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= Welcome to the Songbird ReMix Central Wiki =



== The Songbird ReMix Project ==

The Songbird ReMix Project consists of one bird mesh that can be morphed and textured into hundreds of different bird species. The base model can be morphed into such species as the Greater Roadrunner, a House Sparrow and a Red-headed Woodpecker.  The model has built in morphs to allow accurate folding of the wings, flight and perching and had a low polygon count allow possible flock renders. The model has been used in the science fields to demonstrate courtship behavior, published depicting endangered and extinct status of bird species and is used by professional and amateur artists for commercial and private use. The model is in wavefront (.obj) format so it can be accessed by most of the affordable popular 3D packages such as Poser, DAZ Studio, Carrara and Vue as well as high-end packages as Max and Maya.

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== Why birds? ==


Birds are popular... Besides the purchase of domestic bird pets, we purchase wild birdseed, bird feeders, birdhouses, bird field guides, binoculars, and even go on birding trips to distant countries. Humans spend more on birds than even cats and dogs.

Many within the scientific community believe that songbirds are bellweathers for the health of our planet.  In places where songbird populations are in decline, symbiotic partnership are thrown out of balance gving early warning sings that our planet in peril.

And finally, by creating threatened, endangered and extinct bird species in digital format and using them in imagery, animation and film we can educate the public about the mistakes we’ve made in the ecosystem and what measures we need to take to keep our planet not only healthy for birds, but the human species as well.


== WIKI Sections ==

* [[Bird Library]]
* [[Products]]
* [[FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions]]
* Tutorials
* User Art Gallery
* [[Environmental Issues and Birds]]

== History ==


The original model was created by Anton Kiesel. In 2003, the model was revised (or ReMixed) by B.L. Render who corrected the anatomy and added many features such as folding wings and character morphs. Her partner, Ken Gilliland, using the new morphs, created the bird species and textured them. A year later, he took control of the ReMix series. In 2006, the model was again, "ReMixed" by Ken Gilliland, adding more complex morphs and geometry to create more complex birds such as hummingbirds, quail and kingfishers.