This is just a little test for a scene I am toying with.  One of those 
situations where a test, a fragment, a sketch if you will, can suggest 
directions the scene might take that might be more compelling than the 
original vision.  Don't know about the rest of you, but I experience 
this all the time.

(The test fwiw was to light_group the cobbles and sidewalk with some 
light_sources located at the "luminescent" panels that the store uses to 
illuminate the window displays.  I get the illumination of the store 
window display with radiosity, but that doesn't provide the specular on 
the pavements, thus the need for the "invisible" point lights. 
Technically, nothing huge for the audience here.)

The cobbles are created with Bill Prgnell's code.  B'c it is a test the 
res on the bricks was set to a minimal "10".  Bill's code is remarkably 
fast when rendering.

The theme here is a little divergent from my usual interests.  Oh well, 
I guess such an image was inevitable, I am immersed in the NY streets 
60-70 hours a week, night-lit much of the time.  Also the blog is now 
taking up a lot of my focus.  In fact this scene started with the idea 
of putting it on the blog.

Believe it or not, I still see this as just another detour on my epic 
journey back to an elaborateded version of "African Caprice," the 
Povcomp entry I made.  Sigh.

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It's off to a good start.  I'm generally afraid to give advice to anyone on 
how to proceed, as we all have very different ideas, but this already evokes 
some feeling.  It's almost ghostly.  (more below)

"Jim Charter" <jrc### [at] msncom> wrote in message 
news:450afe91@news.povray.org...
> This is just a little test for a scene I am toying with.  One of those
> situations where a test, a fragment, a sketch if you will, can suggest
> directions the scene might take that might be more compelling than the
> original vision.  Don't know about the rest of you, but I experience
> this all the time.

Is there any other way?  ;-)  But seriously, almost everything I have done 
started out being something else.  I'm not exactly sure what that means 
about me (and you).  For me, it's generally due to A) the scene unfolding in 
an unexpected way, or B) my own limitations and resources.  Generally, I'm 
almost always happier with the new direction.

> The theme here is a little divergent from my usual interests.  Oh well,
> I guess such an image was inevitable, I am immersed in the NY streets
> 60-70 hours a week, night-lit much of the time. Also the blog is now
> taking up a lot of my focus.  In fact this scene started with the idea
> of putting it on the blog.

Lots of available inspiration in NYC.  I've read your blog a few times.  I 
hope you keep that up as well as your POVing.  But, as always, make sure to 
keep it balanced... ;-)

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Jeremy M. Praay wrote:
> It's off to a good start.  I'm generally afraid to give advice to anyone on 
> how to proceed, as we all have very different ideas, but this already evokes 
> some feeling.  It's almost ghostly.  
> 


Thanks. The window display in rl is rather ghostly so it is not a big 
leap.  To have the suspended dresses ghosting out over the cobbles is 
one direction to go.




> Lots of available inspiration in NYC.  I've read your blog a few times.  I 
> hope you keep that up as well as your POVing.  But, as always, make sure to 
> keep it balanced... ;-) 
> 
> 

It's a relief to know that someone reads it that's not of the little 
community of cabdriver bloggers.  Thanks for commenting.

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Jim Charter <jrc### [at] msncom> wrote:
> This is just a little test for a scene I am toying with.  One of those
> situations where a test, a fragment, a sketch if you will, can suggest
> directions the scene might take that might be more compelling than the
> original vision.  Don't know about the rest of you, but I experience
> this all the time.

> The theme here is a little divergent from my usual interests.
>  In fact this scene started with the idea
> of putting it on the blog.

Hi Jim,
I think that it stands (or floats) in its own right. It’s evocative. I see
three pretty young things standing at a bus shelter waiting for the last
bucket to take them back to Dingly Dell. Don’t ask me to explain that old
joke; it’s rude :-)
What is missing is some dress shoes. Could you make some? :-)

Where is your blog? I enjoyed reading some of your taxi tales on OT.

Stephen

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Stephen said it already, this is a lovely image that can almost stand by 
itself. A dreamlike scene really (that could turn into nightmare... now, why 
did I write that??).
I like the cobblestones, but would like to see a little randomness in their 
positioning, and perhaps a little less shiny?

I enjoyed your taxi tales by the way!

Thomas

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Thomas de Groot wrote:
> Stephen said it already, this is a lovely image that can almost stand by 
> itself. A dreamlike scene really (that could turn into nightmare... now, why 
> did I write that??).
> I like the cobblestones, but would like to see a little randomness in their 
> positioning, and perhaps a little less shiny?
>
Thanks Thomas. The look of the cobbles has a lot to do with the low res 
mesh, nevertheless I have taken off all reflection on their finish. 
Another interesting thing, in this test you see that some of the cobbles 
come up dark and in fact are not really displaying the finish at all. 
It would seem, from further testing, that this was the result of putting 
the cobbles in a union {} block within the light_groups {} block.

> I enjoyed your taxi tales by the way!
> 

Thanks, there are some good cab blogs out there imho.  I especially like 
the one called Night Cabbie on my links list.  Can you believe that 
already a "book scout" has contacted me?

