Computer Graphics Competition Images

TC-RTC, June 2015, Topic: Doodle

Attractor Morph

Attractor Morph A POV-Ray doodle resulting from my experiments with random attractors.

TC-RTC, March 2015, Topic: Water

Rising

Rising An experiment using an inverse index of refraction (i.e., 1/1.33) to simulate air bubbles in water.

TC-RTC, January-April 2015, Topic: Complex

Hand	Hand The human hand is an intrinsically very complex object, here implied by a network of greebles.

TC-RTC, September-December 2014, Topic: Secret Passage

For this round I entered three images: "Envoy," "Premonition" and "Unseen Swimmer:"

Envoy

Envoy The Envoy completed it's long ascent from the caverns below the University and skittered toward the prearranged and momentous meeting. It was startled by sudden movement and a blinding light, followed by a loud challenge as an unidentified human stepped forth, brandishing a crude weapon...

TC-RTC, January-April 2014, Topic: Star

For this round I entered the image "Starfuit Vanitas," which took first place:

Starfuit Vanitas

Starfuit Vanitas Cherblum had always been a peculiar, inflexible sort of Geometer and had always enjoyed the finer things in life; to excess. Still, his unexpected demise by way of a recently smuggled (and by all accounts amazingly tasty) off-world delicacy had, understandably, shaken the confidence of his Contingent with regard to their public stance on exotic off-world food imports. Even though the data showed that most humans were safe from the poison, there would still be hell to pay with the Council; second degree Blood Price at the very least. Poor Cherblum may have been the lucky one after all, thought Aslynd Sreth as he eyed the wilting starfruit, better than an ion blaster to the brainstem. He looked up and studied the others' faces quietly. With an easy smile and a wicked gleam in his eye he lifted the plate, proffered it to them and asked, "Would anyone else care to try a slice before the Tribunal?"

TC-RTC, September-December 2013, Topic: Legends

For this round I entered the image "Ol' Nessie," which won first place:

Ol' Nessie

Ol' Nessie Unseen by curious eyes, as on most days, Ol' Nessie slowly came up for air, stretched her neck high, and basked briefly in the warmth of the setting sun...

TC-RTC, May-August 2013, Topic: Elements of Geology

For this round I entered three images. My entry "The Racetrack" took second place:

The Racetrack

The Racetrack In California's corner of Death Valley National Park there is a nearly perfectly flat dry lake bed called Racetrack Playa, commonly known as "The Racetrack." The lake bed is about 4x2 kilometers and is almost always dry, with the surface covered by mud cracks of silt and clay. Across the surface rocks mysteriously sail to and fro, leaving behind them telltale signs of their passage. There are many theories about how this happens, but nobody has yet actually seen a rock move and even after many years of study nobody is really sure what causes this freak of geology to occur.

My entry "Under the Arch" didn't fare as well, in at #5:

Under the Arch

Under the Arch His uncle had been as good as his word. With a few cups of wine and a bit of laughter with old friends he had secured Rebaan a minor position working with a merchant's caravan heading west. After a journey of many weeks with the caravan he had said his farewells to new friends and made his way alone into the wastes. Several days later he finally saw the great stone arch in the distance, finding it to be even more amazing than his uncle had described. He made his way doggedly forward, eager to stand under the arch and locate the stairway that led down into the Crevasse...

My final entry, "The Elemental Crevasse," earned a bit less, tied for #6:

The Elemental Crevasse

The Elemental Crevasse When his Uncle Jirhod had finally returned from the Borderlands late last winter he regaled the family with tales of the many wondrous things he had seen on his journey. Young Rebaan had openly scoffed at some of the old man's stories. Especially unbelievable was a story describing what his uncle called the Elemental Crevasse. "It's true I tell ye!" his Uncle had insisted, taking a deep drink of wine. "The Crevasse is a deep stone fissure whose walls are covered by huge, priceless crystals, all formed in those same faceted geometries that northern scholars attribute to the four elements." With a flourish, accompanied by a superior, knowing smile (and a good bit of wine spilled from his gilded pewter goblet) he'd continued. "It lies at the very edge of a vast canyon in the Kordani badlands, below a huge arch of natural stone. For those brave enough; adventurous enough; curious enough to see it for themselves, an ancient and winding stairway hewn into the rock provides a precarious route down." He'd finished the remaining wine in a gulp and turned to stare Rebaan right in the eye. "It's all true boy, and it boggles the mind!" And now here he was, months later and far from home, deep below the Stone Arch within the Elemental Crevasse, his mind a-boggle with the truth of it.

