Butterfly Garden Screen Saver

[thebard]

You're a gem JAV400. Found DirectX8.0 plus much etc's,
2 drivers uncert by MS but won't lose sleep right now!

[Coelacanth]

The butterfly garden sounds like an awesome idea. Make sure you put a metallic blue morpho in there ;-)

It would be cool if the leaves swayed in the wind, and maybe environmental effects such as dew or rain, too. Just a thought.

A terrarium/vivarium screensaver seems really cool, too. I would like one with ornate arrow frogs in it. True chameleons would also be neat.

[Lostboy]

A couple questions:

1) Is the 4th SereneScreen an Aviary Screensaver?

2) When we get more SereneScreens (Aquarium, Butterfly Garden, Terrarium, Aviary (?)) will we have an option to randomly start up any of these screensavers? Right now the Aquarium is the only screensaver I use, but if the rest are just as beautiful, I won’t know what to use and would love to see a random SereneScreen option.

[Jim Sachs]

1. Yes.

2. Maybe.

Has there been a release date announced for the Butterfly Garden?

[Jav400]

There isn't an official release date, Jim has said that he would like to be completed with the Sachs Aquarium by around October, at which time he is planning to begin the Butterfly Garden.

[snorkler]

Jim, I hope you will notify all of us Aquarium "testers" when the Butterfly Saver is ready for testing (I know it's far away) and I hope it will be released in increments like the Aquarium!! This is FUN!
Feldon- will you operate a board for the next Saver(s)??

With this Butterfly garden of yours, don`t make a mistake and:

Don`t do the following!__:rollin:
******************
- Make wings flat (there are actually 4 wings that move slightly different)
- Make them collide in midair (doesn`t happen)
All this adds to the reality

Consider this:__:rollin:
- Landing procedure is diffrent than takeoff
- Limbs movement is quite easy to code (even retractable snout)
.
.
.
.
More soon!

P.S.: Just trying to help and give you an insight.

[feldon34]

The hardest part is photographing the bloody things.

I tried to take pictures of Black Swallowtails when I was in Georgia in April. There were THOUSANDS of them and I had absolutely no luck.

I think Jim's going to have to visit a butterfly collector (of the not exactly living type).

Jim's best bet is to photograph pinned specimens. It would then be easy to get accurate photos of the dorsal and ventral wing surfaces. I know a few collectors in Jim's area but it would probably be best if he contacted the Entomology Dept. at the LA County Museum of Natural History or the Entomol. Dept. at the University of California Riverside. They both have butterfly collections, the LA Museum one being more extensive.

I'm an entomologist and have access to collections. I'd be more than happy to take photos for Jim but based on his experience with fish, this may not be an option for him.

Jim, keep in mind that different butterflies species hold their wings in different positions when resting, have different flight characteristics, and in general different behavior. I don't know how reallistic you want or can get in your screen saver.

aloha,
nreimer

[Coelacanth]

I really hope you can put a blue morpho in there as one of the types, and get the brilliant metallic reflectivity down right. That would be cool!

Here in Mass (also in Branson, MO) there is a butterfly place where you can walk amidst free flying butterflies. You can take photos, patience!, and observe their flying and resting and feeding patterns. Should be something similar on the West Coast? It's amazing watching large ones (blue morpho) fly!

see: www.butterflyplace-ma.com/

[asprague]

mikejozs,

Please let me butt in and add a direct link to the site you mentioned in Westford, MA:

www.butterflyplace-ma.com/homeA.htm

Arnold

[hayc59]

Cant Wait For Butterflies!! cause we all know only Butterflies are Free

[Lostboy]

Any ideas of what the background setting will be like? So far only a large caged in area or more of a greenhouse appearance was mentioned, but I think a garden, or looking out a window or something would be nice.

[Lostboy]

I was just looking at one of Jim’s drawings and thought, wouldn’t it be amazing for people that own all the screensavers, to somehow have all of them mesh together, like you’ll be looking at the fish swimming, then the camera will pan up above the water and there is some birds sitting on a tree, etc. Something similar to this picture. I would really really really LOVE to see this!!!! Is this possible???? Please?

[FishyBusiness]

Jim,

I know that his is premature but here are some butterfly sites:
www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resour...flyusa.htm
butterflywebsite.com/

This is a book that has a lot of butterflies-catapillars and their scientific names. It also has host plants in the back of the book for the various species fo butterflies:
www.amazon.com/exec/obido...55-2747152

At the butterflywebsite.com they have a listing of public butterfly gardens. This is the only one that is near you. I have no idea how old this information is:

Gavilan - CA. Located at the Fantasy Faire in the ghost town of Gavilan Hills is a place where visitors often see the endanger Checkered Keno as well as Monarch, Swallowtail and many, many others. It is south of Riverside, bewteen Corona and Perris. A free scope is provided for close up viewing. It is a natural wildflower garden with walkways, a little frog pond and a big log to sit on while viewing. Thousands of caterpillar in the area every spring! Free admission and free parking, open Saturday and Sunday 9-5. (909)776-0391

[feldon34]

Oh dear, the wishlist begins...

[Shinsa]

Jim, since the wish list has unofficially begun, I'd like to throw my $.02 in.

Someone mentioned the background. How about an outdoors view, say a garden, but just slightly out of focus. Then, using the T-buffer filter (on the Voodoo5, don't know what its called on the others) have the butterflies go slightly out of focus the farther away they are (as if going into the background). This would really blend in the background, making for a much more realistic experience.

[Coelacanth]

I'll put in my wish list for:
Morpho Absoloni
Appias Nero
Papilio Blumei
Ornithoptera Priamus
Ornithoptera Croesis
Urania Riphaeus
Prepona Praeneste