It's been a while ... I hope all is well with everyone.

I took a break from most of my computer/graphic work to 'work the farm', fish
and relax. Recently thought, I've have had the itch to get back into some POV
rendering. I just started animating my old 'Nest' scene, which has recently
become more of a 'test' scene for writing some visualizing tools.

I'm currently working on a few ideas to help speed my POV scene building and
have started a new web site to post and archive my current work and code. I'm
working in a 'project tree' directory structure that allows me to jump around to
various render-able asset libraries (materials, images, color_maps, objects,
etc.).
There are also a few utilities I've coded to help the process that I've also
posted.

new site:   www.miller-raytracer.com
new email   mil### [at] gmailcom

I have an old site, that I don't update, that has some very early sketches and
POV stuff.
old site:  www.miller-headspin.com

I'm hoping to be check in more often. God bless
Mike Miller

Post a reply to this message

"Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:

> I'm currently working on a few ideas to help speed my POV scene building and
> have started a new web site to post and archive my current work and code. I'm
> working in a 'project tree' directory structure that allows me to jump around to
> various render-able asset libraries (materials, images, color_maps, objects,
> etc.).
> There are also a few utilities I've coded to help the process that I've also
> posted.

Hi Mike, and welcome back!

I like the new site, and the visuals are stunning as usual.  :)

I'm sure that you have a vast amount of knowledge about what makes things "look
good" - from the fundamental geometric aspects of structure and "smoothness", to
scene composition, lighting, and of course textures, normals, and finishes.

It would be really nice, and educational, if you could just post things here and
there about what was going through your head at the outset, and the key things
that you ensured were present to get the desired effects in the render.

"I _could_ have done it this way, but that would take too long, so I ...."
"I wanted to make this look [wet][powdery][translucent][hard & shiny][soft &
leathery] ... and so a texture like that requires at the minimum ...."
"The tentacle needs to look smooth and flowing, without any kinks, so I used a
[type] spline ..."
"Since I'm doing this in POV-Ray, I needed to take the structure of the SDL and
parsing into account.  [This] needed to be parameterized. [That] needed to
precede [xyz]. And [Sumthin' else] needed to be stored in a [data structure] to
really make it efficiently useable."

I think that new users would be fascinated and learn a lot, and even long-time
experienced users who don't have any graphic arts background would find such
explanations a goldmine of information and inspiration.

Just something to think about - it doesn't need to be formal.  Every little
tidbit, trick, rule, strategy, and optimization really helps.

Thanks for all that you have done and continue to do!
I like the new website, and the images are fantastic as always.
I'm sure the animations are going to be mesmerizing (and creepy ;) ).

- BE

Post a reply to this message

"Bald Eagle" <cre### [at] netscapenet> wrote:
> "Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
>
> > I'm currently working on a few ideas to help speed my POV scene building and
> > have started a new web site to post and archive my current work and code. I'm
> > working in a 'project tree' directory structure that allows me to jump around to
> > various render-able asset libraries (materials, images, color_maps, objects,
> > etc.).
> > There are also a few utilities I've coded to help the process that I've also
> > posted.
>
> Hi Mike, and welcome back!
>
> I like the new site, and the visuals are stunning as usual.  :)
>
> I'm sure that you have a vast amount of knowledge about what makes things "look
> good" - from the fundamental geometric aspects of structure and "smoothness", to
> scene composition, lighting, and of course textures, normals, and finishes.
>
> It would be really nice, and educational, if you could just post things here and
> there about what was going through your head at the outset, and the key things
> that you ensured were present to get the desired effects in the render.
>
> "I _could_ have done it this way, but that would take too long, so I ...."
> "I wanted to make this look [wet][powdery][translucent][hard & shiny][soft &
> leathery] ... and so a texture like that requires at the minimum ...."
> "The tentacle needs to look smooth and flowing, without any kinks, so I used a
> [type] spline ..."
> "Since I'm doing this in POV-Ray, I needed to take the structure of the SDL and
> parsing into account.  [This] needed to be parameterized. [That] needed to
> precede [xyz]. And [Sumthin' else] needed to be stored in a [data structure] to
> really make it efficiently useable."
>
> I think that new users would be fascinated and learn a lot, and even long-time
> experienced users who don't have any graphic arts background would find such
> explanations a goldmine of information and inspiration.
>
> Just something to think about - it doesn't need to be formal.  Every little
> tidbit, trick, rule, strategy, and optimization really helps.
>
> Thanks for all that you have done and continue to do!
> I like the new website, and the images are fantastic as always.
> I'm sure the animations are going to be mesmerizing (and creepy ;) ).
>
> - BE

Thanks BE.
I'll be happy to post my 'thought process' as I work though some new renderings.
I finally put 'pencils down' on my 'Nest project'. I have sketches of this from
30 years ago. haha. I'm rendering a 2000 frame drift animation through the
scene...which is taking some time @8 min per fame.

I've just started a new POV scene based on an old 'world' I designed in
Unity and exported for final renderings in Lumion 9. A software I own but is
'almost' impossible to export data out of. The renderings and animations focused
on an old flywheel driven 'pump-house' buried in ruin and over-grown vegetation.
I'll post some sketches of my idea along with some preliminary rendering I did
years ago. My goal on this will be to rebuild the Lumion scene in POV
without using smooth triangles - I miss CSG modeling and like a good challenge.
I do have my original CAD drawings that I'll use as underlays for building the
architectural structures.

BE, did you mean post stuff in this .general thread, or somewhere else?
Thanks!

miller

Post a reply to this message

"Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:

> BE, did you mean post stuff in this .general thread, or somewhere else?

You could do it here, where I think having your skill, creativity, experience,
and expertise archived would be a fantastic resource for people who really want
to learn how to achieve more professional looking results in their renders.

Or you could maintain a sort of blog on your site.

Or cross-post everything so that it's in both places.   Because - digital things
disappear sometimes.

- BE

Post a reply to this message

"Bald Eagle" <cre### [at] netscapenet> wrote:
> "Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
>
> > BE, did you mean post stuff in this .general thread, or somewhere else?
>
> You could do it here, where I think having your skill, creativity, experience,
> and expertise archived would be a fantastic resource for people who really want
> to learn how to achieve more professional looking results in their renders.
>
> Or you could maintain a sort of blog on your site.
>
> Or cross-post everything so that it's in both places.   Because - digital things
> disappear sometimes.
>
> - BE

Thanks BE.
I'll set up a page on my website for this current project 'pump house' and post
here with any news or updates. I found my original concept sketches and the
Collada/Lumion files. I'll take some screen grabs of this model and post along
with my sketches and images I gathered for reference & inspiration. I always
pull images and sketch* what I can before I get too far into modeling. I built
the first model in Revit and exported it to Unity and Lumion for animations and
visuals.

