Bryce Project #5: The City

Today we are going to be using both PhotoShop and Bryce.  We will create a grayscale image in PhotoShop (size 512 x 512 pixels) with several shapes (mostly rectangles) which we will use to apply to our mountain (terrain editor).  This will effectively allow us to create a city in Bryce using a single mountain.

An example of the grayscale image is seen on the left.  The brightest (white) colors will be the tallest points and the darkest (black) colors will be the lowest points.  Obviously the different shades of gray will be mid-size buildings.

I am also including a video tutorial below if you shoud want to watch this tutorial again. [Or if your family or friends would like to create something like this.]

Bryce Project #4: The Desert

Today we are going to use our Terrain Editor, the sky editor, and some haze to make a scene that appears to be a desert.

I will also be including a video tutorial below for those who need to review the in-class lesson [or those who are absent during the demonstration]. 

Bryce Project #3: The Forest

Today we will be using the Bryce Terrain Editor to think a little bit out of the box.  We will be creating a forest.  We will be using a terrain for the ground, a terrain for the trees, some fog, and [of course] an effective sky.

I am also including a "video tutorial" below if you need to go over this again in the future.

Bryce Project #2: The River Valley

Today we will use the Terrain Editor to build a river valley / canyon.  It will be similar in setup to the Island project from yesterday -- you will have a mountain (terrain), water, and a good sky texture.  Remember to start out with FILE > NEW DOCUMENT > STANDARD > 800x600.

Beginning Bryce / Bryce Project #1: Island

Today we begin using the Bryce 5.5 program which is designed to allow users to create virtual landscapes (both realistic and fantastic).  In November of 2009 Daz Productions released Bryce 5.5 as a free program.  You can now download and install it on your home computer.  (Get it here)

We will be creating several projects in Bryce using a variety of techniques. 

We will be using Bryce to create some landscapes as backdrops for our upcoming multimedia projects using Adobe Flash, Movie Maker, etc. 

I am also including a tutorial video below (if you can view YouTube) to help get you started:

Changing Gears...

After completing our unit in basic HTML, the overwhelming majority of students have asked to try other technologies not directly related to web design.  We're going to take a temporary aside and play with some 3D graphics (beginning with Bryce 5.5).  We will be moving back into web-related technologies with Adobe Flash following our 3D Graphics unit.

Some of your projects from January & February...

As I graded projects and portfolios this weekend I captured some of the projects students in my classes have created over January and February. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Student Portfolio Gallery

Burke, Aubrie: http://aubrie13.blogspot.com

Cimina, Reyes: http://istacku-b-z.blogspot.com / http://beatboxmasta91.blogspot.com/

Cruz, Pedro: 

Galindo, Vicente: http://v-cente-a7x.blogspot.com

Holt, Zachary: http://ziggy-zachsblog.blogspot.com

Huber, Corey: http://koreykrazykorean11.blogspot.com

Huerta, Juan: http://juan-portfolio.blogspot.com

Ingersol, Daniel: http://daniels-portfolio.blogspot.com

Lehmer, Thaddeus: http://frowgboy.blogspot.com

Lozano, Edgar: http://edgarmyblogs.blogspot.com / http://thecremecheese.blogspot.com/ 

Maitland, Kyle: http://maitlandkyle.blogspot.com/ 

Marshall, Trevor: http://pandamuerto-portfolio.blogspot.com

Mynatt, Anthony: http://zombiedusts.blogspot.com

Navarro, Esteban: http://sites.google.com/site/animehqinc

Ortiz, Javier: http://javierx0210-portfoliotest1.blogspot.com

Pelzel, Onnivin: http://onnivin.blogspot.com

Perez, Allan: http://tacocreations.blogspot.com 

Rivera, Dustin: http://jahmunk.blogspot.com

Scott, Marcus: http://marcusscott-portfolio.blogspot.com

Sherman, Melissa: http://melissacoww.blogspot.com

Tillman, Jimmie: http://jimswebdesignblog22.blogspot.com

White, Giovanni: http://koda-kodrahmun.blogspot.com

Young, Zackery: http://zackypo.blogspot.com

Business Web Page Project (Due Friday 2/19)

Begin with the basic files (index.html and mybusiness.css).  The files already include H1 and H2 tags as well as a FOOTER and other formatting CSS.

Create a business web page for a business of your choice (fictitious is okay as long as it is school appropriate).  Today you should just get the business details entered (name of business, address, phone number, type of business, etc.) and update the "bulleted list".  Tomorrow we will begin adding graphics to the page.

Thursday we will add additional pages [that link to the same CSS file].

Friday we will finish up our business web pages for the first graded web assignment.

Continue Business Web Design

Download these files to a "mybusiness" folder.

1. http://www.mendoclass.com/~griff 

Building a Basic Business Web Site

Today we will begin exploring some more advanced features and functions of HTML and XML -- which, when used together, are XHTML.  There is a standard layout that you should begin every web page with, but rather than type it up every single time, I suggest having a template to start with and modify.  I'm including a file here (right-click and save this file to your desktop) that you can begin with.

We will begin a basic web site which you will need to save and continue to work on.  You can save it to ThawSpace but I strongly recomment saving them to a USB drive or even a floppy disk.  You can also email your document(s) to yourself as a backup.  We will be adding to this site for several days so you don't want to start over if your files get deleted.

Today we will also discuss Site Maps, Page Layouts, and main pages.

Beginning HTML

Today we began with the basics HTML.   

You can click on the image to the right to view a sample HTML document.

We also began using a free program called Notepad++ (available free here) which is far superior to the Notepad that comes with Microsoft Windows.  It's free to download, easy to install, and worth checking out.

Finally, I am embedding a "video tutorial" below to help cover the basics of HTML.  This will [hopefully] be useful for students who need a refresher, those who need to pause and work at their own speed, or those who were absent during the original lecture.

Quick Project: Making a Seamless Tile

Today we are going to use PhotoShop to create a seamless tile.  To begin with, download one of the images below [or use your own].  Open the image in PhotoShop.

Choose FILTER > OTHER > OFFSET > enter a horizontal and vertical number (i.e. 100)

Use your clone stamp tool, soft brushes, etc. and smooth out any hard edges or obvious spots which will make the tile more obvious. 

Save the image and test your tiled image as a web page background or as your system desktop.

Create a Magazine Cover

You will be using PhotoShop to create a realistic magazine cover. Your magazine can be an existing publication (People, Newsweek, etc.) or a made-up magazine (Kelseyville, Knights, Lake Sports, etc.) -- but keep them school appropriate.

I recommend beginning with a Google search for "magazine cover" and then clicking "Show Options" and then specifying "Large". (Here's an example.)  You can use a large image as a layout guide to try and match your title font, see where to place page components (UPC symbol, pricing, date, etc.), or to help you place images.  You can also use the image to help you select the proper colors (simply use the "eye dropper" tool).

Finally, I recommend saving the actual PSD file for this project so you can easily create another magazine cover in the future as a gift, a joke, a report cover, etc.