TC-RTC, March-April 2013, Topic: Woman

For this round I entered two images and both were winners! My entry "Vesica Sa'Angreal" won second place:

Vesica Sa'Angreal

Vesica Sa'Angreal The Vesica Sa'Angreal had lain dormant for thousands of years, silent in the dark, still, musty air of the deepest sub-basement beneath the White Tower. As tradition demanded, Milorne removed her sheer garment and laid it to one side. Kneeling before the ancient artifact she opened herself to a tiny flow of the One Power. The long dark ended as glowstones pulsed to life around the room. The Vesica, attuned only to the female side of the True Source, awakened and her pulse raced. Bracing herself for the unknown, the former Aes Sedai prepared to breech the strongest taboo and step through the shimmering membrane into the shadow worlds to face her greatest fears.

My entry "The Wading Pool" won first place:

The Wading Pool

The Wading Pool Time and space stretched into eternity around her when Milorne stepped through the shimmering surface of the Vesica Sa'Angreal. The sun lay low on the horizon as her mind cleared. She found herself hip deep in the cool, fresh waters of a wading pool. A stairway, crudely carved from the living rock of the pool, arose from the waters, leading she knew not where...

TC-RTC, September-October 2012, Topic: The Alchemist

For this round I entered "The Transmutation Chamber," which for some reason fared rather poorly in the judging:

The Transmutation Chamber

The Transmutation Chamber Arcturus knelt just outside the active zone of the Transmutation Circle. According to the formulas he was more than a safe distance from the arcane energies flowing forth from his Philosopher's Stone, which was set deep into the foundation of the device. He watched in silent excitement as the large granite boulder began to quiver, shimmer, and crumple, shrinking and condensing as the acrid scent of smoke and steam filled the air. Within a few minutes the process was nearly complete, and he laughed aloud as the mass stabilized into a large rock of pure gold...

TC-RTC, July-August 2012, Topic: Railway

For this round I entered the unfinished piece "Heading Home," loosely based on some common artistic motifs of Jacek Yerka, which won second place:

Heading Home (unfinished)

Heading Home (unfinished) After a long week's toil in the sunken gardens of the UnderShanty Henri had slowly yet steadfastly made his way through the subterranean tunnels to the ancient railway line. Looking out over the great city he praised his own good fortune and success at having such a blessed and fulfilled life. He then turned his gaze once more toward the final Loops and exhaled a sigh of relief; Friday evening, and at last heading home to his waiting family.

TC-RTC, January-February 2012, Topic: Japanese

TC-RTC, November-December 2011, Topic: The Sphinx

For this round I entered my piece "The Gynosphinx of Braavos:"

The Gynosphinx of Braavos

The Gynosphinx of Braavos Although most people of the Free Cities disdain their bastard island city of Braavos, they are, nonetheless, enthralled by the legendary and wondrous stone Titan that guards the harbour. Less well known (but equally wondrous and far more skillfully wrought) is the Gynosphinx of Braavos, a statue sculpted by the artisan Xel N'Kar soon after the Doom of Old Valyria. It was cast in bronze a hundred years later and placed on the far southern reaches of the island in homage to the water dancing bravos; a treasure to be enjoyed on their rare sunny days...

TC-RTC, September-October 2011, Topic: Dinosaurs

For this round my piece "Low Tide" won third place:

Low Tide

Low Tide View Scene Progression After several days of fearsome storms the new dawn revealed a beautiful day filled with promise. The pack's adventurous young hunters were already out across The Gap, the bounty of low tide outweighing its well known dangers...