* I usually have a 'final' image or 2 in mind that I'll rough out in pencil, but
my drawing skills are diminishing with age - so more like doodles. :) Now that I
have a few CPU's that can render frames at a decent rate, I'm also thinking
about camera path animations and how to break a scene down into manageable
parts.

Mike

Post a reply to this message

hi,

"Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> It's been a while ... I hope all is well with everyone.
>
> I took a break from most of my computer/graphic work to 'work the farm', fish
> and relax. Recently thought, I've have had the itch to get back into some POV
> rendering. I just started animating my old 'Nest' scene, which has recently
> become more of a 'test' scene for writing some visualizing tools.
>
> I'm currently working on a few ideas to help speed my POV scene building and
> have started a new web site to post and archive my current work and code. I'm
> working in a 'project tree' directory structure that allows me to jump around to
> various render-able asset libraries (materials, images, color_maps, objects,
> etc.).
> There are also a few utilities I've coded to help the process that I've also
> posted.
>
> new site:   www.miller-raytracer.com

nice site, although my "old eyes" struggled with the contrast, in places.
thanks.


regards, jr.

Post a reply to this message

"Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:

> Thanks BE.
Thank _you_, Mike.
It's been great see all of the sketches, development, WIPs, and renders.

> I'll set up a page on my website for this current project 'pump house' and post
> here with any news or updates. I found my original concept sketches and the
> Collada/Lumion files. I'll take some screen grabs of this model and post along
> with my sketches and images I gathered for reference & inspiration. I always
> pull images and sketch* what I can before I get too far into modeling. I built
> the first model in Revit and exported it to Unity and Lumion for animations and
> visuals.

Yes.  I think that "storyboarding" or flowcharting how you go from initial idea
to final render would do much to dispel the "magic" of how such final renders
come into being.

You don't just open up a text editor and start typing out SDL.
(Well, _I_ do a lot of times . . .)
Showing all of the sketches and modelers and conversion utilities, and 3rd party
software that gets used in preparation for a final POV-Ray render, and then
maybe even post-render processing would be a master class in what you do so
well.

> .... I'm also thinking
> about camera path animations and how to break a scene down into manageable
> parts.

Yeah - that's always another layer of challenges which have their own solutions.

- BE

Post a reply to this message

"Bald Eagle" <cre### [at] netscapenet> wrote:
> "Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
>
> > Thanks BE.
> Thank _you_, Mike.
> It's been great see all of the sketches, development, WIPs, and renders.
>
> > I'll set up a page on my website for this current project 'pump house' and post
> > here with any news or updates. I found my original concept sketches and the
> > Collada/Lumion files. I'll take some screen grabs of this model and post along
> > with my sketches and images I gathered for reference & inspiration. I always
> > pull images and sketch* what I can before I get too far into modeling. I built
> > the first model in Revit and exported it to Unity and Lumion for animations and
> > visuals.
>
> Yes.  I think that "storyboarding" or flowcharting how you go from initial idea
> to final render would do much to dispel the "magic" of how such final renders
> come into being.
>
> You don't just open up a text editor and start typing out SDL.
> (Well, _I_ do a lot of times . . .)
> Showing all of the sketches and modelers and conversion utilities, and 3rd party
> software that gets used in preparation for a final POV-Ray render, and then
> maybe even post-render processing would be a master class in what you do so
> well.
>
> > .... I'm also thinking
> > about camera path animations and how to break a scene down into manageable
> > parts.
>
> Yeah - that's always another layer of challenges which have their own solutions.
>
> - BE

Thanks, BE
I just posted some concept sketches for this POV piece along with images of my
past models to my web. I'll do have a 'plan of attack' to make this happen in
POV and will put a bullet-list together.
miller

Post a reply to this message

"Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> "Bald Eagle" <cre### [at] netscapenet> wrote:
> > "Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> >
> > > Thanks BE.
> > Thank _you_, Mike.
> > It's been great see all of the sketches, development, WIPs, and renders.
> >
> > > I'll set up a page on my website for this current project 'pump house' and post
> > > here with any news or updates. I found my original concept sketches and the
> > > Collada/Lumion files. I'll take some screen grabs of this model and post along
> > > with my sketches and images I gathered for reference & inspiration. I always
> > > pull images and sketch* what I can before I get too far into modeling. I built
> > > the first model in Revit and exported it to Unity and Lumion for animations and
> > > visuals.
> >
> > Yes.  I think that "storyboarding" or flowcharting how you go from initial idea
> > to final render would do much to dispel the "magic" of how such final renders
> > come into being.
> >
> > You don't just open up a text editor and start typing out SDL.
> > (Well, _I_ do a lot of times . . .)
> > Showing all of the sketches and modelers and conversion utilities, and 3rd party
> > software that gets used in preparation for a final POV-Ray render, and then
> > maybe even post-render processing would be a master class in what you do so
> > well.
> >
> > > .... I'm also thinking
> > > about camera path animations and how to break a scene down into manageable
> > > parts.
> >
> > Yeah - that's always another layer of challenges which have their own solutions.
> >
> > - BE
>
> Thanks, BE
> I just posted some concept sketches for this POV piece along with images of my
> past models to my web. I'll do have a 'plan of attack' to make this happen in
> POV and will put a bullet-list together.
> miller

I've added some progress images to my Pump House page and a bullet list of
processes. I was able to get a temp license for Revit and extracted the CAD and
3D models I wanted before starting the POV model. I'll start on the main
flywheel and mounts first and post progress as I go.
miller

Post a reply to this message

On 26/07/2026 18:57, Mike Miller wrote:
> 
> I've added some progress images to my Pump House page and a bullet list of
> processes. I was able to get a temp license for Revit and extracted the CAD and
> 3D models I wanted before starting the POV model. I'll start on the main
> flywheel and mounts first and post progress as I go.
> miller

Hi, Mike!
Glad to see (read) you here again after a long break. Your new site
looks neat and elegant. Pump House is also exiting (I like industrial
environment), especially rendered with Lumion which make it even more
impressive.

