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General => Image Sharing => Topic started by: masonspappy on November 25, 2018, 10:08:33 PM

Title: Midnight Christmas Pause
Post by: masonspappy on November 25, 2018, 10:08:33 PM
Been working on a Christmas tree in Blender.  Not done yet but it rendered out pretty nicely in Terragen.
I made this image  several years back but wasn't happy with the final result, so I deleted everything in the foreground and used the new Christmas tree as a focal point.  Playing a lot now with Terragen's lighting system. I wanted the church to look deserted, so turned off all lights there except one in the bell tower. Also using spotlights to highlight the Christmas tree, but not over-lighting it.
I know the horse desperately needs leg improvements - still working on that.
Background trees are xfrog with snow applied. Every other object was created in Blender.
The image and Christmas tree are still WIPs so C&C's welcome (as always   :) ) 
Title: Re: Midnight Christmas Pause
Post by: Dune on November 26, 2018, 01:56:24 AM
That turned out really nicely indeed. Nice setting with the partly snow-covered bridge.
A few suggestions; the horse also is a bit elongated in the mid section.
I would also make the snow much less reflective. You could drop in a sprinkle (PF masked and not more than 0.1 density) of fake stones at sand grain size 0.005m, and use that as mask for a shiny reflective shader (use surface shader as masked base for tyhe reflection as child).
Title: Re: Midnight Christmas Pause
Post by: DocCharly65 on November 28, 2018, 01:49:21 AM
Except the a bit too glossy ground I like this very much! :)
Title: Re: Midnight Christmas Pause
Post by: Jo Kariboo on November 28, 2018, 08:50:42 AM
Nice set-up. The snow with this reflection is similar and realistic after a freezing rain. Can be added ice to some other objects if what you are looking for is an ice effect after a frezing rain.
Title: Re: Midnight Christmas Pause
Post by: WAS on November 29, 2018, 01:44:16 PM
Ironically this is very realistic to clear night skies freezing melted surface snow from the day. It's likely minus 0 with a sky like that. Very common reflections in town on the icy old snow under lights.
Title: Re: Midnight Christmas Pause
Post by: bobbystahr on November 29, 2018, 03:19:05 PM
In the realistic camp as well as we've been getting god's dandruff lately here...agree on the horse.
Title: Re: Midnight Christmas Pause
Post by: WAS on November 29, 2018, 05:08:50 PM
Quote from: bobbystahr on November 29, 2018, 03:19:05 PM
god's dandruff

Lol Haven't heard that one.
Title: Re: Midnight Christmas Pause
Post by: masonspappy on December 01, 2018, 09:55:00 AM
Hey all, thanks for the comments.  I'm trying to rebuild the horse at the moment...lost count of the number of times I've switched between fixing the model and making a new model. For reasons I don't fully understand (perhaps lack of talent?) my horses tend to look like jackasses. And sad-looking jackasses at that.
About the glare on the snow...I get the point about it being too much.  The thing is, down here were I live (North-By-God-Carolina) it's a common phenomenon on those infrequent occasions when we have snow. Night time temperatures can easily get into the low 20's but during the day it get's well above freezing. So it's common for the top layer of snow to melt during the day and then freeze solid at night. 

Title: Re: Midnight Christmas Pause
Post by: luvsmuzik on December 01, 2018, 10:04:27 AM
Yes! and what makes it so treacherous, also makes it soooo pretty! well done! :)
Title: Re: Midnight Christmas Pause
Post by: WAS on December 01, 2018, 03:15:28 PM
Sad jackasses. Oh man. I almost woke my son laughing.

And by they way, Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!
Title: Re: Midnight Christmas Pause
Post by: masonspappy on December 02, 2018, 02:47:33 PM
And Merry Christmas backatcha....

So, another iteration. Added the boy (and gave him a toboggan to wear as my wife insists no mother would let her child out on a cold winter night without a hat.). The horse isn't perfect but I think is better than it was.   Although I almost never add post-work, I'm doing so here to get the stars in the sky.   

Now have to make a dad to drive the sleigh...
Title: Re: Midnight Christmas Pause
Post by: bobbystahr on December 02, 2018, 02:59:38 PM
Quote from: masonspappy on December 02, 2018, 02:47:33 PM
And Merry Christmas backatcha....

So, another iteration. Added the boy (and gave him a toboggan to wear as my wife insists no mother would let her child out on a cold winter night without a hat.). The horse isn't perfect but I think is better than it was.   Although I almost never add post-work, I'm doing so here to get the stars in the sky.   

