Bowling Alley Rendering

Here is a shamless plug for my latest project.

Brief: Create a 3D rendering to accurately portray a proposed restaurant addition to an existing bowling alley. The 3D Rendering will be printed at 24x36 for city approvals and 8.5 x 11 for the owners bank.

Project location: New London, WI

Architect: Tim G. Carlson AIA, ALA

General Contractor: Badgerland Buildings

Working with Tim G. Carlson, Architect and Owner of True North Design LLC, was a real pleasure. I received 2D AutoCAD drawings of plans and elevations for both the existing bowling alley and proposed restaurant. A collaboration site was created, and all the assets were uploaded. After 4 progress sets, posted and collaborated on-line, the project was completed in about 7 days.

Balance

We are daily bombarded with so much information our mind has unique ways to manage all this information. One of the most basic concepts of graphics is that the human mind seeks to identify patterns. Even when a scene contains essentially random elements, the mind looks for order.

If a point is placed within a frame, and the point is located in the center, a viewer will recognize that the pattern is symmetrical and thus balanced. If the point is displaced from the center, symmetry will be lost and a sense of imbalance will result, but complete symmetrical balance within a composition is usually uninteresting; a general rule, complete visual symmetry should be avoided.

So, how do we have a balanced illustration and not have the focal point in the center of the frame?

It is the illustrator's responsibility to ensure that within his illustration there is some kind of order imposed on the objects enclosed within the frame. This order can follow some established formulas. One rule is called the Golden Section. The Golden Section is the proportional relation between two divisions of line or two dimensions of a plane figure such that short : long :: long : (short + long)

If the point is displaced from the center the addition of another point displaced an equal distance from the center but in the opposite direction will restore the feeling that the composition is symmetrical and thus balanced. A similar relationship can occur even if the points have different visual weights. If the center of the frame is thought of as acting like a fulcrum, then a "heavier" point close to the center counteracts the weight of a "light" point located farther away in the opposite direction. The size of an object, its tone, and its nature all contribute to a viewer's subjective evaluation of how much visual weight the object has.

 

 

HDRI

In computer graphics, high-dynamic-range imaging (HDRI or just HDR) is a set of techniques that allow a greater dynamic range of luminance between the lightest and darkest areas of an image. This wide dynamic range allows HDR images to more accurately represent the range of intensity levels found in real scenes, ranging from direct sunlight to light starlight.

Here are 2 videos that I have recorded showing how I typically set up my exterior architectural rendering scenes. The HDRI's were purchased from www.hdri-locations.com and are the best HDRI's I have found on the market today.

 

 

I hope you enjoy these, I enjoy doing them for you. if you have any question, feel free to contact me, and I'll help you out in anyway I can.

Camera Angle

One of the most subtle parts of a rendering is the camera angles and the way those angles affect the viewer's perception of the scene. A good understanding of these camera angles is essential to anyone who's going to make a compelling rendering.

• Oblique/Canted Angle
  • Sometimes the camera is tilted, to suggest imbalance, transition and uncertainty (very popular in horror movies). This method is used to convey Point-of-View rendering (POV), when the camera becomes the 'eyes' of one particular person, seeing what they see.
• Low Angle
  • Low angles help create a sense of uncertainty to a viewer, of powerlessness within the scene. The added height of the object may make it inspire awe and insecurity in the viewer, who is psychologically dominated by the figures in the scene.
• Eye Level
  • A fairly neutral view; the camera is positioned as though it is a human actually observing a scene. The camera will be placed approximately five to six feet from the ground.
• High Angle
  • Not so severe as a bird's eye view
• The Bird's-Eye view
  • This shows a scene from directly overhead, a highly unusual and awkward position

Night Rendering

The allure of a great night rendering is undeniable. The stark and dramatic appearance of night rendering lends an air of the extraordinary to what would normally be everyday places.

Tilt-Shift

Tilt-shift is a technique used in photography, but you can use it in your illustrations to make an image look miniature. I tried almost every plug-in know to man, but with a couple steps in Photoshop, you can quickly, and easily, apply the tilt-shift effect to you renderings.

Simplicity

Simplicity is common illustrators techniques; a cluttered rendering confuses the viewer and takes away from the center of interest. A straightforward rendering can be achieved by getting closer to the subject.

Simplicity is one of the main components of most potent renderings. The simpler the rendering, the easier it is for the viewer to understand and appreciate it. Cluttered images are less visually pleasing and more likely to cause the center of interest and peripheral objects to confuse each.

There are several ways to achieve simplicity in a rendering. The most obvious (and easiest) use is to put the center of interest against a neutral background like a cloudless sky.