Looking forward for POV version - good luck with this work !
--
YB

Post a reply to this message

yesbird wrote:
> On 26/07/2026 18:57, Mike Miller wrote:
> >
> > I've added some progress images to my Pump House page and a bullet list of
> > processes. I was able to get a temp license for Revit and extracted the CAD and
> > 3D models I wanted before starting the POV model. I'll start on the main
> > flywheel and mounts first and post progress as I go.
> > miller
>
> Hi, Mike!
> Glad to see (read) you here again after a long break. Your new site
> looks neat and elegant. Pump House is also exiting (I like industrial
> environment), especially rendered with Lumion which make it even more
> impressive.
>
> Looking forward for POV version - good luck with this work !
> --
> YB

Thanks, YB. Yeah, I've work on many projects that included modeling major
piping, pumps, and conduit. I like the look of the technical complexity, even
though I have little idea how it works. :) Attached is a project that I worked
on for months for Pitman Pigiron. I need to find my interior renderings of the
facility. Thes model is more complex than the exterior. Built in Naviworks
before importing to Revit & Max for site work. Day & night animations in Lumion
Mike

Post a reply to this message

On 27/07/2026 04:35, Mike Miller wrote:
> Thanks, YB. Yeah, I've work on many projects that included modeling major
> piping, pumps, and conduit. I like the look of the technical complexity, even
> though I have little idea how it works. :) Attached is a project that I worked
> on for months for Pitman Pigiron. I need to find my interior renderings of the
> facility. Thes model is more complex than the exterior. Built in Naviworks
> before importing to Revit & Max for site work. Day & night animations in Lumion
> Mike

I see you have a rich background and a large archive of interesting
geometry. What about publishing them online in 3D with my following
tools:

https://povlab.yesbird.online/studio/
https://galleries.yesbird.online/vr/

Guess it will be interesting to walk through pumps and pipes in VR ).
--
YB

Post a reply to this message

yesbird wrote:
> On 27/07/2026 04:35, Mike Miller wrote:
> > Thanks, YB. Yeah, I've work on many projects that included modeling major
> > piping, pumps, and conduit. I like the look of the technical complexity, even
> > though I have little idea how it works. :) Attached is a project that I worked
> > on for months for Pitman Pigiron. I need to find my interior renderings of the
> > facility. Thes model is more complex than the exterior. Built in Naviworks
> > before importing to Revit & Max for site work. Day & night animations in Lumion
> > Mike
>
> I see you have a rich background and a large archive of interesting
> geometry. What about publishing them online in 3D with my following
> tools:
>
> https://povlab.yesbird.online/studio/
> https://galleries.yesbird.online/vr/
>
> Guess it will be interesting to walk through pumps and pipes in VR ).
> --
> YB

It is. If you can get the model to behave and render correctly out of these Bim
products. Coincidental faces or shading problem showed their ugly head in
animation.
oopps...
I thought I attached this.

Post a reply to this message

Attachments:
Download 'petmin plant.pdf.zip' (2770 KB)

On 27/07/2026 14:14, Mike Miller wrote:
> It is. If you can get the model to behave and render correctly out of these Bim
> products. Coincidental faces or shading problem showed their ugly head in
> animation.
> oopps...
> I thought I attached this.

 From PDF I see that the scene is large, maybe it makes sense to get
something less for the start ?

To prepare scene for online and  test how it will work this editor can
help a lot: https://threejs.org/editor/
--
YB

Post a reply to this message

yesbird wrote:
> On 27/07/2026 14:14, Mike Miller wrote:
> > It is. If you can get the model to behave and render correctly out of these Bim
> > products. Coincidental faces or shading problem showed their ugly head in
> > animation.
> > oopps...
> > I thought I attached this.
>
>  From PDF I see that the scene is large, maybe it makes sense to get
> something less for the start ?
>
> To prepare scene for online and  test how it will work this editor can
> help a lot: https://threejs.org/editor/
> --
> YB

Thanks. That Petmin project was from 2000-2001. I heard they filed for
bankruptcy. I wonder if GPD got paid. I did. :) ...perks of not being the owner.
haha

As I work through the POV scene building, I'll keep posting screen grabs on my
web page. I'm currently exporting point position 'profiles' from Blender for POV
lathes.
Mike

Post a reply to this message

On 27/07/2026 15:28, Mike Miller wrote:
> As I work through the POV scene building, I'll keep posting screen grabs on my
> web page. I'm currently exporting point position 'profiles' from Blender for POV
> lathes.

Looking forward to see them, good luck !
--
YB

Post a reply to this message

yesbird wrote:
> On 27/07/2026 15:28, Mike Miller wrote:
> > As I work through the POV scene building, I'll keep posting screen grabs on my
> > web page. I'm currently exporting point position 'profiles' from Blender for POV
> > lathes.
>
> Looking forward to see them, good luck !
> --
> YB

thanks, YB.
How have you been? What fun ideas have you been working on? Sorry, I need to
read through the threads.  ...any ways, cheers.

Post a reply to this message

On 28/07/2026 00:52, Mike Miller wrote:
> thanks, YB.
> How have you been? What fun ideas have you been working on? Sorry, I need to
> read through the threads.  ...any ways, cheers.
> 

Hi, Mike.
There are a lot of things I would like to do, and some of them
POV-related. I moved to browser-based Javascript graphics (Three.js) and
building the bridge between this technology and POV-Ray, first attempt
is here: https://povlab.yesbird.online/

Next project is based on POV-ray studio (online converter from popular
formats to mesh2 https://povlab.yesbird.online/studio/) is a jewelry
renderer (early beta now):
https://jray.yesbird.online/

All POV rendering is done on the server now, but I am thinking about
pushing it into the browser with WASM. This is a serious challenge, so I
need a time to prepare carefully to start, maybe in September ...

BTW, here is my portfolio:
https://yesbird.online/

Hope your work on Pump House will be smooth and fast.
What other plans do you have ?
--
YB

Post a reply to this message

yesbird wrote:
> On 28/07/2026 00:52, Mike Miller wrote:
> > thanks, YB.
> > How have you been? What fun ideas have you been working on? Sorry, I need to
> > read through the threads.  ...any ways, cheers.
> >
>
> Hi, Mike.
> There are a lot of things I would like to do, and some of them
> POV-related. I moved to browser-based Javascript graphics (Three.js) and
> building the bridge between this technology and POV-Ray, first attempt
> is here: https://povlab.yesbird.online/
>
> Next project is based on POV-ray studio (online converter from popular
> formats to mesh2 https://povlab.yesbird.online/studio/) is a jewelry
> renderer (early beta now):
> https://jray.yesbird.online/
>
> All POV rendering is done on the server now, but I am thinking about
> pushing it into the browser with WASM. This is a serious challenge, so I
> need a time to prepare carefully to start, maybe in September ...
>
> BTW, here is my portfolio:
> https://yesbird.online/
>
> Hope your work on Pump House will be smooth and fast.
> What other plans do you have ?
> --
> YB


Very cool stuff YB. I checked out povlab.yesbird.online stuff. Well done on the
materials and viewer. That's all Java? I don't know a thing about WASM... just
checked it out.... I'd love to see your progress on that.

I'd like to push a few more scenes into animations and dust of some really old
work - now that rendering times have really drop compared to 1990's.  :)

This pump house is going to take me a few weeks to model and another month of
landscape work if I had to guess. I'm going to model a lizard as a feature
foreground object and use the pump-house structure as a backdrop.

I attached my current POV model / progress of the flywheel and mounts.
Most made with lathe or prisms with cubic or linear splines - depending on a
bevel or curve look.

