072 - Arches and buttresses

Dim Sum wonders why the bird perches were not full of pigeons.


I love architectural details, and virtual recreations like this are wonderful in that they allow you to inspect the architecture from angles you couldn't get in real life.

location: Edelweiss - Mont Saint-Michel

Technical notes

windlight:  Phototools Dreamboat (modified)
water: Glassy (modified)

Depth of Field:
View angle: 0.727
FOV: 85.0
F-number: 11.0
Foc Length: 550
Foc Time: 0.5
CoC: 10.0
Resolution: 1.0
Aspect Ratio: 1.0

Glow Settings:
Quality: 8
Iterations: 1
Strength: 0.35
Luminance: 1.0
Warmth: 0.0
Width: 1.3
Alpha: 0.25

071 - The archangel

Why is it always easier to climb up than to climb down? Someone call the fire department, please.


This is probably the third spot I went to today. I had an idea back in the cafe but I couldn't find a good composition for it, after working on it for an hour or two. I couldn't find a good windlight for this one either, but, oh, well.

location: Edelweiss - Mont Saint-Michel

Technical notes

windlight: Phototools- Dream Boat (modified)
water: Glassy (modified)

Depth of Field:
View angle: 0.727
FOV: 20.0
F-number: 17.0
Foc Length: 300
Foc Time: 0.5
CoC: 10.0
Resolution: 1.0
Aspect Ratio: 1.0

Glow Settings:
Quality: 8
Iterations: 1
Strength: 0.35
Luminance: 1.0
Warmth: 0.0
Width: 1.3
Alpha: 0.25

The DOF is hardly there, really. I wanted to preserve the crispness of the houses down below without the lines being too harsh.

I also wanted to add some haze to emphasize the distance, but because there's really nothing between the foreground (the saint) and the background (the houses), it makes it look like the foreground objects were just pasted on, and it looks odd. DOF and stereoscopy look best if there are objects that gradually recede to the background.

070 - The grey-haired librarian

Dim Sum watches the grey tabby from the corner of her eye, then goes back to reading her book. (Yes, cats read books. Or at least we look at the pictures.)


The landmark from Skeat Abonwood took me to the monastery, but I found this little cafe/restaurant in one of the houses by the water. And it looks like there are shops hidden inside the other houses. Lots of nooks to explore!

location: Edelweiss - Mont Saint-Michel (Le Cafe Poulard)

Technical notes

windlight: Places Cornfield (modified)

Depth of Field:
View angle: 0.727
FOV: 20.0
F-number: 16.75
Foc Length: 120
Foc Time: 0.5
CoC: 10.0
Resolution: 1.0
Aspect Ratio: 1.0

Glow Settings:
Quality: 8
Iterations: 1
Strength: 0.35
Luminance: 1.0
Warmth: 0.0
Width: 1.3
Alpha: 0.25

069 - Watermelon dock

Dim Sum feels the mist from the waterfalls moisten her fur as she eyes the watermelon slices at the end of the old covered dock.


As much as I'd like to spend the rest of Dim Sum's nine lives here in this dreamy watercolor world, it's time to move on. Skeat Abonwood sent me a folder-full of landmarks to her favorite places, so lots of places to explore.

location: HappyMood (HPMD)

Technical notes

windlight: Places Bentham (modified)
water: Default

Depth of Field:
View angle: 0.727
FOV: 80.0
F-number: 12.0
Foc Length: 210
Foc Time: 0.5
CoC: 10.0
Resolution: 1.0
Aspect Ratio: 1.0

Glow Settings:
Quality: 8
Iterations: 1
Strength: 0.35
Luminance: 1.0
Warmth: 0.0
Width: 1.3
Alpha: 0.25

068 - Bunny Hill

Dim Sum compares her paws with the bunny's paws and is very grateful that bunnies are gentle creatures.


This is the same giant bunny in the background of the Patchwork Ducks picture. In fact, the camera faces the same way.

location: HappyMood (HPMD)

Technical notes

windlight: [TOR] SUNRISE Desert (modified)
water: Glassy (modified)

Depth of Field:
View angle: 0.727
FOV: 90.0
F-number: 10.5
Foc Length: 210
Foc Time: 0.5
CoC: 10.0
Resolution: 1.0
Aspect Ratio: 1.0

Glow Settings:
Quality: 8
Iterations: 1
Strength: 0.35
Luminance: 1.0
Warmth: 0.0
Width: 1.3
Alpha: 0.25

One of the windlights I went through gave me the idea to backlight the bunny. But while playing with the east position, I realized that the tree on the top left looks cool when it's backlit too, and the light reflected on the water that way too. I could have tweaked it a bit more but it already took too much time.

067 - Reading hour

What does it say?
Quack, quack.... Quack, quack, quack.... Quack....
Hmmm, that is very interesting indeed.


Back to HappyMood... again! I'm not done with this place yet. This spot is right next to the pair of ducks from the other day.

location: HappyMood (HPMD)

Technical notes

windlight: Pirate (modified)

Depth of Field:
View angle: 0.727
FOV: 40.0
F-number: 10.0
Foc Length: 210
Foc Time: 0.5
CoC: 10.0
Resolution: 1.0
Aspect Ratio: 1.0

Glow Settings:
Quality: 8
Iterations: 1
Strength: 0.35
Luminance: 1.0
Warmth: 0.0
Width: 1.3
Alpha: 0.25

066 - Occupy Keyboards

Contrary to what Opal Lei claims, Dim Sum, the cat, is animated by a consortium of millions of real world cats all over the globe.

To the chagrin of our humans, we hop on computer keyboards, frantically working against time to create one picture a day before we are lifted up and locked out of the room. Then we could only hope that the rest of our fellow cats would have the opportunity to sit on their own keyboards to continue this very important work.

So, humans, please listen carefully. If the cat of the house chooses to jump onto the desk and sit on your computer keyboard while you work, take a break and get a cup of tea.

It'll be good for your stress levels. It'll be good for our mission. It'll be good for the world.


Contrary to what Opal Lei claims, SHE is animated by a consortium of millions of real world cats all over the globe....

location: secret headquarters

Technical notes

windlight: Phototools~ Build 005 Light (modified)
water: heaven forbid!

Depth of Field:
View angle: 5.05
FOV: 18
F-number: 22.0
Foc Length: 250
Foc Time: 0.5
CoC: 10.0
Resolution: 1.0
Aspect Ratio: 1.0

Glow Settings:
Quality: 8
Iterations: 1
Strength: 0.142
Luminance: 0.85
Warmth: 5.0
Width: 1.3
Alpha: 0.25