The more practical method of achieving clarity involves focusing on the subject while ensuring the environment is unfocused, which is the depth of field.

Subject Placement

The rule of thirds is one of the most important and often referenced rules of subject placement.

Imagine that your rendering canvas is divided into thirds, both horizontally and vertically.

The rule of thirds says to align the center of interest with one of the points where those lines cross. That means the center of interest is one third of the way “into” the picture space – from either the top or bottom, and from either the left or right; it’s not in the middle.

In the above illustration my subject placement, which is my center of interest, is the front entrance.  Notice how I placed my center of interest where the bottom right lines cross?

Counterpoint

You can improve the rendering composition by creating a counterpoint. If you place the center of interest in the thirds position, you can place a secondary focal point at the diagonally opposite thirds position.

Horizons

A natural extension to the rule of thirds is to place your horizon line along the one-third (bottom line) or two-third (top line) of the grid, rather than in the middle. 

Whether you place the horizon closer to the top or closer to the bottom of the picture space, depends on which you want to emphasize more: the land or the sky. If you have a dramatic sky, by all means, give it two thirds of the picture space!

Again, in the above example, I placed the horizon line on the bottom one third....

Cabin in the Woods

Here, is a small cabin rendering located in the woods of upper Minnesota. The architect provided 2d floor plans and elevations and the owner provided site photos. The owner needed my assistance to provide potential investors with an image to excite them in investing.

The plans and elevations were provided to me on a Tuesday, late morning, and Friday morning I presented them with the small cabin rendering. The small cabin rendering will be printed on premium photo glossy paper so all the rich colors of the forest, and the historic lodge colors can be truly represented.

Software:

• Autodesk 3ds Max Design 
• Photoshop CS5 Extended

Plugins:

• Chaos Group's V-Ray
• Color Efex Pro™ 3.0 
• Richard Rosenman's Depth of Field Pro

Center of Interest

Each rendering should have only one main center of interest that the viewer's eyes are drawn to. Any other elements within the rendering should focus attention to the main center of interest.

A rendering without a center of interest can confuse the viewer. Subsequently, the viewer wonders what the rendering is all about. When the rendering has one, and only one, center of interest," the viewer quickly understands the rendering.

When there is nothing in the rendering to bring the viewer to a particular area, the viewers eyes wander. The center of interest can be one object or several objects arranged so attention is directed to one part of your rendering.

When the center of interest is a single object that fills most the rendering, such as a red door on a white house, attention is brought quickly to it. 

A person attracts attention more than anything else, and unless the person is the main object you should leave them out of the rendering. When people are included in a rendering for scale, keep them from looking in the direction of the camera. When people look at the camera, the viewer tends to look back at them. 

Center of Interest Placement

Good composition is rarely obtained by placing the center of interest in the center of the picture; it is generally a bad idea to place it there. A lot of the times it divides the rendering into equal halves and makes the rendering boring and hard to balance. By dividing the rendering into 1/3, both vertically and horizontally, and placing the center of interest at one of the intersections, you can usually create a well balanced composition.

Polygonal Modeling

Polygonal modeling is an approach for modeling objects by representing their surfaces using polygons. In this screen recording, I'll give you an idea of what poly-modeling is. The video is for those who are foreigners to computer modeling and would like to learn the terminology used by computer modelers.

Back to the basics

Yes, technical skill, is necessary for a successful rendering, but, technical expertise is nothing more than a requirement with which one might then be able to do terrific renderings. Technical proficiency alone does not make for a good rendering; it is just one of the necessary parts.

Start with the basics. No matter how dull they may be, they are essential for creating a foundation that can later be built upon. Below is a list of topics that can be investigated, learned about, and eventually used in practice.

• Center of interest 
• Subject placement
• Simplicity
• Viewpoint and camera angle
• Balance
• Shapes and lines
• Pattern
• Volume
• Lighting
• Texture
• Tone
• Contrast
• Framing
• Foreground
• Background
• Perspective

Sit Relax and Read

Living in the Midwest, particularly in Northern Illiniois, I have memories of sitting in front of an open window listening to birds chirp, smelling the lilacs outside, and feeling the heat of the sun on my shoulder. I wanted to create an image of a tranquil place to sit, read a book, and relax.

[[posterous-content:pid___0]]Software:

Autodesk® 3ds Max® Design 
Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended

Plug-ins:

V-Ray for 3ds Max 
Nik Software Color Efex Pro™ 3.0

Framing Your Render

We often put the photos we take into frames as a way of displaying and drawing attention to our favorite photos – but there is another type of framing that you can do as you’re setting up your virtual camera that can be just as effective doing just the same thing!

