14th Annual Songbird Remix Audubon Sale!

[Ken Gilliland]

Q. the parrots in Australian volumes are they updated?

or does the parrots of the world have to purchased to get the Australian updates?

The Australian volumes have not yet been updated. They will be. It just takes a lot of work and time to update 1,000+ bird library. One thing I have been starting to do is update "parts" of volumes. Now that I have a couple functional updated models (like parrots and gamebirds), I've been pulling birds from some non-updated sets like the buttonquail, budgerigar, cockatiel, the Citron cockatoo as updating those when I have spare time. What means that sets like Australia v3, Pet Shop and Second Edition will be much easier to complete when I do start them (see example). What I really need to get done is the update of the base SBRM model which will unlock the key to many of these sets being rereleased.

...but to answer your question, for now, if you want those updated Australian parrots now, the Parrots of the World set is the only way to get them. You'll probably want that set anyways because in my freebies on my website, the female Red-tailed Black Cockatoo is in the Parrots of the World section.

----

Speaking of parrots, I know a lot of you have waited patiently through my sale for more parrots. With the final weekend now here, maybe its about time I introduce you to some of the new stars in the Songbird ReMix universe. Macaws are New World parrots. They have proportionately larger beaks, long tails, and relatively bare, light-colored, medial (facial patch) areas that distinguish them from other parrots. A macaw's facial feather pattern is as unique as a fingerprint.

There are 18 species of macaw; 5 species are spread out in various SBRM volumes (Amazon, Yucatan, TEE2, TEE3 and C&U3), but the remaining 13 species (and 1 subspecies) can now be found in the new "Parrots v2: Macaws of the World" set.

The "presumed extinct" Glaucous Macaw from Macaws of the World

What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another.
-- Gandhi​

 

[dkgoose]

ok, so this is kind of a stupid question, i guess i never used many of the sbrm products i’ve purchased in the past so kinda confused about whats installed? I have a bunch of base characters installed that I don’t think should be there...like the pelican base or game bird base...i haven‘t gotten to buying those product’s yet so unsure why they are there :/

 

[Stezza]

thanks @Ken Gilliland

I can see the differences ( improvements ) between the two models ...

now to fix up the textures for Carrara for the new one..
BTW - the poses in the DS version for the parrots doesn't work in Carrara but the Poser version does... dunno why...

 

[Ken Gilliland]

ok, so this is kind of a stupid question, i guess i never used many of the sbrm products i’ve purchased in the past so kinda confused about whats installed? I have a bunch of base characters installed that I don’t think should be there...like the pelican base or game bird base...i haven‘t gotten to buying those product’s yet so unsure why they are there :/

I'm guessing from your description you probably have SBRM Australia v3 which has a large variety on model bases. In that case, the Australian Pelican would use the Pelican base. The confusing part for many people will be the new library system Vs the old system. All my new and updated SBRM volumes fall under the Animals/Songbird ReMix folder (in Poser found in the figures library). Everything "new" or "updated" is found here from figures to props to poses. All figures are "one-click" characters meaning you do not have to load a model then a morph/texture on top of it to get the bird. You click the bird and it loads completely. Eventually, the whole SBRM library will be updated and in this format.

The old system is in Poser format with DS scripts and is found in multiple "Songbird ReMix" folders in the Poser libraries (Figures, Poses, Materials, Props). I suggested removing the older formatted files once you have the new updated versions. At least, the numbered volumes in the Pose library. That will help to remind you not to use that version. Also, I do not recommend using the older poses with the new/updated models; use the new ones. Some of the coding structure has changed on the models and they may not work correctly. I will be doing the updated Pose Packs 1/2 this summer.

I have a PDF online describing the new and old library systems

 

[Ken Gilliland]

thanks @Ken Gilliland

I can see the differences ( improvements ) between the two models ...

now to fix up the textures for Carrara for the new one..
BTW - the poses in the DS version for the parrots doesn't work in Carrara but the Poser version does... dunno why...

I rarely play with Carrara, but I do remember a similiar issue... for some reason, some DAZ files don't work in Carrara but Poser does. Strange considering Carrara is a DAZ product. The parrot pose files were written in the latest version of Studio with no hand-editing... so I don't know.

 

[dkgoose]

awesome thank you that explains a lot, i’ve bought various orher products, especially the other 5 Macaw products to complete them All of birds are definitely beautiful works, and hopefully in the next 3 or 4 years I’ll eventually own them all It’s awesome and very generous that your are updating everything as well and making it a free upgrade if purchased, the new macaw sewent right in my cart as soon as i seen it was released today and am doing a render now, as will the next parrot set once it’s released ....anyway sorry for rambling on, and thanks for the amazing birds

 

[Stezza]

Yep, I thought it may of been the weighting so changed it in DS to blended weight for Carrara but nope...
Playing around in Carrara and found the activate slider

 

[Jan]

Ken with the new Parrots of the World Vol2, are you planning later to include a Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo in your freebie section.

 

[xyer0]

I, for one, would greatly appreciate an extension of the sales items expiring on the 11th to the 21st, like Vol2. I bought all I could from the first batch, but there were still some items I had to put back which I would also like to purchase on sale. Fingers, toes, & eyes crossed.

 

[Ken Gilliland]

Ken with the new Parrots of the World Vol2, are you planning later to include a Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo in your freebie section.

