Using a DEM file for the Canadian Glacier National Park and the new georeferencing features.
Some crashing problems when attempting to render at a larger size, so I reduced detail, populations and size and it rendered alright.
Fantastic textures! Would you mind sharing the clip of your rock face?
On another aspect, I typically like the softness of your images and the way they accentuate the light. However, in this case, I think something sharper would help bring out the detail in your texture work and the pristine beauty of the landscape.
Great job, but I have to agree that the depth of field simulation detracts in this case.
Here is a second version without any softening.
OB, the textures are a combination of layered image maps and standard powerfractal shading.
So this was the "bad" render you were talking about ;)
I think it's good work, though you indeed can do better.
Your populations look good and the rockstructures look nice as well.
Comparing your 2 versions (soft vs non-soft) I think the non-soft looks better. Maybe you can better soften the image somewhere in between because it is a bit too blurry to my taste.
Martin