esprit 10's "Advanced Cloud Modulation" techniques.

Basically it allows me to contour the cloud layer to the curve of the terrain, so they appear to drape naturally over the landscape. It's a tricky procedure which I hope will be made simpler in future versions of Vue (so I don't have to edit height maps in Photoshop hopefully). To be honest I'm not even sure the effect is all that noticable in this render. It is a powerful tool however, and one which I hope will bear more fruit in the future.

Your thoughts?

Lifehacker's Top Wallpaper Site

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:45:00 CST

Thanks to everyone who voted for me in Lifehacker's "Top 5 Wallpaper Sites" poll! The poll closed late last night with DB leading Wallbase by 544 votes. You are now reading the web's "Most Popular Wallpaper Site", according to the readers of Lifehacker.

It's pretty amazing that a site with only 12 free wallpapers and a creaky interface can win out over over ones with the latest designs and millions of free files.

As a token of my appreciation please enjoy "The Fisherman", my first release from 2011 in the Free Gallery. If you would like to become a Member then please use the coupon code "lifehacker" to save 25% off all Memberships and Renewals until midnight tomorrow!

As a show of support my friends at DecalGirl are offering 38% (my the percentage of the vote) off my entire skin collection. Use coupon code "LIFEHACKER" to get the discount.

Thanks again for all the support!

Lifehacker's Top 5 Wallpaper Sites

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 09:45:00 CST

The readers of Lifehacker have selected DB as one of the top 5 wallpaper sites online. It now comes down to a simple poll question to decide "the best".

I'm in some pretty good company so I hope you will have a look at the competition and then vote for your favorite!

As for me, I'm just thrilled to be in the top 5 given that my site is Member supported and I am the only "single artist" on the list.

Thanks for all the nominations!

"Moonlit Oasis" Updated

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 09:11:00 CST

Last week I added a set of free images sized for use as "cover images" in the new Facebook "Timeline" profile layout. In the process I was going through some of my older work and came across "Moonlit Oasis" from 2009.

I remember it was a bit controversial when I posted it because quite a few of my Members said it was too dark. I stuck to my guns at the time, but now I can really see their point.

I opened up the scene file (in Vue 10 this time) and tweaked the lighting and atmosphere just a bit and re-rendered it. The new version is now available in my 2009 gallery (I'll have to put an asterisk or something) and Members are welcome to download it. Dual and triple-screen versions are also available.

I will let you be the judge as to whether or not it is better than the original.

Art is never finished, only abandoned. . .

"Archaea" and "Gotham Garden (Winter)" Multiscreens Added

Mon, 9 Jan 2012 09:11:00 CST

I've added dual and triple-screen renders of "Archaea" and "Gotham Garden (Winter)" to the Members Gallery this weekend.

I've also added a free Facebook Cover Photo versions for use on your Timeline. Enjoy!

"Archaea" Added

Fri, 6 Jan 2012 09:45:00 CST

One more addition the Members Gallery before the weekend. "Archea" is a Mandelbulber experiment I started on my Macbook Pro while I waited for my other machines to finish their renders.

I own a MacBook Pro which I use for "light work" while my main machines are rendering. I really should have picked up a Windows notebook, because I have all kinds of problems running Vue and Lightwave through Bootcamp. It crashes constantly!

The problem is with the mobile Nvidia 3D card, but since I am one of maybe a handful of people trying do 3D work in Windows on a MacBook there aren't many resources available to fix the problem.

One program that does work is Mandelbulber. I created this fractal while my main machines were busy with "The Gardener" and "Gotham Garden (Winter)". I "finished" it and rendered at 7680 x 4800 on Bucephalus.

The term "Archaea" refers to a group of single-celled organisms similar to bacteria. They don't really look like this (that I know of) but I liked the name. It's not easy naming these abstracts.

I hope you enjoy it and don't forget to check out my free Facebook Cover Images.

