Graphics studio and publisher Marlin Studios has released PANORAMICA - LAND & SKY, a 2 CD-Rom set created by artist and photographer David Campbell. The product is the twelfth in a series of texture libraries created for use by 2D and 3D graphics artists. PANORAMICA is a collection of beautifully photographed and post-processed panoramic land and sky backgrounds, in full hemispherical and 180/240/360-degree formats. Matching 3D models are included for the various size textures. Also included is a set of six stop-action animated cloud formations, suitable for video and other applications. In addition to being a texture library, PANORAMICA is a tool for photorealistic lighting and shadowing. The ultra-photorealism takes affect when radiosity is used in a 3D program with the panoramic textures. Radiosity picks up the illumination values of the entire sky and renders ultra photorealistic lighting and shadowing. The panoramic textures are also large enough for use in high-end print applications. According to company president Tom Marlin, PANORAMICA is Marlin Studios' most significant release ever. "We've worked on this product for over a year, in response to artists from around the world who desire a means of easily placing backgrounds in 3D scenes, and struggling with camera placement," he said. "PANORAMICA solves both of these problems. A graphics artist can actually wrap a texture on the inside of a hemispherical model (a dome) or a cylinder shell and place it over or around his scene. The sky varies with every camera shot and the camera can look anywhere. This is particularly useful for flybys and walkthroughs. And the photorealistic lighting quality is remarkable when used with radiosity." Because a panoramic texture sometimes requires close scrutiny by the camera as it moves in a scene, panoramic textures need to be large in size. Some of the textures included with PANORAMICA are as large as 10,000 x 2,000 pixels. If the artist requires smaller sizes, the panoramic textures can be easily reduced to required specifications. The textures are presented in TIFF format for lossless quality. The Marlin Studios PANORAMICA - LAND & SKY 2 CD-Rom set sells for $249 plus s/h. The library can be ordered online at the Marlin Studios Website at
www.marlinstudios.com .
