I predict no further entries for the normal challenge group.

Why not? Howard makes great models and if he wins it will be because he deserves it and his model deserves it. And that's how it should be. I put loads of effort into my model last month and it was fairly beaten by better made models. That's fair and not many things in life are!

Howard entering should inspire people to join in my view, not put them off.

Lack of smilie thing threw me then, my bad 8).

Wonderful as always, Howard. :D

Howard is making non-organic things, my oh my. :)
:thumbsup:

Frederick-aw man, busting my chops :D. i am so inspired by you guys modeling your work spaces. expecially the key boards. They are really impressive.

also the last nonorganic modeling I did was against Brian E so that took some confedience away too...

then last week I tried to make a space ship and it turned out like this (and this is what took most of my confedence away :))

Imho (and no disrespects to anyone) it takes far more artistic skills (which I lack) to do characters with the amount of personality that yours have than it takes to make a detailed non-organic model, especially stuff that already exists. So I look at your work to improve mine in that area, and I look at Brian (who does wonderful stuff) to improve my detailing skills.

awww... it's not that bad.

Yeah, and to get edges that are sharp, but not knife sharp, put atleast 2 edges close to each other in parallel and smooth or convert to subd's, that will get a natural looking edge (sharp but not too sharp). I try to put most of the detail in the low-poly object into the edges, since those are the ones that will be most visible later.

thanks guys, I think i will revisit that ship after this comp. Hopefully then I will have more than my revolve skills up to snuff :D Today I practiced extruding some wire-tube things and I am having a problem.

-what settings should I use to get the smoothest transitions? When the wire bends alot I am getting some sharp edges.

pic-->

and a progress shot

Hehehe the cool half and half render, I like doing them.

Heh, you using that compositing thing now Howard? :D

You can increase tessellations in the global renders thing, or add some points to the curve, I find that makes things smoother and bendier. I also find if you convert from the nurbs to subds that has a smoothing effect, and as I am scared of nurbs and don't like them lurking, also useful lol.

Really like how the model is coming.