Open Project: Voronoi

[efflux]

Here is another render which highlights a few problems. I went reasonably high with the quality and used specularity because that shows up problems more. The Pi function got smoother results I'm sure of it (even although I have distorted loads in this one). This will be because of the way position coordinates are pushed around in the vector to scalar method which doesn't happen with Pi. We end up with steps again, even if minor. Pi is more limited though (or is it ?). Maybe Mojo uses Pi because all the results we are getting with Pi are built into Mojo and not the other things we can do with the new graph. I don't understand yet how you have utilized that dot product but I've yet to try it. You can also see those black patches or ray traced shadows but they do still appear even with minor geometry distortions. At small detail, the ray traced shadows seem to break to almost 100% failure. Well, there are often cases where in a less distorted landscape you'd still have your picture spoilt because of this. I'd expect problems at extremes but TG2 shows problems even with moderate distortion. Mojo got similar problems with steps in geometry and I've seen those black patches a few times but Mojo's underlying terrain displacement and blending is totally faultless and beautiful. You'll notice that in Mojo renders. The terrain flows beautifully smoothly even when masses of distorting and blending has gone on. Only surface displacements gave problems and in many cases actually way more bad artifacts than TG2. I'm always comparing to Mojo but Mojo is the only other comparable app and I know it so comparisons are inevitable.

I'm going to experiment with Pi again and better understand what it can do. I only know it's very basic function.

[efflux]

You're right. Dot product gets smooooooth results, eliminating those angles. What I'm getting now are the best forms I've ever got from TG2 so far.

Shame about those shadows though 

[efflux]

I think you are going to like what's coming next and we ain't finished yet. 

[efflux]

Next image:

http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/2879/voronoi100uc8.jpg

Another one coming soon with a graph.

[efflux]

Next:

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/1060/voronoi120vb7.jpg

Graph:



There is another layer utilizing two colour gradients but no need to show that. The gradient has already been discussed on a thread. Now you might see why I want gradients.

[dhavalmistry]

last time I tried two merge shaders....it gave me funny results....

how did you manage to pull this off...

[Volker Harun]

how did you manage to pull this off...

^--- I do not understand this

I like your renders, being short on time now, more to say later.

Attached is an overnight image:

[efflux]

Very cool. Looks a little like some stuff I was trying to put in this sine world that got abandoned - maybe you'll see something from that eventually. I was holding back from showing the WIPs until it was finished but it got too complex. I'm looking into how this these new voronoi rocks fit into bigger scenes and it's looking pretty good. I have one test landscape but one other total extreme shot that I'll probably post here.

[child@play]

doing something similar now, starts to make fun, hehe


volker, that's great, any chance that you share a view of the node network? 

[efflux]

It's probably not much different from other things we've been doing in the thread but heavy distortion i.e. a function plugged into the voronoi to twist it around. It can be used before the input node or sent to scale like the power fractal going into the voronoi on my graph.

One more render. Is this still a voronoi thread? 

We can't see the voronoi cells anymore. I have some other tamer ones that are a bit nicer looking but this monster is worth seeing:

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/9774/voronoi150pu9.jpg

[Volker Harun]

@ Efflux: In the node network I do not get the point to split the Dot-product into the axis.
As far as I know (Nikita's twisted spire thread) TG2 converts a scalar to vector automatic if needed.

@ Child@Play: Go on for it, The Node Graph is attached.

[efflux]

There could be a point if we wanted to alter each scalar differently. That was what I was doing with the sines but it may be different now. I will explore that.

Yes, that was my basic idea for splitting it with the sines to enable different functions on each scalar but it's not necessary for what we've done here so far.

[Volker Harun]

Another interesting point:
Take any Dot-Product, make a Complement Scalar and subtract the Dot-Product.

Nice 

[child@play]

yeah, really nice 

but render times go up for me when i do that

[efflux]

I'm changing that graph. I'm not sure the dot product is always desirable either but I'll leave it in that graph otherwise the picture will not be exactly as the graph is. It does have a nice effect.