===== From jon@vulpecula.us: Good work! Feels kind of empty...but I think that actually heightens the sense of mystery. Very cool. Still...something alive might have been a good addition...even if it were just a small bird...or a butterfly perched on one of the heads... ===== From rgow@lanset.com: Nice grass! Texture on the heads is a bit too uniform for something exposed to the elements for centuries. ===== From thegreatbambeeno@yahoo.com: woh. really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really good. ===== From hildurka@simnet.is: Good lighting, good composition, nice textures. Great work. ===== From pbrasolin@yahoo.it: The statues and the grass look great, but the sky, in my opinion, is too distorted. PB ===== From ralf@treuherz.de: Grass looks VERY realistic. Modeling of the sculptures very well done. ===== From the_dark_allies@hotmail.com: Nice work. My only real complaint is this same type of scene has been rendered so many times before. ===== From aplenosol@jazzfree.com: No hay tal misterio. Fueron construidas por indigenas del pacifico sur que agotaron todos los recursos naturales de que dispon_an y que prepararon su propia extinci_n. El _nico enigma es si estamos repitiendo la historia. ===== From zio_tom78@hotmail.com: Although I do not know Maya, it must not be that easy to create such a realistic grass. The only thing that does not work in this image is the Moai texture: too much brown (although I must admit I do not remember the actual color very well, it seems to me it is more greyish than brownish). Using three moai heads with different scales and proportions would have given a better touch to the image. ===== From p_chan@shaw.ca: The grass looks very good, but theres something awkward about it. When I look at it, I don't get the feel that the grass is natural, but rather an artificial "fur" of some kind. ===== From emediez@emediez.com: Kind of "lonely" image. It is possibly the camera, or the intention :-) A stronger sky could enhance moais as the main element. Beautiful image, though. ===== From intertek@one.net: Great topic and very good work Marcelo! I have to say though that the = photos I've seen of the island seem more mysterious. Your statues look = more friendly, content to be buried up to their necks. These guys are = just hanging out working on their tans. There's something extremely = haunting about the statues on Easter Island. You don't need to be an = archeologist to be unnerved by them. As you mentioned they are huge - = some as big as a three floor building. From what I've seen they are = often in a row - like solders with hollow eyes. You did a great job it's = just the atmosphere is... super friendly! There's a blue sky with fluffy = white clouds, an lush green grass looks like a great place for a picnic. = It's not enough to pick a topic that is mysterious you have to make me = feel the mystery. It looks like you have done a bunch of research so you've probably have = seen these links already but would you look at them again keeping in = mind what I've said. This is not a place for slinging Frisbees about. = Look at the overall feeling of the place. What mood are these stone guys = are in? Photo from the island: http://www.eco-action.org/dt/gifs/stat2.jpeg Photo from the island: = http://www.photoatlas.com/photo/chile_osterinsel.jpg Photo from the island: = http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lostempires/easter/images/movesslide01.jpg Photo from the island: = http://www.breger.net/Easter%20Island/images/the%20Bregers%20at%20Easter%= 20Island.jpg Another 3D Image of the topic: = http://www.uhs-hints.com/articles/reviews/graphics/tos-full-5.jpg Hope that was helpful, if not email me at intertek@one.net I'm happy to = discuss it in more detail. Michael ===== From glenn@mccarters.net: Very nice whispy grass. Beautiful sky. I like the composition of the = scene. Good artistry. A sense of historical mystery here. The statues = seem to "glow" too much -- a problem with textures, or lighting? ===== From file: That is the sweetest grASS I have ever seen. I just want to sink my hands right into it. Get a feel for it you know. Notable for textures ===== From file: I love the grass on this image. It's the best I have seen for a long time. I prefer this image to the other 'Easter Island' one that was entered (aa_rapa_). This is far more realistic, and besides, I can't get over how good the grass looks. Notable for modelling, textures ===== From file: I really like the grass - some of the best I've seen