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General => Image Sharing => Topic started by: choronr on April 15, 2015, 11:06:58 PM

Title: Off to Pasture
Post by: choronr on April 15, 2015, 11:06:58 PM
The flock leaves their winter quarters after being sheared and cleaned; and, head north to their summer pasture.

Thanks to:

•   Thelby for the Sheep model.
•   Bobby Stahr for some thoughts and ideas on the populator.
•   Dune for his help regarding the grass clumps and the sheep population.

Nary a new project goes by without some confounding issues. Thankfully there are some very helpful folks here at the forum.

Bob
Title: Re: Off to Pasture
Post by: Antoine on April 16, 2015, 02:03:11 AM
Very good one !
Title: Re: Off to Pasture
Post by: choronr on April 16, 2015, 02:08:12 AM
Thank you.
Title: Re: Off to Pasture
Post by: zaxxon on April 16, 2015, 09:57:04 AM
There are so many aspects of this image that appeal to me, but I think it is the flowing composition and quality of the light that really set this apart as one of your best pieces in recent memory. Excellent rock work and  population placement; the sky with it's 'vertical' elements reminds me of the 'virga' phenomena, where you can see the rain leave the cloud with no apparent place where it meets land, and the filtered sun areas really nail the composition! The only part that catches my eye as a little off is the texture of the sheep, could be that they've just been shorn? But that's minor as your arrangement of the sheep and the way they've 'caught' the light is a strong component of this truly fine layout. Excellent work Bob!
Title: Re: Off to Pasture
Post by: Cocateho on April 16, 2015, 10:03:42 AM
Quote from: zaxxon on April 16, 2015, 09:57:04 AM
There are so many aspects of this image that appeal to me, but I think it is the flowing composition and quality of the light that really set this apart as one of your best pieces in recent memory. Excellent rock work and  population placement; the sky with it's 'vertical' elements reminds me of the 'virga' phenomena, where you can see the rain leave the cloud with no apparent place where it meets land, and the filtered sun areas really nail the composition! The only part that catches my eye as a little off is the texture of the sheep, could be that they've just been shorn? But that's minor as your arrangement of the sheep and the way they've 'caught' the light is a strong component of this truly fine layout. Excellent work Bob!

hmmm, maybe its time to test how well fractal displacement can mimic sheep's wool  ;D

I really like the composition of this image. Not sure what your quality settings were , but it feels very rough, Definitely feels like it at least needs more atmosphere samples, and probably AA because its the background hills that look the roughest to me. That said, I really like how this scene is set up, good job!
Title: Re: Off to Pasture
Post by: choronr on April 16, 2015, 12:40:37 PM
Quote from: zaxxon on April 16, 2015, 09:57:04 AM
There are so many aspects of this image that appeal to me, but I think it is the flowing composition and quality of the light that really set this apart as one of your best pieces in recent memory. Excellent rock work and  population placement; the sky with it's 'vertical' elements reminds me of the 'virga' phenomena, where you can see the rain leave the cloud with no apparent place where it meets land, and the filtered sun areas really nail the composition! The only part that catches my eye as a little off is the texture of the sheep, could be that they've just been shorn? But that's minor as your arrangement of the sheep and the way they've 'caught' the light is a strong component of this truly fine layout. Excellent work Bob!
Thank you Doug, I appreciate your visit and comments here. Regarding the atmo, I used Andy Welder's 'Average Dutch' atmo clip file. You can download it here in the 'Cloud Library'; page 7. Also, the intent was to have sheep that were recently sheared. I have a sheep model that I did not use here that would also work; and, could email it to you if you are interested - let me know. It's an .obj file at 1.86MB. A Power fractal and Transform shader gives some nice color and texture.
Title: Re: Off to Pasture
Post by: choronr on April 16, 2015, 12:54:39 PM
Quote from: Cocateho on April 16, 2015, 10:03:42 AM
Quote from: zaxxon on April 16, 2015, 09:57:04 AM
There are so many aspects of this image that appeal to me, but I think it is the flowing composition and quality of the light that really set this apart as one of your best pieces in recent memory. Excellent rock work and  population placement; the sky with it's 'vertical' elements reminds me of the 'virga' phenomena, where you can see the rain leave the cloud with no apparent place where it meets land, and the filtered sun areas really nail the composition! The only part that catches my eye as a little off is the texture of the sheep, could be that they've just been shorn? But that's minor as your arrangement of the sheep and the way they've 'caught' the light is a strong component of this truly fine layout. Excellent work Bob!

hmmm, maybe its time to test how well fractal displacement can mimic sheep's wool  ;D

I really like the composition of this image. Not sure what your quality settings were , but it feels very rough, Definitely feels like it at least needs more atmosphere samples, and probably AA because its the background hills that look the roughest to me. That said, I really like how this scene is set up, good job!

