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As mentioned elsewhere I've been working on models for a new Erie Canal scene. Here are two, including the lock that I posted before.

Most of the lock will either be below ground level or under water. But I was curious about how they were built and wanted to make it as complete as possible. The aqueduct is a little unusual because most aqueducts at the time were built of stone and wood. This one was completely built of stone.

I'll continue to post here as work progresses. The title of this thread should become clear before too long. :)

Looking forward to this! If you make the water clear enough a lot could be visible of underwater structures. Or make it happen in a dry season ;)

Beautiful models - perhaps a little too clean and precise?

Perhaps, but I was actually thinking I'd aged them too much . . . in 1823 they were brand-spanking new. :D

We'll see what happens once they're in the scene.

Very clean and nice models.
Looking forward to see your Erie Channel Next Generation scene (your old one is awesome!)

STORMLORD

First benchmark rendering. The main challenge in this scene was the multiple water levels, four altogether, three of which are connected by locks and flumes. Rock wall was made with ZBrush. Full moon and sun positions are calculated for sunrise, September 8, 1824. View faces due west.

More to be done here, including details like the water edge, but also a few more structures, boats, and people. A few more weeks' work.

Edit: Should mention that the grass models are by Dune (thanks for that share); all other models are original.

Very beautiful picture and nice objects conception !
I really like the light.
On the other hand, I find that the rock walls on the left have shapes that cut a little too abruptly.

Nice models as always.

That's a great start to the scene! Looks great. Love the moody lighting. I feel a touch of fog from the atmospheric changes would be a great touch. Also maybe a tad lower, or higher camera angle due to the bridge and distant trees looking as if they are growing off the bridge.

Wonderful scenery. I know these kinds of scenes are pretty difficult, as the terrain needs to fit the objects (or vice-versa), and things like water interact with the surroundings as well. The light is beautiful.
I do think the rocks on the left look a bit artificial. I guess they have that shape (or you wouldn't have made them like that), but I would at least have some more color variation or stuff growing over it; plants, lichens, a dead tree/bush fallen down across it...
And there's a bit of repetition in the weeds on the left; I would add more variety.
And how about a waterline, where algae grow on the sluice walls to a certain level? They look quite clean.
Waterplants in quiet areas of the stream?

Thanks, everyone, for the feedback. I knew from the outset that the rock cliff would be the most challenging part of this scene. I've taken a break of a few weeks from it, so probably time for a fresh look.

Other comments duly noted. The only exception might be aquatic plants. The temptation is there but the fact is this is an artificial channel that was (and still is) drained for much of the year, so plant life never gets a chance to take root. I've lived near the Erie Canal for most of my life and have yet to see anything growing in it. But the edges right above water level could certainly use some attention.

Terrific work - Agree with Dune, you nead some more dirt - it's all too perfect!

Latest iteration. Haven't really addressed the ground cover yet; there will be more species and better distribution. But that will wait till the human figures are in place. That's the next step.

Cliff has been replaced and other details added to correspond with historical sources.

Wonderful! The ship only just fits through the sluices, doesn't it?

Thanks! And yes, the lock chambers were 15 feet wide, and many of the boats had a beam of 14 feet. That's 6 inches clearance on either side. Tight fit, which explains the fenders that ran along the sides of the hull.

Wow! What a great project again!

And a realism making me speechless!
The peaceful late afternoon ambience lets you feel that you want to be there - urgently!

Thanks, Doc!

Updated horse model.

Wonderful!

Looking great! Maybe just a tad higher roughness to get some more shine spread. It's a little glisteny right now.

I love it!
Great texture and a wonderful animal!

Making very slow progress on this scene. It's summertime and there are too many distractions. And I've taken time out to learn some new software (ZBrush and Mixer). But finally starting to add human figures. Here is one of the tandem rigs and driver.

That is extremely good! Wow, what a great rig. Did you make that in ZBrush already? Texturing and subtle reflections are wonderful too, and that white horse looking over the others, terrific.

Thanks, Ulco. The base meshes were made in Silo and Blender with final detailing and hair in ZBrush. The details are baked as height maps so lower-poly meshes can be used in Terragen. ZBrush is wonderful, very intuitive and fast once you get used to the interface. A major improvement over Mudbox. Constantly impressed with Blender, too. Such a capable application.

As Ulco said. Terrific! And I love that white horse looking curious over the others too :)

Superb work!

Thanks, everyone. Here are a few more. Some are suspended mid air because they are positioned relative to the object they'll be standing on. No hair or eyebrows for the woman because she will be in the deep background. Also including a closeup of the packet boat pilot. Not quite enough detail for this camera distance but I was curious. 

