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General => Contests => NWDA 2013 Theme Challenge - Roadside => Topic started by: zaxxon on March 25, 2013, 12:24:30 AM

Title: zaxxon's cattle country road
Post by: zaxxon on March 25, 2013, 12:24:30 AM
Here's the surviving image out of a few less then stellar starts. I'm using World Machine for the terrain and it's 'layout' generator to sculpt' the rutted road detail. The scene is reminicent of the country I grew up in east of San Francisco where the great central valley of California begins. I have a couple of models to include and intend to accentuate the road in the mid and further areas. The issue of 'photorealism' was a conundrum at first but I think I've come to grips with the working definition at this point. Hey, this is fun!  ;D

Title: Re: zaxxon's cattle country road
Post by: Dune on March 25, 2013, 02:25:49 AM
Ah, another contestant... great! You're well underway, so I'm looking forward what you will eventually make. Good luck!
Title: Re: zaxxon's cattle country road
Post by: zaxxon on April 06, 2013, 09:25:49 AM
I may run out of time on this one. Probably too ambitious trying to juggle two steep learning curves (TG and World Machine) at the same time in a contest. But, here's my latest, still tweaking...
Title: Re: zaxxon's cattle country road
Post by: FrankB on April 06, 2013, 12:19:08 PM
honestly, when I saw the thumbnail I thought this was a reference photo perhaps. I think you've got the lighting and colors spot on. Maybe the blue is a bit too saturated, but overall, the choice of color is very good!

Frank
Title: Re: zaxxon's cattle country road
Post by: TheBadger on April 06, 2013, 04:27:55 PM
real nice terrain!
Title: Re: zaxxon's cattle country road
Post by: Oshyan on April 06, 2013, 05:53:56 PM
Agree with Frank, very promising. Keep the strong base you have and just add in details.

- Oshyan
Title: Re: zaxxon's cattle country road
Post by: zaxxon on April 08, 2013, 07:59:26 PM
Thank you FrankB, TheBadger and Oshayn.  I increased the haze amount from .1 to .43 and increased the bluesky density from .97 to 1.17, hopefully that takes some of the saturation out and creates a more believable blue. Still more detail to add, I do have some bovine models, but given the time restraints they probably won't be included. Time's running out.
Title: Re: zaxxon's cattle country road
Post by: TheBadger on April 08, 2013, 10:18:07 PM
Everything looks real nice.

But that blue is really unnatural. Try using the eye dropper on a photo from a real place that is similar to your scene, and replace the color that is there. The terrain and all of your details are looking good! But it won't matter with that sky.
Title: Re: zaxxon's cattle country road
Post by: zaxxon on April 10, 2013, 02:23:20 PM
Added a Cirrus layer to break up the 'achingly blue sky'. Thanks for the 'nudge' TheBadger. The problem is the large dynamic range from the horizon to the sky dome azimuth. The 'blue' was starting to remind me of my low ASA Kodacolor shots from yesteryear, the 'dynamic range' once again. Breaking up the blue expanse with a cirrus layer was always a fallback position, and in this instance I'm fairly pleased. I'm going to review FrankB's section in the Terralive videos on the Atmo settings because TG's atmospheric abilities truly make the software shine  ;D! I've continued defining the mid-ground and have what's probably the last iteration given Sunday's looming deadline test rendering at the moment.

Hey TheBadger, I'd love a magic eye-dropper to change all aspects of the sky, but I don't know if such a technique exists? Not only does the sky have a range of colors, but also densities, haze and decay. I really hate to mess with the defaults too much as they are pretty well tweaked out of the box (in my estimation). Haze is the exception. The default usually feels too 'soupy' for my compositional intentions. Try adjusting Bluesky Density and watch the sliders for Bluesky Additive and Red Decay move as well. TG's atmo model seems dynamically linked and the settings act in a determined relationship (I'm open for correction, and illumination in this matter).  I put together a little side-by-side of a sky section from my WIP to illustrate how much change occurs within two atmo parameters.  The Contest has certainly served to accelerate my learning curve!
Title: Re: zaxxon's cattle country road
Post by: TheBadger on April 10, 2013, 02:41:40 PM
Useful side by side! But those options you are changing are based on the base color, so with a different base color to start with all of those results would be different, right?

So reset to default and change the base color of the sky first and then adjust the other settings. OR, leave it and do it in post, which is certainly easier, but perhaps not in line with your desire to master terragen.

Or perhaps even the easiest thing is to copy sky settings from one of the files in file sharing  that you like, an alter that. I would just say that starting as close to your intended destination is preferable. Building up from zero can be maddening and counter productive creatively, and really is not necessary. But I do understand the desire to do everything your self as well as understand every tiny aspect. But you have already done a good unique image, so I don't think there is anything wrong whatsoever with using a setting from image sharing.