Free Facebook Cover Images Added

Thu, 5 Jan 2012 11:15:00 CST

I also wanted to mention that I have added 248 images sized 850 x 315 to be used as Facebook "Timeline" cover images. You can check out an example at my own personal profile page.

These images are free for everyone to download and use. I haven't slapped a huge watermark on them (as I've seen on just about every other downloadable Timeline image) but I would certainly love it if you would include a link to DB (http://digitalblasphemy.com/ is fine) with the image.

As I said, they are free for all to download (look under the 850 x 315 image links under "Free Mobile Wallpapers" on my image pages). Members do have access to a zip file collection containing all 248 files here.

The Gardener (2012) Multiscreen Added

Thu, 5 Jan 2012 11:11:00 CST

I've added dual and triple-screen renders of "The Gardener (2012)" to the Members Gallery this afternoon.

The astronomically observant will notice that I've removed the glow around the planet for this version. The single-monitor version will be updated soon. Hope you enjoy it!

I should also have the multiscreen version of "Gotham Garden (Winter)" finished shortly.

The Gardener (2012) Added"

Sun, 1 Jan 2012 11:55:00 CST

Happy 2012 everyone! I added "The Gardener (2012)" to the Members Gallery this morning. This was either going to be my last project of 2011 or my first of 2012.

It continues themes that I first explored with "The Gardener" in 2000 and 2002 and "Atrium" in 2004.

I hope you enjoy it!

Also wanted to report a bit of a setback in the hardware department. My Hydra workstation, which had been my main renderer from 2006 to April of last year, bit the bullet hard last week when the motherboard shorted out. I'm trying to decide right now whether to try salvage the system with a new MB (and potentially dodgy memory/components) or put together an all-new alternate renderer.

Regardless, your Memberships and Renewals are needed more than ever. Thanks!!

Gotham Garden (Winter) Added"

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 13:55:00 CST

On Christmas day DB Member "Puritania" asked if I could possibly complete my Gotham Garden seasonal series by adding a winter version.

It took me about a year to get back to it but I am happy to report winter has finally come to Gotham. The changes needed for winter are a bit more complicated than for the warmer seasons but I think it turned out pretty well.

I hope you enjoy it. I will try to have the multiscreen up shortly!

"Blue Christmas (2011)" Multiscreen Added

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 13:55:00 CDT

I've just added dual and triple-screen versions of my "Blue Christmas" update. From the feedback I've gotten so far it sounds like the twilight sky is bit polarizing.

For my part; I chose to add some color because so many of my Christmas tree wallpapers have been under black skies. I wanted to do something a little different. Maybe Christmas isn't the time for "different" though. I tend to think that sometimes polarizing is a little better anyway, because it may be a stronger feeling for the people that do enjoy it.

What do you think? Either way I do think a second render will go up before I am completely finished with this one. The multiscreen in particular needs some nip-tucks before I am fully happy with it. I sort of rushed a few things so it would be ready in advance of the Holiday.

Happy Holidays! Added "Blue Christmas (2011)"

Thu, 8 Dec 2011 11:55:00 CST

I finally managed to finish my Christmas render today and I've just added it to the Members Gallery.

This is, of course, an update to my "Blue Christmas" which I rendered first using World Builder in 1999, then again using Lightwave in 2002. This is my first version using Vue d'Esprit.

It would be an understatement to say that this was a difficult render to produce. Without getting too technical I will just say that you can really get yourself into trouble by cranking up the quality settings in Vue. Also, I've found the new version of Vue doesn't even begin to accurately estimate the render time remaining. I don't want to spoil the Holiday spirit with any further rantings so I will leave it at that.

Fortunately I was able to finish the render (though I had to restart it a few times) and I think it turned out pretty well. I do see a few things I would like to tweak but I might wait until after the Holidays to do any re-renders.

The multiscreen has been rendering on my alternate workstation for the past few days so it should be up shortly. I hope you enjoy the new wallpaper!

PS: Did you know that I offer Membership Gift Certificates?