Now have to make a dad to drive the sleigh...


actually that'd be a toque heh heh, as a toboggan is a sleigh with no runners just a rolled up front.

https://i1.wp.com/www.thisbigadventure.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/toboggan.jpg?resize=759%2C500
Title: Re: Midnight Christmas Pause
Post by: WAS on December 02, 2018, 03:04:36 PM
Love the new setup, though you could try procedural stars instead of post, it may come out a little more natural. Could even throw in a SSS shape for Northern Star.

Only other thing that's interesting to me is the light on the church. The weird kinda green lighting glow that seems solid with no falloff.
Title: Re: Midnight Christmas Pause
Post by: masonspappy on December 02, 2018, 05:37:51 PM
Quote
actually that'd be a toque heh heh, as a toboggan is a sleigh with no runners just a rolled up front.
https://i1.wp.com/www.thisbigadventure.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/toboggan.jpg?resize=759%2C500
Well, actually, for those of us in Southern USA, it's a cap or a sleigh:    https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/11359/whats-the-origin-of-using-toboggan-to-mean-a-knit-cap
I tell ya Bobby - us southerner's are a strange and different lot!  ;)
Quote
try procedural stars instead of post, it may come out a little more natural. 
I will , thanks
Quote
Only other thing that's interesting to me is the light on the church. The weird kinda green lighting glow that seems solid with no falloff.
yeah I gotta clean that up a bit.
Thanks!!
Title: Re: Midnight Christmas Pause
Post by: luvsmuzik on December 03, 2018, 02:28:43 PM
Nice!
Quote from: masonspappy on December 02, 2018, 05:37:51 PM
Quote
actually that'd be a toque heh heh, as a toboggan is a sleigh with no runners just a rolled up front.
https://i1.wp.com/www.thisbigadventure.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/toboggan.jpg?resize=759%2C500
Well, actually, for those of us in Southern USA, it's a cap or a sleigh:    https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/11359/whats-the-origin-of-using-toboggan-to-mean-a-knit-cap
I tell ya Bobby - us southerner's are a strange and different lot!  ;)

For gosh sake, don't wrap anybody in a MacIntosh..... :-*
Title: Re: Midnight Christmas Pause
Post by: masonspappy on December 14, 2018, 06:14:09 PM
So I think this will be my last iteration. I fixed up the horse a bit more, and it took me about 5 attempts to get the sleigh driver suitable for using here (he was birthed in DAZ but customized in Blender 2.79).
Thanks all for the feedback and suggestions
Merry Christmas!!
Title: Re: Midnight Christmas Pause
Post by: Dune on December 15, 2018, 01:40:56 AM
Great result. Merry Christmas to you too and all best for 2019!

One thing; DAZ horse; the millenium horse? That comes out pretty good, but it may have been the posing. The front shoulders seem bent forward a bit too much, increasing the distance between front and back legs.
Title: Re: Midnight Christmas Pause
Post by: masonspappy on December 15, 2018, 02:48:39 AM
Quote from: Dune on December 15, 2018, 01:40:56 AM
One thing; DAZ horse; the millenium horse? That comes out pretty good, but it may have been the posing. The front shoulders seem bent forward a bit too much, increasing the distance between front and back legs.
No, not millennium horse. It was actually a low-res freebie that I tried to re-sculpt in Blender but never came out looking quite right (hence my previous comment about "sad-looking jackass").  And, my finished result simply didn't work well with the texture map in my files.  Then I got this crazy notion to delete the left half of the horse and focus sculpting and texture mapping the right half. When it looked halfway decent I duplicated the right side, applied the mirror function (In Blender) to it and then joined the two halves together.  It seems to work but it also helps that the picture is dark which helps hide model defects.


Title: Re: Midnight Christmas Pause
Post by: DocCharly65 on December 16, 2018, 10:48:59 AM
An nice result!
And of course merry Christmas to you and all best for the coming year!
Title: Re: Midnight Christmas Pause
Post by: mhaze on December 16, 2018, 01:50:54 PM
I like :) Here's hoping you have an excellent Christmas and a happy new year
Title: Re: Midnight Christmas Pause
Post by: bobbystahr on December 16, 2018, 04:54:42 PM
Over all a lovely image with a great sentiment...thanks for sharing it and Merry Christmas to you as well.
Title: Re: Midnight Christmas Pause
Post by: Jo Kariboo on December 16, 2018, 08:09:44 PM
Nice picture. I wish you a happy holiday!  :)