TC-RTC, May-June 2011, Topic: Bubble

Communion

Communion View Scene Progression She had first heard the whispers inside her head earlier in the day, shrugging it off as mere fatigue. But the voice was persistent, becoming more and more clear as the hours passed. Finally she made her way around to the eastern aquarium. And He was waiting. As soon as she looked Him in the eye she understood. She was drawn to Him, reaching out her palms to the cool glass as He whispered His secret knowledge of the deeps into her eager oceanographer's mind...

TC-RTC, March-April 2011, Topic: History and Practice of the Art of Photography

Cover Shot

Cover Shot The bull's unexpected appearance put a bit of a damper on Jeremy's day at first glance, but then he realized this could be the shot that would make him famous - getting the cover shot for National Geographic at last! So he foolishly stood his ground and continued to film... After Jeremy's tragic demise it was Nigel's shot, documenting Jeremy's courage, made the magazine cover in the end.

3dRender.com Lighting Challenge #26: Matinee, February-April 2011

This is my first lighting challenge entry over at 3dRender.com and I'm pretty happy with the result. This challenge features a character in a movie theater, modeled by Dan Konieczka. I remodeled several things and added the second character and icy drink spillage into the shot. Then it was all about the texturing and lighting.

Matinee

Matinee "Finally," he thought, "an afternoon of peaceful enjoyment at the matinee, without any tormenting quips from the local bullies. I have the theater all to myself!" Then he heard a familiar, scornful chuckle behind him, turning just in time to see the impending icy deluge of cola out of the corner of his eye...

IRTC, November-December 2010, Topic: Violence

I entered the piece "Arena" for this round, but as happened five years ago at this same time, the IRTC has suddenly and without warning gone silent. Hopefully it will return at some point and this round will eventuallly get awarded...

Arena

Arena View Scene Progression The Celt knew he didn't stand a chance, but there was no choice in the matter. The rutting Romans had taken him, and his freedom. He had no choice now but to fight for his life, expending his rage in violence and bloodshed; Sacramentum Gladiatorum was upon him...

IRTC, September-October 2010, Topic: Ouch!

My piece "Martyr" received first place for this round:

Martyr

Martyr View Scene Progression So, this is what had become of the mighty Shadow Priest, he who had personally bested in battle legions of the Horde's finest, he who had resurrected countless fallen Alliance comrades. I stood silently for a moment, gazing at the bones, and the blade, obviously of Blood Elf design and most likely left as a message to those who would follow. A message to ME. The hot, dry desert air of Tanaris slowly continued to leech my strength away. Gods, so hot! The Priest's bones had long since been picked clean by the nearby Silithid swarms, and the ruthless expansion and contraction cycle of the desert's freezing chill of night followed by blazing heat of day had already cracked and weathered the bones considerably. His overconfidence had apparently been his undoing; even such as HE should not have gone to face the Horde alone. Now the Priest had become a true martyr to the cause, slowly being swallowed by the desert sands.. It was inconceivable that he could have fallen easily, but somehow those bastards had gotten the upper hand at last; caught him alone, without a soulstone, and no Spirit Healer to be found in these dark times. Ouch. The Horde blade and the rusty chains around his throat spoke clearly to me of the tortures he must have endured as they'd tried to break him. I chuckled suddenly at that thought. Break HIM? His body perhaps, but never his spirit. (Yes, I truly am a World of Warcraft geek)

TC-RTC, September-October 2010, Topic: Glasses

For this round my piece "Launch Window" took first place:

