3DVIA®

The best models uploaded to 3DVIA.com during the week of Saturday, February 21st through Friday, February 27th are highlighted here. This is the 17th post with the purpose of bringing models to your attention that we all may have missed during the week.

Easy links to the previous Top 10 lists:  001 – 002 – 003 – 004 – 005 – 006 – 007 – 008 – 009 – 010 – 011 – 012 – 013 – 014 – 015 – 016

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!

Be sure to check out the models that received Honorable Mentions too!

Our users live all over the world, so I include in my comments where each modeler is from. It’s great that language and distance are not barriers when we’re all sharing in 3D! (Modelers may choose not to share where they are from, so some countries of origin will remain a mystery.)

The Top 10:

What a great model! There’s something here for everyone. It’s fun, it’s fantastical, it’s well-modeled, it tells a story and still leaves plenty of room for own imaginations to fill in the blanks! Burnt weeny sandwich was imagined and created by mastic using CATIA V5. [mastic is from Spain]

Scimitar Dragon was created by kiml using Blender. I saw his Earth Confederacy work on Flickr and asked him to put some models here on 3DVIA to help inspire our other Blender users and hopefully help them find each other and learn from one another. [kiml is from the UK]

Smike has been doing a great job with his textures on his Google SketchUp models! Take a look at his  Boeing CH-47 Chinook – US Army version. The instruments look real enough to get in and start your check ride! The side view with realistic rotor droop is great! Be sure to check out smike’s UN Chinook too. [smike is from Denmark]

Monster Head is another great scary Blender model, no matter which angle you look at it from. maxofp2p did the modeling. [maxofp2p is from Poland]

Ball Game by trigram_NAJ is a great example of having elegant and challenging fun with 3DVIA Shape. When you open it in 3D and zoom in and around, the view is constantly changing and interesting. Great job! [trigram_NAJ is from India]

Sandman14 keeps upping the ante with his incredible guitar models done using SketchUp. Flying v flame guitar looks like it would either burn or perforate you just by picking it up! [sandman14 is from the US]

This Lockheed C-130J Hercules by alfredix is another one of his phenomenal, well-detailed models. The military drab finish  hides the beauty of the overall aerodynamic forms and the wealth of interior detail. Alfred uploaded this to 3DVIA in STEP format, so those of us with CAD systems can download and make use of it – thanks! [alfredix is from Germany]

Mr. Krabs by toymaker could get a smile from a cinder block! It’s just a happy and fun model to join the other Sponge Bob models here at 3DVIA.com. Mr. Krabs even has his own page on Nick.com. SketchUp is toymaker’s modeling tool. [toymaker is from the US]

Pelican is another wonderful model done in CATIA V5 by mastic. I did these screen captures with the Fresnel environment shader turned on to really highlight the sinuous forms.  [mastic is from Spain]

Adjustable Crate by mahendra48 may seem an unlikely candidate for a position in the Top 10, but being a design engineer myself for way too long, I can appreciate the difficulty in solving a seemingly simple problem in a very elegant way. Open the 3D model and zoom in to see how mahendra48 found solutions to some tricky bits to make it work. It was modeled using CATIA V5. [mahendra48 is from Indonesia]

Due to the continuous challenge of narrowing the number of great models uploaded each week down to just 10, I’ve included five Honorable Mentions to spotlight even more modelers!

Honorable Mentions:

This high-walled house model by aryaT was created in 3DVIA Shape and takes full advantage of the ability to stock your virtual house with whatever suits your style. [aryaT is from Benin]

Oh no! Bendo vs Tractor may have left our hero in a sad state, but anyone who can survive a speeding steel ball has amazing recuperative powers! homebray used Abaqus/Explicit and 3DVIA Shape to model this dangerous meeting of agriculture and technology. [homebray is from the US]

Interior room by DanIV is just plain fun and imaginative. It encourages the viewer to explore the model further. [DanIV is from Croatia]

To create Standard Harvester, sady2 did a great job of updating and combining his own model and textures with a set of really nice wheels and tires from alfredix. [sady2 is from Romania]

The Spinnaker Tower by jopno22 was created using SketchUp and is a dramatic example of how architecture can inspire and enliven people every day. Check out the tower’s own web site. [jopno22 is from the UK]

Here’s a brief recap of what I look for when I select the “Top 10″ and “Honorable Mentions”:

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!

Models must be uploaded by the original modeler – Many times I find models that I think will add to the community and will upload them with credit given to the modeler. These and other models that I can’t be reasonably sure who modeled them (for example – commercial models) are a welcome addition to the 3DVIA community, but the goal of the “Top 10″ is to encourage individual modelers and reward their special creativity.

Models entered in the 3DVIA Challenge contests will not be considered – They’re already getting plenty of attention and I want to spotlight models we may have missed.

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.

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.