theres no other way to pull the books off--even an extended 8 hour miniseries wouldn't be enough to capture all the crazy stuff that happens in those books...this is the perfect fit!
GMT - 8, West coast represent gamertag: Penzer Trying for a secret midnight launch tonight, if that doesn't go through it will probably take like 3 weeks to get it :P
Check your environment (press 8): Tint should be White and Level 1.0, and Ambient should be Black. Also make sure Object Properties -> Vertex Channel Display is unchecked.
Isn't that what slates are for? ( just wish Asus or Samsung would make a 15" - 23 " win 8 slate whose bezels were lined with a long row of macro keys )
I think you're looking for "Far Attenuation"? It's under "Intensity/Color/Attenuation" This covers it in a little more detail. http://www.polycount.com/forum/showpost.php?p=774270&postcount=8
You could probably cut down the number of edge loops on the handle, 8 to 12 is probably sufficient. You could also separate the handle and axe head into separate geo.
Here's another shot, I highlighted the edges of the wood and skewed the roof a little more. **There are 8 512x512 textures used here - the plan is to reuse these throughout our other structures.