But like I said its a great image, only the color of the sky gave me any pause. And these are just some thought on the image. No disrespect meant.

Title: Re: zaxxon's cattle country road
Post by: inkydigit on April 10, 2013, 04:13:20 PM
that is a very cool terrain, and an epic 'plains' feel vista!
I hope you still have time to get the look you want, it is not far away!
...only a few more tweaks to do and you are there!
cheers
Jason
Title: Re: zaxxon's cattle country road
Post by: Jo Kariboo on April 10, 2013, 11:33:51 PM
Agree with Inkidigit and I very like your terrain !!!  :)
Title: Re: zaxxon's cattle country road
Post by: choronr on April 11, 2013, 01:41:01 AM
You are well on your way. I would be tempted to make the sky a bluish/gray color. Be sure to add some dry/straw colored grasses. Most of the detail in this image should be close up. Take care with scale of the plants. You've only got till late Saturday to get this one finished.
Title: Re: zaxxon's cattle country road
Post by: Oshyan on April 11, 2013, 02:51:19 AM
Looking good. I agree the clouds help. At the horizon things are still a bit too saturated or "cyan" in my view, but it may be a matter of personal taste. I would just add a bit more roughness, texture, and/or variation to those far hills (or some populations on them), they look just a bit too smooth.

- Oshyan
Title: Re: zaxxon's cattle country road
Post by: zaxxon on April 11, 2013, 12:14:28 PM
Thanks for the comments, I do appreciate the the feedback! Oshayn, I believe it is the low level of haze (.43) that is creating the horizon color to appear so saturated, more like a 'cerulean' than a 'cyan' to my eye. There is a strong green component to the default horizon color Atmo settings (R-129/G-159/B-177) and my use of low levels of the haze (default gray 158/158/158) doesn't temper the blue as much. Under 'Tweak' in the Atmo settings for Bluesky Density the default is a little 'warm' to my eye as well (89/156/255), however as I said earlier I've developed a lot of respect for the defaults in T2: this is definately an area of future exploration for me.  I have added some large populations of foliage to the background at the base of and on the mountains/hills (the ever wonderful Dune's Heather), this render may not have gone far enough, but I guess there's still time for another 15 hour render  :D. I'm still not up to a decent level with displacement space to further detail the far elevations,but maybe today I can make one last go at it. Choronr, there is a fairly dense population of some of Walli's Dry Reeds in the fore and midground, and I  agree that the close up detail makes or breaks the image. This has been a good learning adventure and I feel pretty good about where I've come from in the last 4 1/2 months, and I'm looking forward to 'hangin' with you guys more in the future. Cheers!
Title: Re: zaxxon's cattle country road
Post by: Dune on April 11, 2013, 12:22:54 PM
This is a good place to hang around. Too bad they don't serve pints.

Regarding your setup; will you cover the gray distance ground with (fake) vegetation? It is very gray now, while in front you do have some (scarce) grass.
Title: Re: zaxxon's cattle country road
Post by: zaxxon on April 11, 2013, 12:52:12 PM
More of a margarita guy! But I'd take a pint or three!  The grass has two populations of Walli's from the grasspack, a rush and a dry reed. They're spaced at around +-1, but with the coverage % fairly low. Since the scene is placed in a low rainfall climate I debated about how much grass there would be (as well as scale and type), I'm certainly up to pushing the populations, and what the heck still time for another render!
Title: Re: zaxxon's cattle country road
Post by: zaxxon on April 12, 2013, 12:05:42 PM
A number of adjustments. 'Greyed' the blue Atmo presets, Bluesky Horizon and in 'Tweaks' Bluesky Density. Is the Tweak/BSD setting the equivalent of Sky Dome (azimuth) color? Well, hopefully this sky works better now. Added detail to the hills/mountains. Thickened foreground grass (a couple of populations were inadvertantly shifted in current render), and added some dry grass to mid right gray area. Thanks  to a number of folks for the helpful suggestions, the power of the extra eyes!
Title: Re: zaxxon's cattle country road
Post by: choronr on April 12, 2013, 01:03:36 PM
Looking very good, much better. Just one more thing: if possible, maybe consider some color variation in the trees and bushes.
Title: Re: zaxxon's cattle country road
Post by: zaxxon on April 13, 2013, 10:31:34 PM
Probably this is the final, if only because the time has just about run out. Darn. Learned lot's things along the way, both from the application and the folks commenting in the forum. This has been a fun ride along the "Road"!