Title: Big Bang: The Evolution Author: Shad Augenstein Programs used: Povray 2.2 (rendering), Gum (modelling), Photoshop (cut and paste), My brain (endorphins) Rendering Time: 1: 14 min 2: 36 min 3: 2 hours 4: 5 hours Machine: P90 with 8 megs and an ATI Mach64 Place to see the whole story in proper format: http://www.vet.ohio-state.edu/gogan/ Explanation: A friend of mine showed me Povray a long time ago, but only having a 386/16, I wasn't too motivated to play with it. Then about a month ago I got my new baby, and Povray suddenly looked more interesting. So I went out and got the Book _The Complete Guide to Povray_ (I think that's what it's called), scanned the net for utilities (Gum), and started to create. In my first creation, I wasn't really concerned with the complexity of each object, I was more interested in combining shapes into an interesting picture. I did want interesting textures however, and when I came up with the idea for a model of the universe, I wanted the center to be a glowing ball. I played with the Glass definitions then went off and made my own with a primary color_map on a radial design. I really liked my center ball and began adding more interesting textures and objects around it. As I was doing this, I began to think how this all related to Science, and that lead me to Man's place in the universe. After a lot of thinking and playing around I came up with what you see before you. I had to shove all the pictures into one for the competition but you can see the whole story with pictures at http://www.vet.ohio-state.edu/gogan/. I suggest you look at it to get the full effect of the story. The following text relates to each picture starting from the top left one. The progression should be obvious. Evolution Part 1 In the Beginning, and the Middle, and the End for Time is not bound by...time. Space, however, is, and at this point in space, at this time, which we call the beginning, there began the process of Time as we know it. So also began the Universe, our universe, bound by that time. But not the universe as we know it. This was the raw Universe, a universe of pure force, pure power. It was nothing new to Time though, for Time has been around for all time and nothing was new to it. It has seen universes come and go and it has laughed at them all, and it went to laugh at this one...but a strange thing happened. This Universe broke free. Evolution Part 2 Aware of the ravishes of Time, the Universe, rather than sit by whiling away its time, expanded. It pushed the boundries of space, and thus time, as far as it could, fighting to keep a hold of where it was, and in doing so, found that it took a lot of energy to do so. Having lossed much of it's energy it began to cool and slow and Time saw this and began to eat away once more at the fabric of the Universe, as it always does. But the Universe again refused to let Time while it away. Having expanded Space to its limits, it decided to fill that space in hope of finding an answer. In hope of finding the key to beating Time. Evolution Part3 The Universe began to form Gasses that formed stars that formed galaxies that formed the Universe as we know it. With a stable foundation and budding seeds, the Universe seemed to have succeeded. But Time has all the time in the Universe, and space, while infinite was bounded, and it was only a matter of time before entropy wore the Universe down. It was only a matter of Time...until it became a matter of Man. Evolution Part3 The Universe whether out of fear, knowledge, or maybe out of just pure luck, created its answer. As a result of countless stars being born and dieing and born again, the necessary elements were created and combined in such a way that life began, much like the Universe, at a moment in Time and space where it had little chance of surviving. But, like the Universe, it did survive, and went forth and multiplied. And once stable it turned it's energies toward the heavens and said of its self, "I think there for I Am." And Man thought and in its thinking it created the concept of Science, the ideal that everything can be known once nothing is understood. And so Man began his quest to understand the Universe, and in doing so, began to understand both Time and Space. And with such understanding came the ability to not only to experience the Universe but to add onto it, to create. And thus Man began to build his own Gasses and stars and planets, and thus the Universe continued to exist, never growing larger in space, but extending itself that much more in Time, whom, of course knew who would be there in the end.