Launch Window

Launch Window View Scene Progression (With apologies to Larry Niven) It wasn't until a few days after the obstinate Dr. Freela Jones had celebrated her sixty-seventh birthday that she'd finally succumbed to the lure of boosterspice. Her arthritis and other painful ailments had finally become too much to bear, so she'd broken her long-held and foolish vow to die of old age and finally got spiced. Freela quickly did the math and chuckled to herself. Had she really been spicing for one hundred and seventy-five years already? Time flies. She'd just spent her two hundred and forty-second birthday in stasis, en route to a remote binary star system. The research station slowly orbited a small planet just beyond the death grip of a neutron star. It had been a long time since she'd traveled outside known space. Her great-great-grandson Jamille was head of the research project here and was well aware of her keen interest in new technologies. Freela's reputation as a scientist was impeccable and it had been easy enough to pull a few political strings and get her aboard before the lockdown. Now, after two weeks of settling in and reviewing the research, the show was finally about to begin. Freela slipped on her POV glasses (the same exotic pair she'd gotten from Louis Wu some one hundred years earlier) and seated the transponder droud into the socket at the base of her skull. So enhanced, her eyes could now safely monitor any range of the electromagnetic spectrum at will, while recording everything on holo for later review and study back in her lab at the Institute of Knowledge on Jinx. Freela stood quietly on the observation deck, gazing out the launch window at a #4 General Products hull containing the first human-built version of the Puppeteer's advanced quantum II hyperdrive. Ramjets fired suddenly and the ship moved some distance away from the station, preparing for the hyperdrive's first full-scale test flight. Freela adjusted the magnification of her glasses to keep the ship up close and in focus. Right on cue the quantum II unit kicked in and the light show started...

IRTC, July-August 2010, Topic: Plants

I entered two pieces for this competition, and ended up with both second and third place (yeah!):

An Unexpected Encounter

An Unexpected Encounter I often enjoy a brisk afternoon jog around the perimeter of the plant before clocking in for my night shift. It helps get my head into the right space for a long (and usually boring) night keeping our nation's largest nuclear power plant secure from terrorists and other loonies. Yeah, we've all seen the cheesy sci-fi movies about some irradiated creature from a black lagoon, or giant radioactive bugs, or a shambling swamp thing. And while I normally quite enjoy the sights and smells of the local flora, this afternoon I was stunned by an unexpected encounter with the real thing...

TC-RTC, July-August 2010, Topic: The Time Machine

For this round my piece "Stranded" took first place:

Stranded

Stranded Navigating the time streams is a tricky and dangerous business, regardless of how accurate and quick the quantum navigation systems become, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. His machine, like all time machines produced in Amerique, was a small biomechanical sphere. A breathing mask connected by an air tube to a port on the inner wall kept him alive as he floated within the protective milky fluid that filled the sphere. The traveler knew that long jumps were a bad idea, but there had been no other alternative. The sphere landed violently, a victim of the wave function's inherently increasing uncertainty in traveling so far from its point of origin. Its inertial damper systems, designed to work in conjunction with state-of-the-art Heisenberg compensators, overloaded on impact. Arcs of lightning melted a massive gash through the hull within seconds. The traveler's breathing mask was ripped away as the fluid flooded out and he was flushed headfirst through the opening along with it. His foot caught in the gash and he landed brutally on his back outside the machine, lying unconsciousness for a time on hot rocks beneath a blazing sky. Drawn by gravity, most of the fluid sluiced away down natural gullies; the parched rocks and dust soaked up what little remained. The traveler lay for a few moments in the harsh sunlight, still dazed and unsure of what had happened. His ankle began to throb. He opened his eyes. As he painfully leaned forward to free his foot he caught a first glimpse of the time machine's damage. Steam and smoke billowed away into the hot, dense air, and he knew instinctively that the sphere had lost too much fluid to repair itself. Occasional lightning bursts still crackled within, illuminating the interior of the sphere in flashes. Systems began to shut down. His passage through time into the distant past had been difficult, but necessary. Although the thick fluid had certainly saved his life it had not protected him completely. All hope faded from him as his broken ankle swelled and shrieked in agony. His breath was ragged and he suspected one or more broken ribs as well. He'd taken a huge gamble and lost. The machine was dying. And he was stranded...

TC-RTC, November-December 2009, Topic: Illuminated

What a refreshing change this time around; I had plenty of time to spare and actually completed two pieces for the competition.

My entry "Illuminated Manuscript" was awarded second place:

Illuminated Manuscript

Illuminated Manuscript View Scene Progression This is an homage of sorts to Isaac Newton and his groundbreaking work on optics, for this amazing book was a truly illuminating manuscript that helped illuminate the minds of modern man, and in turn bring about our modern world...

