3DVIA®

The best models uploaded to 3DVIA.com during the week of Saturday, March 14th through Friday, March 20th are highlighted here. I’m sorry for the delay in recognizing these great models, but medical reasons trumped a bunch of activities. This is the 20th 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 – 017 – 018 – 019

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:

¿bouba/kiki? by mastic is a wonderful contrast of  round and linear forms combined with imaginative textures to create a great fantasy piece. Mastic uses CATIA V5 in ways that it has rarely been used before! [mastic is from Spain]

This great comfy-looking Office Cabin was created by ketana using 3DVIA Shape. The combination of a well-chosen color palette, great textures and models that work to fill in the details is very well done. [ketana is from India]

This fluidly sculptural Bowl was created by linsd using a single sweep feature in SolidWorks 2009. Excellent modeling skills have been combined with a refined sense of form. Great job!

Tracked ICV (Infantry Carrier Vehicle) by alfredix is another of his amazingly well-detailed models. Just check out the tracks and suspension to be properly gobsmacked! Alfredix also uploaded it in STEP format, so that folks with appropriate software can build on his strong foundation to create their own masterpieces. [alfredix is from Germany]

Dizzy the Dragon by Toymaker makes me laugh and smile every time I see it! What a great fantastical dragon who looks happy and dangerous at the same time. Wonderful colors, subtle gradations and lots of action in the pose make Dizzy a great model! Toymaker uses Google SketchUp. [toymaker is from the US]

Small Leatherman by kcraik was created using SolidWorks 2009. It stands out for its carefully crafted modeling and attention to detail. Very nice!  [kcraik is from the UK]

This Bunny was created by Artorq using CATIA V5. It appears to be an example of a scanned object being brought into a 3D modeler using a point cloud. For soft, organic shapes, this is a great way to quickly get a form that can be worked with to create detail only where it is needed.

I’m guessing that it was scanned because when you view the model in Vertex mode you can see that the points appear to be in regular layers and very evenly spaced. Then, when you switch to Wireframe mode, you can see the mesh that is created for the actual model surfaces. [Artorq is from Slovakia]

Boeing ACH-47A Chinook Armored Gunship US Vietnam Version is the latest of Smike’s masterpieces created in Google SketchUp. He really went all out on the details and textures! Work on your navigation skills inside the aircraft to find more and more goodies. Outside details even include an open tail rotor access door with more details inside. Fabulous model! [smike is from Denmark]

Let It Bird by mahendra48 is a great combination of the technically accurate cage and creatively imaginative birds! Mahendra48 does a great job of telling a story using CATIA V5. [mahendra48 is from Indonesia]

The VILLANIZER guitar by sandman14 is one of my favorites! I love the way he has combined mechanical, electrical and plumbing elements into this great musical instrument! Sandman14 uses Google SketchUp for his creations. [sandman14 is from the US]

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

Honorable Mentions:

My Home by somnath is a great house, with great color and it looks like a fun place to live!

Check Valve by trigram_QWQ is a great example of using 3DVIA Shape as a useful conceptual development tool at a functional level.

Hotel was created by trigram_tqf, also using 3DVIA Shape.  The heart broken by Cupid’s arrow allegory is just great and well-modeled too!

Wild Horses by alfredix is a great visual pun and a good excuse to combine several high performance machines using 3DVIA Shape. [alfredix is from germany]

Ring by Artorq is a beautiful set of pure sculptural forms no matter how you look at it. CATIA V5 was Artorq’s 3D tool. [Artorq is from Slovakia]

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.