A Little Something for the Redditors

Thu, 8 Dec 2011 11:55:00 CST

On December 2nd I was sitting and waiting for a render to finish which I decided it would be fun to do an "IAMA" (Ask me Anything) on Reddit.com. Redditor "poker_face" asked if I could "draw" a Reddit Alien (TM). My answer was "We'll See", which was taken to mean no.

As my kids know, "We'll See" can sometimes mean yes. I had a such a nice visit with the Reddit community that I thought it was the least I could do to try my hand that the iconic Alien.

Most Redditors seemed to know me from my "Fluorescence" mushrooms so I thought it would be fun to combine the two. Especially since my Christmas render is still churning. I roughed this out and rendered it on my third-string workstation using Lightwave 10.

I've posted this in my free gallery and my Members gallery. I've also submitted to the Reddit here (Upvotes will help the entire community see it)

I'm also making good on all of the requests for a Reddit discount. Redditors can use the coupon code "redditor" to save 25% off all Memberships and Renewals until midnight Sunday.

This one is dedicated specifically to Redditor "Rethread". As requested: Something "warm and fuzzy" for the Redditors.

Christmas Wallpaper Update: This render is still churning away. The good news is that it will go much faster once the radiosity calculations are completed and I can save this calculation for future re-renders. Soon I hope!

Cyber Monday Special and "Elegy Winter/Day" Added

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 08:55:00 CST

Happy Cyber Monday! A few items to report today.

First, I've added a daytime version of my "Elegy (Winter)" scene to the Members Gallery this morning. If you are using ChronoWall you can now set the night version to display in the evening and this new version during the day. I hope you enjoy it!

I also wanted to mention that I am running my first ever "Cyber Monday" Special. New Members can save 25% or current Members can save 30% on any renewal by using the coupon code "cybermonday".

Lastly, on the subject of "Cyber Monday", here's a rundown of my partner's deals today:

Zazzle is running a big sale for the next few hours. Their coupon code is "ZCYBERMONDAY". DecalGirl is also running a 25% off sale today (and has a couple of my Christmas designs available). Their coupon code is "TWENTYFIVE". Finally, Murals-Your-Way is offering 35% off any mural in stock.

Hope to have a new Christmas wallpaper up sometime this week so I hope you will check back!

"An Octopus's Garden" Multiscreen Added

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 13:55:00 CDT

I've added dual and triple-screen versions of "An Octopus's Garden" to the Members Gallery this afternoon. I think it turned out pretty well in the end, but I'm still steamed that I lost my original file. I suspect it happened when I selected "Compress File" while saving y Vue scene. All of my files will be saved uncompressed from now on (even though they are 3 - 6 GB each sometimes).

What would you guys like to see next? Are you ready for some new Christmas art, or maybe a winter scene, or something else?

"Helios" Updated

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 08:55:00 CST

I've been spending the last couple of days doing further experiments with Mandelbulber. It's truly an amazing program (and free to boot).

I've added a new version to the Members Gallery this morning where I've moved the camera a good deal closer (this image shows the area I focused on). One of the defining characteristics of fractals is that the more you zoom in, the more detail appears. I suspect that the Universe operates in much the same way.

Thanks for everyone's patience while I learn something new. I hope to have a final version of "Octopus's Garden" up shortly. I needed to step away from that one for a bit.

"Helios" Added

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 10:55:00 CST

And now for something completely different...

Fans of my work know I am fascinated by fractals. They appear, in one shape or form, in just about everything I do. Recently I learned of programs that allow you to explore them in three dimensions and finally was able to dig in and play with one (called Mandelbulber) over the weekend.

My first render is now up in the Members Gallery for review. I call it "Helios", suggested by my son Jason (5) who said it looked like a sunrise. My oldest son Ian felt it looked more like a Sarlaac.

I rendered it at 5280 x 3295 and the details (IMO) are just astounding.