Framing is the technique of drawing attention to the subject of your rendering by blocking other parts of the rendering with something in the scene.

The benefits of framing your rendering include:

1. giving the rendering context (for example framing a scene with an archway can tell you something about the place you are by the architecture of the archway or including some foliage in the foreground of a render can convey a sense of being out in nature).
2. giving renders a sense of depth and layers (in essence framing a render generally puts something in the foreground which adds an extra dimension to the render).
3. leading the eye towards your main focal point (some ‘frames’ can draw your viewer into the picture just by their shape). Some also believe that a frame can not only draw the eye into a rendering but that it keeps it there longer – giving a barrier between your subject and the outside of the render.
4. intriguing your viewer. Sometimes it’s what you can’t see in a  rendering that draws you into it as much as (if not more than) what you can see in the rendering. Clever framing that leaves those viewing your image wondering a little or imagining what is behind your frame can be quite effective (get it wrong and it can also be quite annoying!).

Frames for renderings come in all shapes and sizes and can include rendering through overhanging branches, rendering through windows, using tunnels, arches or doorways – you can even use people (for example rendering over shoulders or between heads) etc.

Your frame doesn’t need to go completely around the edges of your rendering – they might just be on one or two edges of your render.

My rule of thumb when considering framing is to ask the question – ‘will this add to or take away from the rendering?’ Sometimes framing can just add clutter to a rendering and make it feel cramped – but at other times it can be the difference between an ordinary rendering and a stunning one.

Lastly – if you do use framing techniques you also need to consider whether you want your frame to be in focus or not. In some instances a nicely blurred frame will really add a sense of mood and depth to your rendering (in this case use a large aperture) but in other cases to have your frame in focus can help with adding context to the scene (in this case choose a narrow aperture.)

Vignetting

Photoshop is a key tool in illustrations – but like any tool, you need to know how to use it properly. 

Vignetting is often an unintended and undesired effect caused by a camera settings or lens limitations. However, it is sometimes 

purposely introduced for creative effect, such as to draw attention to the center of the frame.  

 

Adding a vignette (darkening or lightening around the edges of the photo) is easy these days with the introduction of Adobe Photoshop. 

The following is a quick and easy way to create either a dark or light vignette for your photo and give you the ability to have 

virtually limitless control over the effect.

 

1. Duplicate the Image

Open the image in Photoshop and duplicate it (Cmd/Ctrl + J) to a new layer.

 

2. Set the Blending Mode

If you’re wanting to darken the edges of your photo, set the duplicate layer’s blend mode to Multiply. If you’re wanting to lighten the 

edges, set the blend mode to Screen.

 

3. Make the Selection

For a vignette that is more even around the edges, grab the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M) and make your selection and leave an equal 

amount of padding between the selection and each edge of the photo.

For a more custom and unique shape, grab the Lasso Tool (L) and draw more of a blob shape, or do a rough outline of the subject in your 

image.

 

4. Feather it!

Now we will feather the selection by going to Select > Modifiy > Feather and setting the amount to 250 for higher-res photos or around 

150 for lower-res photos..

 

5. Put On Your Mask

Go to Layer > Layer Mask > Hide Selection (or click the Add Layer Mask icon at the bottom of the Layers panel) to mask your selection. 

This gives you the greatest flexibility of your vignette.

 

6. Set Visibility

If you are using the Multiply blend mode to darken the edges, you can vary the intensity of the effect by dropping the opacity of the 

vignette layer.

If you are using the Screen blend mode to lighten the edges of your photo, you may find it necessary to duplicate the vignetter layer 

(Cmd/Ctrl + J) once or twice to change the intensity of the effect. You can then change the opacity of the duplicated layers for 

further control.

 

Volumetric light with dust particles

Volumetric light with dust particles floating around, done in Photoshop, in a couple simple steps.

Comforts of home

Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. — Ferris Bueller

I wanted to create a relaxing space that I would want to lay my head.  After spending about an hour searching the web for reference photos I realized that the web is full of clean, aseptic and sterile spaces.  when I close my eyes and picture a room that I would want to relax in below is what I see, so my imagination is my only reference.  Unfortuanly you can't hear the birds chirping out the window, smell the fresh cut lawn, and feel the warmth of the sun coming through the window, but when I close my eyes I can.

[[posterous-content:pid___0]]

Software:

• 3DS Max Design 2011
• Photoshop CS5
• Glare

Plug-ins:

• V-Ray
• Nik Software

 

 

did you know?

For most artists, skill is the product of hard work. Some ability is important, but you must have the dedication to refine your talent. Few are born with amazing abilities.

