Let's appreciate/discuss today's new releases - ongoing thread

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Comments

  • I think the sash windows are UK appropriate, not too different from those in the Baroque Blenheim Palace. In the UK we had a short Baroque/Rococo period before adopting the less flamboyant Palladian style for large country houses. The pane size is appropriate for the 1700's, larger panes became possible in the 1800's. Regards, Richard
  • sidsid Posts: 439

    Maybe Schloss Charlottenburg was some inspro. I don't know how authentic the reconstruction is for the windows in particular.

  • caravellecaravelle Posts: 2,457
    edited November 2023

    sid said:

    Maybe Schloss Charlottenburg was some inspro. I don't know how authentic the reconstruction is for the windows in particular.

    The New Wing of Schloss Charlottenburg was badly damaged in WW2, but I assume that the windows, including those in the Golden Gallery, have been faithfully restored - if what was destroyed in the war was indeed original. But it seems that this type of window already existed in the UK in the 18th century - why not in Berlin too?  

    Now, of course, I'm thinking about buying Linday's bundle after all... ;-)

    Post edited by caravelle on
  • sid said:

    With the lovely Rococo set, can you use the fabric shaders as generic shaders to apply to other objects?

    The textures are specific to the UVs and don't tile. 

  • Googling Rococo window shows plenty of sash ones

    but they might be a modern renovation as said

    so fine for depicting modern times in a Rococo mansion

  • richardandtracyrichardandtracy Posts: 5,683
    edited November 2023

    I went to school from age 8-13 in a converted Palladian country house (It had a GWR 'Hall' class loco named after it, #4961 'Pyrland Hall', built 1929, scrapped 1963). A number of the windows in the house were original & sash windows. Sash windows certainly date back to 1760 in the UK which was when the house was built. One window that was way too expensive to change and so was original, was the huge staircase sash window, a good 15ft high by 8ft wide, matching the curvature of the curved staircase wall, with a bow top, leading to double curvature timbers in the top sash rail and single curvature in the lower sash rails.

    Regards,

    Richard

     

    Post edited by richardandtracy on
  • caravellecaravelle Posts: 2,457

    @richardandtracy: I saw these windows in Scotland in a historicist castle from the 19th century. Although the castle has been extensively renovated, they could still have been the original windows.

  • GordigGordig Posts: 10,060

    I'm glad it didn't take too long for someone else to make a better mermaid tail: https://www.daz3d.com/royal-waves-tail-and-poses-for-genesis-9-feminine

  • Gordig said:

    I'm glad it didn't take too long for someone else to make a better mermaid tail: https://www.daz3d.com/royal-waves-tail-and-poses-for-genesis-9-feminine

    It really is a pretty design. The scale detail is beautiful, and I love that long, elegant swallow-tailed form.

    Anyone know if the MMX Genesis 9 Clones would work with something like this? I often consider getting that or a character convertor on sale one day.

  • I do think the Royal Waves Tail is something really special. I have looked regularly for an equivalent for G8 M/F and never found anything similarly attractive. The Aguja Mermaid is fancy, but I don't like it as much.

    Regards,

    Richard

  • HylasHylas Posts: 4,988

    Astraffel said:

    Gordig said:

    I'm glad it didn't take too long for someone else to make a better mermaid tail: https://www.daz3d.com/royal-waves-tail-and-poses-for-genesis-9-feminine

    It really is a pretty design. The scale detail is beautiful, and I love that long, elegant swallow-tailed form.

    Anyone know if the MMX Genesis 9 Clones would work with something like this? I often consider getting that or a character convertor on sale one day.

    The tail is almost certainly a geograft, which means clones won't help.

  • Hylas said:

    The tail is almost certainly a geograft, which means clones won't help.

    Ahh, well, that would make sense. Thanks for the help!

