Tim Nikias wrote:
> So, I've had some spare time and continued with the modelling of my "Sitting
> Cat". It now features a tail, whiskers, and even a nice nose. :-)
> 
> The colors aren't final yet, I'm undecided if I want to go with this
> color-theme, or if I'll switch to something more gray/brown/black-ish, it'll
> probably depend on how the cat looks when placed inside the scene (which has
> yet to be built...).
> 
> In case anyone's wondering, I've made excessive use of object-patterns,
> trace(), pigment-functions and the like to composite and generate general
> pattern for the cat, which I then color using a simple color_map. The nose
> is actually taken off a photo and, using functions again to create a
> transparency map of off the inverted grayscale image of the nose, the image
> is placed onto a sphere and position where it is now. The whiskers are CSG
> made with a simple macro.
> 
> I'm wondering if I'll add some sort of hair to the cat for a more furry and
> chaotic look, but I want to focus on different parts of the image and leave
> that detail for later. It wouldn't harm if the cat were as orderly as it is
> now, but it would harm if other objects are missing in the final image! ;-)
> 
> Comments and suggestions, as always, appreciated!

I'm babysitting a kitten for some friends this week and I noticed 
something interesting about her fur that might be useful to you, if you 
ever end up using a hair macro or something like that.

Her fur isn't really just one color. It begins at the skin as almost 
whitish, then goes slightly darker (to a very light grey) out to within 
about 1/4" of the end. The last quarter inch is dark grey. It also has a 
nice sheen to it.

If the fur on your cat is sticking straight out perpendicular to the 
surface, the effect won't be noticed. But it will be quite evident if 
you add some wind or maybe just some bend or something. It gives it an 
effect somewhat similar to the SSS "velvet" we saw not long ago.

I'm sure my tactile senses (ie touch..she has very soft fur) have 
contributed to the effect of the fur overall, but the colors do look 
very pretty. :)

~Mike

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