Mountain Lake

Started by Alcaeru, November 28, 2011, 10:56:17 PM

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Alcaeru

I've been working on this for the last few days and it's come to a standstill so I thought I'd share it. I wanted to use the tree model which I just got from x-frog: caucasian fir (it's free on their website).
Thanks to dandelO for his functional caustics!

TheBadger

I think its looking really good, man. I would like to see just a hint of cloud and greater plant diversity in the tree line just beyond the waters.
It has been eaten.

Alcaeru

Thanks, I tried some cloud at one point (shown below) but it didn't end up looking how I wanted it so I left it alone to focus on terrain. Do you have any hints as to how to increase plant diversity without using more populations? I'm using the free version and so can't use any more populations.

dandelO

Hi, Tim. Turns out I do have those trees.
Anyway, to get to the point, for some colour variation over a single population you can use this, there's another couple of methods out in the forum somewhere from FrankB and Dune, if I remember right, but this is what I do...

Just insert this clipfile into your main network area, leave it there so you have quick and easy access to it. Now visit the internal network>>parts shader of your trees and manually select the newly inserted 'colour variation shader' as the 'colour function' of your object's leaves, or any other object part you want to vary. If you need to change the patch variation scales, you can first test the patch scales by opening the 'colour variation shader' preview in a new window and you'll find the constant scalars to resize the scales in the internal network of the variation shader.

Also, giving the original object a small tilt on the X or Z rotation axis can help as it will tilt each object slightly differently, if your populator's rotation values cover 360 degrees, which is the default setting.


Alcaeru

Okay, thank-you both for your suggestions - I've tried to implement them all (plus a few little tweaks) as shown below.
@dandelO: The colour variation has made my trees a lot darker, is there a way to keep the variation but lighten them up a bit?
@TheBadger: what do you think of the cloud? Too much?

dandelO

Ah, right. That's because the colour variation is applying the default colour according to it's particular patchiness gradient over the area. If the trees are using the default settings for the leaf texture the 'colour image' slider is probably set to '0.5', you could raise that to '1', or beyond, to bump up the colour.
Either try that or, you could raise the overall brightness of the colour variation shader, either in its own settings or with a new colour adjust shader following it. That'll mean the patches are brighter overall and will apply more of your leaf colour.

I also think the large scale inside the variation shader might be too large here for the near ground, I can only see a couple of patches where there seems to be a difference in colour over the closer area. Try halving the large constant scalar, I'd say. The thing with TG is, there's really no set rules and each scene can be entirely different, in terms of scale etc. It's not always easy to get a sense of what's going on by looking at a render but I'd say try that to begin with, the large patch gradient doesn't look to be having as much effect as it could, as it's being applied over too small an area, maybe...

Antoine

I like this image, very well done. The water is very realistic.
It must have requested a lot of memory to generate all this pines.
I should try also this variation clip file, unfortunately nodes are not my cup of tea, I have to work on it.

Dune

Since the change in the transform shader, which the staff was so kind to implement after we found out how to do population variation, it can be done much simpler. Take a power fractal, set the scales to whatever variation size you're after, plug it into a transform shader's function input, check 'world space' and use that output the same way Dandel0 explained. You can add more PF's with one color, blends, whatever, but just the one PF will do wonders. Indeed raise the base color of the object, even to 1.

If the new transform shader is not only in alpha, that is, but I think not.

Tangled-Universe

Quote from: Dune on December 01, 2011, 02:31:58 AM
Since the change in the transform shader, which the staff was so kind to implement after we found out how to do population variation, it can be done much simpler. Take a power fractal, set the scales to whatever variation size you're after, plug it into a transform shader's function input, check 'world space' and use that output the same way Dandel0 explained. You can add more PF's with one color, blends, whatever, but just the one PF will do wonders. Indeed raise the base color of the object, even to 1.

If the new transform shader is not only in alpha, that is, but I think not.

This is also the way I do it. Very easy and minimal number of nodes.

If I'm not mistaken the "world space" coordinate option is available in the current public build. Ehhrrr...not extremely sure  :-\ oh well, easy enough to find out!

TheBadger

#9
Quote from: Alcaeru on November 30, 2011, 07:54:37 PM
Okay, thank-you both for your suggestions - I've tried to implement them all (plus a few little tweaks) as shown below.
@dandelO: The colour variation has made my trees a lot darker, is there a way to keep the variation but lighten them up a bit?
@TheBadger: what do you think of the cloud? Too much?

Clouds look good, just about the right amount for the shot IMO. Just thought there should be something there, adds depth. Im glad you chose cirrus, good design decision. And if you don't like the way they look I'm sure you know its just a matter of hitting the seed key until your happy.

You can also add power fractals to your shaders for color. just make sure to select either high or low color not both. in this way you can add a ton of color variation to the mountains. Use a distribution shader to limit where the color falls. You may have known that, but it took me forever to realize I should ask about it.
It has been eaten.

dandelO

Quote from: Dune on December 01, 2011, 02:31:58 AM
Since the change in the transform shader, which the staff was so kind to implement after we found out how to do population variation, it can be done much simpler. Take a power fractal, set the scales to whatever variation size you're after, plug it into a transform shader's function input, check 'world space' and use that output the same way Dandel0 explained.

Never even thought of that, Ulco! I guess all the energy we spent making these things at the time had just overridden the main point we were asking about the fractal node shaders and their coordinate system for me! I can be so bloody thick at times! :D

Tim, do it like that ^^, yes. :)