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General => Image Sharing => Topic started by: choronr on September 09, 2014, 02:49:30 PM

Title: Going Home
Post by: choronr on September 09, 2014, 02:49:30 PM
Going Home was derived from the preset pack 'Dunes Mountain Road complete_V4' which is available at New World Digital Art (NWDA). The complete pack contains four varieties of paved and/or gravel road set ups that are real fun to work with. I recommend you give it a try.

Only four vegetation models are used in the image; namely:

•   Walli's 'Lupines' wild flowers.
•   Dune's 'Heather' a low growing perennial shrub.
•   XFrog 'Redbud' small flowering tree.
•   Terragen 'Grass Clump' is included as part of its program.

Additionally:

•   Dog model ...thanks Mark.

Many thanks to Ulco for his coaching me through the process of achieving the conversion of uniform tracks into more of a well worn gravel road of hardpan; and, giving some erosion to the short slopes along either side of the road.

Enjoy,

   Bob
Title: Re: Going Home
Post by: Kadri on September 09, 2014, 03:01:57 PM

Looks great Bob.
I don't know anything about those plants but could there be a little more
rotation and placing variation (some clumping in different areas) ?
Title: Re: Going Home
Post by: archonforest on September 09, 2014, 03:14:50 PM
Ditto. As above  :D
Nice place to live!
Title: Re: Going Home
Post by: choronr on September 09, 2014, 03:36:24 PM
Quote from: Kadri on September 09, 2014, 03:01:57 PM

Looks great Bob.
I don't know anything about those plants but could there be a little more
rotation and placing variation (some clumping in different areas) ?
Thank you Kadri. I have experimented with clumping and found no improvements. As for rotation, I have also made a change for that effect which worked out pretty good (if you could see the first iteration as compared to this one, I think you would agree).
Title: Re: Going Home
Post by: choronr on September 09, 2014, 03:38:11 PM
Quote from: archonforest on September 09, 2014, 03:14:50 PM
Ditto. As above  :D
Nice place to live!
Thank you archonforest. Personally, I still prefer the desert.
Title: Re: Going Home
Post by: j meyer on September 10, 2014, 11:01:00 AM
Nice one! I like the plants on the road especially.
Reminds me of Alvin Lee,too. ;)
Title: Re: Going Home
Post by: yossam on September 10, 2014, 12:03:05 PM
Are you talking about Ten Years After Alvin Lee? 
Title: Re: Going Home
Post by: zaxxon on September 10, 2014, 12:06:32 PM
I really like the composition of where the road leads up the hillside: tells a story in itself.  The plants are distributed well, but the model itself seems a bit rigid: all the lupens point up at the same 90 degrees, more like standing at attention rather then flowing with the surface. Perhaps some variety might be more interesting. Having good back country road skills in TG is a fine task to accomplish - congrats on a good one!
Title: Re: Going Home
Post by: j meyer on September 10, 2014, 12:15:15 PM
Yossam - Yep.
Title: Re: Going Home
Post by: choronr on September 10, 2014, 12:48:09 PM
Quote from: zaxxon on September 10, 2014, 12:06:32 PM
I really like the composition of where the road leads up the hillside: tells a story in itself.  The plants are distributed well, but the model itself seems a bit rigid: all the lupens point up at the same 90 degrees, more like standing at attention rather then flowing with the surface. Perhaps some variety might be more interesting. Having good back country road skills in TG is a fine task to accomplish - congrats on a good one!
Thank you, had attempted getting some lean variance in the pop. After several setting adjustments to get a portion of the pop to lean, they just came out looking the same. I gave up. 
Title: Re: Going Home
Post by: RogueNZ on September 10, 2014, 03:07:00 PM
Great composition, and I think the dog fits in really well in this scene. I don't mind the population distribution, but think the lighting on the lupine isn't consistent with the other foliage in the scene, its like they aren't casting shadows on themselves. But its a very pleasant scene, congrats _b
Title: Re: Going Home
Post by: ra on September 10, 2014, 03:23:16 PM
The dog is excellent in this one!
Title: Re: Going Home
Post by: choronr on September 10, 2014, 03:28:58 PM
Quote from: RogueNZ on September 10, 2014, 03:07:00 PM
Great composition, and I think the dog fits in really well in this scene. I don't mind the population distribution, but think the lighting on the lupine isn't consistent with the other foliage in the scene, its like they aren't casting shadows on themselves. But its a very pleasant scene, congrats _b
Thank you. I'm thinking maybe a lower sun may yield better shadows on the lupine.
Title: Re: Going Home
Post by: choronr on September 10, 2014, 03:29:29 PM
Quote from: ra on September 10, 2014, 03:23:16 PM
The dog is excellent in this one!
Thanks.
Title: Re: Going Home
Post by: choronr on September 11, 2014, 02:58:50 AM
Hannes, sorry I forgot to mention your 'Flock of Birds' I used in this image. Must have been asleep at the wheel.
Title: Re: Going Home
Post by: ratfugel on September 11, 2014, 09:32:07 AM
  Congrats. Liked this immensely. (Thought the birds were just bits of dirt until you told us differently. Sorry.  Also I thought you'd found a midget horse somewhere.  Saves on stables, it would fit nicely under the table!).

