3DVIA®

This was a hot week for new modelers and models! The best models uploaded to 3DVIA.com during the week of Saturday, January 31st through Friday, February 6th are highlighted here. This is the 14th 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

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:

LMP by wouterwolfs hits my sweet spot dead on. I’ve been a fan of Le Mans racing for as long as I can remember and I really like the fact that this model is presented as a functional study model rather than as an advertising platform. We can concentrate on the forms and the attention to aerodynamic detail, which is becoming ever more important. Every form on the real race cars are under constant development to find that next little bit of speed. The bottom of the car is a critical part of the entire aerodynamic package, which is why I included the images of the bottom of the car and the transition area from the front fender to the side pod. wouterwolfs did a fantastic job using CATIA V5. Thanks for the attention to detail!  [wouterwolfs is from the Netherlands]

This Lamborghini Gallardo by ixion is one of my favorites this week. It captures the essence of the real car in a way that we can really enjoy its forms and interacting surfaces. It also includes a very nice interior and engine! Great job!

Eddie Van Halen double neck 10300 guitar by sandman14 was not entered in the just-completed Stringed Instrument Challenge, so I can include it here. The details are great and the colors are fabulous! sandman14’s Steve Vai’s flex-able guitar was a finalist in the Challenge and if you like guitars, you owe it to yourself to check out all of his guitars. sandman14 uses Google SketchUp 7 to help keep us all rocking! [sandman14 is from the US]

pneumatic pogo stick by mvcomputers just plain makes me laugh! Better keep an ambulance close by when you test ride this beast! The detailing is great and helps make the model so much more believable. mvcomputers uses 3ds Max. [mvcomputers is from the US]

U.S. Coast Guard Ocean Going Salvage Tug Boat by smike continues his tradition of modeling interesting vessels and including a ton of detail to encourage a complete virtual tour. He also provides a link to much of his background materials for his latest string of U.S. Coast Guard vessels – http://www.motionmodels.com/cg.html. The site also includes valuable reference for many other types of vehicles. smike’s 3D modeling tool is Google SketchUp. [smike is from Denmark]

rob is a wonderful creative project still being worked on by youniverse. Those red eyes provide just the right amount of menace for this Transformers-like creation – keep going!

alfredix has totally blown me away with the series of models that he just started uploading. This one is his 8×8 Truck with PLS, Material Handling Crane and Flatrack. Based on the Oshkosh HEMTT, you won’t believe the detail until you open the model in 3D and check it out. He has also been extremely generous in sharing his full models and even uploading them in modular sections for us to use! alfredix has used SolidWorks, CATIA V5 and ProEngineer as he modeled and modified his vehicles over the years. [alfredix is from Germany]

B1-AGM69 is also by afredix and will amaze you with both the detailing and the subtle surfacing. I am not an aeronautical engineer, but I do know that surfacing is an art and alfredix has created a model worth exploring in detail. The B-1 Lancer has had a long and involved history over many decades.

Halloween Truck by yudhidayak was created using SolidWorks 2007. It’s great the way the title ties in with the features of this fun little car/truck. Yudhi does a great job explaining how she is using the model to further her own education and help drive future manufacturing:

“This toy car model is part of a Design Template (DT) used as a case study for the author’s research at Lancaster Product Development Unit (LPDU), Lancaster University, UK.

The DT is a simple webpage comprising Product Family Architecture (PFA) that consumers can use to configure/customise the features of toy cars. To immerse the consumers, and let them enjoy every step in designing and building their own toy car, the DT uses the 3DVIA player by linking the embedded codes from 3DVIA to the DT webpage. This allows the consumer to interact in real time with the 3D toy car.

The DT aims to develop an easy-to-operate design system, where consumers can customise and obtain 3D data easily and thereby endorse the design, and then to manufacture the products themselves using Additive Layer Manufacturing (ALM)/Rapid Manufacturing (RM) technology.
For further information: http://www.lpdu.lancs.ac.uk/lpdu//projects/rm_nw.asp”

Yudhi’s early work was also included in the Top 10 models – 002. [yudhidayak is from the UK]

masina cu sine by smalesnic is included because it is a fantastical vehicle that is just fun.

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:

Bendo was modeled by homebray using 3DSOM to create a 3D model using just photographs.

killerhenk3 made ZW Crab using 3DVIA Shape. That crab (and his friend off camera) are having quite the party!

Renna Shape was created by ingeniere using 3DVIA Shape. I enjoy its simple, but intriguing shapes and great colors. [ingeniere is from Italy]

War Car done by Nissan using 3DVIA Shape is a great humorous mashup of anachronistic elements and skeletons out for a ride! [Nissan is from Australia]

Old by DanIV is a simple and elegant model. [DanIV is from Croatia]

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.