Summit

[choronr]

A 2049 .ter terrain was imported into TG2 for this image;  and, an image map shader was added to the vertical surfaces. Render time: 4 hours; 32 minutes.
Thanks to the following TGers for their supplements used here:

•   Moodflow/old_blaggard: bush group
•   TerrAde: twiggy, no leaf bush
•   jcinbama: Organ Pipe Cactus
•   Bobby Starr: Hanana flowers
•   Tangled-Universe: fake stones clip file
•   Small bush2: source unknown

[dhavalmistry]

allrite...I like your work but dont you think that its time you take some photos of some other locations... 

[choronr]

Nope; I plan at least another 50 or 60 shots of this area ...get used to it!

[Seth]

niiiiiiiiiiice

[Saurav]

Excellent surfaces and use of vegetation.

[Will]

but a cactus in various locations world wide!

[rcallicotte]

Pretty realistic.

[joshbakr]

Best of the series Bob.  Apparently a couple of these kids don't approve of what you are doing?

[Tangled-Universe]

This looks very nice Bob. Though I do have a couple of comments/suggestions. You know me huh Your work becomes better and better so I'll be more critic/picky on you :p lol

I think next time you could concentrate more on renderquality rather than size.
Don't know what settings you've been using and how long it took to finish, but I think the image could use more atmo-samples and also higher render detail and AA.
The reason for the atmo-samples are the somewhat blocky shadows on the cacti and hills in the background. A low power fill light with an opposite heading of the main sun might also fill the shadows a bit more to show more detail. You can of course do this also by rendering it with higher GI quality settings but this would take lots of time.
Another way is to increase the strength on surfaces from the GI in the enviroment tab under the lighting button.

Yet another thing I've mentioned throughout your serie of pictures is that you don't use soft shadows, or at least at very low radius.
It isn't bugging me and it surely doesn't look bad at all but maybe your work will look even better with soft shadows

The vegetation look really really good, but I think the small bushes would really benefit and be more justified with higher render detail and high AA settings. They look a bit pixelated now.

I like the DOF-effect. In most images the result will look like the landscape is a miniature but you've managed to prevent that. Well done!
Is the DOF postwork or an alpha created in TG? I know how to do this now (Lucio taught me) and the results can be very nice and realistic.

So in overall very good work. You're working on a great serie and I don't understand the complaints of others to create an other serie of images.
Never seen anyone complain about NVSeal's orbital renders for example. And they shouldn't by the way So I don't see the reason for it now.
I hope you'll find my suggestions useful and if you'd like to have some help or debate with me lol....then you'll know where to find me!

Martin

[Costaud]

Another great one.

[choronr]

Thank you Martin, I will reply below:

This looks very nice Bob. Though I do have a couple of comments/suggestions. I welcome them. You know me huh  Your work becomes better and better so I'll be more critic/picky on you :p lol Thank you; I can only get better by accepting, understanding and applying expert critiques.

I think next time you could concentrate more on render quality rather than size. I agree; however, sometimes one has to make compromises. Because of the large number of plant populations in the scene, I've had to reduce the GI settings from 2 to 1. Don't know what settings you've been using and how long it took to finish (approx. 4-1/2 hours), but I think the image could use more atmo-samples (I will try this on the next project) and also higher render detail and AA. Render detail was set at 0.8 and AA at 11. The reason for the atmo-samples are that they are somewhat producing blocky shadows on the cacti and hills in the background. I will try this next time. A low power fill light with an opposite heading of the main sun might also fill the shadows a bit more to show more detail. I will try this next time. You can of course do this also by rendering it with higher GI quality settings but this would take lots of time. As I said; sometimes I will get the error (trimadge) message because of large populations of vegetation – then, I must either reduce the pops; or, reduce GI. Another way is to increase the strength on surfaces from the GI in the environment tab under the lighting button. This is a good idea that I'll try next time.

Yet another thing I've mentioned throughout your series of pictures is that you don't use soft shadows, or at least at very low radius. I do use soft shadows at the default setting. Perhaps I should experiment with higher settings. It isn't bugging me and it surely doesn't look bad at all but maybe your work will look even better with soft shadows  I'll try some higher settings in the future.

The vegetation looks really, really good, but I think the small bushes would really benefit and be more justified with higher render detail and high AA settings. I will try this in the future. They look a bit pixilated now. Agree.

I like the DOF-effect. In most images the result will look like the landscape is a miniature but you've managed to prevent that. Well done! Thank you. Is this DOF post work or an alpha created in TG? I took the image into Photoshop; grabbed the 'lasso tool' and selected the foreground. Then, I clicked on 'Filters' and clicked on 'blur' and 'more blur' to get the result. I know how to do this now (Lucio taught me) and the results can be very nice and realistic. Agree.

So, in overall, this is a very good work. Thank you for the compliment. You're working on a great series and I don't understand the complaints of others to create another series of images. I guess they get bored easily. Never seen anyone complain about NVSeal's orbital renders for example. And they shouldn't by the way; so I don't see the reason for it now.

I hope you'll find my suggestions useful and if you'd like to have some help or debate with me  lol....then you'll know where to find me! Thank you again Martin; without constructive criticism, we'd never improve. I appreciate the time you've taken here to help me.

[moodflow]

To add to the experimenting with soft shadows:  I learned that too high of settings can "flatten" detail, so be sure to keep that in mind.

[Mr_Lamppost]

Nope; I plan at least another 50 or 60 shots of this area ...get used to it!

Is that a shot of each and every cactus?

HeHeHe 

[Oshyan]

Another wonderfully realistic image. Personally I'm not a big fan of the DoF, but it doesn't distract much anyway as it's nice and subtle. My only suggestion would be for a little bit more variety in your scenes by using different lighting and/or atmosphere. You have produced a very realistic series of similar images that would stand out a lot more from each other with changes in these areas - for example a nice sunset, or a stormy sky with rays, etc.

Great work.

- Oshyan

[choronr]

Thanks Oshyan for the encouragement. As a matter of fact, I'm working on one now that breaks the mold hopefully. A solitary Saguaro partially silhouetted against a sunset with some scatterings of desert brush and larger stones/boulders ...we'll see.