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Subject: 
Re: [ldraw.org] Cover Model
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.cad.dev.org.ldraw
Date: 
Tue, 6 Jul 1999 21:05:14 GMT
Viewed: 
3469 times
  
In lugnet.cad.dev.org.ldraw, Steve Bliss writes:
> On Tue, 6 Jul 1999 01:33:04 GMT, "Tim Courtney" <tim@zacktron.com> wrote:
> > If someone would like their well-done Povray rendered model displayed
> > on the ldraw.org main page, please let me know.  There will be a little
> > paragraph describing LDraw and I feel it is appropriate to include a
> > small image of a rather impressive model for people to see what it can
> > do.  Please render the image on a plain white background.
> 
> What's wrong with the model already being used?  And why a POV-Ray?  This
> isn't pov-ray.org, it's ldraw.org.  To be completely pure, it should be an
> image generated by LDraw.  But an LDLite-sourced image would be very nice,
> as well.

Heck, as long as it loads quickly and doesn't get in the way, I sure
wouldn't mind seeing a POV-rendered image on the www.ldraw.org homepage.
Sure, www.ldraw.org isn't www.povray.org, but over time POV-Ray is becoming
more and more a part of everything that LDraw touches.  If I was stopping by
for the first time, not knowing anything about LDraw, I'd probably be more
impressed by a fully ray-traced rendering than by a Phong-shaded orthographic
rendering.

But...hmmm...maybe both (plus something from the original LDRAW.EXE) would
be more effective than any one thing...?  For instance, I wonder what impact
a four-panel thingy something like this might have...?

   .---.---.
   | A | B |    A = screenshot of DAT source snippet
   |---+---|    B = screenshot of LDRAW output
   | D | C |    C = screenshot of LDLITE output
   `---'---'    D = screenshot of POV-Ray output

(with each panel being, say, 150x100 pixels or something small like that)

(Just a thought!)


> Also, IMO, an "impressive model" would set the wrong tone for the site.
> I think a medium-size model with some nifty features will show better
> than a super-huge model in a super-small zoom.  Again, the current model
> works quite well.

I wonder if the current model isn't a bit too space-oriented.  Most geeks
love space, I guess, but something as barbed (sharp/pointy) as what's
currently there -might- be a bit off-putting to certain types of people.

When I made the little screenshot for the .DAT group thingy a few months
ago, I looked for something that had an attractive-but-progressive look,
but not something too spacey or futuristic.  Jeremy's minifig-scale 4x4
turned out to be a good choice (with his permission, of course):

   http://www.lugnet.com/news/screenshot4.gif

because it's immediately recognizable to all as a jeep/truck.  I'm not sure
the same immediacy-of-recognition can be said for a spaceship.


> Having an original, standard ldraw.org model has some nice continuity
> benefits for the site.  For example, on all the 'related software' pages,
> the screen shots could use the same model.  The only downside is that if
> there is only one standard model, it will seem to bias us toward whatever
> theme that model fits.

Maybe if it was a stack of 2x4 bricks, or a random (but actually carefully
chosen) collection of 10 or so elements, that would work?  Picture, say,
maybe a 2x4 brick, a 24-tooth Technic gear, a minifig, a 4x8 wing plate,
a 1x1 cylinder brick, etc...

What's the goal behind an image on the front page (and subsequent pages)
anyway?  To communicate visually to people that they can do a variety of
neat things with LDraw and related tools?

--Todd



Message is in Reply To:
  Re: [ldraw.org] Cover Model
 
(...) What's wrong with the model already being used? And why a POV-Ray? This isn't pov-ray.org, it's ldraw.org. To be completely pure, it should be an image generated by LDraw. But an LDLite-sourced image would be very nice, as well. Also, IMO, an (...) (27 years ago, 6-Jul-99, to lugnet.cad.dev.org.ldraw)

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