Thank you all for the positive comments! Credit Dune with some masterful displacement work, I just added the 'frosting' to the 'cake'. Neither Vue or World machine can create the magnificent displacements that TG is capable of. But without the added definition created by foliage the terrain details don't always create the varied scenes that appear as 'Natural'. Having an full inventory of what I think of as "filler objects' to fit in the little nooks and crannies really defines the underlying structure. To create these in ST is beyond simple, and to create endless variations is even simpler. It's really great to see more and more folks using ST in TG. While there is a tremendous collection of free foliage models available to TG users, to my eye the vegetation in the images posted here is usually too sparse. Another component in a 'natural' render that is too often missing are what I call 'habitat trees' (I dislike the term 'dead trees'). Nature is not in a static state, but rather a continuum, an ongoing process where even the decaying objects are part of a 'living' environment. The old adage "Nature abhors a vacuum" is so evident in any walk thru open country, or for that matter a weed-grown vacant lot. Once again I have found ST to be an excellent tool for creating all the ancillary foliage that can surround and present the excellent trees that ST is known for. In an interview with the ST creators, they stated that their initial feed back from the AA Game Industry producers was to create "an Artists tool". The application's success is in large part (imo) due to that philosophy. Trees should not be 'engineered' but created as the unique and flowing wind and soil creatures that they are. Probably enough rant for now though!
Thanks again!
