Super Important Announcement

I'm not one who's prone to exaggeration, but this may be the single most significant event in the history of the world! ...well, the 3D world anyway. We here at mission control have been working for quite some time in order to streamline our rapidly expanding catalog content and make it easier to find what you're looking for.

That day has finally arrived....but that's not even the best part!

The highlight of the new catalog is far and away the 'My Catalog' feature. It allows you to add objects from the SC catalog to your very own 'My Objects' and 'My Textures' categories, so that cowhide rug you're all so fond of can now be at your fingertips anytime! All you have to do is drag icons from the catalog down into your 'My Catalog'.



But that's not even the best part! (The suspense is killing you, isn't it?)

Ok, here it is: the best part is you get to upload your very own photos, textures and models. This bears repeating: they're your very own photos, textures and models.

Now, in just a few moments that ubiquitous generic puppy photo can go from looking like this:



To this (not just any dog - MY dog):



Even this (yep, that's MY Mom):



You get the idea, right? Ok so now let's do textures (this is seriously fun!). One of my latest scenes is a plan for the renovation of my bathroom. I took pictures of 3 tile samples to try out and presto!

Option 1 - classic white on white:



Option 2 - cool, beachy, calm:



Option 3 - man-glam!:



This'll take you a bit of practice to get your seams to line up and get your scale correct. I'll be posting new tutorials to the Designer's Den to help you out over the next little while and I'm always available for your questions and suggestions.

Models - some of you have 3D modeling skills, some of you have tried Sketchup (that's the Google object format). Now you can have your models in your own catalog.

Here's mine (don't laugh):



Not exactly Michaelangelo's David, but better than a kick in the teeth if I do say...

As you can tell, I'm pretty excited about this; I think it will add a new level of personalization and customization to SC and I can't wait to see the great scenes you're going to come up with.

Word of note: you may need to clear your browser cache if your scenes do not launch successfully.

Instructions for Internet Explorer:
1. Quit Internet Explorer and quit any instances of Windows Explorer.
2. Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Internet Options.
3. On the General tab, click Delete Files under Temporary Internet Files.
4. In the Delete Files dialog box, click to select the Delete all offline content check box , and then click OK.
5. Click OK.


Instructions for Firefox

New Catalog Content and New Features

New Content: Anthony and Cleopatra
Because we'll use any excuse for a toga party - we've added 33 objects to help you re-enact the classic love story that brought a nation to its knees...or you could just stage a really great party scene, your choice. They're in 'Themes > Anthony and Cleopatra'.



New SceneCaster Chat Room
Next, If you've happened by the Designer's Den lately, you may have noticed this little widget hanging out there:



It's our new live chat room! You can share live chats with other SceneCasters, ask questions, get tips and waste a few minutes with your scene-obsessed peers. I myself shared a very pleasant few minutes this morning over coffee having a nice chat with two of our leading 'ladies'.

New Templates
By popular demand: we've added 2 new templates to our Create a Scene page to help you create great outdoor scenes. One is a bustling urban street scene:



The other is a leafy green forest scene:



We just want you all to keep a good balance in your lives, after all. Try them out and let us know how you like 'em.

New Pleas for Support, Please
You may have noticed these ever-so-subtle links nested just below the main nav bar:



Let's break them down:
Invite Your Friends - Duh, what FB app doesn't have that ubiquitous bit o' linkage? However, if you happen to know someone who is a potential scene-genius, we'd sure love to meet them, and this will make it a bit easier for you to do just that.

Become a Fan - we take the opinions of our fans pretty seriously (why else would we keep a bunch of developers locked in a dark, scary corner of our office until they come back with a Mac version?) Becoming a Fan gets your voice heard: write us a review, leave your comments and get access to regular updates about upcoming promotions, contests and more.

Sign up For Our Newsletter - This will get the SC Newsletter delivered right to your email address, so you'll always be in the loop about upcoming events, contests, content releases and feature releases.

Don't forget: next My Fave 5 contest round begins 12:00am sharp EST on Monday! Fair warning!

New Catalog Content - High Seas Adventure

Two brand new fresh model sets have just been delivered! Luckily I was able to combine them into one all-encompassing scene:



Look in "Themes > High Seas Adventure" for the models and "Themes > Outdoor Tiles and Buildings" for the beach tiles. Have a great weekend everybody and watch out for that XXX rum, ye scurvy dogs!

New Catalog Content

It's Friday, people! Time to relax, unwind, plug in and cast a few scenes! We've refreshed the catalog with some amazing new content. There's some tricky stuff in here, so take note and try to keep up:

SceneCastopolis
We added 4 new city building objects. The great part about them is that they all come with custom textures, so you can drag & drop facades onto each of them to change the look. Combine these with the 'resize' function, one of our urban panoramas and you'll have a thriving metropolis in no time! Check out one of our Scene Spotlight winners here and you'll get the idea:



Look in 'Themes > Outdoor Tiles and Buildings'.

Please: Don't Drink and Dart
Our newly expanded 'Themes > Bar Theme' category includes beer (2 kinds!), billiards, booths and a bounty of beverages. Try saying that after a few pints!



More Fun Than a Barrel Full of Jesters?
The 'Themes > Medieval Era' category proved so popular, that we've beefed it up so that it would be, how do I put this: less weapons-intensive? Now you can stage a happy little violence-free production like this one:



Also, check the 'Themes > Outdoor Tiles and Buildings' category for cobblestone street tiles and these amazing castle walls, towers and houses.

Anyone Up For a Little Rootin' & Tootin'?
We've had a few of our SC-Superstars create their own Old West scenes out of nothing more than some Google objects and duct tape. We took the hint and added 'Themes > Old West' to our catalog with buildings, cowboys, cowgirls and even ponies! I always wanted a pony...



Also, look in 'Themes > Outdoor Tiles and Buildings' for the desert hard pan tiles you see here. Now giddyap!

The Many Faces of SceneCaster

You know: when this app. was originally created by pre-historic cavemen rearranging stones on a dirt floor, it was intended to help people plan their spaces better. When we released SceneCaster on an unsuspecting facebook community late last year, we suspected we'd get a lot of users who would focus on interior design & layout. It's really pleasantly surprising however, to find that some of our most popular and highly-rated scenes have been anything but! They're more like this:

Digital Art - These are the SC's who are creating an assembly of objects just for the sake of creating a visually appealing vignette. I'm really impressed by these people, because they're treating SC just like any other creative tool, like a paintbrush.



Storytelling - They say every picture tells a story, but these SC's are taking it to a new level by creating scenes that are either linked together to tell a story, or represent a pivotal moment in a narrative.



Personal Expression - These SC's are using our app. almost as a scrapbook of their lives & experiences. They're re-creating the things that are relevant or important to them at this moment and giving us a glimpse inside.



3D Greetings Hallmark may be interested to find their sales are slipping because resourceful SC's are creating personalized greetings for family and friends.



Dreamscapes & Fantasy Where we've left the realm of space planning entirely and are creating fantastical flights of fancy where there are no such things as scale or gravity. These are completely original worlds.



Fun & Games The SC's who are creating their own games or visual jokes.



Design - the tried and true. They're still out there and they're doing some amazing stuff. SC is a great way of working out layout and color schemes - I've even planned the entire construction of a house on it.



So there it is - one tool, dozens of uses!