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General => Image Sharing => Topic started by: fleetwood on April 25, 2017, 05:46:38 PM

Title: The Case of the Missing Violinist
Post by: fleetwood on April 25, 2017, 05:46:38 PM
Rock study in gray.
Using Cyphyr's two sun soft shadows idea.



Deadbranch - Mandrake
Violin - unknown
Title: Re: The Case of the Missing Violinist
Post by: luvsmuzik on April 25, 2017, 05:53:13 PM
Not to fiddle with your skills, but how come some people can make even junk look great?!
Title: Re: The Case of the Missing Violinist
Post by: inkydigit on April 26, 2017, 06:43:19 AM
a seashore symphony !
exquisite
:)
Title: Re: The Case of the Missing Violinist
Post by: masonspappy on April 26, 2017, 07:32:55 AM
"Rock and Bow!"
Title: Re: The Case of the Missing Violinist
Post by: Hannes on April 26, 2017, 11:01:34 AM
Beautiful rocks!!! Great image. Only crit from me is that the violin looks a bit like a miniature here. But maybe it is...
Title: Re: The Case of the Missing Violinist
Post by: fleetwood on April 26, 2017, 12:12:37 PM
Thanks all,
I had sized the violin by eye as the model was one of those which loads as gigantic.
Just checked the violin in the preview looking at it from directly overhead closeup position and it measures slightly over 1 Terragen meter in length, so it is actually a bit too large. Guess it's more akin to a viola.
Violins get made in very many sizes, but typical full size for an adult ought to be something like 60cm from scroll to tail button.

Now for the Case of the Missing Violin Case.
Title: Re: The Case of the Missing Violinist
Post by: DocCharly65 on April 26, 2017, 04:50:51 PM
The scale of the violin is in fact a bit to small but the miniature size has it's own special charme. I like it as it is... something like a telltale of smurfs and dwarfs :)
Title: Re: The Case of the Missing Violinist
Post by: bobbystahr on April 26, 2017, 07:54:29 PM
good study, the pristene finish on the violin nicely accentuates your work on the stone....well done.
Title: Re: The Case of the Missing Violinist
Post by: Jo Kariboo on April 26, 2017, 08:03:14 PM

Beautiful blue rock. I feel that even without the violin there is a miniature effect, perhaps because of the focus. The effect reminds me that miniaturization effect realized with digital cameras





http://www.canon.fr/get-inspired/come-and-see/showcase/how-to-shift-perspectives-in-photography/
Title: Re: The Case of the Missing Violinist
Post by: Dune on April 27, 2017, 02:03:19 AM
And the stones and branch, or the branch (which seems like a meter or so) is a huge tree. Sand and stones are very nice. Violin too. But together it's like a miniature indeed, also nice and a bit different.
Title: Re: The Case of the Missing Violinist
Post by: fleetwood on April 27, 2017, 08:27:55 AM
I guess this is an example of the old saying, "everything is relative".
By preview measurements most of these stones measure 2.5 to 3 Terragen meters wide and yes the branch could easily be a full dead tree at 8 Terragen meters from base (hidden) to tip.
These big items most likely are what throw off the eye/brain evaluation as well as the camera angle and DOF which may indeed give the render some (wasn't intended) tilt shift "looking at toy models" effect.

Offsets, scaling and tallness inputs (PFs) are used which alter the base fake stones, stone colors are from merged PFs.

Oh and that violin isn't quite pristine, there are some visible spots from a dirt layer, I hope it's not a Stradivarius.
Title: Re: The Case of the Missing Violinist
Post by: sjefen on April 27, 2017, 09:14:41 AM
Those rocks look really good!
Would love to look at your TGD  :)

- Terje
Title: Re: The Case of the Missing Violinist
Post by: Hannes on April 27, 2017, 09:54:10 AM
I guess, it's mainly the DOF that makes it look like a miniature.
Title: Re: The Case of the Missing Violinist
Post by: inkydigit on April 27, 2017, 11:12:10 AM
Yes I thought this was a miniature, because of the DOF... it has an almost 'tilt-shift' feel...
What is the aperture and f stop in the Tg camera, sometimes I have had to use unrealistically large apertures just to get an effect that matches the scale of the object etc in the scene, artistically, I love this piece because of the mystery, the apparent small size made me even more curious!
:)
Title: Re: The Case of the Missing Violinist
Post by: dorianvan on April 27, 2017, 01:14:35 PM
If you put some floaties and some crazy looking fish and some god rays, you could turn it into a nice underwater scene. Even could throw some algae on the edge of the violin. That would make the title even funnier. :)
Title: Re: The Case of the Missing Violinist
Post by: DocCharly65 on April 27, 2017, 01:50:44 PM
Quote from: Hannes on April 27, 2017, 09:54:10 AM
I guess, it's mainly the DOF that makes it look like a miniature.

I think that's exactly the point, Hannes.


Quote from: dorianvan on April 27, 2017, 01:14:35 PM
If you put some floaties and some crazy looking fish and some god rays, you could turn it into a nice underwater scene. Even could throw some algae on the edge of the violin. That would make the title even funnier. :)

That is a marvelous idea... pleeease try that!  :)
Title: Re: The Case of the Missing Violinist
Post by: Oshyan on April 27, 2017, 07:58:23 PM
From a realistic standpoint, given the scales that have been mentioned in the scene, the DoF amount here makes no sense for any real-world lens. So that's why it looks like a miniature, because in the real world it would have to be to achieve that effect. Whether that is the intended impression by the artist I do not know, however. :D

- Oshyan
Title: Re: The Case of the Missing Violinist
Post by: fleetwood on April 28, 2017, 10:47:02 AM
I used a camera focus point at 6.5 meters from the camera. The aperture diameter is 50mm. This emulates the performance of a 33mm focal length lens with f stop set to 0.6.
There are real lenses that have come close to that --- they are rare but some have been made. That would be one expensive piece of glass, but it's cool that Terragen can use whatever mild or wild lens parameters you give it.

Here is a Zeiss 50mm with maximum 0.7 f stop made for the Apollo missions. Be prepared to pay $80,000 to $100,000. But they can be rented.

(https://petapixel.com/assets/uploads/2013/08/50mmf07.jpg)

And here is the exact lens specs I used in reality. Something made by Signal Corps Engineering :
(http://www.thephoblographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/10169580_5_x-680x547.jpg)
Title: Re: The Case of the Missing Violinist
Post by: Oshyan on April 28, 2017, 11:50:32 PM
Heh, yes, technically possible, but practically unavailable. But if you like it this way, then it's your prerogative as the artist. :)

- Oshyan
Title: Re: The Case of the Missing Violinist
Post by: fleetwood on April 29, 2017, 07:47:40 AM
One more thought.
I believe that having used two suns with same position but differing soft shadow settings (cyphyr's recently posted idea) makes its own contribution to an odd look, giving a different spacing and values of umbra and penumbra than Terragen normally produces.

It could be that more unusual or complex shadows like that tell our brains that "this is studio or indoor lighting" because lighting by what amounts to two different value suns is not what we are used to seeing outdoors on Earth, but in a studio any combination is possible with multiple lights and reflectors, etc.