The best models uploaded to 3DVIA.com during the week of Saturday, March 27th through Friday, April 2nd, 2010 are highlighted here. This week the Top 10 Team has plenty of help to find the toxic barrel that is being used to threaten the water supply. Using stealthy vélo couché travel, fast communication, nifty hiding spots, massive truck power and even some magic and celestial help as needed, the Team coordinates with headquarters to put the bad guys into a head spin times 25 that will keep them out of trouble for a long time! Go Team!

PS  I will be away next week, so Top 10 – 068 and – 069 will be a little off schedule.

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

The Top 10:

Many times I have wished that Mouse (Mickey or Mortimer, as the Sorcerer’s Apprentice) was by my side to help me out of a tricky spot. Michael (toymaker) has done a fun job capturing that magic using Google SketchUp. [Michael lives in the US]

Clow by makejo uses the power of 3D in scale to prove the validity of 3D in full scale to tell a complicated story in a way that is much easier to understand. Nice clean design. 

Bowser499 has done a great job re-creating Princess Rosalina’s Comet Observatory using 3DVIA Shape. Rosalina will be familiar to many because of the Super Mario Galaxy game. [Bowser499 lives in the US]

It’s easy to get lost inside Structure Synth Cube (nested 25 times!) by Rodd (rhalstead). Rodd created those 25 nestings through the logic and art of mathematics! Rodd used Structure Synth to create the model and 3DVIA Printscreen to capture the results. [Rodd lives in the US]

It’s a truck. It has fabulous details. Done deal! MAN MilGL Tractor was created by Alfred (alfredix) using Pro/E for the modeling and STEP format for translations. [Alfred lives in Germany]

I like this example of good clean modeling that allows visualization of interior spaces in a way that 2D just can’t compete with. DS Office Open was modeled by Joerg (JoergNN) using CATIA V5.

Abu (abu_roadking) tells another great story and leaves a great message with Get Good at Asking!!. 3DVIA Shape is Abu’s storytelling medium. [Abu lives in India]

Vélo Couché is a nice clean model of a bicycle type that was banned from international racing way back in 1934 because it was just too fast! It’s a far more ergonomic method of propulsion as well. Many of us call them recumbents. Skulblaka created his fine example using an STL Binary Generator.

Engine Shed by Kreator01, has very nice detailing and texturing that makes a “simple” model into something much more. Great job.

jero45 pushed, shoved, fretted, fussed, cussed, worked more, tried different methods and finally got his Barrel the way he wanted it! For that perseverance, stubbornness and just plain great spirit, I’ve included his model in the Top 10! With that level of desire you will go far!

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!

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!

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.

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.