On Edge

[Markal]

My 2049 world machine terrain "Desert Falls"
2 main shaders - sand and cliffs, 3 child layers, 5 image maps
postworked Hubble galaxy image and added a few stars in Paint Shop Pro 7.
Comments on your thoughts of postworking TG2 images....pro or con would be appreciated.
Thanks!

[Kevin F]

Very nice image. I like the "realism" side better than the fantasy, but that's just personal taste.
As for post work - whatever gets you the final image you want is fine by me. If it's just TG then fine if it's multiple progs and post work so what. It's the end result for the artist concerned that matters.

[Kadri]

Nice image 

Kadri.

[Henry Blewer]

The galaxy in the sky is really retro looking, a nice touch. The shading of the cliffs is a little strange, but it is very interesting. A very nice render.

[EoinArmstrong]

Hey there - great concept and lighting/contrast again.

I would prefer procedural surfacing on the cliffs, and the windblown sand looks frontally projected, meaning that there's no perspective to that texture.  I've been struggling with this too - what's the best way to project textures on ground-based surfaces?

[schmeerlap]

the windblown sand looks frontally projected, meaning that there's no perspective to that texture.  I've been struggling with this too - what's the best way to project textures on ground-based surfaces?

Y projection of image maps will give you proper perspective, but you've still got to be aware of repetition when flipping and repeating your image texture. The more the texture is broken up the less obvious the repetition will be. I've highlighted some obvious repetition in the following extract from Mark's pic.

John

[Markal]

Hey....
Thanks John for pointing out my screw ups...LOL...lets meet at the Y....(the Y in the repetitive image overlay). The sand waves are not the focus of the image (at least I wish they were not). I still like to use image overlays and I'm still learning. They are real photos of natural rock and stones....you can't beat nature when trying to replicate it and yes patterns do repeat in nature. Geeze or should I say shooooz...some people are into detail a bit too much and can't see the forest for the trees...or the rocks for all the stones.....or the design for all the art.....or....well, I feel sometimes too much detail detracts from the real purpose....detail is not art....its an obsession and really a waste of time. How much detail is enough?...for some its a never ending battle...one they will never win. I usually critique an image with the bad points first and end with the good aspects of the image...from your response I get......it sucks!

Its just a simplistic space art image from an amature....I asked for inputs on postwork. I am feeling depressed....I feel like maybe I shouldn't post here....too many uptight mathmatical computer nerds who think...I can do better than that or...hey, look what I did.....no one else has done this....isn't it cool....I'm the first....the best....ask me how I did it.....maybe I'll let you into the click.....thats the impression I get from this site....sorry, thats how I feel right now.....I've noticed every TG2 artist is a bit more critical of images and many times they judge the method and overlook the artistic value unfairly....maybe tomorrow I'll wake up and say so what! Lets do another collab.....LMAO!
Peace John
Mark

[EoinArmstrong]

But you have everything many others do not: a recognised style, superb and eye-catching scene construction - it's nice to get a little help with the technical things.

Personally, I'm as much about photorealism as possible, and I do tend to judge things that way.  Sorry if I caused you any offence.  I think you can murder this program hands down with a little addition to the technical skills, is all.  I personally hope you post more

[schmeerlap]

I'm sorry you respond to constructive criticism so badly. Many people at this site have said a lot of complimentary things about your work (and justifyably so). Take this one thread as an example:

Very nice image.

Nice image 

A very nice render.

Hey there - great concept and lighting/contrast again.

Yes, I'm aware I omitted in this instance to do this as I was principally responding to Eoin's point about maintaining perspective when projecting image maps, and as an aside pointed out that one should try to avoid obvious repetition. I also understand you asked for comments specifically on the use of post work on Terragen renders.
I am pro post work as I beleive it is the final image that is important. And if you can integrate photography successfully into a 3d render so that it approaches a matte work, all well and good, I am all for that. And by and large you do this very well and your post work is appreciated even here, and by me. Go ahead and review some of your past uploads here to see the plaudits you get for your work. If you do intend to carry on posting your work here, I'll try and desist from commenting adversely or critically on your work.
I didn't intend to upset you, but I'm not going to apologise if I did. After all we're all grown ups, arent we?

John

[Markal]

Hey John,
Well I've slept on it....I do handle criticism fairly well...but, I have never seen someone highlight and post for all to see a mistake by another. I knew the ripples would get attention and I should have rotated the image map so the ripples were more of an angle than straight left to right. Anyway, please critique all my images and offer suggestions for improving them....pictures are not necessary....I do have a collage edumakayshun.

[Henry Blewer]

When someone does very good work, like yourself, some of us give very hard honest critiques of the work. I like reading the opinions that others have. It is especially good to get advise from someone as good or better than myself.

So, when someone here offers an observation about your or someone else's work, they don't mean to be cruel. We are just all learning from each other.

Frankly I like this image as much as Wetbananna's space scenes.

[Kadri]

...
I asked for inputs on postwork. I am feeling depressed....I feel like maybe I shouldn't post here....
too many uptight mathmatical computer nerds who think...I can do better than that or...hey,
look what I did.....no one else has done this....isn't it cool....I'm the first....the best....ask me how I did it.....
maybe I'll let you into the click.....thats the impression I get from this site
...
Mark

Mark , if you ask me this site is more forgiving and i think maybe sometimes too much for images people post here.
There is a friendly-polite attitude here that i don't see in many other forums.
There are images someone in another forum would simply say " this sucks " . But i haven't see anyone here that has this kind of approach .
This is really a nice manner but as i said maybe sometimes we should maybe a little more clear if a image is bad or not.

But i think on this site is a good balance.
People who think that an image " sucks " give the poster good advices how they can make a better image.

If you post in forums , on the internet you should always expect the worst.

I know one poster from the Lightwave forums who was really harsh but the same time honest about images .
He was banned for his hard(?) attitude (this is not so a simple case...anyway.His name is Oddity if i remember right)

And do you know what. If you ask me you learn much better things and become a much better artist
with that kind of comments than comments like i made here ( nice image   ) .

There is no need to be depressed . I wait for you next images and i think you will make many goods ones  

Cheers.

Kadri.

[Kadri]

I think one thing that i should add is that in a way this site is really a little more biased on the technical side of the renders.
But that is normal in my opinion . It is the official forum of TG2 
There are other sites you can post who are more on the artistic side .
But please do continue posting here 

Kadri.

[FrankB]

...but, I have never seen someone highlight and post for all to see a mistake by another.

hmm....

having thought about this really, really hard, I can't seem recall a single image I posted on this forum, where nobody had pointed out an obvious mistake if there was one. 

[Henry Blewer]

Frank, I think I pointed out one in one image, but missed the thirteen that you thought were glaring out at everyone in the same image.