Ground Litter?

[PabloMack]

I think that the fake stones is a very valuable node type because they don't have to be "prepopulated" in the way populations are done. They are computed solely on fractal techiques. Another thing I find in nature that is just as important as ground stones is "ground litter". That is something that is invariably in nature and I don't see a way to do it in TG without populating with an object. I did a PS forum search and came up with nothing. Does anyone have any thoughts on this subject? I think that a "fake litter" node is something that TG should seriously consider in the future.

[EdBardet]

I'd like to echo PabloMack's thoughts on ground litter. If anyone has some good idea's and techniques for this please add to this topic.
Ed

[PabloMack]

Related to this is the stubble left from previous years' growth. Presence of is sort of thing makes the difference between scenes that look unnatural because they are "too perfect" versus the real world that has lots of defects and "waste". Because litter and stubble are ultimately derived from previous growth seasons, it seems as though, somehow, this could be an adjunct to and derived from the populations they ostensibly would be coming from.

One simplistic "solution" that might address this is to use some of those seemless ground litter textures (with extensive alpha) but these would only be 2D and they would have to cover the terrain textures that are generated. In reality, as the scale of litter increases their 3D nature becomes more apparent. For example, the litter of wooded areas contains wooden plant parts with very visible depth to them.

You can see one place where I have used seemless litter textures in the beginning of this walkthru of a virtual set. The bedding of the trees just outside in the front has a virtual mulch. But if you get very close you can tell that it is flat and has no vertical geometry. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91zM-m96Etw

[Oshyan]

While I think the idea is interesting, creating "ground litter" (I assume you mean like bits of twig, dead leaves, other plant parts, etc) is a lot harder to do convincingly using procedural functions as compared to rocks. Texture-based approaches are much more feasible but, as you mention, they are limited. While it would be great to be able to have such a thing built-in, I think it is by necessity going to be something that must be handled manually on a per-scene or at least per-population basis. You might consider for example creating simple ground litter models that correspond to your major vegetation types or the ecosystems you model. They could be heavily texture-driven perhaps, but with real geometry to avoid the flat look. These would be saved in your library alongside the corresponding object(s).

- Oshyan

[bobbystahr]

I find building a fairly complex layered surface first pre populating works as good as anything and there are files aroud I've seen, Scattered leaves that could be populated in forest areas. Easy enough to make if you have tree .obj's and a modeler(I use Bryce currently and it works well)