3DVIA®

The best models uploaded to 3DVIA.com during the week of Saturday, 11/22 through Friday, 11/28 are highlighted here.

This is the 5th weekly post with the purpose of bringing great models to your attention that we all may have missed. The definition “best” will change as I find new things to help us all become better modelers and enjoy the site more. I’ve moved the definition of “best” and some other comments towards the end of the post so we can get right to the models!

Be sure to visit the previous Top 10 lists: 001 - 002  – 003 – 004

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.

Since our users live all over the world, I’m also adding to 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:

man by 3DVIA user hujuewen007008 is a good example of part of the process of creating an avatar usable in gaming and entertainment. As jdelrio noted in his comment on the model, it shows the little boxes near the fingers and back, which are all used to control objects for the animation rig. Each litle box can be used to move parts of the avatar during the animation process. [hujuewen007008 is from China]

Concept-Phone is included as an example of how design elegance can be so attractive. Sometimes elegance is dismissed as just “simple”, yet it is far harder to accomplish than gawdiness. Check out this model in the 3DVIA Player and slowly rotate it. Appreciate the subtle and beautifully well-thought out surfaces and details as the light moves over it. Phones modeled this using CATIA V5.

Downtown Salt Lake City demonstrates a great use for 3D modeling. Skerb created this model using Google SketchUp so viewers can explore and better understand existing city environments and planners can use the same models to help explain changes and how they will affect the environment. Thanks Skerb for uploading this and several other equally interesting models! [Skerb is from the US]

Blenkinsop13 created this head model called simply enough – me. As in previous Top 10 posts, it shows the difficulty of modeling features of the human body, especially those that we rely on for so much of our communication with one another – the head and face. [Blenkinsop13 is from the UK]

Omind has unwittingly unleashed a theme that seems to have captured some of the 3DVIA community (myself included!). Squirrels have been featured in many models, which keeps us busy laughing. They even have their own group now thanks to smike. Squirrels at war was popular for awhile, but now tomy, Omind and smike (in particular) have been encouraging lots of other Squirrel activities!

Above we have a lop-sided Squirrel Basketball game going on, modeled by Omind, and just below smike has taken flying squirrels to new heights with Daredevil Squirrels.

Go Squirrels!

scuola, as modeled by youniverse, is a beautiful model that again demonstrates the value of using 3D to help design and familiarize others with new developments.

This is a wonderful model from yanguin that is based on one version of the famous sculpture “The Kiss”, by Constantin Brâncuşi from Romania. [yanguin is from Germany]

92motor-scooter is a great fun model created by luisfilipe1966. It is colorful and makes me want to go for a ride! [luisfilipe1966 is from Portugal]

This excellent sculptural shape was created by DPV1 using 3DVIA Shape 2.0. It is a pleasure to rotate it and watch the play of light and shadow across its surfaces. Very nice! [DPV1 if from India]

Due to the challenge of narrowing the number of great models uploaded each week down to just 10, I’ve added a new section to include Honorable Mentions to spotlight another 5 modelers! 

Honorable Mentions:

column building was created by tlmillerjr [tlmillerjr is from the US]

Ceiling Lamp by chloe is a great model to zoom in on and rotate for some interesting effects [chloe is from the UK]

Man’s Best Friend by bluebox brings a well-armed dog and a giant bird into the battle [bluebox is from the US]

bedroom by jrprigmore is a nice mix of existing models

aeoplanino by 3dprox just plain (sorry for the pun) makes me smile and want to fly it around the room

Here’s the stuff that I moved down from the top of the post that gives you idea of what process my odd brain goes through to help me select the “Top 10″ and “Honorable Mentions”:

Variety will be one of the most important factors. I’ll try to show models created using lots of different software products and I’ll include my brief comments on why I chose each model. Creativity, unusual subject matter and humor will also be big factors. We should all have fun and feel free to model our passions!

To be considered, 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 modelers and reward their special creativity.

There will be no reward given beyond 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.