It was almost exactly a year ago that I discovered Stephen Schmitt’s World Machine, a procedural generator for 3D terrain. It’s a wonderful product. He’d already been at work for quite some time on the 2.0 version of this powerful piece of software and today I find that he’s just released it at last.

My own upgrade copy isn’t here yet - here are some gallery images from the World Machine site. Some of the new features I’ve been following on his blog include realistic beachfront erosion and a method for generating occlusion maps for the terrain - that, and some other new things he’s been working on, should be a big help in masking out different types of materials to appear selectively on the landscape. In fact the new version will even render out a color map, based on the terrain shape, though I’m thinking that better methods for creating masks is more in my line.

Anyway, as I say I haven’t been able to play with the new version yet, but based on the old one I think it’s going to be a terrific tool. Go look!

Technorati Tags: computer graphics, terrain, landscape, world machine, 3d, procedural, natural, environment, height map, displacement

As part of Liberty Mutual’s “Responsibility Project” for short films, ProMotion Studios produced this beautiful short animation called “Lighthouse”. Very nice work - a good story, technically excellent, and with several very nicely observed character actions.

You can see it in low resolution here (Flash player), in high resolution here (Quicktime), and you may also want to visit the Responsibility Project site or ProMotion.

Technorati Tags: animation, computer graphics, lighthouse, light house, responsibility project, liberty mutual, promotion, cg, fx, short film

Here’s a test rendering of the 3D model I’ve been working on - it’s the Airship Vindoclavian, a lighter than air dirigible that incorporates some steering propellers from an old Modern Mechanix & Inventions cover and an exoskeletal frame that’s unlike any that were ever used in zeppelins (German zeppelins used internal, four-spoked frames, while the US Navy’s dirigibles used a similar, but three-spoked frame that the German engineers disapproved of*).

That frame and another aspect of the design are really intended just to make the nature of the ship more apparent… so I have to figure out what crazy notions led to those changes. Because I’m not a rocket scientist, of course - just a rocket artist.

*given the relative failure rates of the US and German dirigibles, the Germans seem to have had a point there.

Technorati Tags: zeppelin, dirigible, retro future, retro futuristic, airship, dieselpunk, sci fi, science fiction, 3d, 3ds max, computer graphics

Here’s a retro science fiction pulp magazine cover for a magazine that doesn’t exist, but probably ought to: THRILLING TALES OF THE DOWNRIGHT UNUSUAL.

In this imaginary issue we have that nail-biting page turner “The Toaster with TWO BRAINS”, in which our heroes delve deep into the hostile lair of Doctor Rognvald, beneath the volcanoes of Iceland - only to discover that this evil genius has created the ultimate malevolent kitchen appliance: the Toaster with TWO BRAINS! Is it unstoppable? Immovable? Relentless? Horrifying? Unkillable? You bet it is.

Because a toaster with one brain isn’t terrifying. But two? Talk about the heebie-jeebies!

If I were able to explain this…. I wouldn’t. You can wonder all you like about infant toaster traumas. I’m not talking. Except to observe, as is my habit, that I cooked this thing up to serve fresh to you, dear reader, as an archival print, a poster, stylish t-shirt, greeting card, and coffee mug - just the thing for that apocalyptic breakfast that the toaster has in mind for us all.

Technorati Tags: thrilling tales of the downight unusual, the toaster with two brains, pulp sci fi magazine cover, retropolis, retropolis transit authority, science fiction, space opera, art, t shirts

Flickr user jbj has posted this inspiring photo of a young mad scientist who - in a praiseworthy show of social conscience - is warning anyone within reading distance that he’s about to throw that Really Big Switch on his Trans-Dimensional Vaporizing Fireplace Annihilator. Well done!

I’m pleased to see my Back Off - I’m Doing SCIENCE shirt used in this responsible way.

Technorati Tags: t shirts, retropolis transit authority, back off - i’m doing science, photo, mad scientist, future omniscient overlords