This is all the result of only a couple of hours playing with the program so I feel like I have only really scratched the surface of what it can do. I would certainly love to figure out a way of exporting the 3D data to other programs. Maybe Bucephalus could handle it, but then again maybe not.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it on your desktop! I'd love to hear your thoughts.

"An Octopus's Garden" Added ("Neptune's Garden" rebuilt)

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 09:55:00 CST

I spent the weekend rebuilding my broken "Neptune's Garden" scene and have posted the updated render in the Members Gallery this morning.

The first change you will notice is the new title. "An Octopus's Garden" is, of course, borrowed from one of my favorite Beatles songs. It was the title I had in mind when I started the project but my original scene file was corrupted before I had the chance to add much in the way of sea life. Instead I chose a temporary title for the first version (which will remain in the Pickle Jar).

The sun angle is a bit different in this version so there are more shadows. I've also tried to vary up the corals in the foreground. There are also quite a few more fish this time around. Maybe too many?

I hope you like the changes!

"Neptune's Garden" Added (bittersweet)

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 14:55:00 CDT

A few items to report today. First, I have good news and bad news regarding my latest render. The good news is that I've added "Neptune's Garden" to the Members Gallery this afternoon. The bad news? Let me explain...

I've always loved underwater scenes and was thrilled to learn that Vue 10 had a new water rendering engine. I've worked on this scene for about a week through quite a few different revisions. Light and color behave differently underwater and this has been a learning experience for me.

My latest render finished this morning and I would say that I am around 80% happy with it. I started in to fixing the last 19% (mostly changing some of the colors on the corals and adding some misc sealife) when tragedy struck. Vue crashed and for some strange reason refused to reopen the scene file that I had just saved 15 minutes before. The backup appears to be corrupted too. What's up with that?

Fortunately my kids were at school when it happened because I get in trouble when I swear in front of them.

Anyway, I am talking with the folks at e-onsoftware about investigating what happened to my file. They asked me to send it to them but I am not hopeful. I decided to post what I had while I waited to see what could be done about my broken scene. 80% is better than nothing after all. In the meantime I guess I will try to recreate what I can.

Second, I am increasing my regular 20% military discount to 30% in honor of Veterans Day. Active and retired military (of any nationality) may use the coupon code "liberty" to get the discount on all new Memberships and Renewals. The offer is valid until midnight 11/11.

Third, I wanted to mention that I have added two free browser themes for Chrome. You can check them out here. They were coded by Pim Vermeyden last year and have been available for Members only until now. I hope you enjoy them!

Lastly, I have added the "Mystic Halo" Live Wallpaper to the Amazon App Store for Android. It is currently the #5 paid theme and I would love to see it go to #1 (that seems to bring in a lot of sales all by itself). The app is only $.99 and can also be found in the Android Marketplace. Hopefully we will have one ready for Christmas...

"The Grand Design" Updated

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 09:55:00 CDT

I've added updated versions of "The Grand Design" to the Members gallery (because even the grandest design can be improved). The new version incorporates some of the suggestions I received in the feedback (adding nebulae, star clusters, etc). I've also added new dual and triple-screen renders that pull back on the zoom a little and show a bit more of the vertical energy streamers.

Hope you enjoy the changes! Check out my Zazzle store for the print and canvas versions!.

If you have a PS3 you can now log into the Playstation Network Store and purchased animated "dynamic" XMB themes based on my work. I hope to have some videos to post soon that show just how cool they look.

Hope to have the multiscreen of "Elegy (Winter/Night)" up soon and be looking for a new underwater render in the near future...

"Elegy (Winter/Night)" Added

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 13:03:00 CDT

I've added a "Winter/Night" version of "Elegy" to the Members Gallery this morning. I put this one together shortly after I rendered the original Autumn version but it didn't seem right to post while the weather was still somewhat warm outside. This one fits the Halloween mood a little better I think.

I do plan on adding a brighter winter version at a later date.

Reminder!
I am running a Halloween Special until Midnight tomorrow!

All Memberships and Renewals are 25% off if you use the coupon code "trickortreat".

