A new cool software to play with

Lately I was also spending too much time playing with a new software I found. Called 3DBrush. This software were made by russian developers who created the cossack RTS game. The gallery don't seem quite impressive, but the software itself rather powerful, in its very simple form. Here's the link where you can get this one : http://www.3d-brush.com/index.html

Looking impressive. The beta version is free. I tested the 1.7 version of the software. Kind of very slow atm. I'm glad there's clone tool, which is missing in Blender's painting tool. But it's also rather awkward too, at least in its current form. You can't choose smooth brush when using the clone tool, which rather renders the clone tool useless. I really love the interface tho. Haven't tried the version 1.8 yet. Nevertheless, I'm still keeping my eye on this one.

And oh BTW seems that lately CBModelPro got a fan site too. http://cbmodelprofans.blogspot.com/

Seems that the forum also started to crowded with some interesting models aswell. Even some non organic models which I thought would be very difficult and almost impossible to do on CBModelPro. http://forum.solidworks.com/forum/categories.cfm?catid=68&entercat=y

And the most pleasing news of the day Santyhammer released version 3.10.6 version of xnormal. Here's the changelog :
- Added two new examples from Howard Day and Vidar Rapp.
- Added an option to render a cheap and fast AO map from a lowpoly model + a normal map.
- Improved numerical stability and memory efficiency.
- Rewritten the multicore renderer.
- Added the 8MonkeyLabs mesh importer for their upcoming game "Darkest of days".
- Two new tools: the heightmap to occlusion and PhotoNormal to generate normal maps from photographs. Also added the normal map to cavity methods.
- Added automatic camera and light rotation in the 3D viewer.
- Added antialiased/non-antialiased map mask output files.
- Solved tons of bugs

cheap and fast AO, heightmap to occlusion, wow... that.... would.... save.... ALOT of times for ambient occlusion.

Get it at xnormal.net

On my own side, I Accidentally deleted the giant model when I'm cleaning up my files. Hooray. But luckily Laurentiu kept the original obj. Asked him and kindly look it for me from his archives. So got the base obj back.

Also recently just chat with Johanes and he kindly sent me the link to the shadowpawn progress on his website. Here it is.

http://johaneskurnia.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18&Itemid=1

But lately I barely involved in the creation process. I went too slow on this one. The male model creation was took over by Ehsan Kiani. I just posted a single wip and a concept development. So might aswell said, it's Johanes and Ehsan's full work. Not mine. I'm just glad the lovely, adorable cute and twisted couple, finally took shape up.

It's interesting how they work this one out. Evolving all the way. It very far from Johanes' 2D execution but also my original concept. I suppose Ehsan also contributed the male concept of his own. Thumbs up for you guys!

So while Johanes and Ehsan finishing the Shadowpawn at the least moment and some times ahead I will have more time to finish the giant and undead, with my own developed Laurentiu's concept. Now I know, have and familiar with the tools I need, I will be doing this dude for months ahead. Gonna get crazy with this one.

these are my final weapon of choice :
sculpting : blender
normal map generation : xnormal
texturing : the gimp

I was hoping to get work under ubuntu, just for my idealism satisfaction, something like what project orange trying to prove. Free software are sufficient for productions. But dual booting kinda tiring, to maintain 2 oses at the same time kind of confusing.

ORB should run under Linux and wine I suppose, since it's not too demanding on the additional software requirements but haven't test it yet. I've removed dapper, got copy of feisty but I decided to go with windows instead. Still love playing games on my spare times, uh, ironically that's where the mighty penguin have really failed on me.