Mike

Post a reply to this message

Attachments:
Download 'pov_flywheel_01.jpg' (1597 KB)

Preview of image 'pov_flywheel_01.jpg'

On 29/07/2026 21:34, Mike Miller wrote:
> Very cool stuff YB. I checked out povlab.yesbird.online stuff. Well done on the
> materials and viewer. That's all Java? I don't know a thing about WASM... just
> checked it out.... I'd love to see your progress on that.
> 

Thanks, Mike.
This is my first attempt to make a POV closer to the modern
world ). BTW, I've embedded your materials browser here, as I found it
very useful:
https://povlab.yesbird.online/?scene=materials/samples_default.pov

WASM compiling can be painful and need a lot of effort to get a stable
result. This is the reason I postponed it to the autumn, preferring to
relax in the summer ).

> I'd like to push a few more scenes into animations and dust of some really old
> work - now that rendering times have really drop compared to 1990's.  :)

Exactly !

> 
> This pump house is going to take me a few weeks to model and another month of
> landscape work if I had to guess. I'm going to model a lizard as a feature
> foreground object and use the pump-house structure as a backdrop.

Respect, you have a lot of patience (which I need) to make such a large
scene. Lizard in industrial environment ? Sounds cool - looking forward
to see it (sketch at least :)).

> 
> I attached my current POV model / progress of the flywheel and mounts.
> Most made with lathe or prisms with cubic or linear splines - depending on a
> bevel or curve look.

I found it very neat, especially "golden wheels" - excellent material,
which can probably be used in jewelry rendering.
-- 
YB

Post a reply to this message

yesbird wrote:
> On 29/07/2026 21:34, Mike Miller wrote:
> > Very cool stuff YB. I checked out povlab.yesbird.online stuff. Well done on the
> > materials and viewer. That's all Java? I don't know a thing about WASM... just
> > checked it out.... I'd love to see your progress on that.
> >
>
> Thanks, Mike.
> This is my first attempt to make a POV closer to the modern
> world ). BTW, I've embedded your materials browser here, as I found it
> very useful:
> https://povlab.yesbird.online/?scene=materials/samples_default.pov
>
> WASM compiling can be painful and need a lot of effort to get a stable
> result. This is the reason I postponed it to the autumn, preferring to
> relax in the summer ).
>
> > I'd like to push a few more scenes into animations and dust of some really old
> > work - now that rendering times have really drop compared to 1990's.  :)
>
> Exactly !
>
> >
> > This pump house is going to take me a few weeks to model and another month of
> > landscape work if I had to guess. I'm going to model a lizard as a feature
> > foreground object and use the pump-house structure as a backdrop.
>
> Respect, you have a lot of patience (which I need) to make such a large
> scene. Lizard in industrial environment ? Sounds cool - looking forward
> to see it (sketch at least :)).
>
> >
> > I attached my current POV model / progress of the flywheel and mounts.
> > Most made with lathe or prisms with cubic or linear splines - depending on a
> > bevel or curve look.
>
> I found it very neat, especially "golden wheels" - excellent material,
> which can probably be used in jewelry rendering.
> --
> YB

Thanks. Yes, I need to work out a better sketch.
I attached my current working file. It has the gold metal texture. I'll probably
be creating a very 'distressed material' for this model in the end. I'll tackle
texturing once I have everything built.
Mike.

Post a reply to this message

Attachments:
Download 'pump_house.zip' (4147 KB)

On 30/07/2026 01:04, Mike Miller wrote:
> I attached my current working file. It has the gold metal texture. I'll probably
> be creating a very 'distressed material' for this model in the end. I'll tackle
> texturing once I have everything built.

Thanks so much for this 'gold', I will put it into my materials
collection.
--
YB

Post a reply to this message

yesbird wrote:
> On 30/07/2026 01:04, Mike Miller wrote:
> > I attached my current working file. It has the gold metal texture. I'll probably
> > be creating a very 'distressed material' for this model in the end. I'll tackle
> > texturing once I have everything built.
>
> Thanks so much for this 'gold', I will put it into my materials
> collection.
> --
> YB

Hi guys,
attached are 2 preliminary renderings of my pumphouse model. I've tweaked the
design a bit and assigned some 'place-holder' materials before going too far.
Next will be the upper bridge, stairs & railer, and lamps. ...have a great
weekend,
Mike

Post a reply to this message

Attachments:
Download 'pumphouse_prelims.pdf.zip' (544 KB)

On 01/08/2026 21:29, Mike Miller wrote:
> Hi guys,
> attached are 2 preliminary renderings of my pumphouse model. I've tweaked the
> design a bit and assigned some 'place-holder' materials before going too far.
> Next will be the upper bridge, stairs & railer, and lamps. ...have a great
> weekend,
> Mike
> 

Looks nice and accurate, materials also "in place",
looking forward to "to be continued" ).
-- 
YB

Post a reply to this message

Hi Mike, welcome back.

I'm one of the new ones, only active since 2016.

Nice website, crazy good pictures.

I took a look a few days ago, there was a download section, from your workbench.
Quite a lot of things in it, great that you published it (at least briefly).

It's written for 3.8, but maybe I can still learn a bit for 3.7 (debian
repository-install).

Greetings from Cologne/Germany.

Post a reply to this message

"Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:

> old site:  www.miller-headspin.com
>

Hi Mike, went through the images from your old site. There's quite a few I don't
remember some of the later ones I do and then the there's "The Fish of '92".
Ahhhh

If you still can track them, you should date all your images. Not for the gaps
in my memory, but just to see the time line.

Cheers!

ingo

Post a reply to this message

"Maetes" <nomail@nomail> wrote:
> Hi Mike, welcome back.
>
> I'm one of the new ones, only active since 2016.
>
> Nice website, crazy good pictures.
>
> I took a look a few days ago, there was a download section, from your workbench.
> Quite a lot of things in it, great that you published it (at least briefly).
>
> It's written for 3.8, but maybe I can still learn a bit for 3.7 (debian
> repository-install).
>
> Greetings from Cologne/Germany.

Hello Germany
Thanks, Maetes.
Yes, that workbench scene does have the object count - almost too many. I would
like to animate it someday if I could find a free CPU. :)
Mike

Post a reply to this message

"ingo" <nomail@nomail> wrote:
> "Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
>
> > old site:  www.miller-headspin.com
> >
>
> Hi Mike, went through the images from your old site. There's quite a few I don't
> remember some of the later ones I do and then the there's "The Fish of '92".
> Ahhhh
>
> If you still can track them, you should date all your images. Not for the gaps
> in my memory, but just to see the time line.
>
> Cheers!
>
> ingo

Thanks, ingo.

I agree, I need to get dates and some better descriptions on my site. I lost
most of my scene files from the early 90's to 2000's. I had posted much of this
work on my CompuServe account...but I think it's vapor.
I will be scanning and posting more of my artwork/sketches that I use to model
POV work.
Mike.