It sounds cliché, but perseverance is paramount. You should develop your skills as an artist first. Always look for opportunities to improve.

Untitled

Not everyhing is a commisioned work of art. Some project are down and dirty with little budget allocated for illustrations.

From start to end this render took approximately 4hrs to complete.  The intent was to help the developer market a piece of property to potential investors.  With colaboration from the project manager, developer, and architect the front entrances recieved gables to give the building a litlle more curb appeal.

Challenges 

• Low budget
• North facing building
• Simple architecture

Software used:

• Google SketchUp
• Autodesk® Revit® Architecture
• Autodesk 3ds Max Design
• Adobe® Photoshop®
• PixPlant

Plug-ins:

• V-Ray for 3ds Max
• Nik Software Color Efex Pro™
• Knoll Light Factory
• Little Ink Pot
• MultiScatter

Textures Resources:

• CGTextures
• Vray-Materials.de

The different types of perspective

The different types of perspective

A reference image (whether drawing or photo) could be characterised with one of three different perspective types. The key difference between the three types is the number of ‘vanishing points’ – an actual point, or points, in the scene towards which all lines converge.

Let’s now take a look at each type in turn :

One-point perspective

An image with ‘one-point’ perspective will contain only one of these ‘vanishing points’, and as such there will be only 3 ways that lines in the scene can be shown – 1) running vertically, 2) running horizontally, or 3) at an angle, converging towards the ‘vanishing point’.

Take a look at the example images below. In the top one, you can see that the camera has been placed so that it looks directly down the street. The fronts of the buildings are exactly perpendicular to this direction, and therefore present us with only vertical or horizontal lines. The tops and bottoms of the buildings (and the other lines in between) however, are all at an angle. If you were to take a pencil and ruler and extend these lines further into the scene, you would see that they all come together and cross at a single point, and that (as you’ve probably guessed), is our vanishing point.

The photograph below it shows the same effect, this time looking down a train track.

---

Two-point perspective

As you have probably inferred from the name, two point perspective has double the amount of vanishing points. If you take a look at the examples below, you can see that the camera is no longer positioned so that it’s looking directly towards a particular vanishing point, and as a result the horizontal lines from the previous perspective type are now running at an angle – something that introduces our second vanishing point. If you were to extend all of these angled lines as before, you’d see that they now eventually meet on either the left or right side of the image. Vertical lines are still vertical however!

One other thing to take into account are ‘horizon’ lines, the imaginary line at the same height as, and running perpendicular to the camera. This can quickly be created by drawing a straight line between our 2 vanishing point, and is used to get an estimate for the height of the camera.

The photo shown gives a typical, everyday example of two point perspective – the corner of a building.

---

Three point perspective

This perspective type takes things to their natural conclusion. Our camera has now been rotated, giving us our two vanishing points, but also tilted to look either up or down at the scene. This tilting makes our previously vertical lines angled, introducing a third vanishing point either high above, or far below the scene. The examples below both show this three point perspective, and you can see just how much more dramatic this makes the image feel.

Modeling from Photographic Reference in 3DsMax

Pratik Gulati on Oct 7th 2010

Don’t miss more CG tutorials and guides, published daily – subscribe to Cgtuts+ by RSS 

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Wow, 1068 pages... I am starting VRay - THE COMPLETE GUIDE today. I had this book on my to-buy list for awhile now and I am excited to dive in!

VRay - THE COMPLETE GUIDE - second edition is the first book in the world completely devoted to VRay. Its aim is to provide an advanced support for the specialists in this branch. All too often we lose a lot of time searching the meaning of a particular parameter. Who hasn't spent entire days trying to understand what was wrong with their rendering? Having some “presets” is not enough: it is necessary to understand and have knowledge of the tools daily used. This is the only way thanks to which you'll be able to face more and more difficult tasks.

VRay - THE COMPLETE GUIDE - second edition was born thanks to two year's hard work, during which we tried to produce a high-quality handbook committed to VRay's users. Not just a basic list of commands, but a special tool, composed by technical and theoretical parts, by which you'll be carried away! You'll be able to find, through 1060 pages, 2300 images and 3200 renderings expressly created for this handbook.

Enclosed you'll also find a DVD-ROM containing 32 animations in .mov format, bearing examples otherwise impossible to understand via images only.

It's an unrepeatable handbook, difficult to find elsewhere: made up of 1060 pages, full color, A4 21x29x6cm (other manuals are usually smaller: 21x19x4cm). Bound with extreme care, through paperback binding stitched with wire referendum and not simply glue, it holds up through the time. The hardback cover also is hardbound disk, allowing a better usability.