  • FSMCDesignsFSMCDesigns Posts: 12,755

    Gordig said:

    I'm glad it didn't take too long for someone else to make a better mermaid tail: https://www.daz3d.com/royal-waves-tail-and-poses-for-genesis-9-feminine

    And here I was wondering why we needed yet another mermaid in the store, LOL

  • GordigGordig Posts: 10,060

    richardandtracy said:

    I do think the Royal Waves Tail is something really special. I have looked regularly for an equivalent for G8 M/F and never found anything similarly attractive. The Aguja Mermaid is fancy, but I don't like it as much.

    Regards,

    Richard

    I like Coral's tail, but I think the best option for G8 is to fit G3's Laguna tail to G8.

  • Does that work? I was imagining that it'd be a geograft which I thought didn't work between generations. I suppose even if it doesn't, there isn't a lot between G3F and G8F, especially with RiverSoft's G8F->G3F convertor. Definitely a nice option. Regards, Richard.
  • GordigGordig Posts: 10,060

    Geografts work between G3 and G8 because they're the same mesh. @Silas3D details the method here: https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/380811/laguna-mermaid-for-genesis-8#latest

  • I must be very silly sometimes. I had that bookmarked already. Where's the 'Bashing forehead on wall' emoji when you need it? Thanks for showing it to me again, Gordig, much appreciated. Regards, Richard.
  • Llola LaneLlola Lane Posts: 9,344

    Heads up... Tokens are expiring on Sunday Nov 19th :(... I have a bunch to use up.  Hope we get some good stuff in the next few days!

  • https://www.daz3d.com/aztec-pyramids-2

    I love the structural variety of these! I've been wanting a mesoamerican or egyptian pyramid environment for a long time yet never found the right fit. I think they may look fantastic with some tropical UltraScenery!

    Perhaps I could use my black hole prop as an eclipse...

  • caravellecaravelle Posts: 2,457

    Astraffel said:

    https://www.daz3d.com/aztec-pyramids-2

    I love the structural variety of these! I've been wanting a mesoamerican or egyptian pyramid environment for a long time yet never found the right fit. I think they may look fantastic with some tropical UltraScenery!

    Perhaps I could use my black hole prop as an eclipse...

    Great. I grabbed it straight away, although I was a bit annoyed that Mayan pyramids are being labelled 'Aztec' here again. These two cultures had some similar elements, but were basically very different. 

  • AstraffelAstraffel Posts: 211
    edited November 2023

    caravelle said:

    Astraffel said:

    https://www.daz3d.com/aztec-pyramids-2

    I love the structural variety of these! I've been wanting a mesoamerican or egyptian pyramid environment for a long time yet never found the right fit. I think they may look fantastic with some tropical UltraScenery!

    Perhaps I could use my black hole prop as an eclipse...

    Great. I grabbed it straight away, although I was a bit annoyed that Mayan pyramids are being labelled 'Aztec' here again. These two cultures had some similar elements, but were basically very different. 

    I'm genuinely curious. Are there architectural hallmarks or specific sites these are based on?

    On wikipedia's Mesoamerican Pyramids page, which lists 37 Maya and 6 Aztec pyramids, I looked for where the unique elements in the models may have been inspired by:

    • Pyramid 5 (twin staircase) - Templo Mayor? (Aztec)
    • Pyramid 6 (round top) - Tikal? (Maya)
    • Pyramid 7 (shallow incline) - Palenque? (Maya)
    • Pyramid 8 (corner braziers) - Santa Cecilia Acatitlan? (Aztec)

    Or of interest... on the talud-tablero page several profiles match very closely:

    • Pyramid 5 - Tenayuca (Aztec)
    • Pyramid 6 - ??? (only tablero?)
    • Pyramid 7 - Palenque (Maya)
    • Pyramid 8 - El Tajín (Veracruz)

    I'm not at all qualified to say though. I love science and history, yet I'm exclusively writing sci-fi / fantasy stories.

    edit: Just to clarify, I'm not claiming you're incorrect. I've personally no idea. I'm only curious as to what elements you identified as definitively Maya. I've always wondered how to tell the difference.

