TITLE: It makes me wonder
NAME: Marjorie Graterol
COUNTRY: USA
EMAIL: emediez@emediez.com
WEBPAGE: http://www.emediez.com
TOPIC: Worlds within worlds
COPYRIGHT: I SUBMIT TO THE STANDARD RAYTRACING COMPETITION COPYRIGHT.
JPGFILE: mg_led.jpg
ZIPFILE: mg_led.zip
RENDERER USED: 
    POV-Ray for windows v.3.5 beta 10 and 11 under Windows98SE


TOOLS USED: 

        Forester
        Wilbur
        AC3D
        View3dst
        Crossroads 
        PaintShopPro v7.10
        Corel PhotoPaint 8.0 (compression and signature)
          Hamapatch
          PlantStudio
  
   files  
          spiral.inc
          tomtree.inc
          1:250,000-scale Digital Elevation Models (DEM) Rock SpringsW, Wyoming


RENDER TIME: 
    21h 17m 20s
           

HARDWARE USED: 
    Intel Pentium III 500MHz, 512MB, 12G HD


IMAGE DESCRIPTION: 

        A world within many, music usually remains with us for indefinite
periods of time -sometimes as synchronic events, others like time-sequenced
facts. 
        Depending on some other inner worlds, rhythms, and lyrics build new
worlds on their own too, particular to each individual.  This image is based on
"Stairway to Heaven"(*)-a Led Zeppelin's song- and how I can perceive it right
now. 
        This image is not complete. I think the image could accept more
interpretations without following the lyrics, or even the addition of feelings
from different songs.  
        (*) Lyrics after 'credits' part.


DESCRIPTION OF HOW THIS IMAGE WAS CREATED: 

        1.- Terrain. Managed with Forester, it was downloaded from the USGS site
and converted to Terragen format(*.ter) with Wilbur, an excellent application
btw. In Forester was easier to find a nice spot in the whole terrain and start

working from there (Forester generates the *tga file for the height_field from
the Terragen file). First and basic clouds were included along with the grass.
I started to work then on the file generated by Forester -renamed-.  

        2.- Clouds. The clouds are just 'based' in those created with Forester.
All pigments and finishes were modified completely and normals were added.
Also, more layers of texture were added to the terrain. Fog and Lights were
changed too.  

        3.- The stairs. They come from spiral.inc , which I've used in some
images. Please see credits at the bottom.

        4.- Piper and Lady. They are both models from 3dcafe. Exactly the
generic man4 and woman7 in 3ds format. They were imported as 3ds. In AC3D it is
possible to manipulate every part of the model. They were changed in order to
appear as if they were in a more natural position and also smoothed. They were
saved as 
3ds and converted to Animation Master format(*.mdl) with View3dst. Then imported
to Hamapatch and "dressed" there, using basically extruded cylinders and
patches.  Textures were added to the final .inc files, whether procedural or
image_maps (from images made with PSP). As result of searching on the internet
(pipers,bagpipes and the such) I came up with this attire. 
The same for the lady. It was extremely difficult to use a fabric (the texture)
moved by the wind like a flag. So this is the way she ended up.

        5. Bushes and little plants are from PlantStudio, mutated. I used
"Tomtree.inc" first. However, I decided to render only one tree, map it onto a
transparent box and repeat it 3 or 4 times at the back. 

        6. Stones on the ground are 2 objects made with Hamapatch -boxes-,
repeated, rotated and arranged to simulate something similar to a path.

        7. The wall was also modeled with HamaPatch, from boxes and extruded
cylinders.

        8. The little bird was modeled in Hamapatch, textured with an image_map
made in PSP.

        9. Souls. It's the same man4.3ds from 3dcafe. This time converted to POV
with CrossRoads. Rendered in a plain background and saved as bmp. In PSP,
converted to png saving the transparency in the alpha channel. Flipped,
mirrored, scaled and repeated -finally reduced to a semi-transparent layer-, 
is the base for "the crowd", which is one png image, rendered in a transparent
box. 