The Yellow-tailed Black cockatoo, along with the remaining 13 other cockatoos I haven't done will be in "Parrots v4: Cockatoos of the World" (which I'm starting to work on). It will include: Glossy Black Cockatoo, Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo, Carnaby's Black Cockatoo, Baudin's Black Cockatoo,
Palm Cockatoo, Gang-gang Cockatoo, Major Mitchell's Cockatoo, Blue-eyed Cockatoo, White Cockatoo, Long-billed Corella, Western Corella,
Goffin's Cockatoo, Solomons Cockatoo and the Red-vented Cockatoo.

Where are Cockatoos I've already done? Parrots v1: Parrots of the World, Second Edition, Australia v3 and Threatened v3.

I, for one, would greatly appreciate an extension of the sales items expiring on the 11th to the 21st, like Vol2. I bought all I could from the first batch, but there were still some items I had to put back which I would also like to purchase on sale. Fingers, toes, & eyes crossed.

Certain items will remain on sale a little longer than the Audubon's Birthday sale does (which ends on May 11th). All new items like Parrots v2 will have their normal new product period of 2-3 weeks. I think I'll ask HW to add that to the Parrots v1 (at the regular sales price) and maybe extend Gamebirds v3 which sort of got lost in craziness of the Audubon Sale. Of course, the yet to be released, Parrots v3 will also have its normal sales run.

 

[Ken Gilliland]

This is too cool!!! Explore.com has a nest cam set-up monitoring a baby condor in the wild...

While I don't have any condor chick models, I do have adult condors.

"You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today."
--Abraham Lincoln

The Bare-throated Tiger-heron looks for breakfast. A Leopard Frog decides mot to be a menu item.

 

[AnimaGemini]

I've been asked over the years by several people why I keep doing bird models... after all, isn't a little brown bird, a duck ,and maybe an eagle or hawk enough?

I smile and reply, "Well, I think the real question is why do so many 3D artists keep creating human figures? I mean... there's real only one species of human, Homo sapien.... yes, there are some dimorphic differences in the sexes and they do come in a few colors and shapes... but humans pretty much look alike to me" (lol)

"Birds, on the other hand, have over 10,000 different species, with huge differences between their dimorphic, subspecies and variant characteristics."

I do birds because I'm fascinated by them and their variety. I do them them because adding a "generic little brown bird" isn't good enough for one of my renders; I need a Fox sparrow or a California towhee-- that's what makes my images unique and believable.

The quote I posted yesterday also sums up why I do birds... "Birds matter because they help people connect with nature, which often leads to caring enough about the environment to do something to protect it."

...and for those counting, I've only done about 12% of all the bird species.

"Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, as vital to our lives as water and bread."
—- Edward Abbey

View attachment 59595
The Rufescent Tiger Heron fishes in a stream as a couple scarlet ibises forage (all from Shorebirds v4). In the lower right corner, a Southern Leopard Frog escapes from the heron's lunch menu. (Iray render using Stonemason's Willow Creek environment)
​

Keep going creating bird species . I love birds. (Actually I love any kind of animals . My love for animals goes so far, that i collect snails in my garden in a bucket and carry them in a nearby forest and release them lol) . I had in our former house a "bird sanctuary". Bath, little house, during winter food , many plants around. (Now I build up here one in our new house.) My garden was always full of bird singing and it was awesome. They even do not fear us anymore. In the Vosges, where we lived before, we had so many wild birds. Here are more shore birds because of the Loire, but still awesome.

 

[Ken Gilliland]

This is an older video and only captures about a quarter of the bird species we get in our yard, but it's enjoyable none the less. The music accompaniment is Dvorak's String Quartet A Flat Op. 104. For the full list of species we get, click here.

There's also a small documentary made by the USC Film School about our bird and native plant garden.

Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees
--Revelation 7:3

Here's a peek at the upcoming "Parrots v3: Lovebirds of the World" in Iray. Amazingly, all the lovebirds shown here are the same species, the Yellow-collared Lovebird. The bird on the left is the usual form. The two blue forms (blue and cobalt) appear naturally in the wild. The right edge bird, is the Lutino form; a popular aviculture choice created by cross-breeding.

 

[Ken Gilliland]

Today is the final day of my Audubon's Birthday Sale. The sale ends at midnight MST.

I would like to thank everyone who has participated in it from the customers and supporters to Hivewire3D (for their unwavering support of my work and products). Much to my surprise, especially in these troubling times, the response to this sale far exceeded my expectations. What this means is that there will be a much larger donation to Audubon to help protect threatened and endangered birds. Thank-you so much on behalf of Audubon and myself.

I was asked if I would extend the sale period for the new items and I've agreed to do to. So Gamebirds v3: Pigeons & Doves, the updated Parrots v1, along with Parrots v2: Macaws of the World, and soon to be released, Parrots v3: Lovebirds of the World will be on sale through Memorial Day weekend (ending on May 25th)

I started with Audubon's quote, so it seems appropriate to end with it...

A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers, but borrowed from his children.
--John James Audubon, 1785 - 1851

Lilian's Lovebird from the upcoming Parrots v3: Lovebirds of the World.
This set includes all 9 species of Lovebird including the 3 dimorphic females, all subspecies and even some of the hybrid variants (19 birds in all)