    Post edited by Astraffel on
  • HavosHavos Posts: 5,362

    Astraffel said:

    caravelle said:

    Astraffel said:

    https://www.daz3d.com/aztec-pyramids-2

    I love the structural variety of these! I've been wanting a mesoamerican or egyptian pyramid environment for a long time yet never found the right fit. I think they may look fantastic with some tropical UltraScenery!

    Perhaps I could use my black hole prop as an eclipse...

    Great. I grabbed it straight away, although I was a bit annoyed that Mayan pyramids are being labelled 'Aztec' here again. These two cultures had some similar elements, but were basically very different. 

    I'm genuinely curious. Are there architectural hallmarks or specific sites these are based on?

    On wikipedia's Mesoamerican Pyramids page, which lists 37 Maya and 6 Aztec pyramids, I looked for where the unique elements in the models may have been inspired by:

    • Pyramid 5 (twin staircase) - Templo Mayor? (Aztec)
    • Pyramid 6 (round top) - Tikal? (Maya)
    • Pyramid 7 (shallow incline) - Palenque? (Maya)
    • Pyramid 8 (corner braziers) - Santa Cecilia Acatitlan? (Aztec)

    Or of interest... on the talud-tablero page several profiles match very closely:

    • Pyramid 5 - Tenayuca (Aztec)
    • Pyramid 6 - ??? (only tablero?)
    • Pyramid 7 - Palenque (Maya)
    • Pyramid 8 - El Tajín (Veracruz)

    I'm not at all qualified to say though. I love science and history, yet I'm exclusively writing sci-fi / fantasy stories.

    edit: Just to clarify, I'm not claiming you're incorrect. I've personally no idea. I'm only curious as to what elements you identified as definitively Maya. I've always wondered how to tell the difference.

    I have travelled in Mexico, and the Aztec and Maya pyramids are quite different. The latter had steeper sides, and had small temples on top, but that is not a universal rule. Maya civilisation also occurred well before the Aztec ones. The pyramids in this pack look similar to the ones at Chichen Itza in Yukatan, so are Mayan, which is some distance from Mexico City, the capital of the Aztecs when the Spaniards arrived.

    Tourists were still allowed to climb the Chichen Itza pyramids when I visited, and it was a pretty scary experience due to the extreme steepness of the steps. The Aztec pyramids were easier, although one was much taller than the Maya pyramids.

  • Havos said:

    Astraffel said:

    caravelle said:

    Astraffel said:

    https://www.daz3d.com/aztec-pyramids-2

    I love the structural variety of these! I've been wanting a mesoamerican or egyptian pyramid environment for a long time yet never found the right fit. I think they may look fantastic with some tropical UltraScenery!

    Perhaps I could use my black hole prop as an eclipse...

    Great. I grabbed it straight away, although I was a bit annoyed that Mayan pyramids are being labelled 'Aztec' here again. These two cultures had some similar elements, but were basically very different. 

    I'm genuinely curious. Are there architectural hallmarks or specific sites these are based on?

    On wikipedia's Mesoamerican Pyramids page, which lists 37 Maya and 6 Aztec pyramids, I looked for where the unique elements in the models may have been inspired by:

    • Pyramid 5 (twin staircase) - Templo Mayor? (Aztec)
    • Pyramid 6 (round top) - Tikal? (Maya)
    • Pyramid 7 (shallow incline) - Palenque? (Maya)
    • Pyramid 8 (corner braziers) - Santa Cecilia Acatitlan? (Aztec)

    Or of interest... on the talud-tablero page several profiles match very closely:

    • Pyramid 5 - Tenayuca (Aztec)
    • Pyramid 6 - ??? (only tablero?)
    • Pyramid 7 - Palenque (Maya)
    • Pyramid 8 - El Tajín (Veracruz)

    I'm not at all qualified to say though. I love science and history, yet I'm exclusively writing sci-fi / fantasy stories.

    edit: Just to clarify, I'm not claiming you're incorrect. I've personally no idea. I'm only curious as to what elements you identified as definitively Maya. I've always wondered how to tell the difference.

