Evening in Europe

Started by 3DGuy, March 09, 2007, 06:29:33 PM

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3DGuy

I was thinking it should be something halfway between the second to last and the last image. Also, I did try to use a similar light image, but it just didn't come out nicely. The lightblobs are too.. blurry I guess. I got the ultra high res lightmap image from here: http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_set.php?categoryID=2364

And how blue it is depends on your view I guess :)
http://www.solarviews.com/browse/earth/earthafr.jpg

I guess I'll keep playing with it for a bit. I'm still looking for a decent gray scale base relief map of the earth. Now I just faked some height by using the earth texture as a displacement map, but to the keen observer it's obviousy wrong. So if anyone knows where to find one, please let me know.

Oshyan

The trick with earth-orbit imagery is that much of it is post processed for "pleasing" or "expected" results. ;D This is true also of the Mars and other planetary imagery. I think that latter Earth image you posted is one that was adjusted. Although it may be more what one might see with the naked eye as we know that differs from what cameras capture...

- Oshyan

3DGuy

True. I've learned doing CGI that it's not always how close you are to reality, but how believable it is to the viewer :) Those things are not the same thing. Just like you said.. "expected results". I'm playing with the scene right now :P

mr-miley

3DGuy. I am a technical illustrator by training (the old fasioned way, Rotring pens and a 000 brush, more years ago than I care to remember :( ) and our TI lecturer used to have a saying that I have found useful over the years. TIs are all a bunch of technical perfectionists, especially when it comes to producing things like exploded views of engines and the like... we would spend ages faffing around trying to get the "correct angle" of elipse for the end of a shaft etc. Our lecturer would shake his head and say "If it looks right, it is right"

I think that this is something that a lot of CG artists seem to forget. It may be an exact reproduction of the object in question, but if it doesn't look quite "right" then, as a finished piece of artwork, its not right. A bit of artistic licence goes a long long way :)
I love the smell of caffine in the morning

3DGuy

Mr-Miley, that's exactly what I meant with my 1st line. Basically we're saying the same thing :D

Oshyan

I wholeheartedly agree and since 99% of CG is "faked" (i.e. not simulated realistically), I think this is a general maxim of the industry. The only problem with that is what "looks right" can be subjective. ;) In this case I would not have brought up any particular issues I saw if they looked "right" to me. ;D

- Oshyan

Dark Fire

I agree too. Thanks for showing me what colour the Earth is mean to be, Oshyan (I should have already known, considering I live here :D).