Looking for feedback

[plague180]

I would like to note that I am a programmer, not an artist in anyway. I just enjoy creating renders in my free time, just to keep the creativity flowing. This is what I have been working on, I'm very happy with this so far, but I feel like its missing something and I just cant put my finger on it. So I figured I would ask the forums and see what you guys thing I should add.

p.s. I have the free version, this is just a hobby.

[Kadri]

Only a programmer ha?
Seriously it looks very nice.
You could add maybe some grass etc. But i like it already as it is.
And welcome to the forum

[plague180]

Only a programmer ha?
Seriously it looks very nice.
You could add maybe some grass etc. But i like it already as it is.
And welcome to the forum

Lol, ya I really don't know much about art, I just do what I like

I'm glad you like it, I currently have a grass layer that has coverage 0.6, are you thinking I should try turning it up? or are you more referring to how I left the tops of the hills more bare? I thought that looked more realistic.

Thank you

[Kadri]

... I currently have a grass layer that has coverage 0.6, are you thinking I should try turning it up? ...

By "grass layer" do you mean a color of green or an object?
The distribution looks very nice to me.
I was referring for a 3D grass effect-object only.

[plague180]

By "grass layer" do you mean a color of green or an object?
The distribution looks very nice to me.
I was referring for a 3D grass effect-object only.

Oh, ok. Honestly I don't know how to do that, but I'm sure Google can teach me.

[Kadri]

There is a basic grass object in Terragen included.
You can find free objects from the main Planetside webpage and there are others too around
here in the forum in the file sharing section and in many other places on the web like in the Xfrog site for example.
Take your time you are on the right way already

[Dune]

I don't think grasses will do very much, unless long grasses, as it's quite a large area in front. I reckon the lake is about 100-200m long? Some shrub or trees will be more visible, cluster them in patches (by using a power fractal as mask). Also a POV (point of view/camera location) a little lower or backwards, with a piece of terrain or rock outcrop right in front of you may add more interest. You can always fake that with a rock/grass colored/displaced sphere (hang in just in front of the camera).
But it's a good start and I hope this will become more to you than just a hobby... you'll get hooked 

[otakar]

No need for understatement, I bet most of us here are hobbyists. This is really good. One suggestion I have is to do some less uniform texturing. So for example maybe the grass near shoreline should be more lush (possibly in patches) whereas higher up where it is more exposed and has less soil to grow on it may be drier. And yes, possibly some low bushes/dwarf trees/dead plants might be a nice addition. Welcome!

[plague180]

I don't think grasses will do very much, unless long grasses, as it's quite a large area in front. I reckon the lake is about 100-200m long? Some shrub or trees will be more visible, cluster them in patches (by using a power fractal as mask). Also a POV (point of view/camera location) a little lower or backwards, with a piece of terrain or rock outcrop right in front of you may add more interest. You can always fake that with a rock/grass colored/displaced sphere (hang in just in front of the camera).
But it's a good start and I hope this will become more to you than just a hobby... you'll get hooked 

Thanks! I like those ideas and will give it a try tomorrow.

No need for understatement, I bet most of us here are hobbyists. This is really good. One suggestion I have is to do some less uniform texturing. So for example maybe the grass near shoreline should be more lush (possibly in patches) whereas higher up where it is more exposed and has less soil to grow on it may be drier. And yes, possibly some low bushes/dwarf trees/dead plants might be a nice addition. Welcome!

I tried to do the less uniform thing, but I had a lot of issues. Guess I'll hop on Google again

One thing that's hard to see in the version I posted (because its under the green) is that I made the base stone red/grey colors, then put a normal dirt layer on top that has coverage 0.8, then on top of that I have a reddish dirt that only shows up on the high/steep cliff faces.

I attached my file (I know it says version 2, but I made this before the first pic lol)

[Mahnmut]

Hi Plague, good start.
As you ask for advice:
I like the red version better than the green, although it doesn´t look as earthlike realistic, more alien.
Variation in the colours is one thing, you can achieve that in different ways. You could use child layers for example, just attach one or more surface layers to th child-layer input of your green grass layer, give them low coverage, restrict by altitude and/or slope and give them slightly different shades of green or brown. Childlayers appear only where their "mother" appears, but not necessarily everywhere it does.
Learning how to use plant objects would of course add another level to the image. You could start by "Objects->add population-> grass clump. You can use your green layer as a mask to restrict where the objects appear.
Maybe you could lower the point of view then to have a foreground, that would also be an improvement in my opinion.
Cheers,
J

[plague180]

Hi Plague, good start.
As you ask for advice:
I like the red version better than the green, although it doesn´t look as earthlike realistic, more alien.
Variation in the colours is one thing, you can achieve that in different ways. You could use child layers for example, just attach one or more surface layers to th child-layer input of your green grass layer, give them low coverage, restrict by altitude and/or slope and give them slightly different shades of green or brown. Childlayers appear only where their "mother" appears, but not necessarily everywhere it does.
Learning how to use plant objects would of course add another level to the image. You could start by "Objects->add population-> grass clump. You can use your green layer as a mask to restrict where the objects appear.
Maybe you could lower the point of view then to have a foreground, that would also be an improvement in my opinion.
Cheers,
J

I kinda like the red version too, that's why I did a nice render of it. Thanks for the advice on variation that makes perfect sense and is pretty easy to do. as for the populations, its funny you say that because that exactly what i did last night before i set it to render as i slept, here is my first attempt (i plan on tweaking it more)

All of you seem to think it would be improved with a foreground so ill play around with that to.

here is that image with grass clumps first attempt)

[choronr]

It is pleasing to see how well you are doing here. Welcome to the best 3D forum where learning is key.

[plague180]

It is pleasing to see how well you are doing here. Welcome to the best 3D forum where learning is key.

Thanks

[plague180]

So I spent some time trying all your guys advice and I wasn't really happy with the results(because my lack of skill), but I think that is because I couldn't use height fields to shade like I'm used to (if that makes sense). I do a lot of work with world machine and I have the professional version. So I'm gonna try to make something nice and use the masks I make in world machine to color the surface maps in Terragen. Thanks for your help thus far and here is a sample test I did, just for fun.