    I have travelled in Mexico, and the Aztec and Maya pyramids are quite different. The latter had steeper sides, and had small temples on top, but that is not a universal rule. Maya civilisation also occurred well before the Aztec ones. The pyramids in this pack look similar to the ones at Chichen Itza in Yukatan, so are Mayan, which is some distance from Mexico City, the capital of the Aztecs when the Spaniards arrived.

    Tourists were still allowed to climb the Chichen Itza pyramids when I visited, and it was a pretty scary experience due to the extreme steepness of the steps. The Aztec pyramids were easier, although one was much taller than the Maya pyramids.

    Ah, that must have been amazing to see and climb!

    I think you're right about the temples on top looking like Maya. I've only found images from Palenque that really look similar. Most I've seen are box shapes.

    The specific patterns of the pyramid sides is curious though. Since the uploader/illustrator of the talud-tablero diagram on wikipedia I was referencing, made it CC0, I'll try to attach it below. They said the diagrams are sourced and re-illustrated from the book "The Aztecs, Maya, and Their Predecessors" by Muriel Porter Weaver.

    I think it's particularly notable since three of them are almost exact in this pack. The El Tajín design is especially intricate.

    Perhaps Enterables mixed elements of various Mesoamerican styles, yet I defer to anyone more knowledgeable.

     

    Taludtablerostyles.png
    416 x 384 - 5K
  • HavosHavos Posts: 5,362

    At least in one aspect the Aztec Pyramid set is accurate, there is no interior, which is correct, as in all the pyramids I saw, none had an interior at all. They were not tombs, but used for religious ceremonies (including human sacrifice), where most of the action took place at the top.

    I was fortunate to see the Egyptian pyramids of Giza around Covid time, when Egypt was pretty much empty of tourists, and we had the whole great pyramid to ourselves. The interior of that was small, but impressive, and would be well worth modelling.

  • AstraffelAstraffel Posts: 211
    edited November 2023

    I'm having a difficult time finding images of Chichen Itza that aren't the iconic Temple of Kukulcán. I've found a map of the site though. Trying random labelled spots has yet to pull one that looks like these yet.

    Honestly, I appreciate the excuse to explore all these archaeological locations though. It's so fascinating.

     

    edit: At this point, I realize I've drifted rather far from the purpose of this thread and shall leave it there. Thanks for the responses!

    Post edited by Astraffel on
  • caravellecaravelle Posts: 2,457
    edited November 2023

    Astraffel said:

    caravelle said:

    Astraffel said:

    https://www.daz3d.com/aztec-pyramids-2

    I love the structural variety of these! I've been wanting a mesoamerican or egyptian pyramid environment for a long time yet never found the right fit. I think they may look fantastic with some tropical UltraScenery!

    Perhaps I could use my black hole prop as an eclipse...

    Great. I grabbed it straight away, although I was a bit annoyed that Mayan pyramids are being labelled 'Aztec' here again. These two cultures had some similar elements, but were basically very different. 

    I'm genuinely curious. Are there architectural hallmarks or specific sites these are based on?