 

2010 Blog Collection

iFences

iFences

See the full gallery on posterous

We just released a new 3d model collection of fences. 
This collection consists of 37 types of fences made from different materials. 
Includes: 21 metal fences, 12 wooden fences and 4 made of glass. 
Most fences have the main section of the fence, gates for vehicles and gate. 
All 3d models of fences were prepared for use with V-Ray and have customized high-quality materials and detailed textures.
System Requirements: 3ds max 2009 and higher, optimised for V-Ray 1.5 and higher 

Download catalogue

VRayPattern is released

VRayPattern is released

This new plug-in allows to periodically multiply geometry without additional memory consumption. 
As a sample you can use any tiled geometry (or those with unobtrusive joints) 
VRayPattern allows curving geometry of any surface.
The plug-in works in similar way as displacement map. However, displacement map can only use raster or vector maps of pattern to cover the surface of geometry, VRayPattern can use any of the original geometry for propagation.

VRayPattern - products page

Camera Angles

The relationship between the camera and the object being rendered (ie the ANGLE) gives emotional information to an audience, and guides their judgment about the character or object in shot. The more extreme the angle (ie the further away it is from eye left), the more symbolic and heavily-loaded the shot.

1. The Bird's-Eye view

This shows a scene from directly overhead, a very unnatural and strange angle. Familiar objects viewed from this angle might seem totally unrecognisable at first (umbrellas in a crowd, dancers' legs). This shot does, however, put the audience in a godlike position, looking down on the action. People can be made to look insignificant, ant-like, part of a wider scheme of things. Hitchcock (and his admirers, like Brian de Palma) is fond of this style of shot.

2. High Angle

Not so extreme as a bird's eye view. The camera is elevated above the action using a crane to give a general overview. High angles make the object photographed seem smaller, and less significant (or scary). The object or character often gets swallowed up by their setting - they become part of a wider picture. This is that god awful SE Isometric that we see from newbies.

3. Eye Level

A fairly neutral shot; the camera is positioned as though it is a human actually observing a scene, so that eg actors' heads are on a level with the focus. The camera will be placed approximately five to six feet from the ground.

4. Low Angle

These increase height (useful for short actors like Tom Cruise or James McAvoy) and give a sense of speeded motion. Low angles help give a sense of confusion to a viewer, of powerlessness within the action of a scene. The background of a low angle shot will tend to be just sky or ceiling, the lack of detail about the setting adding to the disorientation of the viewer. The added height of the object may make it inspire fear and insecurity in the viewer, who is psychologically dominated by the figure on the screen.

5. Oblique/Canted Angle

Sometimes the camera is tilted (ie is not placed horizontal to floor level), to suggest imbalance, transition and instability (very popular in horror movies). This technique is used to suggest POINT-OF-View shots (ie when the camera becomes the 'eyes' of one particular character,seeing what they see — a hand held camera is often used for this.

 

How to Use Rendering Composition

Planned images hold the viewer's interest longer and often lure the viewer to look again. Visual artists found that following certain composition principles improves interest. Follow the steps to ensure that your renderings are impressive.

1. Determine a primary center of interest that is the most important to you before you push the render button. Compose to emphasize that point of interest.
2. Keep it simple by allowing only things you want to be seen to be in the render. Know that your message will be lost if numerous objects are cluttering the background. Look for an angle to avoid showing the clutter or frame the center of interest to isolate it. If clutter is still visible, keep the background unfocused by using depth of field control.
3. Use light and darkness to your benefit. Place a light subject against a dark background and a dark object against a light background. The placement adds interest and emphasis to the renderin. Using contrasting colors can become distracting if the usage is not considered carefully.
4. Realize that informal balance or asymmetric is more pleasing in a render than formal (symmetric) balance. Place the main center of interest off-center. Balance the "weight" of the main interest with other objects (lower impact or smaller). Understand that unbalancing the render is more effective than having the subject centered in the render.
5. Framing is when an object in the foreground leads the viewer into the picture. Framing may give the viewer a 3D view of action in the render. Know that the best kind of framing is when the foreground object occupies three to four of the corners, leading the viewer's attention to the center of interest. Realize that framing usually improves a picture. Understand that the "frame" does not need to be in sharp focus and that it could be a distraction if it has too much detail.
6. Move the camera up or down or step to one side to change your render dramatically. Realize that a good way to create prize-winning renderings is to take the render from an "unusual" point of view.
7. Leave some space in front of your subject if the subject is a person or a living thing that can move. Understand that doing so makes the object appear to be moving into, instead of out of, the render.
8. Place linear elements such as waterways, roads and fences diagonally to give a more dynamic render than horizontals. Know that this rule is called "leading lines" because the lines lead the viewer's attention to the center of interest.
9. Use the "rule of thirds," based on a principle taught in photography. Know that the theory says the eye goes naturally to a point that is about two-thirds up from the bottom of the page. Visually divide your image into thirds (either horizontally or vertically) to achieve asymmetric or informal.