Post a reply to this message

"Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> "ingo" <nomail@nomail> wrote:
> > "Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> >
> > > old site:  www.miller-headspin.com
> > >
> >
> > Hi Mike, went through the images from your old site. There's quite a few I don't
> > remember some of the later ones I do and then the there's "The Fish of '92".
> > Ahhhh
> >
> > If you still can track them, you should date all your images. Not for the gaps
> > in my memory, but just to see the time line.
> >
> > Cheers!
> >
> > ingo
>
> Thanks, ingo.
>
> I agree, I need to get dates and some better descriptions on my site. I lost
> most of my scene files from the early 90's to 2000's. I had posted much of this
> work on my CompuServe account...but I think it's vapor.
> I will be scanning and posting more of my artwork/sketches that I use to model
> POV work.
> Mike.


Attached are elevations & plan renderings from POV of my current pump house
model.
Cheers
Mike

Post a reply to this message

Attachments:
Download 'project_pump_pov_elevs.jpg' (1879 KB)

Preview of image 'project_pump_pov_elevs.jpg'

On 03/08/2026 23:37, Mike Miller wrote:
> Yes, that workbench scene does have the object count - almost too many. I would
> like to animate it someday if I could find a free CPU. :)
> Mike

Probably I can help you with CPU - I have a hosting with installed
POVRay 3.8 for long-time experiments, which is not loaded now.

Here is animation of your fish rendered in my small "farm":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JomLeE21Wic
--
YB

Post a reply to this message

yesbird wrote:
> On 03/08/2026 23:37, Mike Miller wrote:
> > Yes, that workbench scene does have the object count - almost too many. I would
> > like to animate it someday if I could find a free CPU. :)
> > Mike
>
> Probably I can help you with CPU - I have a hosting with installed
> POVRay 3.8 for long-time experiments, which is not loaded now.
>
> Here is animation of your fish rendered in my small "farm":
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JomLeE21Wic
> --
> YB

Thanks TB.
Love seeing my fish model - it was fun to model. Your lighting shows it off
well. I'd love to pass a few files to you if you have a free CPU....and
absolutely no rush. I'm deep into the deep minutia of my current project.
Mike.

Post a reply to this message

On 04/08/2026 22:28, Mike Miller wrote:
> Love seeing my fish model - it was fun to model. Your lighting shows it off
> well. I'd love to pass a few files to you if you have a free CPU....and
> absolutely no rush. I'm deep into the deep minutia of my current project.

Hi, Mike.
I will be glad to assist you in your projects by rendering them,
looking forward to sources.
--
YB

Post a reply to this message

"Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:

> Attached are elevations & plan renderings from POV of my current pump house
> model.

Damn.
I'm not an architect or a graphic designer, but have done a fair amount of
building work, and have needed to measure/estimate the sizes of things, and have
designed and drawn plans for buildings, staircases, landscapes, etc.

I love this stuff.

Do you model everything as meshes first?
Do you ever create anything with scripts/CSG?

What about the textures?
Are they designed with 3rd party tools?
UV mapping?

Is anything ever done procedurally?

Why/why not would help a lot of people get good work done more quickly and then
step two is making it LOOK better without 100 iterations of tweaking.

- BE

Post a reply to this message

"Bald Eagle" <cre### [at] netscapenet> wrote:
> "Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
>
> > Attached are elevations & plan renderings from POV of my current pump house
> > model.
>
> Damn.
> I'm not an architect or a graphic designer, but have done a fair amount of
> building work, and have needed to measure/estimate the sizes of things, and have
> designed and drawn plans for buildings, staircases, landscapes, etc.
>
> I love this stuff.
>
> Do you model everything as meshes first?
> Do you ever create anything with scripts/CSG?
>
> What about the textures?
> Are they designed with 3rd party tools?
> UV mapping?
>
> Is anything ever done procedurally?
>
> Why/why not would help a lot of people get good work done more quickly and then
> step two is making it LOOK better without 100 iterations of tweaking.
>
> - BE

>> designed and drawn plans for buildings, staircases, landscapes, etc.
Nice, that kind of how I got into architecture. I spent summers in high school
restoring churches and was fascinated when I got to work on old sets of
drawings.

>> Do you model everything as meshes first?
For the production/client work, yes, but in POV, I try to build scenes without
mesh. It’s rewarding for me when I can a build a complex object in pure CSG.  I
do use Blender for some complete forms and for exporting position data for POV
types.

>> Do you ever create anything with scripts/CSG?
Yes, use macros to create 'types' with 'properties' like: bolts, pipes, window
frames, beams, etc. I also use them in writing & testing materials & for
read/write functions between software’s.

>> What about the textures?> Are they designed with 3rd party tools?
>> UV mapping?
For my POV work, it is a mix. I relied heavily on image mapped textures for my
architectural renderings, but I prefer to make procedural textures for my POV
renderings. Professionally, we use a PBR setup with real-time viewing which
makes the texturing process easier. I still export some diffuse and normal maps
out of Substance.

Mike

Post a reply to this message

"Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> "Bald Eagle" <cre### [at] netscapenet> wrote:
> > "Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> >
> > > Attached are elevations & plan renderings from POV of my current pump house
> > > model.
> >
> > Damn.
> > I'm not an architect or a graphic designer, but have done a fair amount of
> > building work, and have needed to measure/estimate the sizes of things, and have
> > designed and drawn plans for buildings, staircases, landscapes, etc.
> >
> > I love this stuff.
> >
> > Do you model everything as meshes first?
> > Do you ever create anything with scripts/CSG?
> >
> > What about the textures?
> > Are they designed with 3rd party tools?
> > UV mapping?
> >
> > Is anything ever done procedurally?
> >
> > Why/why not would help a lot of people get good work done more quickly and then
> > step two is making it LOOK better without 100 iterations of tweaking.
> >
> > - BE
>
> >> designed and drawn plans for buildings, staircases, landscapes, etc.
> Nice, that kind of how I got into architecture. I spent summers in high school
> restoring churches and was fascinated when I got to work on old sets of
> drawings.
>
> >> Do you model everything as meshes first?
> For the production/client work, yes, but in POV, I try to build scenes without
>
> do use Blender for some complete forms and for exporting position data for POV
> types.
>
> >> Do you ever create anything with scripts/CSG?
> Yes, use macros to create 'types' with 'properties' like: bolts, pipes, window
> frames, beams, etc. I also use them in writing & testing materials & for
>
>
> >> What about the textures?> Are they designed with 3rd party tools?
> >> UV mapping?
> For my POV work, it is a mix. I relied heavily on image mapped textures for my
> architectural renderings, but I prefer to make procedural textures for my POV
> renderings. Professionally, we use a PBR setup with real-time viewing which
> makes the texturing process easier. I still export some diffuse and normal maps
> out of Substance.
>
> Mike

SORRY -- I posted something very cryptic this morning.