    On wikipedia's Mesoamerican Pyramids page, which lists 37 Maya and 6 Aztec pyramids, I looked for where the unique elements in the models may have been inspired by:

    • Pyramid 5 (twin staircase) - Templo Mayor? (Aztec)
    • Pyramid 6 (round top) - Tikal? (Maya)
    • Pyramid 7 (shallow incline) - Palenque? (Maya)
    • Pyramid 8 (corner braziers) - Santa Cecilia Acatitlan? (Aztec)

    Or of interest... on the talud-tablero page several profiles match very closely:

    • Pyramid 5 - Tenayuca (Aztec)
    • Pyramid 6 - ??? (only tablero?)
    • Pyramid 7 - Palenque (Maya)
    • Pyramid 8 - El Tajín (Veracruz)

    I'm not at all qualified to say though. I love science and history, yet I'm exclusively writing sci-fi / fantasy stories.

    edit: Just to clarify, I'm not claiming you're incorrect. I've personally no idea. I'm only curious as to what elements you identified as definitively Maya. I've always wondered how to tell the difference.

    Astraffel, I'm not an expert either, just an interested layperson. Ever since I discovered a book about the Mayans at my parents' house when I was about 10 years old, I have been fascinated by this culture. Wow, what a discovery! Reliefs and paintings that looked great but were completely incomprehensible!  surprisewink Later, I also became interested in Aztec culture, and perhaps it is this decades-old 'visual habit' that makes it easy for me today to distinguish between the stylistic elements of these two cultures. There were overlaps between the two styles, especially in the Yucatán; the famous Chichén Itzá is a good example. The regional Maya styles were also different, as these peoples inhabited a wide and geographically diverse area.

    Havos has already listed some important differences in temple architecture. The same applies to sculpture and painting: Basically, the Aztec forms are more rigid, whereas the Maya forms are more curved and baroque - somehow more charming and refined, without wishing to diminish the quality of the Aztec artists and craftsmen. 

    You can see this in Pyramid 7, which could have come quite directly from Palenque's Sun Temple, as you have correctly recognised: an Aztec architect would never have made such a roof construction.

    Post edited by caravelle on
  • caravelle said:

    Astraffel said:

    caravelle said:

    Astraffel said:

    https://www.daz3d.com/aztec-pyramids-2

    I love the structural variety of these! I've been wanting a mesoamerican or egyptian pyramid environment for a long time yet never found the right fit. I think they may look fantastic with some tropical UltraScenery!

    Perhaps I could use my black hole prop as an eclipse...

    Great. I grabbed it straight away, although I was a bit annoyed that Mayan pyramids are being labelled 'Aztec' here again. These two cultures had some similar elements, but were basically very different. 

    I'm genuinely curious. Are there architectural hallmarks or specific sites these are based on?

    On wikipedia's Mesoamerican Pyramids page, which lists 37 Maya and 6 Aztec pyramids, I looked for where the unique elements in the models may have been inspired by:

    • Pyramid 5 (twin staircase) - Templo Mayor? (Aztec)
    • Pyramid 6 (round top) - Tikal? (Maya)
    • Pyramid 7 (shallow incline) - Palenque? (Maya)
    • Pyramid 8 (corner braziers) - Santa Cecilia Acatitlan? (Aztec)

    Or of interest... on the talud-tablero page several profiles match very closely:

    • Pyramid 5 - Tenayuca (Aztec)
    • Pyramid 6 - ??? (only tablero?)
    • Pyramid 7 - Palenque (Maya)
    • Pyramid 8 - El Tajín (Veracruz)

    I'm not at all qualified to say though. I love science and history, yet I'm exclusively writing sci-fi / fantasy stories.

    edit: Just to clarify, I'm not claiming you're incorrect. I've personally no idea. I'm only curious as to what elements you identified as definitively Maya. I've always wondered how to tell the difference.

    Astraffel, I'm not an expert either, just an interested layperson. Ever since I discovered a book about the Mayans at my parents' house when I was about 10 years old, I have been fascinated by this culture. Wow, what a discovery! Reliefs and paintings that looked great but were completely incomprehensible!  surprisewink Later, I also became interested in Aztec culture, and perhaps it is this decades-old 'visual habit' that makes it easy for me today to distinguish between the stylistic elements of these two cultures. There were overlaps between the two styles, especially in the Yucatán; the famous Chichén Itzá is a good example. The regional Maya styles were also different, as these peoples inhabited a wide and geographically diverse area.