Thank you. The .obj sheep model I mentioned above works well with the addition of a PF and transform shader. I used a different model which I thought was better structured.

The atmo clip file has adequate sampling; anything higher would have increased render time so I left it the way it was.

Regarding the background hills, the terrain displacement has high displacement - add to this roughness procedural grass make it appear quite rough.
Title: Re: Off to Pasture
Post by: zaxxon on April 16, 2015, 01:06:51 PM
I like the 'roughness'. Too often we over anti-alias some scenes and lose that natural texture that Nature provides, even at a distance. I agree with your decision there. It's always a pleasure to see your Southwest inspired landscapes. Could you provide a link to the sheep models?
Title: Re: Off to Pasture
Post by: choronr on April 16, 2015, 01:37:28 PM
Hi Doug,

Here is the link of the free sheep model I did not use; but, can be modified via a PF and Transform shader: http://tf3dm.com/3d-model/sheep-90154.html . I'll get back to you with the other link a little later.
Title: Re: Off to Pasture
Post by: mhaze on April 16, 2015, 02:47:49 PM
This an excellent piece.  I like the clouds, lighting and flow of the composition.  I do agree with those who feel you need more atmospheric samples -worth a try I think.  Something about the grass bothers me,  I think it might be too big and lacking in variety.
Title: Re: Off to Pasture
Post by: choronr on April 16, 2015, 03:06:52 PM
Quote from: mhaze on April 16, 2015, 02:47:49 PM
This an excellent piece.  I like the clouds, lighting and flow of the composition.  I do agree with those who feel you need more atmospheric samples -worth a try I think.  Something about the grass bothers me,  I think it might be too big and lacking in variety.
Thanks Mick,

I might try more samples for atmo/clouds. And, I agree that maybe the grass might be too large; yet, when compared with the Landmark (1 meter) it looks OK. Smaller grass = smaller spacing = greater rendering time. I used populator v3 instead of v4 which took the populator into a very long session. When I tried the same settings in the v4, the results were disappointing so I scrapped the idea.
Title: Re: Off to Pasture
Post by: choronr on April 16, 2015, 03:12:47 PM
Quote from: choronr on April 16, 2015, 01:37:28 PM
Hi Doug,

Here is the link of the free sheep model I did not use; but, can be modified via a PF and Transform shader: http://tf3dm.com/3d-model/sheep-90154.html . I'll get back to you with the other link a little later.

Hi Doug,

Here is the other link: http://www.contentparadise.com/productDetails.aspx?id=555 . Also, Thelby tells me: "...you will need DAZ Studio or Poser to open and save the Sheep. And when using 3D Models in TG2 or TG3 you need to smooth the model. Thelby uses PoseRay".

Bob
Title: Re: Off to Pasture
Post by: zaxxon on April 16, 2015, 05:27:08 PM
Thank you sir!
Title: Re: Off to Pasture
Post by: choronr on April 16, 2015, 07:28:25 PM
You're welcome Doug. Hope you get some use with the models.
Title: Re: Off to Pasture
Post by: bobbystahr on April 16, 2015, 11:12:24 PM
Well that worked out very nice man...KUDOs on your patience....
Title: Re: Off to Pasture
Post by: choronr on April 16, 2015, 11:20:24 PM
Thank you Bobby.
Title: Re: Off to Pasture
Post by: Dune on April 17, 2015, 08:44:55 AM
Just back... looks good, Bob!
Title: Re: Off to Pasture
Post by: bobbystahr on April 17, 2015, 08:47:22 AM
Quote from: Dune on April 17, 2015, 08:44:55 AM
Just back... looks good, Bob!

You were gone, heh heh heh
Title: Re: Off to Pasture
Post by: Dune on April 17, 2015, 08:48:49 AM
Yeah, a very small holiday on a very small island, with great weather, and some nice bird species.
Title: Re: Off to Pasture
Post by: bobbystahr on April 17, 2015, 10:29:03 AM
Quote from: Dune on April 17, 2015, 08:48:49 AM
Yeah, a very small holiday on a very small island, with great weather, and some nice bird species.