>> designed and drawn plans for buildings, staircases, landscapes, etc.
Nice, that’s kind of how I got into architecture. I spent summers in high school
youth-group restoring old churches and was fascinated when I got to work on an
old set of drawings. I went from drawing comic books to illustrating building.

>> Do you model everything as meshes first?
For the production/client work, yes, but in POV, I try to build scenes without
mesh. It’s rewarding to me when I can a build a complex object in pure CSG.  I
do use Blender for some complex forms and for exporting position data for POV
types.
>> Do you ever create anything with scripts/CSG?

Yes, use macros to create 'types with properties' objects: bolts, pipes, window
frames, beams, etc. I also use them in my writing & testing materials & for
read/write functions between software’s. I have a set of architectural macros I
use and can post here. I program parametric Revit families and use a simulate
setup in POV (using a 2D profile to create extrudes, sweeps, voids, etc.). I use
'mixed' array to create a 'Sudo' class for storing properties that get passed to
a 'construction' macro. It allows for creating many variations from the same
template.

>> What about the textures?> Are they designed with 3rd party tools?
>> UV mapping?
For my POV work, it is a mix. I relied heavily on image mapped textures for my
architectural renderings, but I prefer to make procedural textures for my POV
renderings. Professionally, we use a PBR setup with real-time viewing which
makes the texturing process easier. I still export some diffuse and bump-maps
out of Substance.
Miller

Post a reply to this message

"Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> "Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> > "Bald Eagle" <cre### [at] netscapenet> wrote:
> > > "Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> > >
> > > > Attached are elevations & plan renderings from POV of my current pump house
> > > > model.
> > >
> > > Damn.
> > > I'm not an architect or a graphic designer, but have done a fair amount of
> > > building work, and have needed to measure/estimate the sizes of things, and have
> > > designed and drawn plans for buildings, staircases, landscapes, etc.
> > >
> > > I love this stuff.
> > >
> > > Do you model everything as meshes first?
> > > Do you ever create anything with scripts/CSG?
> > >
> > > What about the textures?
> > > Are they designed with 3rd party tools?
> > > UV mapping?
> > >
> > > Is anything ever done procedurally?
> > >
> > > Why/why not would help a lot of people get good work done more quickly and then
> > > step two is making it LOOK better without 100 iterations of tweaking.
> > >
> > > - BE
> >
> > >> designed and drawn plans for buildings, staircases, landscapes, etc.
> > Nice, that kind of how I got into architecture. I spent summers in high school
> > restoring churches and was fascinated when I got to work on old sets of
> > drawings.
> >
> > >> Do you model everything as meshes first?
> > For the production/client work, yes, but in POV, I try to build scenes without
> >
> > do use Blender for some complete forms and for exporting position data for POV
> > types.
> >
> > >> Do you ever create anything with scripts/CSG?
> > Yes, use macros to create 'types' with 'properties' like: bolts, pipes, window
> > frames, beams, etc. I also use them in writing & testing materials & for
> >
> >
> > >> What about the textures?> Are they designed with 3rd party tools?
> > >> UV mapping?
> > For my POV work, it is a mix. I relied heavily on image mapped textures for my
> > architectural renderings, but I prefer to make procedural textures for my POV
> > renderings. Professionally, we use a PBR setup with real-time viewing which
> > makes the texturing process easier. I still export some diffuse and normal maps
> > out of Substance.
> >
> > Mike
>
> SORRY -- I posted something very cryptic this morning.
>
> >> designed and drawn plans for buildings, staircases, landscapes, etc.
>
> youth-group restoring old churches and was fascinated when I got to work on an
> old set of drawings. I went from drawing comic books to illustrating building.
>
> >> Do you model everything as meshes first?
> For the production/client work, yes, but in POV, I try to build scenes without
>
> do use Blender for some complex forms and for exporting position data for POV
> types.
> >> Do you ever create anything with scripts/CSG?
>
> Yes, use macros to create 'types with properties' objects: bolts, pipes, window
> frames, beams, etc. I also use them in my writing & testing materials & for
>
> use and can post here. I program parametric Revit families and use a simulate
> setup in POV (using a 2D profile to create extrudes, sweeps, voids, etc.). I use
> 'mixed' array to create a 'Sudo' class for storing properties that get passed to
> a 'construction' macro. It allows for creating many variations from the same
> template.
>
> >> What about the textures?> Are they designed with 3rd party tools?
> >> UV mapping?
> For my POV work, it is a mix. I relied heavily on image mapped textures for my
> architectural renderings, but I prefer to make procedural textures for my POV
> renderings. Professionally, we use a PBR setup with real-time viewing which
> makes the texturing process easier. I still export some diffuse and bump-maps
> out of Substance.
> Miller

I seem to be dropping sentences when I use line returns in my responses. My
previewed messages look OK except for the mis-spells. :) ?

Post a reply to this message

"Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> "Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> > "Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> > > "Bald Eagle" <cre### [at] netscapenet> wrote:
> > > > "Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > Attached are elevations & plan renderings from POV of my current pump house
> > > > > model.
> > > >
> > > > Damn.
> > > > I'm not an architect or a graphic designer, but have done a fair amount of
> > > > building work, and have needed to measure/estimate the sizes of things, and
have
> > > > designed and drawn plans for buildings, staircases, landscapes, etc.
> > > >
> > > > I love this stuff.
> > > >
> > > > Do you model everything as meshes first?
> > > > Do you ever create anything with scripts/CSG?
> > > >
> > > > What about the textures?
> > > > Are they designed with 3rd party tools?
> > > > UV mapping?
> > > >
> > > > Is anything ever done procedurally?
> > > >
> > > > Why/why not would help a lot of people get good work done more quickly and
then
> > > > step two is making it LOOK better without 100 iterations of tweaking.
> > > >
> > > > - BE
> > >
> > > >> designed and drawn plans for buildings, staircases, landscapes, etc.
> > > Nice, that kind of how I got into architecture. I spent summers in high school
> > > restoring churches and was fascinated when I got to work on old sets of
> > > drawings.
> > >
> > > >> Do you model everything as meshes first?
> > > For the production/client work, yes, but in POV, I try to build scenes without
> > >
> > > do use Blender for some complete forms and for exporting position data for POV
> > > types.
> > >
> > > >> Do you ever create anything with scripts/CSG?
> > > Yes, use macros to create 'types' with 'properties' like: bolts, pipes, window
> > > frames, beams, etc. I also use them in writing & testing materials & for
> > >
> > >
> > > >> What about the textures?> Are they designed with 3rd party tools?
> > > >> UV mapping?
> > > For my POV work, it is a mix. I relied heavily on image mapped textures for my
> > > architectural renderings, but I prefer to make procedural textures for my POV
> > > renderings. Professionally, we use a PBR setup with real-time viewing which
> > > makes the texturing process easier. I still export some diffuse and normal maps
> > > out of Substance.
> > >
> > > Mike
> >
> > SORRY -- I posted something very cryptic this morning.
> >
> > >> designed and drawn plans for buildings, staircases, landscapes, etc.
> >
> > youth-group restoring old churches and was fascinated when I got to work on an
> > old set of drawings. I went from drawing comic books to illustrating building.
> >
> > >> Do you model everything as meshes first?
> > For the production/client work, yes, but in POV, I try to build scenes without
> >
> > do use Blender for some complex forms and for exporting position data for POV
> > types.
> > >> Do you ever create anything with scripts/CSG?
> >
> > Yes, use macros to create 'types with properties' objects: bolts, pipes, window
> > frames, beams, etc. I also use them in my writing & testing materials & for
> >
> > use and can post here. I program parametric Revit families and use a simulate
> > setup in POV (using a 2D profile to create extrudes, sweeps, voids, etc.). I use
> > 'mixed' array to create a 'Sudo' class for storing properties that get passed to
> > a 'construction' macro. It allows for creating many variations from the same
> > template.
> >
> > >> What about the textures?> Are they designed with 3rd party tools?
> > >> UV mapping?
> > For my POV work, it is a mix. I relied heavily on image mapped textures for my
> > architectural renderings, but I prefer to make procedural textures for my POV
> > renderings. Professionally, we use a PBR setup with real-time viewing which
> > makes the texturing process easier. I still export some diffuse and bump-maps
> > out of Substance.
> > Miller
>
> I seem to be dropping sentences when I use line returns in my responses. My
> previewed messages look OK except for the mis-spells. :) ?