NOTE: piper.inc, lady.inc, arbusto_b.inc, florecita2.inc, and grama.inc are NOT
included in the zip file. They are too big.
        

CREDITS
Forester v 1.00.0012 (c)1998-2001,Stephen Dartnall http://www.dartnall.co.uk/
Wilbur v 1.25e1 (c)1995-2001, Joseph R. Slayton
AC3D v. 3.0 (c) Andy Colebourne http://www.ac3d.org
View3dst (View3D) v 1.3 (c) 1998, C.H.Pigott
Crossroads  (c) 1998 Mike Clifton -Converter
PaintShopPro v7.10  
Corel PhotoPaint 8.0 (compression and signature)
Hamapatch v 2.4 (c) 2000-2001 
PlantStudio v 1.50 (c)1998-1999, Kurtz-Fernhout Software

Include Files 

Spiral.inc v1.0. Written by Felix Morley Finch (felix@crowfix.com) and  
Michael D Johnson (mdjohnson@voyager.net or redbeard@quark.gmi.edu)
        // http://quark.gmi.edu/~redbeard/POVRay-Util.html 

Tomtree.inc 
TomTree v1.0 by Tom Aust. http://www.aust-manufaktur.de/austv2x.html


  

SONG
Stairway to Heaven (Page/Plant)(c)1971 
Led Zeppelin  (lyrics)

There's a lady who's sure
All that glitters is gold
And she's buying a stairway to heaven.
When she gets there she knows
If the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for.
Ooh, ooh, and she's buying a stairway to heaven.
 
There's a sign on the wall
But she wants to be sure
'Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings.
In a tree by the brook
There's a songbird who sings,
Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven.
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
Ooh, it makes me wonder.
 
There's a feeling I get
When I look to the west,
And my spirit is crying for leaving.
In my thoughts I have seen
Rings of smoke through the trees,
And the voices of those who standing looking.
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
Ooh, it really makes me wonder.
 
And it's whispered that soon
If we all call the tune
Then the piper will lead us to reason.
And a new day will dawn
For those who stand long
And the forests will echo with laughter.
 
If there's a bustle in your hedgerow
Don't be alarmed now,
It's just a spring clean for the May queen.
Yes, there are two paths you can go by
But in the long run
There's still time to change the road you're on.
And it makes me wonder.
 
Your head is humming and it won't go
In case you don't know,
The piper's calling you to join him,
Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow,
And did you know
Your stairway lies on the whispering wind.

And as we wind on down the road
Our shadows taller than our soul.
There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to show
How ev'rything still turns to gold.
And if you listen very hard
The tune will come to you at last.
When all are one and one is all
To be a rock and not to roll.

And she's buying a stairway to heaven.


Lyrics from 
http://www.azlyrics.com  OR
Classic Rock Forum at about.com (I don't remember which one I saved)

//Spanish
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: 
        Un mundo dentro de muchos otros, la musica a menudo permanece con
nosotros por periodos indefinidos de tiempo.-algunas veces como eventos
sincr_nicos, otras como hechos secuenciales en el tiempo. 
        Dependiendo de otros mundos internos, ritmos y letras construyen nuevos
mundos a motus propio, particulares para cada individuo. Esta imagen se basa en
la cancion "Escaleras al Cielo" (Stairway to Heaven)(*)de Led Zeppelin y en
como yo la percibo ahora.  
        La imagen no esta completa. Creo que pudiera aceptar m_s introspecciones
sin necesidad de seguir la letra al pie, o incluso, la adici_n de sentimientos
y/o percepciones de otras canciones diferentes.  
        

