We have a great variety of model subjects this week! The bubbles fantasy is one of my favorites, but the boat in development is amazing to look at too. Even the power strip is exceptional! There are also concepts for Smike’s brand new helicopter design and a skyscraper that will make your neck sore just from staring at it. The 3D map encourages exploration and for hard reality we’ve got the complexity of a saddle, a measurement-bonding system and the front end of a car. Dig in and have some fun!

The ten best 3D models, one 3DVIA Experience, and one 3DVIA Scene uploaded to 3DVIA.com during the weeks of Saturday, September 24th through Friday, October 7th, 2011 are highlighted here.

(Easy links to all 122 previous Top 10 posts are right after the current week’s models, 3DVIA Experience, and 3DVIA Scene)

The Top 10:

Test is a mesmerizing fantasy piece created by filadfx. Take some time to zoom in and revolve this model all around. Discovering all of the little details is a real treat. An OBJ generator was used to create the model.

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Simple and elegant design are the keys to making EcoTV-Watt Co. by GLMODELS3 so easy to look at and to enjoy. When designed correctly, everything looks like it is in exactly the right place. Beautifully done! It was uploaded in 3DS format.

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Michael (smike) let his imagination go all out to design and create his own helicopter design – the Smikorsky Mini-Lynx – Single Person Helicopter – Doors Open using his long experience building helicopter models with Google SketchUp. This is just one of the three versions that he modeled. There is also one with the doors and hatches closed (Doors  Closed), and one In Flight Mode. Be sure to enjoy Michael’s  presentation showing the design and building of all three versions. [Michael lives in Denmark]

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Somehow, I don’t think I would ever get tired of seeing or working in Skyscraper by jarandm. What a great imagination! Fortunately jarandm added these fantastic images to the Gallery on his models page (just like you can too). It was uploaded in 3DS format.

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Using 3DVIA Studio Abu (abu_roadking) has created Eclipses, which is a great, easy way to learn more about the galactic mechanics that cause us to see eclipses. [Abu lives in India]

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This is so beautiful! Combining the loose freedom of sketching with just a few surfaces,  SebRos’ model Product is an ethereal dream taking shape in front of our eyes. Absolutely gorgeous and aggressive at the same time! Dassault Systemes V6 is the creative tool used.

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Space vehicles tend to be odd-looking things and Lunar Module LTA 3D by liber is no exception. His model gives you the opportunity to check it out from any angle that you want. Just make sure that your space suit doesn’t have any leaks! He crafted it using Google SketchUp.  [liber lives in Croatia]

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GoogleEarth.exe Wed Sep 28 19-18-902 2011 by archmike999 invites you to go exploring. You can head for the beach or find your way around downtown. It encourages curiosity and provides important information for finding what you want. It was created in Google Earth and then captured using 3DVIA Printscreen.

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Any one of these sub-assemblies would be great models all by themselves. In his model Front End, rollmann has combined a bunch of them to make a monster model! Behind every pretty face there is a huge amount of work! This was built using CATIA V5.

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This is one complicated model! Measurement-Bonding System by Arksia does a great job of showing a little of the manufacturing complexity that we take for granted whenever we use something. Great modeling uploaded in STEP format.

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jarandm put his model Test into a 3DVIA Scene to  create Jarandm’s Grassy Field. Go take a walk around and enjoy the beautiful forms and the ever-changing shadows that they create. Watch your head in certain spots!

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I love Tel Modified 1 by Glbatch3 because it is so well-modeled and it helps me learn more about saddle construction than I would ever know. There is no shying away from complex surfaces in this one! All the detail is right there to impress you. It was uploaded in 3DS format.

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Just so everyone knows, the order that the Top 10 are displayed is based on color, type of model and how I’m feeling, not any particular ranking. I just rearrange them until I like the way it looks. It’s as simple as that!

Easy links to the previous Top 10 lists: 001 – 002 – 003 – 004 – 005 – 006 – 007 – 008 – 009 – 010 – 011 - 012 – 013 – 014 – 015 – 016 – 017 - 018 - 019 – 020 – 021 – 022 – 023 – 024 – 025 – 026 – 027 – 028 – 029 – 030 – 031 – 032 – 033 – 034 – 035 – 036 – 037 – 038 – 039 – 040 – 041 – 042 – 043 – 044 - 045 – 046 - 047 – 048 - 049 – 050 – 051 – 052 – 053 – 054 (seven weeks in one) – 055 – 056 – 057 – 058 – 059 – 060 – Best of the Best 2009 – 061 – 062 - 063 - 064 - 065 – 066 - 067 – 068 – 069 – 070 – 071 – 072 – 073 – 074 – 075 – 076 – 077 – 078 – 079 – 080 – 081 – 082 – 083 – 084 – 085 – 086 – 087 – 088 – 089 – 090 – 091 – 092 – 093 – 094 – 095 – 096 – 097 – 098 – 099 – 100 – 101 – 102 – 103 – 104 – 105 – 106 – 107 – 108 – 109 – Best of the Best 2010 – 110 – 111 – 112 – 113 – 114 – 115 – 116 – 117 – 118 – 119 – 120 – 121 – 122

Here’s a brief recap of what I look for when I select the Top 10:

Variety – One of the most important factors. I try to show models created using lots of different software products and showing lots of different ways of using 3D. I include brief comments on why I chose each model.

Creativity, unusual subject matter and humor – These are big factors. We should all be having fun and feel free to model our passions!

There is no reward given – Other than the satisfaction of being noticed, spotlighted and being brought to the attention of more modelers. In my personal experience, the pleasure of having my work appreciated is the ultimate reward anyway.

From time to time I will make mistakes and not follow my own rules – I will review these mistakes on a case-by-case basis. Sometimes I will change the post and sometimes I won’t. I will be consistently inconsistent. I am human.

Your comments are always welcomed and encouraged! Your responses will help the modelers and the 3DVIA community as a whole. Feel free to bring other models to my attention and let me know why they attracted you.

(PLEASE NOTE: In order to make it easier to explore, all photos are linked directly to the model’s page.)

One final note of caution: these are my choices (dswavely) and my choices alone. So, aim the tomatoes appropriately.