Attached are POV renderings of my current model / progress. I still a few more
parts to model and then I'll start working on the foreground hardscape and topo.
Mike.

Post a reply to this message

Attachments:
Download 'pump_house_bridge_prelims.jpg' (3499 KB)

Preview of image 'pump_house_bridge_prelims.jpg'

hi,

"Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> ...
> I seem to be dropping sentences when I use line returns in my responses. My
> previewed messages look OK except for the mis-spells. :) ?

not your fault, the forum s/ware struggles with UTF-8.


regards, jr.

Post a reply to this message

"jr" <cre### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> hi,
>
> "Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> > ...
> > I seem to be dropping sentences when I use line returns in my responses. My
> > previewed messages look OK except for the mis-spells. :) ?
>
> not your fault, the forum s/ware struggles with UTF-8.
>
>
> regards, jr.


Thanks jr. It had me confused. :)


Attached are final plan and elevation renderings from POV of this pump house
model. I rendered them at 8K and started drafting a section of the lower level
to start the foreground hardscape and topo. I'm working on a pencil drawing of
what I imagine as the 'approach' shot and will post.
Miller

Post a reply to this message

Attachments:
Download 'plans_elev_v2.jpg' (3316 KB)

Preview of image 'plans_elev_v2.jpg'

On 06/08/2026 20:29, Mike Miller wrote:
> Attached are final plan and elevation renderings from POV of this pump house
> model. I rendered them at 8K and started drafting a section of the lower level
> to start the foreground hardscape and topo. I'm working on a pencil drawing of
> what I imagine as the 'approach' shot and will post.

Excellent combination of pencil and 3D rendering - looks very
impressive. I am also following updates on your site and
like new images that appear there, including sketches.
Some of them remind me of Roger Dean works - wild boar is very good !
https://www.miller-raytracer.com/s-k-e-t-c-h-e-s
-- 
YB

Post a reply to this message

yesbird wrote:
> On 06/08/2026 20:29, Mike Miller wrote:
> > Attached are final plan and elevation renderings from POV of this pump house
> > model. I rendered them at 8K and started drafting a section of the lower level
> > to start the foreground hardscape and topo. I'm working on a pencil drawing of
> > what I imagine as the 'approach' shot and will post.
>
> Excellent combination of pencil and 3D rendering - looks very
> impressive. I am also following updates on your site and
> like new images that appear there, including sketches.
> Some of them remind me of Roger Dean works - wild boar is very good !
> https://www.miller-raytracer.com/s-k-e-t-c-h-e-s
> --
> YB

Thanks YB.
I'm still trying to visualize what is happening on the lower 'entry' level. I
picture the camera starting at the base of a 'cooling' liquid pool and pipes
with the camera drifting up the stairs and towards the tunnel entrance. Attached
are my current thoughts on the lower level, but I'm still looking at some
reference, so the design may change. :)
Mike.

Post a reply to this message

Attachments:
Download 'plans_elev_v3.jpg' (4670 KB)

Preview of image 'plans_elev_v3.jpg'

On 09/08/2026 15:46, Mike Miller wrote:
> I'm still trying to visualize what is happening on the lower 'entry' level. I
> picture the camera starting at the base of a 'cooling' liquid pool and pipes
> with the camera drifting up the stairs and towards the tunnel entrance. Attached
> are my current thoughts on the lower level, but I'm still looking at some
> reference, so the design may change. :)

I like what I see and your images remind me of my childhood when
grandfather (Chief mechanic of the heavy machine tools plant) was
working at home with blueprints. At the age of 5 I was completely
enchanted with the power and the beauty of mechanics.

I guess finding the optimal camera path can be done easily in
Blender first.
--
YB

Post a reply to this message

yesbird wrote:
> On 09/08/2026 15:46, Mike Miller wrote:
> > I'm still trying to visualize what is happening on the lower 'entry' level. I
> > picture the camera starting at the base of a 'cooling' liquid pool and pipes
> > with the camera drifting up the stairs and towards the tunnel entrance. Attached
> > are my current thoughts on the lower level, but I'm still looking at some
> > reference, so the design may change. :)
>
> I like what I see and your images remind me of my childhood when
>
> I guess finding the optimal camera path can be done easily in
> Blender first.
> --
> YB

Yep, I'm definitely using Blender for quick camera angle studies. I jumped into
Lumion this morning to start modeling a possible topo terrain and to get a
better idea of how much foreground modeling I have. Attached are some quick
screen studies from Lumion of what I have so far. I'll be able to export the
..raw height field map to duplicate in POV.
Mike.

Post a reply to this message

Attachments:
Download 'pumphouse_topo_comps.jpg' (3840 KB)

Preview of image 'pumphouse_topo_comps.jpg'

"Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> yesbird wrote:
> > On 09/08/2026 15:46, Mike Miller wrote:
> > > I'm still trying to visualize what is happening on the lower 'entry' level. I
> > > picture the camera starting at the base of a 'cooling' liquid pool and pipes
> > > with the camera drifting up the stairs and towards the tunnel entrance. Attached
> > > are my current thoughts on the lower level, but I'm still looking at some
> > > reference, so the design may change. :)
> >
> > I like what I see and your images remind me of my childhood when
> >
> > I guess finding the optimal camera path can be done easily in
> > Blender first.
> > --
> > YB
>
> Yep, I'm definitely using Blender for quick camera angle studies. I jumped into
> Lumion this morning to start modeling a possible topo terrain and to get a
> better idea of how much foreground modeling I have. Attached are some quick
> screen studies from Lumion of what I have so far. I'll be able to export the
> ..raw height field map to duplicate in POV.
> Mike.