My entry "Oculus" got sixth place (but wow, look at that texturing!):

Oculus

Oculus View Scene Progression Finally, after a journey halfway around the world, the Eye of the Gods illuminated him! As he gazed upward Bernard captured a fragment of its majesty in his small lens, encoding the reality into a frozen moment of time that he would always treasure. To visit Rome and bask in the illuminating glow of the Oculus, under the dome of the Pantheon, Temple of all Gods, had long been his dream....

IRTC, September-October 2009, Topic: Time (Steampunked)

My IRTC entry "Steampunk Digital Alarm Clock" was awarded first place:

Steampunk Digital Alarm Clock

Steampunk Digital Alarm Clock View Scene Progression Molari turned the valves and watched patiently as the pressure rose... the tubes flickered to life - he had done it! The first digital alarm clock in Londra! In all the multiverse!! Mwahahahah!!!

TC-RTC, September-October 2009, Topic: Across the Plains

I got another late start on this TC-RTC piece and again ran out of time, but my unfinished entry "The Long Haul" somehow still earned second place:

The Long Haul (unfinished)

The Long Haul (unfinished) View Scene Progression After the fall of the fossil fuel empires the elephant masters realized their good fortune in having such readily available labor at hand. By piecing together scraps from some old tanks and a ship wreck they had the perfect post-apocalyptic pachyderm package and freight transport system, hauling goods across the plains.

IRTC, July-August 2009, Topic: Rebirth

My entry "Awake" for this IRTC round didn't place at all. Apparently it was just a bit too "out there" to garner enough votes.

Awake

Awake The great Temple of Tanel'Orn stood abandoned in darkness and silence for millennia, protected against the ravages of time and entropy by wards of the most powerful and ancient sorcery. It has been long forgotten by all but a handful of its withered Draktau zealots and dreaming avatars that are now scattered across disparate realms of the multiverse. Without warning or witness the Temple is suddenly awash with long dormant energies as it perceives the silent, desperate call of Its most exalted Champion. He takes His final agonized breath in a far-flung universe, slain in treachery after a rather successful incarnation that had endured for more than three thousand years. The Champion's redemption unfolds as globes of eldritch power draw upon the blood of the multiverse, feeding energies and designs into the Well of Life. A new incarnation of the Champion breathes life. As ever, He awakens without memory of His true nature or destiny, confused and alone. All will eventually return to Him in dreams. A new chapter begins. The eternal struggle continues...

TC-RTC, July-August 2009, Topic: Dragons

I started quite late and ran out of time on this TC-RTC round, and my entry "Mama" ended up in a disappointing fifth place. After the deadline I finished the piece as it should have been entered had I not run out of time; I like to think it would've come in first place if this was the version I'd submitted:

Mama	Mama A mama dragon glimpses her firstborn...

IRTC, May-June 2009, Topic: Testing Round

The IRTC returns! For the new IRTC website's testing round my entry "Equis" got second place:

Equis

Equis It was a sunny (if somewhat chilly) afternoon when he arrived in Astranaar. After an arduous trek to the far tip of the Zoram peninsula he finally reached the ruins. Awestruck, he stood in silent contemplation before the ancient Colossus Equis of Mal'Doth.

TC-RTC, March-April 2009, Topic: The Lost City

My TC-RTC entry "Lost Angeles" got second place:

Lost Angelese

Lost Angeles View Scene Progression Throughout most of the 21st century the undisputed champion of motion picture entertainment continued to be the Hollywood machine. Taken exactly forty years after the Great Western Quake of 2081, this photograph commemorates the last days of this decaying monument to the former glory of a city that was lost, without warning, beneath the waves of the Pacific. Here stands the last remnant of that lost piece of entertainment history they called Hollywood, a crumbling monument to the millions of lives lost here in those tragic days.