rat.
Title: Re: Going Home
Post by: choronr on September 11, 2014, 12:32:58 PM
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it.
Title: Re: Going Home
Post by: Oshyan on September 12, 2014, 03:53:46 AM
It's a very nice scene but I agree, there's something odd about the way the lupines rendered. I'm fairly sure the model should look better than that. It's as if they're not self-shadowing, as Rogue said. Are you sure you didn't turn off "Cast Shadows" or flip the normals or something in the model settings?

- Oshyan
Title: Re: Going Home
Post by: Dune on September 12, 2014, 05:09:28 AM
They might be luminous.
Title: Re: Going Home
Post by: choronr on September 12, 2014, 12:33:32 PM
Quote from: Oshyan on September 12, 2014, 03:53:46 AM
It's a very nice scene but I agree, there's something odd about the way the lupines rendered. I'm fairly sure the model should look better than that. It's as if they're not self-shadowing, as Rogue said. Are you sure you didn't turn off "Cast Shadows" or flip the normals or something in the model settings?

- Oshyan
Thank you Oshyan. Cast shadows is checked including soft shadows. All flower settings are out of the box set; no changes were made.
Title: Re: Going Home
Post by: choronr on September 12, 2014, 12:35:47 PM
Quote from: Dune on September 12, 2014, 05:09:28 AM
They might be luminous.
Specular is zero; and, opacity is 1.
Title: Re: Going Home
Post by: yossam on September 12, 2014, 12:47:06 PM
I have always had problems with lighting the lupines..............translucency too high maybe?
Title: Re: Going Home
Post by: choronr on September 12, 2014, 01:06:12 PM
Quote from: yossam on September 12, 2014, 12:47:06 PM
I have always had problems with lighting the lupines..............translucency too high maybe?
Thanks Rich, opacity is at 1; so, no translucency.
Title: Re: Going Home
Post by: j meyer on September 13, 2014, 10:58:47 AM
Hi Bob,I think there is a little misunderstanding going on here.
Ulco and Richard were referring to the luminosity and translucency
in the first tab of the Default shader,I guess.
[attachimg=1]

Title: Re: Going Home
Post by: Dune on September 13, 2014, 11:50:59 AM
Yep, I was.
Title: Re: Going Home
Post by: yossam on September 13, 2014, 12:03:16 PM
Me too. :)
Title: Re: Going Home
Post by: choronr on September 13, 2014, 12:27:42 PM
Thanks j meyer, Richard and Dune - I think I never should have retired. My mind has turned to mush.

Going right now back to the project and trying some tests. We'll see what comes up.
Title: Re: Going Home
Post by: choronr on September 13, 2014, 04:15:01 PM
Earlier, I was in error when saying the Lupines model used in the image was "out of the box" unmodified. At sometime early in the process I had increased opacity on all the components of the model; leaves, branches - and, the blossoms (blossoms at 1.5; everything else at 1). Did this to make the the Lupines stand out better.

The attached clipping is of the lower right side of the image; and, the model settings are untouched. Except for the leaves, the blossoms hardly stand out. Compare this with the original image.
Title: Re: Going Home
Post by: yossam on September 13, 2014, 04:22:28 PM
Are you talking about diffuse color strength? I don't see where increasing opacity would help much.  :)
Title: Re: Going Home
Post by: choronr on September 13, 2014, 05:05:14 PM
Quote from: yossam on September 13, 2014, 04:22:28 PM
Are you talking about diffuse color strength? I don't see where increasing opacity would help much.  :)
Yes, I increased the diffuse color (opacity) on all parts of the plant on the original image.
Title: Re: Going Home
Post by: Dune on September 14, 2014, 03:15:16 AM
Opacity is different from diffuse color. Opacity is whether it's visible or not (white or black, no in-between). You must mean diffuse color only.
Title: Re: Going Home
Post by: choronr on September 14, 2014, 10:57:22 AM
Quote from: Dune on September 14, 2014, 03:15:16 AM
Opacity is different from diffuse color. Opacity is whether it's visible or not (white or black, no in-between). You must mean diffuse color only.
Yes, many times depending upon lighting, I'll up the diffuse color of vegetation. Sorry for my confusion.