Scrub Plain *Updated*

[RArcher]

Not entirely finished with this one yet.  I'm thinking it needs some more dynamic lighting, but I'm up for any suggestions.

[choronr]

You are right about the lighting. I think you need to try some cloud reseeding to see if you can get some sunlight on the foreground; even partial sunlight on the foreground would greatly improve this scene.

[RogueNZ]

Are they tg2 clouds?! I think they're fantastic, and the ground cover is excellent too, maybe a little translucent?

[rcallicotte]

Very nice.  Are these TG2 clouds?

Would like to see little more lighting on the foreground, even if just manipulated through postwork.

[moodflow]

Excellent overall scene.  I can tell you put some additional effort into this and it shows. 

The clouds looks very moody, though they are a bit blurred due to lack of detail in certain areas, but you could leave them be and they'd still work.

I really love the bushes.  Where did you get them?

The lighting is great, though I agree with the others to a point - it could use some sun patches for added interest.

Anyway, this is a keeper!

[choronr]

Another thought here would be to add Oshyan's 'fill lights' clip file and make use of the second sun. Put it at a lower altitude position and try to be clear of the cloud area. Maybe this way you'll get some light on the foreground. Also, decrease the second sun's light intensity by about 1/2. Consider tinting the clouds a reddish yellow for that sunset effect making them more dramatic.

Additionally, you could add a tree on the right side giving the scene a better balance with a vertical object.

[RArcher]

Thanks for the suggestions!

Moodflow:  The bushes are slightly modified versions of Lightning's Pinus Bush pack you can find here: http://forums.planetside.co.uk/index.php?topic=3622.0  Fantastic plants as usual.

The clouds are comprised of three layers, and I think if I adjust the sun position slightly I should get some rays on the foreground.  If I remember correctly I did have some rays prior to adding the third layer of clouds.  Hadn't thought of adding any trees, but perhaps a gnarled wind battered tree might work quite well.  I am also thinking of adding a few more layers of grass in red and brown shades which should break things up somewhat.

[domdib]

I think the scene is good as it is - quite bleak and at the same time full of nice muted tones that extra lighting might spoil. Painterly.

I'd love to know the cloud settings - did you use the painted shader or some other technique to get the lowest clouds to follow the contour of the landform?

[RArcher]

Here is an updated version based mostly on the suggestion given.  Changed the sun position and angle, added a couple more layers of grass, changes the stones and added the tree.  Rendered using the Cubic B-Spline (soft) method with bloom enabled to give it the glowy soft impression.  0.8 Detail, 16AA, 2/2 GI - took just over 42 hours to render most of which was the foreground.

It has a pretty radically different feel than the first version, but I like how it turned out.

[choronr]

Very impressive. Your re-work and additions fit perfectly. The sky/clouds look much better without the high glow you had initially.

Here is an updated version based mostly on the suggestion given.  Changed the sun position and angle, added a couple more layers of grass, changes the stones and added the tree.  Rendered using the Cubic B-Spline (soft) method with bloom enabled to give it the glowy soft impression.  0.8 Detail, 16AA, 2/2 GI - took just over 42 hours to render most of which was the foreground.

It has a pretty radically different feel than the first version, but I like how it turned out.

I'd be interested to learn more about the 'Cubic B-spline (soft) method with bloom enabling glowy soft impression.

[kaisersuzuki]

I have to disagree about the lighting.  Maybe a very very small tweak.  I ilike it because we generally don't see images with this flat style of lighting.  It has a very photographic feel to it.  I thin kit is one of my favorite images I have seen thus far.

[RArcher]

Choronr:  Take a look at this thread for lots of details and examples of the new filters that were added in the beta version:

http://forums.planetside.co.uk/index.php?topic=5142.0

[mhaze]

I prefer the first the second looks as though its a photoshop abused pic, sorry

don't like the tree

Mick

[domdib]

As I thought, I much prefer the first one, because the subdued lighting meant the focus was in the far middle distance, giving the mountain an air of mystery. I would even pay for a large render of the first version (any chance RArcher?). Now the focus is the bushes.

[choronr]

Choronr:  Take a look at this thread for lots of details and examples of the new filters that were added in the beta version:

http://forums.planetside.co.uk/index.php?topic=5142.0

Thanks RArcher for the link. I will need to get into it and do some learning.