3DVIA®

The best models uploaded to 3DVIA.com during the week of Saturday, June 6th through Friday, June 12th are highlighted here. This is the 32nd post with the purpose of bringing models to your attention that we all may have missed during the week. Be sure to read the comments on each model as you visit them and add your own thoughts and a rating too!

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

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: 

This excellent model of a German Flak Cannon 38 combines detailed modeling using Google SketchUp with great texturing. smike is really turning up the heat on the rest of us :).  [smike is from Denmark]

I couldn’t resist this model of The Ventures Model Guitar by sandman14. The classic form combined with the subtle colors is just great. sandman uses Google SketchUp. [sandman14 is from the US]

The TRX Project Cylinder Head Crankcase is great to zoom into and around to learn more about the innards of this Yamaha TRX  850 motorcycle engine. even better, this is just one of the parts that DrSlumper has created for his TRX Project, which he is building up using SoildWorks 2008. I’m looking forward to seeing more! [DrSlumper is from Spain]

Call From the Other World by abu_roadking rings true in my own world of absurdity, so I just have to include it. It just makes me laugh. abu_roadking used 3DVIA Shape for this gently macabre scene. [abu_roadking is from India]

F1-MT was built to 1999 FIA regulations by mesiterd using CATIA V4, but was uploaded using CATIA V5. The details are great and I love the colorful livery and “sponsor” names! Nice job! 

If you look closely at Ugexp by artoons; you can see that he has created many expressions for the same character, which can then be smoothed and used in animations. The texturing is up to you though. I learned something new – thanks! [artoons is from the UK]

Lighthouse Red Sand by Aries is beautifully modeled using 3DVIA Shape. The Roter Sand (Leuchtturm) stands in the North Sea and is no longer an active lighthouse, but continues to serve as a monument and tourist attraction.

The USS Smikorsky – Tarawa Class Helicopter Carrier by smike is such an amazing mix of imagination, new modeling and existing models that you just can’t find the end of the details. You can get lost in there, so take some breadcrumbs (or a GPS unit) with you! 

You’ll have to read the comments on the model to find out how the ship came to be named the Smikorsky :). smike used Google SketchUp for this masterpiece.  [smike is from Denmark]

Micronaut by actraiser is a colorful and fun model of a popular toy theme that has been around for a long time. Nicely done! [actraiser is from Spain]

ULC-DH-Admin Building-KPL is the first big building in alfredix’s world of meticulous models. You just have to read his descriptions to understand the level of thought that has gone into this and the building sections that follow it.

The detail in the lower right is the hoist mechanism for just one of the elevators. I checked the mugs on the table and there isn’t any coffee in them, so I don’t think we’re late for the meeting yet.

alfredix does his modeling in Pro/E, then translates them into STEP format and uploads them to 3DVIA. [alfredix is from Germany]

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:

Impossible Cube by puss_in_boots made it impossible for me to get a proper screen shot! I think it is because there is always perspective distortion in the 3DVIA Player, but the thumbnail looks spot on. Now I’m confused. Anybody have any ideas. puss_in_boots made the original model using CATIA V5.

Homer3 by Jerrythegreat4 is nicely done and makes me want a doughnut, so it’s effective too!

Datsh continues to amaze me with the fantastic models that he creates. Pellucidity is one of his latest, which he made using 3DVIA Shape. [Datsh is from Sweden]

Rubik by abu_roadking was also created using 3DVIA Shape and it fascinates me because of the deconstruction rather than just manipulation of the well-know form. [abu_roadking is from India]

The ease of being able to pattern components using 3DVIA Shape must have contributed to the making of  LNP Partytime by abhishek. Don’t anyone bump the table!  [abhishek is from India]

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.