Read Issue 21 – Explore Striking Digital Art created with Mandelbulb 3D, VUE, Maya, DAZ Studio and Photoshop

Welcome to Issue 21!

In Science Fiction, there’s a tendency to gravitate towards Dystopias rather than Utopias. A dystopian environment provides more grit, more angst and more interesting stories to write. There’s going to be an urban sprawl and the inhabitants are isolated from all contact with the natural world. High levels of pollution that destroys nature is a common theme in many dystopian films, such as WALL-E, The Matrix and RoboCop.

A utopia is what we may strive towards, yet we’d probably miss some of the adversity once that level of civilisation is attained.

But in this issue we’re going to celebrate utopias. Our Eco-future themed issue is about a more successful integration and balance with nature for our future habitations and this is shown in a wonderful way by Mandelbuld 3D artist Hal Tenny. Natural fractal shapes incorporated into  architectural designs work extremely well. Explore his artwork and discover his primary influence on a recent Marvel movie release “Guardians of the Galaxy 2”.

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Part of our interview with Hal Tenny

DeviantArt Gallery

DAL: Hal, welcome to this ‘ecofuture’ themed issue of Digital Art Live. Many thanks for taking time out to give us this in-depth interview. You’re one of the most accomplished Mandelbulb artists, and you’ve taken this a step further by integrating additional elements into your art using both the Mandelbulb software’s advanced capabilities and also Adobe
Photoshop.
HT: Well, thank you for inviting me. I appreciate it! Fractal software has come a long way over the years and it’s good to see that fractals and fractal related art are gaining more attention. The Mandelbulb 3D software I use can create images that go way beyond the kaleidoscopic, snowflake shaped and swirling rainbow coloured fractals of the past, and I think that has helped fractal art to grow in popularity while still co-existing with old school
traditional fractals
DAL: Yes, fractal based art is certainly developing in all sorts of interesting ways. I had a degree student come to me wanting to write his dissertation on fractal art, circa 2004. I was quite wary of it, didn’t think it was a good choice for him, but eventually I let him do it. He was very keen. I’d be much more positive about it today. Anyway… how did you first
encounter fractal-based software?
HT: I’ve always been interested in 3D art. Many of the good 3D programs are quite expensive, and while trying out free trials and looking around on the Internet, one day I came across the Apophysisfractal software, which was a free 2D program. At the time there were many Apophysis resources on an artist site called DeviantArt, so I joined in posting art there as well. A short time later Jesse Dierks created the Mandelbulb 3D software, with the help and input of a bunch of people at fractalforums.com — where there had been a long, ongoing discussion on creating the first 3D mandelbulb. Eventually I switched from Apophysis to almost exclusively using Mandelbulb 3D.

DAL: I see. Yes, I’ve tried it a few times myself, and made a couple of pictures with it. It’s still fun to use, and quite refreshing to ‘navigate into the fractals’, but I can see it would take time to master. You’re now a Mandelbulb master and write excellent and detailed tutorials for others. But what were your first experiences with Mandelbulb like? And what were your first ‘breakthrough’ pictures made with it?
HT: My first couple of tries with Mandelbulb 3D were not that successful. I was never one to ask a bunch of questions or ask for help. And in the early stages of its development, learning resources were pretty scarce so that made it more difficult to learn too. I kept at it though, and other program users started sharing a bit of knowledge that helped. I think my first ‘breakout’ piece was “Porcupine Den” [which opens this interview, Ed.] and also “Probably Broken”. They were both based on the formulas used in a new style at the time that a friend of mine had discovered.

HT: Actually at that point I was still quite interested in learning some traditional 3D modelling. So the model making was more of a side trip I think. Groboto was a very reasonably priced 3D modeling program that created fantastic meshes for further production in Zbrush, Modo or whatever you wished to use.

DAL: And at that time you also made some nice models using the Groboto software, such as “Groboto Sentinel” and “Rocket Man”. Was that the start of you thinking: I can add these into the Mandelbulb pictures, or did that sort of idea come later?

HT: Actually at that point I was still quite interested in learning some traditional 3D modelling. So the model making was more of a side trip I think. Groboto was a very reasonably priced 3D modeling program that created fantastic meshes for further production in Zbrush, Modo or whatever you wished to use.