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Stephen wrote:

> Hi Jim,
> I think that it stands (or floats) in its own right. It’s evocative. I see
> three pretty young things standing at a bus shelter waiting for the last
> bucket to take them back to Dingly Dell. Don’t ask me to explain that old
> joke; it’s rude :-)
> What is missing is some dress shoes. Could you make some? :-)

Tee hee, well actually, in rl, there is a glass table in the window just 
in front of the dresses with pair of shoes and a clasp purse displayed.

> 
> Where is your blog? I enjoyed reading some of your taxi tales on OT.
> 
http://charterjames.blogspot.com/

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Jim Charter <jrc### [at] msncom> wrote:

>
> Tee hee, well actually, in rl, there is a glass table in the window just
> in front of the dresses with pair of shoes and a clasp purse displayed.
>

That surprises me, why else would it have caught your attention?
What dress are you using? Because I think that I’ll try to render Dingly
Dell.
Hmm thinks! I hope that is not a too personal question :-)

> >
> > Where is your blog? I enjoyed reading some of your taxi tales on OT.
> >
> http://charterjames.blogspot.com/

Actually I goggled it just after. Interesting, it’s the first blog I’ve ever
read.

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Stephen wrote:
> Jim Charter <jrc### [at] msncom> wrote:
> 
> 
>>Tee hee, well actually, in rl, there is a glass table in the window just
>>in front of the dresses with pair of shoes and a clasp purse displayed.
>>
> 
> 
> That surprises me, why else would it have caught your attention?
> What dress are you using? Because I think that I’ll try to render Dingly
> Dell.
> Hmm thinks! I hope that is not a too personal question :-)
> 
> 
Nope, not too personal.  But actually, while I have been thinking of 
window displays alot, and ones displaying shoes do attract me, this 
particular scene didn't happen to come about that way at all.  It was 
really more about the cobbles and the wraith-like dresses.  That shop 
seems to do gown type dresses and may be in fact for weddings, I'm not 
sure.  The basic display seems to stay the same, just the dresses 
change.  The mannekins are hung quite high and the dresses seem to have 
long trains usually and a lot of ornate play around the bosum.

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Jim Charter <jrc### [at] msncom> wrote:
> Stephen wrote:
> > That surprises me, why else would it have caught your attention?
> > What dress are you using? Because I think that I’ll try to render Dingly
> > Dell.
> > Hmm thinks! I hope that is not a too personal question :-)
> >
> >
> Nope, not too personal.  But actually, while I have been thinking of
> window displays alot, and ones displaying shoes do attract me, this
> particular scene didn't happen to come about that way at all.  It was
> really more about the cobbles and the wraith-like dresses.  That shop
> seems to do gown type dresses and may be in fact for weddings, I'm not
> sure.  The basic display seems to stay the same, just the dresses
> change.  The mannekins are hung quite high and the dresses seem to have
> long trains usually and a lot of ornate play around the bosum.

Sorry Jim I meant is it a Poser dress and on rereading it. I thought that
the sentence could have meant, “What dress are you wearing?”
Some window displays are very “artistic” and I hope that the window dressers
get well paid. The most memorable one I can remember is from a few years ago
in London’s Fortnum and Masons. The Royal Academy was putting on a
exhibition of Spanish still life paintings (I can’t remember the artists
name it is something like “Mandelez”) Across the road the window dresser
had reproduced several of the paintings in “still life”. A true homage IMO.
I like your phrase “wraith-like”; it is suggestive just like your WIP.

Stephen

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Stephen wrote:
> Jim Charter <jrc### [at] msncom> wrote:
> 
>>Stephen wrote:


> Sorry Jim I meant is it a Poser dress and on rereading it. I thought that
> the sentence could have meant, “What dress are you wearing?”

LOL, no that's not how I took it.  I meant that I am not embarrassed to 
talk about my mania for shoes.

> Some window displays are very “artistic” and I hope that the window dressers
> get well paid. The most memorable one I can remember is from a few years ago
> in London’s Fortnum and Masons. The Royal Academy was putting on a
> exhibition of Spanish still life paintings (I can’t remember the artists
> name it is something like “Mandelez”) Across the road the window dresser
> had reproduced several of the paintings in “still life”. A true homage IMO.
> I like your phrase “wraith-like”; it is suggestive just like your WIP.
> 
Well, my daughter's closest girl friend lives in a beautiful Tribeca 
Loft, goes to a leading private high school, and sleep-away camps in the 
summer.  Not royalty by any means but well above what I can afford for 
my daughter.  Her dad does high end window displays.  Also the lighting 
for fashion shows.

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Jim Charter <jrc### [at] msncom> wrote:
> LOL, no that's not how I took it.  I meant that I am not embarrassed to
> talk about my mania for shoes.

I know, I know :-) Not that there is anything to be embarrassed about.

> Well, my daughter's closest girl friend lives in a beautiful Tribeca
> Loft, goes to a leading private high school, and sleep-away camps in the
> summer.  Not royalty by any means but well above what I can afford for
> my daughter.  Her dad does high end window displays.  Also the lighting
> for fashion shows.

Hmm my only display skill seams to be throwing flowers into a vase. And no
one is going to pay me mega bucks for that :-(

Keep us updated with the WIP

Stephen

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