I have to go away for two weeks so I'm posting this earlier than I'd like. It's really not as good as I had in mind but a Top spec render was going to take 3.5 DAYS! Time I haven't got. I also wanted to add some rain but again I just haven't got the time. Rip it to pieces if you want to, I'd really like to learn more about rushing water so suggestions are appreciated. I wanted police type lights on the roofs of the vehicles as on the top of the small damn pillars but that was a failure too, I can't seem to make them shine. I based this on the Hoover Dam but I ran out of cement and had to scale it down. So, no postwork, totally Bryce 5. The vehicles are from a dxf collection CD I bought sometime ago and there is a man on the top of the dam made in poser 4.

Thanks for looking, commenting.
Good luck to everyone in the challenge.
The Bryster

This is cool, Bryster, really. I only wonder, why the part of the dam exploding toward the viewer has no water behind it? I think there would be a continuous water sprout. This apart, you nailed one of the most feared things in my life: dams. Don't know why, I think it's a sort of phobia, but everytime I come near one, I feel something very similar to pure terror thinkin of all the power on the other side just waiting to be released... Stefano

hey for a work with no post work, this is pretty good! i feel sorry though that you dont have enough time to finish this great piece... i really would have loved to see it... if its not that much (after you get back) could you finish this? contest or no contest... this one's a good pic... eric

This is great - I really hope you're going to come back to this to make it appear the way it is in your minds eye!

Just to clarify....The big piece of the dam that is moving toward the viewer....this is a split-second thing...just before the water explodes in all directions and is deliberate. Just below the rectangular spill ways, above the big piece of concrete, a smaller chunk of concrete has water-spray around its edges and is also about to blow.

Bryster.....I think that the water would be right behind the exploding bit. For the water coming out from behind the exploding bit why don't you use a cylinder with water texture and a squashed sphere in front of it with volumeric cloud textures? I think that would be a quick solution and would add to the effect. Just my tuppence worth, ignore me if you wish. Catlin

How could I ignore you, Catlin? Thanks for commenting!

Bryster, I've been thinking about doing a Bryce rendition of Friant Dam outside of Fresno for some time now! Friant looks nothing like this but I have seen pictures of dams that do. Although you should work a little more on the falling water as Catlin noted, a Great concept! - TJ

Wouldn't the water be spraying out of the seams pretty good before the chunks blow out? Seems like there's not enough oomph to it. Also something on this scale would probably rupture outward in a whole lot of little chunks, not one big one. More technically difficult (yeah I know) but if done right it would look better.

Nice. This looks alot like Hoover dam in Nevada at Lake Mead.

Pauljs: I agree, but I don't have the time right now. Just below the big chunk there are a couple of very small bits already on their way down and at about 11.0clock above the big chunk is another with spay just beginning to come out before breaking away. I'm going to have to re-think this whole area including the water spray/splashes, but it's gonna have to wait a while. I'm happy with the dam structure but I might change the pov later. Groin: I searched the net for the Hoover dam and d/ld a whole load of pics. So yes it's based on the Hoover, but like I said earlier, I ran out of concrete and had to scale it down...:-) Thanks for all the helpful comments, guys. I really appreciate them. The Byrster

Should have added Bryster that the dam itself looks really good. Shame you ran out of cement though........8) Catlin

When they built Friant Dam back in the thirties, one story has it that they stopped construction on the dam for two years because they ran into a vein of gold which of course they mined - well there are pegmatite dykes in the area so it could be true. I wonder if they claimed that they ran out of cement then too?

Thar's gold in them-there lumps of concrete......! Well, not really, but we have an expression over here...'Where there's muck, there's brass.' Brass meaning money, of course... The Bryster