This is my final entry....(before i leave for holiday tomorrow morning for Malaysia..

)
...and I was able to test out 2.43 also with this one..
INSPIRATION:
it is based on M.C.Escher's work of 'paradox shapes' or 'impossible objects'.
Being an architect, i was always inspired by Escher...and always wanted to bring together his work somehow...with octane at least it is 'visually' possible and it gave me a chance to finally experiment with it..
- all these solids are 'paradox' or 'impossible' objects and are visually 'correct' only from one angle (and mostly orthographic view). But from any other angle- they are 'juxtaposed' and 'unconnected'
one can find complete works here-
http://www.mcescher.com/
- the challenge here was to being together these paradox objects and align them so that they look visually correct from the POV (which is the image on the top). The image on the bottom is with a perspective view- where the 'true distorted shapes' are visible. Both these images actually form a part of my competition entry- as they both are equally important. (only post production done here was to join these two images together)
DESCRIPTION:
- We have the chessboard as focal point of composition- the chessboard itself is a paradox, and 'real' objects above it only enhances the illusion created by the chessboard..
- the stairs- based on Escher's 'ascending and descending' has snails traling thru them- to enhance visual continuity..(you might have seen these stairs in the movie'inception')
- all other objects float around- like penrose traingle (two types of it), the paradox cube, etc. etc.. cast reflection on the mirrored surface behind them. These reflections show their actual 'juxtaposed' shapes- while from the viewer's POV, they look 'complete'
- the floor of the composition is based on Escher's symmetry drawings- one used here is from the work 'smaller and smaller'..if you look carefully, the same pattern repeats and is interlocked and goes smaller and smaller in a circular fashion..
TECHNICALS:
- total approx. 372,000 traingles,
-modelled/composed on sketchup, few models from 3dwarehouse (free models)...
- about 1800 samples each (gave me good enough result on pathtracing)
-final image is converted to jpeg, as tiff size was exceeding 20mb..
- WIP:
http://www.refractivesoftware.com/forum ... f=6&t=4912
Cheers and Best of Luck to all other participants!