Aha, R&R is a good thing.
Title: Re: Off to Pasture
Post by: choronr on April 17, 2015, 11:01:51 AM
Quote from: Dune on April 17, 2015, 08:44:55 AM
Just back... looks good, Bob!
Ulco,  I've gone through a series (about a dozen) of rotation settings; and, just cannot get all the flock to be facing north.
Title: Re: Off to Pasture
Post by: bobbystahr on April 17, 2015, 01:09:29 PM
Quote from: choronr on April 17, 2015, 11:01:51 AM
Quote from: Dune on April 17, 2015, 08:44:55 AM
Just back... looks good, Bob!
Ulco,  I've gone through a series (about a dozen) of rotation settings; and, just cannot get all the flock to be facing north.

have you rotated the entire population with the tgo/obj rotation set at 0 around Y?
Title: Re: Off to Pasture
Post by: choronr on April 17, 2015, 04:54:26 PM
Quote from: bobbystahr on April 17, 2015, 01:09:29 PM
Quote from: choronr on April 17, 2015, 11:01:51 AM
Quote from: Dune on April 17, 2015, 08:44:55 AM
Just back... looks good, Bob!
Ulco,  I've gone through a series (about a dozen) of rotation settings; and, just cannot get all the flock to be facing north.

have you rotated the entire population with the tgo/obj rotation set at 0 around Y?

Thanks Bobby. Ulco had made this same suggestion. I had been trying 0/60 which didn't work. Then tried many 0/many different degrees ...still didn't work. Strangely, I tried 0/0 and it did work! But, they are all facing south. I need them to all face north. Will continue to play.
Title: Re: Off to Pasture
Post by: yossam on April 17, 2015, 08:08:37 PM
Bob,


Use the 0,0 setting, but rotate your "primary" sheep 180 degrees. Should work............... ;D
Title: Re: Off to Pasture
Post by: choronr on April 18, 2015, 12:22:37 AM
Quote from: yossam on April 17, 2015, 08:08:37 PM
Bob,


Use the 0,0 setting, but rotate your "primary" sheep 180 degrees. Should work............... ;D
Thanks Richard, if you have 0 in minimum and 0 in maximum for the rotation, where do you put the 180 degrees?
Title: Re: Off to Pasture
Post by: yossam on April 18, 2015, 01:17:40 AM
When you look at your population in the node tree under objects, you will have two lines. One for the population parameters and the other for the model parameters. Go to the model parameters and change it in the y rotation to whatever you need. Re-populate and the instances will inherit the model parameters.
Title: Re: Off to Pasture
Post by: choronr on April 18, 2015, 01:28:41 AM
Thanks Rich, will give that a look and a try.
Title: Re: Off to Pasture
Post by: choronr on April 18, 2015, 01:50:34 AM
Quote from: choronr on April 18, 2015, 01:28:41 AM
Thanks Rich, will give that a look and a try.

It worked, sort of; but I think it had to do with the curve in the road and the object spacing. However, it looks a lot better. Thanks again Rich. Tomorrow, I'll do another full render.
Title: Re: Off to Pasture
Post by: bobbystahr on April 18, 2015, 02:16:48 AM
Quote from: choronr on April 18, 2015, 01:50:34 AM
Quote from: choronr on April 18, 2015, 01:28:41 AM
Thanks Rich, will give that a look and a try.

It worked, sort of; but I think it had to do with the curve in the road and the object spacing. However, it looks a lot better. Thanks again Rich. Tomorrow, I'll do another full render.

You can tweak individual pop members Bob. The button next to the Paint brush icon. You can tweak all parameters , scale, rotate, drop to ground...I don't think I've done a pop since that became available where I haven't used that in fact.
Title: Re: Off to Pasture
Post by: choronr on April 18, 2015, 02:22:41 AM
Quote from: bobbystahr on April 18, 2015, 02:16:48 AM
Quote from: choronr on April 18, 2015, 01:50:34 AM
Quote from: choronr on April 18, 2015, 01:28:41 AM
Thanks Rich, will give that a look and a try.
Thanks Bobby, I'll be getting into this again tomorrow as I'm about ready for some sleep for the night. Appreciate your input.

It worked, sort of; but I think it had to do with the curve in the road and the object spacing. However, it looks a lot better. Thanks again Rich. Tomorrow, I'll do another full render.

You can tweak individual pop members Bob. The button next to the Paint brush icon. You can tweak all parameters , scale, rotate, drop to ground...I don't think I've done a pop since that became available where I haven't used that in fact.
Title: Re: Off to Pasture
Post by: bobbystahr on April 18, 2015, 02:27:03 AM
sleep well, me too, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz out
Title: Re: Off to Pasture
Post by: TheBadger on April 18, 2015, 11:58:44 AM
So much works great in this. Good job.
Title: Re: Off to Pasture
Post by: choronr on April 18, 2015, 12:25:48 PM
Quote from: TheBadger on April 18, 2015, 11:58:44 AM
So much works great in this. Good job.
Thank you Michael.
Title: Re: Off to Pasture
Post by: bobbystahr on April 19, 2015, 09:53:12 AM
Agree w/Michael, just them gol durn sheep...just like real life, milling around. heh heh heh