Warm, Welcoming And Well-Built

Here is an illustration of an eldar care facility where I creativly used a shallow depth of field (measure of how much of a photo is in focus), to bring a warm and welcoming feel to the illustration.

The basic idea of depth of field is fairly simple—the shallower the depth of field, the more of the illustration is likely to be out of focus. A depth of field of two inches, for example, means that anything within two inches of your point of focus will be in focus. The above illustration has the flowers basket in focus, bringing your attention to it and not the building surrounding it.

How to Be a Rockstar Freelancer

How to Be a Rockstar Freelancer

Use your 3D skills to build a freelance business with this authoritative guide on freelancing written by the authors of the super popular FreelanceSwitch blog.

• Find Out More

Is it art?

If design isn't profitable, then it's art ~ Henrik Fiskar

Do you make mistakes?

A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new

Albert Einstein

5 Tips from the Masters for Better Architecture Rendering

Architecture renderings offer a distinct set of challenges for illustrators. There are elements of composition which are more evident when it comes to rendering architecture. The following are five tips to render better illustrations of structures.

1. Consider the Context

Some types of structures need to be illustratoed in their correct context. This is true for older structures as well as farmhouses. For modern buildings, the context is rarely necessary. illustrating people can also help the viewer identify the function of the building.

2. Play with the Light and Shadows

The weather and timing can provide an interesting combination of light and shadows. Light passing through columns and windows can affect the ambiance of the interiors and alter the way the structure looks. The same structure can also appear differently depending on the time of the day. Illustrate the same structure during different times of the day to see the effects of natural and artificial forms of light on the structure.

3. Focus on Lines and Shapes

A lot of architecture relies on the principle of symmetry. Curvilinear lines such as a long pathway can create movement in an image. Archways and windows can also become natural frames for an image. 

4. Change the View

With skyscrapers and longer buildings, use various perspectives for a different look. Go at the base of a tall building and render straight up. This will make the image appear distorted but creates an interesting dimension to the illustration.

5. Capture the Details

Structures are made from a variety of materials. Using a macro lens technique will help capture the various textures that make the structure look distinct.

HDR video

Are you ready for a wave of HDR to crash over the consumer electronics industry, leaving nothing but oversaturated photos and full-to-the-brim Flickr groups in its wake? We've got a sneaky suspicion that Apple's inclusion of HDR in the iPhone is one of those telling warning signs that you ignore at your own risk, and now we've got HDR video to cower from behind our fast-aging current gen devices. As you might expect, HDR video looks just like HDR stills (an underexposed and an overexposed image combined into one), except in motion.

The effect has been accomplished by Soviet Montage Productions, who used two Canon EOS 5D Mark II DSLRs and a beam splitter, which allows each camera to look at the exact same subject, to accomplish the effect. They're short on details on the post-processing end, but we're sure there will be "an app for that" before too long. Sample is after the break.

 

10 Reasons to Use an Exercise Ball as Your Chair

I recently came across this article, which talks about using an exercise ball as your home or office chair. I have used an exercise ball as a chair before, and it was thoroughly enjoyable. Here are some of the benefits of using an exercise ball as your chair. Whether you spend your desk time at the office, or studying at home for that next exam, office ball chairs can help you in many ways. 

 

1. Forces proper spine alignment. Because an exercise ball is not stable, your body needs to try to balance itself on it. The perfect spinal posture is coincidently the easiest to balance with. Thus, your body will automatically try to align itself into the proper posture. This helps improve your spinal health, and decrease back pains.

 

2. Causes you to frequently change positions. An exercise ball causes to you to change your position often to balance. For example, if you turn 45 degrees to face the phone, your body will assume a new position. This helps reduce damage caused by prolonged sitting in the same position.

 

3. Fitness is at your fingertips. Another great thing about using this alternative to a chair, is that you can do stretches or mini-workouts whenever you want, without getting up. If you’ve ever stuck waiting for a minute or two, you can make productive use of that time with a quick workout or stretch. Because it’s much more convenient, you will probably do it more, thus resulting in better health.

 

4. Improve your balance. This one is very understandable. Sitting on an unstable surface all day will improve your sense of balance, as well as the reactions of your muscles. The result? An overall better balance, that can be observed out of the office.

