Waterfall once more

[Seth]

the two last one are not as good, in my eyes, because of the lighting on the left waterfalls. the water doesn't look like water anymore.

[Dune]

Perhaps because it isn't water. To decrease render time I have used transparent water only on angles under 70 degrees. The falls are just two colors, with a reflective shader (no RT). I can make it water, no problem.
I've got another problem here, which is not really a bug maybe, but tends to one; the lake is reflecting water/foam from the falls that was masked out procedurally. It seems the reflective part of the water shader is reflecting something hidden behind the rock wall which is even 'un-opaque'.

I know shadows are impossible to mask out by transparency, so it seems this has the same underlying structure. I do have an idea to make the reflections invisible, but I have to try that out. So here's a little riddle; how would I go about to do that? 

[Seth]

Perhaps because it isn't water.

but it is supposed to look like water, so that is not a good excuse
and I see your problem now that you told us about it even if I must admit I didn't notice it before.

[Kadri]

Ulco , you lowered the ground around the falls. It looks better to me.
You might lower it a little (not much) more perhaps?  Maybe some big rocks in the falls?

[Dune]

You noticed that correctly, Kadri.  But I have to be careful lowering or the fall will break up (unless I can do something else). Some rocks is no problem.

And you're right of course, Seth. I might do another one with all water, but I have to sort out the reflection first.

[Marcos Silveira]

I Have to say that:

[choronr]

The beginnings of a new trend ...beautiful work Ulco. Would like to see a close up of a cascading waterfall passing down over some strata into a pool.

[Dune]

Problem solved, but I'll take the water out again for the falls. Have to fake that again (I'm not very patient), but you hardly see any transparency anyway, so I can easily just use some slightly more greenish rock colors. This render took 4.5 hours on an i7, three times as long, just because of the falls being water shader.
The mist is awful now, might take that out altogether, and I decreased the landscape roughness too much. And I need more trees than one, and I need more foam at the falls' plunge ends. Never ending story.....

[Hannes]

Great!!! But I definitely prefer the previous one! To me it looks way better. I think if you'd desaturate the blueish colour of the falls and make the foam less bright a bit it would look very natural without having to use a water shader. Have you tried checking RT on in the Reflective shader? Maybe this works?!
Another suggestion: if you'd place some localised clouds at the areas where the falls hit the lake to fake some splash and spray it would look more dynamic.
Does it make a difference if you'd check "receive shadows from surfaces" in the mist? I know that increases rendertimes even more...

[j meyer]

Mind telling us what it was that caused these strange reflctions?
Great approach,keep going,J.

[Dune]

The reflections were parts outside the falls of the total 'water area' that were masked out by a default shader, but nevertheless caused reflections. So the masked-out areas are still used for calculating the reflection, apparently. Added a black surface layer, inversely blended by the river mask and it's solved.

I think (I know) with RT on it would take quite a bit longer as well, and it may not be necessary. I have now reduced the water shader to angles under 70 degrees again and added some 'water colors' to the vertical parts, as well as some Y-stretched white, plus of course a reflective shader (no-RT). A little more white is better I think if you look at photographs of falls (beware of dangerous sites!!!). Sometimes they're all white.
The mist could be a little thicker as well in this version, and the stones turned out a little big. And they need a little (painted) foam in their wake.

I've thought of using the shadow from surface layer, and I think it would be very nice, especially if I hang some very low density mist all over the lake. maybe I'll try it.

[Oshyan]

It's looking nice, but I would suggest even more white and, if possible, increase it the further you go down. Most waterfalls of this size/height should be pretty foamy by the bottom, if not before.

- Oshyan

[jamfull]

Loving this latest one. Great color and lighting.

James

[Dune]

@ Oshyan; I already intended to do that (more white), but the suggestion of increasing the white to the bottom is a good one. I might increase the displacement as well, perhaps.

[j meyer]

Ha,and i thought you had found a "real" solution,not just a workaround,sniff .
Anyway,thanks for the answer.