The pilot's hair was done in Blender. Experimented with ZBrush's Fibermesh for this and got good results, but I can't figure out a way to animate it. Blender's hair system is particle-based and easy to bind and animate.

First two look like they're being raptured while going about their business, but other than that there is a great amount of detail here.

I have to say, the faces are not really realistic in a photography sense; however they really give off a sense of the old pen illustrations from the 18th and 19th century and how faces were depicted in them, especially emotion. I think that really actually adds to the type of work you're doing. I don't know if that was intentional or not, but it really works.

The clothes are also really well done, the way they hang and stuff is actually very realistic, most of the populace did not have hemmed clothing to actually fit them properly, and pants of the general person had this pull down sag look, because it wasn't hemmed to the wearer which was common then.

All of this is so great.  Beyond my limited vocabulary.   ::)

Would love to see the finished project

Great characters again!Hair in Zbrush is great, but I also always struggle to manage it. There are brushes, but there's a setting that needs changing or they don't work very pleasantly.

QuoteWould love to see the finished project

Same. This one seems to be taking forever.

QuoteThere are brushes, but there's a setting that needs changing or they don't work very pleasantly.

Pretty sure I know which one you're talking about. Took me a while to find it.

That will become a masterpiece again when the landscape is filled with all the lovely people! Great developement!

Two more.

Wonderful characters again! And I like the subtle sheen on the woman's clothing.

Thanks, Ulco. Never thought I'd be spending time learning about Regency-era clothing styles, but here we are.

I can see that this thread is starting to get a little monotonous, and will hold off on posting more until the final image nears completion. Probably a few more weeks.

Good luck finalizing!

OK, just one more and I promise I'll stop.  :)

I don't mind seeing these :D  The forum isn't very lively anyway, so post along as far as I'm concerned. Looking forward to see what he's doing... maybe opening the sluices...

Quotemaybe opening the sluices

That's right! Or very close! He and his pal will be pulling on the balance beams to close the lock gate.


Here are a couple more. Work on this scene has been going at a glacial pace. I've been up to my ears in research and the machine has been busy 24/7 rendering print-resolution renderings of previous scenes. Hope to start selling high-quality glicée prints on my website soon.

Your work on this has been really meticulate, as I've also just seen on your website. It's a wonderful project and I hope many visitors will learn more about the past of your area.
Selling giclée prints is a good idea too. Good luck!

And these characters are very artful again!

Thanks, Ulco. I've learned so much from you and others on this forum, and that (plus many years of experience by now) is starting to pay off. Even so I sometimes get discouraged by the amount of time and effort that these scenes require. So I appreciate the encouragement.

Quote from: sboerner on September 25, 2021, 01:59:36 PMEven so I sometimes get discouraged by the amount of time and effort that these scenes require.

The time you have invested in this appears to have paid off handsomely!

Quote from: sboerner on September 25, 2021, 01:59:36 PMEven so I sometimes get discouraged by the amount of time and effort that these scenes require

I know, but I also see it as the travel that's worth more than the destination. Counts for me at least. Working on something is great if you see it progress, and when it's finished you get a short period of great satisfaction.... and then the urge is there to start something new again. It's the artists' 'burden' I guess.

Thanks, @masonspappy. Much more time to invest in this one, it may be the most detailed one yet.

QuoteI know, but I also see it as the travel that's worth more than the destination. Counts for me at least. Working on something is great if you see it progress, and when it's finished you get a short period of great satisfaction.... and then the urge is there to start something new again. It's the artists' 'burden' I guess.

All true. And in my case (maybe yours as well) the travel is literal as well. The research has taken me back and forth across New York state to visit remnants of the original canal and also libraries and historical archives. There's nothing quite like sifting through a box of documents from the early 1800s, or poring over old maps. It's been a fascinating journey.

Indeed!

Almost done with this one. Here is a cropped detail. Small tweaks needed to some shaders before starting the final print-resolution (6000px) rendering.

Wow, great work! This is coming along so nicely. Love the lighting as well, really adds to the charm of the scene.

Wonderful, detailed artwork.

Just great! A piece where you can wander around and marvel at all the details, and really understand what it used to be like. I'm sure you'll be able to sell this poster to many folks in the area interested in the past of the canal (and more). The two sets of pulling horses are absolutely great (as is the rest).

One thing I was wondering; the two guys pulling at the sluices to close them is heavy work, but doable... if there's a wall of water behind, how will they be able to open them again. Wouldn't there be a hatch in the wood walls that can be opened by pulling the hatch up (would be less heavy), so the water can run out before the sluices are opened? Or are they there?