Attached are some POV progress renderings of my pumphouse project. I'm finishing
up the topo and have a few more mechanical pipes to model. It's turning into
more into a fantasy piece than I had original pictured. I'll be adding
vegetation to the topo and a yet to be designed creature. I'm also thinking
about adding a 'particle/blob' form venting out one of the pipes. I'm assuming
someone has written a POV 3D particle generator? some kind of an emitter with an
object/position array? Not sure I'm ready to tackle the programming or re-invent
the wheel if there's good working examples. :)

Mike

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Attachments:
Download 'pumphou_prelims_2.pdf.zip' (3280 KB)

"Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> "Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> > yesbird wrote:
> > > On 09/08/2026 15:46, Mike Miller wrote:
> > > > I'm still trying to visualize what is happening on the lower 'entry' level. I
> > > > picture the camera starting at the base of a 'cooling' liquid pool and pipes
> > > > with the camera drifting up the stairs and towards the tunnel entrance.
Attached
> > > > are my current thoughts on the lower level, but I'm still looking at some
> > > > reference, so the design may change. :)
> > >
> > > I like what I see and your images remind me of my childhood when
> > >
> > > I guess finding the optimal camera path can be done easily in
> > > Blender first.
> > > --
> > > YB
> >
> > Yep, I'm definitely using Blender for quick camera angle studies. I jumped into
> > Lumion this morning to start modeling a possible topo terrain and to get a
> > better idea of how much foreground modeling I have. Attached are some quick
> > screen studies from Lumion of what I have so far. I'll be able to export the
> > ..raw height field map to duplicate in POV.
> > Mike.
>
> Attached are some POV progress renderings of my pumphouse project. I'm finishing
> up the topo and have a few more mechanical pipes to model. It's turning into
> more into a fantasy piece than I had original pictured. I'll be adding
> vegetation to the topo and a yet to be designed creature. I'm also thinking
> about adding a 'particle/blob' form venting out one of the pipes. I'm assuming
> someone has written a POV 3D particle generator? some kind of an emitter with an
> object/position array? Not sure I'm ready to tackle the programming or re-invent
> the wheel if there's good working examples. :)
>
> Mike


SORRY... That PDF was no good. Here's a jpeg of what I described above. I see my
hare return formatting is all over the place. :)

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Attachments:
Download 'pumphouse_prelim_c.jpg' (4432 KB)

Preview of image 'pumphouse_prelim_c.jpg'

This is really giving me the "Gates of Durin" / "Mines of Moria" vibe.

I would imagine that Rune wrote some sort of particle physics thing.
Koppi's particle physics playground.
I'd also highly suggest "10 minute physics" on YT.

Somehow all of this eye candy is so much better because I know it's being
rendered with POV-Ray.

- BE

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"Bald Eagle" <cre### [at] netscapenet> wrote:
> This is really giving me the "Gates of Durin" / "Mines of Moria" vibe.
>
> I would imagine that Rune wrote some sort of particle physics thing.
> Koppi's particle physics playground.
> I'd also highly suggest "10 minute physics" on YT.
>
> Somehow all of this eye candy is so much better because I know it's being
> rendered with POV-Ray.
>
> - BE

Thanks BE. I'll look into Rune & Koppi's work. I just posted an animation on my
site of my current progress. I'm tweaking the topo and looking at vegetation
ideas along with programming some practical effects (gas and/or venting liquid)
Miller

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On 28/08/2026 17:54, Mike Miller wrote:
> Thanks BE. I'll look into Rune & Koppi's work. I just posted an animation on my
> site of my current progress. I'm tweaking the topo and looking at vegetation
> ideas along with programming some practical effects (gas and/or venting liquid)

Most of all I like twilight atmosphere and lightning - it's very cozy ).
Together with large-scale mechanical parts this scene creates very
specific impression. Looking forward for next steps.

As to effects, may be this volume rendering example can help ?
https://paulbourke.net/miscellaneous/povexamples/
-- 
YB

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yesbird wrote:
> On 28/08/2026 17:54, Mike Miller wrote:
> > Thanks BE. I'll look into Rune & Koppi's work. I just posted an animation on my
> > site of my current progress. I'm tweaking the topo and looking at vegetation
> > ideas along with programming some practical effects (gas and/or venting liquid)
>
> Most of all I like twilight atmosphere and lightning - it's very cozy ).
> Together with large-scale mechanical parts this scene creates very
> specific impression. Looking forward for next steps.
>
> As to effects, may be this volume rendering example can help ?
> https://paulbourke.net/miscellaneous/povexamples/
> --
> YB


Thanks, YB. I'll take a look at that. I'm quickly running out of RAM on this
scene. I had to pull back on some of my vegetation counts once I added a large
blob practical effect. :) Attached is POV code using randomized spline
transforms to run animate moving points along. I included some 'crushed' video
to illustrate. Sorry we can't post anything bigger than 5 mg. I'll post higher
res on my site. Have a blessed weekend.
Mike

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Attachments:
Download 'blob_fountain.zip' (4491 KB)

"Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> yesbird wrote:
> > On 28/08/2026 17:54, Mike Miller wrote:
> > > Thanks BE. I'll look into Rune & Koppi's work. I just posted an animation on my
> > > site of my current progress. I'm tweaking the topo and looking at vegetation
> > > ideas along with programming some practical effects (gas and/or venting liquid)
> >
> > Most of all I like twilight atmosphere and lightning - it's very cozy ).
> > Together with large-scale mechanical parts this scene creates very
> > specific impression. Looking forward for next steps.
> >
> > As to effects, may be this volume rendering example can help ?
> > https://paulbourke.net/miscellaneous/povexamples/
> > --
> > YB
>
>
> Thanks, YB. I'll take a look at that. I'm quickly running out of RAM on this
> scene. I had to pull back on some of my vegetation counts once I added a large
> blob practical effect. :) Attached is POV code using randomized spline
> transforms to run animate moving points along. I included some 'crushed' video
> to illustrate. Sorry we can't post anything bigger than 5 mg. I'll post higher
> res on my site. Have a blessed weekend.
> Mike

Attached is a current progress rendering of this pumphouse. I hope to be rid of
this project someday. ha-ha. miller

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Attachments:
Download 'pumphouse_frame_2k.png' (2268 KB)

Preview of image 'pumphouse_frame_2k.png'