    Havos has already listed some important differences in temple architecture. The same applies to sculpture and painting: Basically, the Aztec forms are more rigid, whereas the Maya forms are more curved and baroque - somehow more charming and refined, without wishing to diminish the quality of the Aztec artists and craftsmen. 

    You can see this in Pyramid 7, which could have come quite directly from Palenque's Sun Temple, as you have correctly recognised: an Aztec architect would never have made such a roof construction.

    Thanks for your explanation! I appreciate your detailing specific examples.

    I went and rewatched the History Buffs (YouTube) Apocalypto movie analysis. The conflation keeps reminding me of how I cannot personally tell apart ancient Greek and Roman architecture or Zeus to Jupiter seeming similar of Kukulkan to Quetzalcoatl, yet that may not be a fair analogy.

  • caravellecaravelle Posts: 2,457
    edited November 2023

    Astraffel said:

    Thanks for your explanation! I appreciate your detailing specific examples.

    I went and rewatched the History Buffs (YouTube) Apocalypto movie analysis. The conflation keeps reminding me of how I cannot personally tell apart ancient Greek and Roman architecture or Zeus to Jupiter seeming similar of Kukulkan to Quetzalcoatl, yet that may not be a fair analogy.

    You're welcome! 

    It is both easy and difficult to distinguish between Greek and Roman architecture because the Romans adopted so many stylistic elements from Greece and the Greek colonies in southern Italy and the eastern Mediterranean. Roman temples etc. often followed the Greek model, while functional public buildings (e.g. the basilica) represented the Roman style. The large country villas of the Roman upper class also had modified Greek features.

    I find the parallels between the two major Central American civilisations and their counterparts in the Mediterranean region interesting. In terms of their organisation into city states, for example, the Mayans were very similar to the Greeks; they also shared their interest in the sciences with the Greeks. The Aztecs, on the other hand, had similarities with Rome: These included a centralised system with Rome or Tenochtitlán as the capital of a large empire, a high drive for expansion in each case and a correspondingly high degree of militarisation. Both the Romans and the Aztecs were 'engineering civilisations', etc.

    Post edited by caravelle on
  • AstraffelAstraffel Posts: 211
    edited November 2023

    caravelle said:

    Astraffel said:

    Thanks for your explanation! I appreciate your detailing specific examples.

    I went and rewatched the History Buffs (YouTube) Apocalypto movie analysis. The conflation keeps reminding me of how I cannot personally tell apart ancient Greek and Roman architecture or Zeus to Jupiter seeming similar of Kukulkan to Quetzalcoatl, yet that may not be a fair analogy.

    You're welcome! 

    It is both easy and difficult to distinguish between Greek and Roman architecture because the Romans adopted so many stylistic elements from Greece and the Greek colonies in southern Italy and the eastern Mediterranean. Roman temples etc. often followed the Greek model, while functional public buildings (e.g. the basilica) represented the Roman style. The large country villas of the Roman upper class also had modified Greek features.

    I find the parallels between the two major Central American civilisations and their counterparts in the Mediterranean region interesting. In terms of their organisation into city states, for example, the Mayans were very similar to the Greeks; they also shared their interest in the sciences with the Greeks. The Aztecs, on the other hand, had similarities with Rome: These included a centralised system with Rome or Tenochtitlán as the capital of a large empire, a high drive for expansion in each case and a correspondingly high degree of militarisation. Both the Romans and the Aztecs were 'engineering civilisations', etc.

    Those are some fascinating elements. The Tenochtitlan and Rome capitals are so iconic [of] each.

    Post edited by Astraffel on
  • Llola LaneLlola Lane Posts: 9,344

    Anyone bought anything interesting these last few days???  Nothing has grabbed me... sure gonna miss the tokens... They helped me save a bit of money (sighs)

This discussion has been closed.