Fun is a big factor in this month’s Top 10. You can go a zillion miles an hour, take a swim, blow things up, get shot into the sky, party hard, explore an amazing cityscape, be enthralled by the elegance of a granary or relax all by yourself with the most comfortable headphones you’ve ever tried. Don’t wait for me, get going!

The ten best 3D models and one 3DVIA Scene uploaded to 3DVIA.com during the weeks of Saturday, March 3rd, 2012 through Friday, March 30th, 2012 are highlighted here.

(Easy links to all 132 previous Top 10 posts are right after the current week’s models and 3DVIA Scene.)

The Top 10:

La Halle Au Blé D’alençon, by groupeLM, is beautiful both in form and in modeling. Using 3DVIA Shape, groupeLM has created the minimum of geometry and used textures to the maximum. Beautiful work!

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Not much work would get done in this world without the help of gears! This fact is evident in For Upload by bugmenotplease. It is as much a sculpture as it is a workhorse. SolidWorks was the modeling tool.

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This may be a little spooky, but it is also amazingly well executed. Crania Anatomica Filigre has become a sculpture in the hands and eyes of Joshua (shshark). Check it out from every angle to fully appreciate the delicacy of the forms. Joshua uploaded it in STL Binary format. Also check out his web site for more examples of his wild imagination. [Joshua lives in the US]

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When the only thing that will work is excess, then grab your Exona Supercar Concept and put it through its paces. Everywhere you go there will be jaws dropping and a fierce wind behind you. Nikola (zenox) created this delight and uploaded it in OBJ format. Nikola did all of the renderings too. [Nikola lives in Serbia & Montenegro]

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Landdoor shows how Enrrique (perecat1) is using landscaping more and more in his models, not only to add a comfortable feeling to the whole environment, but also for the fantastic opportunities for his imagination to come up with new and amazing forms. His creativity and mastery of 3DVIA Shape are top notch! [Enrrique lives in Spain]

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Asnaucno’s White Space makes a great case for using 3D to plan your space and equipment placement. Those machines are heavy and work flow is critical, so it is best to put everything in the right place the first time. Asnaucno used 3DVIA Scenes.

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The Kamov KA-50 Pilot’s Chair is another great example of smike’s ability to get the most out of his intricate textures and Google SketchUp. The Kamov KA-50 is a single-seat Russian attack helicopter, so if you need to get out there in a hurry, this is the seat to have! [smike lives in Denmark]

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If you see this coming toward you, you are in big trouble! Your first impulse will be to run for the hills, but the fact that this monster is coming means that you’re standing in a minefield and had better be careful with every step you take.

German Bundeswehr Mine Clearing Tank “Keiler, by Alfred (alfredix), is best seen in real life from behind it or when it is not doing its job clearing mine fields. Alfred made this exceptionally well detailed model using Autodesk Product Design Suite and translated everything to STEP format before uploading it. [Alfred lives in Germany]

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3D Projekt…, by oljon1986, makes me want to party right now and this looks like the place to do it! Oljon1986 made a LOT of models using 3DVIA Shape to put this whole party palace together just the way he wanted it. Great job!

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The SPZ01, by mpirotta, is a headphone set that uses a new way to add to the wearer’s comfort. Each earcup is attached to the main unit with a flexible, sensuously curved sub assembly that moves without having as much effect on the main frame. I’d love to try a pair of these!  It was published to 3DVIA from 3DVIA Composer.

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This great model just makes me laugh every time I see it. The 3DS mannequin model is seen hard at work in hundreds, probably even thousands of models all over the world. In Product1, Kevin (KEVIN2269) finally let’s us in on what they do in their spare time! My favorite is the fellow in the innertube. Kevin modeled it using CATIA V5.

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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 – 123 – 124 – 125 – 126 – 127 – 128 – 129 – 130 – 131 – 132

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.