Sandstorm Arch - Finished

[RArcher]

If you are going to try to image map it via "through camera" projection, I've found that it works best to create three or more different camera locations at angles to the main render camera and project your image (or slightly varying images) through these cameras.  This way you can set the break-up of each individual layer which really helps avoid the flat plane look that happens if you project the image directly through the main render camera.

[old_blaggard]

Thanks for the tips.

njeneb - Good ideas, but the arch is a set of shaders built within TG2, so I can't apply that directly

Ryan - I started thinking along similar lines after I made that post. The problem is that I don't like the texture of the through camera projection on most of the rock, so I'm currently using a mask to get my Object UV projection on the entire arch except for the underside, where it switches to through camera. I've attached a crop render of what that looks like.

Linda - Do you mean that you would like the camera to get closer, or simply a higher-resolution render? I'll certainly be rendering the final at high resolution, but I'm not sure if I want to bring the camera a whole lot closer.

Any ideas for the other issues?

[choronr]

When setting up for your final render, I'd like to see you use a vertical format; like 960 x 1280 ...that would emphasize the the rock structure.

[old_blaggard]

Good idea. I usually default to landscape formats because they're more traditional, but something more vertical could be interesting. I'll look into it.

[Linda McCarthy]

To be perfectly honest, I hadn't seen the larger arch when I commented.  I really like the size of the arch in your most recent render- no need to make it larger.  Very cool work.

Linda - Do you mean that you would like the camera to get closer, or simply a higher-resolution render? I'll certainly be rendering the final at high resolution, but I'm not sure if I want to bring the camera a whole lot closer.

[Malcolm79]

Well what could I say? I up to your level of skill is to grow and grow!

[Dune]

This is a very interesting technique, old_blaggard. It makes my brain spin again in trying to figure it out. I would be interested how you managed this procedurally. As for the image itself, in the first there is a slight haze near the horizon, which I would get rid of. I would also bump the plain a bit. The sandstorm is great and overpowering, in that overpowering sense it would indeed be good to make this a vertical. Horizontal images tend to soothe, vertical to get you on your toes.

I have made a tall cactus, if you're interested (even a petrified cactus).

---Dune

[mhaze]

Gets better all the time -  very impressive work.
Mick

[Mandrake]

If you are going to try to image map it via "through camera" projection, I've found that it works best to create three or more different camera locations at angles to the main render camera and project your image (or slightly varying images) through these cameras.  This way you can set the break-up of each individual layer which really helps avoid the flat plane look that happens if you project the image directly through the main render camera.

Now that's very tricky of you Ryan!! That opens a whole new set of possibilities for texturing, does it not?

[old_blaggard]

Sorry for the brief delay. There were a couple of extra issues that I hadn't noticed in the first go-round that I had to work out.

I think the vertical composition came out very nicely. I'm pretty satisfied with it now, but I'm still open to any and all suggestions and criticisms. Thanks for all of the input so far!

[EoinArmstrong]

That's such a cool pic - great use of atmo and clouds - lovely lighting and textures too

[mhaze]

Excellent. The texuring is perfect although I still don't like the hard edge!

[schmeerlap]

This has progressed into an excellent quality render, perhaps the sand is a touch too grainy (no pleasing some people). What would complete this thread is a clip file of the basic arch construction before texturing (that would be very instructive).

John

[Tangled-Universe]

Cool picture Paul
I think this merely a showcase rather than something where you tried to perfect all the elements, so I won't deal with the rest.

I finally figured out how this Arch thing you created works and I'm making a version of my own now, quite differently

Two questions: if you scale the values for the arch size etc. then you loose the thickness of the arch easily, resulting in a thin piece of folded paper if you know what I mean.
Is this because the displacement's origin is also from a small surface area? Could you give me directions of how to do this? I now have a nice arch, but I have to trick and cheat quite a lot to make it look a hundred of metres while it is a dozen of metres in TG2.

Second, do you plan to share this technique over here? I might help you out with a cleaned up and organized version with renamed nodes and such. Just let me know

Cheers,
Martin

[FrankB]

Very nice render, Paul! The arch is great and I especially like the texturing!

Cheers,
Frank