The Case of the Missing Violinist

[DocCharly65]

I guess, it's mainly the DOF that makes it look like a miniature.

I think that's exactly the point, Hannes.

If you put some floaties and some crazy looking fish and some god rays, you could turn it into a nice underwater scene. Even could throw some algae on the edge of the violin. That would make the title even funnier.

That is a marvelous idea... pleeease try that! 

[Oshyan]

From a realistic standpoint, given the scales that have been mentioned in the scene, the DoF amount here makes no sense for any real-world lens. So that's why it looks like a miniature, because in the real world it would have to be to achieve that effect. Whether that is the intended impression by the artist I do not know, however.

- Oshyan

[fleetwood]

I used a camera focus point at 6.5 meters from the camera. The aperture diameter is 50mm. This emulates the performance of a 33mm focal length lens with f stop set to 0.6.
There are real lenses that have come close to that --- they are rare but some have been made. That would be one expensive piece of glass, but it's cool that Terragen can use whatever mild or wild lens parameters you give it.

Here is a Zeiss 50mm with maximum 0.7 f stop made for the Apollo missions. Be prepared to pay $80,000 to $100,000. But they can be rented.



And here is the exact lens specs I used in reality. Something made by Signal Corps Engineering :

[Oshyan]

Heh, yes, technically possible, but practically unavailable. But if you like it this way, then it's your prerogative as the artist.

- Oshyan

[fleetwood]

One more thought.
I believe that having used two suns with same position but differing soft shadow settings (cyphyr's recently posted idea) makes its own contribution to an odd look, giving a different spacing and values of umbra and penumbra than Terragen normally produces.

It could be that more unusual or complex shadows like that tell our brains that "this is studio or indoor lighting" because lighting by what amounts to two different value suns is not what we are used to seeing outdoors on Earth, but in a studio any combination is possible with multiple lights and reflectors, etc.