about3d: a visual explanation

a visual explanation on 3D
You see all kind of images on my pages;
I understand that for some these digitally-made images appear to be or strongly suggest to be photographs,
but they are not photographs neither digitally manipulated photographs.

How did I make them and what is 3D?
(moving the mouse over images gives some extra information)
The 3D-scene file used as an example here to illustrate the creation-process dates from September 2003,
I will try to reconstruct what I did and how I went about to make a series of digital images,
some of which you can find on my Venice-pages.

daytime: the objects in the scene as rendered/computed
and in wireframe
(move the mouse over the image)

same viewpoint, different "sky and fog-" or
atmosphere-settings and completely other results.
(move.................)

Both day and night renders are made in Bryce.(a 3D-program)
How did I make them and what is 3D?

In fact you build a small "world" or environment in a 3D computer program:

you place 3d-objects,
you assign materials (or textures) to those objects ,
you adjust the lighting conditions,
you aim the program's internal camera and render either a still(-image) or an animation

The programs interface shows all objects and lights in the final scene even a small preview:

(..in perspective-view: there are 12 3D-objects and 4 lights (in yellow) displayed in wire frame waiting to be rendered.)

Step 1. Starting from scratch: atmosphere (sky, sun, clouds and haze) and an infinite groundplane;
adding/placing 3D-objects:

the ground; next:changed the camera-viewpoint;
carved a canal added a waterplane;

then the gondola's;

finally poles and the background buildings were added;

the four extra lights we had are active. ( notice that all the objects have their own specific materials. are textured.)

Step2. Adding the rest of the objects deciding about materials (or textures):

here just the two main buildings;

all 3D-objects without lights or textures
(even the waterplane is a dull grey)

And at night:with textures but without extra lights)

Step 3. Adjust the lighting conditions, and testing different viewpoints:

same viewpoint with the textures and the extra lights

test from a slightly different viewpoint

and from another viewpoint

Step 4: Advanced rendering: using volumetrics

(The use of volumetrics can simulate real-world dense and wet fog and/or visible lightbeams)

example of volumetric render in trueSpace 5