Speaking of Halloween, you will find "All Hallows Eve" added to the Free Gallery today. Enjoy!

Halloween Special and "The Grand Design" Multiscreen Added

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 09:55:00 CDT

A couple of items to mention today. First I am running a Halloween Special until midnight 10/31!

All Memberships and Renewals are 25% off if you use the coupon code "trickortreat". I

Also, I've added dual and triple-screen renders of "The Grand Design" to the Members Gallery this morning. For the multiscreen I tried "zooming" in on the galaxy so it spans the entire horizonal frame, however I am not entirely convinced this worked out for the best.

I am planning on implementing a few of the suggestions made in the feedback section so if you would like to see the revised multiscreen framed differently please share your thoughts.

"The Grand Design" Added

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:03:00 CDT

I added a new space wallpaper to the Members Gallery today. This one is called "The Grand Design" in homage to Prof. Stephen Hawking.

As you can see, my quest continues for the "perfect" galaxy. I can definitely see rendering this scene "from the ground" so don't be surprised if such a scene appears in the days or weeks ahead.

I hope you will all continue using "Dracul" (or one of my other Halloween wallpapers) through the holiday and know that I have you covered for Nov. 1st.

"Dracul" v.3 (Happy Halloween!)

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 00:03:00 CDT

Here is one more render of "Dracul" that just about splits the difference between versions 1 and 2. Maybe the lightning was a bit much in V.2 but it is always fun to render. Whichever version I end up going with, the other two will remain available in the Pickle Jar.

Which version do you prefer?

"Dracul" Updated (Happy Halloween!)

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 15:09:00 CDT

I've been working on an update to my "Castle Dracula" project for the past 4 or 5 days and it is finally ready to share with my Members. Fog and firelight sure do take a long time to render!

As you can see, it is a pretty radical change from the first version. Perhaps it is a bit over-the-top now but I was sort of going for that to be honest. I know when you make this many changes there are bound to be a sizable number of folks who do not approve. I will be satisfied if you enjoy even one of the versions available.

"Last Light of the Sun" to be "featured" in "The Thing"

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 15:09:00 CDT

I also wanted to mention that back in April 2010 I was asked by my rep at Zazzle to sign a release so that my "Last Light of the Sun" print could be "featured" in the upcoming prequel of "The Thing".

Well, the film comes out this weekend and I am tempted to see it if only to find out if they ever used the print. If you are planning on seeing "The Thing" this weekend perhaps you could post here if you spot the print in the background somewhere.

Here's the wallpaper (newly available in the free gallery) so you know what to look for.

Thanks!!

"Castle Dracula" Added (Happy Halloween!)

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 15:09:00 CDT

I know Halloween is still a few weeks off but I don't like to wait until the last minute. This year I thought it would be fun to do my own version of "Castle Dracula".

It's still a bit in the early stages so I'd love some feedback.

I hope you enjoy it!

"First Blush" Multiscreen(s) Added

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:09:00 CDT

I've added the dual and triple-screen versions of "First Blush" to the Members Gallery this afternoon.

The multiscreens for the very red V.2 is available in the Pickle Jar.

Regarding the new link menu: If the drop-down menus are not dropping for you please his "F5" or "CTRL+R" to reload the page. Thanks!

"First Blush" V.3 and 4

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 15:09:00 CDT

Added a couple of new revisions of "First Blush" that I came up with this morning. I employed a little post-render trickery for these. Since my 3D software doesn't let you vary the leaf color on a "per tree" basis I rendered a green tree, a yellow tree and a more muted red tree and selectively layered them in Photoshop.

Which do you prefer? The other versions can be found here.

"First Blush" Updated

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 10:09:00 CDT

I've added a new render of "First Blush" this morning which brightens the red tree considerably and moves it a bit more front & center.

A number of comments asked about removing the fog, but it adds a sense of depth that I feel is missing without it. The original will remain available in the Pickle Jar for comparison purposes.

Thanks for the feedback!