And a tiny thin; is the rope not a bit on the thick/heavy side? But maybe that was needed in those days, because ropes weren't as strong as nowadays.

What a beauty!!! It's such a fun to "wander" around in your scene.

Superb!

Thanks, everyone. This one has been a challenge because of all the activity. And the low, direct lighting, a result of the very early morning hour and my desire to include the setting moon (not visible in this crop).

Ulco, I think you're right about the rope. If I remember correctly it's two inches in diameter, but it appears larger than that. Aesthetically it would be a good idea to make it less hefty. An easy fix.

Each of the lock gates has a butterfly valve that can be opened to drain the lock chamber so the gates can be opened. The valves are out of sight here (they are under water, even when the water level in the chamber is lowered), but if you look closely you can see the wrought-iron stems and handles of the "keys" used to open them, protruding from the tops of the gates. The technology was crude and demanded a lot of muscle power, but it worked.

This would be so cool animated but that sounds daunting.

Very beautiful period scene. The work on all items is awesome!

Thanks for explaining, Steve. You thought of everything!

QuoteThis would be so cool animated but that sounds daunting.

I've thought about it but will probably never do it. Too much of a time investment. Great suggestion though.

QuoteThanks for explaining, Steve. You thought of everything!

I try! One other detail that might be mentioned is just how dangerous this work was. It was easy to lose control of the values when turning them against all that water pressure. Broken arms and, worse, getting thrown into the lock chamber and drowned were real hazards. There are reports of careless passengers getting crushed against the lock chamber walls, too. Travel was very interesting back in those days!

So, maybe you should add a corpse in the water :P  But I'm afraid the print wouldn't sell then.

:) Yeah that might put a damper on sales.

This one's done for now. Early morning on Sept. 20, 1823, with near-full moon setting in the west. Happy to be moving on to a new project soon.

Love this scenes evolution process. You are great with composition. I inspire to be this good. Can't wait to see what you start next.

Wonderful, what more can I say. Everything fits very nicely together and tells a complete story. Lighting is very subtle, the puddles on the dirt track are great (not for them, though). I thoroughly enjoy this and appreciate all the work that has gone into 'just' the one image.... though you could always change light and camera for a different take on this.

Thanks for sharing your road to perfection. Too little of that here :(

Really amazing! It's such a pleasure to dive into your image. This is indeed outstanding.

Thanks, guys. It seems that I pick up something new with each project. This time it was ZBrush, an application I tried to avoid but now wonder how I ever managed without. And always learning new things with Terragen, of course. All the help and advice on this forum have been invaluable.

This one set a record for rendering time -- the original 6,000-pixel frame took almost 158 hours. MPD was 0.5 and AA was 10 (with customized sampling) to reduce noise in the water and V3 clouds. (Tested many combinations first.) Most of the water surface is a single sphere displaced as needed, with additional planes for the puddles. The render was divided over several tiles that took from 8 to 32 hours each, depending on the amount of water, the surface angle, and displacements. The slowest part was the bypass flume at left, next to the wooden crib, because of the low angle of the upper surface and the small displacements of the inclined surface. The rendering time may have been shortened by disabling water transparency, but I think that would have changed its appearance in the near foreground, around the boat. I don't mind waiting. Not too much anyway.

Wow, that's a long wait! Especially small displacements and reflections and transparency cost a lot in PT. But it was worth it!

I think so, too. I did reduce the ray detail multiplier (to 0.1 or 0.15, I don't remember) because the underwater surfaces aren't important here. I understand that setting also affects some shadows but it doesn't seem to have affected anything else in the scene.

One advantage of doing tiles is that I can usually render overnight and use the machine during the day. This time I just let it run straight through.

Quote from: sboerner on November 16, 2021, 01:19:39 PMOne advantage of doing tiles is that I can usually render overnight and use the machine during the day. This time I just let it run straight through.

I can't wait until TG can store a render process as a cache file to return to later.

Though if you do pause a render Windows or Terragen will clear render RAM usage leaving it only the TGD instance of RAM will be used. Usually this bring my system down to only like 35% ram usage to do othet stuff all day.

Looks nice!

Thanks, Kadri!

QuoteI can't wait until TG can store a render process as a cache file to return to later.

Agree, though using tiles doesn't take much setup and works fine.


It's also insurance against power interruptions, which we get quite often around here for some reason. The power usually just goes out for a few seconds but that's enough to wipe out any running processes. As I was making a new rendering of this (had a few fixes  :) ), this actually happened. So instead of losing 120+ hours of rendering time I lost just two.

Very beautiful image with an incredible amount of work. Congratulations!

Thank you!