TC-RTC, May-June 2008, Topic: The Bridge Builders

My TC-RTC entry "Slaver's Gorge" earned yet another first place award:

Slaver's Gorge

Slaver's Gorge Deep within the southern continent of Tirokaar a treacherous chasm separates two disparate ecosystems. On one side of the rift lies an inhospitable land of desolation that was long known to be rich with precious metals and gemstones; on the other, a forested land of greenery and natural bounty. Between them is the River, which long ago became a sacred dividing line that the people dared not cross for fear of angering the Gods. For uncounted generations this was so. Then came the Bridge Builders. Relatively few in number, they had arrived from off-world with superior technology and a brutal and bloody agenda driven by greed. Under their oppressive guidance the native inhabitants of the area cast the massive support statues, chains, and bridge support structures from an alloy unique to the region; they obediently hand-crafted and assembled the stonework under the relentless lashes of their new masters. Eventually they spanned the chasm, and the Bridge Builders laughed and reaped the fruits of their slave labor for many years. They grew fat and rich and complacent. As so often happens after years of relentless brutality, the natives finally rose up against their oppressors and destroyed them, to a man. Now, hundreds of years later, the tales of old and the Bridge itself are the only reminders of the Bridge Builders presence here. In the last few decades the now ancient, yet well-engineered and long-enduring suspension bridge has become a popular tourist destination, crossing the expanse known to the locals as Slaver's Gorge....

TC-RTC March-April 2008 round, Topic: Moon-Face

My TC-RTC entry "Transcendence" again got first place:

Transcendence

Transcendence An evolution of mind over matter, movement toward the light, shifting between states of existence, losing face and becoming something more...

TC-RTC, January-February 2008, Topic: In the Wilderness

My second TC-RTC entry was "Wilderness Reborn" which also got first place:

Wilderness Reborn

Wilderness Reborn A once sprawling metropolis is reduced to ruins, and wilderness is reborn, for Nature moves quickly to reclaim Her territory when left unhindered by the efforts of humanity...

TC-RTC, November-December 2007, Topic: Aeroplanes

After several years of active service, the IRTC suddenly shut down without warning, on indefinite hiatus. It was after nearly two years of this "hiatus" nonsense that I first heard that the brave lads at TC-RTC had stepped up to the plate with their own version of the IRTC. My first TC-RTC entry was "For Gnomeregan" which was awarded first place:

For Gnomeregan!

For Gnomeregan! View Scene Progression Two Gnomish flyboys test their new experimental flying machines over the frozen wilds of Dun Morogh... "For Gnomeregan!" (for any World of Warcraft fans out there ;)

IRTC, January-February 2006, Topic: Fire and Ice

My second IRTC entry "Frozen Fire" got first place:

Frozen Fire

Frozen Fire I spent several days thinking of various combinations of things that could represent fire and ice, and I came up with a great many ideas (e.g., Comet near the sun, Volcano in Iceland, a glass of Scotch Whiskey on the rocks [firewater!] , a frozen castle with a blazing torch, etc.), but I never got the "That's it!" feeling from any of them until one morning I woke up and it suddenly hit me - red hot chili peppers frozen in a block of ice - "That's it!" I thought... Tongue in cheek, yet serious and on-topic.

IRTC, July-August 2005, Topic: Minimalism

My first Internet Ray-Tracing Competition (IRTC) competition entry yielded the groundbreaking (heh) "12 Catenoids" which didn't place at all:

12 Catenoids

Twelve Catenoids I wanted a dual meaning to this piece based on the topic "Minimalism" and I thought that using mathematical minimal surfaces in a minimalist composition would be fun. After doing some research on the Minimalist Art Movement of the 1960s and 1970s I decided on a composition inspired by the 1967 sculpture "Addendum" by the late Eva Hesse. I found a photo of "Addendum" here. The basic composition is a series of nails in a red cedar board, each supporting a piece of twine from which dangle one or more metal catenoids (a minimal surface of revolution). The lengths of the pieces of twine correspond to the first five Fibonacci numbers, as does the number of catenoids on each length (1-1-2-3-5). This gives a total of 12 minimal surfaces dangling in front of another minimal surface of revolution - the background plane. Complex, yet simple. I like that...

POV-COMP 2004