Posted on October 8, 1999

• If you’ve visited my free site, you’ll no doubt notice that I’m redirecting traffic to this server instead of the copy of the member’s gallery at http://www.digitalblasphemy.com/members/. All new accounts are now created on this machine first, and the changes are instantly mirrored on the other server (which you may still browse for the time being). All credit card transactions will now be handled on my new secure server, and will no longer go through Ibill. Besides the fact that I can now make the signup process appear more seamless with the rest of my site (and hopefully more user friendly), this arrangement also means I will make an extra $3 on every new membership (from a processing fee that used to go to Ibill).
  The coolness doesn’t stop there. My secure server will have a password protected directory just for DB Members and there you will find a form which will allow you to add a year to your membership (but only if you already have less than a year remaining). This “extra year” will be at a discounted rate, because I want to pass on my savings to you. What kind of discount would you like to see? Drop me a line and share your thoughts.
• The comments on the new dedicated server login page have been rather positve, so I guess it stays. I’ve rendered a desktop sized version which you can use if you are so inclined. It’s called (appropriately, I guess) “Login” and it’s available in the Interiors gallery and the WIP. Is your login not working on the dedicated machine? Click here.

Posted on October 7, 1999

• If you’re interested, here is the new login page I’m working on for the dedicated server. It’s a lot of graphics, I know, and it’ll probably choke your modem. It’s also probably too big to fit on your monitor. That’s ok.

  Fortunately, you’re already a member and you can still skip directly into the members gallery by bookmarking this page.

  Basically, the login page will load when someone clicks on the “member’s login” on my free site (the link currently goes directly into the member’s gallery). The visitor (persumably a non-member) will get a look at my wanton display of Javascript rollovers and be immediately hynoptised into joining 🙂 Just kidding. Actually I just wanted to dress up my front door a little. Like I said, you don’t have to look at it.

  Your comments are definitely appreciated though.

Posted on October 6, 1999

• What am I working on this week and the next?

  • Some new halloween art for an upcoming free seasonal gallery (you’ll see them first).
  • Setting up my own secure server for processing memberships.
  • Setting up a way for you to change your password and/or retrieve your password automatically if you lose it (many issues involved here).
  • RENDERING prints. I have “Solitude” rendering in large format right now, “Sanctuary 1999” is next, then “The Turning”.
  • CDROM…

  In addition to those, I was considering (as a more long term goal) adding a discussion board. I don’t want to re-invent the wheel on this one, so I’m evaluating one or two “off-the-shelf” scripts and I’m leaning towards “The Ultimate Bulliten Board“. Quite a few people have written me about this and I think it sounds interesting, though I’ll admit to being a little uneasy about hosting an open discussion on the merits of my artwork. Would you invite people into your house just so they could criticize you?

  On the flip-side of that coin, I wouldn’t want to host a “mutual-admiration society” either. Check out my guestbook if you want to see what I’m talking about. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy the guestbook and the tons of email I get everyday from people who enjoy my work. I’d just rather keep those lines of communication in their proper place.

  So I’m putting the question to you: if I hosted a discussion board, would you use it? What kinds of things would you like to talk about? Should I have seperate boards for the member’s gallery and the public gallery, or should everyone be able to talk (I’m leaning towards the latter, don’t worry though you won’t have to look at any banner ads). Please drop me a line with your thoughts!

• One last thing for now. From the feedback you’ve given me about the relative speeds of shared server and this one, I’ve decided that I will be shifting more of the content over here. Pretty soon, the whole member’s gallery will be on the this machine.

Cradle

Posted on October 4, 1999

“Cradle” is new today in the “Planetscapes” gallery and the WIP. You’ll have a hard time spotting the planets in this one though, because there are none. If you’re creative, however, you can imagine that there are planets around each of the stars. They’re just too small to see 🙂 This image, uses the same volumetric rendering techniques I was exploring in “Cumulus“. Only 3 spheres this time though. The big stars were added using a little $25 shareware program I bought just for the occasion. It’s called Universe and it’s free to try.

Cumulus

Posted on October 2, 1999

I’ll admit it. I’m a closet software geek and I get a little bit giddy every time Metacreations decides to release a “Point 1” patch for Bryce. I have no idea what bugs this one fixes (or adds) but I do know that it comes with this cool new “volumetric rendering” mode. An object, like a sphere, is “volumetric” if the texture assigned to it goes all the way through in 3D instead of just being mapped to the exterior. It’s a great effect but it takes forever to render.

Luckily I have a pretty fast computer. “Cumulus” is new today in the Night Scenery Gallery and the WIP. I put this one together just to test out the Bryce patch, but I thought it looked kind of interesting in the end. I could see adding a dragon or two, maybe some lightning… In grand Brycean tradition, the image is composed entirely of spheres (10 of them). Quick tip if you’re want to try it at home: whenever possible, try not to place any one volumetric object in front of the another. Overlapping them in front of the camera has an exponential effect on render time