 

5. Get that 6-pack you’ve been wanting. Your body primarily uses your core (abdominal) muscles to help compensate for changes in balance. Thus, your essentially getting a low-key abdominal workout. This may not sound like a lot, but consider the amount of time you spend on your computer at the office, or at home. Those hours can build up, and result in a strengthening of ab muscles.

 

 

6. Improves your circulation. Using an exercise ball will keep the blood flowing to all parts of your body, throughout the day. A desk chair on the other hand, reduces circulation to some parts of the body after prolonged use.

BLABLA

 

 

7. You’ll feel more energetic. It has been proven that staying in one position, will make you more tired, while moving around and being active with give you more energy. With an exercise ball as a chair, you will feel much more energized after you finish your work.

8. Burn up to 350 calories per day. More movement during the day = more calories burnt. Burning 350 calories per day = losing one pound of fat every 10 days. You may not burn quite 350, but nonetheless, it will help you stay fit.

 

9. Really cheap. Specialized exercise balls designed for sitting usage can range from $15 to $80. Much cheaper than buying an ergonomic chair, which can range anywhere from $100 to $400 and up.

 

10. C’mon, its fun! Who doesn’t like the idea of bouncing around on an exercise ball all day. Exercise balls are an exciting alternative to chairs, and may just give that spark of fun to your day.

Update: I just bought an exercise ball for myself. So far, I am really enjoying it! My only complaint is that in the morning when I am half-awake, it is hard to balance. I found this cheap exercise ball

  at Target for only $15! Great for trying it out,  if you don’t want to invest $40-$50 in a ball which you may never actually use. Also, before you buy, make sure you know what size is right for you. I am about 5 feet, 6 inches, and the 65cm ball fits me well. Your legs should be almost parallel with the ground. If you are above 5ft10 I would go with a 75cm ball.

 

Have you personally had experience with using an exercise ball as a chair? Drop us a comment on how it worked out for you.

Girl Falls In Mall Fountain While Texting

Art and Design Trends!

Trends! The largest community for Trends, Trend Spotting, Cool Hunting, and Innovation. Fashion Trends, Style, Gadgets, Tech, Pop Culture, Art, and Design

 

http://www.trendhunter.com/cool-hunting/category/Modern-Art-and-Design-Trends

Trend Hunter

http://www.trendhunter.com/

What happened with the Internet in 2010?

How many websites were added? How many emails were sent? How many Internet users were there? This post will answer all of those questions and many, many more. If it’s stats you want, you’ve come to the right place.

We used a wide variety of sources from around the Web to put this post together. You can find the full list of source references at the bottom of the post if you’re interested. We here at Pingdom also did some additional calculations to get you even more numbers to chew on.

Prepare for a good kind of information overload. 

Email

• 107 trillion – The number of emails sent on the Internet in 2010.
• 294 billion – Average number of email messages per day.
• 1.88 billion – The number of email users worldwide.
• 480 million – New email users since the year before.
• 89.1% – The share of emails that were spam.
• 262 billion – The number of spam emails per day (assuming 89% are spam).
• 2.9 billion – The number of email accounts worldwide.
• 25% – Share of email accounts that are corporate.

Websites

• 255 million – The number of websites as of December 2010.
• 21.4 million – Added websites in 2010.

Web servers

• 39.1% – Growth in the number of Apache websites in 2010.
• 15.3% – Growth in the number of IIS websites in 2010.
• 4.1% – Growth in the number of nginx websites in 2010.
• 5.8% – Growth in the number of Google GWS websites in 2010.
• 55.7% – Growth in the number of Lighttpd websites in 2010.

Domain names

• 88.8 million – .COM domain names at the end of 2010.
• 13.2 million – .NET domain names at the end of 2010.
• 8.6 million – .ORG domain names at the end of 2010.
• 79.2 million – The number of country code top-level domains (e.g. .CN, .UK, .DE, etc.).
• 202 million – The number of domain names across all top-level domains (October 2010).
• 7% – The increase in domain names since the year before.

Internet users

• 1.97 billion – Internet users worldwide (June 2010).
• 14% – Increase in Internet users since the previous year.
• 825.1 million – Internet users in Asia.
• 475.1 million – Internet users in Europe.
• 266.2 million – Internet users in North America.
• 204.7 million – Internet users in Latin America / Caribbean.
• 110.9 million – Internet users in Africa.
• 63.2 million – Internet users in the Middle East.
• 21.3 million – Internet users in Oceania / Australia.