DESCRIPTION OF HOW THIS IMAGE WAS CREATED: 
        1.- Terreno (superficie), manejado con Forester. Lo baj_ del site de
USGS y lo converti al formato Terragen (*.ter) con Wilbur -excelente
herramienta, de paso-. Fue mas facil en Forester conseguir un buen punto dentro
del terreno y
trabajar a partir de ahi. Se incluyeron las nubes basicas y la grama(o el pasto)
fueron incluidas. Comence a trabajar entonces en el archivo generado por
Forester con otro nombre.   

        2.- Nubes. Solo se desarrollan a partir de las creadas con Forester.
Cambi_ todos los pigmentos y acabados y agregue normales. Tambien agregue otras
capas a la textura del terreno. Elimine las luces y las sustitui por otras
nuevas y cambie la neblina.   

        3.- Escaleras. Provienen del archivo "spiral.inc" , que he usado en
imagenes anteriores . Ver creditos. 

        4.- Gaitero y Dama. Los dos son modelos de 3dcafe. Los genericos en
formato 3ds. Los importe como 3ds en AC3D. En esta aplicacion me fue posible
manipular cada parte de los modelos por separado. Las cambie una a una de
posicion para que parecieran mas naturales y tambien los suavice.Los salve como
 
3ds y luego los converti a formato mdl -Animation Master- con el convertidor
View3dst. Luego los import_ en Hamapatch para modelarles la ropa. Ambas
vestimentas fueron hechas usando parches y cilindros extrusionados. Las
texturas fueron agragadas al archivo inc final, por procedimiento y de las que
utilizan mapas de imagenes (hechas estas ultimas con PSP). Como resultado de la
busqueda en internet,(gaitas, gaiteros y por el estilo) les hice el atuendo que
tienen. 
The same for the lady. It was extremely difficult to use a fabric (the texture)
moved by the wind like a flag. So this is the way she ended up.

        5. Arboles y plantas pequenas provienen de PlantStudio, mutadas. Use
"Tomtree.inc" primero.Sin embargo, decidi desplegar un solo arbol, mapearlo
sobre una caja transparente, repetirlo unas cuantas veces y mandarlo al fondo.


        6. Las piedras en la tierra son dos objetos hechos con Hamapatch
-cajas-, deformadas y repetidas, rotadas y dispuestas para simular algo
parecido a un camino.

        7. El muro fue modelado tambien en Hamapatch, a partir de cajas y
cilindros extrusionados. 

        8. El pajarito fue modelado de igual manera, y aplicada otra textura 
hecha en PSP.

        9. Las almas. Es el mismo modelo basico de 3ds. Esta vez, convertido a
POV con CrossRoads. Renderizado contra un fondo plano y salvado como bmp. En
PSP,
convertido a png con la capa transparente salvada en alpha channel. Modificado y
repetido varias veces para ser reducido finalmente a una capa de sombra
semi-transparente, 
Es la base para la "gente" (o la pila de almas), la cual es entonces una sola
imagen png en una caja transparente.  


CREDITOS
Forester v 1.00.0012 (c)1998-2001,Stephen Dartnall http://www.dartnall.co.uk/
Wilbur v 1.25e1 (c)1995-2001, Joseph R. Slayton
AC3D v. 3.0 (c) Andy Colebourne http://www.ac3d.org
View3dst (View3D) v 1.3 (c) 1998, C.H.Pigott
Crossroads  (c) 1998 Mike Clifton -Converter
PaintShopPro v7.10  
Corel PhotoPaint 8.0 (compresion y firma)
Hamapatch v 2.4 (c) 2000-2001 
PlantStudio v 1.50 (c)1998-1999, Kurtz-Fernhout Software

Include Files 

Spiral.inc v1.0. Written by Felix Morley Finch (felix@crowfix.com) and  
Michael D Johnson (mdjohnson@voyager.net or redbeard@quark.gmi.edu)
        // http://quark.gmi.edu/~redbeard/POVRay-Util.html 

Tomtree.inc 
TomTree v1.0 by Tom Aust. http://www.aust-manufaktur.de/austv2x.html


