Along the Mohawk

[sboerner]

Thanks. And yes I think once they were underway it was just a matter of maintaining forward momentum. Here are a couple of images. Not sure of the date of the photo but it would have to be after 1850 or so. The painting is contemporary (1829) and is what I based the models on.

It was still hard work though. Horses were switched out every eight miles. Later on mules hauling freight would be switched out after six-hour shifts (around 18-20 miles).

[Jo Kariboo]

Tandem rig and driver to power the packet boat.

Very nice you have a personal style in the design of the objects !

[sboerner]

Thanks! Doing my best to make things authentic and keep guesswork to a minimum.

Here is the latest iteration with the team in place and some new foreground details. This will probably be the last iteration I post before it's completed. Just need to add luggage and a few more passengers on the boat.

[Hannes]

Beautiful!!! One thing: the plants next to the path are standing very straight. Maybe some lean effect would make it look a bit more natural.
And I'd love to see this rendered with the path tracer. Especially the plants to the right would benefit from that.

[Dune]

Absolutely gorgeous! I am glad you didn't put more people on the roof, it's great now. The light is beautiful. And I'm inclined to believe this IS path traced.

I agree with Hannes about the weeds' straightness. Maybe a few more species would benefit the render as well. And there are also two areas of branches that struck me, in a less than positive way; the dead log with its protruding dark sticky branch (which looks a bit strange), and on the right there's a tree with 3 kind of the same branches above each other. I would probably do something about those areas.

[Jo Kariboo]

It is very nice! Historically, I just learned that there was a time when some pleasure craft was pulled by horses.

[sboerner]

Thanks! There will be some changes before it is finished, including a few more people on the roof. These boats could carry up to 50-60 or more passengers. No way I'm putting that many on board, but I will probably add another small group near the bow. Also need to add luggage. Hopefully there's a way to maintain clarity and composition while conveying a sense of what traveling on these boats was really like. (Every contemporary account I've read mentions how crowded they were.)

I appreciate the comments about the foliage. There are five or six species on the ground now next to the towpath, so maybe it's just a matter of making a few more variations. Leaning some of them is a good idea. And those branches in the upper right have been bothering me, too. I worked so hard on that fallen tree trunk!   But I'll have a look at that awkward branch too.

And Ulco is correct – this is path traced. I've been experimenting with ways to improve the shadow detail – increasing GI prepass padding (at 0.5 now) and max paths (now at 36). I don't think I need to add a fill light (like a plane to reflect light back into the shadows). Overall I think the natural contrast looks pretty good.

[Hannes]

And Ulco is correct - this is path traced.

Oh, I missed that! Is there any additional lighting? Looking at the plants to the right, I would have bet, it's not path traced...

Nevertheless it's an amazing scenery!

[sboerner]

No additional lighting, just the sun which is just above the crest of the cliff at top right (out of the frame). A high layer of cirrus clouds softens it slightly and provides some fill. I was wondering if the scene needs additional lighting . . . I'd say not.

[DocCharly65]

Great result so far!

Now waiting for the final with the already announced little corrections like the branches and the leaning groundcover. But I like it already.

[WAS]

These are really cool. With the latest one I notice the plants in the water don't extent past the boat. It would bee cool to see them diffuse the water edges along the canal. But really beautiful scene.

[sboerner]

With the latest one I notice the plants in the water don't extent past the boat. It would bee cool to see them diffuse the water edges along the canal.

Thanks for noticing that. I think I just did a small patch as a test early on and then forgot about it. Adding it to my list . . .

Here is an assortment of pioneer luggage for the top of the packet boat. Not much detail but more than enough considering the distance.

[sboerner]

This will be the final version (or at least very close). Framing has been tightened (55mm to 60mm lens), the sun has been backed up 35 minutes for a lower angle. Little more TLC for the towpath. Luggage and a couple more passengers for the packet. More arrowheads for the canal bank, and some curvature added to the milkweed stems (though not much; in real life they have hollow, straight stems).

Learned a lot, as usual. And am gradually building a good library of assets. On to the next scene.

[DocCharly65]

It's a bit a pity that the wonderful luggage no longer comes into its own.
But the whole render is a masterpiece

[Dune]

Wonderful! The light is still beautifully arranged, all objects fall into perfect place. But there's one more thing. The vegetation on the opposite side on the right seems to have a few slightly undulating horizontal black lines across the pop. I think it's because it's only one type, and all more or less the same size. So I think you should either mix in one or a few more types with leaves at different heights, or alternatively, have the pop sit on an extra PF with 10cm displacement and -5cm offset (hanging at the end of the line).