Social media

• 152 million – The number of blogs on the Internet (as tracked by BlogPulse).
• 25 billion – Number of sent tweets on Twitter in 2010
• 100 million – New accounts added on Twitter in 2010
• 175 million – People on Twitter as of September 2010
• 7.7 million – People following @ladygaga (Lady Gaga, Twitter’s most followed user).
• 600 million – People on Facebook at the end of 2010.
• 250 million – New people on Facebook in 2010.
• 30 billion – Pieces of content (links, notes, photos, etc.) shared on Facebook per month.
• 70% – Share of Facebook’s user base located outside the United States.
• 20 million – The number of Facebook apps installed each day.

Web browsers

Videos

• 2 billion – The number of videos watched per day on YouTube.
• 35 – Hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute.
• 186 – The number of online videos the average Internet user watches in a month (USA).
• 84% – Share of Internet users that view videos online (USA).
• 14% – Share of Internet users that have uploaded videos online (USA).
• 2+ billion – The number of videos watched per month on Facebook.
• 20 million – Videos uploaded to Facebook per month.

Images

• 5 billion – Photos hosted by Flickr (September 2010).
• 3000+ – Photos uploaded per minute to Flickr.
• 130 million – At the above rate, the number of photos uploaded per month to Flickr.
• 3+ billion – Photos uploaded per month to Facebook.
• 36 billion – At the current rate, the number of photos uploaded to Facebook per year.

Data sources and notes: Spam percentage from MessageLabs (PDF). Email user numbers and counts from Radicati Group (the number of sent emails was their prediction for 2010, so it’s very much an estimate). Website numbers from Netcraft. Domain name stats from Verisign andWebhosting.info. Internet user numbers and distribution from Internet World Stats. Facebook statsfrom Facebook and Business Insider. Twitter stats from Twitter (and here), TwitterCounter andTechCrunch. Web browser stats from StatCounter. YouTube video numbers from Google. Facebook video numbers from GigaOM. US online video stats from Comscore and the Pew Research Center. Flickr image numbers from Flickr. Facebook image numbers from this blog.

Composition

The dictionary says: "Composition is the art of combining parts or elements to form a whole".

Every render must have a focal point where the artist places the most interesting shapes and elements to create the center of interest. 

Start with visual thinking - putting your thoughts about what you feel down on paper. Decide on either a horizonral or vertical format.  Make some rough sketches of what you want your render to look like,  This is visual thinking: You are developing your composition, creating a center of interest by balancing the elements, moving or eliminating objects, deciding your values, and trying various combinations of foreground, middle ground and background.  

Your sketches can be only a suggesitive as you wish. Their main purpose is to arrive at a good working composition. Besides, they are fun to do!

Color Trick

Stare at a color for a minute or two. Close your eyes. The afterimage you see with your eyes closed will be its complementary color.

Autodesk to hold webcasts on future of 3ds Max

Autodesk has announced three free webcasts on Project Excalibur, the under-the-hood redesign of 3ds Max designed to roll out across three updates to the software.

The 3ds Max 2012 release is due to address “UI, dynamics and viewport changes”.

All three webcasts take place on Tuesday 8 February between 9am and 9.30pm EST.

Join us for a special webcast where we’ll update you on Project Excalibur (XBR). XBR is a restructuring of 3ds Max and 3ds Max Design that is intended to occur over three phases. It addresses fundamental improvements in workflow, UI, and performance. This update will provide more detail about UI, dynamics and viewport changes. You’ll be able to post questions for the development team.

There will be three opportunities to attend identical sessions held at different times on February 8th, 2011 . These webinar sessions will be recorded and those that register will be provided with a link to view the recordings.

Date: Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Time: 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM EST     REGISTER

Time: 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM EST       REGISTER

Time: 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM EST       REGISTER

 If you are timezone challenged, use this: http://www.timezoneconverter.com/cgi-bin/tzc.tzc

Tilt-Shift Photography

Tilt-shift photography refers to the use of camera movements on small- and medium-format cameras; it usually requires the use of special lenses.

“Tilt-shift” actually encompasses two different types of movements: rotation of the lens relative to the image plane, called tilt, and movement of the lens parallel to the image plane, called shift. Tilt is used to control the orientation of the plane of focus (PoF), and hence the part of an image that appears sharp; it makes use of the Scheimpflug principle. Shift is used to change the line of sight while avoiding the convergence of parallel lines, as when photographing tall buildings.

Another, less cost-intensive technique called “tilt-shift miniature faking” is a process in which a photograph of a life-sized location or object is manipulated so that it looks like a photograph of a miniature-scale model.

Tilt-Shift Photography Photoshop Tutorial 
This tutorial was produced using Photoshop CS2 on a PC.

Receding Hairline
With very little effort, you can take existing photographs of everyday scenes and make them look like miniature models.

Free Auto Tilt-Shift Photoshop Action 
Plug-and-play solution for preparing your photos.